Ibiza yoga blog: Who says you can’t do yoga in heels?
If, like us, your energy is starting to wane as the summer begins it’s slow descent, try our top five Ibiza yoga quick fixes to help you keep your energy and enthusiasm high for that final end-of-summer frenetic push!
1. Sun salutations. This series is specifically designed to strengthen your body – and increase flexibility. The traditional time for sun salutes is (unsurprisingly), while the sun’s coming up (that can’t be too tricky to manage on the white isle surely?). It’s also traditional to practice these asanas on an empty stomach, making it an ideal way to start (or end) your day. Once you’re comfortable with your series, try unrolling your mat when you’re forced awake a little too early for six to eight rounds of your sun salutation of choice and you’ll feel much more awake almost instantly. (Tip: start out in child’s pose. Most of us aren’t ready immediately after waking to pop right into these poses, and child’s pose will allow you to come into yourself and your breath.)
2. Backbends. Backbends are the caffeine of yoga. They stimulate the nervous and lymphatic systems—revving metabolism and releasing adrenaline. Really focus on feeling even sensation throughout the length of your spine. Repeat your backbend of choice three times, moving slowly in and out of the posture.
3. Warrior III. The master of all the strength poses. It works both of your legs, your shoulders and back, as well as your abdominals. Warrior III also improves balance and posture—making it a great anti-slump pose before work. Additionally, this pose gets your cardio on because you’re working all of your large muscle groups. Hold this pose for a minute on each side, using props such as a wall or blocks if necessary.
4. Chair pose. You either love it or you hate it! Try to stay in the posture much longer than you want to. You’ll be forced to stay in the present moment and focus on your breath because this asana is simply too challenging if you allow your mind to beat you. This is a prime example of yoga practice as moving meditation—and learning this in chair pose will help you stay present and calm in other situations throughout your day no matter how much (or little) sleep you’ve had. Make sure your hips are not lower than your knees, but sit low, and dig into your heels to activate your hamstrings. Remember to feel the sensations in other areas besides your quads—like your glutes—as this allows you to increase your duration in chair pose. Remember also that this pose more accurately translates to fierce or powerful pose from Sanskrit. So start your morning out with power—and feel it resonate throughout your day.
5. Restore. This might sound counter-intuitive, but if you’ve had a long day on not enough sleep and still have stuff to do, then restorative postures might be just the ticket. Try taking a soothing forward fold and visualize your backbody as your past. Let all tension and stress from before this moment drop away as you get deeper into your stretch. Child’s pose and side-bending postures are great ideas as well. Sometimes taking just ten minutes to nurture yourself with restorative postures is enough to get you through the last part of your busy day—and help you sleep soundly… when the time finally comes!
Namaste!
