Need to breathe and take a pause on life?

  

I have written before about how to bring meaningful little rituals into your daily life in ways that work with the lifestyle that you have, the time you have, and the situation you are currently in. One activity that I like to make a part of my daily routine even if I’m short on time or not really in the mood for it is a little bit of yoga. And because I don't often have a large amount of time to dedicate to both yoga and mediation, I tend to bring some meditation into my yoga to get mindful yoga.

I might not get the same benefits as if I were to do a one hour session with a larger range of poses, but this is my version of taking a little pause on life and giving myself 10 minutes of attention and self-care. My mind can rest and my body can stretch and ease any tension. I will do it either at the end of a day or the start of the day – either works for me. If I do it in the morning the focus I put on the sequence is one of stretching, warming, and invigorating myself for the day ahead with positive active affirmations and words if gratitude to set me up for a wonderful day ahead – the sequence is carried out with a little more pep and speed. If I do this sequence before bed it is one of slowing down and really taking my time to breathe, restore my body and mind, easing the aches of the day, and resting my mind and turning into my body and bringing it back to the present moment ready for sleep.

The routine that I have always loved right from the moment that I learned it almost 20 years ago is the Sun Salutation / Surya Namaskar. This sequence is a great set of flowing poses that align and stretch and strengthen your body. I have even done this routine on my stand up paddle board  and it’s particularly nice on a late summer evening when the sun is actually going down!

I tend to only do three repetitions on an ordinary day. Because I tend to take my time to move through the poses, and take between 3 and 5 deep, slow breaths in each pose it can take me 10 minutes to get through. I also find 7 repetitions a good number, but really it’s up to you. It’s your choice on what mindset or intention you want to bring to your practice and how long, slow, or fast you do it. There are benefits for all approaches. There are also many versions of this routine, so if you want to add other poses such as lunges there are lots of options.

This simple version of the classic Sun Salutation is made up of the following poses:

1 – Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

2 – Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)

3 – Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

4 – Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend)

5 – Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff pose)

6 – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)

7 – Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

8 – Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend)

9 – Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

10 – Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)

11 – Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

How do you take a pause on life and give yourself a bit of self-care?