Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Seated Yoga Poses + 12 Summer Cooling Tips

Seated yoga poses are popular and good for your flexibility. And you can do some yoga to restore your daily chair and weekly car seated positions.

This week I’m sharing all about staying cool, with seated yoga poses and 12 cooling tips you can take with you on the road (including a healthy and easy rainbow meringue pie recipe 🌈).

Rainbow meringue pie recipe.

I’m highlighting the Spinal Twist below that goes waaay back with me… and practical car yoga poses we all can use when doing regular driving, or taking long drives and trips.

If you’re spending time driving, car yoga moves can really help ease the pain especially when the thermostat reaches a new boiling point.

Seated as the driver in the lumbar position in your car seat, your back and right side get stressed.

So when you can, you want to reverse the damage. That’s different than doing chair yoga or seated yoga poses in an office chair I talked about last time.

One way is: when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat, you can put the front of your palm on the back of the passenger seat and press forward.

You’ll immediately feel a nice stretch up your primary arm nerve near your bicep muscles that may just be what the doctor ordered to restore any arm pain.

This is good to do at stoplights when your eyes are on the light or during driving rest breaks.

My clutch driving days are over, but if you drive a standard shift, this is a really gooood small exercise.

You can also send your right arm back to the back part of the car between the driver and passenger seat, where there should be plenty of air space to do car yoga tricks. Then bend down at your right wrist.

Ohhh... that can zap the radial nerve in just the right nerve pain releasing angle.

The first few seconds can hurt so good!…

Plus, save you from physical therapy for repeated motions that irritate your body parts that get the most wear-and-tear.

And since we put our right foot down regularly to hit the accelerator and brakes, our right leg gets overly used too.

So to straighten out the leg nerve pain, ideally, you would want to lay down.

But in your car you can’t, so you can play a little game of Twister here on yourself following these instructions when you take a car park rest break… and without getting any funny stares from the people in the cars nearby. 💚💛💙❤️

You may need to push your car seat back to do this more comfortably and have more leg room away from the steering wheel.

And that’s another game you can play: to not hit the yoga car horn. That’s probably more challenging than getting in this pose. 😊

Then, rest your right foot on top of your left thigh (with a sharp bend in your right knee). And lift your left leg and foot off the car floor slightly. That’s important, so you don’t use your left leg to ground you (and some call that cheating in a game 😉). And so you can get the right resistance.

Then, take your right hand and push upwards from underneath your right knee, up towards the car ceiling. You should feel a nice feeling stretch in your right butt cheek and lower right back side and down your right hamstring where you feel tension when you put the pedal to the metal.

It’s definitely worth the effort relieving right leg strain… and well, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

And that should restore-fix you until you pull over for your next car driving break.

…Which hopefully isn’t to fix a flat tire, that I can’t help you with. But I CAN help you restore your body vehicle! 🧘🏻‍♀️

And when you get back to flat land where your mat is, you can do this move laying down where both your legs are off the mat. And where you look like you’re kinda doing an abdominal crunch, that btw, wouldn’t hurt to do either since you’re already there. 😊

Your abdominals help support your back. We can give love to our gut in more than ways than one!

And after that move, don’t forget to do your supporting Bridge pose, Happy Baby …yes, you!

And then when you sit back up, you can cross your legs in your Seated position. 🧘🏻‍♀️

…When I was a kid, I remember we did a variation called sitting Indian style back when we were young and innocent 😉

And we’d been doing Spinal Twists since elementary school gym days to warm us up (before we knew there was a yoga name). We were sitting in seated yoga poses on a big and thick cushion mat either yellow, blue, or maroon red that I still remember being heavy vinyl material.

On those mats, we did tumble exercises like summer-saults, maybe named after the summer season that was meant to be fun and inventive. 🤸🏻

We also did our rotating torso seated spinal twists that I enjoyed, even though we didn’t need the stretch or mindfulness so much back then as we do now, older (!!).

And those twists complemented the real activities and past times.

On good summer days, my childhood was spent rafting on a lake or going to the swimming pool which are great ways to cool off. I didn’t see it as a camp staycation back then, but that’s what we did.

…And that’s the first time I remember being able to do yoga. And the inkling that I could do yoga years later was confirmed after the first few years I tried it as an adult when yoga started taking root in the Western world.

…Goes to show ya, you don’t need many yoga moves or seated yoga poses to give you that edge, in case yoga ain’t your thing. Just one pose can do. Liked the seated Spinal Twist did for me.

And if that’s not motivation enough… a practical adult application can be working on restoring your hunched forward rolled shoulders that most of us carry daily.

Another one of the great restoring seated yoga poses where you can work on this is:

Bend one knee and thread the same side arm through the hole between your knee and the mat or floor. Then reach and wrap that hand as far to the other side of your body as you can. It’s sort of a strange feeling if you’re not used to this pretzel-like seated position.

You could grab or rest your hand on your other inside thigh leg. Wherever your hand lands, make it purposeful where you know where each finger is. It’s like octopus tentacles grabbing onto a sturdy surface. 🐙

In yoga, when you make contact with other body parts, and you know where your arms and feet are at all times, that’s big progress!

One way to practice this is in Tree pose: you can move your opposite foot and rest it on various parts up and down your leg while skipping over your knee.

Then when you’ve settled on your temporary Tree, try different arm poses like straight up in the air or “Y” hands in the air like you’re doing the “YMCA.” Oh my, that’s an oldie.

Or keep at heart center in prayer hands. Now, you’re really expressing your yoga postures.

You get out of the structured metal confines of a car. But sometimes you don’t have that choice, as most of us spend decent amount of time in a car at some point.

And in the summer, that can be work keeping cool and staying hydrated.

Because when you’re in a car, you don’t want to drink a lot of beverages. That’ll slow you down having to make a rest stop.

For longer trips, I usually drink up a day or two before traveling to have some reserves to go off on.

Some good car hydrating alternatives are fruits like watermelon, peaches, and apples that have high juice water content.

Bring your lubricating cough drops too. Just be sure to keep those in your cooler so they don’t turn into a hot sticky summer mess.

And here are 12 cooling tips (I promised earlier) that are good for summer traveling (and driving away any imbalanced Pitta feelings):

1. Keep aloe vera near you. Aloe helps with burns and to instantly cool your skin. That’s like giving a spa water bath to your body when it’s thirsty for cool relief. Many moisturizers have aloe ingredients, but I like to go straight to the ingredient source.

2. Bring a water spray bottle that comes in handy. You can clip it to a bag in case you run out of car cupholders, and so you don’t have to go rummaging for it like a regular water bottle.

3. You can use cooling spices like cumin. My personal herb faves are cilantro and mint. Another one is cardamom that I like to add to cold coffee in the summer. The exception is if I get in an overdose spell of summer Vata… that can happen to any of us, just in case you’re wondering why you prefer warm drinks in the summer. 🤔

4. Take cool showers or end on a cool setting for 10-30 seconds. This is just a reminder. 🚿

5. Start your day with a smoothie, that has chilled ingredients like nut-based milk, bananas, coconut, and berries.

6. Eat foods that hang between a fruit and a veggie like beets, avocados, and medley color tomatoes.

7. Try cutting up summer tropical fruits like watermelon, mangos, guava, dragonfruit, passionfruit, and pineapples. Just thinking about them gives me sweet motivation.

8. Add refreshing whole fruits to your list like peaches, plums, and apples that are usually summer abundant. Handing them out to others in the car is always fun and well received. 🍑

9. Eat juicy fruits like kiwi, pears, and oranges that make great food garnishes too.

10. Bring cool veggies winning you plant-based points, like salads, beets, carrots, and celery that you can easily transport.

11. Like a cooling blanket, you can bring a cooling towel or T-shirt. A day or two before, roll up a towel and leave in the freezer or fridge, and then bring along with you.

12. Use an aluminum water bottle that keeps water and beverages cold longer.

Another cool item from the fridge I like to bring out, are high antioxidant-rich fruits like sweet-scented pineapple chunks. Not for eating this time, but I can take one that isn’t pre-occupied on a dessert plate 😋, and run one down my face for a ‘lil Vitamin C fruit facial love and hydration.

It’s a topical tropical 🍍😎🍍

Some of the anti-inflammatory foods in the food medicine cabinet can directly do wonders for your skin.

Afterall, you are what you eat!… and what’s in your home is a reflection of your healthy habits.

You can also get inspiration from this 200 anti-inflammatory grocery food list.

Have a cool week! 🍉

Enjoy this Rainbow Meringue Pie recipe: 🌈

Rainbow Grit Pie

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

cherries, tropical fruits (guava, pineapple), oranges, kiwi, bananas
coconut cream
grits

Instructions

Whip egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar and sugar until light and fluffy
Bake on low temperature (200°F) until firm.
Add to pie crust.
Decorate with chopped fruits into a rainbow pattern.
Pipe coconut cream with the star tip baking bag.

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Chair Yoga + The Beatles Yoga Inspiration

Chair yoga poses will be a lifesaver if you’re like many work in an office and sit in a chair most the day since your shoulder, neck, and back posture are compromised.

And if that’s your daily work ritual, then these poses described below will help…

chair yoga poses for office workers.

Towards the end, you’ll also learn what structure I think in Liverpool (that’s home to The Beatles band) is an inspiration for a special yoga pose at day’s end!

…oh, and I won’t even let Sir Paul McCartney ruin it as he’s looking pretty calm and relaxed here in his leaning pose outside the Liverpool cavern he used to play at. 😀

…His work, btw, at Abbey Road wasn’t one like the modern worker. And if you’re working in an office, most likely you’re not just leaning around with nothing to do.

In any day, your body is under stress and experiencing some form of tension even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time.

And especially if you’re in front of a computer, it’s smart to invest in a desk keyboard and keyboard rolling tray for your desk.

You don’t want to type long form on your laptop’s keyboard if that’s your habit… or a keyboard that sits on your lap… or even on top of a desk where your wrists are unnaturally raised.

…Those were all big no-no’s that I learned the hard way.

Small, but repetitive moves wreak havoc on your wrists, neck, shoulders, and back over time. That’s what happened to me for one season… where I had daily pain in my upper arm from the repetitive typing motions.

Then I learned to stop and do yoga, and bend my right wing (arm) in just the right way to restore the stress pain daily.

Now that’s a smart move… combining yoga and therapy all in one without having to leave my chair or spend a dime 😉

I also recommend a rectangular pillow on the small of the back. Remember, your lower back supports your mid to upper back and everything above, so treat it carefully.

But even with the right ergonomic office tools and desk alignment, you’ll still find chair yoga moves super helpful in your day.

Chair Yoga Poses 🪑

Just like it sounds, chair yoga you may have heard of is done in your chair.

You could set a reminder every hour to do some chair yoga. …or when you take a sip of your warm beverage …or are waiting for the computer screen to refresh or take action.

For starters, turn your neck to look out your left and right sides.

That also gives you an opportunity to take a quick looksy outside your window and see what’s happenin’ or around your room for an eye break.

Then, tilt your head down to each shoulder from side to side, and look up toward the ceiling.

Roll your neck in a circular motion from front to back and reverse the roll. That should feel really gooood!

And when you’re warmed up…

You can do a variation of a Cow face pose that you would normally do on a mat, but you can do it in your office chair too. You can do the pose with the top half of your body where you reach one arm over your shoulder to your back, and then grab the opposite arm and hand coming from underneath your back on the opposite side.

If your hands don’t meet or clasp at the fingers, you can use a towel as a prop to grab onto. One side is usually tighter than the other. Keep trying. And alternate sides. Your shoulders should feel instantly better.

This is a great chest opener for rounded shoulders that are usually rolled forward on a computer desk.

When you breathe, you can use “moo” as your “om” exhale sound for this pose. Now you won’t forget the name of this Cow face pose. 🐮

Cow face also helps to reverse your arm tension that’s usually swinging in forward motion.

[Just FYI, it’s good to send your arms behind you or your back whenever you can. You could grab your opposite elbows behind your back as an easy way… or grab and pull on the top of a chair with each arm for some resistance.]

For your body’s good, keep body parts movin’ so you don’t hear hard snap, crackle, pop sounds that mean you’re really tight and need mooo-re stretching in those areas.

To silence crunchy sounds if you’ve experienced those, I always start off by thinking about what body parts feel tension without movement …and then move and wiggle around a little to see what feels good.

Your body is intuitive for you. And some people’s muscles are more stretchy, so don’t compare yourself to what others can do.

And if it feels good to you, then it’s doing you good!

And from there… I figure out what needs to happen. If you’ve been doing yoga for a while or know various yoga poses, then you can think of specific poses. But if you can’t, then you can either follow the poses prescribed or flow poses like I’m giving here.

Or just make up your own. Stretching doesn’t always have to have a name, but most standing, sitting, and laying down on front or back poses do have a name.

And here are a few more office chair moves that you can for chest and shoulder openers:

Have prayer hands behind your back like in Camel pose I mentioned last time about travel yoga poses you can take with you.

And in the spirit of chair yoga, another great one is having raised Cactus arms to your sides. You raise your arms to your sides like Airplane arms and then bend them so they’re in an “L” shape beside your shoulders (palms facing forward).

You may be thinking you’re not really doing anything good to your body if you’re in a chair and not doing active poses on a mat, but any movement that takes your weight off your body in places and spaces carrying your own body weight helps your body.

…That’s one reason we sleep laying down and not actively seated where tension is added to the body so it can rest-reset-restore.

So yes, just sitting is work for your body! Tell that to your boss 😉

Away From Office Chair Yoga Poses

And away from your chair, you get up, you can stop and do a Mountain, Tree, and Chair pose (I call it “the invisible chair” without a chair)… always good for any prolonged sitting activity.

You could try a creative Mountain-Tree-Chair pose variation. I made this one up where I fold my leg on top of my opposite thigh, bend down in an invisible chair pose and raise my arms to the ceiling.

This does a world of good for your entire body and you can do this while you’re watching television and transform into a one-of-a-kind chair if you want to get off the couch potato pose. 🥔

And at the end of the long day, when you get yourself to a yoga mat, a great neck reversing restoring pose is laying down in Fish pose.

Lay face up on your mat with your elbows lifting most of your back up to your head off the mat. And then let your neck gently hang like a rag on a laundry line, so that you’re looking upside down at the opposite side of the room.

This takes the weight and pressure off your neck.

Then take a rest pose moment.

And when you feel ready, raise up into your Bridge pose… and when you come back down onto your mat, next time go for the high-energy arms Wheel pose, that’s amazing for stretching your back and giving you a burst of energy. You might be surprised at how high you can go, and freeing it feels to let your head and hair hang down!

In Wheel pose, I think of a Ferris wheel and how grand and controlled they look. This is the Liverpool one on the pier. Remember I mentioned I would share a ‘lil yoga inspiration.

The view from above ferris wheels is different from that below. And you can end your day on a high note even if it was spent in an office chair all day. 🎡

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Sphinx Yoga Pose and Travel Poses You Need

Sphinx yoga pose is one that may remind you of traveling to foreign lands. And if you’ve been traveling in a car, plane, or train, your body needs a-lotta stretching. So doing travel yoga can save you! While traveling, you’re doing a lot of sitting.

travel yoga stretches

And, standing and stretching your leg muscles at every opportunity helps you to re-energize and gets your circulation flowing. Like purposeful breathing, we need reminders.

For starters, you can do a standing Mountain pose and take it to a Tree pose when given a standing opportunity.

Btw... did you ever see a photo of my favorite Tree? It seems to withstand the seasons and looks so billowy relaxed.

My Tree is not nearly as big.

So anyway, from metaphoric Tree pose, you can take your movements a step further with the travel yoga tips and suggestions below.

And then when you can get to a mat, work on yoga poses to release weight from your precious back that carries your shoulders and head that weigh more than a small free weight.

Last time, I mentioned Plow pose that you can do instead of storing special back and fitness equipment you don’t use often. You can use just use your body equipment and weight that you carry everywhere and that takes up no space. How convenient!

When you’re ready, you would just lay down on your mat, look up at the ceiling without moving your head or neck, and then gently throw your legs backward in the air. You can even do this on a towel in your hotel room on the floor, but I wouldn’t recommend the bed for this one as you want a hard bottom surface.

In this take-with-you travel yoga pose, you can use your arms to guide your pose. You may even be able to get your toes to touch the floor behind your head if you’ve practiced this enough.

This pose helps to restore and correct back posture. I did this when I was moving some boxes around and after getting in the pose, was feeling brand new a day later.

…You just gotta love that!

So here are some other travel poses worth taking with you 😉

Sphinx yoga vs. Cobra vs. Upward Facing Dog

Sphinx yoga pose is a good way to flex your back. With your front on the mat, you bend your elbows and stretch your arms extended forward. I think of regal lion statues you may have seen when you’re entering the city gates.

From there, you can do non-traditional variations with your arms/elbows, like when a dog stretches out… Or straight up arms like in Cat pose, or a cat when they’re afraid or trying to appear bigger than they are. …whatever feels good to you!

And from there you can go into Cobra pose which is slightly similar to Sphinx yoga, but is more of a chest opener… that we say a lot in yoga. Hands sit back by your torso side and then you lift up from the mat. You can start in a Baby Cobra barely lifted off the floor. This is Great for back and arms!

Cobra and Sphinx yoga poses can take us back to another time in memory mindfulness.

And then take it into Upward Facing Dog that’s one step more active than the other two similar pose variations. You lift your body off the floor with active arms and feet.

In yoga, for these poses, we like to keep the tops of our feet on the mat (different than like a push-up where your toes curl off the floor).

So, using these 3 travel yoga poses, you can pinpoint and relieve different tension spots on your spine and arm muscles that need your attention on travel (especially where you’re less on guard with all your movements in new places).

Give ‘em all a try and some yoga love to your body if you have the time.

In between, Downward Dog is a good flow transition pose. But, another one you can get into is a neutral Table pose with your knees bent and resting on the mat along with your two faced-down palms on the mat.

You can make your Table “active,” by reaching your arm back, and grabbing one of your opposite ankles (and then alternating sides).

This gives you a nice stretch in your back. And you can do these after your Cat-Cows also.

…See how easy it is to create your own flow yoga sessions!?

There’s a pose you can strike to get to the smallest muscle tightness you feel, even if you can’t think of the yoga name.

And, actually your body doesn’t care if the pose has a known yoga name or not, as long as you’re hittin’ the right spot in the right way!

If you’re looking for other suggestions for your legs and back, you can go back to your Bow pose, Pigeon, Bridge, and Happy Baby poses that I recommended last time for cooks and bakers.

And if you really wanna keep doing flow travel yoga poses, Camel pose is an easy one, that’s another good back stretching pose. You’ll look like an “L” shape or be in 90-degrees.

Your knees and front legs are on the floor and your torso is 90 degrees from your legs. Your lower legs are behind you and your thighs are straight up.

If you have a sensitive back or spine (that’s not as flexible) and a long torso, a yoga block helps.

Or instead of reaching your hands back to your ankles, you can put your hands together in Prayer pose ( fingers touch to form an upside down “V”) behind your mid-back, or reach as far as you can down your back or legs without invoking any strain.

That’s what I do because I have a Vata long torso and even longer legs.

…I became aware of this in Dolphin pose in a class one day, when that was a tricky one for me. And that brings me to the question that so many people have…

People ask all the time: what if I can’t do certain yoga poses like I’ve seen others do (or mine doesn’t look like what I have seen others look like)?

First, you can do any pose you want to do, so be encouraged! You just need to find the pose position using your balance and flexibility that works for your body.

For example, the common Downward Dog pose for some people will be a higher, greater incline upside down “V,” and for others, it won’t be as sharp with a pointed top.

Everyone’s “V” looks different.

Yoga doesn’t have to be rigid, or about looking a certain way. You’re working to be more flexible!

It’s about appreciating your body and your individuality. You get to learn more abou your you-niqueness and what makes you, You!

…Just another point to love about yoga.

And, yoga is a journey that you can take with you everywhere!

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Flow Yoga Poses In 10-Minute Baking ⏲

Flow yoga is something you can add to your practice 10 minutes while you’re waiting and working on baking.

5 yoga flow stretches while waiting for your bakes.

For the next few weeks, I’m focusing on a new flow yoga mini-series to help you go from one pose to the next easily. Yoga means “union” and is the mind-body-spirit connection that we all can use.

And If yoga is intimidating (or it’s better) to you, you can call it modified stretching or something similar so you can remove the mental blocks (…and yoga blocks if you choose 😉).

Stretching is needed to reset our tight and daily working bodies. So I hope this will help you through the rest of the year whether you’re traveling or staying put where you are.

…And a flow yoga routine is something easy you can practice and do year-round and anywhere, so I’ll give you a flow yoga sequence below for someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen (myself included).

This time I’ll focus on yoga for those who do regular cooking or baking. If you know anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, you could share this with them.

Body Balance Quiz

Even if you don’t think you’re good at yoga, the benefits to your body outweigh the few minutes spent… and some benefits can’t be achieved with other exercises, as you’ll not reach those hidden body muscles and crevices.

We tend to use the same few muscles for everyday use like our biceps and legs, when in fact we have about 600 muscles.

And whether you’re in the kitchen, traveling, or in an office, it’s good to plan to have a yoga mat or towel nearby, so you can stretch every day.

A mat can be a good reminder, as we take for granted that our bodies work for us every day without missing a beat. 🫀

We can all use a stretch once in a while where we let our hair down and take off our shoes and socks.

So grab your mat and here we go!…

If you’re working in the kitchen often, you’re looking down most of the day at the kitchen counter or the baked items you’re preparing. This puts a strain on your neck and all the nearby muscles running down your shoulders and back.

This mini-series of poses, or flow yoga, would be great to help you unwind and restore as you wait for your timed baked goods to bake in your oven.

You gotta love the oven for that reason!…

And last time I mentioned how great your freezer is for storage (another great piece of equipment to be grateful for). And this week it’s all about optimizing your waiting on your oven.

With an oven, you can set and forget your food cooking for a few minutes. So you can get to your other tasks… and a few resetting yoga poses while your food is baking evenly.

What flow yoga will help you do:

🧡 Undo the tension and strain you put on your body from preparing your food and bakes, even if you don’t feel it in the moment.

🧡 You may realize you need more stretching which is exactly what your body wants. Note: you can’t do too much yoga, but you can overwork parts in yoga. And if you ever do, you realize how delicate and resilient your body is.

🧡 And the best part of yoga (I think) is you will feel like a million bucks when you get back to the rest of your day.

Most poses you can do while you’re watching television, but after you already know the correct posture and alignment. That’s why it’s good to get proper instruction from a studio. But if that’s not possible, then use this general rule:

1) If it feels like a good stretch to your body in the moment, then you need more of it. It should never hurt (where you bite your lip in wincing pain).

Yoga is individualistic. Everyone has different bodies and nuance tolerances, so you have to use how YOU specifically feel as a guide and not what others tell you they feel when they’re in the pose even from one Vata to another (or from Pitta to Pitta, or Kapha to Kapha)…if you get my drift?

2) If you’re in a pose carrying any body weight, then do not move the body part that is carrying the weight if it’s a weak area.

For example, in Plow pose laying down where your legs go behind your head, your neck carries the weight of your legs and parts of your torso, so you wouldn’t want to move your neck when you get in the pose (and it’s easiest to stare at one distant spot or a light in the ceiling above).

Yoga is totally a personal journey where you get to know your body after you get the basics down.

Yoga has good body benefits even if you don’t get into your zen (and that’s a good mind benefit).

Determine Your Weak and Strong Areas

For each of us, we’re physically stronger in some areas and weaker in others, and that can be specific to specific poses.

For example, my strength is flexibility and balance. And the more I do yoga, the stronger the muscles become to support my weight (like in a Plank). It can be the same for you or you could be strong and want to work on balance, like in a Tree Pose. Or flexibility and balance in bird yoga poses. It’s all just practice.

And in yoga, endurance of how long you can stay in a pose is mostly determined by your patience and the strength of specific muscles.

If you’re newer to yoga, find out what your strong areas are. And what the weak ones are. We all have them and sometimes we don’t know what they are until we make a small mistake in yoga that shows up as a ‘lil pain a day or two later.

…That teaches us for the next time and also lets us know we’re alive!

Baking Flow Yoga Poses

So to start, practice some Cat-Cows to loosen up.

Then you can rest in a Child’s pose (or Hare pose if you want to really tuck in). There’s no hurry in yoga (except when your buzzer goes off for your bakes! ⏲)

…And so when you’re ready, then lie on your front like you would on a beach towel laying face down or reading a book.

Then reach back and grab your ankles if you can, or just alternate one ankle with the same side arm at a time, if that’s too much of a stretch initially.

You’d be surprised that you can change pretty quick in flexibility after a few minutes or sessions! The longer you hold the pose, the easier and better it is and becomes.

…Remember when you tried the splits and you could stretch even more the longer you stayed in the pose? …And don’t raise the bar too much, like a gymnast who’s built for that!

So then after grabbing your ankles, look up and peel your shoulders and thighs off the floor if you can. Lift off. Look upward. This is really good for your back and neck. And this pose is called Bow pose. Stay there for as long as you can and let go and then try again a few more times.

And from there you can move into Pigeon pose, where your forearms are perpendicular (straight up from the mat), and then hinge one leg forward, and the other leg straight back behind you.

You’ll feel a nice stretch in your thigh, back, and legs that withstand so much weight when you’re standing. In your pigeon, look up slightly. And whenever you have the opportunity.

Pigeon pose is a really good stretch for your neck, back, butt, and legs. One side tends to be tighter than the other. And you’ll feel it as you alternate sides.

You can then get into a neutral Downward Dog as a flow yoga step for transitioning.

Then flip or turn over to your back on the mat (so you’re facing up).

It’s tempting to take a nap. And if you have time, go for it! But don’t forget about your oven if it’s on!

And then lift your bottom up off the mat into Bridge pose. You can feel relief in your back. This is a good one to use a yoga block.

You can insert the elevating block where your back ends and meets your tail bone. And then just comfortably rest on the block without doing anything. How nice!

The block isn’t preventing you from reaping yoga physical benefits as it helps you get stretched further in height. So it helps you and isn’t a crutch in case it feels that way!

You go higher (literally) than you would normally. Yoga is all about making your life easy… gotta love that! 🧡

And finally, when you come back down, get into your Happy Baby pose where you grab your big toes with your forefingers and thumbs (something monkeys can’t do!).

Happy Baby can leave you feeling relaxed without a care in the world for a few minutes and is a great way to end your yoga session. And you may just want to come back for more!

…And your bake should be about ready now or ready for you to check on. 😉

For more inspiration, take a look at these 100 yoga poses.

If you want to get more awareness about what your body is telling you, or would like to learn more about the Ayurvedic perspectives in the mind-body connection, you can take the body balance quiz.

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Anti Inflammatory Foods – 200 Grocery List

Anti-inflammatory foods are good for prevention of chronic inflammation that can protect against chronic diseases.

A fruit bowl of anti-inflammatory foods that are good to add to a grocery list.

We know a healthy protein and plant-based diet is one that’s rewarding for our health. With an anti-inflammatory food guide resource you’re set with a preventative food healthy lifestyle that pays in longevity benefits.

These rainbow anti inflammatory foods below are alphabetized by food category for easy reference. 🌈

Some anti-inflammatory recipe suggestions and dish ideas are mentioned below. Stay tuned for more easy and healthy seasonal recipes.

You can sign up for notifications for the weekly blog article posts where new announcements are made. 📣

Vegetables/Greens/Salad Foods

1.Alfalfa sprouts

2.Artichoke hearts

3.Arugula

4.Asparagus

5.Avocado

6.Beets

7.Bell pepper

8.Bibb lettuce

9.Broccoli

10.Brussels Sprouts

11.Butternut squash

12.Cabbage

13.Capers

14.Carrots

15.Cauliflower

16.Celery

17.Chards

18.Cole slaw

19.Collard greens

20.Corn

21.Cucumber

22.Edamame

23.Eggplant

24.Endive

25.Fennel

26.Garlic

27.Grape leaves

28.Green beans

29.Green peas or split peas

30.Hearts of palm

31.Iceberg lettuce

32.Jicama

33.Kale

34.Kimchi

35.Leafy greens

36.Leeks

37.Mushrooms

38.Mustard greens

39.Okra

40.Olives

41.Onions (all)

42.Parsnips

43.Pickles

44.Potatoes

45.Pumpkin

46.Radicchio

47.Radishes

48.Red bell pepper

49.Red cabbage

50.Romaine lettuce

51.Rutabagas

52.Sauerkraut

53.Shallots

54.Shredded cabbage

55.Snow peas

56.Spinach

57.Spring mix salad

58.Sundried tomatoes

59.Sweet potatoes

60.Tomatoes

61.Turnips

62.Pickled Vegetables (unpasteurized)

63.Winter squash

64.Yams

65.Yellow peppers

66.Zucchini

67.Spaghettii squash

You can add tasty flavors with anti inflammatory foods in healthy oil, vinegar, butters, broths, and condiments.

And adding prebiotic veggies such as asparagus, onions, and garlic help the gut.

These are some prebiotic food ideas along with fall apple bundt cake recipe. Also enjoy healthy Game Day potato skins, an easy veggie breakfast frittata, and homemade zucchini fettuccine.

Additives – Flavor for Anti Inflammatory Foods

68.Almond butter

69.Apple cider vinegar (organic with the mother substance)

70.Avocado oil

71.Bone broth

72.Coconut oil

73.Cod liver oil

74.Ghee

75.Grape seed oil

76.Horseradish

77.Miso

78.Mushroom broth

79.Olive oil

80.Peanut butter (all-natural)

81.Salsa

82.Sea salt

83.Sesame oil

84.Sunflower oil

85.Tahini

86.Vegetable broth

87.Vinegars (white, red, balsamic, etc.)

88.Walnut oil

89.Wheat germ oil

🛒 You can gather and check out some anti-inflammatory food ideas in this article link. Here is a moist coconut oil chocolate banana bread recipe

Nuts/Seeds

Nuts have healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals that make them anti inflammatory foods and make great snacks.

90.Almonds

91.Brazil nuts

92.Cashews

93.Chia seeds

94.Flaxseeds

95.Hemp seed

96.Macadamia nuts

97.Peanuts

98.Pecans

99.Pine nuts

100.Pistachios

101.Poppy seeds

102.Pumpkin seeds

103.Walnuts

Seafood/Protein

As anti inflammatory rich foods, seafood and fish are good sources of minerals. And certain lean proteins as well as eggs help with daily energy.

104.Anchovies

105.Chicken

106.Chili

107.Cod

108.Fatty fishes

109.Flounder

110.Pasteurized Eggs

111.Grass-fed beef

112.Grass-fed lamb

113.Mackerel fish

114.Organic chicken

115.Oysters

116.Salmon

117.Sardines

118.Scallops

119.Shrimp

120.Shellfish (clams, mussels, crabs, lobster)

121.Tempeh

122.Tofu

123.Trout fish

124.Tuna

125.Turkey (uncured)

Fruits

Fruits contain Vitamin C which is an antioxidant and water-soluble to the body. Tropical fruits like kiwi and citrus fruits are highest in Vitamin C.

126.Acerola cherry

127.Apricot

128.Bananas

129.Bitter melon

130.Blackberry

131.Black currants

132.Blueberry

133.Boysenberry

134.Cantaloupe

135.Clementines

136.Coconut

137.Cranberry

138.Dates

139.Dragonfruit

140.Elderberry

141.Figs

142.Gooseberry

143.Grapes

144.Grapefruit

145.Green apples

146.Guava

147.Honeydew melon

148.Kiwi

149.Lemon

150.Lime

151.Mango

152.Melons

153.Nectarine

154.Oranges

155.Papaya

156.Passionfruit

157.Peaches

158.Pears

159.Persimmon

160.Pineapple

161.Pomegranate

162.Plums

163.Prunes

164.Raspberry

165.Red apples

166.Red currants

167.Rhubarb

168.Spelt berry

169.Star fruit

170.Strawberry

171.Tangerine

172.Watermelon

Here are a few cool fruit recipes:

Watermelon mint salad

Rainbow Meringue Pie or Pavlova

Rainbow meringue pie recipe.

Or a meringue base for a Pavlova (Pav-love) or a gluten-free Pumpkin Pie.

Grains

Whole grains are anti inflammatory foods and good sources of B-vitamins that we need daily, and that work together for our complex bodies to function.

Whole grains keep the bran (fiber), germ (vitamins such as B and E), and starchy endosperm. Look for minimally processed and “whole” in packaged ingredients.

173.Barley

174.Bran cereals

175.Brown rice

176.Buckwheat

177.Bulghur

178.Cous cous

179.Farro

180.Grits

181.Millet

182.Oats

183.Popcorn

184.Quinoa

185.Sorghum

186.Sourdough

187.Spinach pasta

188.Sprouted bread

189.Tricolor pasta (with vegetables) like zucchini pasta

190.Wheat berries

191.Wheat tortilla

192.Whole grain pasta

You’ve probably heard that you can add years to your life if you eat beans weekly. Plus, they’re easy and inexpensive anti inflammatory foods to find.

Beans are types of legumes as are lentils, chickpeas, and peas are healthy additions to any diet. There are 20,000 different kinds, most of which we don’t see in the grocery places we shop.

Beans/Legumes

193.Black bean

194.Black-eyed peas

195. Cannellini white beans

196.Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans)

197.Kidney beans

198.Lentils

199.Lima beans

200.Navy beans

201.Pinto beans

Spices are considered high anti-inflammatory foods. Many have polyphenol compounds and some work together like black pepper and cardamom.

Within their tiny molecules, within the spice and herb aroma are the potent fighting antioxidant compounds that fight cell free radicals. Spices are usually the dried parts of the plant while herbs are the fresh parts like leaves.

You can enjoy this baked garbanzo bean pie.

Anti-inflammatory foods like chick peans or garbanzo bean food ideas like this savory pie.

Spices/Herbs for Anti Inflammatory Dishes

202.Allspice

203.Anise

204.Basil

205.Black pepper

206.Cardamom

207.Cayenne pepper

208.Chili pepper

209.Cilantro

210.Cinnamon

211.Clove

212.Coriander

213.Cumin

214.Curry

215.Dill

216.Ginger root

217.Marjoram

218.Mint

219.Nettle leaf

220.Nutmeg

221.Oregano

222.Paprika

223.Parsley

224.Rosemary

225.Saffron

226.Sage

227.Sumac

228.Tarragon

229.Turmeric

Dark chocolate is a nice anti inflammatory food treat. Look for over 70% dark chocolate. And if you pair with raspberries, you’ll have superfood healthy benefits.

This is a list of rainbow spices 🌈 to choose from to brighten up your meals.

Also, these are some of my favorite spice ideas and for the holidays.