Why I practise yoga

TRUST IN THE PROCESS
Today, I am having one of those days where everything I touch seems to break, people misunderstand me, I misunderstand them and I am unjustifiably snapping at those I love. The first step for me is to notice my behaviour, the next step is onto my mat! When I feel like this, and I step on my mat, one of two things happen – either I get distracted from everything that felt big and unmanageable in my day, or I slow down my overthinking mind just enough to find a way to work through the sticky toffee of life. It is on days like this that I am profoundly grateful for the vast array of spiritual seekers who, for over 5,000 years, created and shared their love of yoga.

WHY YOGA?
Very early on in my yoga practice I noticed the immediate and the long term benefits I was feeling after I attended a yoga class. At the time I was working in a job with tight deadlines, training very hard in the gym, pushing my body beyond its limits, and frequently getting injuries. Yoga helped me recognise the benefits of balance, and investing time in slowing down, to support my sporting endeavours and manage my day to day mental wellness too. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why yoga helped, but I knew that this was the start of a lifelong relationship with my mat.

Now, when I step on my mat, I take a moment to check in with what I am bringing to the mat with me, and what the rest of my day has in store for me. I then tailor my practice to my energy levels and mood. Sometimes I have a physical goal, like increasing hip mobility, building leg strength, or boosting energy levels; and sometimes I have a mental goal, like slowing my mind down, building focus or easing anxiety. Setting an intention for my practice allows me to get the most out of my time on my mat and makes it personal to my needs. Most days I practise in the morning so I can feel the benefits for the day ahead. My day is more focused and productive when I’ve invested in self-care and given myself breathing space before my ‘to do’ list kicks in. I also love Restorative yoga in the evening to reset my nervous system and start the wind down routine. The minute I roll my mat out there is a comfort of familiarity and I feel an inner calm wash over me.

Coming to my mat to practice is my comfort blanket – it reminds me that I am perfectly imperfect, I am uniquely me. I turn to it to find grounding; keep calm in difficult situations; find space to breathe a full breath; help me make healthy choices throughout the day… and yes it definitely feels really good to move every morning before I kick into whatever the day has in store for me!

Yoga is a very adaptable practice which can easily be tailored to your ever changing needs. The more I study the science behind it, the more I realise it is helping us physically and mentally more than we realise. I have written many articles about the benefits of yoga and how to establish a practice. Have a browse of the links below:
- The benefits of a morning practice
- 10 Tips to develop a home practice
- How to build a home practice
- 10 Reasons to build a home practice
- How can my practice help me today?

EXPLORING WHY I PRACTISE YOGA IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence is what I am currently loving in my practice. I have added plenty of standing poses because I love the sturdy, strength and energy they give. They help me feel grounded and present in my day. I find my hips are susceptible to feeling stagnant during my day from sitting and writing for long periods of time, so I add plenty of hip mobility into my morning practice too. I love playing around with interesting and challenging transitions in my mini flows to work on my balance and proprioception. The mini flows also remind me to breathe as I link the inhale and exhale with each pose. Finally I love how the practice feels safe and contained within the four corners of my mat, but I like to use the full extent of my mat, so in some of my flows I move from the front of my mat to the back of the mat. This also keeps me alert, focused, and adds full body functional movement to my sequence.

ALIGNMENT CUES
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 ‘-”.

• If there are specific poses that you would like to stay longer in, give yourself three deep breaths in those poses, and pick up the next pose with the allocated inhale or exhale as indicated by the sequence.

• For a longer practice add in a Sun Salutations at the start of each mini flow or repeat each mini flow.

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

Parsva Bakasana - Side Crow

THINK LIGHT AND LIFT
In yoga there are poses with sister poses that keep the same foundation and add an upper body twist into the equation – Utkatasana & Parivrtta Utkatasana; Ashta Chandrasana & Parivrtta Ashta Chandrasana and Bakasana/Crow & Parsva Bakasana/Side Crow. If you find you are happily taking flight in Bakasana/Crow, and you are able to take a deep twist, it might be time to try Parsva Bakasana/Side Crow. Both poses are challenging arm balancing poses but you might be surprised to find that a strong core is more important than strong arms. With a strong core you can scoop your belly in to create the required curve in the spine, control your centre of gravity, and take some of the force out of the wrists. A strong core will also give a fulcrum to the pose, and a lightness to the lifting leg as you tip the weight forward, like the principle of a seesaw. 

THE BENEFITS OF PARSVA BAKASANA/SIDE CROW
Parsva Bakasana/Side Crow is a twisted, arm balancing pose. It stretches the muscles of the spine, core and glutes, and strengthens the shoulders, spine, core, hip flexors, glutes, groins and hamstrings. As an arm balance it builds heat, confidence, stamina, balance, coordination, focus, energy and strength. As a twisted pose it aids detoxification, digestion, tones the abdominal organs, boosts the immune system, circulation and eases fatigue, stress, tension and anxiety. It gives the gut a fantastic twist which makes it a great pose to practise if you find you need a bit of help to get, or keep, things moving.

EXPLORING PARSVA BAKASANA/SIDE CROW IN YOUR PRACTICE
Similar to Bakasana/Crow, if you are nervous of face planting, place a pillow or blanket on the ground in front of you. If you are not able to lift the second foot, practice lifting one foot up and hold for a few breaths. Use your strong core to play with your centre of gravity by tipping your weight forward until you feel ready to lift the legs. You might find your wrists fatigue very fast, but they also come back to life quickly too. Sit back on your heels and circle tour wrists until they feel ready to give the pose another go.

If your shoulders would benefit from some propped support you can try the first version of the peak pose in the sequence where you use a brinks under each shoulder at their highest height. Remember the bricks are not very sturdy so be sure to use your core to power the pose and the bricks up gently support the shoulders rather than take all your body weight.

ALIGNMENT CUES
This sequence warms up the spine with lots of twists and prepares the core, shoulders and arms without fatiguing them before your peak pose. 

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

• From Malasana, step your feet together, twist to your right, place your hands on the ground to the right of your feet a little wider than shoulder width, fingers facing away from the legs.

• Bend your elbows and place your left elbow above your right knee.

• Strongly draw your navel towards your spine, round your upper back. Lean to your right side, shift your weight into your hands.

• Exhale, with control, lift your feet up one at a time or both together, squeeze your inner thighs together, press into your hands, gaze slightly forward.

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

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