Home Practice #3

Home Practice
Sun Salutation as Aerobic Practice

Mountain Pose. Bring the palms together in front of the chest.  Lift the palms upward. Feel the stretch through the sides of the body, feel the lift in the abdomen.  Breathe.  Open the arms a little beyond shoulder width apart and gently Arch Back, keeping the lower back completely stable, arms and ears staying aligned.  The arch is from just underneath the shoulder blades.

Bring the body back to centered.  Open the arms, hinge from the hips, lengthen through the spine, bend the knees, and move into Forward Fold.   Bring the palms to either sides of the feet.  Let the upper body relax over the lower body.  Breathe.

Step the left foot far back into Lunge, enough so the the right knee is behind the right ankle. 

Lower the left knee keeping the toes curled on the mat.  Lift the body upright, and use the upper body to sink through the hips to stretch the left thigh. Breathe. Bring the hands to the mat underneath the shoulders.  Step the right foot back to meet the left, and move into Down Dog, hips and hamstrings lifting upward, spine lengthening downward.

Bring the knees to the mat. Uncurl the toes to flatten the feet.  Flex the spine upward, tuck the hips forward, and bring the chin to the chest to move the body into Cat Pose. Bring the spine into a Cow Pose spine, extending the spine downward while lifting the hips, lifting the chin and chest.  Curl the toes, lift the hips, and return to Down Dog.

Step the left foot forward to come into Lunge.  Use the left hand to work that foot all the way up to the front of the mat.  Bring the right foot to meet the left foot into Forward Fold, knees bending.  Set feet up for Mountain Pose.

Lift the head, lengthen through the spine, bring the arms out to the side and begin to lift the body into Standing as the palms come together overhead.  Stretch the arms alongside the ears, lengthening through the spine, then bring the palms together in front of the chest.  Take a deep breath. 

Repeat stepping right foot back.

Continue sequence, moving more rapidly with each progression.