This floor exercises yoga fitness sequence, which inludes mind & body health. The combination of 9 exercises blending yoga poses with the 3-5 breaths & incorporating fitness techniques with adaptation of hands position. But it is still inclusive for all who can opt not to use the adaptations.
• kienbocks disease: reduced wrist mobility due to collapsed bones / avascular necrosis / post op wrist surgery).
• Lupus SLE & Lupus related illnesses: Joint issues due to rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis, sore joints & or reduced mobility.
• Raynaud’s: circulation issues that can mostly affect hands (fingers) & feet.
The sequence includes benefits for all the muscles in the body, primarily toning the glutes (buttocks), obliques (waist) & thighs (hamstrings & quadriceps).
Stretching the upper & lower body. Including the neck, back (spine), shoulders, hands, wrist, glutes, thighs, legs, ankles, joints & muscles. Which also provides stability. Improve flexibility & contribute to mobility.
Including overall general health.
• Extension • Abduction • Flexion.
Correct breathing inhale / exhale: fitness. 3-5 breaths: yoga poses. This not only helps with regulating your breathing pattern, helps with the digestion system & heart rate. Also, it helps calm the mind & release stress.
This sequence enables the full body to be exercised, with the longest duration of various exercises spent being in an on all four’s position. Which is on your hands & and knees. The adaptation is instead of hands (palms down) flat facing forward on the floor. The hands are in a fist formation (fingers tucked in & knuckles facing forward).
Also, with the Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana), the front of my foot is not flat to the floor. Instead, the flats of my toes.
*This was just a personal choice being cautious not to over stretch due to random days of mobility restrictions. It’s a Lupus thing. But if you can, the top of the foot flat on the floor.
Starting Position: On all four’s. Facing forward shoulder width apart. Shoulders stacked over wrists (arms straight). Hands palm’s flat on floor facing forward or in fist formation fingers tucked inwards & knuckles facing forward. Knees under hips stacked. Bottom of toes on floor with feet bottoms & heels raised. Neck relaxed (extended) head up facing forward.
• 1. Back Foot Kick Ups 15x Reps.
In your on all four’s position, keeping the leg bent at the knee, raise your back foot up (inhale) & down (exhale) x 15 reps.
• 2. Fire Hydrant 10x Reps.
Keeping the leg bent at the knee. Raise the leg from the side at the waist up & down. Inhale (up) & exhale (down) x10.
• 3. Straight Leg Fire Hydrant 9x Reps.
Straighten the leg from being bent at the knee. Raise the leg from the side at the waist. Up (inhale) & exhale (exhale) 9x Reps.
• 4. Child’s Pose (Balasana): 3-5 breaths. From starting position on all four’s, sit back into kneeling position. Arms straight & hands palm faced down on the floor shoulder width apart slide & stretch forward. Lowering your upper body, keeping the neck & head in line with your back onto the top of the thighs.
Once you’ve lowered your upper body as much as you can. Lower your head (relaxing your neck) facing your knees. Do 3-5 deep breaths.
Slide back up to kneeling position.
• 5. Pigeon Pose (Ardha Kapoasana): Keep the upper body upright. Arms just forward of your waist on either side & position one leg in front bent at the knee, having the calf laying across inward with the heel facing inward towards the torso. With the other leg, straighten it behind you. Knee & front of foot/toes face down on the floor.
Initiate stretch by driving (grounding) the hips into the floor while keeping the upper body upright (neck/head/face forward). Pressing into the floor from the shoulders to the hands. Extend stretch the back leg.
Adjust your positioning so you have the correct form before doing 3-5 breaths
* If you experience cramping, come out, pose & shake the cramped body part out & then get back into the pose.
• 6. Sleeping Swan (Kapotasana 2): From the Pigeon Pose, lower your upper body to lay on the bent leg in front of you. Position your arms bent at the elbows. One cradling the knee & the other cradling the toes resting your forehead on your hands (palms down), which are overlapped serving like a cushion. 3-5 breaths.
• 7. Pigeon transition. From Sleeping Swan back up to Pigeon Pose. Then, into a kneeling position.
• 8. Extended Puppy (Uttana Shishosana): From a kneeling position, like with the Child’s Pose, extend the arms shoulders width apart, moving the hands palms down along the floor forward. Lowering the upper body, keeping the neck & head in line with your back. Raise the torso up until the hips are above the knees. Press your chest into the floor. Stretching the spine & stretching, extending from the shoulders to the hands forward. Whilst facing the floor. 3-5 Breaths.
• 9. Dolphin Pose (Catur Svanasana). From Extended Puppy Pose, tuck your toes, raise your torso (buttocks) & lifting off your knees. Whilst raising your upper body & head down in line with the upper arms facing the front of your calves to the point of being on your forearms (hands/forearms position similar to sleeping swan). Just with the elbows on the ground rather than facing outward. The hips are the centre point between the upper body & the lower body. Press the heels into the floor whilst pressing from the shoulders to the forearms into the floor. Extension + Flexion. 3-5 breaths.
Like the Downward Dog Pose, but instead of straight arms pressing into the hands. You’re pressing into your forearms.
End by transitioning into a kneeling position. Dropping the knees to the floor & slowly moving the upper body back until you’re seated on your lower legs. Straighten your spine, rotate your shoulders backwards so your chest is forward & your neck is elongated. Place your hands on the top of your thighs or knees. Take a deep breath. Inhale deeply through the nose & deeply out through your mouth.
You can take this moment to do more breaths. Set your intentions or repeat the sequence.
Like with any exercise/exercises, please seek advice from a professional health or medical practitioner before doing any exercise programs & or workouts.
Hope you all have a positive & motivated day.
Please feel free to comment if you found this sequence beneficial. Also, contact me if you have any exercises you would like to see or have adaptations for.
G.ElliottServices 