Yoga for relaxation + self love

 
Yoga for relaxation, health + self love with Nikki Ayres

This week we have a relaxation yoga sequence you can complete at home from Nikki Ayres. Nikki is a health coach, yoga instructor and is just full of goodness. I've had the pleasure of attending a number of her classes and I always leave feeling renewed and inspired- about life, what I can achieve + I always remember just how much I love yoga! 

Nikki has completed a 200HR Yoga Teacher Qualification, Certified Holistic Health Coach: Institute of Integrative Nutrition, Diploma of Business and is a Qualified SUP Instructor! See what I mean about inspiring!?

You'll find the sequence at the bottom of the page, but first, meet Nikki!

What do you do to nourish naturally?

Nourishing my skin starts from within, for years i struggled with acne in my teens and early twenties, and linked it to my diet. I was filling my body with foods that dimmed my glow and left me looking bumpy and BLAH. So I switched the highly processed, high in sugar foods for whole foods and cranked up the dosage of my water intake and over time my skin started to heal. I realized that the toxic waste I was putting into my body was doing harm but also the toxins I was lathering on my skin was only leaving it dry, itchy and irritated. So now I stick to an all natural skin care routine that involves ocean swims (salt water is my saving grace), and sometimes I use the grainy sand from the beach mixed with a touch of coconut oil to give myself a nourishing facial scrub. 6 months ago i discovered Delicious Skin and fell in love with the products, my skin glows and I rarely wear make up any more.  

What do you do to nourish your soul?

I feel that tending to your soul should happen on a daily basis, just as important as brushing your teeth or having a shower, you need to nourish your soul and give it the attention it truly needs. For me its a mixture of things, rituals and practices. My morning meditation is a non negotiable, I sit in silence and connect in with my breathe, sometimes for 5 minutes and some times for 30 minutes, all I know is it helps me filter the funk and gets me connected to my inner intuition. A few other tools I use to nourish the soul is, a juicy yoga practice, EFT (emotional freedom technique) also known as "Tapping", getting the pen to paper and journaling and one of my most favorite acts of nourishment and to fire up the inspiration from with in is putting on some fun loose yourself beats and having a big old boogie (with the bra off) movement and dance is so releasing and its just so god damn FUN!!    

Yoga for relaxation sequence

Childs pose

Childs Pose : Balasna 

  • Kneeling on the floor bring your toes touching and knees wide, draw your bottom down onto the back of your heels. 
  • Walk your hands in front and lay your torso down between your knees. 
  • Rest your third eye down to the yoga mat, palms facing down. 

Benefits 

  • Stretches the hips, thighs and ankles 
  • Relives back pain and neck pain 
  • Helps relive stress and fatigue 
Bound angle pose

BOUND ANGLE POSE: BADDHA KONASANA

  • Starting in a seated position, bring the soles of your feet together
  • Bring the heels as close as you can to the pelvis 
  • Interlace the hands with the feet, inhale lengthen through the torso. 
  • Exhale, keep the shoulders broad and start to bring the torse down toward your feel.
  • Chin slightly tucked towards the chest and breathe. 

Benefits 

  • Improves the circulation in the body
  • Stretches the inner groined, thighs and knees
  • Stimulates the abdominal organs
Downward facing dog

DOWNWARD-FACING DOG: ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA

  • Starting on your knees set your feet hip width apart, arms shoulder width apart
  • Take your knees of the ground and send flex your tail bone into the sky, making a high “V”
  • Chin into your chest, gazing at your belly button, releasing the neck. 
  • Push your top thighs back and stretch your heels towards the earth. 
  • Firm your shoulder blades towards your back then widen them and draw them toward the tail bone. 

Benefits

  • Energises the body
  • Helps stimulate the digestive system
  • Improves circulation around the body
  • Stretches shoulders, hamstring, calves, arches and hands. 
  • Calms the brain and relives stress and fatigue 
Low lunge

LOW LUNGE: ANJANEYASANA

  • Starting in Downward Dog, step your right foot forward between your hands. 
  • Lower the left knee to the ground and uncurl the left toes
  • Keep the right knee fixed and bring the torso upright
  • Lift your arms to the sky and draw the tail bone down towards the floor and lift your pubic bone towards your navel. 
  • Take your head back and look up
  • Repeat opposite side

Benefits

  • Stretches hips, groin, hamstrings and quads 
  • Releases tention and tightness in the hips
  • Relives lower back pain
  • Strengthens the knees
  • Builds mental focus 
Gate pose

Gate Pose: Parighasana

  • Starting in a kneeling position, step the right leg out to the right, leg straight and foot slightly pointed in towards the body. 
  • Rest the right hand on the right leg
  • Inhale the left arm up towards the sky, arm extended beyond the ear and palm facing downwards
  • Press the hips open and gaze up beyond the left armpit

Benefits

  • Stretches the side torso, spine and hamstring 
  • Relives stress, anxiety and mild depression within the body 
  • Opens the shoulders
  • Stimulates abdominal organs and lungs 

Love your self like a full time job, because you are worth it,  because you are the only YOU and we are all designed to feel incredibly amazing - Nikki Ayres

Find out more about Nikki

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That beautiful yoga mat is from the genius's over at Kamuka

 
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