YOGA WORKOUT FOR HEALTHY BONES: RELAXATION
Posted: under Healthy bones Osteoporosis Rheumatic.
Many yoga classes end with a full-body relaxation, sometimes with guided visualization. You can learn the details of how to do that in a class or another book, but here I do want to give you the basic position. It is a wonderful way to relax because it allows your spine to be in a neutral position, and frees it from the usual direction of gravitational pull. In this position you can also release tension in muscles in every area of the body. This makes it a good choice before and after any workout or for a 5-minute “time-out” in the middle of a day.Lie flat on the floor without a pillow. Extend your legs so they do not touch each other at any point, and place your arms slightly away from your body, resting your hands beside your hips, palms up. If this makes your lower back uncomfortable, bend one knee at a time and place your feet flat on the floor, slightly wider than hip distance apart, and lean your knees against each other. Stay for at least 5 minutes. Relax and feel your breath go in and out of all parts of your body. Focus on the breath and let the body reap the benefits—don’t focus on the body parts or try moving them, but follow the breath. This is an ideal time to practice the “relaxation response”, or any other meditative or visualization technique that calms and centers you.*128\228\2*
