Jan 29, 2015Recycling Prana
Kimberly Gray’s and Jim Leone’s “Yoga For You” morning learning lab was designed as a guide practitioners can use to help restore energy and strength in themselves and then pass on to their clients. So what better way to bring attention to one’s health – especially at 7 a.m. – than by discussing mucus levels in the nose?
FYI: Mucus cycles through the sinus cavities every two hours.
Leone began the session discussing the joys of distress: headaches, digestive problems, insomnia, high blood and pulse pressures, etc. However, he noted, all is not lost. By incorporating prana, a.k.a. integrated breathing techniques, one can recapture the energy literally wasted by stressing and use it to correct posture, relax adrenal glands, boost the immune system, and up the body’s oxygen exchange, mood and focus on accomplishing the day’s tasks.
The trick? Using the diaphragm to elicit the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems to fully engage the lungs to maximize anabolic metabolism.
With the mind in a calmer state, Gray demonstrated how in 25 minutes one can infuse prana with asana (posture in yogic terms) to help the body reach a similar mode of peace. The best part? All movements can be performed at your desk.
- To ease eyestrain, simply look down and all around once an hour, without moving your head.
- To relieve lower back pain and get in a mini ab workout, use the corporate ladder seat twist: Sit on the edge of the chair, shoulders rounded back, draw the belly button into the stomach, and turn right. Slowly untwist and repeat, turning left.
- For aligning the back and loosening the hamstrings, try the briefcase fold: Sit at the edge of the seat, place arms along your sides, hinge the hips, and continue to bend forward, drawing in the belly button as the chest approaches the thighs. Once the upper torso is parallel with the thighs, hang out for a few seconds, dangling your arms.
- Finally, to release tension in the hips, pose like a King Pigeon. Sit on the edge of the chair with one foot flat on the floor as the opposite foot rests on the bent knee. Next, hinge the hips and bend forward until you feel a “pull” in your quad or inner thigh. Stay in this position for five seconds, raise yourself up, and repeat with the other leg.
