- Increase Energy
Exercise: Half Sun Salutation
Why it helps: Increases the blood flow through the body bringing greater amounts of oxygen to the body which energizes the body.
In yoga we call energy Prana. This is great right way to "energize" when you wake up and your tired, if your just coming back from your lunch break, or at the end of your work day and you still have "house" projects to do.
How it is done: Inhale take the arms out to the side of your body and lift them above your head. You are standing, legs straight and hip width apart. Next bow forward taking the arms down to the sides of your body.
Inhale taking your hands onto your shins looking forward. Bow forward again on your exhale.
Lastly inhale press into your feet and stand up taking the arms out to the side above your head. Exhale; bring your hands together at chest level. You can practice this 3, 5, 10 times or more depending on the amount of energy you want to generate.
- Release Stress
Exercise: Pigeon Pose
Why it helps: We all become stressed everyday by traffic, projects, finances, etc. One area that we hold stress is our hips and low backs.
Pigeon pose helps to open the hips and low back releasing stress; many times you can feel the tightness in those areas. The position can make people feel more relaxed.
How it is done: Using a chair bend one leg at a time while the other leg will remain straight. For example take your right leg and bend it placing it on the chair on its side. The opposite leg extended behind you.
Hands resting on the bent leg or the chair. Stay in the position for 10 breaths. For more flexible people or more stressed individuals you can stay in the position longer if you would like.
- Focus on a Task
Exercise: Warrior II
Why it helps: Throughout our days we are bombarded with requests and demands from family, work and friends. It is easy to lose focus on what matters most with so many distractions.
Warrior II cultivates focus. It assists us with developing the ability to stay focused on the most important tasks of the day.
How it is done: Standing on a yoga mat. One leg is forward and bent with the toes facing forward. The other leg is straight and the foot parallel to the back of the mat.
Arms are extended away from one another. For example if the right leg is forward the right arm is parallel to the right thigh and the left arm is extended shoulder height in the opposite direction.
You are looking over your right arm in a forward position. The pose can be held as long as you want depending on the type of day you are having. The more intense the day the longer the pose 10+ breaths.
- Build Confidence
Exercise: Bridge Pose
Why it helps: Strengthens the back and legs. Opens the chest.
Cultivates a strong and open posture. With a more open chest and broad shoulders we are able to move into our day with stamina and confidence.
Bridge pose assists with maintaining a level of energy necessary for completing the tasks that are most important to us -- seeing them from start to finish.
When our shoulders are hunched and chest is inward like at a computer all day or bad posture, we feel weighted down and end up taking more stress. Bridge pose assists with helping to have a better posture and completing tasks through from start to finish.
How it is done: Laying on your back. Bend your legs. Lift your hips. Feet below the knees. Hands under the hips interlaced. Hold for 3-5 breaths and do 3 - 5 times resting for 3-5 breaths between each pose.
Do more depending on the tasks that you are working on or the level of stress that you are feeling. Do more and hold longer if you are having a big or stressful day.
About these moves: We hold emotions in our body which in turn holds us back in our thinking. In Peter's coaching he invites people to think new thoughts, take new actions and have new results over time.
Peter has been teaching here for 7 years -- practicing yoga for 15 years. He currently teaches for Yoga Works San Francisco.
He teaches 5 public classes a week with upwards of 50 people and teach 7-10 private yoga sessions a week. In addition he is an executive/life coach and sees upwards to 10-12 clients a week nationally and internationally.
He coaches and teaches to housewives, youth, hedge fund managers, CEOs of fortune 500 companies, young entrepreneurs, families, Foundation heads etc. anyone and everyone. He has developed strong ties with my clients that have resulted in profound results.
As a yoga instructor and life coach, Peter invites his students and clients in his classes to set aside the thoughts and work that they have been doing up to this point in their day and concentrate on the breath and the body.
The yoga moves, music and positive reinforcement brings people to a calmer mindset. It helps people to lose the stress, become more focused, and find the energy as they go about their day and the next.
For more information, visit www.peterchandonnet.com and www.yogaworks.com.
