today to suggest that incorporating a more lunar rhythm into your regular yoga practice to counter the pace and pressures of daily life is increasingly vital for your nervous system. Simple techniques to make your existing practice more lunar include slowing down the pace, simplifying the sequence, staying close to the Earth and focusing on hip openers, forward bends and slow deep breathing. These can all help to activate the relaxation response and invite your physiology into a state of rest and regeneration. Try this lunar sequence if you’re feeling physically depleted or stressed, practicing in the evening, or in the winter months when the days are shorter and your energy tends to be lower. +
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1. Earth Prayer
Begin by lying on your belly with your forehead on the Earth. Draw your arms up over head and bring your hands together in a prayer position. Soften the base of your spine and your glutes. Feel the weight of your body against the Earth. Imagine that you can inhale into the base of your spine, expanding your belly at the top of your inhale, and feel the softening effect of your exhale on your entire spine. Take 10 to 20 deep breaths here.
2. Low Lunge with Open Twist Flow From earth prayer, press up to hands and knees or downward facing dog. Step your right foot to your right hand. Lower your left knee. Inhale reach your hands to the sky, exhale turn your navel to the right and open your arms wide in an open twist. Inhale turn back to lunge and reach your hands up, and exhale twist again. Slowly move through this three more times, and on the last twist hold for five deep breaths. Slowly cartwheel your hands down to frame your right foot. 3. Revolved Half Splits
Straighten your right leg to half splits. Rock your toes from side to side for a couple of breaths, then bring your toes to the right and walk your hands around to the right side of your mat. Bend your elbows a little and unwind your neck here. After five breaths, turn back to face the front of your mat.
4. Grounded Warrior Three with Jiva Squat
Photos by: kim fuller
Bend your right knee, place your fingertips on the floor in front of you, and push your right foot down to float your left leg up in grounded warrior three. Inhale lengthen from your left heel to the crown of your head, exhale and bend both knees, tucking your left knee snugly behind your right knee in jiva squat. Inhale push your right foot down and float your left leg up again, exhale return to jiva squat. Repeat slowly three more times.
5. Seated Twist Hold your final jiva squat, then lower your left knee to the mat just outside your right foot, and sit down. Place your right fingertips just behind your sacrum and wrap your left arm around your right knee. Keeping both sitting bones heavy on the earth, inhale and lengthen your spine, exhale and gently twist your navel toward your right thigh. Take five to eight breaths here, then unwind your twist, come to hands and knees or downward facing dog, and repeat the entire sequence on your left leg. COYOGALIFEMAG.COM
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