LONDON: For some reason time seems to be more and more precious these days. So as we are getting towards the end of the year, our Yoga specialist Nadia Narain from London shows us only three asanas which clams and restores us in only 15 minutes. We love to practice at night when coming home from work and getting ready to go out again. It feels almost like a nap and leaves us with a nice warm, energetic feeling and a glow on our faces.
1. SPINAL TWIST
First bring knees to your chest
Then put knees to the right for 5 breaths, then knees up and to the left for 5 breaths
Nice stretch at end of day: releases lower back, opens chest and shoulders, and tones abdomen
2. SIT UP INHALE/EXHALE
Sit up straight in comfortable position
Place hands on solar plexus
Breathe in for 4 out for 4 x 3
In for 4 out for 6 x 3
In for 4 out for 8 x 3
Very good for calming mind and any anxiety like “knots in stomach”
3. BEND FORWARD
Straighten right leg, bend left knee out to side
Reach up with arms and create length in body and reach for your toes
Try to keep leg straight and don’t make a round back
Slow, smooth breaths x 5
Inhale, reach up, change sides
Forward bends are good for calming the mind and getting quiet.
ALTERNATIVE RELAXANTS:
I love my bath especially after teaching, because I’m around lots of people it’s easy to pick up their energy.
I put a lot of pink Himalayan salt and aromatherapy oils into the water. I always light my peace candle and sometimes put on some mellow music or no music at all.
I love to soak but if I’m traveling and no bathtub is available, as soon as I arrive I always shower and either scrub or rub my body with sea salt to get circulation moving and I wash my hair to get rid of all the traveling energies.
This ritual works perfectly to sleep better on arrival and to avoid jetlag or always after a hard day of work
NADIA NARAIN
Nadia teaches yoga in London and anywhere else to everyone: from professional athletes to pregnant women, to absolute beginners, adapting the practice to the individual’s needs and ability. She has been teaching since 1996 and is one of triyoga’s original and best-loved teachers, having taught there since it first opened. Nadia holds the highest level certification with YA (500SYT) and continually expands her knowledge of yoga and pregnancy yoga, studying with world-renowned yoga and Buddhist meditation teachers. Nadia created the Pregnancy Teacher Training at triyoga. Her “Everyday Yoga for Stress Release” is in Amazon’s top 20 health and fitness dvds!
www.nadianarain.com