HOW TO KEEP MOTIVATED HEALTH YOURSELF
We invest in gadgets, stock up on supplements and sign up to gym classes to improve our health and wellbeing, but what if we told you the most powerful tool you have is actually free? In our weekly column, JANINE THOMAS explains how using your body, mind and breath can help you sail through life — and it won’t cost you a cent. Each week she takes a different, often challenging, scenario and shows you how to make the best of it using the simplest methods.
DID anyone else struggle yesterday? In our house, it was a big shock to the system! After the Christmas break — all the excitement of Santa followed by lazy days and family visits — it was back to the daily grind of school and the first full working week of 2019.
Much as the holidays were lovely, there is something to be said for getting back into routine. It’s difficult to achieve anything when there is no structure to the day or week. There are plenty of good intentions but they don’t tend to come to fruition.
Now is the time to find your focus for the year ahead. If you made New Year’s resolutions, you might be struggling by now. And if you’re not a ‘January person’ (who is?) you might need a little gentle motivation to stay positive through the winter.
This short yoga sequence is designed to help improve your focus and concentration. I’d recommend warming up first with a few stretches, for example, or a walk. 1. TREE POSE STAND with your feet together. Feel the soles of the feet ground down into the earth. Place your hands on your hips.
Here’s the important bit: find a point on the ground in front of you to focus your gaze — a knot of wood maybe. This is how you find your drishti, or focused gaze. It’s a way of developing concentrated intention — and of staying upright in tree pose! Keep focusing on this point and feel your breath, soft and smooth.
Transfer your weight onto the right leg. Bend the left knee and place the sole of the foot on the inner thigh or shin of the right leg (avoid the inside of your knee).
If you feel steady, raise your hands in the air. Relax the shoulders and face. Stay for several breaths. Repeat on the other side. 2. WARRIOR II TAKE your feet roughly a leg’s length apart. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees to the right and the left toes in slightly. Exhale and bend the right knee. Stack the right knee above the right ankle by pressing into the outer edge of the right foot to open the hip. Engage the left leg and press into the foot, rooting into the ground.
Raise the arms to shoulder height. Relax the shoulders away from the ears and turn your head to the right to focus your gaze on the middle fingernail of your right hand. Let this be your drishti as you feel the breath ebb and flow. Stay for several breaths before changing sides. 3. WIDE-LEGGED FORWARD BEND FLIP the world upside down for fresh perspective, both physically and mentally.
Straighten both legs and turn the toes in slightly. Soften the knees and take the hands onto your hips. Keep the spine extended and slowly fold forward, bringing your head towards the ground. If possible, take your hands to the ground.
If this is too intense (or if you have heart or eye issues), bring the feet closer together and rest your hands on a chair.
Relax the neck and face. Breathe here, softening the gaze to take in your new view. Stay for several breaths. On an inhale, bend the knees and lift up. 4. CHILD’S POSE COME to a kneeling position. Lower your head towards the ground. If your hips raise up from your heels, place a cushion or block under your forehead.
Move your attention inward. As you inhale, focus on fresh energy coming into the body; as you exhale, feel yourself let go of any negative thoughts.
It’s January. We’re Back At It. Let’s embrace routine and get going again. CONSULT your GP before starting a new exercise regime. Follow This Is Yoga on Facebook and Instagram; thisisyoga.ie