Yoga That Body & Mind

Four Poses to Calm Your Mind and Tone Your body

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

The body heals with play. The mind heals with laughter. And the spirit heals with joy.

Yoga isn’t about exercising, its about improving your lifestyle. It’s a gentle and peaceful recreation that helps fight off the stress caused by work and/or every day life situations.

It helps to ground & center your being, whilst with the breathing techniques and subtle body movements, it also helps to calm your overactive mind (and that is one that I do have!), bringing you back to a place of serenity and complete balance.

You don’t need to be experienced in the art of yoga to understand the positions entirely but with time and patience you’ll learn the complete benefits of each position and grow from it.

All you need is to spend 20-minutes or so, two to three times a week to help balance you, melt away any stress you might be having and at the same time, tighten some of those not so firm body parts too. Also, you would want to wear the proper yoga clothes and apparel for women as they’re designed to stretch with you while maintaining comfort.

How amazing is that?! Uniting the mind, body and spirit. Now that is my type of work out. Check out four yoga poses that will help to tone but calm the mind and spirit.

TREE POSE

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

The tree pose is one of my favourite poses. This pose is great for strengthening your thighs & it also really helps you to gain balance, both mentally & physically.

Stand with both arms at your side.  Shift your weight onto the left leg and place the sole of the right foot inside your inner left thigh, near your groin.

If you are able to: press the right heel into your inner left groin, with your toes pointing towards the floor.

If not, thats ok, just use your right hand to hold onto your foot in that position. The center of your pelvis should be directly over the left foot.

Once you are balanced, bring your left hand into the centre of your chest in a payer like position. Remember to keep your hips facing forward.

Stay in this position for up to a minute & then change sides. Repeat this pose four times.

COBRA POSE

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

This pose is great for strengthening the spine & shoulders and also helps increase the flexibility for your spine too.

Lie face down on the floor in front of you with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, with your legs extended and with the tops of your feet touching on the floor.

Tuck the hips downward as you squeeze in your glutes & hug the elbows back into the sides of your body.

On the count of breath, begin to push with arms to lift up your chest off the floor, going only as far as you can.

Hold this pose from 30-seconds up to a minute, breathing in and out, slowly.

Release back to the floor with an exhale. Repeat this pose four times.

DOWNWARD DOG POSE

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

This pose is great to calm your mind, relieve stress & it also stretches the shoulders, hamstrings and calves.

Begin this position on all fours with hands directly under your shoulders and the knees under your hips.

Curl your toes under, and lift your butt/hips up into the air, bringing your body into an inverted ‘V’.

Keep your shoulders away from your ears and your feet should be hip width distance apart & the knees slightly bent.

Straighten your knees but don’t lock them.

Hold this position for four full breaths. On the fifth breath, lower your body down and repeat this pose again three more times.

DANCERS POSE

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

This position is great for lower back aches.

Sit yourself down on the ground, into a siting position.

Press the soles of your feet together, with your knees both out, grasping the big toe of each foot.

Stretch out your spine, hinge forward with your hips and lean forward, slowly and gently.

Breathe in deep breaths, slowly.

Hold this pose for a count of six breaths.

These are just a few of my favourite poses that I do regularly to help ground me and bring me back to a place of balance and calmness within me. I hope that they help you too.

 

Photography by by TAS / Location: Barwon Heads (Victoria) – AUSTRALIA

Yoga That Body & Mind | Style & Life by Susana

Do you do yoga? If so, what are your favourite poses? If you don’t do yoga, would you consider taking it up? I would love to hear it in the comments below. Namaste xoxo

Namaste

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11 Comments
  • Ellie Dickinson
    August 22, 2017

    Yoga is always somethign I want to try! Looks fantastic!

  • Style and Life by Susana
    August 14, 2017

    Awwwww thats wonderful!! Eve if you just do a few poses it will help you xx

  • Style and Life by Susana
    August 14, 2017

    Dancers pose is one of my favourite poses xx

  • Style and Life by Susana
    August 13, 2017

    Even if you get a DVD of it, you will be able to do it in your own home and get the same benefits xx

  • Style and Life by Susana
    August 13, 2017

    Those are my favourite too! And also dancers pose x

  • Chrissy
    August 12, 2017

    Yoga is FANTASTIC! I personally love the tree pose and the downward dog pose. x

  • JM Kayne
    August 12, 2017

    Never tried yoga, but I’m very much interested about how it works! It intrigues me how people share that it distresses them 🙂 Maybe soon I’ll take a class!

    God bless,

    JM Kayne | #InMyHeart♥

  • Leanne Brookes
    August 10, 2017

    I developed some horrible lower back pain last year and one of the things that really helped relieve it was yoga. I just did it at home and at my own pace. It was so helpful. I actually stopped doing yoga for a while and the back pain has come back. I need to start it up again. I’m only 31 and I feel so stiff. Thanks for sharing, you’ve inspired me to start it up again, Leanne x

  • Jane Shussa
    August 10, 2017

    Dancers pose will be very helpful for me, I sometimes experience pain in my lower back. Thank you for this.

  • Style and Life by Susana
    August 9, 2017

    Completely agree! x

  • Geneva Jael Edgar
    August 8, 2017

    It’s so important to take time out of your day to get your mind focused! I love yoga ❤️