Poses to Clear the Mind

The wonderful thing about your yoga practice is that it meets you wherever you are that day. It can be an intense physical workout, but it can also be place to find peace and introspection. If the latter is what you’re craving, below are some of our favorite poses to clear the mind. 

Extended Puppy Pose

• Begin on all fours, stacking shoulders over wrists and hips over knees

• Walk your hands towards the top edge of your mat, while keeping your hips high and perpendicular to the ground

• Gently release your forehead to the mat and activate your arms by pressing into the palms of your hands

• Draw your shoulder blades onto your back and continue to press your hips high towards the ceiling

• Breathe into the backside of your body, lengthening your spine in both directions

• Remain in the pose for 5-10 full breaths

Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

• Lie on your back, legs long

• Hug your right knee into your chest and interlace your right peace fingers (index & middle fingers) around your right big toe

• Use your left hand to guide your left hip and thigh down towards the floor as you extend your right foot to the sky

• Press through your lifted heel and broaden through the shoulder blades

• Breathing deeply, gently pull your foot closer to your head, increasing the stretch along the backside of your lifted leg

• Soften through your face and hold for at least five breaths 

• Repeat on the other side

Halasana (Plow Pose)

• Lie on your back with bent knees, feet and palms to the floor

• Press your arms to the floor and extend your legs to the ceiling

• Stack your hips over your shoulders and lower your toes to the floor behind you

• Keep your neck still and press through your tailbone and balls of your feet to create more length through the back of the legs

• Pause and breathe for 3-5 rounds of breath

• Slowly roll out of the pose, one vertebra at a time