My troupemate requested this practice last time we got a big snow, and I've finally gotten around to writing up this practice. We just got majorly dumped on, and although I have the good fortune to have an awesome HOA that shovels straight up to my doorstep, I still had to help my husband dig out his car from the communal lot. Here's a short asana sequence I cooked up that will stretch out and restore your overworked shoulders and back:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Always a good place to start. Shake out your fingers and wrists to open them up and get some fresh blood in there. Reach one hand out, palm away from you, fingers toward the floor. Use your other hand to pull your fingers back, stretching the forearm, wrist, and bicep. Repeat with the other arm.

Utkatasana (Chair or Mighty Pose)for 5 full breaths.
Yes, I know you're tired but this will warm you up quick!

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Soften your knees and allow your back to round. Walk your hands up your shins if it's too much on your back.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Melt your heart towards the floor. Five breaths or more.

Balasana (Child's Pose)
Widen your knees so your torso and forehead can come all the way down, making your spine as long and round as possible. Hang out here as long as you like.

Seated Shoulder Openers
Press your hips back over over your heels and sit in Virasana (Hero's Pose) Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt) or Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Interlace your hands behind your back. Squeeze your shoulderblades and elbows together, then, as you lift your heart, lengthen your hands down towards the floor. Hold for a few breaths. Bend your elbows and take your hands to one side of your waist. Squeeze the elbows together and hold, then take it to the other side.

Gomukhasana (Cow Faced Pose)
Feel free to skip the hips, if you're not feeling it.

Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose).
Just because it feels good.

Jathara Parivarttanasana (Revolved Belly Pose
Lie down and take a nice and easy supine twist.

When you're ready, peel yourself off the floor and have a cup of something hot!

In the new year we often find ourselves reevaluating our place in life, searching for new perspectives, and setting new goals. It's strange that we do this by the calendar year, because these coldest, darkest days can be the most difficult time to find motivation to do anything at all!

Amy put in a request over the holidays for energizing sequences to beat the post-holiay meal slump. Here's a heat-building sequence with lots of twists to freshen your spirit as you warm your body up! Twists are also great for those of us who tried to eat our weight in chocolate chip cookies over the holidays, as they help regulate digestion by giving all your organs a nice squeeze.

Yoga for the Winter Blahs

• Start with at least three rounds of Sun Saluations (Classical or Version A)
• Next round, Low Lunge Twist: Step the left foot back into a lunge and release the right knee to the floor. Bring your hands to anjali mudra. Inhale and get tall, exhale and twist to the right, catching your left arm to the outside of your right leg. Five breaths like this: inhale and lengthen the spine, exhale and twist. Inhale and lengthen to come back to neutral. Take a vinyasa (downdog, plank, chatturanga, cobra/updog, downdog), and repeat on the other side.
• Sun Salutations, Version B, Two or three.
• Utkatasana Twist From uttanasana, bend your knees deeply, sitting back into a chair, getting as low as you can. Scoop the tailbone under and lift the heart up. Hands come to anjali mudra Inhale lengthen the spine, exhale and twist to the right, catching your left arm to the outside of your right leg. Keep squaring your hips forward. Five breaths on each side. You can do it!

You should be getting warm now!

Onward to some standing poses! (or skip ahead to seated if you prefer)

• Uttitha Parsvakonasana(Extended Side Angle) to Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle)
• Uttitha Trikonasana(Triangle) To Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
• Parivrtta Trikonasana(Revolved Triangle) to Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon)
• If you're an overachiever or if you just like a nice sweaty vinyasa practice, throw down some vinyasa between those standing poses.

Seated poses to finish

• Janu Sirsasana Emphasize the twist before even thinking about folding!
• Marichyasana III
• Bring it on down a nice supine twist before savasana
  

I just downloaded this great Yoga Font and had to give it a try! Each character on the keyboard has an image of an asana. This has great potential for using in my lesson plans and creating handouts. I love to be organized!

I want to share with you what I created! I've attached to this post a simple and fun sequence of seated postures that will open the hamstrings and hips and calm the mind.

Download the PDF, try it out and let me know what you think!