You will need:
- Small Towel or Sponge
- 2 Yoga Blocks or Pillows
- Low Table or Chair
- Mat/Blanket/Towel to lay on
1. Half Roll Downs:
Start by engaging the stomach as best you can. Hands are on your knees. Exhale with a deep "ha" breath to roll down (just enough to feel your stomach, not your back). Inhale rolls you back up. Think about sitting taller each time. Every time you exhale, think about pulling your belly button (or kegel/pelvic floor) up to the back of your bra strap. Repeat 4 - 8 X.
2. Full Roll Downs:
Keeping the hands behind the thighs, slowly roll yourself down all the way until you are lying on the mat. Feel free to keep a pillow or sponge behind your head for neck support. Once you roll all the way down, use an exhale to nod the chin, and slowly roll up. Climb up the back of your thighs with your hands to deepen the connection. Try to feel each vertebrae coming up and down one at a time. Repeat 4 1/2 X. The 1/2 will be simply rolling down and staying there. Make sure to make your movements as low and controlled as possible.
Clasp the hands behind the head and push your head into your hands. Your elbows should be visible in your peripheral vision (while seeing your knees). Push your head back into your hands even before you curl up. You want to activate your biceps and armpits to support the neck. Keeping your head heavy, use a "ha" breath to curl up. Inhale, lower down one inch,; exhale, curl up again. Repeat 8 X.
4. Marching: (This can work with the head neck and shoulders curled up or lying on the mat with your head supported.)
Exhale with a "ha" breath to float one leg at a time to table top. Alternate sides without shifting your hips. Try to maintain length in your spine. If you feel your low back, simply place a small towel underneath for support. Repeat at least 4 X for each leg.
5. Single Leg Circles: (This works with the head up or down as well.)
Exhale one knee into table top. Start with your heel towards your bum ("droopy" table top). Your other foot is still flat with the knee up. Keep your standing leg stable. Pretending you have a pencil coming out of the top of your knee, circle the leg in table top 8 X each direction maintaining stability in the standing leg. Think of engaging all the muscles in the standing leg to stop any wiggling of that knee. For an added challenge, extend the leg in table top towards the ceiling. Make sure to keep the circling leg heavy in the hip socket.
STRETCH!!! Hug both knees into the chest and do small circles in both directions to release your lower back. Feel free to rock side to side, and simply do whatever feels good.
6. Lower and Lift: (Head up or down).
Place a rolled up towel under your lower back for support. Also feel free to place a pillow under your head, if you are not curling up the head neck and shoulders as in step #3. Keeping your back completely flat on the mat, float both legs to "droopy" table top. Think pubic bone up to the ceiling. Inhale, lower your legs a micro movement maintaining stability in your pelvis. Exhale, lift the legs back to your chest. If you feel anything in your knees or back, stop immediately. Remember to listen to your body. You are your best judge if something will work for you. Repeat up to 8 X but careful not to overdo.
7. Bridging:
Feet are one footprint from your bum, in line with your sit bones (a little closer to the middle than your hips). Exhale, your that "ha" breath to push your lower back into the mat to lift just the bum up. Continue exhaling to lift one vertebrae at a time, keeping the back ribs heavy. At the top, take an inhale, feeling your knees reaching over your toes and your heels pulling backwards. Exhale start to melt your ribs down, than the middle back, the lower back, and finally melt back to neutral. Inhale at the bottom before you exhale to repeat. Make sure to feel your stomach, your legs and your bum working. Repeat 4 - 8 X. To increase difficulty, add marching in your bridging. Feel free to turn out your feet if this feels better on your knees.
Keeping your hips steady, exhale lift one heel off the mat at a time. Feel free to lift the foot off the mat as well for a deeper connection. You should feel this in the hamstring (back of the leg) and outer thigh of the standing leg.
Repeat 4-8 X each leg.
STRETCH!!!!! Lift one leg at a time straight up towards the ceiling holding onto the back of your thigh. Point and flex your foot releasing the hamstring. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Point and flex at least 10 times.
Reach your arms out in front of you. Your palms face in. Make sure your arms remain lower than your shoulders at all times. If you have shoulder issues, keep the arms lower than the bottom of your bra area. Reach through your armpit to extend your top arm out, past your bottom arm, keeping both arms below your chest at all times. While watching your hand, draw a big arc across your body, reaching your hand and rotating your torso to the back of the room. Your palm will now face up at the end of the rainbow. To return to start, simply retrace the same rainbow and bring both your hands back together again, palms face in. Careful not to let the arm lift too high. Repeat 4 - 8 X on both sides.
9. Pinwheel Arms:
Your hands now separate. Keep your bottom palm up and on the mat. The top arm hovers in line with your shoulder. Watching your hand the entire time, circle your arm like a pinwheel. Bring it down towards your hip (palm down). The palm reaches up as it circles to the back of the room. Your palm rotates down when it comes up and over head. Then simply return to starting position. Repeat 4 X in each direction being careful to only go as big as feels good for your body. Repeat on the other side as well.
10. Side Leg Work:
Remove the block from between your knees and extend your top leg to the front corner of the mat. Take the bottom arm and hug your pillow/block. The top arm either pushes into the mat in line with your waistline, or squishes underneath to remind you to keep your abs engaged. Feel free to move this hand to your hips as well. You want to make sure your shoulders and hips stay stacked, and your waistline stays lifted.
Feel free to bend your top leg as much as necessary to keep the work in your outer thigh and not in your hip joint.
- Lift and lower your top leg 8 X keeping the movement very small. Your leg will never lift higher than your hip.
- Circle your top leg. Remember, this is coming from the leg, not the ankle. Repeat 8 X in each direction.
- Bend and Stretch. Bend your knee into table top keeping your knee and ankle in line with your top hip. Feel like you are pulling something in with your thigh, and pressing something away with your heel as you extend the leg. Move slowly with control. If you feel anything in your knee, stop immediately. Repeat 4 - 8 X. Repeat on the other side.
Bring both knees back to fetal position. Thighs are ninety degrees in line with your hips, and shins and feet are at the front of the mat. Keeping your heels together, lift both heels up rotating onto your knees. Keeping the heels together, open a close your top leg. Repeat 8 X.
STRETCH!!!! Cross one ankle over your opposite thigh, creating a figure four with your legs. DIve through the hole and grab onto your thigh that you didn't just cross. Push your crossed knee away from you and put extra weight onto the leg you're holding onto. This is an amazing "figure four" stretch for your piriformis muscle (back of the hip). For tight hips, this may not be possible yet. In which case, simply keep your foot on the mat instead of pulling it towards your chest. Press the knee of your crossed leg away from you and put extra weight onto your standing leg. For super flexible hips, make sure the knees stay crossed and pull them so tight that the hole between disappears. Grab onto your ankles and pull them apart for an even deeper stretch.
Inhale to round your lower back, wheeling your hips up towards the ceiling. Look down. Try to initiate this movement through your lower body. Exhale to arch your lower back just slightly looking up towards the ceiling. Try to keep your abdominals engaged the entire time. Repeat 4 - 8 X.
13. Basket Stretch:
Slowly, lower your head to the mat, reaching one arm across your opposite thigh. Make sure to reach the arm back and turn your head in the direction of your arm. This will stretch your shoulders and your upper back. Hold for 30 - 60 seconds.
14. Wag the Tail:
Keeping your shoulders stable, pivot on your knee, bringing your foot side to side. Do this keeping your back stable to start. When you are ready for a deeper stretch, watch the leg by turning your head and upper body side to side. Keep your knee on the mat at all times. Repeat on both sides 4 - 8 X with and without rotation.
15. Plank Prep: (Make sure you have sticky socks or are on a surface that isn't slippery.)
Staying in your table position. Your back is comfortable somewhere in the middle between your cat/cow position. Hands are under your shoulders. Knees are under your hips. When you are ready, tuck your toes under and float both knees off of the mat. The lower you keep your knees, the harder the exercise. Hover for 8 counts. Repeat 4 X.
STRETCH!!!! Do a Child's Pose. Keep your knees wide, and your feet together. Sit back towards your heels and reach your arms in front of you. Reach both arms to one side sinking into your opposite hip. Repeat on the other side. Hold for at least 30 seconds.
16. Scapula Glides:
Now, no matter what, your forearms are resting on a table or chair. The lower the better. Either way, you want to try to keep your back flat and stable. Your abs stay engaged. Keeping your elbows and shoulders in line. Your palms are flat on the table/chair in line with your shoulders. Gently allow your chest to drop, depressing your shoulders. Using your armpit muscles, gently lift your shoulders up, opening your back nice and wide. Repeat 8 X.
17. Full Plank:
Keeping your back and chest wide, extend one toe at a time into a full plank position. Your legs are straight, your hips are up and your glutes are engaged. Tuck your tail under to support your lower back. Keep your armpits almost hugging together to give you a deeper lift through the shoulders. The higher your arms are, the harder this becomes. Eventually, try to do this with your forearms on the mat. Make sure you work up to this position slowly and continue to feel your abdominals the entire time. If you are only feeling your shoulders, your upper body is too low. Hold for 10 - 60 seconds. If you feel your lower back, stop immediately. Repeat 4 X.
STRETCH!!! Repeat Child's Pose from above.
18. Tricep Dips:
Sit off the edge of a bench or table. Make sure your feet are on on the floor, in front of your hips and that your shoulders stay down. Push your hips forward supporting yourself with your armpits and lower abdominals. Slowly bend your elbows keeping your shoulders down), and slowly lift back up. Make sure your elbows don't lock at the top and that your shoulders don't lift throughout the exercise. You should feel this in the back of the upper arm and armpits. Repeat 2 sets of 10 reps.
STRETCH!!! In a sitting, or standing position, reach one arm up towards the ceiling. Bend your elbow, palm faces forward. Reach to the small of your back. Take your other arm up keeping and cross bend at your elbow crossing your wrists over each other. Reach both arms down. Reverse by bringing your other arm up first. Hold for at least 30 seconds.
19. Modified Swan:
Lay on your stomach with your fingertips together on your forehead. Your palms are down on the floor. Draw your stomach away from your mat, lengthening your lower back. Your pubic bone will push slightly into the mat. If you feel your lower back, place a pillow or sponge under your belly button.
Keeping your shoulders back, push your hands into the mat lifting your head slightly off your hands. Make sure to keep looking down the entire time. You want to maintain a long neck. Think no wrinkles.
STRETCH!!! Repeat Child's Pose from above.
20. Standing Roll Down:
Stand with your back to a wall. Make sure you are not too close. The closer you get, the harder the exercise. If you feel like you are going to fall forwards, you are doing this perfectly! Please don't fall.
Your feet are under your sit bones. Make sure your knees stay soft the entire time, bending as much as you need so your hamstrings and back aren't stressed. Keeping your hips and your knees stacked, feel yourself lengthening up to roll down. Simply nod the chin as if you are holding onto a grapefruit between your chin and chest. Let your arms hang forwards like dead weight. Let your shoulders start to roll forward. Then let your ribs continue the articulation. Roll down as low as you can without shifting your hips off your ankles. At the bottom simply hang. Bend the knees as much as possible to feel your weight equal on all four corners of your feet. You want to feel both your big toe, your baby toe and both sides of your heels pushing into the floor. Start to stack your spine up one vertebrae at a time. Slowly lift your waist over your hips, your ribs over your hips, your shoulders over your hips and lastly lift your chin from your chest. Repeat 4 X. Feel free to stretch the neck at the bottom, letting your head hang. Shake your head slowly and lazily.
STRETCH!!! Both arms reach up towards the ceiling. Stretch both arms to one side, than to the other. Then reach as far back as feels good for you. Separate your arms and breath in, opening the arms East to West up towards the ceiling (or as high as feels good). Exhale and open the arms wide.
