Im an Exercise PhysiologistHeres Why You Shouldnt Worry About Cortisol Spikes When You Do HIIT Workouts.
After most people take their first yoga class, their initial reaction is: WowI feel so calm!
Theres a reason why: Yogaactivates your parasympathetic nervous system(thats your bodys rest and digest setting).
Get ready: This might just be the best thing you do for your parasympathetic nervous system all day.
20-minute calming yoga sequence
1.
Keep your knees together or spread them apart depending on what feels best in your body.
certified yoga practitioner and creative wellness entrepreneur
Stretch your arms forward and breathe.
Bend your knees slightly and think of angling your sitz bones to the sky.
Take deep breaths here, bending one knee and straightening the other as if youre pedaling a bike.
Release the tension from your neck and jaw and swing your arms back and forth, moving freely.
Interlace your elbows if you like and just let everything hang.
Tadasana (mountain pose):Slowly roll all the way up to standing.
Close your eyes and rotate your palms forward.
Bring your palms to your heart and dedicate your practice to someone or something that you love.
Fold back into Uttanasana.
certified yoga practitioner and creative wellness entrepreneur
Bhujangasana (cobra pose):Step back and lower yourself all the way down onto your belly.
Bring your fingertips alongside your ribs.
Does Dancing Count as Cardio?
Extend your right leg straight back.
Bend the knee and open your hip, rolling your foot or leg around if that feels good.
Extend your leg straight back once more and come into plank pose, bringing your knee toward your nose.
Extend the right leg back again.
Repeat this movement twice more.
Bring your arms up so that theyre in a T-shape.
Bend more deeply into your knee and tuck your pelvis under.
From here, straighten your right leg and bring your palms to touch overhead.
Re-bend the leg and return to Warrior II.
Keep alternating for two more reps.
Repeat poses eight and nine on your left side.
Engage your belly to revolve your chest in the direction of the sky.
Fold forward and feel the stretch all the way through your hamstring.
Place your hands on your block or bring your prayer to hearts center.
Utkatasana (chair pose):Return to standing.
Repeat poses 10 through 15 on the left side.
Vasisthasana (side plank pose):From a downward dog, come forward into plank pose.
Bring your weight into your right foot and stack your left hip on top of your right hip.
you’re able to also place your left knee on the floor for additional support.
Return to downward dog and do the vasisthasana on the left side.
Return to childs pose and complete thread the needle on the opposite side.
Apanasana (knees to chest pose):Sit up and swing your legs forward.
Slowly lower down until youre lying on your back, then hug your knees into your chest.
Rock from side to side, smoothing your lower back into the floor.
(Flip to minute 14 of the video if you want to add some core exercises in here.)
Slowly lower back down to the ground.
Repeat this twice more.
Parivrtta Sukhasana (easy pose with a twist):Extend your legs.
Bring your arms overhead and twist your body to your left.
Bring your right hand to the outside of your left knee; bring your left hand to the floor.
On your inhales, lengthen the spine.
On your exhales, twist deeper.
Repeat on the right side.
Savasana (corpse pose):Extend your legs and arms and rest.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
