Welcome to the 2020, 21-day yoga challenge!
Start here: sit a spell, breathe mindfully and smile.
If you are practicing the Mother Sequence, you know our first pose is simple seat or sukhasana in Sanskrit. If you are looking for a suggestion for the first pose of the 21-day yoga challenge, try this one. It may sound simple enough, but rarely do we sit mindfully. Use support to sit upright. Broaden your collar bones to open your chest. Breathe to the rhythm of a mantra such as “Inhale.” “Exhale.”
The Importance of Supported Sitting: By supported, I mean for you to sit on some height — like two or three folded blankets,
a bolster or cushion. Build your support higher than you think you need. The height helps your hips relax which gives you access to be grounded and sit in a posture in which your spine is in proper alignment. Your legs can cross but if this is not suitable for your knees, take the bottoms of your feet together with the support of a folded blanket under the knees.
The Benefits of Controlled Breathing: Yoga postures create strength in your bones and muscles and adding controlled breathing to your practice of poses will improve your posture and alignment. Controlled breathing practices on their own impact your body by calming your nervous system and helps focus your mind while allowing your body to relax.