Have you followed your Breath in and out of the body, sensing the nature of the Inhalation as it enlivens and expands you? How about the releasing and softening qualities of the exhalation?
70% of the toxins in our body are released through our breath via our magnificent filtering system. Breath awareness is a VITAL component of health and awareness.
This Sun Salute Flow is a moving meditation, always expanding and moving up on an inhalation, and contracting or lowering down with the exhalation, like the waves of the ocean.
It is flowing and has a watery, fluid quality to it, so once you have your alignment sorted, allow yourself to RELAX into the flow.
The Asana that usually needs most attention and refinement in this flow is Plank Pose. It’s a fantastic pose for building strength, confidence and Integrity.
It’s very important to keep your pubic bone scooping up, and navel drawing into spine so there’s integrity in the belly and space in lower back.
It really helps to use a mirror when first starting out to check your technique, set yourself up for success so you can relax into and ENJOY your flow.
Connect to your breath - Sun Salute Flow
Sitting in Sukasana – easy cross leg position.
Close your eyes.
If this position is not available to you due to knee injury, sit against a wall so that your back is supported and legs are stretched out in front of you. Allow the hands to rest on the knees. Rock gently side to side on your sit bones connecting both sit bones to the earth.
From this steady seat, lengthen your spine, allowing the elbows to bend in towards your waist and the shoulders to softly glide down away from the ears. Gently lift the heart broadening your collarbones and draw your chin gently in towards your chest allowing the spine to lengthen up to your crown. Feel a sense of softness.
Start to follow your breath as it moves through your body like the waves of the ocean. Guiding the breath in through the nose and out through nose. Notice any sensations in the body, any spots of tightness or tension and without comment or judgement. Even out your breath so that the inhalation and exhalation are the same length. Take 10 rounds of breath in this way feeling the breath like the waves of an ocean in the body. Maintain an awareness of your connection to the earth, a lightness in your spine, and an evenness in your breath.
Inhale
circle the arms out to the side and up over your head connecting
the palms, exhale draw them down the centre line into the heart,
repeat 3 times. Inhale arms up and then split the hands, turning
to the left and taking your right hand to your left knee and the
left arm behind you for an easy seated twist. Inhale lift and lengthen
spine, exhale softly twisting deeper. Take 3 rounds of breath. Inhale
arms back up above head exhale twist to the right. Take 3 rounds
of breath.
Inhale circle the arms out to the side and up over your head connecting the palms, exhale draw them down the centre line into the heart, repeat 3 times. Inhale arms up and then split the hands, turning to the left and taking your right hand to your left knee and the left arm behind you for an easy seated twist. Inhale lift and lengthen spine, exhale softly twisting deeper. Take 3 rounds of breath. Inhale arms back up above head exhale twist to the right. Take 3 rounds of breath.
Inhale
back to centre. Exhale. "Melissa holds
a very sacred space as a yoga teacher and retreat facilitator. There
is a spiritual essence within her teachings – so every time you
go to class you feel like you are being lead on a very special journey.
"
- Michaela Rodwell, Naturopath and Yogi Inhale tip forward
to hands and knees with hands shoulder width apart, spreading fingers
wide and grounding all parts of your hands into the earth. Shift
the knees back a little, curl toes under and start the press into
hands and balls of feet to lift hips towards sky into Downward Facing
Dog.
Press the hands strong into the earth to send your weight back into
the heels, driving heels into the earth. If your legs are tight
feel free to keep knees slightly bent. Allow the head to relax and
eyes to look between the feet. Glide shoulders away from your ears
and keep pressing with straight strong arms away from the earth.
Feel your spine lengthening, creating space between the discs as
you inhale, notice the expansive quality of your breath, exhale
and notice the contraction back in toward your centre. Take 3 breaths
here. At any time you can come back onto the knees and sit back
onto the heels resting chest on thighs in Child's Pose.
Inhale
look forward between your hands and step up to the front of the
mat, allow the body to fold forward, chest draped over thighs here
in Uttansana forward bend. Again slightly bending knees as you need,
take 3 breaths here. Bend knees deeply allowing sit bones to sink
toward floor, scoop belly into spine,
Inhale
and like a rag doll slowly uncurl in a spinal roll, stacking one
vertebrae at a time until your head is the last to come up, continue
to circle the arms above the head and then exhale take your time
to draw hands down centre line into the heart.
Inhale
circle the arms above the head, exhale hands through centre and
fold to Uttanasana.
Inhale half way lift pressing hands into shins to flatten and lengthen
your spine, glide your shoulders down your back away from your ears-
eyes look forward slightly.
Exhale
fold place hands to floor and step back into a low plank on hands
and knees- Inhale hands under shoulders, weight is forward off your
knee caps, scoop pubic bone, draw navel to spine and broaden collarbones,
looking slightly forward, exhale with strength slowly lower to the
floor.
Keeping
hands next to chest, press lightly through tops of feet to engage
legs and lift knees away from floor.
Inhale
look to your belly and peel it off the floor, drawing navel to spine
and waving up the spine to offer heart forward
as
chest lifts, ensure shoulders soften down away from ears and elbows
stay bent and close to your sides.
Exhale lower to floor. Inhale draw navel to spine, press into strong hands and lift up into low plank, exhale press back into Downward Dog. Take one round of breath here, really connecting through fingerpads index finger and thumb, pressing chest back toward thighs and sitbones to sky whilst heels drive into the earth.
Inhale
look to hands and step up lifting the chest half way pressing into
shins with a flat back,
exhale
fold, bend knees deeply, sit bones down,
inhale
slowly stacking the spine as you uncurl taking the full length of
the breath to reach arms over head and exhale draw hands to heart.
Repeat. Inhale reaching up, exhale folding forward, inhale halfway lift, exhale fold step back to low or high plank keeping navel drawing to spine to protect lower back, inhale broaden collarbones get long and strong, exhale lower to the floor (maybe dropping the knees first if you were in high plank), inhale wave up to cobra, shoulders down elbows bent, offer your heart, exhale lower down, inhale scoop belly press up to low plank and exhale back into down dog, take a round of breath expanding and deepening, pressing weight back into the heels. Inhale step forward and halfway lift, exhale fold bend knees, inhale spinal roll reach arms up and exhale hands to heart.
Take 3 more rounds of this flow, moving with breath, one breath per movement. A flowing, moving meditation.
1. Grounding In