Video of the Week Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasa

The debut of Baxter's 2016 series on mini vinyasas. This simple little Warrior 2 vinyasa strengthens both your upper and lower body while warming up your hip and shoulder joints.

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Featured Sequence Mini Sun Salutation

by Baxter and Nina

The Mini Sun Salutation a simple, accessible version of the classic Sun Salutation, which skips the Plank or Pushup pose and the Upward-Facing Dog or Cobra pose that is usually included after the Downward-Facing Dog pose. This modified Sun Salutation is a great way to warm up for a full Sun Salutation, and provides a simple alternative for people who are just starting to learn this sequence.

Because you move quickly from one pose to another in this sequence, the mini Sun Salutation cultivates agility (Cultivating Agility with Yoga), one of our four essential physical skills for healthy aging. The sequence also benefits your cardiovascular system (see Yoga for Heart Health), both strengthening and stretching the muscles and connective tissue that your body’s blood vessels pass through, thus exercising your heart and encouraging more efficient flow through the piping of your system.

This sequence is also quite invigorating, and can uplift you if you’re feeling depressed or stimulate you if you’re feeling lethargic. If you’re feeling anxious, you can use a Sun Salutation to work off some of your excess energy before you move onto more relaxing poses (see 10 Ways to Soothe Anxiety with Yoga).

Mini Sun Salutation

1. Start by standing in Mountain pose (Tadasana) at the front of your mat, with your hands in Namaste position in front of your heart. Take a moment to check in with your body and your mind. For your first round, start out at a reasonable pace and let yourself warm up gradually. 

2. On an inhalation, take your arms overhead into Arms Overhead pose (Urdhva Hastasana).

3. On your exhalation, bend forward into Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) with your fingertips on the floor if possible. If you can’t reach the floor with straight legs, either place your hands on your shins or bend your knees slightly.

4. On your next inhalation, bend your left knee and step your right foot back onto a High Lunge pose. Keep your fingertips on the floor on either side of your front foot. If it is not possible for you to touch the floor, support both hands with blocks. 

5. As you exhale, step your left foot back in line with the right foot and come into Downward-Facing Dog. Consider staying for 3-5 breaths. Since Downward Dog is a partial inversion, you are assisting in the return of blood from the veins of the body back to the heart, as side benefit of most inversions for heart health!

6. On your next inhalation, swing your hips forward as you step your right foot to the front of your mat, coming into High Lunge once again. (Sorry, no photo yet of left foot forward in the lunge.)

7. On your exhalation, step your left foot forward to meet your right foot and come back to Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana). 

8. On your next inhalation, bend both knees and sweep your arms and torso up into Powerful pose (Utkatasana). 

9. Stay in Powerful Pose for a breath. Then, on your next inhalation, straighten your legs and body back to Arms Overhead pose.

10. On your exhalation, release your arms and bring your hands into Namaste position if front of your heart. Take a moment in Mountain pose to check in with your body and your mind before continuing onto the next side.

Repeat the sequence again, this time leading with your left foot. Since this part of the practice will likely get the heart rate up a bit, feel free to do several rounds—anywhere from two to six.

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Mini Back Care Stress Management Practice

by Nina

Two Birds by M.C. Escher*

Yesterday I came up with this three-pose mini practice for a student who has lower back problems and is also suffering from stress and anxiety. Because he has high blood pressure that isn’t yet controlled, I couldn’t include any inverted poses or even partial inversions. But I was quite pleased at what I came up with; it’s a simple sequence but also very effective. 

So I thought I’d share the mini practice with you today in case any of you want to try it. I’d love to hear what you think of it.  

Pose 1: Reclined Leg Stretch Pose, version 1, 1.5 minutes per side if possible. 

This classic pose releases tight hamstrings that can pull on your lower back while also lengthening your lower back, creating space in your spine and relaxing back muscles. Because it releases physical tension from your hips and legs, it can also help reduce stress. For a more relaxing experience, try this pose in a doorway, with one leg up the wall and the other through the doorway and your arms by your sides. (You may have to use more than one doorway to practice the pose on both sides.) See Featured Pose: Reclined Leg Stretch Pose for information on the classic pose.

Pose 2: Restorative Child’s Pose, 3 to 5 minutes (turning your head half way through). 

This classic restorative pose is soothing for the nervous system and also lengthens your lower back, creating space in your spine and relaxing the back muscles. While you’re in the pose, try bringing your awareness to your breath as it moves in your back, and intentionally ask your lower back muscles to relax (hopefully they'll listen!). See Featured Pose: Child's Pose for information on the pose.

Pose 3: Legs on a Chair Pose, 10 or more minutes. 

This is Beth’s go-to back pain reduction pose (see My Magic Four for Back and Spine). It’s also a very relaxing version of Savasana, which is more comfortable for some who have back pain than the classic pose. So it’s perfect pose for reducing stress at the same time you’re reducing back pain. While you’re in the pose, focus your awareness on your breath or, if that causes anxiety, bring your awareness to letting go and relaxing your lower legs onto the chair seat. 

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