Yoga Cures: Simple Routines to Conquer Over 50 Common Ailments and Live Pain-Free (61 page)

Bridge

Lie down on your back. Bend your knees and press the bottoms of your feet into the ground next to your body so your knees point straight up. Press your arms down by your sides and lift your hips and chest up. Stay here for five long, deep breaths.

Wheel

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Bend your elbows and press your palms into the ground by your ears. Press into your palms firmly and begin to lift the chest up. Straighten your arms only as much as you can while keeping the chest lifted and being able to breathe easily. Lengthen your knees forward and keep your spine long. Stay here for five long, deep breaths. To come down, tuck your chin in toward your chest, bend your elbows, and slowly lower down.

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 your wrists and ankles around.

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 that you’ve been putting off starting, or
journal instead of watching TV or using the computer. Keep a notebook by your bed in case you want to write
down any inspirational thoughts. Sleep well!

DAY 2: WAKE AND REFLECT

When you wake in the morning, sit up in bed and lean against the wall or a 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, anything at

all. If you have any thoughts about Day 1 of the retreat, write them down also.

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

done, keep drinking lots of water, and making healthy choices. If you’d like to stay in “retreat mode”

for the day, pick a fun activity that inspires you, whether that’s picking up a paintbrush or guitar, going

for a nature walk, or heading to the nearest art gallery.

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

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any thoughts or inspirations that are on your mind. 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 rest your attention on

your breath. If your mind starts to wander, gently guide it back to your breath. If you think of

something inspiring and you don’t want to lose the thought, write it down and come back to your

meditation.

Go about your day as usual and be on the lookout for spontaneous inspiration!

Do the evening routine either before or after dinner. When it is time for bed, again try to avoid the

overstimulation of TV or staring at a computer screen. You may think these things calm you, but they

really don’t. Read or write in your journal before bed. Keep it and a big glass of water by your bed.

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

you’ve written 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.

Relax, Restore, and Rejuvenate Retreat

Our lives can get so hectic that having a calm, comfortable space where we can completely let go and

unwind is essential. Our homes should be a place where we feel at peace and can relax fully. This

retreat is designed to relax, restore, and rejuvenate you completely right from the comfort of your own

home … which is a lot cheaper than a spa!

DAY 1: WRITE IT DOWN AND WIND IT DOWN

Start your retreat in the evening. You’ll need a blanket, a notebook, and a pen. Sit up tall and

comfortably, wherever you most like to sit in your home. Take a long, deep breath in and out. Look

around your home and take in what helps you relax and unwind and what doesn’t. Is there anything that

you can adjust slightly that will aid in your rejuvenation at home? Maybe tossing a blanket over the

couch or clearing space around your bed for your yoga practice would help.

What else? Sit on it and think a bit. Then do this routine.

Yoga for Relaxation: Evening Routine

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

using the computer. Keep a journal or notebook by your bed in case you want to write down any thoughts.

Sleep well!

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Reclining Butterfly

Roll up a blanket tightly, like a burrito. Sit up and place the blanket behind your hips, perpendicular to them. Roll down on the blanket so it’s lined up under your spine. Bring the bottoms of your feet together and relax your knees out to the sides. Stay here for three to five minutes. Allow your breath to shift to long and deep. Focus on your exhales a bit more than the inhales to further promote relaxation. When you’re ready to come out of the pose, gently roll onto your right side and press your hands into the floor to bring you back to sitting.

BITES OF BLISS

To help promote a restful night’s sleep try drinking a bedtime tea. Anything that has chamomile, peppermint, or spearmint is great to help you get to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed and energized. Valerian root is also a natural sleep aid that you can find in tea form. Drink it sparingly. Large doses or overuse may result in stomachache or mild depression.

WAKE AND REFLECT

When you wake in the morning, sit up in bed and lean against the wall or a 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 feel

rested, or not, write it down.

Restorative Yoga: Morning Routine

Do this routine in the morning either before or after breakfast. If you do eat breakfast, allow yourself about
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