So here's a little stretch sequence I did outside this week in between keeping an eye on my five kitty kids during supervised outside time.
Put on music you enjoy. My husband introduced me to this song from Mo' Horizons this week. I love it! I gives me a sense of peace and sultriness ~ a great combo ;)
Neck rolls: My
husband has a condition called lymphedema. This is when the lymph nodes don't
pump fluids optimally, ie. the nutrients to the correct places or the toxins
out. I have specifically studied this in my stretch training. I found out that,
unlike the heart which unconsciously pumps blood, lymph fluid pumping is
dependent on the use of our muscles and our breath. And, although lymph nodes
are all over our insides, one third are in the neck. So neck rolls and
stretches have become very important to us.
These standing
side stretches flow into a forward fold (where it is perfectly okay to keep
knees bent some and definitely not locked), then into a gentle standing back
bend. I repeat these a few times and hold myself in poses, as long as it feels
like a gentle tug. Stance is simple: feet hip distance apart, tail bone tucked,
shoulders down and back.
Next, I practice
plank (hands under shoulders, like in the up of a push up). Then to flow into
downward facing dog, I lift my hips so my butt in pointing to the sky. I hold
these poses or flow in and out of them. Sometimes in plank I will try and bend
my elbows into a slight "down" of a push up (but right now I'm not
strong enough to stay in the correct plank stance while lowering down. Will
keep practicing). In downward dog, I sometimes pedal my feet or dance my feet
side to side. And I repeat this plank-down dog flow a few times.
Lastly, as I do
in all my stretching, I end with a twist. Twists provide a balancing effect on
the body after it has gone through a variety of stretches in different body
parts. Twists are also excellent for digestion. Keeping the stance of feet hip
distance apart, tail bone tucked, shoulders down and back, I twist from my
waist looking behind as I twist side to side.
I try to not be
in a hurry when doing these. I also take all the time I need to get good
breaths during the stretches and in between stretches.
Pics found here:
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