Yoga and Pilates have far more in common than you would ever imagine. Biggest difference? Savasana after asana, Pilates prepares you for the remainder of you day so you finish standing. Now you know!
In preparing for an upcoming chakra energy series, I created a sequence to prepare the practitioner with an asana based practiced centered around movement of the spine. This is designed to help you understand where your awareness is regarding the health of your spine and better understand fluidity of movement.
Obviously if you are currently working with pain related to the spine or are working with conditions such as scoliosis, spinal stenosis, herniated disks, etc. move carefully and stop immediately if you feel any pain or discomfort. Our yoga practice is designed to inspire, enlighten, to lessen our burden!
The sequence here will lead you through the following movement is a very gentle way. Designed to inspire and teach, take this lesson with you as you delve into deeper physical postures to better understand your body. You are unique, be your own guru!
Axial Extension: Length up and down the spine. Breathe into the spine!
Flexion: Rounding, curling, c-curve shape of the spine. Engage your core!
Extension: Arching, opening of the front of the body. Go easy, often times this can bring pain to the back!
Lateral Flexion: Side bending. Notice if one side seems more open, the other restricted!
Rotation: Twisting actions. Think about wringing it all out!
Circumduction (external): Here we center movement in a conical shape around the tailbone, creating little circles with the tailbone. Subtle but very challenging!
Looking for some good tunes to go along with this sequence, follow the link below to listen along to my playlist Yoga 59.0: