Windmill

ANTISTRESS YOGA

Yoga challenge: Soft Shoulders, Open Heart, a five-week practice, five days a week.
The stress we accumulate in the shoulders arises when we unintentionally and unconsciously lift them and hold them tight. If we are frequently exposed to stressful conditions, these muscles can become “frozen” in the same position, negatively affecting the way the whole body feels. Closed, rigid and heavy shoulders pull the chest down and close the heart, and can contribute to headaches and depression. To reverse this pattern in the body, we practise poses and movements that strengthen the upper back muscles, lengthen the front of the chest, rotate the shoulders, mobilise the shoulder girdle, lengthen the back of the neck, increase breathing capacity, improve upright posture and build strength in the core and spine. We work with correct alignment for an upright posture and an open stance. The windmill is moved by the wind of our heart and by the mobility of a chest that moves freely while grounded in stability and safety.

Mindful journal: May my heart guide my life. Become aware of stressful moments during the day and notice how thoughts and information affect the body. Write down what helps you cope more easily with challenges and how you return to balance most readily.

Yoga therapy for: 

• mobility of the shoulder girdle
• strengthening the upper back muscles
• shoulder and arm strength
• lengthening the chest muscles
• relaxing the cervical spine
• relieving headaches
• mobilising the respiratory muscles
• upright posture
• opening the chest

INTRODUCTORY TALK AND YOGA CLASS ON THE MONTH’S THEME – 75 MIN

WINDMILL

Soft Shoulders, Open Heart

Welcome to another yoga challenge in which, every morning and every day, we return to ourselves at least briefly and practise in a way that softens the shoulders and chest, encourages freedom of breath and opens the heart.

I have divided the introduction into two sections. The first, “soft shoulders”, is a little more technical and relates to the stress response in the shoulders and to improving + shoulder mobility in general. The second, “open heart”, is more spiritual.

To address stress in the shoulders, we use exercises that activate and relax the muscles, lengthen them, strengthen opposing muscle groups, remove causes of stress, create new postural habits, deepen the breath and offer massage. After the talk, we explore these targeted exercises for the shoulder girdle in the first part of the class.

We also discuss the importance of fascia as connective tissue that needs to remain supple, fluid and mobile. This month, we awaken these qualities through spontaneous, organic movement. All the joints participate in the arm swings and form a single kinetic chain. The movement is spontaneous and unlocked, and it brings awareness to the space around us.

Within the “Open Heart” aspect, we talk about our tendency to move towards health, a journey in which body, emotions and mind cannot be separated. This inclination and path towards health is our spiritual path.

Everything passes through the body and its immediate experience. We connect with this through flowing movements and the current we allow to move through us, inviting the healing power to flow through us.

In the practice, we move through a set of technical exercises for the neck and shoulders and receive a brief introduction to spontaneous movement. We develop all of this further throughout the month’s classes.

Mindful journal:
May my perspective on the ordinary become an awareness of the sacredness of every moment and every state of being, precisely because I am gathered within my body and heart, and because the value within me is a continuation of the divine. With these intentions, may I draw these qualities into myself and live them fully: the silence of the mind, loving humility and sincere compassion. May my practice become a ritual in which I transform ordinary reality into enlightened reality.

30 MIN

DAY 1 – CIRCULAR SALUTATIONS

Today’s class is dedicated to learning and repeating the variation of Sun Salutations that we will primarily use in this month’s challenge. It is a gentle, flowing cycle that begins seated on the heels at the back of the mat, then circles upwards and back again. 

This month, I introduce windmill-like arm movements integrated into the wave: a whole-body swing that begins rhythmically in the hips and travels through the spine, accompanied by a clear inhalation and exhalation.

To immerse ourselves more deeply in the spontaneity and flow of these movements, and to practise them without thinking, today we simply circle for the entire class. :)

The class is short, so altogether we complete four rounds on each side, then finish with one more little exercise and a brief relaxation.

We want to sink ever more deeply into the movements and truly feel the sensations that flow when we practise with this breadth and mobility. I hope the movements feel clear and comfortable. We will surrender to them more and more. Remember, it is not so important for every swing of the hips to match every swing of the arm; what matters is that we immerse ourselves and even dance. Your spontaneity and creativity are welcome.

Mindful journal: We begin the month with the idea of silence. What is silence for you? How does the body feel when the mind is quiet?

30 MIN

DAY 2 – SIMPLY CIRCULAR

We begin where we left off yesterday…

We simply sit on our heels at the end of the mat and immerse ourselves in the body and breath. We awaken with circular arm movements, the same ones that we later use in these Sun Salutations.

Then, just as yesterday, we move through salutations in which we open like a windmill and pulse through the whole body from the hips. We are still learning and entering these movements so that we can surrender to them completely. Once again, we practise only one pose in the class and rest in Shavasana. :) Simple, as simple as possible. 

We return to our inner silence during every pause. 

Set the intention: Where is your inner silence? How can you reach it?

30 MIN

DAY 3 – BEING RIGHT HERE

Being here, within your silence and a quiet mind, yet fully present in the body and heart, is possible right now and only now.

With this brief motivation, we immerse ourselves in circular movements again this morning. We place a little more focus on the arm circles, as though a windmill were turning. The arms lengthen in every direction to make a very large circle. Naturally, all the joints in the arms and shoulders remain unlocked and help create breadth in the movement.

We repeat the circles in Warrior I, creating some spaciousness within its stable base. Towards the end, we strengthen the centre, integrate the practice and relax onto the floor, surrendering the entire weight of the body to gravity.

Silence matters because it is the place where we can truly feel. We then allow the body and heart to open towards the genuine sacredness of life and the recognition that our body is a place in which the divine dwells. 

Mindful journal: You do not need to reach a conclusion or “think”. Rest within the silence of the mind, where attention unites as pure feeling, and let the body speak to you.

30 MIN

DAY 4 – DOWN FROM WITHIN

Today we devote more attention to mobilising the neck and upper shoulder area. During the warm-up, we use targeted exercises in which we activate and lift the shoulder muscles, then release them suddenly and stretch through rotations accompanied by movements of the head. You will see.

Otherwise, the class flows as before, with our circular movements and windmill arms expanding the chest and breathing capacity. Towards the end, we centre the abdomen again with a few Dolphin Plank variations. We have to do a little. :)

Because the warm-up is slightly longer, the class lasts a few extra minutes…

Mindful journal: Does it feel accessible and simple to lower your attention inward to the meeting point of heart and breath? What is there? How calm is the mind, and how long does it allow you to dwell there in pure feeling and collected presence? Explore this contact several times and answer these questions without judgement. Nothing needs to be different; simply see how it is.

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 5 – PURE FEELING

We begin by unwinding stress from the neck through gentle, pleasant circular movements of the head. As we unwind stress, we turn attention inwards through the pleasure of movement itself. We mobilise the shoulders and neck, circling and seeking the path of ease to create more space and openness. Everything remains relaxed: the head sways and follows the movement of the shoulders, and vice versa.

We then take an Anahatasana twist, a key pose for relaxing the shoulder in this direction. Set yourself up with a cushion and try to soften towards the lower shoulder. 

At the end, we briefly enter a meditation in which we allow the breath to expand beyond the physical boundaries of the body and become more transparent than us.

Mindful journal: Find the silence of your heart and the value of the peace through which we are connected with the higher, divine and sacred presence that dwells within us…

30 MIN

DAY 6 – SWIMMING

We continue creating familiar spaciousness in the chest. Today, we emphasise and repeat the backstroke arm movements, our windmill. Through them, we try to enter more deeply into the shoulders, neck and chest. Keep the head and upper back free so that the arm swing can reach deep within.

We hold several rotations, again focusing on the position of the shoulders and shoulder blades, and weave the most important element, deep breathing, through everything. 

At the end, we practise a small Bridge, lengthening the neck and upper shoulder area, followed by several exercises that activate the centre.

Mindful journal: Feel the body’s communication through the language of contraction and relaxation. Notice the state of the mind when the body contracts, even a little. Is it trying to control something, or perhaps holding craving or aversion? See what happens if you release the contraction while maintaining your strength, stability, alertness and determination. How does the situation unfold? Play with this. In contraction, we resist and struggle; without it, we glide through life and allow ourselves to feel it. Write down your observations.

30 MIN

DAY 7 – RICH IN PRESENCE

Today, we briefly centre ourselves and move through windmill-like movements within circular Sun Salutations. 

Remember that repetition creates space for the brain to become “bored”. Yet if we immerse ourselves in the body and truly feel every movement, every breath woven through movement and every moment in the body, each experience is genuinely new and unique.

The invitation is also to express ourselves through movement and bring passion to every inhalation, exhalation and swing of the body.

Today we practise our windmill arms from a Warrior II base, pulsing there to feel the breadth. We then repeat the same movements with one knee on the floor and briefly remain in Janu Sirsasana. 

We know that every experience so far is inscribed in this moment, and that in this moment we establish the intentions and habits for our day. 

Mindful journal: May I be relaxed and open enough to remain in the body and feel the situation. May I distinguish what is in the mind, where assumptions about how something should be live, and lower myself into pure feeling for each situation, which is always new. May I remain in the freshness of genuine presence.

30 MIN

DAY 8 – ROLLED UP

Today we approach mobilising the shoulders and upper back in a familiar but slightly different way. 

First, we warm up with Cat-Cow movements and then introduce a twist through the shoulders, lowering one shoulder on the exhalation while lifting the other. Try to move fully and deeply so that you truly feel the difference between the opposite shoulders and the opposing movements within them.

We flow through the class, each movement naturally leading into the next. You already know how we practise this month, so simply begin and let the delight of the body and breath carry you. :)  

At the end, we rest in Shavasana and focus on how the body’s weight invites it to relax and melt towards the floor. This is an opportunity to become quiet enough for the natural pulsation of the breath to emerge. Without changing anything, we join it with our attention and simply observe.

Mindful journal: Remember that you are not the body and the mind that comments on it. What are you? To what extent can you perceive yourself as a vibrating energetic being, inseparable from the whole? There is no correct answer to this question. It is more like a koan,so simply allow it to resonate.

30 MIN

DAY 9 – A NOTE OF TENDERNESS

Another day to mobilise gently in the rhythm of the heart and breath. We extend the class by a few minutes because we begin slowly, bringing attention together in the breath within the heart.

Simply descending there, within ourselves, awakens tenderness and warms the energy of the heart. We allow the mind to become quiet again and remain with the feeling of the heart.

During the class, we flow through a shoulder warm-up with circular movements and several poses that we pulse and hold. We gradually build one element upon another to create spaciousness and let energy move through the entire body. :)

At the end, we become still again in a Balasana twist..

Mindful journal: Everything that has happened so far is gathered in this present point. We know this. The present moment is a feeling; we cannot think it and then catch it, but need to feel it. Notice how it is for you to remember to be present and then feel the present moment, from one moment to the next…

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 10 – A COMFORTABLE NECK

As yesterday, we begin with a short meditation in the heart space, immersing ourselves in the silence of the centre. We then mobilise the shoulders and neck slowly and gently and move through several poses that let us enter this area of the body more deeply. We lower onto one side and lie on one shoulder, lengthening the chest muscle with the arm behind the back, then practise Cat Chasing Its Tail and repeat on the other side. Prepare a cushion and blanket so that the shoulder remains comfortable and the head can relax.

After practising both sides, we sit once more in the starting position and notice the difference in the shoulders. On the inhalation, we bring spaciousness into the body; on the exhalation, we relax the shoulders and heavy arms so that the neck lengthens.

We then move to the floor in Shavasana, surrender completely, become quiet and enter meditation through the body.

Mindful journal: Observe the people around you. To what extent do they act from the heart, and to what extent “from the head”? When can you clearly notice the difference?

30 MIN

DAY 11 – WIDE SPACE

Good morning. Today we begin moving from a standing position and awaken the body’s energy with several wide squats and swings. 

Within our now familiar circular Sun Salutations, we add several pulses and holds to mobilise thoroughly in a short time. Among the asanas, we practise Warrior I with the arms straight at shoulder height, activating the muscles between the shoulder blades and keeping them engaged, followed by a forward bend with the hands in Reverse Prayer, Parsvottanasana. We repeat the same with one knee on the floor. It is not difficult; everything is simple and familiar. :)

At the end, we sit briefly in a meditation posture, breathe through the heart and let everything descend from the mind towards the heart before melting into Shavasana.. 

Mindful journal: With the energy of the body, heart and mind beautifully awakened, may we carry positivity into everything we touch today and everything that reaches us. May we be that wide space of love and understanding.

30 MIN

DAY 12 – THE INTELLIGENCE OF GENTLENESS

We soften when we do not fight the body or the situation. Our initial intention is to feel how we are right now and accept it honestly, without expecting it to be different. From how things are now, we begin to breathe, move and encourage gentleness.

True softness arises when things open by themselves and let us in. In the body and in life, everything we push and try to force through a situation always returns force to us. We apply this intelligence of non-violence to the body in yoga practice and extend it into life. 

Today, we therefore build the class slowly, gently and entirely without struggle. Little by little, small movements include more segments and activate the body until we reach slightly more dynamic poses such as High Lunge. The shoulders continue circling and softening throughout, and we seek to achieve this softness without struggle.

It is always useful to pause, truly feel and accept, “this is how the situation is”, and then see how to enter it without struggle, allowing change to arise through presence and openness instead of forcing it. This intelligence determines whether we constantly battle something in our life or glide with the situation, letting it reveal itself before we shape it. May we use this yogic wisdom to live without struggle.

Mindful journal: Can you notice when you are fighting a situation and forcing yourself deeper? When do you believe it should be a certain way instead of feeling how it is, and then apply force because of that belief? Does this feel familiar? Describe several examples.

30 MIN

DAY 13 – DENSITY OF MOVEMENT

Today, we again ask how to mobilise the shoulders and chest deeply. Guided by this thought, we repeat our circular windmill movements with the arms. We move a little more slowly so that we can enter the details and give each segment of the movement the attention it needs.

We therefore imagine that the medium around us, the air moved by the windmill, is slightly denser. It offers a little resistance and helps mobilise the shoulders more deeply. 

We alternate arm circles in Warrior poses with twists and several core activations. Today’s class is structured a little differently from the previous classes this month, but the intention remains.

We complete the class by lowering into Pigeon and Baddha Konasana to restore calm in the body and our connection with the earth. Enjoy every breath and every swing.

Mindful journal: May we recognise the value of conscious movement and breathing as nourishment that gives us something we cannot receive in another way. What motivates your practice? How consistent is that motivation? What most encourages you to come and begin practising yoga?

30 MIN

DAY 14 – LOVE FOR THE UPPER BACK

Today we play with a strap, specifically with Cactus Arms. We lower the arms into this position while stretching the strap and actively drawing the shoulder blades together to engage the upper back muscles. 

This is today’s theme, so we repeat it several times from different bases. See it as an opportunity to activate the upper back strongly, because this helps the chest open and remain upright.

As always, everything flows and connects within our 30 minutes, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the body and pure feeling through every movement.

Naturally, we settle and relax a little at the end. 

Mindful journal: We are happy because we can remain open and present, so whatever we are open and present with does not diminish the joy of being. To what extent can you relax with what is uncomfortable or painful? Does it feel different when you remember that discomfort cannot be avoided, but that we can change our attitude towards it? How do you then experience discomfort, whether physical, mental or emotional?

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 15 – GENTLE AWAKENING

When we sit on the yoga mat, it is not an invitation to achieve, nor a time for additional effort and stress. It is a time to feel ourselves and first slow down, allowing body and mind to meet in the shared language of movement and breath. We give the body time without expectation.

We ask how we can bring oxygen into the tissues. Naturally, we do this by gently awakening the chest and using pleasant rhythmic movements that create fluidity beneath the skin.

We practise gentle Cat-Cow movements and Kapyasana pulses, moving even more slowly than one movement per inhalation or exhalation. Afterwards, we relax in Pigeon, circle the arms a little more and surrender to the floor while lying with a cushion beneath the chest. 

Enjoy the class and this special time for immersing yourself within.

Mindful journal: Can you catch thoughts of expectation and the inner control freak? How clearly can you recognise them?

30 MIN

DAY 16 – DEEP BENEATH THE WINGS

Today we add another arm position to our practice: Garudasana arms. We first take the position while seated and mobilise gently to feel what is happening. The aim is to press elbow into elbow firmly, opening new corners of the lungs beneath the armpits, behind the shoulder blades and between the ribs.

We move through our sequences in rhythm and silence, mobilise the whole body, then alternate this arm position with its opposite: interlacing the hands behind the back to open the chest muscles. We repeat this from several bases.

Begin slowly and then add strength to the Garudasana arms so that you truly feel where and what is opening.

At the end, we activate the glutes a little and relax in Shavasana.…

Mindful journal: Can you feel how ease in the body, through physical sensation and literally through the degree of contraction, influences our mental and emotional state? Can you remember to soften through the body so that heavy thoughts and emotions may flow through? How does this work for you?

30 MIN

DAY 17 – FROM THE HEART

Today we begin actively. We start mobilising from a standing position, where we can feel the breadth of movement while awakening the legs and pelvis, the best combination.

Once we have awakened a little, we continue with several rounds of Sun Salutations and move from them into a few asanas. Again, we look for paths into the corners of the lungs and heart that tend to be more closed during the day. We massage from the outside through movement and from within through breath, setting everything in the body into motion.

We complete the class by gathering attention in the heart. From there, we make slow, careful movements that awaken the heart space, warmth and heartfulness, returning us to the place from which we live. 

We finish with a seated meditation. Afterwards, lie down and rest a little longer, or remain seated in silence.

Mindful journal: What does being in the heart, returning to the heart and living from the heart mean to you?

30 MIN

DAY 18 – FRESH AIR

We want to air the body with broad arm movements that create a breeze outside and within. To begin, we warm the shoulders and swim backwards with the arms to find beautiful, wide circles. 

We introduce another arm movement: while one arm reaches as high as possible, the other descends. This creates a lovely, deep massage of the shoulder blades and shoulders. 

We practise circular Sun Salutations, immersing ourselves in the body, its desire to move and how it is nourished when aired by the breath. We hold Warrior I and several poses with these arm activations, breathing fully. :)

As with all the previous classes, it passes quickly but leaves us with the beautiful effect of our practice.

Mindful journal: The soul wants to return home. This is another way of saying: be one with yourself, act from within, remain within yourself and your own feeling. Can you notice the difference between being “within yourself” and being outside yourself? How do you respond when you are beside yourself, and how when you are integrated?

30 MIN

DAY 19 – EXPANDING

We begin standing and use several simple movements to expand the energy of the body and breath. We move through Sun Salutations in which we pulse in several ways and increase the sense of space through movement. 

You already know how it goes: we begin slowly and then lubricate the fluidity beneath the skin. :)

We also pulse in lateral movements through the hips, first in Warrior II and then in a similar pose with one knee on the floor. You will recognise everything because we have practised it before.

We then gradually lower the pace and complete the class with relaxation.

Mindful journal: How does this sound to you: we are happy that we can be here with everything? Instead of being happy only when the body has pleasant sensations, we are happy because we can remain present with everything and allow ourselves to feel, while naturally knowing what is a yes and what is a no. Does this way of relating to your feelings seem like a good approach?

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 20 – THE HEART AREA

We prepare for the class with a short meditation. We sit, breathe and remember that pure feeling is simply the lowering of attention into the body. We can allow ourselves to remain in silence because prayer needs no mental instructions, only feeling.

With the feeling of the breath flowing, the mind settles into the body and relaxes there.

We awaken heart-centred breathing and mobilise the shoulders, then take a simple twist with a yoga strap that opens the chest muscle, first on one side and then the other. In this position, we also mobilise the neck. Between sides and after the twists, we take Joniasana, where we relax a little. We then move towards the floor and sink into even deeper peace and silence.

We complete the class beautifully, and with it this week of the cycle. 

Mindful journal: What is silence of the mind for you? How can it be understood? When do you experience it?

30 MIN

DAY 21 – A NOSE IN THE CHEST

Here is another gentle awakening: first awakening the breath, then fanning it through movement. We warm the shoulders with a strap, stretching upwards, lowering into Cactus Arms, stretching sideways with the strap and returning to Cactus Arms.

Today, we place attention in this particular way, as though the chest itself were breathing. Imagine air entering through the space between the ribs and filling the chest directly. We breathe fully and powerfully in this way throughout the practice.

We continue with Cat-Cow movements and mobilising variations that help us expand, then settle into Warrior and repeat several arm positions introduced at the beginning.

At the end, we pour beyond our boundaries again and allow a smile to spread from within throughout the body.

Mindful journal: What does a sense of spaciousness in the body bring us? Write down whether having more space, literally less tension, helps reduce reactivity. How great is the difference between having the space and capacity not to react and not having it?

30 MIN

DAY 22 – PRANA FLOWS

When we talk about Prana, the point is not inhaling air, but movement and encouraging flow from within the body. We support this through yogic breathing, movement and holding asanas that open a part of the body and direct breath into it.

Today, we again awaken with breadth and imagine a “nose between the ribs”, amplifying the breath and encouraging change in the body.

We work from a Warrior II base, opening the side body and circling from the shoulders to soften the area around the collar. Several simple circles and sequences of poses make 30 minutes pass quickly, while we awaken the energy flow within the body. :)

Enjoy, and remember that you can always take several deep breaths and nourish the body from within. Prana is moved through breathing and conscious movement. :)

Mindful journal: Can you notice the difference between relaxed being and tension? How much tension “sneaks in” without you noticing? Can you release it when you recognise it?

30 MIN

DAY 23 – NATURAL OPENNESS

As we approach the end of the cycle, we complete our exploration with several highly effective arm and shoulder positions. Today, we focus on Dolphin Arms. The forearms rest on the floor, we try to keep the elbows from widening and press them down. You already know this position and how well it mobilises and strengthens the shoulders while providing a deep inner stretch.

We also use this movement in a modified Purvottanasana, similar to a Tabletop from a small Bridge. You may encounter some new challenges here, so move slowly and aim to strengthen the shoulders rather than  overstretch them or strain the attachments of the shoulder muscles. 

Between these poses, we simply move through this month’s familiar Sun Salutations and expand the breath. At the end, we relax in easy reclining twists and allow the chest, and the weight of the entire body, to melt.

Mindful journal: What prevents you from remaining open to everything that comes? Can the heart open to everything, not only to what feels beautiful and pleasant at first? Can you identify the thought, state, situation or person that makes you close? Simply notice.

30 MIN

DAY 24 – THE OPENING AREA

After beginning with a simple return to the breath, the class continues with the theme of soft shoulders and an open heart. We seek areas of opening that help the inner movement create exchange, allowing the radiance of Prana to flow throughout the body.

Altogether, within our half hour, we move through several poses that mobilise and others in which we sustain openness in the shoulders.

Through soft, slow waves, we dissolve more deeply into ourselves and into feeling, rather than thinking about what is happening.

At the end, we briefly immerse ourselves in a silence to which nothing needs to be added and in which nothing needs to be justified. 

Breathing through the heart area, we enter meditation. I leave you to choose whether to remain in meditation or lie down and relax in Shavasana.

Mindful journal: Become aware of the difference between thinking or conceptualising and feeling. Return to the heart. The heart is a vortex that draws us into feeling. 

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 25 – SOFT SHOULDERS, SOFT BREATH

We complete the month with one more relaxing, flowing class. We make several fluid circles with the arms, encouraging the breath to flow and the shoulders to soften.

Through these repeated movements, we immerse ourselves in the body and heart. 

We move through several rotations, one seated and one reclining. On the floor, we stretch in a supported small Bridge, so prepare a block and cushion to place beneath the pelvis. 

The movements become ever gentler, slower and more conscious.

Mindful journal: May I trust the force that is greater than me, of which I am a part and to which I contribute through my good intentions and an open heart. May I allow this higher intelligence to guide me. May I surrender control.