Yoga for Happiness
Posted: 12/10/2010 Filed under: Health | Tags: Whole Living, Yoga, Yoga for Depression 2 Comments »December is a month filled with joy and good cheer — and also, for many, a bit of the blues. Study after study confirm the powerful mood-boosting effects of yoga, especially yoga twists, backbends, and inversions, which move our bodies and open our hearts in ways that daily life — and busy holiday days — typically do not.
Yoga movement, breathing, and relaxation can alleviate stress and ward off anxiety and depression. If you find yourself feeling low, this tried-and-true sequence featured in Whole Living — easily performed at home a few times a week — will help you rediscover the joy of the season! (As always, if you have a medical condition, consult your doctor prior to beginning yoga practice.) Thumbnails of all poses can be viewed here.
These beginning poses calm and settle:
1. First Breathing Posture
2. Second Breathing Posture
3. Third Breathing Posture
These inversions and standing poses warm and invigorate:
4. Downward Facing Dog
5. Triangle
6. Warrior I
These backbends open the heart to happiness:
7. Upward Facing Dog or Modified Upward Facing Dog (or, for beginners or those with low-back issues, Sphinx Pose)
8. Camel
9. Wheel or Bridge Pose (Bridge is my preference; Wheel is Matt’s)
These twists cleanse and release tension in your back and abdomen:
10. Twist on Chair (For this pose, I prefer to keep both feet on the ground, unlike the photo)
11. Noose on Chair
These inversions decompress the body and mind:
12. Legs Up the Wall
13. Supported Shoulder Stand, Step A and Step B (If you feel this pose is not right for you, simply spend extra time in Legs Up the Wall or Supported Legs Up the Wall)
This restorative pose relaxes and renews:
Enjoy, and happy holidays to you!
Lovely – just what I needed. Not that the spirit of the season has worn me down – my eyes still light up like a Christmas tree whenever I hear any Christmas song, which is basically all the time , but knowing how good yoga makes me feel, following the sequence a few times a week will only make the upcoming holidays more joyful and relaxed. And I have nothing against such an outcome.
Enjoy, enjoy! And, I am with you on the giddiness over Christmas songs — I’ve been trying out all the different Pandora holiday stations and can’t stop streaming! Thank you for all your wonderful comments on the blog — I’ve been so bad at replying, but always love reading what you have to say. Happy holidays to you!