http://www.yogajournal.com/slideshow/home-practice-re-energize-find-greater-joy/

A Home Practice to Re-Energize and Find Greater Joy

---

BY ALANNA KAIVALYA  |  NOV 3, 2016

---

	SHARE ON FACEBOOK			GET OUR NEWSLETTERS
	SHARE ON TWITTER			SHARE ON GOOGLE PLUS

The holiday hustle and bustle can leave even the calmest among us feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. This sequence is designed to help you ease tension by putting your spine through its full range of motion. Not only will these poses stretch muscles that holiday travel and stress can leave stiff, they’ll also boost your energy levels by increasing blood flow to the large muscles that support the back, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and energized.

What’s more, by moving your body in all directions around its central axis—the spine—you’ll feel more supple and free: A flexible spine clears the lines of communication between mind and body, helping you stay calm and connect with positive feelings like gratitude and joy.

• 

  Easy Pose

  Sukhasana

  Sit with your legs crossed and rest your hands on your knees. Place your left hand on your right knee and twist to the right. Inhale and lengthen your spine; exhale and tone your belly. After 5 breaths, switch sides.

  See also Leah Cullis’ Joyful Sequence: 14 Poses For the Holidays
• 

  Cat-Cow

  Come into Tabletop—on your hands and knees, with your knees under your hips, and wrists under your shoulders. Inhale, drop your belly, and arch your back. Exhale, draw your belly in, and round your back. Repeat 5 times.

  See also Move with Joy: The Power of a Playful Practice
• 

  Gate Pose, variation

  Parighasana

  Kneel and extend your right leg to the side. Reach your left hand to the sky as you slide your right hand down your right leg. Stay for a breath.

  See also 6-Step Meditation to Invoke Joy
• 

  Half Moon Pose, variation

  Ardha Chandrasana

  From Gate Pose, place your left hand on the floor. Extend your right hand and lift your right leg until it’s nearly parallel to the floor. Stay for a breath.

  See also A Home Yoga Practice to Build a Strong Back
• 

  Downward-Facing Dog Pose, variation

  Adho Mukha Svanasana

  Come to Tabletop. Tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back to Down Dog. Slowly raise your right leg to the sky, bend your right knee, and open your right hip. Relax your gaze.

  See also 6 Yoga Teachers’ Secrets for Maintaining Vital Energy
• 

  Lizard Pose

  Utthan Pristhasana

  From Downward Dog, step your right foot between your hands. Bring both hands inside your right foot, and keep your right knee over your right ankle. To go deeper into the pose, lower onto your forearms (or use a block).

  See also Mom-asana: Reserving Energy, or Making a Don’t-Do List
• 

  High Lunge

  Come out of Lizard Pose by bringing your hands back to either side of your right foot. Inhale, lift your torso, and reach your arms toward the sky.

  See also Kundalini Breathwork to Balance Stressed Energy
• 

  Half Moon Pose

  Place your right hand on the floor in front of your right foot. Straighten your right leg as you lift your left leg and then left arm into Half Moon. To come out, step your left leg back softly to High Lunge. Then, return to Downward Dog.

  See also Master the Sugar-Free Diet (and Avoid the Energy Crash)
• 

  Standing Forward Bend

  Uttanasana

  From Down Dog, step to the top of your mat and come into a forward fold, with your feet hip-width apart. Cradle your elbows in your hands and feel a release in your upper spine. Tuck your chin slightly to lengthen your neck.

  See also Align Your Chakras: Sequences + Chants to Balance the Energy Centers
• 

  Garland Pose

  Malasana

  Step your feet wider than hip-width, turn your toes out, and lower into a squat. Bring your palms together and press your upper arms into your thighs. If your heels lift, place a blanket under them for support.

  See also Q+A: Why Do I Run Out of Energy Toward the End of the Day?
• 

  Star Pose, with side stretch

  Tarasana

  Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees open. Hold your ankles with your left hand and nestle your left elbow inside your left knee. Reach your right arm over your right ear, hold for a breath, then switch sides.

  See also A Kundalini Breathing Trick to Maintain Vital Energy
• 

  Upward Plank Pose, variation

  Purvottanasana

  From Star Pose, lift your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your hips, fingers facing forward; keep your knees above your ankles, and your shoulders above your wrists. Inhale and raise your hips. Stay here for a breath, then rest.

  See also 7 Poses for a Rainy Day Energy-Boost
• 

  Reclining Bound Angle Pose

  Supta Baddha Konasana

  Lower to the floor and bring your feet together, knees apart. Turn your palms up and slow your breath. If your knees don’t touch the floor, sup- port them by placing blocks or blankets underneath them. Stay here for 5 breaths.

  See also Replenish Your Energy at an Island Yoga Retreat in Greece
• 

  Happy Baby Pose

  Ananda Balasana

  Hug your knees to your chest and take your hands behind each knee (or use your hands
  to grab the outer edges of your feet). Release your knees toward your armpits and relax your tailbone toward the floor. Stay here for 5 breaths.

  See also 6 Energy-Boosting Foods
• 

  Revolved Abdomen Pose

  Jathara Parivartanasana

  Bring your right knee into your chest and lengthen your left leg out in front of you.
  To twist, bring your right knee across your body to the left side of your mat; place your left hand on your right thigh, and extend your right arm to the right at shoulder height. Gaze at the ceiling or, if it feels OK for your neck, toward your right shoulder. Stay here for 5 breaths, then switch sides.

  See also Mind-Body Energy Refresh
• 

  Corpse Pose

  Savasana

  Roll up a blanket and slide it under your knees. Lie back and relax deeply. Feel free to place
  a pillow under your head for support, or cover yourself with a blanket for warmth. Stay here for 5 minutes—or longer, if possible.

  See also Calm Energy Morning Makeover

1 of 16

• • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

1 of 3

---

	SHARE ON GOOGLE PLUS			GET OUR NEWSLETTERS
	SHARE ON TWITTER			SHARE ON FACEBOOK

Related Yoga Topics

ADVANCED YOGA SEQUENCES

BEGINNERS' YOGA SEQUENCES

INTERMEDIATE YOGA SEQUENCES

POSES FOR YOUR SPINE

YOGA SEQUENCES

http://www.caandesign.com/two-beams-four-pillars-house-yuri-vital/

Two beams and four pillars House by Yuri Vital

Architects: Yuri Vital
Location: Tibau do Sul beach, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Year: 2016
Area: 2.368 ft²/ 220 m²
Photo courtesy: Nelson Kon
Description:

“Through the different levels and the opposing elements, we got a very rich spatiality, I think we reach the goal. Any place in the house has three essential items: view, ventilation and natural lighting.

The idea was to create a home with a new concept, I think that the breaking of paradigms was important to design something innovative.

Supported only by two beams and four pillars, the house projected by the architect Yuri Vital in Tibau do Sul beach, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil stands out for its design and innovation, allied at an affordable cost.

The one(1) floor residence is disposed in two pavilions with 1.5m in height between them, connected by a set of stairs, allowing the ocean and nature view from any space. A void at the bottom, which is formed due to the difference of levels, works as a space of recreation, parties and meetings or simply as a room to rest .

Over the front pavilion and through stairs there is a solarium, where the sea view is even more privileged, by the observer, being above the level of the tree; tree, that generates a shade in the lower pavilion, using the nature in favor of the house.

Built with resistant materials in order to reduce the maintenance, this house will be perpetuated during its lifetime, without major investments, cause we barely used concrete, glass, treated wood and anticorrosive metal, that compound the spatiality and volume of the Two beam house.”

            

Thank you for reading this article!