Yoga Every Day at Home: Week 1 - Energising

Yoga Every Day at Home - a four week course for carers in association with Disability Bradford.  

Week 1: Awaken, revitalise and energise with Dru Activations

Good morning!

I'm writing this post shortly before the first of 4 sessions for carers in association with Disability Bradford.  First and foremost, the aim is to offer some rest and relaxation time to carers, but we also hope that you will learn some simple skills and techniques to take home and use in your daily lives for revitalising and recharging yourself or alternatively relaxing and recuperating. 

The topic of today's post is 'Activations'.  We use activations at the start of a Dru Yoga class to enhance circulation and warm up the body, preparing muscles for the strengthening and stretching to come later in the class.  You will also find that you feel more energetic and invigorated after a good activations routine.  It only takes 7-15 minutes to perform and is a great way to 'shake and wake' yourself in the morning, or to revitalise if you're flagging in the afternoon.

We're going to do the same activations routine for each of the 4 weeks, so you'll get to know it well from our classes.  I'm posting that routine and some simple instructions here as an aide-memoire.  All you need to add is some music with a good beat! 

 

Activations Routine

1 Shaking:
Progressively shake your body parts.  Imagine you are releasing stuck energy.  Shake off tiredness and stiffness.  Feel as if you have no bones in the parts that you are shaking, they are loose, floppy and free of restrictions and stiffness.  Shake fingers/wrists/elbows/shoulders, then ankle/knee/hip. Shake each leg in a crescent shape around to the back.  Use a chair/wall for support.

2 Twisting: 
i)Feet hip distance, feet forward.  Keep the pelvis steady and facing forward. Softly bend the knees as you twist gently from side to side, letting arms swing, tapping kidneys and looking over each shoulder.  Gradually raise arms to tap shoulders.  Pelvis remains still.

ii)Dynamic twist – Widen stance. Bend the knees a little more as you twist the spine from left to right.  Allow the arms to swing.  This time lead with the pelvis, allowing the pelvis to twist to the same side as your arms.  Weight shifts to front leg, back heel picks up to allow you to turn.  The twist originates in the pelvis and moves gently and evenly all the way up the spine to the neck.  Think of transferring all weight to front leg as you twist.

3 Scoops:

Roll each shoulder back in turn.  Start with small movements, gradually becoming bigger, finally leading with elbow and allowing the upper body to stretch up and rotate back as you do each side, opening the waist and stretching the kidneys.  You will find you squeeze the kidney on the opposite side.

4 Swing and Step:

Inhale to step forward on right foot and raise both arms, sternum lifts as you stretch through spine.  Exhale step back on right, swinging arms down then inhaling to swing the arms up again, lifting sternum and stretching spine.  The left foot remains in place, heel lifting as you step forward, toes lifting as you step back.  Co-ordinate movement and breath.  Keep ribcage down and avoid allowing it to flare.  Gradually increase the bend in your knee as you step forward for deeper work if desired.  Take the arms wider to alter the stretch around the shoulders and chest if desired.  Repeat around 10-20 times.  Do same on left. 
All the above moves to be performed with strong core and with control.

5 Punching:
Knees and feet hip distance.  Pelvis in neutral and fixed.  Without allowing the pelvis to move, punch the arms forward at waist level, allowing your ribcage to rotate.  Punch down the ground, at navel level, waist level, heart level, throat level, eye level and finally up the ceiling.  Feel your thoracic spine loosening. 

6 Legs:

Balance on left leg.  
 

i)Raise right leg and circle ankles slowly in each direction.

ii)right knee to 90 degrees and hinge from knee forwards and backwards, as if kicking your leg out gently and with control

iii)Straighten leg. Swing straight leg forwards and backwards from hip like a pendulum.  Hips level, still and facing forward.  Upper body still.  Avoid momentum.

All the above moves to be performed with control and core activated.

The whole thing will take you between 7-15 minutes.  Your body will be warm, energised and ready to get on with your day.  As your muscles are warm, it would be a great time to do a few simple stretches.

 

Activations routine in brief:

• Shaking (hands/elbows/shoulders/ankles/hips)
• Twists (hips fixed, bending knees/shifting weight)
• Swing and Step (step forward and back on on leg)
• Scoops (alternate kidney squeeze and arm circles)
• Punching (low to high/high to low, pelvis fixed)
• Legs (circle ankles/point and flex;hinge knee;pendulum)

Taking it further

You could also add:

• figures of 8 with a ball of light
• hip openers (Up Side Down)
• Spinal Wave 
• Hip circles/figures of 8
• Swaying from side to side with knee bends/arm raises
• Sink and rise (bend knees to sink, arms low, rise up and onto toes, circling the arms in front of body and reaching up). 

To feel even better, perform some stretches now your body is warm.