Cold Play

For winter sports fans, yoga offers refined technique, better balance, and the freedom to fly.

By Carmel Wroth, sequence by Melanie Whittaker

 

When Hannah Dewey skis, she likes to go fast. "I tend to powerhouse it," she says. "I muscle my way through." As a longtime skier and a professional wildfire fighter, Hannah is strong enough to ski fast, even uphill. But after 22 years of skiing, she's learned something surprising, a lesson that comes from her yoga practice: To get the most power, she has to slow down and focus her mind on the present moment. "If I go calmly step by step, concentrating on my form, I can actually go faster," she says.
I met Hannah, along with more than 40 other skiers, at the eighth annual Women's Ski and Yoga Retreat in the Methow Valley of northern Washington. I joined a group of athletes who do yoga for many reasons: to enhance their performance on skis, to ward off injury, and to experience the singular bliss that comes from a focused effort and a clear mind. "Yoga and skiing go together for me," says Mary Ellen Stone, another retreat regular. "They're both ways of putting away all the clutter in our lives and focusing physically, emotionally, and technically on something that's not easy to do. But when it all comes together, it's one of the best feelings in the world."
I'd come to have my own experience of the synergy of yoga and skiing, but because I hadn't skied since 
I was a kid, getting faster was not my primary goal. Still, the lessons I'd internalized in my years of yoga practice turned out to serve me well on the trails.

Let It Snow

The secluded Methow Valley is a Nordic skier's paradise. A popular place for Olympic skiers to train, 
the valley has 120 miles of cross-country trails—one of the longest systems of groomed trails anywhere 
in North America—as well as access to many more miles of challenging backcountry ski routes in the 4 million acres of the surrounding Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
The women meet at Sun Mountain Lodge, the mountaintop resort hosting the retreat, which 
is organized by the nearby Winthrop Fitness center. Many of my fellow retreat participants have skied competitively. Some are experts at downhill skiing but have come to master cross-country. A few are snow-sport newbies like me.
At 7 o'clock the next morning, I warm up my resistant quadriceps in Melanie Whittaker's yoga class. Melanie is a cross-country skier and the yoga director for Winthrop Fitness, and has been practicing yoga for more than 30 years. She teaches an Iyengar-inspired style and counts elite skiers and other athletes among her students. She explains that we're preparing ourselves to move forward with agility and speed while balancing on a slippery and constantly changing surface of snow and ice. For the next 90 minutes, she leads us through a series of strong 
poses like Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) and Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose) I, II, and III, which call for strength, balance, and confidence—the same qualities we'll need 
to draw on once we strap on our skis.
Moving with any sort of grace on a slippery surface is inherently challenging, she tells us, 
as we do Utkatasana (Chair Pose), and to keep our balance we'll need a strong, compact form and a low center of gravity. She also reminds 
us that to be successful at skiing, as with yoga, we have to learn to trust our bodies. When we do Handstand, she reminds us that it is trust that allows us to bring our hips over our heads, and our legs into the air. I'll have occasion to remember her words later in the day.

Free Fall

After class I make my way, skis in hand, to a flat, groomed field for my beginner's lesson. 
A misty fog floats across the hills, just above the treetops, and occasional watery sunshine glints from behind the clouds.
The two most common kinds of cross country skis—classic and skate—have corresponding, but different, techniques. To move forward on classic skis, you keep your feet 
parallel and execute a series of gliding lunges. With each step, you shift your center of gravity forward, bringing your body weight fully over the ball of the front foot, almost past the point where you feel you're going to fall, while pushing the ground away with your back leg. To 
balance and stay stable, says my instructor, you tuck into an Utkatasana-like form, bending your front knee and ankle, dropping your sitting bones, and firming your core.
When I ask some of the more experienced skiers, like Hannah, how their yoga practice supports their skiing, they emphasize core strength and balance. "In skiing, my form comes from my core," says Hannah. "I concentrate on keeping my core really tight, and my legs just follow." As the ski class gets under way, I see what she means. If I bend my ankles and knees and tip my weight forward, I glide. If I straighten up out of that slight tuck, I 
wobble and, more often than not, fall.
"Bend your knees and ankles," shouts my instructor. "Weight forward!" I bend my knees. I bend my ankles. I drop my sitting bones, finding the skier's Utkatasana. I connect to the strength in my ankles, calves, and thighs and, with a slight adjustment, release my body weight forward. And there it is. I am gliding with a remarkable feeling of ease, making wide turns down the slope. I no longer feel that the skis are unruly clown shoes, tripping me up. They are seamless extensions of my legs, and they do my bidding.
That afternoon, we take off down a trail into the forest. I experience a delicious sense of well-being and freedom as I slide through the quiet forest and enjoy the afternoon sunlight gleaming through pine trees decked with garlands of sage-green moss. I'll never look at Utkatasana the same way after today. Instead of feeling like a sweaty struggle for balance, it now feels like the pose of victory.

Restore and Tend

That evening, the group meets for an apres-ski stretch, and I find Melanie for a quick consultation. All of that forward crouching has left me with a sore back. She has me try a variation of Sphinx Pose, in which I press my hands into the ground and work my upper arms toward each other to open up my upper back and chest. A supine twist relieves my lower back, and Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) helps release the piriformis, a muscle deep in the buttocks that tends to tighten in skiing.
As to my other aches and pains—I'm feeling my shoulders, arms, core, inner thighs, outer thighs, calves, and ankles—she tells me I'm making the rookie mistake of unnecessarily gripping a lot of auxiliary muscles I don't need to in the process of trying to engage the ones I do. "You'll get more power and control when you learn to isolate the muscle groups you need," she says. "You'll also be a lot less sore and fatigued at the end of the day. Practicing the body awareness you learn in yoga will help you on the slopes."

Being Balance

In the next morning's yoga class, Melanie brings our attention to our feet. Being aware of our feet, she tells us, is a critical factor in balance. In Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose), we practice putting even pressure through the entire foot, observing how the slightest shift to one side can unbalance us.
The skiing portion of the second day focuses on skate-style skiing. Skate skis are especially slippery. When you are moving across the snow's slick surface, the slightest muscular effort creates motion, which presents a new kind of balancing challenge. To gain control of my movement, says my instructor, I have to master the art of "edging," or delicately shifting weight to the inner edge of my foot to grip into the snow, which will allow me to push off into a glide.
As I slide around like a bumper car, I try to remember to spread my toes and keep my feet relaxed so that I can control how my weight shifts. Meanwhile, I'm fielding more instructions: Bend your knees, push off the back foot, shift weight to the front foot, bring one pole forward. Every time I try to do one thing the instructor tells us, I forget the others, tense up, and lose my balance. Finally she notices my difficulty and gives me yet another instruction: "You—just stop thinking!"
I pry my gaze away from my feet, look straight ahead in the direction I want to go, and thrust myself forward into a glide. I plunge forward, and this time I start to get the momentum, the slight swaying, the powerful back-leg strokes pushing me forward. I grin like a little kid, glancing at the teacher to make sure she sees me before my next slippery fall.
And then it occurs to me: Balance is not something you achieve and hold on to. It's more ephemeral; it's a string of temporary successes, held momentarily, lost, and then discovered again. Skiing gives you a fleeting experience of balance with each shift of weight and each glide. But it's not permanent. When you lose it, you just have to have faith that you'll come back to it.

Sweet Surrender

I feel I've been treated to a glimpse of the synergies of yoga and skiing. Hannah told me that her favorite yoga teacher reminds her to slow down and stay focused when she starts to rush through her Sun Salutations. Of all the benefits that her practice confers on her sport, she says, the most important one has come in the form of a mental shift: "Yoga has helped me slow down and concentrate on myself, and on having a good time out there."
Mary Ellen echoes this sentiment: "When you're out there and you see the snow sparkling on the trees and hear the ravens calling, you think, 'I'm so lucky, so extraordinarily lucky, to be doing this.' It's a deep feeling, being there, right in that moment. That feeling is hard to come by."
After dinner on the last night of the retreat, I make for the hot tub. I set my chin on the cold rock ledge of the tub and count a handful of lights in the houses in the valley below. The rest of my view consists of the snow-blanketed Mount Gardner. The full moon shines through the spreading branches of a pine tree on the slope before me. A rumbling sound disturbs the quiet as the trail grooming machine starts up. To my ears, it's a sweet sound, promising freshly groomed trails to glide down in the morning.

Snow sports like cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and downhill skiing allow you to descend, traverse (and even fly!) through rugged glaciated mountains and trail systems. You're navigating a slippery surface that offers little resistance to slow you down, so you need a heightened sense of balance along with focused strength in your core, back, and legs.

This sequence focuses on honing your balance and strengthening the key muscle groups that you use in snow sports—the quadriceps, glutes, ankles, abdominals, and back. If you're a regular skier, doing these poses throughout the season will enhance your experience on the slopes. 
If you're new to snow sports, practicing this sequence regularly for several weeks before you intend to strap on your skis, board, or skates will help you build the strength you'll need. And if you're going skiing today, moving through this sequence first will wake up the key muscle groups you'll be calling on.

Utkatasana | Chair Pose Variation

In downhill turns, the weight is 
distributed slightly forward over 
the arches of the feet at the start 
of the turn and slowly shifts to 
the back of the arch as you finish the turn. This variation of Utkatasana imitates that movement. 
The slightly crouched posture, 
powerful core, and strong legs of Utkatasana are what allow you to make these subtle weight shifts.
From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your feet hip-width apart, raise your arms in front of you to the height of your shoulders, par-allel to the floor, palms facing inward. Bend your knees and lower your torso as if to sit 
in a chair. Draw your navel back in the direction of the spine as you lower the sacrum 
and tailbone down toward the floor, tucking the tailbone under slightly. Reach forward through your fingertips and, at the same time, draw your shoulder blades toward each other and down your back. Continue to lower until your thighs are as nearly parallel to the floor as you can get them. Lift your torso as you press into your heels. Rise up on the balls of your feet, lifting your heels 2 or 3 inches off the floor, or higher if you can. Hold for 30 seconds and then drop your heels, straighten your legs, and come out of the pose. Repeat 5 times and come back to Tadasana.

Adho Mukha Svasana | Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Downward Dog strengthens the ankles, core muscles (both abdominal and back), upper back, shoulders, 
and arms, and stretches the calves, hamstrings, and buttocks—all of which work to stabilize you on the snow.
Come onto all fours, with your shoulders over your wrists, your hips over your knees, and the knees 4 to 6 inches behind the hips. Curl your toes under and, as you exhale, lift your sitting bones toward the ceiling. Keep your knees slightly bent and heels off the floor at first. Press the tops of your thighs back and, as you stretch the backs of your legs, press your heels down. Press firmly into the palms of your hands and all of your fingers, keeping your upper back wide and your shoulder blades drawing down your back toward your pelvis. As you inhale, press into the palms of your hands and the balls of your feet. As you exhale, keep your core active as it supports you in the pose. Feel the extension through the spine and side waist as your arms and 
legs are actively engaged in the stretch. Feel calmness as you breathe evenly in the pose. Remain in the pose for 30 to 60 seconds.

Virabhadrasana | Warrior Pose I

When you ski, your balance constantly shifts as you move across the snow 
or ice. In this strength-building pose, you practice the concentration required to maintain a balance between forward movement in the upper body and grounding down in the back leg, ankle, and foot.
From Downward Dog, step your left foot forward and place it between your hands. Turn your right foot in 
45 degrees and lower the heel. Keeping a deep bend in your left knee, bring your torso upright, raising your arms overhead. Press down firmly with the back foot while squaring the front of your pelvis as much as possible with the front edge of your mat. Inhale and reach through your arms, keeping your shoulder blades drawing down and back and your low belly moving in and 
up. Observe yourself maintaining the balance between the forward movement of your torso and the grounding action of your back heel and leg. Feel the opening of 
the chest and the stretch in the abdominals and left hip flexors. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, return to Downward Dog, and repeat on the other side. Return to Tadasana.
This variation of Warrior III strengthens the feet and ankles, back, abdominals, adductors, and quadriceps. It stretches the glutes, hamstrings, and abductors. It also teaches balance. Entering this pose from Tadasana accentuates 
the muscle action used 
in Nordic skiing.

Virabhadrasana III | Warrior Pose III Variation

From Mountain Pose (Tadasana), step forward about 2 1⁄2 feet with the left foot. Press into the left foot, bending the 
knee slightly. Engage your quadriceps and slowly lean your torso forward, flexing at the hips. Slowly lift the right leg out behind you while reaching your arms forward, shoulder-distance apart and palms facing inward. Keep your weight centered over the arch of the left foot. Straighten out the right leg and press back evenly through the heel and ball of the foot. Straighten the left leg and balance with your back leg, arms, torso, and hips parallel to the floor. Engage your gluteus muscles and keep your hips level as you maintain length through the torso. Stay here for a few breaths. To further strengthen the core, legs, and ankles and to improve balance, try alternating between a straight and bent supporting leg. Exhale as you bend the knee, keeping your torso parallel to the floor. Inhale as you straighten the leg. Continue for 6 repetitions and then repeat on the other side. Come into Downward Dog for a few breaths and then come onto all fours.

Alternate Arm & Leg Lifts

This pose imitates the alternating arm and leg movements of cross-country skiing. It helps develop the strength and stability in the torso that you will need to maintain your balance while opposite limbs are 
in motion. It also strengthens the upper back, shoulders, abdomen, spinal extensors, and hamstrings.
From your hands and knees, with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips over your knees, inhale and lift your left arm to shoulder level, reaching out through your fingertips, and lift your right leg parallel 
to the floor, reaching back through your toes. As you reach through your limbs, lengthen your spine, extending forward with the crown of the head and back through the tailbone. Keep your pelvis in neutral and your belly firm. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds, come back 
to all fours, and then repeat on the other side. Do the pose a total of 5 times, and then sit on the floor with your legs ex--tended in front of you in Dandasana (Staff Pose).

Paripurna Navasana | Full Boat Pose

Core strength in both the front and back body is essential for maintaining stability on skis. Navasana strengthens the abdomen, psoas, hip flexors, and spinal extensors while challenging you to balance evenly on three "points"—the two sitting bones and the tailbone.
Rock back slightly to balance on your sitting bones and 
tailbone without rounding your back. Bend your knees, and lift your feet off the floor. Once you feel balanced, straighten your legs to a 45-degree angle from the floor. (If this isn't possible, remain with your knees bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the floor.) Lift your arms so they are par-allel to the floor, palms facing each other. (Alternatively, hold on to your legs behind the knees.) Lift from your sternum, engaging your core and maintaining length in your 
side waist. Reach out through your fingertips, but keep the shoulder blades integrated into the back. Breathe smoothly while you soften your gaze. Hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds and then return to Dandasana. Repeat 3 times.

Jathara Parivartanasana | Revolved Abdomen Pose

Finish with this twist, which is also good for apres-ski, because it relieves soreness in the lower back and can help relieve upper-back stiffness.
Lie on your back with your arms out at your sides, palms facing down, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Inhale and draw your knees toward your chest. Exhale and lower your knees to the right side, with your thighs at a 90-degree angle to your torso. Allow your hips, thighs, and buttocks to relax. Without straining your neck, turn your gaze to the left. Gently press your left shoulder blade into the mat and lengthen the left side waist by drawing your left hip down toward your heels. Breathe evenly through the twist. To take the twist deeper, bring your right hand to your left thigh behind your knee and gently stretch to the right. Stay in the pose for 6 to 9 breaths. Inhale, bring your knees to center, and place your feet on the floor with knees bent. Lift your hips a few inches and adjust their placement so your spine is straight. Repeat the twist to the left side, and then take Savasana (Corpse Pose).

Three Great Yogilates Moves for Your Abs

1. Hammock
Targets abdominals as well as glutes, arms, chest, and shoulders
a) Sit tall with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor; place your hands on the floor behind you at about a 45-degree angle; lean back.
b) Keeping your arms straight, inhale as you lift your hips until the front of your body—knees to shoulders—is in one straight line.
c) Lower your hips to the floor, straightening your legs out in front of you as you come down to a seated position.
d) Place your hands next to your thighs and lean forward, pulling your abs in toward your spine.
e) Then push down through your hands to lift your hips off the floor. Hold here.

Once you're strong and comfortable enough with the parts of this move, connect them so they flow one into the other with your breath. It should go something like this: Lift into your bent-legged table top plank (as shown above) or into a straight-legged reverse plank, lower your hips toward the floor without touching it. Then immediately push your hips through and past your straight arms as though you were sitting on a swing and someone were pulling you back. Bring your hips back, lower them to the floor, and relax.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.

2. Double leg stretch
Strengthens and tones the abs
a) Lie on the floor, bend and hold onto your knees, and curl your shoulders up off the floor.

b) Keeping your hips down and your lower back pressed into your mat, extend your legs up and out at a 45 degree angle to the floor as you reach your arms straight up (biceps near ears) forming a wide "U" shape with your body.
c) Hold this position, pressing your ribs down toward the floor.

d) Use your abs to bring your legs and arms back to starting position with your knees bent.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.

3. Side twistsWorks all ab muscles, in particular the obliques
a) Lie on your back with arms extended out at your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Lift your bent legs to form a right angle with your torso.
b) Keeping both legs together and both your shoulders pressing into the floor, twist and drop your legs to the left until they're halfway or nearly touching the floor.

c) Bring your knees back to center and twist and drop them to the right side without bringing them to the floor. Return to center.
Repeat 3 to 5 times per side.

Yoga Workout

Yoga exercises to tone your body and tame your mind, roll out the yoga mat and try this perfect yoga workout at home

By Andrew Taber

Om Alone: At-Home Yoga Workout



Mountain Pose (tadasana)
Stand with your arms hanging straight at your sides, feet together in tadasana (mountain pose). Close your eyes and take five to 10 slow breaths. Inhale and bring your palms together overhead.



Standing Forward Bend (uttanasana)
Exhale and bend forward at the hips, placing your fingertips or, if possible, your palms on the floor in uttanasana (standing forward bend).



Four-limbed Staff Pose (chaturanga dandasana)Inhale and step your feet back into plank position, then exhale and bend your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor in chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed staff pose).



Upward-facing Dog (urdva mukha svanasana)Inhale and push your chest forward while pressing the tops of your feet into the floor and straightening your arms in urdva mukha svanasana (upward-facing dog).



Downward-Facing Dog (adho mukha svanasana)
Tilt your head back. Exhale and use your arms and abs to lift your hips toward the ceiling until you're in adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog).

Try to push your heels toward the floor. Hold for three breaths. Step forward to return to uttanasana, the standing forward bend position. Inhale and come back to standing, sweeping your arms up over your head and pressing your palms together. Exhale, bringing your hands down into anjali mudra (prayer pose).



Warrior II (virabhadrassana II)
Perform a sixth Sun Salutation sequence. But after downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Turn your left foot parallel to the end of the mat. Inhale and rise to standing with your legs straight and your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height. Gaze over your right hand. Exhale and, with your hips facing the side of your mat, bend your right knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, place your hands on either side of your right foot and return to downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.

Form Fix To maintain your alignment, tuck in your tailbone slightly and imagine that your pelvis and torso are being pressed between two plates of glass.



Extended Side Angle (utthita parsvakonasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands and return to warrior II. On an exhalation, lower the right side of your torso to your right thigh and place your right palm or fingertips on the floor on the outside of your right foot. Inhaling, extend your left hand over your left ear. Turn your gaze toward your left armpit and feel the stretch extending in a straight line from your left heel to the fingertips of your left hand. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, return to warrior II for a breath. Place your hands on the floor on either side of your right foot and move into downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.

Form Fix Extend your spine so that there's space between your torso and your thigh while you keep your hips facing forward.



Squat (malasana)
Stand with your legs hip-width apart. On an inhalation, raise your arms above your head and press your palms together. Drop your tailbone, exhale, and, with your knees splayed, lower your hips as far as possible, trying not to let your heels come off the floor. Lower your hands, keeping your palms together, until they're in front of your chest in prayer pose. Take one deep breath in and out, then inhale and return to standing, raising your arms (palms still together) overhead. Repeat five times.

Form Fix If you have trouble keeping your heels on the floor, widen your stance and turn your toes outward to ease the tension on your Achilles tendons.

Crane (bakasana)
From the bottom of the squat position, place your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Rise onto the balls of your feet until your knees and shins tuck into your armpits. Drawing your abs in toward your spine, shift your weight forward until your feet leave the ground and your upper arms are supporting your knees. Round your back and hold the pose for up to five breaths. Keep your neck in line with your spine. Exit by easing your feet back to the ground. Transition into downward-facing dog for five breaths.

Form Fix If you can't hold the balance, tilt your weight on and off the tips of your toes until you're ready to lift off into the full posture.



Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Lower your left knee to the ground and raise your torso. Place your right hand on the small of your back. Inhale and lift your left arm to the ceiling.



Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana) Cont'd
On an exhalation, twist your torso to the right so that your left elbow is outside your right knee. Bring your palms together and look up. Stay here for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Form Fix To open your chest, draw your shoulder blades in toward your spine and down toward your hips.



Bow (dhanurasana)
Lie on your stomach and bend your knees, bringing your feet toward your buttocks. Reach back and grab the outsides of your ankles and draw your knees toward each other. Inhale and lift your feet toward the ceiling and your thighs and chest away from the floor. Take three to five breaths and then gently release the posture.

Form Fix To maintain the alignment, do not let your knees splay wider than your hips. 

Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan)
Lie on your back with your legs extended and together and your arms at your sides, palms down. Inhale and stretch your arms up and over your head, so they're extended on the floor behind you.



Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan) Cont'd
With a long and controlled exhalation, simultaneously bring your arms up and over until they're at your sides and raise your straight legs to 90 degrees. Inhaling deeply, slowly raise your arms back over your head once more as you lower your legs to the floor. On your next exhalation, lower your arms back to your sides. Repeat this sequence eight times.

Form Fix If your back arches when you lower your legs, bend your knees to ease the strain.



Plow (halasana)Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms down. Take three breaths. Exhale, push your palms into the floor, rock your legs up over your head, and touch your toes to the floor behind you (place palms on the small of your back for extra support) Take five to 10 breaths. Slowly roll out of the posture, one vertebra at a time, until you're lying flat on your back again.

Form Fix Relax your throat and lift your chin away from your chest so your neck doesn't bear the weight of this posture.



Fish (matsyasana)Lying on your back, inhale and slide your hands, palms down, just below the base of your spine. Then inhale, pressing your elbows into the floor, and lift your head and chest off the floor. Exhale and relax your neck backward, resting the crown of your head on the floor. Take five to 10 breaths and then inhale out of the posture: Tuck your chin toward your chest before returning to the starting position

Form Fix If your neck feels compressed, place a blanket under it. 

Corpse (savasana)Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms at your sides, palms up. Focus on relaxing every muscle, from your toes to your tongue. Remain in this position for five to 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll onto your right side; lie in a fetal position for a few breaths. Place your palms on the floor and slowly push yourself up into a seated position.

Form Fix Let your mind relax but remain present (in other words, don't fall asleep).

10 Minutes Morning Yoga

You probably have barely enough time to brush your teeth in the morning, let alone find a spare 10 minutes to squeeze in a quickie - yoga practice, that is. But setting your alarm 10 minutes early so you can do a morning series can make all the difference in your day. The short, easy routine starts your morning off right by getting you to move gently while you warm up and stretch your muscles post-slumber. The poses will clear your mind, help you focus and leave you feeling relaxed all day. Sure, it's tempting to hit the snooze button instead, but practice these poses and your mind and body will thank you for it.

Meditation

Sitting and breathing before you do anything else in the morning - that includes checking your email - will coat you in a sense of calm all day if you commit and practice every morning. Crunched for time? A mere five minutes will do if you don't have more to spare.

Side Stretch

From a seated position, reach one forearm towards the ground and reach the other arm up and over your side.
Look up towards your top hand. Breathe into your side. Hold for five breaths and do the other side.

Middle Stretch

This is a nice spine and hip warm up. Stay seated and walk your hands out in front of you. Take five long breaths here.

Seated Arch

Imagine your upper back is a serving tray and that you could place a glass on your chest. Stay seated and walk your hands by your hips and start to walk your hands slightly behind you. Lift your chest to the ceiling. Hold here for a few breaths.

Cat Cow 1

Come onto your hands and knees and start to gently arch and round your back a few times. Take a long inhale when you arch and a long inhale when you round. Keep this going slow and steady for 10 breaths.

Cat Cow 2

Come onto your hands and knees and start to gently arch and round your back a few times. Take a long inhale when you arch and a long inhale when you round. Keep this going slow and steady for 10 breaths.

Side-to-Side Cat

This pose warms up hard-to-reach places in your side and spine. Imaging  you're a cat trying to look at your tail. Sway your hips to one side and turn your head to look at your hip. Do each side a few times.

Child's Pose

Lengthen your spine in this position instead of collapsing in the pose. Press back into Child's pose to stretch your back in the opposite direction and hold here for a few breaths. 

Down Dog Walks

Come into a Downward Dog. Hold here for a few breaths and reach your heels towards the ground. Walk your feet up slowly towards your hands trying to keep your heels down as long as possible until you come into a Standing Forward Bend. 

Forward Bend

Grab opposite elbows and let your torso hang heavy over your legs and hold for a few breaths. Walk your feet back to Downward Dog keeping your heels down as long as you can to get the most out of the stretch in the back of the legs. Breathe in Down Dog for a few breaths and repeat the walking up to the Forward Bend and back five times.

Standing Pose

Finish your last round of Down Dog Walks by walking up to your Forward Bend. Bring your hands to your hips and with a flat back stand up. Bring your hands to your lower back to emphasize keeping your lower back moving down and not swaying. Arch your upper back and look up. Hold for a few breaths. 

Standing Reach Up

Keep the upper back (not the lower back) arched and interlace your hands, reaching your palms straight up. Keep your feet pressing down and palms pressing straight up. Relax your shoulders.

Tree

An easy balance pose will get your day started right. Come back to standing straight and lift one leg into Tree pose.  Hold for a few breaths and try the other side.

Sun Salutation

Surya Namaskar is now accepted as part of Hatha Yoga, but it was not always this way. Historically, traditional Hatha Yoga styles did not contain any of the Sun Salutation sequences, seen today, as every day component of a daily Yoga practice.
The reason for the integration of Sun Salutations into the contemporary Hatha Yoga class is that the Sun Salutations have multiple mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. Hatha Yoga is an evolution in progress, and as such, embraced the many healthful benefits of what we know as the Sun Salutations.

Let’s cover the many benefits of the Sun Salutations and you can see why so many different sequences have evolved over time. Some of today’s popular Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga sequences are an expansion of Surya Namaskar. First of all, we will look at the physical benefits of Sun Salutations.
Physical Benefits of Surya Namaskar

Much like other forms of exercise, the blood is oxygenated by the practice of Sun Salutations. This one fact is great news for your heart and the cardio-vascular system. As a result, Sun Salutations can be practiced by anyone who is interested in maintaining his or her heart.
It is generally agreed that your heart is the most important muscle in your entire body, so this is, most likely, the most important physical benefit of all. This oxygenation of the blood also occurs when asanas are held for a longer period of time; much like you would see in an Iyengar or Restorative Yoga class.

Regular practice of Sun Salutations will improve and help regulate functions within the Endocrine Glands. Of course most of the studies about Yoga’s heath benefits have been performed in India, the birth place of Yoga. It seems that we must spend millions of dollars to research information that doctors in India have documented for generations.
The Endocrine system is very complex and is composed of glands that stimulate responses in one way, or another, through the use of chemicals, transported through the blood stream. These responses can be emotional or regulatory.
The Thyroid, Pituitary, Parathyroid, Adrenal, Testes, Ovaries, and Pancreatic Glands are components of the Endocrine System.

If you perform a chin lock during a standing forward bend, you will increase the blood flow to the Thyroid and Parathyroid. In turn, this would help regulate Thyroid and Parathyroid functions. This is just a small example of the many benefits you will discover from regular practice of Sun Salutations and Yoga.

Firm Up! 7 Moves to Master

Fitness challenges for a stronger, fitter you

Yes, you can do these fit body moves!

Doing a push-up or holding a wall squat till your thighs burn isn't just about pushing yourself to your limit over some crazy, seemingly impossible goal. These are fitness challenges you can accomplish not just to brag (well, you can), but because they deflab your arms, suck in your belly, and improve your fitness levels so you feel and look even better.

Each of these 7 mini-challenges offers you beginner moves and more advanced variations,

so start at the appropriate level for you and progress as you get stronger and more flexible. We've got tips to help you master each move at your own pace.

What are you waiting for? Choose your challenge and get started!

Plank Pose

Why It's Good: 
Holding a plank pose with proper form is hard because your body has so many ways of making it "easier." Your hips want to lift to give your core a break; your chest wants to sink so your shoulders aren't engaged; your knees want to bend because it seems like it'll make everything easier.
But each of these tweaks only means you're cheating yourself out of a powerful full-body toner. Meet the challenge by building up stamina gradually and pretty soon you'll be a plank pro! Work on this 3 times a week.
Get Started:
(image A)
1) Come to all fours with wrists under shoulders, knees positioned directly under your hips.
2) Lift your right leg and straighten it behind you; flex your foot so your right heel is up, toes are pointing down. Lift your left arm straight in front of you, reaching your left fingertips away from your right leg. Pull your abs in, hold for 10 seconds. Look straight down so that you aren't lifting your head or dropping your chin. Come back to all fours.

3) Repeat, alternating sides for 5 rounds.

Make It Harder:
1) Start on all fours. Walk your hands about six inches forward. Shift your shoulders over your wrists to lift your feet off the floor. Look at the floor about a foot in front of you. Dont sag in your belly and back, you want to find a long, straight line through your head and your butt. Be careful not to sink your chest down between your shoulders; press into the hands to engage the upper back.
2) Hold this modified plank for 10 seconds.
3) Lift your right knee off the ground to straighten your leg. Then extend your left leg. Hold for 5 seconds and bring the knees back down. Repeat 3 rounds.

Try the Challenge:
(image B)
1) Start on all fours. Extend your right leg behind you, ball of the foot on the ground and heel lifted. Extend your left leg back, so the inner feet touch. Reach the top of your head away from your heels so your gaze is a few inches forward of your fingers and your neck is relaxed.
2) Pull in belly and hold for 20 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat.

Wall Squat

Why It's Good:

Thigh exercises are a pain, generally speaking. But it doesn't mean they don't have some pretty amazing benefits! Our bodies like to store fat below the waist, producing belly pooches, muffin tops, saddlebags -- you name it and it's there.
Fight back against excess flab by building lower body strength. A recent study found that strengthening your quad muscles helps you walk faster, which helps you burn fat more quickly.
A wall squat strengthens your hamstrings, quads, butt, and low belly muscles, which will sculpt your lower body and build stamina for other lower-body whittlers. Try this 3 times a week on nonconsecutive days.
Get Started:
(image A)
1) Stand with your back and head against a wall. Walk your feet forward about 18 inches, shoulder-width apart. Your arms will be hanging straight from your sides, palms facing into the wall. Keeping your head and back against the wall, slide down until your knees are at about a 90-degree angle or less.
2) Keeping your feet where they are, push your back into the wall to slide up to stand with the legs straight. Pause for a breath, then slide back down to a squat. Pause, then slide up to stand. Do this 15 times, but never squat so deeply that your hips drop below the level of your knees.

Make It Harder:
1) Stand with your back and head against a wall. Walk your feet forward about 18 inches, shoulder-width apart. Your arms will be hanging straight from your sides, palms facing into the wall. Keeping your head and back against the wall, slide down until your knees are at about a 90-degree angle or less.
2) Hold this position for 15 seconds.

Try the Challenge:

(image B)
Repeat the move, holding for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times, resting in between. Later try for 45 seconds, and eventually 60 seconds.

Pilates Hundred

Why It's Good:

Experts say the best ab moves are those that engage the deepest stomach muscles to pull in your waistline like a corset . The classic Pilates Hundred works the arms and contracts the core and teaches you to coordinate your breath and movements. Practice this 3 times a week. Eventually you'll build up to 100 arm pumps, hence the name of the move.
Get Started:
(image A)
1) Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor, under your knees.
2) Lift your head, neck and chest up off the floor. Gazing at your knees, or tucking your chin into your chest, lift your arms up, palms facing down. If this is too hard on your neck and shoulders, keep them on the floor.
3) Inhale. Press your palms down rhythmically as you exhale five short breaths, pumping your hands with each breath. Then turn your palms up, and press up rhythmically with five short inhales to complete one set. Aim for 25 breaths.

Make It Harder:
1) Start lying on your back. Bend your legs to form a 90-degree angle so your knees are directly over your hips and your calves are parallel to the floor. Scoop your belly in so your low back is flat on the floor.
2) Exhale as you lift your head, shoulders, and arms off the floor. The gaze is on the knees. Again, if your neck is uncomfortable, keep your head and shoulders on the floor.
3) Inhale. Press your palms down rhythmically as you exhale five short breaths, pumping your hands with each breath. Then turn your palms up, and press up rhythmically with five short inhales to complete one set. Aim for 50 breaths.

Try the Challenge:
(image B)

1) With the same set-up as above, this time straighten your legs so they're on a 45-degree diagonal off the floor.
2) Aim for a complete set of 100 breaths and arm-pumps.

Cross-Legged Stretch

Why It's Good:

When you sit on the floor cross-legged, do your knees stick up high in the air? If so, it's because your inner thighs and hips are tight. We lose flexibility with age due to a decrease in tendon strength and an increase in tendon rigidity, making muscles and joints difficult to move.
Improving your flexibility makes daily life easier -- you can play on the floor with your kids and bend down to fill up the dog bowl without straining your back muscles. Plus, stretching and relieving tension in your hips makes for better sex! Try to work in three to six sessions a week.

Get Started: Seated Butterfly
(image A)
1) From a seated position on the floor, bring the soles of your feet together, knees out into a diamond shape. If your knees are lifted, you can put blocks underneath them.
2) Sit up very tall, lifting the chest. Clasp your hands around your feet or shins. Focus on drawing the knees away from one another to open your inner thighs. If it's hard to sit up straight, try this sitting against a wall. Hold for 20 seconds.

Make It Harder: Forward-Folding Butterfly
1) From a seated position on the floor, bring the soles of your feet together, knees out into a diamond shape. If your knees are lifted, you can put blocks underneath them.
2) Sitting up very tall, walk your hands in front of you as far as you can with a straight spine. Then allow the spine to round and drop the head and chin down.
3) Breathe all the way into your belly to open the hips. Hold for 10 seconds. To come out, bring your hands to the backs of your thighs to bring the knees together.

Try the Challenge: Straddle with Forward Fold
(image B)
1) Sit with the soles of your feet together, as above. Straighten your right leg out to the right, then your left leg to the left. Sit up tall and lift your chest. Flex your feet so your toes are going straight up to the ceiling.
2) Walk your hands forward as far as you can go with a straight spine. Then allow the spine to round and drop the head and chin down.
3) Breathe into your low belly. Hold for 10 seconds. Carefully walk your hands in towards you to come back.

Do a Set of Full Push-Ups

Why It's Good:

Push-ups are the most efficient exercise for time-strapped women who want a whole-body shape up. This do-anywhere, no-equipment move tones your chest, arms, and shoulders; strengthens your back and abs; and also works your butt and legs. You'll feel it in your chest and shoulders when you first try it.
To master full push ups, start standing up, and work your way down to the floor. Try this instead of knee-down "girl" pushups because you'll use more muscles; the gradual progression to the challenge will help you build confidence.
When you can do at least 5 reps in good form (body in line from head to heels), move to the next step. Work on each move 3 times a week on nonconsecutive days, doing 10-15 reps each time.

Get Started:
(image A)
1) Stand about 3 feet away from a high counter or desk. Place hands flat on top near the edge. Your body should be in a straight line from head to heels with hands beneath shoulders are much as possible.
2) Bend your elbows out to the sides and slowly lower your chest to the edge of the table. Keep your head in line with your spine; don't tuck your chin or look up. With control, push back up to start.

Make It Harder:
By lowering your body closer to the ground, you'll bring more of a challenge to your shoulders and arms then when you're standing and your legs take more weight.
1) Place your hands on the edge of a stable chair or the second step of a staircase. Walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line and your shoulders are right over your wrists.
2) Bend your elbows out to your sides and lower your chest to the edge of the surface. Carefully push up to start.
3) You can also try adding in more levels for a more gradual challenge, moving from desk to chair, then to 2 stairs, then to 1 stair and the floor.

Try the Challenge:
(image B)
After trying the steps above, come down to the floor. Mix in a full pushup with the building block moves above as you get stronger.
1) Place hands on floor directly beneath shoulders. Extend legs behind you so you are balancing on hands and balls of feet. Keep head, neck, back, butt, and legs in straight line.
2) Bend elbows out to sides and lower body almost to floor. Keep abs tight and body in a line. Hold for a second, then push back up.

Touch Your Toes With Ease

Why It's Good: 
Forward- bending opens up the back of the body, including hamstrings, calves, and hips, making you more limber. A flexible body means less pain and fewer injuries, and makes it easier to handle everyday tasks like tying shoelaces.
Stretching maximizes the benefits of strength training and helps your muscles recover from exercise. Plus, these moves strengthen your thighs and abs, too, which will come in handy for otherstrengthening exercises.
Try stretching slowly and deliberately at least 3 days a week to enhance your range of motion and improve flexibility.

Get Started:
(image A)
Use a resistance band, rolled up towel, or belt
1) Lie on your back with both legs straight on the floor. Bend your right knee and put the center of the band around the ball of your right foot.
2) Holding on to both ends of the strap in your hands, straighten your right leg, foot flexed, and pull it toward your head. Let there be enough slack in the strap to fully straighten the leg. Flex both feet. Your gaze is straight up to the ceiling.
3) Gently create resistance with your band by pulling down to open the back of your leg. Raise your leg as far as comfortably possible. Hold for 30 seconds and carefully release. Your goal is to be able to hold your leg at a 90-degree angle (or even closer) to your upper body. Switch sides.

Make It Harder:
(image B)
1) Sit with both legs extended straight in front of you. Loop the strap around the balls of both feet. Sit up tall so your spine is straight and your chest is lifting. Flex your feet. Look forward at your toes.
2) Keeping your spine long, slowly begin to bend at your hips to bring your chest towards your knees, as close as comfortably possible. Choke up the band, moving your hands closer to your feet, as you become more flexible.
3) Hold for 30 seconds and release. Eventually, you'll remove the strap and be able to reach your toes with your hands, but use the strap to help you along the way.

Try the Challenge:

1) Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend your knees and tuck your chin into your chest to roll down your spine, folding forward. Touch your fingers to the floor in front of your toes and straighten your legs.
2) If you can't reach your toes, bend your knees slightly and slowly work on straightening the legs. Hold for 30 seconds.

Pilates Swimming

Why It's Good: 
A strong spine is not only sexy (goodbye, bra fat!), it's also essential for a pain-free back and good posture so we don't "shrink" as we age. This "swimming" move from Pilates strengthens the back muscles, butt, and backs of the arms and legs; and stretches the shoulders, chest, belly, and thighs.
A strong lower back protects you from injury when you're moving a heavy laundry basket and picking up loads of groceries. Bonus: It'll perk up your tush because it works the tops of the thighs and the butt muscles. Do this 3 times a week on nonconsecutive days.

Get Started:
(image A)
1) Lie on your stomach with your arms extended in front of you. Legs are straight and squeezed together. Squeeze your butt and abs and imagine you're drawing everything into your belly button.
2) Keeping your legs on the floor, lift your upper chest and flutter your arms up and down like you're swimming. Do this for 10 breaths and bring your head and arms back down to the floor.

Make It Harder:
Lying on your stomach, keep your arms and head down. You can use your hands as a resting spot for your forehead. Lift your legs and kick them up and down without touching the ground. Do this for 10 breaths.

Try the Challenge:

(image B)
1) Lying on your stomach, this time lift your arms and legs simultaneously and alternately kick the legs and arms like you're swimming.
2) Continue until you've inhaled and exhaled for 5 seconds, then release. Do 3 sets. Eventually work your way up to minute.