Take a break from watching the news and browsing social media. Today, consider taking time to learn a new skill. Maybe there’s something you’ve been wanting to learn for a while but never found the time. Let’s change that. Dedicating effort into meaningful tasks is proven to aid in depression, anxiety, and stress. Learning a new skill is a useful, practical, and fun way to maintain self care and mental health. Plus, you’ll have something cool to show your friends and family after the end of sheltering in place!
Let’s talk about omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are considered an essential nutrient, meaning our bodies need it order to function optimally. In fact, omega-3 plays a huge role in our brain function and deficieancy of this nutritent is associated with depression, low IQ, and other mental disorders. Unfortunately, omega-3 deficiencies are all to common in the average American diet. This is may be do to the fact that foods that contain high amounts of this nutrient are limited, consisting mainly of seafood and certain nuts and seeds. But don’t worry if you aren’t a fan of fish, omega-3 supplements are widely available in grocery stores and pharmacies.
Get you own diet and nutrinion questions answered with virtual nutritional counseling.
Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana): Begin standing with your feet close together but not touching. Inhale and reach your arms up to the sky, gazing upwards. Continue to ground down with the feet and reach tall with the fingers, lengthening the spine. The palms face one another and the back of the neck reaches long. Lengthen your tailbone towards the floor and pull your shoulders down your spine. This posture is excellent for digestion and creating length in the spine. It also decreases fatigue
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana): Fold Forward after the upward salute and plant your hands on the floor (don’t be afraid to bend your knees!). Step back with your left foot and lower the left knee to the ground. Inhale as you lift up into the lunge and continue to stabilize with the front foot. Take your arms overhead palms facing each other and point your tailbone to the floor. Reach your chest open and notice the stretch down the front side of your left leg. Anjaneyasana is great for opening the hips.
Forward Fold (Uttanasana): From low lunge step your back foot to the front and lift your hips as high as you can with your belly resting on your thighs. Interlace your finger behind you and reach your knuckles to the sky to stretch the front of the shoulders. Forward folds are very centering. It calms the brain, relieves stress, stretches the hamstrings, and stimulates the liver and kidneys.
Seated Twist (Marichyasana III): Repeat poses 1-3 alternating 3 times on each side before coming into the seated twist. Sit on your bottom with your legs extended straight in front of you. You may want to sit on a blanket or bolster if your hips feel tight. Bend your right knee and bring the foot as close in towards your groin as possible. Flex the left foot so that the straight leg remains engaged. Twist to the right, taking your right fingertips to the floor behind you and wrapping the left hand around the outside of the right thigh. Inhale to lengthen the spine and exhale to twist deeper. Hold for 6 slow breaths then repeat on the other side. Twists are excellent for lower back pain, fatigue, and digestion.
Lotus (Padmasana): This is our final seated meditation posture – the one we have been preparing for with the last 4 poses. The ultimate, most stable meditation posture is the very well know lotus pose, in which the top of each foot is tucked over the inside of the opposite thigh while seated. However, for those who have not practiced yoga for a long period of time, this pose may be extremely difficult or uncomfortable. The point here is to be seated and be still. So whether it’s cross-legged or kneeling over a bolster, find what works best for you here and get comfortable. Try sitting for 10 minutes with the eyes shut and mediate on your breath as it rises and falls in the body.
So there you have it, 5 yoga poses that everyone should do every day. Give it a shot, practice this little sequence daily and learn to become the master of your mind.
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