Remedies for Real Girls
Take yoga with you anywhere with Yoga to the Rescue's 48 card pose deck. These poses are each from the seven categories (sexy, calm, energy, restore, cleanse, sanity, and ragtime (PMS)), author Amy Luwis uses to cover everything from too much ice cream to a mind in overdrive.
"My goal is to encourage women of all shapes, attitudes, and sizes to discover the wonders of yoga, but this won't happen if they feel intimidated and yoga can be intimidating. I wanted to make yoga accessible and bring levity to it, so I created Yoga to the Rescue: Remedies for Real Girls—if I can entice a few sedentary girls into Virasana and turn a few yogaphics into yoginis then I will have succeeded!" —Amy Luwis, author or Yoga to the Rescue: Remedies for Real Girls and CEO/Creator of RescueGirl®.
Available for purchase at: RescueGirl.com, as well as through Amazon.com and other major bookstores.
Chair Pose to Feel Sexy
1. Stand up straight with your feet together.
2. Stretch your arms over your head.
3. Roll the shoulders back and lift the chest.
4. Slowly bend the knees.
5. Keep your heels firmly on the floor.
6. Deepen the position.
Focus Points:
As you deepen the bend of the knees, maintain a straight line from the top of your head to your tailbone.
Don't extend the knees beyond 90 degrees.
Keep shoulders relaxed.
Other Benefits:
Increases overall strength and endurance. Strengthens tummy, thighs, and back.
Easier Pose:
Place the fingertips on a wall or the back of a chair for support.
Down Dog to Get Calm
1. Place palms on floor in front of you.
2. Step legs back one at a time.
3. Feet should be in line with hands.
4. Spread fingers and press palms down.
5. Stretch arms forward, keep elbows straight.
6. Raise your butt up to sky and move thighs up and back.
7. Lower heels to the floor, feet pointing straight ahead.
8. Relax your head and back of neck.
Focus Points:
Keep legs firm and elbows straight as you lift your derriere to the sky!
Keep the thumbs and index fingers pressing into the floor. Straighten the arms!
Other Benefits:
Relieves depression. Increases flexibility of hips, knees and ankles. Calms the mind.
Easier Pose:
Place palms on the seat of a chair.
Extended Leg Intense Stretch Pose to Boost Energy
1. Stand with legs a comfortable width apart.
2. Put hands on hips.
3. Stretch torso forward, put hands on floor.
4. Lift kneecaps by tightening the thighs.
5. Keep legs straight and move thighs back.
6. Place crown of the head on the floor.
7. Press palms into the floor.
Focus Points:
Keep your weight over your legs, don't lean forward onto your head.
Keep arms parallel to each other.
Other Benefits:
Calms the mind. Strengthens legs and spine. Tones abdominal organs.
Easier Pose:
Rest crown of the head on a block or the seat of a chair.
Reclined Big Toe to Restore
1. Lie on the floor.
2. Bend the right knee to your chest.
3. Grab the big toe with the first 2 fingers of your right hand.
4. Straighten the right leg vertically.
5. Keep both legs straight and strong.
Focus Points:
Actively press leg and butt into the floor, don't let them ride up.
Lift the chest.
Other Benefits:
Relieves hip joints. Eases menstrual pain. Tones spine. Eases stiff lower back and backs of legs.
Easier Pose:
Wrap a strap around sole of the foot and hold with straight arms.
Bound Angle to Cleanse
1. Sit with legs in front of you.
2. Bend one leg at a time and place soles of your feet together.
3. Bring heels close to your body.
4. Press fingertips down on floor behind you.
5. Draw your knees down toward the floor.
6. Use your thumbs to open the inner edges of your feet like a book.
7. Bring shoulder blades into your back and open the chest.
Focus Points:
Press the knees, ankles and thighs down and stretch the trunk upwards.
Hold feet firmly together to really lift the trunk.
Outer edges of feet should remain on floor.
Other Benefits:
Increases hip and leg flexibility. Strengthens bladder and uterus. Alleviates tension in back. Eases menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding.
Easier Pose:
Sit on one or more blankets against a wall for support.
Camel to Find Sanity
1. Kneel with knees and feet hip distance apart. Point toes straight back.
2. Place hands on the hips and tuck your tailbone in.
3. Keep chest lifted and draw the elbows straight back.
4. Reach for your feet and press your palms down on your heels.
5. Bring your shoulder blades into your back and lift your chest.
6. Release the head back.
Focus Points:
Be careful not to strain your neck. Keep your throat relaxed. Don't forget to breathe!
Keep knees, thighs, and hips perpendicular to the floor.
Other Benefits:
Increases lung capacity. Strengthens spine and upper back. Improves posture.
Easier Pose:
Press palms down on blocks (place blocks close to heels).
Reclined Hero to Fight Bloating
1. Place bolster lengthwise just behind butt.
2. Place a rolled blanket on far end of bolster.
3. Kneel with your knees together in front of the bolster.
4. Spread the toes apart with soles facing up.
5. Sit between your feet, centered on your butt bones.
6. Lay back on your elbows.
7. Rest torso evenly on bolster.
8. Support head and neck on blanket.
Focus Points:
Rest completely. Toes and ankles should point straight back and be held close to your body.
Keep chest lifted and face relaxed.
Press thighs closely together.
Other Benefits:
Relieves bloating, fullness, and acid burn. Releases thighs and groin. Rejuvenates tired legs.
Easier Pose:
Add height to bolster with blankets to keep torso lifted.