Yoga Cures: Simple Routines to Conquer Over 50 Common Ailments and Live Pain-Free (42 page)

Pigeon

As you exhale, draw your right knee in toward your forehead and guide the foot to rest behind your left hand and rest your knee on the ground by your right hand, so your shin is working toward parallel to the front of your mat.

Square your hips and shoulders to face forward. Stay here for three long, deep breaths. Inhale, crawl your fingertips back, and lift your chest. As you exhale, walk the fingertips forward and either rest on your forearms or make a pillow with your hands and rest your head. Stay here for ten long, deep breaths to release tension in your hips, and your mind.

When you are ready to come up, slowly walk your fingertips back by your hips and stack your shoulders above

your hips. Press your palms down under your shoulders and make your way back to down dog.

Make sure to breathe through the routine and repeat it on the other side, too!

Runners’ Aches

If you are a runner, you should pick up a yoga mat on your next run and get right down to practicing

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regularly. Along with the benefits of improved flexibility, you’ll also gain an improved range of motion

in the rest of your body, which can make you faster and more efficient. Injury prevention is a superb

benefit of yoga. The improved lung capacity you’ll gain with yoga will also give you an advantage over

competitors. When it comes to preventing or recovering from injuries, as well as dealing with daily

aches and pains from running, yoga can be a great therapy for your body and a de-stressor for the mind.

THE RUNNERS’ ACHES YOGA CURE

This routine is designed to open the chest and spine to increase lung capacity and mobility in the torso, and
ease soreness in the upper body. It also works to release tension in the big muscle groups of the hips and

hamstrings.

Supported Bridge with 2 Blocks

Have two blocks handy. Place one block on the ground lengthwise. Sit down in front of the block. Keeping your hips on the ground, lie your spine down along the block. Place the other block under your head. Relax your legs out in front of you and stay here for twenty long, deep breaths.

Reclining Single Knee Hug

Gently bring yourself off the block and lie back down on your back. Hug your right knee into your chest. With each file:///C|/...ures%20Simple%20Routines%20to%20Conquer%20Mlments%20and%20Live%20Pain-Free%20-%20Stiles%20Tara/index.html[5/29/2012 10:54:20 PM]

exhale, draw your knee closer toward your right shoulder. Stay here for five long, deep breaths.

Reclining Hamstring Release

Extend your right leg upward. Grab behind your calf, your knee, or your hamstring, wherever you can grab easily and comfortably. Stay here for ten long, deep breaths. Try not to pull the leg closer toward you, but instead allow your exhales to release tension and naturally move your leg closer when more space opens up.

Relining Single Knee Hug Twist

Bend your knee back into your chest. Open your arms out to the sides and cross your right leg over toward your left.

Stay here for ten long, deep breaths.

Do the routine on the other side beginning with the reclining knee hug.

Saggy Booty

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Yes, the benefits of yoga run deep and include lowering high blood pressure, decreasing the risk of

diabetes, and reducing anxiety, but let’s be honest, yoga has some pretty fantastic benefits for your

booty as well. And these would be a shame to ignore. Your yoga practice is a one-stop shop for a

radiantly healthy body from the inside out—the “out” being a sweet reward.

THE SAGGY BOOTY YOGA CURE

The following yoga poses are the best booty shapers on the market, which might be one of the best-kept

secrets of the fitness industry. You can do all the squats and lunges you want at the gym, but doing these yoga
poses regularly will get right to that burn you’re looking for and will carve out that lifted, toned shape you’ll
be proud to show off when you sashay across the room. So you might as well treat it well and tone it up! While
you are twisting, holding, and balancing your way through the poses, you are carving out an uplifted, toned,
long, lean, and strong lower half. The upper half of your body is getting toned also, but we’ll get to that in a
bit.