Yoga poses for home practice to enhance balance and serenity
Yoga poses for home practice to enhance balance and serenity
ARIEL ALON, our Tea and Yoga Man, gives tips and yoga poses for maintaining balance, clarity, calmness and for improving one’s mental clarity, well-being and body awareness.
“Practicing yoga is part of my daily routine. When I get out of bed in the morning, I roll out a yoga mat and make myself a herbal infusion or Chai Rooibos from Adanim Teas and enter into my short morning practice which includes: breathing, stretching, introspection, giving gratitude and simply living in the moment.”
Here are some beginner and intermediate yoga poses which help us to break away from the stress surrounding us and to connect with ourselves so that we can concentrate on good thoughts and empathy for others.
Let's start with the first yoga pose of gratitude: Namaste
Press your palms together in front of your chest. Try to clear your head of thoughts that interfere with concentration, and dedicate yourself to silence and breathing. “Namaste” is an Indian blessing, in Sanskrit, freely translated it means “the good in me will respect the good in you, and it pays tribute to all living beings.”
Pranayama
Nourishing the body through breathing. Prana = air, breathing, energy, āyāma = extension and expansion. With the help of correct breathing we are able to disperse our energy and enable it to spread throughout the body.
Tadasana - Mountain Pose
Stand with your feet close together and press them down onto the mat. Raise the knee caps, pull the tailbone in, lift the chest, lower the shoulder blades and push the shoulders away from the ears. Arms are straight down, the palms of the hands are against the thighs. Consciously maintain peace and balance.
Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
Start with the Mountain Pose. Keep the left foot straight, lift the right leg and place the sole of the foot against the thigh of the left leg. The heel faces the groin and the toes face down. The foot and the thigh equally apply pressure to each other. Maintain balance and stability.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Begin by standing with your feet wide apart and your arms wide at shoulder height, with the palms of your hands facing down. The right foot faces out and the left foot faces slightly in. Place your right hand on the floor behind the heel. The left hand faces up. Focus on the left thumb. Maintain a straight line between the hands and take a number of breaths. By pressing the heels down to the floor we will rise and repeat the exercise on the other side.
Warrior Pose (Virabhadra)
Stand with feet wide apart, legs straight, hands out straight at the height of the shoulders. The right leg faces out and the left leg faces slightly in. Bend the right knee at 90 degrees (do not allow the knee to go further than the toes). Keep the left leg straight and static. By pushing the heels down towards the floor, return to a standing position and repeat the exercise on the other side.
Lateral Bending Position
Stand with the feet wide apart and legs straight. The right leg faces outwards while the left leg faces slightly inwards. Bend the right knee at 90 degrees (do not allow the knee to go further than the toes). Bring the left arm in line with the back leg and stretch. Face upwards with the chest and stomach turned towards the ceiling.
Downward Facing Dog
This is the opening position for many other positions. From a crawling position, lift the knees from the floor and try to straighten the legs. Try to keep your heels on the floor. Stretch the body by bringing the chest closer to the legs every time you exhale. The palms of your hands stay firmly on the floor. You can add raising and lowering of the heels with each inhale and exhale.
Cobra Pose
Lay on the stomach and place the forehead on the mat. Lean on the forearms parallel to the body and lift the chest. Keep the feet together and straight with the pelvis adjacent to the mat. Shoulder blades down and face up towards the ceiling.
Cat Pose - Dog Pose
In a crawling position, exhale and curve the back. Inhale and bring your back into a concave position. Ensure that in both situations your shoulders are kept away from the ears.
Paschimottanasana
Bend forward while sitting on the floor with a rounded back – Inhale and exhale.
Shavasana
Relaxation of the whole body. Lie on your back, hands relaxed at the sides of the body, feet to the sides, allow the body to breathe. Begin to let go of thoughts and relax the body from the tips of the toes to the top of the head and sink into full meditation. Concentrate on immobility of the body.
At the end of the relaxation start moving your toes and slowly start getting up from the side. From a hunched stance and by slowly rolling the vertebrae, slowly come back into a standing position.
Now make yourself one of Adanim’s wonderful teas and enjoy the peace and quiet of your body and mind.
As we enter the world of yoga and meditation, our ability to connect with people improves. It is easier to see the good and not the bad and remember that every person has their hour. We have the ability to stop during the day for a minute or two, to breath and enter into momentary meditation. Our greatest certainty is uncertainty and so our ability to be in the here and now helps us cope with life.
Try it with our Ayurvedic blends
