Weekly tips to bring island-inspired wellness into your everyday life from the wellness and spa team at Rosalie Bay Resort, Dominica. Post written by Spa and Wellness Coordinator Laura Lund.
Adding new poses to your yoga routine keeps exercise fun while strengthening new parts of the body. The cobra pose is a gentle backbend that is easy to incorporate into almost any yoga sequence.
This heart-opening pose can help relieve neck and shoulder pain, strengthen the back, and improve digestion. It also stretches the chest and shoulders, and allows for deeper breathing.
To prepare the mind and body for cobra pose:
1. Lie down on your belly with your palms facing upward and your head turned to one side.
2. Let your body relax completely as you take a few deep breaths.
3. Feel your abdomen press the floor and your lower back rise and fall with each breath.
To practice cobra pose:
1. Bring your head to center, in line with your spine.
2. Slide your hands next to your chest so your fingers are in line with your shoulders and your elbows are bent and alongside your ribs.
3. Feet can be together or hip distance apart, but in either case press them into the mat and engage your legs.
4. With the shoulders pressing down away from your ears, begin to lift the spine and chest.
5. Check your form. Feel your back muscles lifting and avoid using your arms like you would in a pushup. It is not important that you lift up high off the ground.
6. Hold for 5 deep breaths, then release back to starting position.
7. Repeat 2-3 times.
Master this pose and more while you tune into your mind, body and nature during our one-week yoga retreats this February and March. We hope to see you then!