Rainy Day Yoga Practice

Jan 25, 2012 | Yoga practices, Yoga Sequences | 0 comments

Keeping up dampened spirits

Photo of two lapwing birds in the wetlands

Masked Lapwings in the Wetlands

 

We’ve experienced the wettest, coldest, most un-summery weather we’ve had in a very long time. While economists are predicting global financial doom, the weather forecasters have been predicting meteorological gloom.

When the climate has been wet for a period of time, it gets to you. Your clothes won’t dry, your house smells damp and you may even begin to feel your internal organs becoming heavy with dampness.

What can a yoga practitioner do to keep her spirits up and to maintain optimum health?

 

A specialised yoga practice

Here’s a yoga practice that will create balanced energy, enhance your mood, and eliminate excess dampness from your inner organs. It’s a strong practice so make sure that you respect any limits your body needs. For instance, any of the abdominal exercises that follow can be done with bent legs.

I’ve used the Sanskrit words (the language of yoga!) for the names of the poses. These can always be referenced in Light on Yoga, by BKS Iyengar.

Warm-up phase

Lying down abdominal exercises, as per Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha, Swami Satyananda Saraswati. These are the poses in the Abdominal/Digestive section that will serve to warm up your internal organs and strengthen your core!

Dynamic:

Adho Mukha Svanasana to Adho Mukha Virasana x 6

Step-back lunges x 6, Tadasana/Uttanasana/Lunge/Adho Mukha Svanasana/Lunge/Uttanasana, Tadasana

Then, integrate the following standing poses with lunges:

Trikonasana

Parsvottanasana

Prasarita Padottanasana

Here’s some more abdominal exercises:

Legs on wall at 60 degrees, raise legs to vertical x 6

Lying down, knees bent at a right angle, feet on wall, hands clasped behind head, “crunches” x 5

Dolphin Pose

Preparation for Sirsasana or classical version of Sirsasana

Setu Bhandasana Sarvangasana

Sarvangasana

Halasana

Cool-down phase

Ardha Jatara Parivartanasana

Chair Bharadavajasana

Chair, standing marichyasana

Paschimottanasana

Marichyasana 3

Viparita Karani, 5-10 minutes

Savasana, 5-10 minutes

Bhastrika pranayama 

 

 

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