Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) appear futile if you have a foot or ankle injury. Enter: Chair Sun Salutations!
Traditional Sun Salutations with a Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana), step back or jump back to Chaturanga, and rolling more than the toes to Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana), can irritate or additional harm a foot or ankle injury.
Learn the Difference Between Sun Salutation A + Sun Salutation B (Yoga Photo Tutorial)
So be type to your body when it is healing! Skip the regular Sun Salutations and attempt chair Sun Salutations alternatively to reap lots of of the similar rewards for your practice and day.
For these Chair Sun Salutations, you will want an upright chair and possibly two yoga blocks. As with any physical exercise when seriously injured, be positive to verify with your medical doctor prior to beginning.
Using a chair will take most of the load and stress off your feet, but that does not imply the practice has to be uncomplicated or much less advantageous.
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Start by sitting or perching on the edge of your chair. Activate your core to do away with any sway in your back that you could ordinarily have from slouching or resting in a chair.
Traditionally in yoga, you uncover balance by pressing your feet firmly into the floor. As you move by means of this sequence, pull your muscle tissues in and up toward your bones alternatively. This tiny alter will retain your muscle tissues working, when getting kinder to your injured location.
Follow this sequence for your chair Sun Salutations:
1. Seated Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Step a single of all Sun Salutations is Mountain Pose and your seated chair Sun Salutations are no exception.
Let’s attempt it:
- Sit in your chair and spot your feet on the floor
- Your feet and knees can be touching or spaced hip-width apart for more stability
- Let your hands rest on your legs wherever comfy
- Inhale to gently pull your belly in and lengthen by means of your side, waist, and back
- Exhale to release any tension in your shoulders, neck, and jaw
- Keep your head neutral and uncover a spot to gaze at straight ahead
2. Seated Extended Mountain Pose (Urdhva Hasta Tadasana)
Next up, uncover length in your spine as you attain your arms overhead.
Let’s attempt it:
- Inhale and attain your arms up overhead
- Extend your arms from your shoulders all the way by means of your fingers
- Turn your palms to face each and every other and spread your fingers wide
- Keep your elbows and hands spaced shoulder-width apart or wider if important
- Release tension in your neck and shoulders to do away with “shrugging”
- Keep your front body core engaged to do away with any swaying in your back
- Lift by means of your ribs to uncover length in your spine
- Lift your chin slightly and gaze overhead
3. Seated Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
In chair Sun Salutations, you do not have to miss out on any of your favourite stretches. You can nonetheless fold forward even from your seat!
Let’s attempt it:
- Exhale and fold forward more than your legs
- Keep length in your spine as extended as you can, and then permit your back to round more than your knees as you drop your head and shoulders toward the floor
- Bring your hands to the ground in line with your toes or use blocks beneath your palms if required
- Separate your knees to make area for your chest as required
- Gaze down toward the ground underneath your chair
4. Half Lift (Ardha Uttanasana)
Next up, uncover length in your spine once more.
Let’s attempt it:
- Inhale and lift your head and shoulders, acquiring a flat back
- Lift up as higher as you want to uncover a straight spine
- Lengthen from your tailbone by means of the crown of your head
- Engage your front and back body core to assistance your back and cut down any backbending
- Your hands may perhaps keep planted on the floor or blocks, or come up to your fingertips for a small further area
- Gaze at the ground underneath your feet
5. Seated Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
As you start out to grow to be familiar with your chair Sun Salutations, you can flow by means of the measures effortlessly with breath.
Let’s attempt it:
- Exhale and repeat the fold from step 3 above
6. Seated Extended Mountain Pose (Urdhva Hasta Tadasana)
Continue flowing by means of your rhythm.
Let’s attempt it:
- Inhale as you sit up and attain the arms overhead as in step two above
7. Seated Mountain Pose (Hasta Tadasana)
Come back to exactly where you began.
Let’s attempt it:
- Exhale and return your hands to your thighs as in step a single above
8. Seated Hand-to-Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana)
Add on to your chair Sun Salutations sequence with a bit of balance work.
Let’s attempt it:
-
- Reach for your ideal leg, grabbing it with each hands just beneath your knee
- On your inhale, lift your ideal knee up bringing it as close as you can to your chest
- Press each sitting bones down into your chair for balance
- If you lifted your shoulders as your raised your knee, return them to a neutral position
- Engage your core to retain your spine erect and protect against backbending
- Exhale and return your ideal foot to the ground
- Keep your head neutral and uncover a spot to gaze at straight ahead
- Repeat on the other side
9. Seated Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Flow with your breath by means of a seated Cat/Cow sequence.
Let’s attempt it:
- Move your hands to grab the sides of your chair for assistance
- Inhale and slide your hands back as you lift and open your chest
- Allow your shoulders to roll back
- Lift your chin so your head falls back, but resist crunching at the nape of your neck
- Gaze overhead at the ceiling above
- Release your hands from the chair and bring them to rest on your thighs
- Exhale and slide your hands forward as you round your back
- Pull your belly button toward your spine
- Round by means of your shoulders and tuck your chin toward your chest
- Gaze toward your belly button or at the tip of your nose
- Flow repeatedly involving the two shapes for a handful of deep breaths
10. Repeat
Repeat this sequence 3 to 5 occasions and you will uncover a good flow paring breath and movement – all when maintaining your injury protected.
Practice Chair Sun Salutations to Protect Your Injury and Benefit Your Body
Sun Salutations provide a wealth of rewards, and these chair Sun Salutations do as effectively. Start your day with this flow and you will probably uncover more focus, increase muscle tone and flexibility, lower tension and anxiousness, improve your power, and assist to stabilize your mood.
This sequence is also wonderful to practice on break when at work, even if you do not have an injury. You can discreetly do this from your workplace chair or lunch table anytime you want a handful of moments of Zen to destress and keep focused.
There’s practically nothing really like the feeling you get when practicing Sun Salutations, so do not let your foot or ankle injury get in the way of your each day dose of saluting the sun. Practice this chair Sun Salutations flow and get all the rewards of regular Sun Salutations when maintaining your injury secure and tension free of charge.
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