Yoga at Home for Absolute Beginners!

Yoga at Home: Smile as You Do Yoga!

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, The Mentor for Yoga Beginners Who Practice at Home

 

 

 

Tips for Maximing Your Home Yoga Practice - Refresher!

I have been practicing daily yoga for 47 years (except during late pregnancy or when certain events interfered with my practice). Like anything else, it's easy for such a routine to become "routine."

Just like a long-term relationship, you need to consistently make your yoga practice feel "special" to maintain your enthusiasm and commitment.

I recommend the following tips and reminders (which I followed to the letter this morning) to maximize the results of your home practice.   I have presented them in the past and they are simple, but truly powerful.  When I completed my practice this morning I felt especially energized, alert, awake, and attuned!  Here they are:

    *  Create rituals and infuse spirit into your practice to make it special.  My "ritual" is turning on my battery-operated candle (if I forget to turn if off, I won't burn my house down!) and placing it near my yoga mat.  This ritual signals to my entire being that I creating a magical time for myself and that I am "lighting" up my body, mind, and spirit with yoga.

    *  Begin with a breathing technique.  The alternate nostril breath technique is my one of my favorite yoga breathing techniques.

    *  Set an intention with a "key word" such as joy, serenity, peace, energy...  and dedicate your practice to that intention.  In other words, since I chose "energy" this morning, this meant that as I performed my various yoga poses, I focused on gaining lots of energy from each pose.  This reinforces yoga's benefits and you will feel a difference!

    *  Warm up with a yoga egg roll and neck movements/rolls.  The yoga egg roll boosts my energy because I feel like a kid each time I do it since it reminds me of being in gym class in elementary school ready to do tumbles.

    *  As you do each pose, listen to and observe your body as you move through all the steps of a pose. Be grateful for all you CAN do and don't give a second thought to what you cannot do (at this time...).

    *  Move slowly and gently as if you were watching a slow-motion dream sequence in a movie - "no pain or strain is all gain."

    *  Experience the "power of the pause" between poses.  One you complete one pose, pause and adjust your body to prepare it for the next pose.

    *  Conclude with a resting pose (savasana) for at least 2-5 minutes and allow the energy you have awakened in your body to re-settle throughout your body and mind.

If you follow these guidelines consistently, you will gain the following benefits:

"Y" - "Youthing-  rejuvenation and youthful vitality regardless of your chronological age

"O" - Oneness and openness of your mind, body, and spirit

"G" - Grace in how move and hold your body

"A" - "Awakening," "Alertness," and "Attunement" in all aspects of your body.

 

Yours for practicing yoga in the comfort of your home,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

 

 

 

 

   

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Yoga at Home: Sharing Yoga with My College Classmates

 

A week ago (June 4, 2017), I had fun sharing my daily yoga practice with my Wellesley College classmates.  In the above 2 photos, I demonstrate the bow and the half-locust poses.

I try to avoid using cliches, however, it's hard not to focus on how the years have zipped by when you attend your 40th college class reunion. As one of my classmates exclaimed, "where did 40 years go?!"

No matter how many years go by and as long as I possibly can, hopefully, until the day I "dance off the planet" (as 97-year young yoga instructor, Tao-Porchon Lynch says what she plans to do when her time is up), I will continue to practice yoga.

During the plans for the reunion, I was asked to give a yoga class and I agreed, emphasizing that I would share SLOW, GENTLE poses best suited to beginners, period.  And, that's what I did in the 45-minute session on a (finally, after numerous gray days) bright, sunny Sunday.

At the beginning of the class I shared my key tenets of a daily home yoga practice:

1)  "Slo' mo is the way to go" - I move into and out of yoga poses slowly and deliberately.  This allows you to really FEEL the pose.

2)  "The power of the pause" - take a short break (often going into the "child pose" as a relaxation poses between other poses) between each pose to allow your muscles to regroup and recover from a stretch.

3) "No pain or strain is all gain" in a gentle hatha yoga practice.  Challenge yourself, but never push, tug, or force your body into a pose.  A few years ago, according to an article in the Yoga Journal, over 16,000 people enter emergency rooms every year because of injuries sustained in a yoga class - no doubt the result of trying to go further than the body was ready to do

4)  Inhale and exhale deeply while practicing.  Synchronizing your breath with your movements enhances the energy boost you gain after a yoga session.

Some of my classmates are real athletes. Others may have not done too much physical exercise recently.

Whatever level they were, my classmates enjoyed the poses I shared - as apprehensive as I was in providing instruction that may have been "too basic".  I received many compliments after the class. People told me how great they felt.

One classmate told me that during the final Savasana pose (the sponge pose I call it - when you lie on your back and totally relax for several minutes at the end of a session), as she listened to the relaxing yoga music -  strong feelings welled up inside her.  And a gush of tears flowed.  Yes - in addition to its physical benefits, yoga can at times, release a much needed emotional release of pent up feelings.

In sharing my yoga practice with my college classmates, I realized once again, that indeed, you do not have to do the most complex, pretzel yoga poses to benefit greatly from yoga.  Start with wherever you are, move gently, and consistently,  inhale and exhale deeply, and you may just forget that 40 years have elapsed since you finished college!

Yours for enjoying gentle hatha yoga, 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the yoga at home coach for beginners

 

 

 

Yoga at Home: Should You Consider a Yoga Trapeze for Your Home?

Yesterday, one of my high school classmates, Dale, sent me a video, much like the one below (which is an advertisement by respected yoga instructor Lucas Rockwood with whom I am a bit acquainted and seems pretty good) and asked my opinion on the yoga trapeze.

Well, to start, I have no experience with yoga trapezes.  And secondly, as I have written in the past, I do not use yoga props or accoutrements of any kind - no blocks, no straps, no belts, no  blankets or balls. No nothin'. 

Just my mat and my body.  I like to keep things simple. My original yoga "teachers" (i.e., two classic books, Yoga, Youth, and Reincarnation and Yoga for Beauty and Health taught yoga poses without any props.  So, I have nil experience with them and have managed to do fine.

That said, one must evolve with the times and so I thought I'd do a little research (professional researcher that I am) on the yoga trapeze because it can be set up at home.  And, I always want to share with you ways to enhance your home yoga practice.

First, I wanted to see how much these yoga trapezes cost.  You can find the one Rockwood uses for $88 on Amazon.com which isn't too bad.  Ones from other websites cost as much as $255 or so.  A much steeper investment.

Based on Rockwood's claims and myriad Amazon reviews, the yoga trapeze offers a way, in the convenience of your home, to do various yoga inversion poses (which I have often blogged about) that benefit the back and spine especially by helping to decompress the veterbrae.

This assumes though that 1) you can set one up - and I am woefully challenged in taking things out of a box and setting them up - especially something that I am going to figure out where I can hang it up and 2) that I can actually use the trapeze without someone helping me. 

Both of these issues present major, major challenges for me! 

However, I must say, the idea is intriguing.  Especially since some of the reviews stated the following:

"This swing was the best thing I ever did for myself. I'm relieving so much tension in my shoulders and body and decompressing my back. I truly think that everyone needs one in their house."

"I tend to use this for back and hip pain as it's wonderful for traction and really stretching out your back while getting some movement in the joints. I used to be at the chiropractors every week and I haven't had to go in months now!"

However, some other reviews identified some problems in installing the trapeze and having to mount a stool to be able to get into it.

So, for the moment, I think I will pass on the yoga trapeze.

However, it's something I may revisit because hanging upside down like a bat could be fun and rejuvenating!  I just don't think I can do it on my own at this time!  I will stick with the shoulder stand and plough pose as my go-to inversion poses that I can do sans props.

However, you may wish to give it a whirl by checking out the video below or looking up other ones on youtube.com.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the yoga at home for beginners coach

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-taught Yoga: Helpful Video to Learn Tree Pose-Another Balance Pose

 As I mentioned a few weeks ago as part of my "yoga spring cleaning," I felt I needed to start learning a few new poses to add to my regime.

Since maintaining balance still challenges me, I felt that I should start incorporating the ygoa "Tree Pose."  I have done it in the past - but not consistently - no reason why - except that maintaining balance is often difficult for me!

I soon found a youtube video on the Tree pose that is pretty good.  Of course, there are many, I did not have time to watch them all.  I like that this video covers the basics in under 3 minutes.  Also, the video presents front and side views and has some arrow graphics to explain the alignment for which you should strive while holding the pose.

What I found lacking is that there's no explanation on exactly how long you should hold the pose or how many repetitions are recommended (although I tend to do most poses only once).  Also, the video is produced by YogaSync TV - no individual instructor is named and from that perspective, it's a bit impersonal. I prefer videos associated with a particular person.

Overall, however, I do find this video to be helpful.  Enjoy.

 

Best wishes for a yoga-filled week!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the yoga at home for beginner's coach

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-Taught Yoga: Balance Pose- a Refresher on the Eagle

I practice the Eagle, an important balance pose, every other day - alternating it with another balance pose, the Arm and Leg Stretch.

In her wonderful book, Yoga Sparks:  108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute or Less, yoga therapist Carol Krucoff writes about the importance of balance and how yoga can help us gain balance.

"Balance poses teach some of yoga's most important lessons, getting grounded, finding your center, staying focused, maintaining concentration, and steadying the mind.  The process of learning to balance, with its inevitable falling and trying again, cultivates patience, persistence, humility and good humor."

I could not agree more!  Seemingly born uncoordinated, achieving balance in sports has been a challenge for me. When my first boyfriend in college took me out to water ski, I could never rise above a crouch.  I feared losing my balance!

Although I sometimes still wobble while doing the above Eagle pose, I persist with it because working with balance is important.  When I tore a ligament (from walking it seems - not from yoga!) in my left ankle 2 years ago, I could barely do this pose on my left foot. But, again, I worked my way back to doing it-- albeit with some teetering and tottering. 

Here are my instructions on how to do the Eagle, which I do enjoy, even if it is not always easy!

Eagle (Sanskrit name is Garudasana)

Type of yoga pose:  Active, standing

Body parts targeted:  Legs, thighs, upper back, hips, knee joints 

How to do the pose:

1. Stand tall with your legs and feet about shoulder width apart, and your hands at your sides. Focus your eyes on one spot in front of you at eye level.
2. Inhale and shift your weight onto your left leg. With your left leg (which is standing) slightly bent, bend and raise your right leg off the ground.
3. Wrap your right leg around the front of your left standing leg and tuck your right raised foot behind the left knee. To stay balanced, you may need to bend your left standing knee slightly more.  Also, if needed, hold out both your arms to your sides, parallel, and at a slight angle to steady yourself.

    4.  Next, extend your left arm in front of you and cross your right arm, bent at the elbow, over your left arm at the elbow and gently lock that position so that the right elbow is resting on the left arm at the point where the upper and lower arm meet

    5.  Entwine your hands so your right wrist is wrapped around the left wrist and your hands are clasped palm to palm.  Rest your chin on your hands.

    6.  Exhale and gently bend forward, taking at least 5 seconds, until your chest rests on your upper leg and knee. Keep your arms entwined. As Jess Stearn said in his book, Yoga, Youth, and  Reincarnation,  you should look like an American eagle ready to swoop down on its prey.

 7.  Hold the pose for 5 seconds (inhaling and exhaling deeply). Then, take at least 5 seconds to come up slowly, vertebra by vertebra.  Raise your head last. Gently unclasp your arms and legs.

8.  At first, when you are developing the balance and coordination needed to hold the pose, you may have to adjust your balance by gentling touching down the right leg to the floor as you rise up out of the pose.

9.  Repeat the pose by standing and shifting your weight to right leg and go through all the same set of movements on the opposite side.

Practice time:  Hold for 5 seconds; add 5 seconds a week until you can hold the bent over position for 20-30 seconds.

Number of repetitions:  1 or 2

 Key benefits from this pose: 

1. Improves and develops balance, poise, and nerve coordination.
2. Tones legs and thigh muscles.
3. Stretches upper back muscles and hip and knee joints.
4. Helps relieve varicose veins. 

Special hints and my experience with this pose:

This exercise may appear strange but it’s relaxing and superb for improving balance and coordination. You will also notice the toning of your calves and thighs. I feel it every time!

The key is to move gradually and deliberately to maintain your balance and to synchronize your breath with your movements.  At times I can maintain my balance for only a few seconds. If you cannot bend forward and stay balanced when you start this pose, stay balanced in the standing pose for the stated time.

After a few days or weeks of consistent practice, you should be able to bend forward and achieve balance in the “eagle” position.  If you tend to wobble as I do (often!), do the pose near a wall to catch yourself.

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the self-taught yoga coach for beginners

 

 

Yoga at Home for the Beginner: Shoulder Stand Refresher

 

I do the shoulder stand daily - holding it for 1-3 minutes and it reminds me just a bit of the Hanged Man in the Tarot.

In a recent issue of Yoga Journal, yoga instructor Briohny Smyth said that inversions are her favorite pose because:

    "Turning yourself upside down gives you a moment to reflect.  It takes all of your focus.  Very rarely am I upside down thinking, 'hmm, my problem in life...' An inversion is a full-body engager; therefore, it is a full-mind engager."

Yes!  I agree.

What I enjoy about the shoulder stand is that it requires me to indeed take a different perspective. As creatures who move about in an upright position, we typically look ahead and far too many of us, I have observed, look down on the ground as we walk, perhaps in an effort to avoid eye contact with strangers! But, very few of us, unless we are professional ballet dancers or gymnasts who regularly turn and twist upside and down in various poses, look from the ground up.

When I do the shoulder stand daily, as shown above, I am forced to look up and truly focus on keeping my body straight. The position challenges me to remain still without wobbling.  I usually take a couple of seconds to adjust into the position of being straight and I truly must concentrate so I stay still. The poses requires me to observe my own physique in a different way- keeping my legs upright and my chin held firmly against my chest as I hold the pose for several minutes.

What I especially like about the shoulder stand is that I gain many of the benefits of the much more challenging headstand which I have yet to master. Just like the headstand, you enjoy a nice inversion of blood flow to your brain. It also benefits your entire circulatory system, especially the veins and arteries of your legs. In addition, because you are inverting your whole body, the blood flow reverses its usual direction and moves through and stimulates the organs and glands of your upper body including the thyroid gland. 

As I have often said, our bodies all differ and some of us may have particular challenges with specific poses like the shoulder stand. If you are learning this pose for the first time and/or have been out of shape for some time, always check with your healthcare provider to get the green light on what is reasonable for you to do. The key is always to ease into every pose with great care and in the most gentle way possible.  The shoulder stand can be challenging for some people.

Although I have written about the shoulder stand several times in the past, I felt it was time to give you a refresher and to provide new readers of this blog with a full explanation.  Instructions follow.  Enjoy!

Shoulder Stand: (Sanskrit term – Sarvangasana)

Type of yoga pose: Supine, inversion pose

Body parts targeted: Spinal column, upper back, abdomen, brain, circulation, internal organs and glands (sexual glands and organs; thyroid and parathyroid glands; pituitary gland; eyes, ears, and salivary glands)

How to do the pose:

1. Lie down on you back your mat and relax with your arms and hands at your side.
2. Face your palms downward.
3. Inhale distending your abdomen and then hold your breath while tightening your abdominal muscles and stiffening your legs.
4. Press downward against the floor with the palms of your hands and using them as a lever, slowly lift your legs off the floor while exhaling. Keep your knees straight.

1. Take at least 5 seconds to smoothly raise your legs straight up in the air until they are perpendicular with the floor. The more slowly you raise your legs, the firmer and stronger your abdomen will become. If needed, you may rock you knees and forelegs back and forth a bit to gain the necessary momentum to lift your lower back and buttocks off the floor.
2. Place your right hand against the kidney region of your back and brace yourself with it. Place your left hand also against your back for additional support.
3. Raise both legs together until your entire body is vertical with your elbows resting on the floor and both hands supporting your back.

1. Keep your legs and body as straight as possible with your chin nestled into the space in front of your collarbone – i.e., the jugular notch.
2. Hold the pose motionless for 30 seconds.

• Slowly bend your legs at the knees and gently lower your legs until your knees are about one or two inches from your face.
• Place your right hand on the floor and brace yourself with it. Follow by placing your left hand on the floor and also brace yourself with it.

• Slowly straighten your legs until they are again vertical in the air.
• Keeping your knees straight, slowly lower your legs until they are resting on the floor. You may wish to enhance the abdominal firming effect of this pose by holding your legs taut for a few seconds when they are one to two inches away from the floor.

Practice time: Hold the pose for 30 seconds during your first week of practice. Add 10 seconds a week until you can hold the pose for 3 minutes.

Number of repetitions: 1

Key benefits from this pose:

1. Benefits and energizes the entire body.
2. Massages and stimulates the spinal column.
3. Increases blood supply to brain to increase energy, tones the nervous system, and can improve certain mental faculties such as the memory.
4. Stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, and enriches the pituitary gland.
5. This inversion repositions organs and glands into their proper place by offsetting the downward pull that gravity puts on the body.
6. Enhances circulation and helps to relieve strain placed on blood vessels when the body is upright for long periods. May help alleviate varicose veins.
7. Can help regulate weight because the pose helps stimulate the thyroid gland.
8. Strengthens back and can build up chest.
9. Can eliminate headaches.
10. Stretches and strengthen shoulder and back muscles.
11. Stretches muscles and ligaments of the cervical region (the top part of the spine that consists of the seven vertebrae of the neck and the disks that separate them).
12. Strengthens the entire nervous system.
13. Stimulates the sexual glands and organs and boosts the libido.

 

Special hints and Laura’s experience with this pose:

If you have had neck injury or problems or have high blood pressure, consult your physician or medical advisor before trying this pose.

Because this is an inverted pose and the blood flows downward, women should avoid this pose during menstruation.

Go up into the shoulder stand only as far as you comfortably can. People who at first find the pose difficult are often advised to use a wall to help get them into the position or at least to acclimate themselves to getting their legs vertically into the air. I never found this necessary. I simply raised my legs as far up into a vertical position as was feasible for me in the beginning and after several weeks I was able to achieve the hold in a completely vertical position.

Come out of the shoulder stand slowly and smoothly to avoid hurting your spine or back.

 Yours for gaining tremendous benefits from inversions such as the shoulder stand!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, The Beginner's Yoga at Home Coach

 

 

Yoga Practice Post 7-Hour Car Ride - Feels SO Good!

 The cobra pose below is superb for releasing back stiffness from a long car ride.

 

The ankle to forehead stretch below opens your hips and releases tightness from driving many hours.

 

 The knee and thigh stretch shown in the 2 photos below also releases stiffness after sitting in a car for hours.

 

  

I have written numerous times that one of the key advantages of a yoga home practice is that your practice is  "portable" - you can take it anywhere.

What I have not emphasized is that yoga can really come to the rescue after a long, stressful car ride that can take a toll on your body - leaving you depleted and stiff.

Last week I drove my son to visit a university he is considering transferring to for his sophomore year of college.  I did not look forward to the 5.5 to 6 hour drive to Ohio, but I had committed to the trip.  Although snow was forecasted, I figured it could not possibly snow that much this late in March. (Ahh...how naive I was!)

Well, it didn't snow too "much..." But, the drive between Frederick Maryland and the border of West Virginia was harrowing as we headed straight into fast and furious snow flurries in the pitch black of the early morning before sunrise. Even after the sunrise, visibility was poor because of total white skies and fog. As we continued our trek, the snow turned to rain and slick roads. As a result - the drive turned into a 7-hour stress fest as we tried to make a noon luncheon.

We never made the luncheon.  We did though make it to our other appointments.  That evening I slept like the proverbial rock. The next morning after waking up, I went into my usual yoga practice. Even though I was stiffer than usual because of the previous day's seemingly interminable car ride, every yoga pose I did made me feel wonderful - just as if I was giving myself a soothing, deep massage.

Because my yoga practice is portable, it came to my rescue that morning at the hotel. The poses I show in the photos above (the cobra, the ankle to forehead stretch, and the knee and thigh stretch) are particularly well suited to releasing stiffness and energizing the body.  I was so thankful that I don't have to rely on a class (yoga classes were not available at the hotel) to benefit from slow, gentle, yet powerful yoga.

 

Yours for enjoying a home yoga practice you can take anywhere

P.S.  For instructions on how to do

1)  the cobra see: http://athomeyoga.typepad.com/at_home_yoga_with_laura/2013/08/beginners-yoga-at-home-doing-yoga-gives-you

2)  the ankle to forehead stretch see:  http://athomeyoga.typepad.com/at_home_yoga_with_laura/2010/04/beginners-yoga-how-to-do-the-ankle-to-forehead-

3)  the knee and thigh stretch see:  http://athomeyoga.typepad.com/at_home_yoga_with_laura/2011/02/yoga-at-home-for-beginners-new-book-excerpt-

                    

 

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, The Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

  ^TM

 

Yoga Neck Rolls: Gain an Afternoon Energy Boost! (Another Benefit)

 

I have written several posts about how yoga neck rolls are:

1)  a perfect way to wake-up and warm-up your yoga practice

2)  a soothing technique you can use to relax fully before going to sleep and,

3)  an aid to work out the kinks from your neck and shoulders if you have been sitting at an office desk too long.

However, recently, I made an additional discovery about the value of yoga neck rolls.  They are tremendous for boosting your energy when an afternoon lull sets in!  As such, I am re-sharing information about neck rolls because of their immense value.

A few weeks ago, I had not gotten enough sleep one night because various chores and night activities kept me busy past my ideal bed time.

The following afternoon,  my body's energy began to nosedive and I could barely keep my eyes open at my desk!

Prompted by my intuition, I went to the ladies' room and did a full set of neck rolls as a 5-minute break. 

Almost instantly following those neck rolls I felt like Lazarus being brought back to life! 

I could not believe how my energy surged back into my body - uncanny!  (Or maybe not...I had forgotten how energizing yoga can be).

Yoga neck rolls are now my go-to technique for chasing away any afternoon lulls that my body sometimes experiences, especially if I have gotten too little sleep the previous night.

Does this mean I can get by on less sleep?  Absolutely not! 

We must still be wise and honor our body's need for adequate rest. 

But, as a quick energy boost, the yoga neck rolls pictured and explained below are amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

Neck Rolls

How to do the pose:

1.    Stand or sit erect and relaxed with your hands and arms at your sides or on your knees if seated.

2.    Breathe in and out slowly and relax for a few seconds.

3.    First inhale and gently drop your head so that your chin is resting on your chest on or below your collarbone or as far as you comfortably can reach in the beginning.  Hold for one or two seconds and exhale as you slowly raise your head and resume its upright position.  Repeat this movement two more times.

4.    Inhale and gently drop your head toward your back so the back of your head is touching your back or as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for one second.  If you are very stiff and haven’t done many neck movements in years, you may experience discomfort. Take it easy and move gently. Exhale and move your head back slowly to its upright position.

5.    Inhale and turn your head as far as is comfortable to the left side (no, you are not going to do a full head turnaround as in the Exorcist!), hold for a second, exhale and return your head to the center starting position. Be careful not to move your shoulders as you turn your head to the side.  You want to maximize the neck stretch.  Repeat twice more. Do the same movements to the right side and back three times.

6.    Inhale and move your head straight downward to the left side, hold for a second, exhale, and return head to upright position. Repeat twice more on left side.  Do the same movement on the right side three times.

7.    Inhale and drop your head very slowly until your neck is completely limp and your chin is resting on your chest on or below your collarbone, or as far as you can comfortably go.

8.    Ever so slowly, roll your head to your right side.  Keep your neck loose and allow the weight of your head to pull your neck muscles. Imagine you are a marionette and someone is gently maneuvering the strings that move your neck.

9.    Continue moving your head slowly until your head is touching your back.  (You are making a half, not a full circle).

10. Exhale and gently roll head back to the front.  Lift your head and resume its upright position.  Repeat twice more on the left.  Do the same movements on the right side three times.

Practice time:  3 repetitions of the above neck movements take about 5 minutes.

Additional comments/advice:

Neck rolls are feasible for most beginners. If you have had any neck injuries or whiplash, check with your physician or medical adviser before trying them.

If done gently, however, neck rolls can help strengthen the neck area and heal it from injury. As yogi Erich Schiffman recommends in his book, Yoga – The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, keep your eyes closed as you do the neck rolls to “magnify the sensations.”

At first, you may hear cracking or graveling noises in your neck as you move your head. I heard mild crunching at the top of my neck when I began doing neck rolls. However, with consistent gentle practice, your head should be able to revolve smoothly as if it had been well lubricated and any crunching or cracking noises should be minimal.  Remember, never jerk your head in any way. Think  s – m – o – o – t – h   movement.

Yours for gently rolling your neck for an energy boost.

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, The Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

  ^TM

Also see:  http://www.DoYogaAtHomeNow.com

 

 

Yoga Cobra Pose: Excellent Video for Beginners!

The following 3 photos show me doing the cobra, one of my favorite yoga poses. 

 Starting position above - lie facedown with your nose and chin on the mat.

 

Lift your head and shoulders as far as you can without using your arms. 

Hold this pose in this final segment for 5 seconds at first and increase your time gradually.

I usually hold the final segment of the cobra for 30 seconds.  

I have not personally created any instructional yoga videos because - alas - I am not a professional, certified instructor.  I am a self-taught yoga who enjoys sharing what I have learned and I like to recommend other resources including videos that you can use to practice yoga at home.

Last week, I discovered a 3-minute instructional video on youtube that I find EXCELLENT in teaching the beginner how to do the yoga pose.  If you wish to learn the cobra, watch this video a few times and you will have all the information you need to do it well.  (Please note, the way I do the cobra pose is slightly different from the way the instructor presents - both ways work!).

I find this video to be excellent for the yoga beginner for the following reasons:

1.  Before showing how to do the pose, the instructor advises that people with certain conditions should not attempt to do the pose (e.g., women who are pregnant).  

2.  You receive clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.  

3.  The instructor speaks slowly and clearly and moves slowly and gently.  Perfect for the beginner!  You have time to absorb and instill what she is doing.  And, I love her gentle, soothing demeanor...she epitomizes serenity and patience.

4.  If you have any physical limitations, the instructor offers special tips and alternate ways of executing the pose.

5.  The instructor gives you guidelines on how long to hold certain segments of the pose  - such as for 6 breaths.  Many instructors overlook this!

5.  You receive a clear explanation of the benefits the pose gives you.  Thus, you gain incentives for practicing the pose.

Watch the video several times before trying the cobra for the first time. Remember to move as slowly and gently as possible and FEEL and SAVOR the stretch!  You will then reap all the rewards the cobra offers.

 ENJOY!

Yours for learning yoga at home with clear, step-by-step instructions.

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginner's Yoga at Home Coach

  ^TM

Also see:  http://www.DoYogaAtHomeNow.com