Yoga for the great outdoors

Gulf News

Yoga for the great outdoors. Artistic Yoga demonstrates a few stress busting postures that can be performed out in the open while getting back to nature. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00Namaste and welcome to this week's Artistic Yoga class.

00:15In this week we are looking at all the yoga that can be done out here in the open.

00:20It's fantastic weather in Dubai.

00:22So we are looking at what you can do when you are outdoors and how best to utilize the

00:26fresh air, the greenery, the surroundings and the nature.

00:30The first posture that we look at is called Tadasana or palm tree pose.

00:34As you breathe in, stretch your hands up, lift the ribcage, stretch the body up, pull

00:41in the stomach, raise the ribcage, hold this with normal breathing for about a minute.

00:48It helps to enhance the length of the spine and also being a stretch, the body secretes

00:54endorphins as a result of this stretch.

00:57So you feel much lighter, more relaxed and more complete.

01:01Begin to slowly exhale, come back to your heels.

01:05The second stretch that we look at is called Tiryaka Tadasana or twisted pose.

01:10For that, place one palm on the opposite shoulder, start to twist and look as far back as you

01:17can in the distance, creating a spinal twist here, which is especially beneficial for de-stressing,

01:25for ensuring that proper blood circulation goes to the body and to reduce the tiredness

01:30of the lower back.

01:33And come back to the other side, exhale, go into posture.

01:38In the posture, breathe normally.

01:42Enjoy that stretch.

01:45Keep pushing yourself, enjoy where you are and come back.

01:50And the last stretch we look at to open up the chest area before you breathe is this stretch.

01:56Interlock your hands at the back, now slowly begin to drop down, drop down and stretch.

02:08What is happening is that the intercostal muscles of the chest are expanding, the chest

02:14expands, allowing for you to breathe deeply later on in the practice.

02:25And slowly come back, come back to position, relax.

02:32Now we are ready to do some deep breathing techniques.

02:35Sit in Vajrasana, any posture, you may even sit on a bench, it's just that your back should

02:41be straight.

02:43In Kapalabhati Kriya, take in a deep breath and begin to exhale forcefully.

02:48With each exhalation, your stomach is going in, excess carbon monoxide is being expelled

02:55out of the lungs.

03:06Kapal means the frontal lobe of the brain, bhati means to shine, so when you do this

03:10practice regularly, you will find that the face begins to glow, a lot of the stress that

03:15is stored in the frontal lobe of the brain is cleansed, you will find a lot of freshness

03:19in your personality.

03:21The second breathing exercise that we look at is the classic yoga pranayama technique

03:26called Anulom Vilom, loosely translated into alternate nostril breathing.

03:33Block the right nostril, breathe in through the left.

03:39Close both nostrils.

03:43Now exhale through the right.

03:47Reverse the cycle, breathe in through the right for a count of one, hold for double

03:54the time for a count of two.

04:00Exhale again for a count of two.

04:03So we follow this ratio, one to two to two.

04:07Finish about ten such cycles.

04:10Anulom Vilom will help balance physical and mental energies, you will find you are a lot

04:14more calmer, energetic and brings you in the right frame of mind to practice some meditation.

04:24Thank you so much for watching this episode of Artistic Yoga.

04:28We hope that you are inspired now to go out into the outdoors and do some stretching and

04:32yoga.

04:34Namaste.

04:37www.artisticyoga.com

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