easy relaxing yoga

why have easy yoga? isn't yoga, just yoga? (however you believe yoga to be)

Photo by Chris Ensey on Unsplash

Yoga has many styles, many Paths within a Path, but for some, easier poses are more maintainable, in that it's easier to do them often, like each day, than it is to do the harder movements.

easy relaxing poses

There is plenty of yoga around for people who are adept, strong, but not so much for those who are beginners, maybe even out of condition. So the poses below will be very doable for you.

The basic, simplest, easier poses could be described as relaxing poses. These can be done everyday. And they are quite easy. Three or more deep relaxed breaths per pose. This breathing technique will reduce inflammation, and quieten our feelings and thoughts. Hence, they are quite useful in our stress driven lives. None of these poses require props.

standing 

Feet hip width apart, knees softly bent. Relax your head and spine down, as though each vertebrae, from top to bottom, is gently going downwards. Fold your arms, or just hang them, and relax. To return to standing, just roll up your spine, from base to top. Either do three times (*), moving with the breath, or do three times and hold for three breaths the last time (**), or just do once and hold (***)

all fours

cat pose three to six times slowly (*), relax in child pose after (***). The child pose calms the adrenal glands so that they are releasing rejuvenation hormones rather than the stress ones.

lying on your front: the divine scent pose
(aka one of Ratnamurti's secret poses) 

Legs together or feet hip width apart. Put your elbows on the floor under your lifted shoulders, and cup your jaw with your hands/palms. Close your eyes. Lightly flare your nostrils. Imagine that you are deeply and slowly inhaling an exquisite smell in through the nose tip (not the nostrils), and on the exhale the breath and the smell flow back out of the nose tip. You will want to do this for longer than three breaths, and you will know when you are experiencing that Divine Smell. It will be fleeting at first. This smell is actually from within you. (***)

lying on the back

simple twists: (arms wide at shoulder level, palms up)

1) knees bent, either feet and knees together or hip width apart, feet flat on floor. Exhaling, drop the knees to the right as you turn your head to the left. Inhaling, return to centre and repeat on the other side. Mid to lower spinal twist. (*)

2) open the feet at least shoulder width apart. Exhaling, drop both knees to the right; the left knee goes towards the right foot. If this doesn't happen, you may need to open your feet wider. Inhale to centre. The head can turn to the opposite side, or stay facing the ceiling. Go from side to side. Buttocks stay on the ground, and this pose is for hip flexibility. (*)

3) Legs straight. Feet are more than shoulder width apart. and flexed so that the toes sick up. Press your heels hard into the floor to do this pose, and keep them there. On an exhale, turn your head to the right as you take your left arm over to the right, aiming to touch your hands. Which can take a few goes, to be honest. Inhale, back to centre. Go from side to side in a fluid motion. Upper back twist and stretch; amazing for releasing tension from this area. (*)

bridge pose

Stand your feet flat either hip width apart, in front of the buttocks, shoulder width apart and you might find that your feet slightly turn outwards in this position. Arms flat on the floor alongside the body. On an inhale, push hard into the feet, as you raise the buttocks high, exhale as you lower to start (*). You can also do this three times and hold the third time (**), or do once only and hold (***)

I nearly always teach this pose, as it is such a good all over glandular pose: thyroids; thymus; adrenals (and kidneys too), are all positively affected. 

It's ok to do this pose on the toes as this is how it was originally done, and in this position it is also very good for our pancreas. 

reclining butterfly

then still lying on your back, open your knees out to the sides, with the soles of your feet touching. Arms where ever they are most comfortable. Imagine that your abdomen expands on the inhale, and relaxes back down on the exhale. This is a very restorative pose: helps with hip flexibilty; calms; good for the digestion; and when it follows the bridge pose, it sends a fresh supply of body fluids around your pelvic area, so is helpful for our reproductive system. (***)

I hope that you enjoy this simple routine. You may find that it makes you feel so good that you do it for a longer period of time, with more repetitions for the moving poses (*) , or moving more and holding longer with the versions marked (**), or just holding the still poses longer (***).