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I shot this sequence at the tail end of my trip to Costa Rica in an attempt to ground myself. I was feeling anxious about flying because I was super sick with food poisoning, and I was scared I'd be too sick to fly. I was also feeling anxious because my schedule was really up in the air with other travel plans, and I just thought: Ok, for the next five minutes, let's just forget these thoughts, put them to the side, breathe, and try to find some semblance of balance and stability.
Yoga is interesting this way. Sometimes, if you're freaking stressed out and anxious, you'll see it in your practice. You might be wobbling and shaking and totally unable to balance. But sometimes, if you just take a second to breathe and set your stressors aside and then start practicing, you might find that you're able to stand still, in the center of your current life storm, and persevere. That's what happened here, and I was so grateful. My flight home ended up going as well as it could have gone (I didn't get sick on the plane, woop!), and my travel plans to LA afterwards went smoothly (it wound up bring the mini-vacation I had hoped for in Costa Rica before I got sick). So, once again, here's the universe showing me that no matter how much I stress or feel anxious, everything always works out exactly how it's supposed to.
If you're interested in trying this mini yoga sequence, here are some tips:
1. Tree Pose (p105 in Namaslay) - Distribute your weight along all four corners of your standing foot. Breathe three to five breaths in this pose before switching sides.
2. Standing Hand to Knee Pose part A (p118 in Namaslay) - Gaze out in front of you and use your core strength and hip flexor strength to lift your leg. Breathe three to five breaths in this pose before switching sides.
3. Standing Hand to Knee Pose part B (p119 in Namaslay) - Open up your lifted knee out to the side. You have the option of keeping your gaze out in front, or for an added challenge, you can gaze out in the opposite direction of your lifted knee. Breathe three to five breaths in this pose before switching sides.
4. Extended lifted leg pose - Go back to the same pose you did in number two, but extend your leg fully and lift your arms overhead. Breathe three to five breaths in this pose before switching sides.
Let me know how it goes for you down in the comments section below, and if you have any tips for staying sane in moments of stress and anxiety, I'd love to hear!
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