Yoga

Designing Your Spring Yoga Workout

Designing Your Spring Yoga WorkoutSpring is a time of change, when what’s been dormant comes to life. Think about a time you introduced something new into your routine, a new class, a new diet, learning an instrument. Change helps sleeping aspects of us awaken, and we become inspired! Stasis needs a lever. When we introduce newness into our routine new energy becomes available.Our bodies respond to new foods introduced into our diets. Usually, if you modify a habitual way of eating, you lose weight. Even if the calories are about the same. You also feel different. Your cells sit up and take notice of this new energy supply and right away you feel new vitality. If you want to feel different, do something different. If you go to the gym or do a home yoga practice, rotating your workouts will cause an immediate weight loss effect. Yoga is a beautiful practice for the spring because it’s emotionally and physically detoxifying. A regular practice clears the way for exuberance and glowing health! Many of you have written asking how to structure your weekly workouts. Here is a spring yoga practice.Our top DVD recommendations for the spring are: Navel Power, Warrior Workout, Yoga Cleanse, and Fat Free Yoga.Navel Power: Working the Navel Center gives us energy and helps us to follow through on new ideas, slim down, and keeps us from falling back into old patterns. Warrior Workout: This one keeps your energy high and will get you motivated!Fat Free Yoga: Tuning up the glands is very important in the spring to keep us youthful, happy and positive. These sets keep our metabolism high and help with emotional healing. This one is great to help remove the layer of winter fat.Yoga Cleanse: Spring cleaning. Your liver gets sluggish during the winter. Detoxifying the liver is the first step towards rejuvenation, healing, and weight loss.Putting It All Together: In spring the Yoga Cleanse should be done 2X per week. For maintenance do this 1x every 2 weeks.All the other workouts should be done 1x a week. Alternate weeks do either Fat Free Yoga 2x or Navel Power 2x.Time permitting, we also recommend fast walking for 1/2 hour 3-5x a week, preferably in fresh air!Of course, these are just suggestions and if you have a favorite DVD or other activity that makes you feel good, feel free to get creative! Next month we offer a spring cleaning diet. MEDITATION OF THE MONTH: KUNDALINI MANTRA FOR MERCURY IN RETROGRADENot again! The planet Mercury will be in retrograde from March 2nd to March 25th. Mercury doesn’t really move backwards, it just appears that way from earth as we pass it in our orbit around the sun. Mercury relates to mental processes, communication, and travel. When Mercury is in retrograde there are invariably communication breakdowns, unforeseen delays, and glitches in electronic equipment. It’s not considered a good time to sign contracts, initiate new projects, or invest in hi-tech equipment. This is an excellent time to work on projects you’ve had on the back burner. Double-check travel plans, confirm appointments, have everything ready before the deadline and leave some extra time for unexpected events. Make copies of important files and documents. This powerful Kundalini Mantra is the perfect practice to smooth your way when Mercury’s in retrograde. Help you to work through blocks in your inner and outer life, and imbue your life with Spirit.Your hands are at throat level, one over the other, palms facing down. Your forearms are parallel to the ground and your elbows are pointing straight out to the sides. Your eyes in this one are 1/10 open looking down and in towards the tip of the nose. Inhale and chant this in a monotone 2x per breath: Ad Such Jugad Such Habay Such Nanaka Hosee Bay Such This means: True in the Beginning, True Through The Ages, True Now, The True One Shall Ever Be True.As you chant Such (the sound of Kundalini rising as it burns through impurities in the spine) pull the navel inwards and feel the sound travel up the spine. The time is open on this one. Aim for 11 min. and build up the time over time. You can also increase the amount of repetitions per breath.

All Best to You,Ravi Singh & Ana Brett

www.raviana.com / contact us at 1.800.243.9642 / ravianayoga@aol.com

by Ravi Singh & Ana Brett
Ravi and Ana been featured presenters at the Midwest Yoga Conference, The Toronto Yoga Show, and the Six Days on Freedom Retreat. Their clients have included Olympic Athletes and celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Lou Reed, Carrie-Anne Moss, Donna Karan, and The Red Hot Chile Peppers. They’ve taught in many diverse contexts: from Iceland to Maui, Canada to Costa Rica, from boardrooms and Park Avenue Penthouses, to scientists at Bell Labs, from Opera Singers at the Aspen Music Festival and street kids in Los Angeles to backstage at Broadway plays. They are Authors of the Fat Free Yoga DVD series and the forthcoming book Fat Free Yoga.