Hold the position for five minutes. If the feet fall asleep, slide the feet down the wall toward the hips, with knees bent over abdomen.
Rabbit (Hare) Pose: For Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana), begin in a child’s yoga position kneeling down and then lowering your buttocks to sit on your lower leg and feet. With your arms on the sides, lower your torso on your thighs, as you bring your head down on the floor.
Press your forehead slightly on your knees and extend your arms backward and hold onto the base of your feet. Give your heels a firm hold and then take a deep breath. Roll onto the top of the head, lifting the elbows. The top of the head is on the floor, but more of the body weight is supported by the hands. Hold for twelve slow breaths. At the end of this book, I will suggest several excellent books on yoga that explain this and many other poses in great detail.
If you have a spare minute while sitting at your desk, or watching a movie, you can also try these facial muscle rejuvenating yoga exercises, developed by Paul Smith for this book:
Eye Yoga Exercise : For the eye exercise, hold your head steady, and then shift your eyes seven times each in each direction: right-left; up-down; upper right lower left; upper left-lower right; clockwise circles; counter-clockwise circles; then touch the thumb to the tip of the nose, focus on the thumb while slowly reaching the arm forward to full arm’s length, then focus on the far wall, then back to thumb, then bring thumb to nose—seven times total.
Facial Lift Yoga Exercise : Squeeze the muscles of your face in toward your nose and close your eyes tightly, then open your mouth and eyes widely, spreading out all the muscles of the face. Repeat several times. You can do the facial yoga exercises even when stuck in traffic or waiting in a queue (although the Facial Lift Yoga Exercise may cause a few surprised glances from people nearby). But for the best antistress bang for your fitness buck, head to the park or any other green open space. Even a five-minute workout in the open air is proven to improve your mental fitness. Any open space will give your mood a lift, but green lawns near water are most favorable.
Antistress Massage : Self-massage is the quickest and easiest way to boost your energy levels and dissolve tension at the end of a difficult day. The following massage technique from a massage therapist Suzy Amato will boost your circulation and revive your tense facial muscles. You can add a few drops of the Face Relief Oil below to your fingertips for increased smoothness, and to invigorate the skin.
FACE RELIEF OIL
Essential oils in this recipe are rich in a substance called eugenol, which works as an antistress phytochemical. Eugenol may cause a release of stress-busting neurotransmitters and help combat negative effects of chronic stress. 34 Please keep in mind that eugenol can cause skin sensitivity, so it is very important to cleanse your face thoroughly after massaging if you suspect you may be allergic to any of the recipe components. If you think you may be sensitive to eugenol, please do a patch test first. Dilute the essential oil with base oil (1 drop essential oil to 10 drops of the base oil), and then dab the mixture slightly into the crease of your arm. If no irritation occurs within 24 hours, feel free to explore this recipe.
Ingredients
3.3 oz. (100 ml) cup jojoba or grapeseed oil
5 drops melissa essential oil
2 drops clove essential oil
2 drops nutmeg essential oil
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
Method
Combine all ingredients in a glass (not plastic!) bottle and shake well. Store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months.
Eye Awake . Sit with your shoulders relaxed, hands placed on your thighs. Close your eyes and firmly press your eyelids together. Do not squint. Count to three, then open your eyes and count to three again. Repeat five times.
Face Tap . Using fingertips saturated with Face Relief Oil, gently tap your face starting at the
Rabbit (Hare) Pose: For Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana), begin in a child’s yoga position kneeling down and then lowering your buttocks to sit on your lower leg and feet. With your arms on the sides, lower your torso on your thighs, as you bring your head down on the floor.
Press your forehead slightly on your knees and extend your arms backward and hold onto the base of your feet. Give your heels a firm hold and then take a deep breath. Roll onto the top of the head, lifting the elbows. The top of the head is on the floor, but more of the body weight is supported by the hands. Hold for twelve slow breaths. At the end of this book, I will suggest several excellent books on yoga that explain this and many other poses in great detail.
If you have a spare minute while sitting at your desk, or watching a movie, you can also try these facial muscle rejuvenating yoga exercises, developed by Paul Smith for this book:
Eye Yoga Exercise : For the eye exercise, hold your head steady, and then shift your eyes seven times each in each direction: right-left; up-down; upper right lower left; upper left-lower right; clockwise circles; counter-clockwise circles; then touch the thumb to the tip of the nose, focus on the thumb while slowly reaching the arm forward to full arm’s length, then focus on the far wall, then back to thumb, then bring thumb to nose—seven times total.
Facial Lift Yoga Exercise : Squeeze the muscles of your face in toward your nose and close your eyes tightly, then open your mouth and eyes widely, spreading out all the muscles of the face. Repeat several times. You can do the facial yoga exercises even when stuck in traffic or waiting in a queue (although the Facial Lift Yoga Exercise may cause a few surprised glances from people nearby). But for the best antistress bang for your fitness buck, head to the park or any other green open space. Even a five-minute workout in the open air is proven to improve your mental fitness. Any open space will give your mood a lift, but green lawns near water are most favorable.
Antistress Massage : Self-massage is the quickest and easiest way to boost your energy levels and dissolve tension at the end of a difficult day. The following massage technique from a massage therapist Suzy Amato will boost your circulation and revive your tense facial muscles. You can add a few drops of the Face Relief Oil below to your fingertips for increased smoothness, and to invigorate the skin.
FACE RELIEF OIL
Essential oils in this recipe are rich in a substance called eugenol, which works as an antistress phytochemical. Eugenol may cause a release of stress-busting neurotransmitters and help combat negative effects of chronic stress. 34 Please keep in mind that eugenol can cause skin sensitivity, so it is very important to cleanse your face thoroughly after massaging if you suspect you may be allergic to any of the recipe components. If you think you may be sensitive to eugenol, please do a patch test first. Dilute the essential oil with base oil (1 drop essential oil to 10 drops of the base oil), and then dab the mixture slightly into the crease of your arm. If no irritation occurs within 24 hours, feel free to explore this recipe.
Ingredients
3.3 oz. (100 ml) cup jojoba or grapeseed oil
5 drops melissa essential oil
2 drops clove essential oil
2 drops nutmeg essential oil
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
Method
Combine all ingredients in a glass (not plastic!) bottle and shake well. Store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months.
Eye Awake . Sit with your shoulders relaxed, hands placed on your thighs. Close your eyes and firmly press your eyelids together. Do not squint. Count to three, then open your eyes and count to three again. Repeat five times.
Face Tap . Using fingertips saturated with Face Relief Oil, gently tap your face starting at the
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