It’s very tempting to enter total hibernation mode over Christmas – staying sofa-bound with a cup of tea and a good film.
While Christmas should be all about relaxation, staying active will keep you feeling your best over the festive period.
I caught up with our wonderful yoga teacher here at Pai HQ who has shared some brilliant, gentle yoga moves to keep you active and feeling great over the holidays!
Gentle twists are brilliant for this time of year, as they help improve digestion, detox and de-stress.
When you twist you are compressing your digestive organs and reducing the circulation. As you release a twist there will be a rush of fresh, oxygenated blood to your digestive organs – helping to flush out toxins, detox and keep things moving.
I’d recommend the following yoga flow at any time of the day – but try and avoid doing it directly after eating.
To warm up…
– Begin with between 1-5 sun salutations like the below. You can also add a little twist at the top of each lunge.
Any of the following moves are great for grounding, gentle stretching and twisting. Feel free to mix them up and add in a couple more sun salutations between the poses
When doing twists, always inhale to create space and exhale to deepen the twist. As you twist initially, you should always exhale.
– Parivritta Parsvokonasana (revolved extended side angle pose) on either side, and hold for five breaths either side.
– Marichyasana C (sage pose), either the extended leg version or the bent knee version is great. Be sure to look far over your shoulder to deepen the twist.
– Thread the needle is a lovely pose for opening up the back of the shoulder and gentle twisting the spine. Hold for three breaths either side.
– Supine twist is a great release for the back. You can make it more active by switching sides in time with your breathing (i.e. inhale centre, exhale twist, etc), or stay on each side for as long as you wish!
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