Monday 5 August 2013

Do Cyclists Need to Learn Yoga Poses?


This quick 5-min yoga sequence can be used pre or post ride. It focusses on stretching through the entire body whilst increasing the mobility & flexibility of the joints that most cyclists use. With our Osteo Bret a keen cyclist and the start of the Tour De France this 5-min yoga forcyclists sequence is a great warm up or cool down option. Even if you’re not a cyclists this is still a great warm up or cool down workout sequence that doesn’t require any equipment so it can be done anywhere.
Hold each of the following postures for 5-10 breaths. Cat pose Seated kneel Big cat stretch Down dog Cobra Lunge Pigeon Lying twist Lying hamstring stretch
1. Cat pose
2. Seated kneel
3. Big cat stretch
4. Down dog
5. Cobra Lunge
6. Pigeon Lying twist
Full sequence including instructions:
Cat pose
Starting on all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, inhale as you arch through the spine, roll the shoulders down and away from the ears and look forward. Exhale tuck the tail, round through the upper back and relax the head and neck.
Flow through in your own time, completing 5 full rounds.
This posture is great for stretching through the upper back and opening through the chest, this is a great posture to counter your normal cycling position.
Seated kneel
Take the buttocks to the heels, sit up tall and allow the spine to lengthen, as we stretch through the shins, toes and ankles.
Big cat stretch
Inhale to come forward, reach your hands out in front and walk you knees back under your hips. Gently move your head and chest in between your upper arms towards the ground and hold for 5-10 breaths, opening up through the upper back and chest.
Downward facing dog
Walk the hands back towards the knees as you push into palms, lift the knees and take the buttocks towards the sky for a down dog. Opening and lengthening the spine, stretching through the hamstrings and mobilising all of the joints from the wrists through to the ankles.
Cobra
Drop to the knees, take the shoulders over the wrists and lower your way all the way onto the floor as if you were doing a push-up. Inhale, roll the shoulders down and away from the ears as you gently push into the hands and lift the chest. Hold for 5 breaths before lowering the chest back to the floor, pushing back onto hands and knees and back into your down dog.
Lunge
Inhale in down dog and as you exhale step your left foot in between your hands for a lunge position.  Take your hands to your bent leg and settle into this stretch for the right hip flexors. To intensify the stretch reach around a take a hold of the back leg and breathe.
Release the back leg and push back into your down dog to repeat on the right side.
Hold each side for 5-10 breaths before releasing and transitioning back through your down dog.
Pigeon
Inhale in down dog and as you exhale bend your left knee and take your left knee to your left wrist. Lower the back knee to the ground and square off the hips. Stay here or lower the forearms to the ground and drop the head. Take 5-10 breaths opening and stretching through the glutes and hip.
Release, transitioning back through down dog and take pigeon on the opposite side.
Hold for a further 5-10 breaths before releasing back to your down dog before making your way onto hands and knees and onto your back for some lying postures.
Lying twist
Lying on your back, extend both legs out in front and take a bend to the right knee. Exhale as you twist open to the left. Extend the arms out to shoulder height and look out over the right hand, trying to keep both shoulders on the floor.
Inhale through centre and change the legs gently twisting open to the right, through the lumbar spine as we mobilise the lower joints of lower back.
Lying hamstring stretch
Inhale through centre, bend both knees and extend right leg towards the sky, holding on behind the calf or hamstring with both hands. For a deeper stretch extend the left leg long along the floor and start to mobilise the ankle by flexing and extending the right foot.
Release the right leg back to the floor and repeat on the left side. Try to keep both shoulders on the ground and relax through the head and neck. Release the leg to the floor to finish.
For best results aim to hold each of the postures in this sequence for a min of 5 breaths.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Yoga Poses For Beginners: 5 Steps for New Yogis

5 Steps for New Yogis

1. Easy Cross Leg (Sukhasana) For Stress Relief
Sit cross-legged on a Yoga for Beginner mat with your hand on your knees, palms up. Keep your spine as straight as you can. Push the bones you're sitting on down into the floor -- your "sit bones" in yoga-speak. Close your eyes and inhale. "This is a great pose for beginners to use as an assessment," says Gwen Lawrence, yoga coach for the New York Giants and other sports teams and celebrities. "Just sitting on the floor gives you a perfect way to see and feel the external rotation on the legs." This pose also boosts back flexibility and can help relieve stress.

2. Cat-Cow Pose For Back Pain
Get on your mat on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Distribute your weight equally between your hands and spread your fingers wide. Inhale and round your back, arching it up as you lower your chin to your chest; feel the stretch from your neck to your tailbone, like a cat. As you exhale, lower your back down all the way to a scoop shape as you lift your head, and tilt it back. "Repeat a few times to loosen your spine and open your chest," says Susie Lopez, New York yoga and wellness educator.
3. Tree Pose For Balance
Start by standing straight for this pose. Bring your hands together in the prayer position and lift them over your head. Balance on your right leg. Bend your left knee out to the left side and press your left foot to the inner thigh of your right leg. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat. "This pose helps to stretch the body long, from the heels to the tips of your fingers," says fitness trainer and wellness coach Shea Vaughn, author of Breakthrough: The 5 Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great, and Find Total Well-Being (and mom of actor Vince Vaughn). It will also help you gain improved balance and flexibility.
4. Downward-Facing Dog For Flexibility
In the downward-facing dog, your body forms an inverted V-shape. Start by placing both hands on the mat in front of you, palms down. Your hands should be slightly in front of your shoulders. Place your knees on the ground directly under your hips. Exhale as you lift your knees off the ground and lift your buttocks and hips toward the ceiling. Push the top of your thighs back and stretch your heels down toward the floor. Keep your head down between your upper arms and in line with them, not hanging down. Look at your belly. "The important thing is to create a long straight spine," Lopez says. Hold the position for 5 to 10 breaths, and try to deepen your stretch with each exhalation.
5. Child's Pose For Relaxation
This is among the most healing of all yoga poses, Lopez says, reminiscent of the fetal position. Anytime you feel overwhelmed or tired, relax into child's pose, she says. From downward-facing dog, simply bend your knees and lower your butt to your heels as you bring your chest toward the floor over your knees. Lower your shoulders and head to the floor. Place your arms along your sides, palms up or you can support your head by folding your arms under your forehead. Breathe and relax for as long as you need to. This pose is also good for stretching out your back, says Jane Foody, New York area yoga instructor, yoga teacher trainer, and author of Guided Relaxation and Savasana Scripts for Yoga Teachers.