Christmas comes but once a year and it’s a time where we take some time to reconnect with those most important to us and celebrate the year that has passed. That goes for everyone. Even yoga teachers!
In that case, instead of letting your regular practice subside, why not try a couple of festive poses at home? We had a couple of Christmassy yoga poses last year so let’s add to that!
‘Racing Reindeer’ Balancing Table Pose (Dandayamna Bharmanasana)
- This pose is great for building core stability and balance.
- Beginning on all fours with your hands shoulder distance apart and knees hip-width apart, neutral spine, raise and extend your right leg level with your hips and flex your right foot.
- Maintain your gaze towards the mat you’re your head and neck in line with your spine.
- Keeping your hips level and squared towards the floor, imagine you are pressing your heel against an imaginary wall.
- With your tummy muscles engaged, raise your left hand to bring it level with your shoulder and reach out through your fingertips.
- Try to keep one straight, level line from right heel to hips to shoulders to left wrist. Hold for a moment and release on the exhale.
- Repeat on the other side.
‘Prayer’ Parsvottanasana Variation (Pyramid Pose)
- Beginning in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your hands on your hips, step your feet wide apart and turn both feet towards the right aligning right heel with the arch of the left foot.
- Turn your hips and torso to the right. Bring your hands together at the middle of your back in reverse prayer or hold on to the opposite elbow.
- Broaden across the collar bones as you roll your outer shoulders out and release the shoulder blades down the back. Lift your abdomen towards your chest and your chest towards the crown of the head.
- Press the front of your thighs back as you begin to lengthen the front of the torso over the right leg. Stay here for a couple of breaths and try to soften into the pose.
- To come out of it, press into the left heel and come up on an inhalation. Then, turn the feet in the other direction and repeat on the left.
‘Candy Cane’ Standing Crescent Pose (Induldalasana)
- Starting in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), reach your arms up towards the sky with your upper arms in line with your ears. Hold your right wrist with your left hand.
- Ground into your right foot as you lengthen upwards on the inhalation and lean over to the left on the exhalation.
- Look under your right arm to open your chest towards the sky. Stay here for a couple of breaths really focussing on each muscle between the ribs expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
- Come back to stand tall on an inhalation and exhale over to the other side.
‘Prancer’ Lord of the Dance Pose (Natarajasana)
- Set yourself up in… you guessed it! Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Transfer the weight into the left foot as you bend the right knee, bringing your heel towards your seat.
- Hold onto to the inside of the right foot with the right hand and begin to press your foot into your hand as you move it upwards and lean your chest forward.
- Lengthen the left arm forward. Spread across the front of the chest with hips squared towards the floor.
- Stay here for a couple of breaths attempting to remain stable and then come back up on an inhalation.
- Repeat on the other side.
‘Snow Plow’ Plow Pose (Halasana)
- Lying on your mat, semi supine (knees bent), shoulder blades stable and flat on the back, externally rotate the arms and place the hands onto the back, either side of the spine as you draw the knees in towards the chest lifting the hips off the mat to bring your pelvis up and stacked over the shoulders.
- Manoeuvre your elbows closer towards each other and extend the legs with flexed feet. Aim to lengthen the spine without overstretching the neck.
- Stay here for a couple of breaths increasing the time as you continue to practice over the weeks and months.
- To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll down slowly as you exhale.
