Yoga is to let your hand touch your big toe.
But, very flexible,
In addition to the flexibility of limbs,
It should also include the openness of mind.
There is a common misconception that yoga is to make you more flexible. In fact, a real family flexibility exercise should include two aspects: hard work and relaxation, order and fluency, self-discipline and freedom. This kind of exercise can free our minds from specific purposes and let us really understand the feeling of muscles, the energy of breathing, and many ups and downs of emotions floating on the level of consciousness.
You are not soft because you practice yoga, but you are soft after practicing yoga. This softness, we don't mean the body. Even a yoga master has a softer body than a gymnast or acrobat. Our softness refers more to inner softness. Because inner softness is a kind of tolerance, a kind of space, you can tolerate yourself, others and the whole broader space and world.
It depends on whether you have an open mind to accept the present and show friendliness and wisdom in cooperation with what you find. However, many of us have preconceived ideas about whether we can achieve our goals in yoga class and what we can or can't do in life. We tend to classify ourselves as "I'm good at the front bend" or "I'm good at the back bend"
The following sequence is a perfect flexibility exercise, including forward flexion and backward flexion. The sequence also covers the preparation posture, guiding you to slowly enter the state of linking thought with consciousness, observing your feelings and choosing the appropriate method. During the exercise, check whether you can relax your spine between your two calves and whether you can keep your mind between tension and relaxation. You will find that you are much more flexible than you think.
1, heroic spirit.
Knees together, ankles apart, sitting between ankles. Then lean forward, put your hands back and put them behind your knees. Push the flesh of the calf outward by hand, so that the distance between the calf and the knee becomes larger. Sit between the two shins and straighten your spine, perpendicular to your knees. Sit as high as possible and don't feel pain in your knees. Your ischium can sit on a yoga brick or a yoga mat, or both. Make sure that it is your ischium that supports your body, not your thigh. Keep your head in a straight line with your spine, relax your face, put your palms on your thighs and breathe. Stay for at least 8- 10 breaths.
2. Down dog style
From heroic, forward. Focus on your hands and knees. Press your toes down. When exhaling, the thighs are pushed upward and backward, and at the same time, the palms and heels are extended to enter the downward dog posture. Try to feel the strength evenly distributed in the limbs, lengthen the spine, expand the ribs and pelvis to both sides, and let the internal organs have more room to move. I feel that the spine moves and stretches because of the strength of the arms and calves. Find a balance between strength and flexibility in real yoga practice. Keep breathing for at least 5-8 times.
3, cow face hand warrior type
From downward dog posture, exhale, step forward with your right foot, put it between your hands, and return to the starting position with your left heel down. Inhale, lift the trunk upward, extend the left arm along the ear direction, point the fingertips to the sky, extend the right hand outward, rotate the arm inward, put it behind the body, touch the back of the right hand, point the fingertips upward, turn the left hand outward, bend the elbow, lock the left and right hands, and enter the cow face posture. Can you feel the stretching from your left elbow to your left heel? If this is not your favorite posture, ask yourself how you like it. Keep breathing for at least 3-5 times. Change the other leg. Say it again.
4. Pray behind your hands and strengthen lateral stretching.
Starting from the soldier, press your feet to the ground, exhale and straighten your legs. Put your hand out, then turn inward and put it behind your back. Fold your palms into prayer hands. If you can't pray behind your back now, try to put your fingertips down instead of up. Then the right leg steps forward about 20 cm. Move your toes forward. Let the protruding parts of both hip joints face forward, just like the two headlights of a car. Inhale and chest out, but let the front ribs extend in the direction of the feet. Check your posture, don't be too nervous or too relaxed, stop and breathe 5 times. Change the other leg. Say it again.
Note: For beginners, it is recommended to start with the following simple version step by step.
5. Twist triangle extension
Stretch out from the strengthening side, relax your hands on your back, and put your hands on the ground next to your feet or on the yoga bricks next to your feet. Inhale and stretch the spine so that it is parallel to the ground. When breathing, put your left hand on the ground (or brick) outside your right foot. Twist your torso so that your chest faces to the right. Starting from the roots of the spine and starting from the depths of the body, it drives the muscles and skin to strengthen the torsion. The right arm extends upward and becomes the end of the twist. Look-look at your front foot and make sure your nose and front foot are in line. Then slowly turn your head and face the sky. Change the other leg. Say it again.
6. Warrior II
Look down at your hand in the twisting triangle stretch. When inhaling, the arm is driven and rises like a wheel. Your arms are parallel to the ground and your eyes are on the hand in front. When stretching sideways, if the step distance between your feet is too small, you can retreat your left leg and increase the distance between your feet. Bend your front legs so that your thighs are parallel to the ground. Shoulder stability, scapula adduction. Can you feel the relaxation of your neck and the sharp stretching of your fingertips? Exhale into Warrior II, and inhale into the exercise on the right next time. Change the other leg. Say it again.
7, low starting type
Starting from the second soldier, lift the heel at the back and rotate the hip joint and torso at the same time, facing forward. Put your arms in the air, starting from a high position. The sacrum moves forward. The knees of the front legs can exceed the toes in front, as long as the front legs and heels are stable. Tighten the abdomen slightly and lift the hip joint. See if your left leg can bend. If so, your left leg can leave the ground. See where we can do it. Then the right hand falls and is placed on the right knee, and the left hand pushes the left foot to the left hip to open the quadriceps femoris. The movements should be accurate and gentle, with equal amplitude from left to right. Stretch the quadriceps femoris, don't push too hard. Keep breathing for 5-8 times. Change the other leg. Say it again.
8. Semi-arch
Lie prone with your forehead on the ground, raise your head, neck and chest, then bend your left leg at the central axis of your body and press your pubic bone to the ground. If necessary, you can put a brick between your thighs. If you can do this position, put your right palm on the ground and straighten your arm.
If you think your body is open, that's great!
If you feel a vibration in your back, squat down, tighten your abdomen and coccyx, move your straight legs, and then try to straighten your arms to half. Keep breathing three times. Exhale and relax, and your abdomen is on the ground. Side-changing repetition
9, supine torsion
Rest your abdomen and take a few breaths. Then turn around and lie on your back, bend your knees, spread your feet wider than your hips, and follow your feet. Open your arms in a T-shape, slowly turn your knees to the left and your head to the right. Then return your knees to the center, turn right and turn your head left.
In this pose, your body is very relaxed, but your attention is very sharp. This is a very gentle twisting movement, and the spine is well nourished. It's best to do it after the back bend. Finally, roll your body back and forth four times, turn right and push it up.