Sun Salutation A

Mountain Pose

Stand with your feet hips distance apart. Hug the muscles of your calves to the bones, bring the top of your thighs back, tuck your tailbone, lengthen the sides of your body, chest up, shoulders back eyes soft Inhale as you raise your arms overhead, keep them shoulder width apart, fan out your fingers wide, palms facing each other.
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Tall Mountain Pose

Inhale as you raise your arms overhead, keep them shoulder width apart, fan out your fingers wide, palms facing each other.

Forward Fold

Exhale, bend from your hips, and straighten your legs. Keep your belly away from your thighs, and slowly lower your hands to the ground on either side of your feet (or for tight hamstrings keep the knees slightly bent to alleviate strain). Relax your head and neck down.

Monkey

Inhale as you slide your hands up the sides of your legs to your shins. Stick your sit bones (booty) out and roll the heads of your arm bones back to melt your heart (opening the chest).

Plank Pose

Exhale and lower your hands back to the floor, step (or hop) both feet back to come into this pose. Keep your body in one straight line as if your positioning for a high push up. Hands directly under your shoulders, fingers spread wide like a starfish, palms pressing into the mat, feet about hip distance apart. Create side body long – roll the heads of your arm bones back, drawing your shoulder blades closer to your spine. Tighten your buttocks and draw your abdomen in towards your spine so your waist doesn’t dip down.

Four-Limbed Staff (Chaturanga Dandasana)

Exhale and release and lower your body halfway down to the mat so that your upper arms are parallel with the floor.

Upward-Facing Dog

Inhale, point your toes and draw your legs together muscularly. Press your hands down and straighten your arms, to draw your spine into a backbend. Create that side body long again, lengthen your sides, shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and than roll the heads of the arm bones back. Press all ten toenails into the mat, engage your thigh muscles and lift your knees off the mat so that only your hands and the tops of your feet press into the floor.

Down Dog

Exhale as you press your hands into the mat, fingers spread apart like a starfish. Straighten your arms and lift your hips back and up, putting your body into an upside down “V” position. Your feet should be hip distance apart, arms straight and shoulder distance apart. Check out your elbows…make sure that the “pits” are facing each other. Now, melt your heart by again, rolling your arm bones back towards your spine, and opening your chest towards the floor.

Monkey

Inhale as you slide your hands up the sides of your legs to your shins. Stick your sit bones (booty) out and roll the heads of your arm bones back to melt your heart (opening the chest).

Forward Fold

Exhale, bend from your hips, and straighten your legs. Keep your belly away from your thighs, and slowly lower your hands to the ground on either side of your feet (or for tight hamstrings keep the knees slightly bent to alleviate strain). Relax your head and neck down.

Tall Mountain Pose

Inhale as you raise your arms overhead, keep them shoulder width apart, fan out your fingers wide, palms facing each other.

Mountain Pose

Stand with your feet hips distance apart. Hug the muscles of your calves to the bones, bring the top of your thighs back, tuck your tailbone, lengthen the sides of your body, chest up, shoulders back eyes soft Inhale as you raise your arms overhead, keep them shoulder width apart, fan out your fingers wide, palms facing each other.