A new sub-chapter for my free yoga book. What do you think?
This book contains my personal sequence I do each morning as a flexibility / core strength routine. I separately do a cardio routine. Flexibility, strength, and cardio are the three aspects of exercise that are good to include in a weekly health plan.
It could be that your flexibility or core strength happens to be less than mine. That when you go into the hurdler’s stretch, you cannot press your chest against your forward leg. That when you forward bend you cannot press your palms to the floor. That you can’t press your feet flat on the floor in downward-facing dog. That is fine!! We all have different levels of flexibility. Modify the positions so they provide the level of challenge you need.
You should never compare yourself against any other person. Our bodies are different. Our muscles are different! Only focus on your own body. Listen to how it works. Over time you will have different capabilities, as you age and change. That is natural and OK. The sole goal should be as healthy as you can be for the moment. To improve in ways you can improve and to be at peace with your body’s limitations.
It could be that your flexibility or core strength happens to be more than mine. That in plank you easily hold the pose for two minutes without any arm or stomach stress. That is wonderful! If some of the poses are too basic for you, in my configuration, there are always ways to modify them to add challenge. Look up the options and adjust them to fit your current strengths.
That being said, many of the poses, such as Warrior, are not meant to be “hard.” Mountain pose, for example, is not “hard.” Rather, it is about becoming more aware of your body. It’s about tuning in and learning to listen to all the myriad of messages your body is sending to you. It’s about discovering the subtle balance and shift of muscles as you breathe. Hold the pose and simply breathe. Listen. The more you settle into poses like this, the more intimately you come to understand even the slightest changes in specific muscle activity.