5 ways to incorporate Yoga into daily life
My newsletters always have a quiz at the end where my subscribers can choose the topic of the next blog posts - if you want to be amongst those who decide what article is the next, subscribe here.
This months most people voted for a Yoga article - the first one here! I do however include one point for pianists, I just have to. Please let me know if you try something out, I’d love to know and am always here to help when questions arise!
Quick moving routine in the morning or evening
One of my friend has a set routine of 5 minutes of Yoga Asana she practices every single morning right out of bed, still in pajamas, perfect for waking up her and her body. You can build this quick sequence starting with a sitting position like a Yogi seat, breathe mindfully for a few moments, roll over onto a cat cow, explore movement here, go into a Downward facing dog and then maybe do some Sun Salutations in your own pace.
2. Pranayama in the morning
What I love to do in the morning is Pranayama- still in bed, right after waking up. I usually take a few deep breaths. Then I either practice Kaphalabathi to activate or Alternate nostril breathing. Reminder: No, I don’t do this every single day, though I do aim at taking some moments of mindfulness when not yet awake 100% and am happy about every day I start like this.
3. Box breathing when nervous/upset/right before an exam or presentation
This right here has saved myself in countless situations since I was a teenager. I remember a teacher telling us about this at school (she actually wasn’t a nice teacher at all but I do have to thank her for showing me this): Inhale whilst counting to 4, hold the breath for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts. Repeat for a few cycles. You’ll see that the more often you do this, the easier it gets, the faster you’ll feel more calm and present. If there is one thing you take away from this blog article, let it be this.
4. Yoga Philosophy off the mat
Last July I did a teacher training on Yoga philosophy, mainly because this part of Yoga is so deeply ingrained in my life and helping me in many moments, difficult ones but also joyful ones. If you’re into Yoga you may have heard of the Yamas and Niyamas, some ancient guidelines for life and Yoga practice. There is also the concept of Tapas (no, not the Spanish food), which is about discipline. I sometimes struggle with discipline and chose a path in life that unfortunately asks for lots of discipline that has to come from within (any artists and freelancers sure know what I mean). So: I remind myself of this Yogic philosophic concept, I read more about Tapas, include them into my Yoga flows when practicing at home and somehow this helps me step into this fire-like discipline of Tapas. I will teach a free online class next week (Friday 29th) with the theme of Tapas, sign up via Sabrina.kuenig@outlook.com to take part!
5. Yoga at the office
Not everyone has the luck to have a work space that provides business Yoga classes (contact me if that is something you’d be interested in), so here are two of my very favorite movements you can do AT the desk plus one Yogapose you can do next to the desk, just because getting up every now and then is important. Remember that moving for 1 minute many times per day is better than one hour long Yoga practice once a week. Preferably you can do both of these, but I always like to remind my students that moving throughout the day has a power on its own :)
BONUS: Yoga at the piano
Did I write an entire Bachelor thesis on this topic? Yes. Do you have to read all of it to get the benefits? No! Of course, apply all points above, especially the box breathing before concerts. But you can also incorporate the following mindful movements whilst practicing your piano repertoire:
When you sit on your piano bench, roll back your shoulders, close your eyes for a moment, unclench your jaw and take a few deep breaths. Find connection to the floor via your feet, connect to where you are sitting on the bench, maybe roll your wrists, touch your hands and fingers to wake them up and then let them touch the keys. Think of your goal for this practice session and the start practicing OR give yourself 1 minute of a free improvisation on the piano, ideally with the eyes still closed to really tune in.
Take pauses every 30-40 minutes, get up, move your body in whatever way. Personally I like to move my shoulders and upper body, as I sometimes get a little tense when sitting and playing for longer periods of time. For that come into a High Lunge, right foot forward, a slight bend in your left knee, but your knee is off the flower. Lift your left arm, elbows next to your ear and then slightly bend to the right, bringing your left hand even more to the right side whilst tucking your tailbone a little bit. Repeat on the other side.