Restorative Yoga For You To Try Out This Mother’s Day

3 Restorative Yoga Postures To Try Out This Mother’s Day By Pooja Doshi

Reclining Bound Angle Pose – Supta Baddha Konasana

Come to lying on your back, making sure you have a rolled blanket supporting your head and neck. Rotate your inner thighs towards the outside and slowly use the pressure in your hands to widen your thighs from your knees. This will stretch out your hips. Feel the stretch as you try to get your knees to the ground but make sure you do this very gently. The soles of your feet should be touching as you get comfortable in the posture. As you get deeper into the posture, push your knees towards the floor increasing the stretch in the inner thighs and groins. You can slowly release your hands off your knees and bring your arms beside your body at around 45 degrees facing your palms up towards the ceiling/sky. You can stay in this posture for as long as you like and feel relaxed.

Benefits:
 This posture stimulates abdominal organs like the ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys
 It also improves the blood circulation around the body
 This posture stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
 It helps relieve the symptoms of stress, mild depression, menstruation and menopause

Hero Pose – Virasana

Kneel on the floor (use a folded blanket, and place it between your thighs if necessary). Make sure your inner knees touch together, your feet apart (slightly wider than the hips) and the top of the feet flat on the floor. Gently press the top of your feet into the floor. Slowly exhale and sit back, with your torso leaning slightly forward. When you feel comfortable, sit in between your feet. If you feel like your buttocks are not sitting comfortably on the floor, sit on a block which can be placed between the feet. Make sure you are comfortable in the posture. Make sure the shoulder blades are against the back ribs and rolled back sitting tall. Lay your hands in your lap, one on the other, palms up, or on your thighs, palms down.
You can stay in this posture for 30 seconds then gradually increasing to a minute. Make sure when coming out of the posture, you press your hands against the floor, lift your buttocks, then lift the heels. Then come back to a normal seating position and stretch your legs out and relax.

Benefits:
 This posture strengthens the arches, stretches the thighs, knees, and ankles
 It is very therapeutic for high blood pressure and asthma
 It also improves digestion and relieves gas
 It helps with the symptoms of menopause
 It reduces swelling of the legs during pregnancy (through the second trimester)

Bound Angle Pose: Baddha Konasana

Start by sitting with your legs straight out in front of you. You can sit on a blanket for comfort especially if your hips or groins are feeling tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together. Bring your heels close to your pelvis and be comfortable in the posture. Grab both your big toes with your first and second finger. If this isn’t possible, then hold the ankle from the sides. The shoulder blades should be pushed back towards the back ribs and roll your shoulders back. Get comfortable in this posture and stay in it for a minute or so. To release, inhale, lift your knees gently off the floor and extend your legs and relax.

Benefits:
 This posture stimulates abdominal organs, ovaries, prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys
 It stimulates the heart and improves the blood flow throughout the body
 Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
 Helps relieve mild depression, anxiety, and fatigue
 Soothes menstrual discomfort and sciatica
 Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
 Therapeutic for flat feet, high blood pressure, infertility, and asthma
 Consistent practise of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth

 

Mothers Day Message:
Dearest Mummy,
Happy Mothers Day!
You are not just a mum to me, but genuinely my best friend. You have taught me how to be kind, humble and loving. It’s because of you, I am who I am today. You are my world and I cant thank you enough for all the words of wisdom, encouragement and advice you give me whenever I feel lost.
I cant thank you enough for always being there for me and always being my pillar of strength.
I can only repay you by showing you a lot more love, bring more happiness into your life and always make sure you are okay. You are a wonder woman and I will never let you down.
I love you very much.
Love,
Pooja (Rinku)

Pooja Doshi – Yoga & Zumba Practitioner