We all know we’re supposed to move our body everyday AND that we always feel better when we do but how often do you roll your yoga mat out in the living room determined to move but with no idea what to do? Especially as autumn begins to roll in and the mornings and evenings are darker, the sofa, PJ’s and a cup of tea just seems all the more tempting. Fear not, I’ve come up with some simple yoga poses or sequences which can definitely be done in PJ’s in the living room and will help your body feel a little stretchier and stronger regardless of where and when you do them.
Of course it is not necessarily all about the physical so while practicing these poses try to really focus on the breath too. Actively bring the intention to slow your breath, maybe counting the length of a deep inhale to time your exhale. By breathing deeply we automatically let the nervous system know we can relax and move away from the flight or fight mode we often live our lives in. Even if you are having a day when you don’t feel like moving just take a couple of minutes to sit and breathe and watch the difference it makes.
Supine Twists
1. Start laid on the back and draw the knees slowly into the chest
2. Let the arms rest on the floor at shoulder height
3. Slowly draw the knees over to the right hand side, letting the feet touch to the ground and knees following
4. Turn the gaze towards the left hand and slowly lift the right shoulder slightly away from the floor to let the left shoulder come closer to the ground. Settle here and then repeat on the other side
Seated Side Flexion
1. Come to a comfortable seated position
2. Sweep the right arm up away from the floor and lengthen through both sides of the waist.
3. Keeping that length in both sides of the body let the fingertips of the left hand come to the floor to the side of the hip and walk the hand away
4. As the body begins to flex to the left side keep both sit bones grounded down to the floor and reach the right arm diagonally towards the ceiling
5. Return to centre and repeat on the other side
Cat/Cow
1. Coming to box position with the hands spreading across the mat nice and wide. Hands directly under the shoulders and knees under the hips
2. On the inhale slowly work the belly down towards the floor and the gaze towards the ceiling
3. Keep the movements slow and controlled, not jarring in the lower back, so that one vertebrae at a time is moving
4. On the exhale scoop the belly up, round through the shoulders and tuck the chin towards the chest
5. Repeat using the breath as a guide for as many rounds as you like
Puppy Pose to Sphinx
1. Start in box position, with the hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Keeping the hips and knees stacked on top of each other walk the hands away from you and let the chest begin to sink towards the floor
2. Keep the belly engaged to protect the lower back. Hold for five breaths or longer depending on your body
3. With the belly engaged begin to sweep the body forward so that elbows come to the floor as well as the lower belly. The chest will move between the forearms as you end up in sphinx
4. While in sphinx keep the chest moving forward, draw the shoulders down the back and the hands, forearms and elbows are active towards the floor. Hold for five breaths
5. To come out either walk the hands back to box position, sweep the body back to puppy or just lay the body down to the floor
Lateral Box Stretch to Tiger
1. From box position stretch out the right leg and bring the toes to the floor
2. Sweep the outstretched leg over to the left so it crosses over the left leg and a stretch comes into the right side of the body
3. To intensify the stretch take the gaze towards the toes of the right foot. Hold for five breaths
4. Sweep the leg back to the right side and keep the toes to the floor. Come onto the fingertips of the left hand and left the left arm out in front. Engage the core muscles to find the strength to float the right leg away from the floor
5. Keep the hips level rather than lifting towards a backbend. Hold for five breaths
6. Repeat on the opposite side
Lunge – either High or Low
1. From box position bring the right foot between the hands,manipulate it forward if needs be.
2. Either tuck the back toes under to lift the knee off of the floor or keep the knee down if this is more appropriate
3. Spider the fingers either side of the feet, hover the hands and then draw them up onto the thigh
4. Draw back with the left heel to ensure you are strong in the back leg or if the knee is down then really root into the leg so you feel some strength in the glutes
5. If balance is ok then draw both arms up towards the ceiling, keep the palms apart and facing each other. Hold for five breaths if possible
6. To come back out bring the hands back to either side of the right foot, drop the left knee and make your way back to box position
7. Repeat on the other side
Forward Fold
1. From standing soften the knees and slowly fold the body
2. Starting with bent knees, let the belly come as close to the thighs as possible
3. Either let the hands graze the floor and hang there or hold opposite elbows above the top of the head
4. As you soften into the fold, try straightening the legs a tiny amount with each exhale, so the sit bones are lifting more up towards the ceiling. There is a very real possibility that your legs will not straighten and that is ok. Work on that contact of belly to thighs instead. Hold for as long as feels good
5. To come out, soften the knees, unclasp the arms and slowly roll to standing
Bridge Rolls
1. Laid on the back bend the knees and bring the feet close to the bottom so that you can graze the back of the heels with the fingertips. If when you begin to lift there is a pinching or discomfort in the lower back then take the feet further away from the bottom.
2. Feet should have a gap between them so they are underneath the knees.
3. As you inhale begin to scoop the bottom off the floor, lifting the hips, the belly and the chest slowly. Move with control, moving each vertebra one at a time.
4. Hold briefly with the chest coming towards the chin and then slowly roll the body back down one vertebra at a time
5. Repeat 3 times or more
6. To counterpose take the feet mat width apart and roll the feet one way and then the other, letting the knees drop to one side and then the other
Supine Pigeon
1. Laid on the back with the knees bent and feet flat to the floor, draw the right knee in
towards the chest. Hug it in close
2. Then place the right ankle onto the left knee and lift the left foot away from the floor
3. Catch behind the left thigh with the hands and draw the left thigh down towards the torso
4. If you want to deepen the stretch you can use the right elbow to press the right thigh away a little more.
5. Keep breathing and hold for 5 breaths
6. Unravel the legs and repeat on the other side.
As with all exercise all of our bodies react to different movements in a unique way. What your best friend finds easy you might find really difficult and vice versa so please always listen to your body.
All of these poses can be practiced together in the order they are written or maybe just pick a few to pop into your morning or evening routine.
I’d love to hear what you think and if you have your own go to everyday yoga postures or ways to get your body moving so let me know below
Georgie x
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