Week 4

Speaking of routines. The easiest way to add a habit is to attach it to something that is already a habit.
I have challenged my students to find 15 minutes daily to practise some simple stretching and strengthening poses, including practising the pose of the week. I believe that you will find that the rewards will reinforce the habit. Attach it to something that is already a habit. Do your poses immediately before getting dressed or after brushing your teeth. Or during your evening news program. Just do something every day and then tell me how it affects you.

This week do
1. some simple shoulder stretches: arm circles with a tie, clock on the wall, reverse prayer, and that eagle one (with one hand holding the tie, the bent elbow pointing up and the other arm reaching behind to grab the tie.)
2.Continue to do cat and dog tail pose (on all fours, exhaling as you drop the head and tail and lift the back, drawing the navel to the spine; inhale as you look forward, lift the head and drop the shoulders down the back.)
3. Do two standing poses: Trikonasana/triangle pose, and Utthita parsvokonasana/ extended side angle pose
4. Do half locust: lying on your stomach on the floor, lift one arm and the opposite leg as you lift the chest and lengthen through the crown of the head. repeat three times on each side.
5. Do the pose of the week.

The pose of the week for this week is a combination of three poses: plank, push-up pose, and cobra.
This sequence is the middle part of the Suryanamaskar/ Sun Salutation. It requires shoulder strength and flexibility in the spine. Build up your shoulder strength gradually, beginning on all fours and rocking forward and back (I learned this one from my baby). Next lower yourself down onto your forearms. Drawing your elbows in, lower your upper body down to the floor.
As you inhale, lift the chest and look forward, broadening the collarbones and drawing the shoulders down and back. Move the hands back under the shoulders. Exhale and press into the hands to push back into an all-fours position. If this is too difficult, keep the forearms on the floor and practise lifting the body a few inches off the floor, hips high, and then dropping back down. With practise the shoulders will be strengthened.
If your shoulders are strong, you may move into plank pose from downward facing dog with the body forming a long plank from the turned under toes to the crown of the head. Keep the elbows drawing in as you bend the arms and lower down. Push up into cobra and then lift the hips back into downward-facing dog.