Christmas mini flows

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ROUTINE
The Christmas period can be a busy time of year for most. Finding time to step on your mat, to keep up your yoga practice, can be a bit of a challenge. But busy times like this are when you need all the benefits of your practice the most. My gift to you this year is a ‘little & often’ Christmas mini flow sequence to help you to maintain your practice over the coming weeks. Each of the mini flows are designed to support different needs that you might encounter over the festive period. Put aside 15 min each morning to kick start all the systems of your body and blow away the cobwebs. Giving you lots of energy to enjoy your social gatherings, keep you calm in the face of family mayhem and give your digestive system a little helping hand. 

THE BENEFITS OF ENERGY FLOW
Who doesn't need a little bit of extra energy over the Christmas period! Work parties, get-togethers with friends and family, pressie shopping, decorating Christmas trees and endless to-do lists all take extra energy. Use this yoga mini flow to give you extra energy so you can enjoy all the Christmas activities. This sequence has standing poses to boost your circulation and standing balancing poses to shake you up just enough to wake you up! Backbends and twists are very energising poses too. They warm up the muscles of the respiratory system, help you draw in extra oxygen for energy production.

THE BENEFITS OF STRESS FLOW
The busyness of Christmas can sometimes tip into stressfulness. Extra queues everywhere you go, saying yes to more than you can manage and having everything done by the big day can all take their toll. Use this sequence to create space for you to breathe, release tension and give you a bit of distance from the causes of your Christmas stress. The hips are connected with the sympathetic nervous system, fight or flight stress response. When we feel stressed the muscles at the front of the hip tense ready for action. This sequence has plenty of hip openers and gentle spinal manipulation to ease this physical tension, and in turn release emotional tension too.

THE BENEFITS OF DIGESTION FLOW
At this time of year we are often eating and drinking more than we usually do or foods that are either different or richer than our digestive system is used to. Use this sequence the morning after as your ‘go to’ practise to help keep your digestive system moving if it is feeling a bit sluggish. Thai sequence has lots of gentle backbends and prone poses to compress and stimulate the gut and help get you back on track. Similarly it has gentle twists to stimulate the walls of the intestines to push the food along and keep it moving in the right direction. Use your breath to create a softness in the abdominal region so that the twists and backbends can penetrate to the digestive system.

EXPLORING CHRISTMAS MINI FLOWS IN YOUR PRACTICE
Each mini flow will take around 15 mins. They start with 2 rounds of Surya Namaskara C, or Sun Salutation C to get you warmed up and link your breath with your movement. When flowing through the mini flows indicated between the arrows, start with the right leg forward first, and then repeat this group of poses on the left side. For a longer practice you can add 2 rounds of Surya Namaskara C between the right and left side. Keep your transitions simple and when in doubt link pose through a Downward Dog or come back to Tadasana at the top of your mat and step back into your next pose. You can rotate the three flows each day or depending on what you need that day, you can repeat the flows that you find you need the most. If there are poses that do not suit your practice, skip them and move to the next pose.

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Winter mini flows

WINTER READY
The start of the year is the perfect time to reflect on your self-care routines and proactively take some preemptive measures to stay well over the colder months. Yoga can support you through winter days where the temperatures suddenly plummet and your immune system is being bombarded with winter viruses. It also helps you when work and life demands are pulling you in both directions and no matter how deep you dig you just can’t find the energy to get out of bed in the dark mornings!

Yoga is hugely beneficial at any time of day – from an early morning stretch, a lunchtime de-stress or an evening wind-down. These sequences are designed to be short, efficient and easy to incorporate at any time of day. They will reset your system, stretch and strengthen your whole body and alleviate winter stiffness. They will prepare you for whatever the day has in store for you when practised in the morning, or set you up for a good night sleep when practised in the evening.

Each of these sequences are designed to combat four different winter challenges, and set you up for the shorter days and long months ahead. 

THE BENEFITS OF INTERNAL GENERATOR FLOW
On those colder days when you can’t get warm no matter how many jumpers you layer on twists are your saviour! They fire your internal generator and boost your circulation. They bring fresh oxygenated blood to all the organs of the abdominal region – fueling them for optimum functionality. These biological functions naturally create heat which keeps you warm, cosy and glowing from the inside out. Starting your practice with any of the Surya Namaskars will very quickly build whole body heat too.

THE BENEFITS OF IMMUNE SYSTEM FLOW
The immune system can get quite a hammering over the winter months. A simple head cold can lower your defences enough to kick start a run of nasty winter viruses. Backbends and twists massage and stimulate the lining of the gut and helps it work more efficiently at its many jobs – one of them being producing 80% of the immune system. A healthy gut fuels all the cells of the body and builds a strong, reactive immune system. Inversions and twists also boost blood and lymph circulation to help the body carry oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to all the cells of the body, and remove toxins.

THE BENEFITS OF STRESS RELIEF FLOW
Ever heard of the winter blues? Yes it’s a proven fact that we are inclined to feel more stressed and depressed over the winter months. Symptoms of stress crop up in many different ways. Tension in the hip joint can be brought on from sitting for long hours, but it can also be a sign of chronic stress as the body gets stuck in fight or flight mode. Hip opener poses help to shift this physical tension, and in turn release emotional tension too. Practise this sequence at a slower pace, pause in poses and take some deep breaths to help calm the nervous system.

THE BENEFITS OF ENERGY BURST FLOW
There is a reason why you might feel more tired and sleep longer in the winter months. When there are less daylight hours, or days where the sun doesn’t make much of an appearance at all, melatonin, our sleepy hormone, continues to be produced and leaves you feeling a bit lethargic. Backbends and twists are very energising. They stretch the muscles of the respiratory system and help expand the breath – drawing in extra oxygen and circulating it around the whole body. Standing poses use the big muscles of the legs and increase circulation making you feel more awake. The challenge of the balancing poses instantly wake you up.

EXPLORING WINTER MINI FLOWS IN YOUR PRACTICE
Each mini flow will take around 15 mins. If you would like to practise for longer add more rounds of Surya Namaskara C illustrated above in between each standing mini flow. When flowing through the mini flows indicated between the arrows, start with the right leg forward first, and then repeat this group of poses on the left side. Keep your transitions simple and when in doubt link pose through a Downward Dog or come back to Tadasana at the top of your mat and step back into your next pose. Take your time and enjoy the poses that nourish you, remember you are the boss of your practice. If you are really struggling to get on your mat just try a few rounds of The Sury Namaskar. They are the adaptogens of the yoga world. When you need calming they calm you, when you need energy they energise you!

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Summer mini flows

This sequence is also available on YouTube.

DISCOVER YOUR SUMMER HOME PRACTICE
Summer is the perfect time to take the brave step of rolling your mat out and getting your home practice going. These sequences will work anytime of the day. But starting your morning off with your practice, before the busyness of the day takes over, is a great way to build a healthy habit into your daily routine. Getting up that extra few minutes early is much more doable when the sun is shining outside! You might even find you get the taste for practicing outdoors into your garden or your local park. You can also practice these mini flows on your summer holidays. They are the perfect way to stay active, while still getting all the benefits of your relaxing holiday vibes.

THE BENEFITS OF SALUTE TO THE SUN FLOW
The sun brings out the best in us and for that we salute it. This sequence has lots of standing poses with arms reaching for the sky. Standing poses are very strengthening to the legs, core and glutes. The addition of the arms raised, wakes up the shoulders and the arms and gives you a full body workout. They are also great for getting the circulation going and building focus, concentration and stamina. The standing poses where one leg is lifted will strengthen and stabilise the ankles and knees and are valuable support if you are a seasoned runner.

THE BENEFITS OF ENERGY BURSTS FLOW
Starting the day off with this sequence will set you up for whatever the day has in store for you. It’s hard to not feel a burst of energy in the afterglow of poses like Camatkarasana/Wild Thing and Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon. They are challenging poses that require balance, concentration and a small leap of faith! Wild Thing has the added benefit of being an inversion (where the heart is above the head) and eases stress, tension and anxiety; boosts the immune system; aids good digestion; increases circulation; and most importantly, gives you that yogi glow to your complexion! There is also a healthy splattering of twists and side bends in this sequence which are very energising. Anytime you’re feeling tired sit up tall and take a twist to wake yourself up again.

THE BENEFITS OF SUNNY BACKBENDS FLOW
Backbends are the perfect summer poses. It feels really good to open up the chest and shoulders after months of guarding ourselves from the cold weather. Backbends are energising; aid good digestion; ease stress, tension, anxiety, fatigue, depression; and boost the immune system. On top of that already impressive list of benefits they press and stimulate the colon and help you stay regular over the summer months. Look for strength in the whole extent of the back body in locust pose to counteract all the sitting you might do through your day.

THE BENEFITS OF COOLING FLOW
We may not always need cooling down on your average Irish summer day but this sequence is also very calming and soothing. Forward bends ease insomnia, stress, tension and anxiety and are very relaxing and calming. If you’ve had a busy day and your mind is rushing this is the sequence for you. It can also be practiced in the morning if you wake up feeling less than refreshed and still need to get on with your day. Spend a few minutes in your Salamba Sarvangasana/Shoulderstand and feel the effect of the reverse of blood flow through the body.

EXPLORING SUMMER MINI FLOWS IN YOUR PRACTICE
Each mini flow will take around 15mins. If you would like to practice for longer add more rounds of Surya Namaskara C illustrated above in between each standing mini flow. When flowing through the mini flows indicated between the arrows, start with the right leg forward first, and then repeat this group of poses on the left side. Keep your transitions simple and when in doubt link pose through a Downward Dog or come back to Tadasana at the top of your mat and step back into your next pose. See how it feels to practice outdoors. You will find the surface you roll your mat out on can change the sensations of the poses. Grass adds a softness, challenges your balance and works all your balancing muscles, while sand adds surfaces to dig in and press your heels against in poses like downward dog. Being outdoors also helps you to really breathe deeply during your practice in the fresh air. Take your time and enjoy the poses that nourish you, remember you are the boss of your practice.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru