Everyday balance

BALANCE FOR LIFE
Balancing is a life skill that is important to nurture all the way through life. Similar to the life skill of your ability to safely get up and down from the ground, it works on a principle of use it or lose it. Building balancing practices into your yoga routine will keep this life skill active and help prevent risk of fall at any age, particularly later in life when it becomes more serious. Adding standing balancing poses trains pathways in the brain for balance and builds confidence, good stability and quick reactivity into your everyday life. It is not just the muscles that will become stronger but also the vestibular system of the inner ears which is the sensory system that coordinates spatial awareness with balance and movement. Adding a few drills of balance training into every yoga session, regardless of whether it's in the sequence or not, will ensure you are continuing to nourish this important skill. When you have trained this skill you will build muscle memory and the brain pathways for balance and coordination that you can tap into subconsciously when you need it. Giving you quick reactive reflexes to prevent risk of fall.

BUILD FROM THE GROUND UP
Building standing balance = feet + legs + core + posture. Balance starts from a sturdy foundation from the ground up. When you press into your feet you activate the primary balancing muscles of the legs and hips. The more you press the more active this connection is. The core braces against gravity and is often where your centre of gravity is found when in an upright standing position. Good posture helps to keep the spine stacked against the pressure of gravity. The curves of the spine absorb impact and give us the ability to react and recentre as we sway from side to side when we move. Gravity is constantly pushing us down, good balance built from all these elements will help to keep you upright, steady on your feet and moving confidently in your everyday life.

EXPLORING EVERYDAY BALANCE IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence builds balance, starting from your foundation, focusing on the feet first. For the standing warm ups in row one press into the ground and root down into your foundation, this will help you create a strong foundation for you to feel confident in. This first row is the perfect balance mini routine to add throughout your week to train and improve your balance. If you would like to challenge your balance more, place a folded blanket under the standing foot and grow roots into the surface you are standing on. Balancing practices trains your body to respond to wobbles. If you find you wobble lots consider this good muscles and brian training for everyday balance. To help you find your balance bend your knees to bring your centre of gravity lower. Most wobbles happen during transitions in our practice. Use this practice to transition slowly and consciously with muscular control. Be ok with your wobble and observe the body busy keeping you upright.

ALIGNMENT CUES
There is no specific peak pose in this everyday balance sequence. Use the cues below to help you flow through the sequence with ease and fluidity.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• Use the breath guide in the sequence to help you link breath with movement in the flow. Inhale is indicated with a ‘+’, exhale is a ‘-”.

• Move slowly from pose to pose. Use the transitions as an opportunity to find strength and balance in motion.

• For a longer practice, repeat the standing flows three times.

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

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge

THE POSE TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge is one of the most well known and accessible backbend poses with lots of versions to suit your needs. It can be an energising and strengthening pose or a restorative and restful pose. Props are a great addition to the pose to either strengthen or soften the intensity. To add challenge you can place a brick between the knees to switch the adductor muscles on, or hold a brick between the arms to work the shoulders. To create more ease you can place a brick or bolsters under the hips for support or place a brick between your knees and strap it with a belt too .

THE BENEFITS OF SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA/BRIDGE
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge strengthens the spine, hamstrings, glutes and shoulders. It stretches the chest, core, quads and shoulders. This versatile backbend aids digestion, eases stress, tension, anxiety, expands lung capacity, realign the spine, improves posture and regulates metabolism. The energising, active versions of the pose strengthen the whole back body as you press the hips up against gravity, which, when done slowly and consciously, also help with hip stability and strength. The restorative, restful version of the pose work on balancing the nervous system and is the perfect pose after a long day sitting at a desk or after a workout session.

EXPLORING SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA/BRIDGE IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence is perfect for days where you want to get a practice in and are feeling a bit low on energy. We stay low to the ground but still get plenty of mobility to the hips, spine and shoulders. There are both energising and restorative versions of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge and it finishes with four restorative poses. Pose No.1 has a rolled blanket just under the shoulderblades to gently open the chest, No.2 has three rolled blankets under the back and hips to incrementally bring you up into No.3 supported SSetu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge with a bolster. The amount of time you spend in each of these restorative poses is up to you, I have given a suggested time per pose. Remember to do both sides on the mini flows where there is one leg lifting or circling.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Luxuriate in the simplicity of this gentle sequence. Move in a way that feels best for you and try not to get too caught up on what comes next or poses that you are not familiar with. This sequence is purely about moving with ease and kindness.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet parallel and hip width apart, heels close to your sit bones.

• Arms pressed into the ground beside you. Root through your big toe mound and inner heels, inhale here.

• Exhale, lift your hips up, knees extend forward, sternum lift up and towards your chin.

• Lightly press into the back of your head, back of the neck long. Roll your shoulders under and clasp your hands under your pelvis, extend your arms towards your feet.

• Hug your outer hips to the midline, thighs parallel to the ground, roll your inner thighs down, gaze up.

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

Runners breath flow

RUNNERS BREATH
In my previous runners article, The ultimate runners flow, I discussed what a runner needs physically in terms of strength and stability. In this article I will look at how the breath affects your ability to exercise and how yoga train your lungs to optimise your breath as you run. A good runner's breath includes belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, and rhythmical breathing. Breathing consciously is one of the most important elements of yoga, and breathing exercises like belly breathing and rhythmic breathing are very much part of the yoga practice too. The breath builds strong lungs that feed all the cells of your body with fuel as you inhale – oxygen, and clean up the byproduct as you exhale – carbon dioxide. Running increases your requirement for oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. Breathing deeply into your belly, which is where you let your belly expand with your breath, gives you a much higher respiratory volume than chest breathing and increases this intake and output. Your ability to breathe rhythmically as you run helps you control your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. It also helps you establish a meditative flow as you run which is more relaxing for the body and helps prevent muscle spasms and injuries.

THE RESPIRATORY & CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
The respiratory system is responsible for bringing oxygen to all the cells of the body, including the muscles where it facilitates physical movement. The breath is part of the autonomic nervous system, which means it works automatically. What makes the breath unique is that we can also control it to a certain extent. We can extend, shorten and hold the breath depending on our desired outcomes. When we inhale our heart rate increases, the cells receive oxygen, and we feel energised. When we exhale the heart rate decreases, the cells release carbon dioxide, and we are more focused. Both these qualities are essential for staying the course in a run.

The circulatory system, or the cardiovascular system, pumps blood around the body with the heart through a network of blood vessels. The blood carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to all the cells of the body, and removes waste products created in the metabolic functions. Think of the circulatory system as housekeeping. When the body is well serviced it is able to work more efficiently. The circulatory system distributes the oxygen to the muscles as we run and clears out the carbon dioxide.

EXPLORING RUNNERS BREATH FLOW IN YOUR PRACTICE
This is a simple sequence built around the Sun Salutation. It will help you focus on the quality of your breath rather than focusing on a more complex flow. To start your practice lie on your back with your knees bent, feet hip distance apart, hands on your belly, and take three to five rounds of Viloma breath – inhale for a long breath, and then exhale pause, exhale pause, exhale pause – dividing your exhale into three sections. This breathing method helps you establish belly breathing. You will then do a few rounds of Sun Salutations to flow with the breath, taking an inhale or an exhale for each pose, to help you practise rhythmic breathing. The Sun Salutations are followed by a series of mini flows linking breath with movement. Final step is to consider your posture as you practise the sequence. You are looking for a strong spine and a broad chest to facilitate the expansion of the breath during your yoga practice and as you take it outdoors on your run.

ALIGNMENT CUES
There is no specific peak pose in this runner's breath flow sequence. Use the cues below to help you flow through the sequence with ease and fluidity.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• Use the breath guide in the sequence to help you link breath with movement in the flow. Inhale is indicated with a ‘+’, exhale is a ‘-”.

• Move slowly from pose to pose. Use the first few rounds of each mini flow to work out how your body wants to transition from pose to pose then focus on the breath in the movement.

• For a longer practice add more rounds of Sun Salutations at the beginning and repeat lines two and three with the two standing flows.

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