Morning and evening yoga stretches to help you stay grounded in 2021

Yoga instructor, Emma Srubis helps us breeze (and breathe) through 2021 with stretches and mediations to do in the morning and evening and the activewear to do it in. Stay grounded, stay focused and achieve your New Years resolutions.

Morning yoga stretches:

Standing position – high mountain
Standing forward fold – vertical side stretches
Cat-Cow
Child’s pose
Downward dog
Forward Fold
High mountain
Chair
Warrior 1
High plank
Low plank
Upward facing down
Downward facing dog

Meditation

Alternate nostril breathing

Why?

Helps to calm the mind and body, brings conscious awareness back into your body, reduces stress and anxiety. Fills your lungs with fresh oxygen, lowers the heart rate and improves general wellbeing by bringing peace and stability to the mind and body.

How:

– Come to a comfortable seated position, cross-legged, sit up tall, reach the crown of your head towards the ceiling, root down through the sit bones and hips.

– Engage the core, drawing the belly button towards the spine.

– Slight tuck of the tailbone, draw the shoulders away from the ears

– Gently place the hands on the knees, or one hand and on top of the other, resting on your lap.

– Notice if you are holding any tension in the face or jaw. Release and soften.

– Keeping the eyes closed or eyes lowered towards the ground, take 10-15 slow, deep and intentional breaths in your own time and in your own way through only the nose.

– Once you have completed your rounds of breath, take 3 cycles of normal breathing to neutralize both sides of the nostrils.

– Taking the index and middle figure and rest them in the space between your eyebrows or third eye.

-Take two normal breaths here – then seal the lips closed.

– Use your thumb and ring finger as tools to block the airflow through each nostril, depending on whichever hand you choose to use.

– Choosing left or right first, block the one nostril, breathing in slowly and deeply through the other (keeping the lips sealed).

– Hold the breath when you cannot take in any more fresh oxygen, hold the breath at the top for 1, 2, block the nostril you just inhaled through, and release the other blocked nostril, slowly exhaling.

– Try to do 10-15 cycles of breath or however many you can manage.

– Inhale through the same open, available nostril slowly and gently as you take the breath through a circular motion, trying to hold the breath for 2-3 counts, perhaps with more time and practice extending the length of the inhalations, exhalations and holds.

**If at any point you start to feel light-headed, remove the hands, placing them gently onto the knees and close the eyes, take 5 normal breaths in and out through the nose until you feel better or lie down flat on your back, drinking some water will also help.