Critical Instances

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  Airplane

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Mountain. Inhale and raise your arms over your head. Exhale and spread your arms out to shoulder height and bend forward, hinging at the hips. Draw your shoulder blades together. Pull energy from your chest to your fingertips. Look down at the floor. Visualize a light or energy moving from your tailbone through the top of your head. Keep your back neutral. Your palms should face the floor. If needed, bend the ... Read More

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  Boat

  Mary Myers

  Begin in staff pose, exhale and bend your knees to your chest. Bring your hands as close to your hips as possible, hugging your arms to your sides. Bend your elbows and begin to recline the torso back with the spine straight. Feel the balance starting in the hip joint. Keep your spine long and lifted. Engage your abdominals and thigh muscles and lift your left off the floor. Balance here between your sits ... Read More

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  Bow

  Mary Myers

  From a prone position with the chest resting on the floor, bend the knees so the low legs are perpendicular to the floor. Inhale and extend the hands back toward the feet while lifting the chest off the floor. Wrap the hands around the outside of the feet or ankles. Press the front of the pelvis toward the floor to lengthen the low back. Squeeze the shoulder blades together to open the fronts of ... Read More

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  Bridge

  Mary Myers

  From a supine position, bend the knees and bring the heels toward the hips, with the feet hip-width apart and parallel. Knees should point in the direction of the toes (forward). Reach the hands toward the heels.Tuck the pelvis under to lengthen the low back against the floor. Press the backs of your shoulders against the floor, and lengthen the back of your neck. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale, peel the hips and back off ... Read More

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  Camel

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a kneeling position with the knees hip-width apart. Curl the toes under so the heels are lifted. Place your hands one your hips and squeeze the elbows and shoulder blades together. Press your hands against the top of your pelvis to gently push the hips slightly forward. Your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor. Inhale and lifts the ribs and chest as you press your pelvis forward a little more. Hands ... Read More

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  Cat & Cow

  Mary Myers

  Begin on your hands and knees in an all fours position (Table Top). Hands should be in alignment with shoulders and knees hip-width apart. As you inhale, let the spine curve downward, dropping the abdomen slowly and slightly elevating the head.

  As you exhale, move into the cat pose by reversing the bend. Tilt the pelvis up, draw the spine up and pull the chest and stomach in to form an arch. Flow smoothly ... Read More

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  Chair

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Mountain pose with the feet together and parallel. Inhale and raise your hands overhead. Feel your ribcage expand. Press your palms together, although you may also keep your hands shoulder-width apart if you feel that is more comfortable for you. Draw your shoulders down, keeping your chest lifted. Continue to stretch your tailbone down. On the next exhalation, bend your hips and knees. Try to keep your hips aligned behind your heels ... Read More

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  Child's pose

  Mary Myers

  Kneel on the floor.Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of ... Read More

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  Cobra

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Crocodile. Point your fingers forward and press the upper portion of the arms into your sides. Move your shoulder blades toward your hips and you’re your pelvis under to lengthen the spine. Press your hips into the floor and keep your legs active and pressing toward your toes. Inhale and lift the chest forward and up. Feel your ribcage move away from your hips. Reach the crown of your head up. As ... Read More

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  Crescent Lunge

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, step your left foot forward into a lunge, and keep your back leg straight or drop it down to the floor. Inhale and lift your torso up and bring your hands to your hips or Namaste. Scoop your tailbone down and draw your lower abdominal region in and up. Square hips and shoulders forward. Inhale and raise your arms over your head. Draw your shoulders away from your ears ... Read More

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  Crocodile

  Mary Myers

  Begin in plank. Weight should be evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Roll your elbow so that the eye or inner elbow is facing forward. Press the palms into the floor and align with the shoulders. Begin to slowly bend the elbows. Exhale and lower the body down toward the floor and remain a few inches above it. Go where you feel you are most comfortably challenged and can still breathe smoothly. Squeeze ... Read More

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  Dead Bug

  Mary Myers

  Begin in supine position. Inhale and draw knees into chest. Open the knees and bring them towards the armpits. Stack each ankle directly over the knee, so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor. Flex the feet and hold the outer edges of the feet. Exhale and draw the knees towards the floor.

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  Dog-N-Fire Hydrant

  Mary Myers

  Begin on your hands and knees. Align your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. The fold of your wrists should be parallel with the top edge of your mat. Point your middle fingers directly to the top edge of your mat. Stretch your elbows and relax your upper back. Spread your fingers wide and press firmly through your palms and knuckles. Distribute your weight evenly across your hands. ... Read More

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  Dolphin

  Mary Myers

  Start on your hands and knees. Keep your legs about hip-width apart. Your middle fingers should be parallel, pointing straight ahead. Exhale and bend your arm at the elbow so to press the forearm into the mat. Hands may remain extended from the elbow or close together. Inhale and curl your toes under, as if getting ready to stand on your toes. Exhale and lift your knees off of the mat. Strive for straight ... Read More

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  Down Dog

  Mary Myers

  Start on your hands and knees. Keep your legs about hip-width apart. Your middle fingers should be parallel, pointing straight ahead. Roll your elbow so that the eye or inner elbow is facing forward. Inhale and curl your toes under, as if getting ready to stand on your toes. Exhale and straighten your legs; push upward with your arms. The goal is to lengthen the spine while keeping your legs straight and your feet ... Read More

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  Forward Fold

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Mountain. Inhale and raise your arms over your head. Exhale as you bend forward at the hips. Continue to exhale, bringing the arms forward and descending the body beginning with the head dropping forward, followed by the upper back, continuing along the spine until you are hanging forward. Breathe easily as you hang. Your fingers may or may not touch the floor. Relax your arms and let them hang. Hold. Use an ... Read More

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  Frog

  Mary Myers

  Begin in child’s pose. Inhale and extend one arm at a time and come down onto your forearms. Exhale. Inhale and walk or slide the knees as wide as the heels, but still sitting on the heels. Keep your ankles and feet in line. The knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle, with the ankles straight below. Exhale. The closer your knees are to your elbows, and the farther the knees are apart, ... Read More

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  Half Moon

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Triangle pose on the right side and move your feet 4 – 6 inches closer. While extending the upper body, bend the right knee and bring your right hand down to the floor in front of your toes. Turn your head to look at your right foot and watch that you keep the right knee aligned with the right foot. Avoid rolling the knees inward. Breathe deeply in this position for a ... Read More

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  Happy Baby

  Mary Myers

  Begin in supine position. Inhale and draw knees into chest. Open the knees and bring them towards the armpits. Stack each ankle directly over the knee, so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor. Flex the feet and hold the outer edges of the feet. Exhale and draw the knees towards the floor. Gently roll side to side.

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  Hero

  Mary Myers

  Kneel on the floor with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, and touch your inner knees together. Angle your big toes slightly in toward each other and press the top of each foot evenly on the floor. Exhale and sit back halfway, with your torso leaning slightly forward. Wedge your thumbs into the backs of your knees and draw the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. Then sit down between ... Read More

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  King Dancer

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Mountain pose with the feet together and parallel. Inhale and bend your right knee and bring your right foot toward your gluteals. Reach back and hold on to your right foot or ankle with your right hand. Firmly press the tailbone down toward the ground and begin to point your right knee backwards while keeping your hips squared. Your thighs remain close together so that your bent knee does not rotate. Continue ... Read More

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  Locust

  Mary Myers

  Lie prone (on your belly) with your arms along the sides of your torso, palms up, forehead resting on the floor. Turn your big toes toward each other to inwardly rotate your thighs, and firm your buttocks so your coccyx presses toward your pubis. Exhale and lift your head, upper torso, arms, and legs away from the floor. You’ll be resting on your lower ribs, belly, and front pelvis. Firm your buttocks and reach ... Read More

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  Monkey

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Forward fold and press your palms or fingertips into the floor beside your feet. Inhale and straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, finding as much length between your pubic bone and navel as possible. With your palms (or fingertips) push down and back against the floor, and lift the top of your sternum up (away from the floor) and forward. To help arch the back, bend your ... Read More

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  Pigeon

  Mary Myers

  Begin in down dog. Slide your right knee forward to the back of your right wrist; at the same time angle your right shin under your torso and bring your right foot to the front of your left knee. The outside of your right shin will now rest on the floor. Slowly slide your left leg back, straightening the knee and descending the front of the thigh to the floor. Lower the outside of ... Read More

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  Plank

  Mary Myers

  Begin in Down Dog. Weight should be evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Roll your elbow so that the eye or inner elbow is facing forward. Move the body forward as a unit, on the inhale unit the shoulders are over the hands, keeping the palms on the floor. Lower the hips into alignment with the spine. Imagine pressing the floor away from your chest. This action helps to keep your upper back ... Read More