Cup Of Tea And Yoga

For those of you who think you have to be an open space and on a yoga mat to do yoga, think again. You can practice yoga any time and anywhere. I even manage to fit in a bit of yoga while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil!

Here are a few of my teatime specials …

1. Pranamasana

• Stand with your feet together firmly on the ground with equal weight on both feet.
• Inhale and exhale and bring your palms together at the centre of your chest.

2. Hasta Uttanasana

• Inhale and take your arms up and back
• Arch your back and bring your head between your arms with your palms facing each other.

3. Padahastasana

• Exhale and stretch down from your hips, bending your upper body down from the waist and bringing your hands to the floor
• Your toes and fingers are in line and your head is touching your knees or you are looking towards your thighs (depending on your flexibility)
• You can also bend your knees a little if you’re not too flexible
• Sometimes I’ll grab my elbows and swing my arms from side to side and then release my elbows and just let my arms hang. It all depends on how I’m feeling on that particular day or in that particular moment.

4. Tadasana

• Slowly uncurl your spine vertebrae by vertebrae with your neck being the last part of your body to uncurl, stand up straight and tall in Tadasana.

5. Side Stretch

• From Tadasana, stretch your arms up to the ceiling and grab your right wrist with your left hand and stretch to the right.
• Come back to centre and then grab your left wrist with your right hand while stretching to the left.

6. Shoulder Rolls

• Standing up straight with your arms by your sides gently lift your shoulders to your ears and roll your shoulders back and forth in circular motion for 4 repetitions.
• Then reverse the action by going in the opposite direction for 4 repetitions.

Whenever and wherever you practice yoga it’s not about how much time you have it’s about how well you use the time you have. Even if you only have time for one asana, give it your full attention focusing your mind and your body and take into consideration how you’re feeling and how your body is feeling in that moment. And, if you are doing yoga in the kitchen remember safety first … don’t get too close to that kettle and be aware of your surroundings making sure that you don’t bump into any kitchen cupboards!