Yoga for daily life: Let’s go outside!
Sometimes it’s all about changing the perspective. Shake things up and shake out the body to release stagnant energy, and Mother Nature offers us many gifts which can deepen our concentration and help guide the body within our yoga practice. So why not take your yoga practice outside? Ok, you might not be in Ibiza right now – but the sun can be shining in your heart!
Featured yoga pose: We love the good old Warrior 3! It strengthens the whole body, especially the legs, around the hips and most importantly, the core. It focuses the mind as you need the concentration to keep the energy flowing from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes. And today, we are going to try Warrior 3 against a tree.
- Begin in mountain pose, rooting down through your left leg
- Inhale and draw your right knee up towards your chest, hands on hips
- As you begin your exhale, lean forward, hands on the tree and extending your right leg back, hips square, energy between your hip bones
- Activate you whole body from toe to body perpendicular to the floor, keeping the core strong. Keep breathing here – take five to ten deep breaths up and down your spine, finding the space inside you
- Then inhale and bring your right leg back to standing – keep the leg up! And exhale back
Ask someone to stand behind you whilst you do this to ensure your hips are square. It may help to try to strengthen from the inner thigh rather than the outer thigh. They can even offer you their own thigh to press against – so you are using the tree and the other person to really activate the very core of you. Now you should feel the power of the warrior…