Maya Fiennes in Happiness+Wellbeing, January 2014
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Happy Yoga By Maya Fiennes About Maya From classical pianist to transformational guru. Maya's revolutionary style of yoga is based on the Kundalini Yoga tradition. Maya has grown far beyond the yoga studio, taking her teachings across various mediums, including TV, 18 DVDs,several CDs, events, workshops, retreats and merchandise. Maya is featured daily on TV in several countries around the world, and her book, "Yoga for Real Life," has been translated into several languages and has already sold several tens of thousands copies worldwide. Manipura Shake INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup of coconut milk 1/2 cup filtered water 2 - 3 large figs cut in small pieces, if you don't have fresh ones use dried figs. 1 date, pitted and finely chopped A dash of cinnamon METHOD: Place all ingredients in a blender and puree at high speed. You can drink this in the morning for a couple of weeks. This month we will be focusing on how to detox. You are probably feeling a little stuffed and bloated from Christmas. All that food, alcohol and lack of exercise as well as time spent with family meant that your regular daily routines were forgotten. Well here is some easy and quick advice to lighten the load and get yourself back on track again. I've also given you the recipe for a Manipura Shake, which helps digestion and elimination. During the same time, you can use this set of exercises called the Five Tibetans, to help improve digestion, aid in weight loss, and get your physical, emotional and mental fitness back on track. They will definitely boost your energy too! This is an easy way to get back to your optimal weight and state, using just ten-minutes a day, for two weeks. Take it slow at the beginning and if you can't do the full number of repetitions immediately don't worry, you will get there after a few days. The First Tibetan Stand up straight with your arms outstretched to your sides. Fingers are together, palms are open and facing downward. Holding this arm position, spin a full circle in a clockwise direction (if you were to turn your head to the right, that is the direction in which you want to spin). Repeat the spin 21 times without break. At the beginning try only a few spins and see how you are feeling before adding a few more. You may experience some dizziness when you first practise this exercise. Be careful, and don't push it. This exercise strengthens and balances the inner ear. With regular practice the dizziness will stop, and the spin will become easy and fluid, even at very fast speeds. When you finish spinning, stand with your feet together and your hands on your hips. Take a full, deep breath, inhaling through the nose. Exhale through the mouth. Repeat the inhale and exhale, completing three full breaths and relax. The Second Tibetan Lie on your back on a mat or a rug. Your legs are fully extended, ankles flexed and touching. Arms are by your sides with the palms flat on the floor or under your buttocks if you have a weak lower back. Inhale through the nose, lift your legs to a 90-degree angle and lift your head, tucking your chin into your chest. Exhale through either your nose or mouth, bringing your legs and head down to the starting position - completely flat on the ground. Repeat the entire motion 21 times, inhaling as you raise your legs and head, exhaling as you bring them down. This posture strengthens the abdominal muscles and massages the organs. It also strengthens the digestive system and the lower back. When you are finished, stand with your feet together and your hands on hips. Take three full, deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth and then relax. Tibetan Number Three Kneel with the balls of your feet resting on the ground. Your knees are about four inches apart. Place your palms against the backs of your thighs just below the buttocks. Your spine is erect, with your chin tucked into your chest. Inhale through the nose, arching back from the waist. Lift and open the chest. Drop your head as far back as you comfortably can. Your hands will support you as you lean back. Then exhale through either the nose or mouth, as you return to the starting position. Repeat the entire motion 21 times in a steady, unbroken rhythm. This posture is beneficial for the digestive system and reproductive system. It stretches the stomach and intestine, alleviating constipation. The backward bend loosens up the vertebrae and stimulates the spinal nerves, relieving backache, lumbago, rounded back and drooping shoulders. The front of the neck is fully stretched, toning the organs in this region and stimulating the thyroid gland. When you finish, stand with your feet together and your hands on your hips. Take three full, deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. And relax. Tibetan Number Four Sit up straight with your legs out stretched in front of you. Place the palms of your hands flat on the ground beside your hips. Positioning of the hands is very important; they must be placed exactly alongside the hips. Tuck your chin into your chest. Inhaling through the nose, raise your hips as you bend your knees, bringing the soles of your feet flat to the ground and dropping your head all the way back. Exhale through either the nose or mouth as you come down to the starting position. Repeat this motion 21 times in a steady, unbroken rhythm. This posture is good for the nervous, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular and glandular systems. In women, it influences all the hormonal secretions and relieves various gynecological disorders. It also tones the spine. When you are finished, stand with feet together and hands on hips. Take three full, deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Tibetan Number Five Begin this exercise by supporting yourself on the palms of your hands and the balls of your feet. Both the arms and the legs are about two feet apart. Your head is up and back. This is called Cobra position. Keeping your arms and legs straight, inhale through the nose as you raise your buttocks and tuck your chin into your chest, bringing your body into a perfect triangle. Exhale through your nose as you swing back down to the starting position and your arms and legs do not bend at all. Repeat the entire motion 21 times in a smooth, unbroken rhythm. This posture can relocate slipped discs, remove backache and keep the spine supple and healthy. A stiff spine interferes with all nervous impulses sent from the brain to the body and vice versa so arching the spine improves circulation in the back region and tones the nerves. When you finish stand with your feet together and hands on hips. Take three full deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. When you have finished performing all five exercises relax in child pose. Let the breath be gentle and easy. Notice any new sensations in your body. And now slowly come back into easy pose. Cross your legs, close your eyes. Put your hands in Gyan Mudra and meditate. Put your hands in prayer position and tune out with mantra SAT NAM, truth is my name, long SAT and short NAM, inhale ... exhale ... inhale to begin (singing) SAT NAM. |