Day 1
Build a Consistent Home Practice
April 1 – 29, 2016
Welcome! Bienvenue! Willkommen! I am happy to see you!
Congratulations! You have taken a wonderful step towards creating a healthy and vibrant routine in your life. One that will serve you well over the years to come. You may find yourself drawn to some of the practices more than others, but give everything a try, you can always modify poses and speed. Just like when we were little it takes a few tries before we like certain foods that are good for us. And sometimes we know right off the bat – not for me. But I encourage you to cultivate a relationship with yourself to know when something really isn’t going to work versus just closing the door right away. You never know, you may not have liked it last week, but this week? Anything might go!
Here’s how our adventure will play out:
E-mails will go out Sunday – Thursday night with the yoga practice for the next day. Take a look at these e-mails the night before and plan:
What time will you practice?
Where will you practice?
Get acquainted with the practice – watch the video. (Become familiar with the sequences and really watch before you try. Some of these you may want to do more than once or hold for longer periods of time.)
Print off your downloadable journal sheet.
If there’s any set up you feel you need to do, (water bottles, mat, props, clothes) get it ready the night before. (Sometimes just a 5 minute delay will sabotage the best laid plans).
Check out my welcome video and see Gracie, the Boston Terrier, hide her treasured treat from Poppy (my dad) in our garden.
Day 1
Restorative Yoga! Can I get a hooray! We are blasting off with a practice of deep relaxation. It’s the end of a long work week and it’s important that you give yourself some time to breathe and unwind. So get your favorite relaxation tunes, a timer, and a blanket. Choose an area where you can dim the lights and experience a little quiet.
I have sometimes taken my ear buds with relaxing music playing, an eye pillow, and set up on the floor as the kids watched their cartoons. So you don’t always have to have a sound proof room 🙂 no excuses.
Set your timer for 5 – 20 minutes. Get comfortable! Because we hold the restorative poses for so much longer than regular poses, you should not feel a stretch when you set up in the pose. You want to feel held and safe, so your body is willing to relax. Make any adjustments you need to make in order to feel comfortable.
Download Your Journal Page
Click on here to download the Journal Page (then simply click the print icon or download arrow to save it to your computer). I have filled in a sample one for you to see at the bottom of the page. Get creative and find wonderful color pens!
Let’s play!
Here’s the video to guide you through the setup. Check it out! Remember to share comments on my Facebook page or share pictures of your 21 Day Challenge with me on Instagram.
Benefits of Reclined Bound Angle
(Supta Baddha Konasana):
- Calm the nervous system
- Improves digestion
- Relax and release stress stored in the belly and hips
- Improve energy – opening up the chest and ribs will enable the lungs to expand more fully and easily. More breath = more energy.
- Support to release sadness and grief.
Restorative Yoga is a sweet way to end a week and gather yourself before going into the weekend.
Journal Example
with light and love,
Comments or Questions? Send them to me here and I will get back with you as soon as I can.