Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/70551
SAVVY SELF-CARE 6. Cobra Pose Bring your body down onto the floor. Inhale, bring your chest forward, and slide your hands underneath your shoulders. Extend your legs and place your pelvis on the floor. Move the scapulae down your back as you lengthen and lift your head and chest off of the ground. 7. Downward Facing Dog Pose Exhale, tuck your toes, and lift your hips up. Ground yourself through the heels of your hands and lengthen your spine by pressing through the soles of your feet. 8. Lunge Position Inhale and step your left foot up between your hands into a lunge position. Stretch the front of the back leg toward the back of the mat. (Modify by placing your fingertips on the ground.) 9. Standing Forward Fold Exhale and step your right foot forward. Fold your torso into a forward bend as you rest your hands on your shins or on the ground by your feet. 10. Angel Arms Inhale, press through your feet, and lift up your torso, vertebra by vertebra, to a standing position. Bring your arms out to the side, then up and over your head. Release your arms back down to your sides. 11. Standing Mountain Pose Exhale as you come back into Standing Mountain Pose. Bring your hands into prayer position. Repeat the entire sequence on the other side, stepping back with your right foot. Perform several rounds of Sun Salutation before or after your workday. You will gain strength and flexibility with this series. The postures can stand alone and give you a quick boost of energy anytime during the day. Be sure to pay attention to how your practice progresses as time goes on. Karina Braun is a massage therapist, educator, and author of Creating Peace With Your Hands (Get in Touch, 2009). This column flows from her new text Create Peace Yoga for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers (Create Peace, 2012). For more information, visit www.igetintouch.com. ABMPtv.com "Daily Sun Salutation"