Holiday Yoga!

OK so you find yourself at your in-laws house, or on vacation,  or somewhere where it’s not possible to be on your mat maybe even for days at a time!   What is a yogi to do?

Here are a few poses that you can do while visiting people that requires very little space and no mat.   All you need is a wall and a chair!

The inconspicuous neck stretch:

So while somebody is cooking and you’re standing with them in between chopping, interlace your hands behind your back,  stretch your knuckles away from your hips l,  squeeze your shoulder blades together and open up your chest.   If you have the room and the flexibility you could step your feet a little bit wider than hips distance and fold forward holding your palms together and reaching your arms up and over your head.

Bend your knees plenty here so it’s really easy to relax your upper body down and focus on breathing into your low back.

When you’ve taken a few breaths with your knees bent roll up  chin to chest taking your time until you’ve made it all the way up to stand and keep your hands interlaced together.

Now bring both fists over to the your left rib cage and drag your left elbow back in space squeeze your shoulder blades together again and  stretch your left ear toward your  left shoulder... breathing into the right side of your neck and the top of your right shoulder.   Keep drawing  the shoulders down your back,   Don’t let them scrunch up.   Come back to the center with the knuckles pressing away from your sacrum and then bring both fists over to the right rib cage squeezing your right arm bone back in space and reaching your right ear towards your right shoulder breathing into the left side of your neck.    Continue to try your left shoulder blade down and away from your ears.   Come back to the center again reaching the knuckles away from your sacrum one more time opening up your chest and then release your arms down and just take a few deep breath‘s feeling the stretch in your neck and the opening of your chest and shoulders.

2.   Make a little more space before another meal...

You have just sat down to yet another meal, and you’re not sure that you’ve digested any of the cheese or dessert from the day before...

Before you pick up the fork -

Try seated cat and cow, and a little twist!

plant your feet on the ground hips distance apart,  Bring your hands to your knees and just let your back round as far back  as it will go holding strongly onto the front of your knees as you exhale, inhale pull your chest forward lift your chin up a little bit towards the ceiling,  draw the shoulders behind you, and then exhale round your back again holding onto your knees drawing  the Navel to your spine and inhale again lifting your chest finding a little arch in the back for cow pose.  Do this 5 to 10 times or until one of the cousins is staring at you like you are out of your mind.

If there is space around your seat you can add a little role of the torso so as you lean back into the cat shape let your rib cage lean a little more to the left and then dry your chest forward towards the table than the right rib cage leads out to the right and then you sync back into cat pose then head the other way right rib cage leans to the right chest Paul’s forward an app left rib cage to the left and a big circle all the way back to your cat pose. if there is space around your seat you can add a little roll of the torso so as you lean back into the cat shape let your rib cage lean a little more to the left and then draw your chest forward towards the table then the right rib cage leans out to the right and then you sync back into cat pose then head the other way right rib cage leans to the right chest pulls forward and up left rib cage to the left and a big circle all the way back to your cat pose. 

sit up as straight as you can.    Inhale lengthen through your spine and exhale draw the navel to your spine,   without moving your hips or your legs start to turn from your low belly to the right, if it’s accessible you can even grab onto the back of your chair and use your right arm to help assist the right shoulder back further as you turn your chest all the way to the right side of the room taken inhale to length and up through your whole spine, exhale draw your navel to your spine and keeping your chest  opent  see if you can twist a little bit deeper keeping your heels rooted firmly into the ground… Do this for five or so breaths and then come back to center and try it on the other side.

3.   You’ve cleared up dinner, and everybody has moved into the family room to watch television. You see a little bit of space at the wall...

Try standing down dog and a deep forward fold...

Bring your hands to the wall shoulder distance apart -  walk your feet back as far as you need to to make your back parallel to the floor… Let your chest sink between the arms and lift your hips up to the ceiling to stretch out the backs of your legs and your shoulders... keep drawing in the navel in to protect your low back... this can create the same sensations as down dog... hold for a few breaths and then come back up to standing tadasana with your feet together and arms by your side, navel in, crown of the head lifting towards the ceiling, root through your feet and lengthen the sides of the body as you inhale as you exhale feel the grounded energy under your feet with your eyes closed...  take a moment to just listen to your breath.

4.  One big forward fold before gametime...

Before you head back to the couch to settle in for the big game, turn so your hips are on the wall and walk your feet out at least 2 feet in front of you ... bend your knees and melt your chest to your thighs and just let your head completely hang down… You can relax your arms down to the floor or hold your elbows with your hands as you focus on the exhale and forward fold melting into your legs... when you are ready to come up roll up one vertebrae at a time all the way up to standing again and take a few deep breath‘s standing in tadasana  mountain pose...

5.  My favorite yoga pose when I need to get away from the family for a moment is the yogi squat or Malasana... you can even do this in the bathroom! Take your feet a little more than hips distance apart turn your toes out to the sides and squat down as low as you can. You can even stack a few books underneath your hips  if that would be more comfortable for you.   Press your palms together and open your knees with your elbows as you lift your chest toward the ceiling and drop your tailbone down towards the floor.   Take some deep breath’s into your hips,  and on the exhale let go of any tension you might feel!!   

If you want to take this pose a little bit further you can add Eagle arms, by wrapping the right elbow underneath the left and bringing your palms together,   If you have the space in your shoulders you can round your elbows towards your navel and let your head and neck relax...(If someone happens to walk into the bathroom at this moment, nobody will ever bother you again…).  Take a few deep breath‘s on the right side and then switch out the arms and wrap the left elbow under the right. 

these are nice exercises to do when you’re cooking, maybe in a hotel room, or somewhere where you otherwise just cannot practice on your mat.  

Give them a try and let me know what you think!!!