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Feb / March 2007
LOVE
by Barbara Davies, ND
Astrology and Alchemy
by Marlyna Los
GREEN CLIPPINGS
by Canadian Organic Growers
The Goji Berry
Editorial
Relaxation Yoga
by Sheri Kauhausen
Hidden Additives in Plain View
by Brian Cox
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RELAXATION YOGA
by Sheri Kauhausen
If you’ve been following along the last couple of issues, you know how to breathe properly and you know how to warm up your body. We’re going straight into relaxation in this segment, because if I left it until the end of the series, you’d be missing the best and for some, the most challenging, part of your Yoga practice.
Relaxation is a very important component to Yoga. This is the time when your body assimilates all that it has done during your practice. Always finish your Yoga with between 5 to 20 minutes of relaxation, depending on how long you practiced. It is also beneficial to take a few minutes before you begin your practice to rest in the Corpse Pose (Savasana). This allows you the time that you need to bring yourself into a state of awareness. It will relax your mind and body, discard your stress and bring you to a readied state to concentrate while upon your mat. You may want to record this relaxation sequence onto a cassette tape so you can play it while you relax. You can have some soft music playing in the background if it’s helpful. We begin relaxation (savasana) in the Corpse Pose.
If your back bothers you at all when you have your legs extended on the floor, bend your knees. With your feet a little wider than hip distance apart, allow your knees to fall into each other, so there is no effort in keeping them up. If you are comfortable laying flat on your back you can progress through the following sequence.
Lay on your back with your legs extended, your feet a little wider apart than your hips. Extend out through your left leg and heel and then your right leg and heel, allowing them to lift slightly away from the floor and then gently lower them down. Allow your feet to turn outward.
Draw your tailbone down toward your heels. Snug your shoulder blades gently against your spine and down toward your hips, allowing your upper back to rest comfortably on your mat.
Extend out through the fingertips of your left hand and then your right hand, lifting them slightly from the floor, then settling them back down, slightly away from your body with the palms facing upward toward the ceiling.
Gently, draw your chin toward your chest and move the crown of your head away from your feet to lengthen the back of your neck.
Be aware that your head is centered over top of your shoulders, your nose pointing directly at the ceiling, chin slightly lower than your forehead. Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath, allowing any tension to be dispelled with the exhalation. Continue to release more tension with each subsequent exhalation.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet and legs and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet, legs and buttocks and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, clench your fists and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, clench your fists, tighten your arms and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet, legs and buttocks;
Clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Squeeze tight. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, through the nose, push your tummy out.
Exhaling, through the nose, pull your tummy in, squeeze your buttocks together and press the small of your back into your mat and hold. Exhaling, relax.
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Inhaling, clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet, legs and buttocks;
Clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Squeeze tight. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, through the nose, push your tummy out.
Exhaling, through the nose, pull your tummy in, squeeze your buttocks together and press the small of your back into your mat and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, clench your fists, tighten your arms and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, point your toes, tighten your feet, legs and buttocks;
Clench your fists, tighten your arms and shoulders and hold. Squeeze tight. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, through the nose, push your tummy out.
Exhaling, through the nose, pull your tummy in, squeeze your buttocks together and press the small of your back into your mat and hold. Exhaling, relax.
Inhaling, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Exhaling, release them.
Inhaling, pull your shoulders up underneath your ears and hold. Exhale and lower them.
Slowly, turn your head all the way to the right, bringing your chin over the right shoulder. Then turn your head all the way to the left, then back to the center.
Pull the corners of your lips toward your ears and hold. Release.
Puff out your cheeks and hold. Release.
Raise your eyebrows and lower them.
Open your eyes wide, gaze up at the ceiling and blink.
Look up toward your eyebrows, down toward your cheeks, up toward your eyebrows, down toward your cheeks. Look back up at the ceiling.
Look to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right, back up at the ceiling. Blink rapidly, and close your eyes.
Inhaling, raise your eyebrows. Exhaling, lower them softening your brow.
Very slowly allow your mind to travel through your entire body, making sure that each part is relaxed. If you find an area that is not relaxed, simply tighten the muscle, hold, release and relax.
You should now feel totally relaxed, totally at ease. Feel that all of the tension has left your body. For the next few minutes, concentrate only upon your breathing and your relaxation. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back.
After you have rested a few moments, visualize yourself in your mind’s eye, looking totally relaxed, feeling totally refreshed. Tell yourself you will feel this way for the rest of the day.
Inhaling, slowly raise your arms up over your head and stretch from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes. Exhale and relax. Roll over onto one side, inhale and stretch. Exhale and relax. Roll over onto the other side, inhale and stretch. Exhale and relax. One more time on your back. Inhale and stretch. Open your eyes, blink and yawn. Relax and lower your arms. Bend your knees, bringing your feet onto the floor. Roll over onto one side and using your arms, slowly come up to a sitting position.
 SHERI KAUHAUSEN, founder of INTO YOGA, brings the wisdom of her studies and many years of teaching to her students at their work place and in community centres. Also offered are pilates, massage, reflexology and Baby Sign Language. Sheri is the author of “Into Yoga” and both she and her book can be found at
www.intoyoga.ca and
604-421-9872.
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