5 Minute Sequences

Ok, so you've been going to yoga class for a few years now, and every time you leave the class, you feel just great. Then you go back to your every day life, and your body, mind and heart start to tighten up again and after a few days, you're right back where you were before you went to yoga class: tight in every meaning of the word. Your teacher tells you that daily practice is what allows that sense of inner freedom and joy to become more and more of your every day experience. But, when you think about practicing, you're at a loss. Does any of this sound familiar?

Many of my students tell me that they'd like to practice but they don't have an hour of every day to do that. They don't have a space in their house that they can dedicate just to yoga, and even if they did have the time, which they don't, they don't know what to do at home. They're afraid of getting the postures wrong and getting injured. They're afraid or resistant to making a big time commitment.

I can understand these considerations. That's why I've created this page on my website. It's called "5 Minute Sequences for the On-The-Go Yogi" That's you, in case you didn't recognize yourself. On this page I've tried to offer different sequences for different effects. I hope you find the one that's right for you. Don't be afraid to try them all. I've timed them so they really do amount to 5 minute sequences. All you have to do is read them through and follow the directions. Soon, I hope to have pictures to support your understanding as well.

These sequences are not a substitute for a live teacher who can check your alignment and make sure that you're safe. They're also not intended as a substitute for medical attention either, so please use this page wisely!

I hope you find this page useful and empowering!! I hope that your yoga is and continues to be a source of joy and inspiration for you!

With all my love and best wishes, Deb

Sequence one: BREATHE!!
The great teacher, Thich Nath Hanh, once wrote a book called "Breathe, You Are Alive"
I take his advice every day, and feel it is worth repeating and sharing. So I dedicate this first sequence to each of you who would like to feel more radiantly alive, every day!

Our great teacher, John Friend, who created Anusara Yoga, gave us the understanding of "Opening to Grace". Grace moves inside of you every moment of every day that you are alive, in the miraculous form of your breath! So, that's where we'll start.

You have five minutes, clear out a space in your home or office or wherever you are. It doesn't need to be a big space, just large enough for you to move freely in.
Get down on your hands and knees, pause, close your eyes and turn inside. Soften so that you can feel your breath flowing inside of you.
Resolve that you will dedicate the next 5 minutes of your life to allowing the flow of the breath, which is also the flow of grace and the pulsation of life - to expand inside of you.

Place your hands so that they are shoulder width apart and the creases of your wrists are parallel with the wall in front of you.
Place your knees so that they are hip width apart. That's it. Close your eyes, and breathe. Allow your breath to expand inside of you, then exhale to completion.
As you feel your breath expand, start to move with it.
With your inhalation, allow your whole spine to gently melt in toward the front of the body, stick your sitting bones back behind you, gently arch your whole spine and look forward.
With your exhalation, tone your low belly, draw your sitting bones down and your low belly in and up. Dome your whole upper back up toward the sky and let the back of your head hang down nice and long
We call this little series the Cat and Dog tilts.
Do this 5 times moving with the breath into extension and flexion of the spine.
Close your eyes, enjoy your breath pulsating inside of you.
Pause at the end of your 5th exhalation and come to the place where your spine is more parallel with the floor.
Downward Facing Dog:
Press the pads of your fingers, those are the parts of your fingers right underneath your finger nails, down into the ground so your forearm muscles get nice and toned.
Lengthen the sides of your body as long as possible. The sides of your body are delineated as the length from your pelvic bones to your arm pits.
Soften and melt your heart so your shoulder blades melt onto the back of the rib cage.
Tuck your toes underneath you and press up and away from the ground to Downward Facing Dog pose.
You can bend your knees so your low back arches in a nice gentle curve, then take the tops of your thighs back to stretch your hamstrings nice and long.
Hold this pose for 5 nice even breaths.
At the end of your fifth breath in Downward Facing Dog Pose, step your right foot forward to a straight leg lunge pose.
Straight leg lunge is where your front leg is bent so it's parallel with the floor and your back leg is straight.
In your front foot, the 4 corners of your feet (Mound of the big toe, inner corner of the heel, mound of the baby toe and outer heel) should all be evenly weight baring and your arch
should be lifting. Point that front knee straight ahead.
Square your hips to the front of the room.
Make sure the back leg is lifting away from the ground but that knee is not hyperextending.
Stretch your heart forward, breathe, enjoy.
You can hold Lunge pose for 5 nice deep breaths.
At the end of 5 deep breaths in lunge pose, draw your back foot forward and plant the whole foot into the earth.
Draw your hips backward so your front leg straightens.
You can isometrically drag your feet toward each other to increase muscular energy on both legs so neither knee hyperextends.
Then, with the hips square, inhale and extend your heart and inner body forward and down the front leg.
This pose is called Parsvottanasana, and you may feel a very nice stretch in your front hamstring muscles.
Hold this pose also for 5 deep even breaths.
At the end of the 5th exhalation, bend the front knee, place the hands down and step back to Downward Facing Dog.
Downward Facing Dog:
Press the pads of your fingers, those are the parts of your fingers right underneath your finger nails, down into the ground so your forearm muscles get nice and toned.
Lengthen the sides of your body as long as possible. The sides of your body are delineated as the length from your pelvic bones to your arm pits.
Soften and melt your heart so your shoulder blades melt onto the back of the rib cage.
Tuck your toes underneath you and press up and away from the ground to Downward Facing Dog pose
You can bend your knees so your low back arches in a nice gentle curve, then take the tops of your thighs back to stretch your hamstrings nice and long.
Hold this pose for 5 nice even breaths.
At the end of your fifth breath in Downward Facing Dog Pose, step your left foot forward to a straight leg lunge pose.
Straight leg lunge is where your front leg is bent so it's parallel with the floor and your back leg is straight.
In your front foot, the 4 corners of your feet (Mound of the big toe, inner corner of the heel, mound of the baby toe and outer heel) should all be evenly weight baring and your arch
should be lifting. Point that front knee straight ahead.
Square your hips to the front of the room.
Make sure the back leg is lifting away from the ground but that knee is not hyperextending.
Stretch your heart forward, breathe, enjoy.
You can hold Lunge pose for 5 nice deep breaths.
At the end of 5 deep breaths in lunge pose, draw your back foot forward and plant the whole foot into the earth.
Draw your hips backward so your front leg straightens.
You can isometrically drag your feet toward each other to increase muscular energy on both legs so neither knee hyperextends.
Then, with the hips square, inhale and extend your heart and inner body forward and down the front leg.
This pose is called Parsvottanasana, and you may feel a very nice stretch in your front hamstring muscles.
Hold this pose also for 5 deep even breaths.
At the end of the 5th exhalation, bend the front knee, and step forward to a pose we call Uttanasana, which is a standing forward bend.
In Uttanasana, the feet should be hip width apart and parallel.
Be sure to press the 4 corners of your feet (Mound of the big toe, inner corner of the heel, mound of the baby toe and outer heel) evenly into the ground and lift your arches.
Point your knee caps straight ahead, don't let them collapse into each other.
Engage the muscles of your legs so they are nice and firm to the bones.
Breathe!!
You will feel a nice stretch in your hamstring muscles. But, if this pose hurts your low back, you can bend your knees til you release that pain out of your back.
In fact, why not breathe and move. Every time you inhale, bend your knees with your knee caps pointing straight ahead, arch your spine a bit and reach with your heart to look forward.
Every time you exhale, engage the muscles of your legs even stronger, lift your thighs up and move the tops of your thighs back to straighten your legs.
You can move with your breath for 5 steady cycles, then hold the pose for 5 more steady cycles.
To come up and out of Uttanasana, take your hands onto your hips and pause.
Wait for your breath.
With your next inhalation, extend your spine forward, lift your shoulders up and away from the ground so your shoulder blades come more flat on the back.
Then, complete your inhalation by lifting from your heart to come all the way up standing.
Keeping your feet hip width and parallel, enjoy your breath.
Enhance the flow of your breath by sweeping your arms up and over head on the inhalation, and back down by your sides on the exhalation.
Flow with your breath 5 times, then bring your hands together in front of your heart in a pose that we call Anjali Mudra.
Anjali Mudra is done with your hands pressing one into the other right in front of your heart.
By pressing your hands together, you should be able to widen your inner body side to side, and front to back.
Close your eyes, enjoy the beautiful pulsation of breath, life and grace inside of you.

That's it, you're done.
Center your awareness inside your heart, and prepare to greet your day with new enthusiasm, new calm, centered grounded-ness, more love to give your family, friends, and more attention to give your job!!

Enjoy your day!