Give it a rest!

Calling all hairdressers, runners, teachers, retail workers, parents, doctors and nurses and anyone who stands for long periods of the day.

This position will hep you relieve your tired muscles, prevent varicose veins and even better get your hormones rebalanced. Some experts say this posture done correctly for 20 minutes is as good as a few hours sleep! Now we all could do with more of that!

Get Your Legs Up The Wall

This posture:

 - Calms the mind

 - Takes pressure off the venous return - that’s fancy speak for it helps varicose veins

 - The heart has to pump stronger to get the blood back up the legs so you’re sort of exercising while you’re resting…very cool!

 -  Adrenals have the chance to rest and recalibrate so that they can communicate with your thyroid gland better. This will aid weight loss, lead to more balanced moods and overall feeling better.

Here’s what to do:

Set the stage: Make sure that you’re in a quiet place and you’ve got at least 10 minutes. You’re going to want to be able to close your eyes and deeply relax. Legs Up the Wall doesn’t have the same effect if you’re chatting away on the phone or flipping through messages.

Step 1: Lay on your back with your hips about 6 to 12 inches away from the wall. Tip: Bend your knees and put your feet on the wall. If your thighs are at a right angle to your back, then your hips will be the perfect distance from the wall.

Step 2: Straighten your legs up the wall, so that your heels are making contact. Keep your knees straight and your legs relaxed.

Step 3: Place a pillow under your head. You should feel really comfy here.

Step 4: Close your eyes and breathe. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.

Step 5: Bring your awareness to your breath. Inhale for a count of 2 and exhale for a count of 4.

Step 6: “Hang out” here with your eyes closed for 10-20 minutes. Breathe in the adrenal love.

I got these tips here at an amazing site Yoganonymous which is filled with excellent yoga related tips. 

This might take some practise getting into and if you have tight hamstrings you may want to try a supported version by placing a bolster or cushion under your hips like below:

But the benefits are amazing. It's a great one to do just before you go to bed. You could even try listening to some guided meditation like I suggested here in my previous post about how to get better and more sleep.

Rest well my Jeanies!