THE
PEACEFUL WARRIOR SEQUENCE
TADASANA
Stand straight, feet together,
arms gently stretched by your sides.
Big toes touching, heels slightly
apart, your weight evenly on bot hfeet.
Gently activate abdominals, lengthen
through the torso, open the chest.
Inhale, stepping your feet out
4 - 4.5 foot apart.
WARRIOR 2
Turn the left foot out to the side,
aligning your heel with the arch of your right foot. Turn
the right foot in about 30 degrees.
As you inhale, , lengthen through the waist, raising your
arms up to shoulder level, palms face down.
Keep your upper torso facing to front,while maintaining
natural rotation of pelvis.
As you exhale, bend the left knee, slowly sinking pelvis towards floor, while
keeping torso upright. Make sure left knee is in line
with the ankle.
Inhaling, tuck your chin into the throat, looking over
the fingers of the fforward arm. Find point ofa soft point
of focus in front of you.
Breathe deeply & evenly, holding the pose for 3 -5 breaths.
REVERSE WARRIOR
Inhale, bringing the front arm up towards the sky, arching backwards
so the palm of the back hand touches the back thigh.
As you exhale, let
the back hand slide down along the back thigh, as you
bend back further,keeping the front kee bent and feeling
a stretch along your side (at the front).
Pause here for a couple
of breaths. Then came back to Warrior 2 pose.
Benefits
* Heating & invigorating
* Reduces fat around the hips
* Strengthens legs & upper back muscles
* Tones ankles & muscles
around the knees and joints
* Brings elasticity to the back muscles, creating space
between the vertebrae
Contraindications
* Heart problems and high blood pressure
* Knee and groin problems
* Sacro-iliac problems
* Pregnancy...generally make sure the belly isn't
straining the lower back
LUNGE
After the next inhale, exhale as you rotate forward into a lunge
position.
Keep your back heel up so hips are squared to the
front, aligned & stable.
Lift you chest, keeping the shoulders down to avoid arching
the neck and back.
Benefits
* Heating & invigorating
* Reduces fat around the hips
* Strengthens legs & upper back muscles
* Tones ankles & muscles
around the knees and joints
Contraindications
* Weak or strained heart (don't put
arms up)
* High blood pressure
* Knee and groin injuries
* Pregnancy..2nd & 3rd trimester..too much strain
on lower back
* Lower back strain - hold in abs & tuck your pelvis
under
DOWN DOG
Then step
backwards with into Downward Dog, placing
hands shoulder width apart and position wrists under the
shoulders. Feet hip are width apart, knees in line with
the hips. Tuck toes under.
Lift the back of thighs upwards
and keep the tailbone high to take some weight out of
the wrists.
As you ihale, imagine drawing the
energy up through the arms & back into the tailbone.
Exhale down the legs & ground through your feet.
Benefits
* Stretches
back of the body from ankles to wrists
* Creates traction in the
neck...releases tension in spinal column
* Brings harmony & balance to the hormonal system
* Rejuvenates facial muscles
* Good for insomnia and fatigue
Contraindications
Detached retina, glaucoma or a recent disc injury.
If you have wrist
injuries or carpal syndrome, wedge banket under heel of
hand .
Step back into Tadasana and
repeat on the other side.
You may incorporate the Ujjai breath
below into the sequence.
