MOVEMENT – Power Up

Yoga Work-In

By 24Life

Time is a precious resource, and just when you think you don’t have enough of it for both a workout and self-care, yoga comes to the rescue. This flow includes movement that demands core, upper- and lower-body strength while you’re bolstering stability and stretching your range of motion—essentials for moving through your day fatigue- and injury-free. With several poses that encourage mindfulness for your body and breath, this “work-in” gives you what you need without extra demands on your time.

PRACTICE NOTES:

Move gently through the postures, taking full breaths and focusing your mind on the sensations of your body in each pose.

This practice is designed as a go-at-your-own-pace practice, and as such you may explore each posture for as long as you desire and that your designated practice time allows.

As a general guideline, spend a minimum of 60 seconds in each pose.

Simple Seated Meditation

  • Start in a comfortable, cross-legged position.
  • Feel your head centered over your shoulders, shoulders over your pelvis, as you gently flex your feet.
  • Place your hands on your lap, elbows under your shoulders, palms facing up.
  • Take seven clearing rounds of conscious breath through your nose, allowing yourself to become more present within each breath cycle.

Seated Keep Up Arms

  • Sit cross-legged and lengthen your spine.
  • Extend your arms from your sides straight in front of you and then overhead.
  • Keep your arms straight as you return to the starting position.

Seated Eagle Arms

  • Sit cross-legged with your spine tall.
  • Extend your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height and cross your right elbow over your left elbow.
  • Bend your elbows and twist your left wrist so that your palms are touching.
  • Keeping your arms and hands together, lift your arms to extend the stretch.

Seated Twist Hold

  • Sit tall on the floor with your legs extended in front of you, kneecaps and toes pointing to the ceiling.
  • Place your palms flat on the floor outside your hips with your fingertips pointing forward. Press your hands into the floor, lift your sternum up, and soften your shoulders.
  • Keeping your left leg straight, bend your right knee and place your right foot outside your left knee.
  • Extend your left arm to the ceiling, then bend it and twist your torso to place your left elbow outside your right knee.
  • Don’t force the twist; inhale and lengthen and rotate farther.
  • Raise your left arm to release the twist and return your left hand to the floor.
  • Extend your right leg, bend your left knee and repeat the twist on the other side.

Mountain

  • Stand tall with your feet together or hip-width apart, legs and core engaged.
  • Root down through your legs into the four corners of your feet and lift up through your sternum.
  • Roll your shoulders back and down and rotate your palms forward as you broaden your collarbone.

Chair

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides.
  • As you sit your hips back into a squat, sweep straight arms forward and up to create a long, straight line from hips to fingertips. Hold the pose, engaging your core.
  • Sweep your arms down to your sides as you push through your heels to return to standing.

Downward-Facing Dog

  • Start in a high plank.
  • Spread your fingers, press down through your palms, and lift your hips up and back, keeping your spine long.
  • Keep your neck neutral by allowing your head to drop down so that your ears are between your elbows.
  • Lower your hips to return to plank.

Upward-Facing Dog

  • Start in a high plank and proceed to Downward-Facing Dog.
  • Slowly bend your elbows and lower your hips to hover at the bottom of a push-up.
  • Press down through your palms and pull your chest forward and up, letting your hips and thighs hover above the floor. Keep your gaze high.
  • Lower your chest to the bottom of a push-up, allow your knees to drop and come up to sit cross-legged.

Tree

  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Bend your right knee to place the sole of your right foot against the inside of your left calf (or higher).
  • Engage your core and lift your arms straight overhead as you press your right knee out to the side.
  • Lower your right foot and repeat on the other side.

Side-Extended Angle

  • Start in a wide-legged stance with your left toes pointing forward and your right foot turned out.
  • Place your right elbow on the base of your right thigh, bend your right knee and lift your left arm up and over your left ear, palm facing down as you reach over to your right.
  • Press into your left heel and lengthen through your left arm, reaching from your left heel through your left middle finger.
  • Press down through both feet, straighten your right knee and lift your left arm overhead as you return to your starting position.
  • Turn your left leg out and your right foot to point forward. Bend your left knee and place your left elbow on the base of your left thigh, lifting your right arm up and over your right ear, palm facing down.
  • Reach from your right heel through your right middle finger.
  • Press down through both feet, straighten your left knee and lift your right arm up and overhead to return to starting position.

Supported Bridge

  • Lie flat on your back, knees bent and feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides with your palms on the floor.
  • Lengthen your arms and draw your shoulder blades firmly toward the center of your spine. Keep your core engaged, pelvis neutral and knees parallel as you lift your hips up off the floor.
  • Bend your elbows and place your hands under your hips to support your bridge. Lift your heart up and toward your chin.
  • Return your hands to the floor and lower your hips by allowing your spine to return to the floor one vertebra at a time.

Reverse Tabletop

  • Sit on the floor with your hands just behind your hips, palms flat on the ground and fingers pointed toward your feet, knees bent and feet on the floor about hip-width apart.
  • Press your hands and feet down into the floor and lift your hips into a tabletop position, lifting as high as is comfortable. Keep your head and chin tucked back slightly to keep your head in line with your spine.

Reclining Butterfly

  • Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet together.
  • Let your knees fall to either side as you bring the soles of your feet together.
  • Engage your core as you lengthen your spine and maintain a neutral pelvis, and allow your inner thigh muscles to relax.

Seated Forward Fold

  • Sit tall on the floor with your legs extended in front of you, kneecaps and toes pointing to the ceiling.
  • Place your palms flat on the floor outside your hips with your fingertips pointing forward. Press your hands into the floor, lift your sternum up, and soften your shoulders.
  • Lift your arms straight overhead and reach toward the ceiling. Keep your spine long and engage your core as you fold forward.
  • Reach past your feet, or grab the outer edges of your feet or ankle bones and lengthen your spine as you exhale and bow forward.

Simple Seated Meditation

  • Start in a comfortable, cross-legged position.
  • Feel your head centered over your shoulders, shoulders over your pelvis, as you gently flex your feet.
  • Place your hands on your lap, elbows under your shoulders, palms facing up.
  • Take seven clearing rounds of conscious breath through your nose, allowing yourself to become more present within each breath cycle.

Meet the Model: Jennifer Nasab

Photo portrait of personal trainer Jennifer Nasab Jennifer Nasab is a personal trainer and GX24 instructor at 24 Hour Fitness, and it seems like there isn’t a movement she cannot do. Donkey kicks? Extended Side Angle? Pull-ups? No problem—and if she hasn’t done it before, she’s game to try it. We asked her our burning questions about her passion for fitness and more.

24Life: What led you to a career in fitness?

JN: I’m a registered dietitian and worked in a hospital in Montreal for five years before moving to California. At that time, I was teaching Les Mills BODYPUMP two or three times per week. When I started teaching for 24 Hour Fitness here in the East Bay, I loved the members’ energy and their love for fitness. I’m now a full-time hybrid trainer and instructor. Nothing is more rewarding than sharing what I love most doing and seeing people get stronger and hitting their goals. My life goal is to inspire!

24Life: Your most memorable moment with a client or member?

JN: There are too many! Every time I hear about a new muscle they see, or hitting a new PR in their 10K, or being more comfortable in the plane seat … a first pull-up, adding weight to squats, hitting their goal weight and setting new goals … all these moments are memorable and always make me so happy. I tear up a little; I’m very emotional.

24Life: You have 24 minutes to work out—what’s your go-to?

JN: Tabata: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off; eight rounds. Push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, squats, squat jumps, plyo lunges. Done!

24Life: What’s your favorite move?

JN: Pull-ups.

24Life: Your least favorite?

JN: Lunges

24Life: What’s your superpower?

JN: I wish I could fly, but my real superpower is my determination. I have a very strong mind, and it always pushes me to go further and do better, to be the best me I can be.

24Life: Food or song you can’t live without?

JN: Peanut butter every day! My pick-me-up song is Luke Bryan’s “Knockin’ Boots.” That song makes everything good.

24Life: What’s one thing you wish every member knew?

JN: You CAN do it! You are so much stronger than you think. I say this regularly, but having members believe it would be a game changer.

Video credit: Milles Studio, Stocksy
Photo credit: Jovo Jovanovic, Stocksy; Mark Kuroda, kurodastudios.com
Model: Jennifer Nasab, 24 Hour Fitness

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In This Issue - PRECIOUS RESOURCES

Volume 5 Issue 9
Mindset- Lead your life
Movement - Move your life
Nourishment - Feed your life
Regeneration - Love your life