1. Inhale - Take your arms out and upwards interlocking your hands so that your first fingers are going upwards. Feel your feet firmly planted into the floor and lift up out of your back and waist as you breathe. |
2. Exhale - Lift up out of your waist and bend to your right. Feel the arms stretching up and away and apply pressure into the left heel to encourage the stretch all the way down the left side.
Inhale back into picture 1.
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3. Exhale and repeat this action to the left focusing on pressure in your right heel this time. |
4. Inhale back to your centre then step your feet apart. |
5. Exhale bending the knees over your toes in a wide legged position bringing your arms and your elbows downwards. Fingers splayed to exhale through your mouth and your tongue sticking out and your eyes looking upwards.
Lion's pose. Really go for it and exhale for as long as possible out of your mouth. |
6. Inhale - stretch your arms and legs into starfish pose - really stretch. Your breathing is now through your nostrils. |
7. Turn your right foot 90degrees and your left heel backwards a little. Both feet are going in roughly the same direction. Take your arms from starfish to a shoulder height position palms down. Reach over towards your right side keeping your hips square to the front. Exhale reaching outwards and then tipping downwards until the back of your right hand id touches your leg. Your left arm reaches upwards again palm forwards. Lift your knees into your thighs use the connection of your right hand into your leg to open your chest. Try not to stick your bottom outwards. You are trying to bend directly sloways not forwards. |
8. Inhale - Take your left arm forwards as you turn your body to your right leg. Your back foot being your left is trying to turn into parallel. Your hands are trying to reach towards your front foot. This may not happen if you have a tight hamstring to begin with. You may put your hands instead on your shin or above the knees. If this is the case also bend the front leg if the stretch becomes too much. Continually breathing slowly and steadily in this posture. |
9. Breathing - Bend your left knee to the floor: placing your hands by your front foot lift your head up - open your shoulders and chest stretching forwards over the front leg releasing primarily the left hip flexor. |
10. Turning your body towards the front and taking your hands into the centre of your body your left leg should naturally rotate so that you now releasing the inside thigh muscle. Flex the left toes upwards up to your head and chest upwards. Approach the transition from the posture 9 to 10 with utmost caution if you have knees problems or stiffness in the legs, it might be wise to practice this one on its own before you try linking it in a sequence. |
11. Breathe - Transfer onto your other side as elegantly as possible staying here and breathing : you may find it easier to keep your finger tips on the ground in front of you. As opposed to what is demonstrated in the picture. |
12. Breathe - You are now about to repeat all you have done in reverse. So turn your body forwards your left leg as in picture (9) but in the opposite direction. |
13. Straighten both legs taking the hands either to the floor or to the leg and breathe. |
14. Breathe - Turn your right foot into a 90 degree angle - lift your arm upwards - place the back of your left hand against your left leg and open your body into triangle pose to the left. |
15. Inhale lifting the body into starfish. |
16. Exhale into lion. |
17. Breathe joining the legs together feet in parallel take your arms above your head as in the starting pose in picture (1) inhale. |
18. Exhale - Bend to the right left heel into the floor - inhale centre. |
19. Exhale - Bend to the left - right heel pressing into the floor. |
20. Inhale back to your centre then exhale taking your hands down the front of your body into prayer position by your breast bone. This is ½ a around - you need to repeat the whole sequence with everything starting to the first left.
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