Week one for beginners

For this fall's yoga classes, I will be posting simple weekly practises and a pose of the week. This week's pose is Utthita Trikonasana --Extended triangle pose.
It is my personal favourite. Triangle pose is a standing pose so it lengthens the spine and strengthens legs and core. I love the opposing movement of reaching up and down simultaneously. I love the hip and shoulder stretch I get; unlike many yoga poses, I can enjoy it without too much strain on my tight hamstrings.
click on this link to yogajournal.com to get the full instructions:
www.yogajournal.com/poses/494

Remember that lengthening the spine is more important than getting your hand down to the floor. For most beginners, placing your hand on a chair, a block, or on your shin is better.

This week's 15 minute morning yoga practise has 5 simple exercises. Make a space for 15 minutes of simple yoga this week and begin to notice the benefits:
1. Cat and dog tail pose: Begin on all fours. As you exhale, drop your head and tailbone. Lift yourself out of your shoulders and draw your navel back to the spine. Arch your spine up like a cat. As you exhale, look up, lift your tailbone up and let your back arch down, beginning from your shoulders. Repeat with several cycles of breath. If your wrists are sore, do with bent elbows.
2. Triangle pose
3. Downward-Facing Dog pose: From all fours, extend the arms in front, palms flat and fingers extended. Tuck toes under and lift hips. Point tailbone up and keep knees bent at first. Then slowly begin to straighten legs and drop heels down. If hamstrings are tight, keep knees bent. Keep arms extending and draw chest back toward upper legs.
4. Half locust: lie on stomach on a blanket. Inhale and Lift R arm and L leg as you lift head and chest. Release with exhale. Then lift L arm and R leg with head and chest. Repeat several times on each side.
5. Good Morning Salute: This is a precursor to sun salutations. Begin with hands at namaste position. Inhale and draw arms up. Exhale release arms out to sides as you fold forward, hinging from the hips. Bend the knees. Inhale and lift the front body up halfway until your back is flat. Then exhale and release down again. Inhale and roll the body up as you take the arms out to the sides and up. Then exhale and release the hands back to heart centre.