Yoga for Gardeners

Per request of a client, I have been asked to write about yoga style of stretching for the gardener. 

Since I am still learning as much as I can about Yoga, I had to look up a few names. I know a lot of the moves and the correct form of the ones that I do know but still learning the names. Heck, I still learn names of exercises on a regular basis......Life is a world of knowledge. If you close the door to learning, you close your options to the world. 

The first two exercises that go hand in hand with each other is a very basic yoga move. Cat and Cow.  Once you are in each move, you want to breathe slowly. About a 4 count. ie. inhale, 2, 3, 4 - exhale, 2, 3, 4. Do a few of those and really focus on your breathing as you are doing this. If you are doing it outside, listen to your breath, the birds chirping, or whatever else that is in your environment. You want to take it all in. Enjoy it. 

Next move is the Bird Dog move. Press back with your left heel and reach with your right hand. Feel this in your flexed foot at the heel area. Really reach out through your fingertips. Hold for a breath and then repeat 5 times on each side. 

Uttanasana (those crazy yoga words) --- Get into a standing position. Reach your arms around your back and then with soft (slightly bent) knees, hinge forward at the hips. Repeat your breathing technique and try to lift your arms up to the sky with each exhale. Hold for two or three breaths and then hinge back up to standing position. Repeat 4- 5 times. You should feel this in your hamstrings (back of your legs) and possibly into your calves as well as in your shoulders and upper arm area. 

Relax your arms and shake them out loosely.  After you are back to your comfort space, grasp your hands behind your back again and lean back and open your heart to the sky. Breathe. Let the sun envelope you. 

Don't forget to breathe! Very critical in all aspects of exercise. By practicing yoga regularly, your breathing will come easy with all other exercises and your daily life. 

I hope you feel refreshed before and after your gardening. You can do these exercises any time you feel "tight" and want to relax your body. There are many more......Soon to come! 

Nameste 

I AM BACK!

I am back! I am more than happy to be back. I tried out a new website and got very bored with it very quickly. I would much rather do my own thing on my own page and just have fun. This is what I like and this is what I do. I am cool with that. This was supposed to be me time and it turned into work. THAT, I didn't like. 

Been in Arizona for over a year now. Love living here. Have made some amazing friends and started a great job and have moved around the company quickly already. My year mark with MSF is this month - dang, that went fast!

Here is my only thing that I have to complain about --- I haven't hit pavement in months! My job keeps me busy and so does my family. It has been hard finding the time to get out there and run. In the middle of the summer, you can't run just any time during the day. It has to be early - and I mean EARLY morning or late - and I mean LATE - in the evening to run. I get up most mornings before the sun comes over the Earth, and it's already in the 80's. All day long, sits in the 100's. Evenings are still in the 100's until late at night. Since, I am not a night person, early morning is my only option. That's when I get most of my detailed work accomplished. 

I am not a treadmill runner. It doesn't give me the same high so it doesn't fulfill my needs. I guess I am just going to wait it out until fall. It will be here before we know it. 

I think I am going to get back into cooking and posting recipes up on this blog. That was fun! I think my viewers enjoyed it also. Any other suggestions of what you would like to see on here? I can even get my YouTube videos on here from my latest site. There were a few good exercise techniques on there. 

Anyway, just wanted to say HI and let all you googlers know that I am back to have some fun!