DAY 5 – SUNNY SALUTATIONS

​

WARNING! This is not about flexibility or a “good stretch”. This is all about strength and mobility, if done properly.

​

What Is One Stone

​

1 Stone = 1 round of the following:

• 1 Sun Salutation on the right side with 10 reps of Reclined Warrior to Bent Knee Triangle

• 1 Sun Salutation on the left side with 10 reps of Reclined Warrior to Bent Knee Triangle

 

THE RIGHT SIDE OF 1 STONE (i.e. HALF A STONE)

​

Below describes only the right side of 1 stone. Make sure you do both sides in order to complete 1 stone.

• Start in standing with your feet at hip distance apart or so.

• Inhale arms up, slight back bend, exhale forward fold.

• Create a flat back squeezing your shoulder blades together and forward fold again.

• Bring your right leg back and set the foot flat on the floor, at about a 45 degree angle. Extend your arms forward and back, making them parallel to the ground, palms facing the ground for your Warrior II (details below).

• As you inhale, turn your front palm to face the sky and reach up and back, lowering your back arm on your back thigh for the Reclined Warrior (details below). Keep your front knee in a lunge at all times.

• As you exhale, turn your palms to face away from you and reach down and up with equal strength, still keeping your lunge. This is your Bent Knee Triangle (details below).

• Repeat the following flow 10 times staying in your lunge:

  • Inhale coming up into your Reclined Warrior.

  • Exhale lowering into Bent Knee Triangle

• After the 10th time return into your Warrior II.

• Windmill down, pivot into your back toes and bring your left leg back into your Plank pose (high push-up position). You may rest the knees on the ground if you need to.

• Keeping your elbows by your sides, lower into your Chatturanga (low pushup position, details below).

• Inhale into your Updog or Cobra position, and exhale into your Downdog position. (Details for all three below.)

• Bring your right leg all the way forward, foot in between your hands and if it does not reach on its own, use your hand to grab it and bring it forward.

• Bring your left leg forward into your forward fold.

• With your knees bent, and your stomach tight, inhale all the way up, extending your arms to the sky and then lower them by your side.

 

You just completed a half stone. Repeat the above sequence, bringing your left leg back this time.

 

After completing the left leg side, you now have 1 Stone done and 9 more to go.

 

THE WARRIOR II – LEFT LEG FORWARD

Our Warrior II is all about the glutes and the legs. The Warrior II lunge is the foundation for the Reclined Warrior and Bent Knee Triangle. Make sure you get it solid.

​

• Set your back foot flat on the floor, with the toes pointing at about a 45-degree angle.

• Straighten your back knee pushing through the outside of the foot. Pretend you are lifting the thigh muscles. This way you are using the strength of the right side of the butt, while taking pressure off your back knee.

• Your front knee is bent so that your front thigh is as parallel to the ground as possible. Keep your toes pointing straight forward and your front knee right above the heel. Push your front heel onto the ground feeling the left side of the butt.

• Your upper body is raised towards the sky, with your shoulders down and back, away from the ears.

• Extend your left arm forward and your right arm back, palms facing the floor. Squeeze your fingertips together to engage more of your triceps.

• To get the most benefits out of this pose, keep your hips as low as possible. Keeping your hips low and your lunge deep is also assisting you to stay more balanced.

• Keep your chin and your gaze slightly up.

• Look towards the direction that makes your neck comfortable and helps you stay balanced.

 

THE RECLINED WARRIOR – LEFT LEG FORWARD

Our Reclined Warrior is all about the glutes and the legs.

• While in the Warrior II, lower your left arm on your back thigh (right) and extend your left arm up, over your head and back, working your oblique muscles.

• Keep your neck relaxed looking towards wherever it make it happy.

• Keep the back leg straight and the back foot still turned in at about 45 degrees.

• Activate the back thigh, and keep pushing through the outside of the back foot, activating the right side of the glutes.

• Keep the front leg into a deep lunge, and keep pushing the front heel on the floor activating the left side of the glutes.

• Keep your shoulders away from your ears.

 

THE BENT KNEE TRIANGLE – LEFT LEG FORWARD

Our Bent Knee Triangle is all about the glutes and the legs.

• While in the Warrior II, turn both palms to face away from you.

• Reach down with the left arm and up with the right arm, extending with equal strength in both directions, keeping your chest as open as possible. Squeeze your fingertips together to engage more of your triceps.

• Do not let your bottom hand touch the ground, and do not apply pressure on your left leg with your left arm. Use your core for strength, not your legs or the floor for leverage.

• Keep the back leg straight and the back foot still turned in at about 45 degrees.

• Activate the back thigh, and keep pushing through the outside of the back foot, activating the right side of the glutes.

• Keep the front leg into a deep lunge, and keep pushing the front heel on the floor activating the left side of the glutes.

• Your shoulders should be down and back, away from the ears.

• Keep your chin and your gaze slightly up.

• If it feels good on your neck, look up towards the sky, otherwise look wherever it makes your neck comfortable and helps you stay balanced.

 

THE CHATURANGA (LOW PUSH UP)

• Starting in our Plank pose with your knees on or off the floor.

• Tighten your whole core (yes, that includes your butt), bend your arms, and keeping your elbows by your sides, lower your upper body as close to the ground as you can, only allowing your chest and chin to touch the ground (if needed), not your abdominal area or your hips.

• Your goal is for your whole body, to be as straight as a staff, hovering about 1/2 – 1″ off the ground without any pressure on your lower back.

• Keep your hands right underneath your shoulders.

• Keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible.

• Keep your toes tucked under.

• Your knees can be on or off the ground.

• If your knees are on the floor, then your whole body, from your knees to the top of your head should be as straight as a staff, and hovering about 1/2 – 1″ off the ground without any pressure on your lower back.

• If this is still too challenging for you, you can allow your chest and chin to touch the floor for support. Your hips should still stay off the ground, hovering about 1/2 – 1″ off the ground.

 

THE COBRA

• From our Chaturanga (Low Push Up Pose), with your knees on or off the floor, keeping your elbows by your sides, squeeze your glutes as much as you can, brace the rest of your core and raise your upper body towards the sky.

• Keep your knees and thighs and feet on the floor.

• Now loosen up your glutes to take pressure off your lower back.

• Your toes can be tucked under or have the top of the feet on the floor. Depends on how the ground feels against your feet.

• Your arms can be bent or straight, depending on how much of an arch feels good on your lower back. The straighter the arms, the more intense the back bend.

• Keep your elbows close to your body.

• Keep your hands flat on the floor underneath your shoulders, spreading the fingers apart.

• Using your hands and your upper body strength, push the floor away from you.

• Keep your shoulders down and back, away from your ears.

• To avoid unnecessary pressure on your neck, look up with your eyes, not with your neck.

 

THE UPWARD FACING DOG

 

The only difference between Upward Facing Dog and Cobra is that your knees, thighs and hips are all off the ground.

​

THE DOWNWARD FACING DOG

• From the Upward Facing Dog or Cobra, without shifting your hands and feet, raise your hips as high up towards the sky as you can, creating an inverted V formation with your body and fully extending your spine.

• Make sure there is no pressure on your neck, so keep your gaze where it feels good for your neck.

• Your heels do not have to touch the floor.

• Work towards extending your legs as long as there is no pressure on your lower back.

• Focus on engaging the outside of your thighs, as if the ground is pulling them away from each other.

• Keep pressing your hands onto your ground just like in our Plank pose.

• Spread your shoulder blades apart and using your upper body, pretend your are pushing the ground away from you.

 

The Day 5 Assignment Summary

​

Perform 10 Stones, i.e. 10 rounds of the following:

​

• 1 Sun Salutation on the right side with 10 reps of Reclined Warrior to Bent Knee Triangle

• 1 Sun Salutation on the left side with 10 reps of Reclined Warrior to Bent Knee Triangle

​

While performing the daily assignment, please keep in mind that part of the 10-Stone™ Series is teaching us the art of persistence. The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

​

You can perform all 10 Stones (rounds) in one series or throughout the day if need be.

​

At the end of the day, you will have performed 100 reps of Reclined Warrior to Bent Knee Triangle on each leg! Congrats!!

 

Disclaimer

Don’t do anything a medical doctor has told you not to do.

​