Wake Integrative Health

Staff Pose resets the spine after deep twisting or back bending postures and is a great way to allow energy (prana) and breath to flood up through the spine and circulate around the body again after being constricted in certain poses. Practicing this pose intelligently over time can help improve core strength and posture significantly.

Instructions:

1. From a seated position on the mat, let the legs go long out in front with the toes flexed back towards you.

2. Keep a slight bend in the knees here if you need.

3. Keeping the chin tucked in towards the chest, make sure the spine is long, extending from where the sit bones meet the mat all the way to the crown of your head.

4. Relax the shoulders down the back.

5. Hands can be alongside the hips with palms faced down.

6. Breathe in deep into the lower abdomen.

Try not to let the spine round at all - keep the shoulders back and down, and the chin tucked gently in towards the chest. The goal here is to keep the thighs pressed towards the mat while the crown of the head reaches tall and lengthens the spine.



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Crow Pose is a strong inverted arm balancing pose which also utilizes a great deal of core strength. It strengthens the abdominal muscles, opens the groins, tones the abdominal organs and builds upper arm strength.

Instructions:

1. From Garland Pose (Yogi Squat), release the hands to the mat, opening all ten fingers wide and forming a firm base.

2. Lift the sit bones high as if coming into a forward fold, yet keeping the palms flat on the floor.

3. Come to the balls of the feet and walk them in towards the hands until the knees meet the upper arms.

4. Keep the gaze steady and forwards.

5. Engage the core as you lift the hips higher and glue the knees to the upper arms.

6. Slowly lift one foot off the ground, then the other, and keep the gaze steady and forwards, breathing into the belly.

7. Point the toes and lift the hips higher if accessible.

Modifications:

If the full crow pose is not yet accessible, try placing the feet on blocks and slowly shifting the weight forwards and back from hands to feet to get used to weight-bearing in the upper body. Play around with lifting one foot at a time off the mat, and make sure to keep the gaze steadily forward (about a foot in front of the hands) to help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling forward.



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A 2016 study found that after performing deep breathing exercises for 20 minutes and having their saliva tested at 5-minute intervals, participants had a significant change in their levels of salivary cytokines, which serve as biomarkers for inflammation.

Check it out: https://bit.ly/2FPbwga

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