Play the video below for a quick demo and I’ll break down the poses with cues.
- Butterfly pose / baddhakonasana or bound angle pose involves getting comfortable on the floor. Bring your legs into a diamond shape in front of you and allow your feet to touch. Option is to bring gentle movement in here, if you would like. This poses releases the muscles around the hip bones, knees and lower back.
- Low lunge pose / anjaneyasana pose starts in a standing position, then step one foot forward and allow the opposite back knee to drop to the mat or floor. Shift hips forward until you can feel your hip flexors start to release. Option to keep your back foot and toes extended or tucked.
- Downward dog / ado mukha svasana pose lifts the hips to the ceiling or sky and requires that you press your feet and palms into the mat with your legs and arms extended. No worries if you need to bend your knees though, check your arms are not hyper extended or locking out to protect your joints. This releases your back muscles, quads (upper thighs), calves and your hips.
- High lunge is a variation of low lunge pose. The difference is your back knee is lifted rather than on the mat.
- Standing figure 4 pose or ardha utkatasna which means half chair pose begins with a standing mountain pose. Start to lift one leg into your stork pose and guide your lifted foot onto the oppose leg’s knee. Slowly shift you hips back as if you are sitting on an imaginary chair and bring your palms into chair pose or rest your palms on your hips. This pose works the outer hip muscles.
The chakra system stems from the Vedas or wisdom and ancient text in India that yoga comes from. The chakra system involves 7 energy centres in the spine. When any of these energy centres along the spine are blocked, that’s when dis-ease happens. Keep the energy flowing through yoga and meditation and embracing yogic lifestyle beyond the mat, then you have an opportunity to care for your health fully and also find a state of flow and wellbeing. Each energy centre along the spine serves a different purpose.
Read about the Origin of the Chakra System here.