National Cancer Survivor Month

June’s monthly theme is Energy & Expansion

Our Focus is on Breath, Sun Salutations, Lifting Energy

Use hashtag #NationalCancerSurvivorMonth and #ChristinaPhippsFoundation to share your messages and stories about National Cancer Survivor Month

Asanas  

Standing Upward Facing Dog Flow

Begin in mountain.  Inhale the arms overhead and exhale to forward fold, bringing your hand to the floor or blocks.  Pause for a breath.  Inhale and lengthen the spine, lifting halfway; then forward fold on your exhale.  Pause for a breath and bring your hands all the way to the floor even if you need to deeply bend your knees.  On your exhale step back to plank (or tabletop if plank is not accessible).  On your next exhale slowly lower down to your belly.

Place your palms beneath your shoulders with your fingers spread wide.  On your inhale press into your hands and tops of your feet lifting the chest.  Roll your shoulders up and back and on the next inhale lift your knees.  Pause for a breath.  On your next exhale, lower your knees, press into your hands and let your hips shift back towards your heels to child’s pose.

Note: For those who are not comfortable with Upward Facing Dog feel free to replace it with Cobra by keeping the legs and feet firmly pressed into the floor.

Seated Upward Facing Dog Flow

Begin seated in the chair, as far forward as comfortable with both feet on the ground, in mountain.  Inhale the arms forward or overhead and exhale, bringing your fingertips to your knees, hinging forward from the tops of your hips into a forward fold.  Pause for a breath.  Inhale and lengthen the spine, lift halfway; then forward fold on the exhale.  Inhale lengthening the spine and bring the torso upright; on the exhale extend the arms and legs into a seated down dog.

On your inhale widen your fingers and press through the palms, lengthening the sides of the body and creating energy in the upper body.  On the exhale pull the elbows towards your wasted while pressing your chest forward (optionally you can gaze up).   Roll your shoulders up and back.  Pause for a breath.  On your next exhale hinge forward and let your fingertips rest on your knees or on blocks placed between your feet.

You can also incorporate Crescent into your Seated Sun Salutations:

Inhale arms up or shoulder height, exhale forward fold focusing on length in the spine bringing hands to your knees, inhale bringing your torso back up with arms up or shoulder height, exhale bringing arms down to sides and coming up onto your right toes (an option for some may be to flex the foot and lift the right knee or to step the right foot onto a block), inhale arms up while  the right foot comes to rest on the ground, exhale bringing hands to heart center. 

Inhale lift the arms forward and up; exhale extend the legs into a seated down dog.  On your inhale widen your fingers and press through the palms, lengthening the sides of the body and creating energy in the upper body. On the exhale pull the elbows towards your wasted while pressing your chest forward.  Roll your shoulders up and back. Pause for a breath.  On your next exhale hinge forward and let your fingertips rest on your knees or on blocks placed between the feet. Slowly roll up to mountain, bring hands to heart center and repeat on the other side.