| The Express YogaLift®
Workout by Shannon Leavitt Don't despair if you don't have hours every week to put into fitness training. Working toward inner and outer strength is a worthwhile pursuit, even if your time is limited. You can achieve results in as little as 10 to 20 minutes a day. The following is an example of an express YogaLift workout. First, set your intention for the practice. For example, "I will give myself the next 10 minutes to focus only on connecting to my inner self" or "For this workout, I will be one with my breath." An intention carries power and is a way of honoring yourself. YOGALIFT WORKOUT TIPS -- Center yourself. Meditate before your workout to encourage an internal experience. -- Breathe deeply and evenly. Follow your breath up and down a path leading from your nose to the depths of your belly. -- Stay focused. Match each movement with one breath. -- Be safe. Good posture and correct form are paramount to achieving results safely. -- Create balance. Even out the energy created during strength movements with postures of complete relaxation. -- Honor yourself daily. Refrain from comparing yourself with other people and your own past performances. -- Be present. Value maintaining presence and awareness over flexibility in a pose or how much weight you can lift. -- Remain calm. Encourage mind, body and awareness in your workout and your daily life. -- Practice patience. Remember, focus on progress, not perfection. Yoga and meditation are called practices for a reason. YOGALIFT WORKOUT PRACTICES SHAVASANA Focus: Complete relaxation Begin by lying on your back in a comfortable position. With eyes closed, focus only on your breath, making a path for the breath from the nose to the belly. Follow your inhales and exhales up and down the path. Allow your breath to relax you and to bring you inward and away from your thoughts. Notice your thoughts and then let them go, always returning to the breath. SUPER SCISSORS Focus: Abdominal region Open your eyes. Lift your feet off the floor and straighten your legs so your hips are at 90 degrees. Draw your belly button gently toward your spine. Raise straight arms to touch your shins and crunch your upper body slightly off the floor until you can feel your abdominal region engage. From this pre-crunched position and to the pace of one breath per leg movement, alternate lowering your legs toward the floor. Lower only as far as you can while keeping the low back gently touching the floor and immobile. For a modified version of this exercise, do not pre-crunch. Instead keep your upper body on the floor with your arms alongside your body with palms pressed into the floor. Perform smaller, more manageable leg movements. You should feel this exercise strongly in the abdominal region. Aim for 10 focused repetitions. REVERSE TWIST Focus: Oblique Muscles Lift your feet off the floor so your knees and hips are at 90 degrees. Engage your posture (upper back) muscles by placing your arms just below shoulder level, palms up and thumbs pressing into the floor. Keeping your shoulders anchored, inhale and twist your legs to the right, touching the floor if possible. While exhaling, use abdominal strength to bring your legs back to center. Continue side to side for five repetitions. To add intensity progressively straighten your legs. PELVIC LIFTS Focus: Glutes (butt muscles) Lie on your back with arms along sides. With one knee bent, cross the opposite ankle over bent leg. As you exhale, squeeze glutes and lift your pelvis toward the ceiling until your body is in a straight line. Pause before inhaling and lowering halfway down. To add intensity, hold an exercise tube across your hips. Perform 10-20 glute-focused reps per side. PUSHUPS Focus: Chest, Arms, Shoulders, Core From a tabletop position, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips, draw your knees a few inches back and line up your hands greater than shoulder width. Thumbs are even with chest. Draw your shoulder blades down and together and lift your belly gently toward your spine. Extend elbows out to your sides and evenly lower your body to the ground while inhaling. While exhaling return to start position. To add intensity, perform toe pushups, and toe pushups with one leg lifted. Do as many repetitions as possible while maintaining good form. PRONE HOLD Focus: Entire Core System From a tabletop position, bring your forearms to the ground directly below your shoulders. Extend your legs and be up on your toes. Hold your body in a straight line by drawing your low belly up, anchoring your shoulder blades away from your ears and keeping your neck even with your spine. Take several breaths before lowering to the ground. If greater intensity is needed, lift one leg a few inches off the floor. COBRA Focus: Opening up the heart center and stretching the front of the body. Lie face down, legs straight and firm, feet about 6 inches apart and hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Ground your legs into the floor and contract your buttocks. Inhale and press your hands into the floor, straightening your arms as much as possible as you lift your upper body up and forward to open the heart center. As you breathe, focus on creating a pull from the low belly toward the heart center and keeping your shoulders blades drawn down and together. Take several breaths and exhale to the floor. CHILD'S POSE Focus: Relaxation and Spine stretch. Reach your butt toward your heels with forehead resting on your hands or on the floor with arms alongside body. Breathe. LUNGES Focus: Glutes and legs Line up the right foot about 2.5 feet behind the left and a few inches to the right. Stay up on right toes. Bend right knee straight down toward the ground as you inhale. While exhaling, straighten almost all the way back up. Keep upper body erect and low belly in. Knees track toes. Hold dumbbells in each hand to add intensity. Shoot for up to 20 repetitions per leg. REVERSE FLY Focus: Posture (rear shoulder, mid/low traps, rhomboids, core) Bend 45 degrees at your hips. Extend weights directly below shoulders. Lift your chest and focus on your posture muscles while you exhale and lift the weights out to the sides to shoulder level. Pause before inhaling and lowering the weights. Aim for up to 12 posture-focused repetitions STANDING BOW POSE Focus: Balance, leg flexibility, and heart opener From a standing tall position, inhale the left arm up palm facing in and bend the right arm to the right with the palm up. Remember that it is most important to keep the standing leg active and firm. Inhale your right foot into your right hand with the knee pointing down. If challenged, stay here with shoulders drawn back and the chest up. To go deeper, press your right foot into your right hand, drawing your right arm straight and allowing the knee to move back behind you. If challenged, stay here. To go even deeper, reach your toes toward the ceiling and let your body slowly bend forward into a backbend. After several breaths, inhale up to standing and exhale while returning to a standing position. STANDING FORWARD BEND Focus: Stretch back of body and quiet the mind From standing, inhale and reach your arms out the sides and overhead. Exhale and fold forward bending at the hips. With knees bent as much as needed, hold shins or touch the floor beside feet. Relax your head and gaze at your knees. Stand balanced and relaxed on each foot. Take several breaths. Concave belly and, one vertebra at a time, roll up to standing to the pace of three breaths. Head comes up last. Take several slow breaths in the upright position. Refrain from forceful, brute-strength movements that only condition the large, possibly already overworked muscles. Try to maintain a calm inner focus while training the body as a whole. This includes attending to your posture and your core area, too. When performing this asana (posture sequence), keep your attention on your breath and your awareness on your body. Continue to breathe mindfully between each exercise. Repetition suggestions are intended to be general guidelines. Honor your body and work according to your present fitness level. |
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May 2004 |
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