Yoga Cures: Simple Routines to Conquer Over 50 Common Ailments and Live Pain-Free (56 page)

Lean right, look under your left arm, and gaze upward. Begin to straighten your right leg and keep opening your torso upward and toward your left. Stay here for five long, deep breaths. Unwind out of that and do the routine on the other side.

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Reclining Single Knee Hug

Lie down on your back. Hug your right knee in toward your chest. With each exhale, draw your knee closer toward your right shoulder. Stay here for five long, deep breaths.

Reclining Hamstring Release

Extend your right leg upward. Grab behind your calf, your knee, or your hamstring, wherever you can grab easily.

Stay here for ten long, deep breaths. Try not to pull the leg closer toward you, but instead allow your exhales to release tension and only move the leg closer when more space opens up.

Reclining Single Knee Hug Twist

From your reclining knee hug, cross your right knee over your body toward your left. Open your arms out to the sides. Look toward your right. Stay here for ten long, deep breaths. Do the other side starting with the reclining knee hug.

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Plow

From lying down, press your arms down by your sides, round your back, and bring your feet over your head into a plow pose.

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Shoulder Stand

Slowly roll back down to lie on your back. Press your palms into your back so your fingers face up. Wiggle your elbows closer together and scoot your hands up your back close to your shoulders. Lift the backs of your legs

straight up so your body is in one straight line. Stay here for twenty long, deep breaths. Either close your eyes or keep your gaze softly resting on your belly button.

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Half Happy Baby

Lie down on your back. Hug your right knee into your chest. Point the bottom of your foot straight up. Grab the outside edge of your right foot with your right hand. Press your right knee down toward the ground with the strength of your arm. Stay here for five long, deep breaths. Switch sides.

Corpse

Lie down on your back. Open your legs hip width, or a bit wider, depending on what’s most comfortable for you.

Relax your arms a bit out to your sides, palms facing up. Take a big inhale through your nose, exhale all the air out through your mouth. Repeat the same breathing pattern twice more. Relax your entire self for three to five minutes.

When you are ready to come out of it, slowly start to deepen your breath. Roll around your wrists and ankles.

Gently hug your knees into your chest and rock up to sit up comfortably.

Try to keep distractions to a minimum before bedtime. Read a book or journal instead of watching TV or

using the computer. Keep your journal by your bed in case you want to write down any thoughts. Sleep well!

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DAY 2: WAKE AND REFLECT

When you first wake up, sit in bed and lean against the wall or your headboard if you have one. Relax

your hands on your thighs and pay attention to your breath. Stay here and meditate for a few minutes.

When you are finished, write down in your journal anything that comes to mind. If you have any

thoughts about Day 1 of the retreat, write them down.

Before breakfast, do the morning routine. Go about your day as usual, doing what you need to get

done; continue drinking lots of water and making healthy choices. If you have time, clear some more

clutter in your home.

At night, before dinner, set aside ten minutes for meditation. Keep your journal handy. Write down

any thoughts or inspirations that came up for you today. Sit up tall, comfortably, wherever you most

like to sit in your home. Take a long and deep inhale and exhale. Close your eyes and simply follow

your breath for ten minutes. Relax fully and watch your inhales come and your exhales go. If a thought

or inspiration comes that you’d like to remember, write it down, and come back to your breath.

Perform the evening routine either before or after dinner. When it is bedtime, again try to avoid

overstimulation like TV or staring at your computer screen. Read or write in your journal before bed.

Keep your journal and a big glass of water by your bed.

When you wake up in the morning repeat the morning meditation and journal writing. This time after

you’ve written down whatever first comes to mind, write about your experience over the last two days.

If there is any part of the retreat you found useful that you can integrate into your daily life, write it

down with the intention of doing so. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Inspiration Retreat

Inspiration sparks change and transformation. Whatever inspires you to make a shift in your life for the

better, run with it and let it power you like jet fuel. Your inspiration will take you far. Feel a desire to

refresh your life? Have a big life-changing event coming up? Whatever the circumstance, the next two

days are designed to inspire you, and provide that spark we all need to keep us energized and excited

by life.

We all go through phases of inspiration and lulls where it’s a little harder to get up and get going.

When going through a lull, there are simple things that you can do around your home to re-inspire

yourself and invigorate your passions. When a little feng shui meets your personal style and common

sense, your home can be transformed from a place where you hang your hat to a magical getaway zone

that inspires you each moment you spend at home.