August 6-9, 2020 – Lower and Upper Core Strength & Improve Digestion and Immune System

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Zoom On! Yoga Classes

Align and balance your upper, middle, and lower body, your outer body and inner body, and your gross body and subtle (energetic) body so that your mind, body, emotions, and energetic systems function peacefully, harmoniously, and joyfully.

Yoga classes include pranayama techniques such as alternate nostril breathing and soft belly breathing.

Healing Injury? For those who have a history of injury or trauma and notice that the effects of the minor/major injuries are beginning to interfere with your everyday lives, please consider attending any or all of these yoga classes.

When: August 6-9, 2020
Days: Thursday – Sunday 
Time: 10:00 am -11:30 am (Eastern Time Zone)
Price per class: $15.00 per class/$60.00 (four classes)

Try this Fun and Uplifting Pranayama Practice:  Practice this guided Wim Hof breathing technique.  Try practicing outside, breathing in the benefits of clean, fresh air and sunshine. 

Join us for these four powerful transformative Zoom On! Yoga Classes

• 8/6  Thursday      Yoga for Lower Core Strength and Flexibility
• 8/7  Friday            Healing Yoga to Improve Your Digestion and Immune System
• 8/8  Saturday       Yoga for Upper Core Strength and Flexibility
• 8/9  Sunday          Healing Yoga to Soothe Your Mind and Emotions

Yoga Flow and Alignment for Lower/Upper Core Strength and Flexibility yoga classes focuses on freeing fascia (connective tissue surrounding muscles) and releasing tight muscles (outer body muscles) so that we can deeply connect to our core muscles (skeletal scaffolding of muscles) and open our energy channels.

Healing Yoga to Improve your Digestion and Immune System class focuses on standing poses, simple inversions, twists, forward bends, legs lifts, and restoratives. We will practice soft belly breathing to help us release tension in our abdominal/gut area. Digestion starts in our mouth, when our saliva mixes with the food we chew. Our digestive tract is approximately 33 feet long and is wonderful microbiome of bacteria that  acts in congruence with our immune system. In tandem, both these systems work on our behalf, warding off diseases, creating antibodies, and engulfing toxins. Yoga nourishes our digestive and immune system.

Healing Yoga to Soothe your Mind and Emotions class focuses on poses that relax your head, neck and shoulders. Releasing tension and tightness in your hips and groin area, helps us to breathe deeper and relax deeper. Practicing simple inversions with props that delicately support your head has a soothing and calming effect on your nervous system, thoughts, and emotions. 

ALL ARE WELCOME

Whether you have attended any of my yoga classes in the past or not, you are welcome to attend any or all of these classes. 

SKILL LEVEL

• Beginner – with at least 6 months of yoga experience
• Intermediate
• Advanced

PROPS 

• One yoga mat
• Two firm blankets
• Two firm bolsters
• Two yoga blocks
• One yoga belt
• Two or three sandbags, if you have
• Dharma wheel, if you have one

9 Yoga Poses:  Turn Yourself Around and Upside Down to Improve Your Digestion 

1. Utthita Trikonasana – Place your back at the wall and take your feet wide. Turn your front foot parallel to the edge of the yoga mat and turn your back foot inward, at a 30 degree angle. Take your arms out to the side and laterally flex (tip your hips sideways) with a straight front leg. Rest your lower hand on a block, placed at on the outer edge of your foot or on your front shin. Resist your shin upward into your hand while pressing your foot downward on the mat. Rest the back of your head on the wall to free up energy that you can utilize elsewhere in the body. Practice soft belly breathing. Engage the legs and relax the head. Stay in the pose for 1 minute, if possible. Pull yourself out of the pose with the strength of the upper arm and back leg. Repeat on the second side.
2.  Downward Facing Dog – Lay your yoga mat, short side, next to the wall. Facing away from the wall set up on all fours. Turn onto your toes and place your heels at the wall. Place your head on a bolster(s) or a block(s). Add a block between your inner thighs and squeeze inward. Extend your inner and outer heels into the wall to activate the legs and to create an upward flow from the earth to your hips/lower core. Grab the sides of your yoga mat with your hands to engage the arms and shoulder blades. Release any tension in the neck and head, without shaking the head. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gently drop onto the knees. Repeat the pose 3 times.
3. Wide Leg Forward Flexion – Place the yoga mat, long side, next to the wall. Take your feet about 4 feet wide. Place your hips and heels at the wall. If you have tight hamstrings, keep your knees bent. Flex forward and rest your forehead on a  either a blanketed chair, or the top of your head on a block, bolster, or the mat. Stay in the pose for 1 minute. Practice soft belly breathing.
4. Seated Chair Twist – Sit to the side and at the edge of a firm, flat chair and place a block between your knees. Inhale and take both of your arms upward. Exhale, twist your upper torso, and grab the back of the chair. Stay in the pose for 30 – 45 seconds.  Practice soft belly breathing. Revolve out the pose. Practice on the second side. Repeat on each side 3 x.
5. Leg Up and out to the Side – Place the short edge of your mat at the wall. Lay on your back and place your feet into the wall.If it’s difficult to lay on the floor you can practice this pose on your bed. Take one leg up while keeping the leg as straight as possible (without hyperextending the knee). Press your foot into the wall to keep the outstretched leg anchored on the floor and press down through your inner and outer heel. Take the uplifted leg out to the side and if possible, hold the big toe with your pointer finger. Stay in the pose for up to 1 minute. Return your leg back to center and slowly bring the leg down to the mat. Repeat on the second side.
6. Supported Bridge Pose – Lay on your back. Bend your knees and draw your heels as close to your hips as comfortably as you can. Place a block between your knees. Press your feet into the mat and lift your hips upward. Place a second block under your hips/sacrum, at a height that is appropriate for you. Extend your arms alongside your torso, or clasp hands softly and without strain, underneath your hips, Practice soft belly breathing. Stay in the pose for 1-3 minutes. To exit the pose, lift your hips slightly off the block and move it off to the side of the mat. Slowly bring your hips down onto the mat by keeping your lower back elongated. Rest for a few breath cycles, then slowly extend one leg at a time and lay in savasana (corpse pose) for up to 12 minutes. 

Restorative Poses are Therapeutic and Support the Digestive and Immune Systems

Props Needed:  1 yoga mat. 1 or 2 bolsters. 2 blankets. 1 belt.  2 blocks.

1. Supta Baddhakonasana
   Set up the bolster on the mat and place the blanket at the top of the bolster, if needed. Have two blocks available to support each knee. Lay back on the bolster and place the edge of the bolster near your lower rib cage. Find a place that feels like your belly is descending towards the earth rather than overarching. Bring your feet together creating a butterfly position and drop your knees to the side. Place the two blocks under your knees for support. Adjust the blanket to support your head and neck. Practice Jalandhara bandha. Take your arms out to the side and turn your palms up. Gently position your shoulder blades towards your rib cage. Breathe deeply and evenly. Stay in pose for 12 minutes.
2. Supported Bridge Pose with a Block/Bolster Underneath Your Hips                                                                                    Lay on your back and draw your feet towards your hips. Lift your hips and place a block under your hips at a height that works best for you. Lift your hips slightly and lengthen your hips away from your lower back. Press down through your feet to draw the earth’s energy into you. Keep your thighs active to move energy into your lower core.  This will soothe and protect your lower back. Breathe mindfully and rhythmically in the pose for 3 – 5 minutes. 
3. Viparita Karani – Legs up the Wall/or on a Chair  
   Lay on your back at a wall. If you are using a chair, place your bent legs on the chair. Lift your hips and place a bolster underneath your hips, to create a simple and supported inversion. If your back or hamstrings are tight, try moving farther away from the wall  or choose to use a couch to rest your lower legs on. If your legs are up a wall, place a belt at mid-thigh to help your body let go of tension and relax deeper. Relax your face and turn your palms upward to receive star light and love from the moon and sun. Breathe mindfully and rhythmically in this pose for 5 minutes.

Practice any or all of these before the August Zoom On! yoga classes

• Refrain from eating a heavy meal two hours prior to sleeping.
• Drink water with organic lemon juice and honey/maple syrup to alkalize your body, to stimulate your digestion, and to support your rejuvenation. 
• Create a gratitude journal and journal everyday.
• Practice your favorite restorative pose for 20 minutes a day. 
• Practice this guided Wim Hof breathing technique.

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