Find us again!
Click here, then add the page to your Favorites or Bookmarks.

Over 175 articles on:

• Mood, anxiety
• Treatments
• Medications
• Lifestyles
• The system
• Book reviews
• Personal stories

Help support Moodletter
with $12/year? Or more?

Moodletter provides information, hope and help to people living with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder and those who care for them. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

©2006-2010 Moodletter, Inc.
All rights reserved

Try these poses to revive, energize and relax the body, improve your mood and relax tension.

Choose any sequence.

• Full body Warm - Up with "Moon Flowers"
• 1st part of pose: Start standing with feet three to four feet apart- extending arms to sky.
  
• 2nd part of pose: Bend knees and bring elbows towards ribs with fingers pointing towards the sky.
• Repeat 10- 20 times - this gets the heart rate up and warms up body, tones legs and glutes. Works lower body muscles and shoulders. Strengthens core center muscles.
  3 Minutes

Warm - Up:
"Chair Flow" -
Core & Upper Body.

• 1st part of pose: Come to top of yoga mat, standing with feet hips width apart.
• Extend arms out from shoulders, bend knees and sit back as if you are sitting in a chair.
• 2nd part of pose: straight legs and extend arms to sky. This works the legs- quads and glutes.
  Repeat 10-15 times. 3 Minutes

"Boat Angles"

• From a seated position with knees bent and soles of the feet on floor, sit up very tall , pull navel center in.
• Lean back to a 45 degree angle hold for 2-5 breaths - pull forward chest to legs.
• Repeat 5-10 times

"Boat Lifts"
From seated position.

• Knees bent, soles of feet on floor, lift and extend right leg, release and lift left leg.
• Repeat 5 -10 times on each side.
• Cool Down:

Happy Baby Pose

• Bring knees to chest , grab feet and gently pull knees to floor on either side of body. Keep low back glued to floor.
• This stretches the hip flexors and low back

"Lying Down Spinal Twist"

• Lying on back, bring right knee to chest and then pull to left side of body.
• Hold for 5-10 deep breathes - breath into low back.
• Repeat on left side.

"Cat/ Cow Flow"
From hands and knees:

• Cat: Round midback to the sky, bring heart center towards tailbone. Pull navel center in.
  
• Cow : From Cat - Lift heart center towards sky, pull tailbone towards sky.- Let belly hang - contract back muscles
  Repeat cat to cow flow 10-15 times

"Downward facing dog"

• From hands and knees, press into palms and lift hips to the sky, straightening legs.
• Hold for 10-15 deep breaths.
• Sstrengthens upper body, stretches back of body.

Modified or Dancing Warrior One

• From Downward Facing Dog - step right foot forward drop left knee.
• Extend arms to sky - arms should be stacked over the shoulders , finger tips reaching towards the sky. More advanced: do not drop knee.
• Swing arms down and step back into Downward facing dog.
• Move to plank pose - do a plank push up Come back to down dog.
• Repeat stepping left foot forward
• Repeat sequence on both sides 5-10 times
  This sequence works the whole body.
  Core Work: 5 Minutes.

"Plank Push ups"

• From hands and knees, drop chest toward the floor.
  Then push back to plank.
• Keep hands right underneath shoulders or closer together.
• Repeat 10- 15 times
  Work: 5 Minutes

Modified Corpse Pose
( Savasana Modified)

• Lying down, bend knees, with soles of feet on floor, hands at midsection, take 10-15 deep breaths.
• Feel the breath enter and exit your body.
• Rest and relax .

Enjoy!

Benefits of yoga >>

Reprinted with permission
Beth Shaw, Beth Shaw, Founder/President, YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide, Inc.

Related articles
How to relax
How to meditate
Managing anxiety
I can't sleep
More articles

Page updated August 1, 2009