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Autumn Bliss? Do these easy yoga moves at home and strip your stress away!

By on October 5, 2016

Back to school, back to homework wars. Did you know that work and family can deprive you of 150-200 sleep hours a year? Sleep deprivation is not only bad for problem-solving and memory retention, it is a source of mental stress as well.

Get your mental focus back by inviting yoga into your Tokyo life. When you turn to yoga for regular practice, the benefits are infinite. Here are a few of the many ways it can transform your life.

Mental Clutter
Our gift of intuition drowns in the chatter of the minds. In yoga practice, you pay more attention to the body than your thoughts. By freeing your mind up of unwanted chatter, you find your more tranquil and more focused side. The mental conditioning that takes place balances movement and breathing thus, making the mind less likely to wander.

Strength, Flexibility, and Patience
Breathing, body stretching and alignment all contribute to strength and flexibility not just of the body but also of the mind. This is why most yoga practitioners are transformed after months and years of practice. They become more patient and accepting, and least stressed.

Energy Balance and Happiness
A good coordination between the mind and the body can help you achieve balance with regular practice of complex poses. Yoga comes from the ‘chi’ or ‘prana’ Chinese concept of yin and yang balance. Prana is considered to be the most important force that affects our energy levels. Depleted energy means something is blocking it. These pranic blockages are released in many different ways depending on the part of the body activated. For example, backward bends are energizing whereas forward bends are calming and restorative. By knowing the effect of certain movements to the body, it is possible to heal yourself.

Yoga boosts the presence of the mind that allows you to handle situations with strength and calmness that allows you to emjoy every bit of life’s happy moments.

 

 

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Inhale when bringing the chest forward, elbows slightly bent. Exhale, draw lower belly in, gradually lifting your back outward to form an arch. Feel the gradual lifting motion of the vertebrae. This relieves back pain and enhances breathing.

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Raise right arm up, bend elbow with palm facing down towards your back.  Bring left arm towards your lower back slowly aiming to reach the right hand at the center of the spine.  Aim to clasp both hands if possible.  For some with shorter or less flexible hands,  use a towel or strap for support.   This is an easy hand stretching routine for beginners.
Good for neck and muscle tensions.

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model: Marisa Ida, professional yoga teacher

Stand with legs apart, toes pointing to the knee direction.   Bend knees without letting knees come over the toes.   Draw lower belly in, tail bone downward and bring weight into center.
This stretches the inner thigh and groin, and tones pelvic muscles.

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Upper body twist and arm stretching have calming benefits. Can be done by all including beginners.

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Lie with back supported.  Spread legs apart, bend knees, bring both soles of the feet together.  A blanket may be used to cover the ankles as well as beneath the knees to keep them grounded; it also prevents them from not over stretching the inner thighs.  Relax arms to side, palms facing up.  Hold for 1-5 minutes. Relaxes the mind, illicits parasympathetic nervous system, enhances breathing, frees energy flow in the pelvic area, and stretches the inner thighs and groin.

About Celine Conti