Ulrica Norberg - 15-Minute Yoga: Health, Well-Being, and Happiness through Daily Practice

ULRICA NORBERG

HEALTH, WELL-BEING,
AND HAPPINESS THROUGH
DAILY PRACTICE

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS LUNDBERG
TRANSLATED BY DIANA KATARZYNA BIEDNY

Copyright 2014 by Ulrica Norberg

English Translation 2015 by Skyhorse Publishing

First published in 2014 as Yoga en kvart om dagen by Ulrica Norberg, Fitnessfrlaget, Stockholm, Sweden

Photography by Andreas Lundberg

Graphic design by Anders Timrn

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Owen Corrigan

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-517-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62914-843-4

Printed in China

The intelligence behind the human being as a creation goes beyond our reason.

We can get an idea of this greatness only when we connect to the intelligence inside ourselves, and our spirit through reflection and meditation.

YOGIRAJ ALAN FINGER

An individuals path to better health is generally different from that of another. We are all unique and the secret of success in yoga and other types of mind-body practice is to create a balancing practice for the body and mind. A mind body routine that strengthens and enlivens the body, quiets the mind, and gives life to the spirit. By practicing yoga, one can over time develop a self- balancing daily session that works toward what we need rather than giving in to what the mind wants.

For me, yoga has been an invaluable tool to create better balance in my everyday life, in my work, and in my relationship with myself and the people around me. Yogas focus on the interaction between the inner and outer aspects of everything, and how to merge them together, is the essence of why I and many others feel this way.

One of yogas many gifts to humanity is the techniques and methods which have been tested, reflected upon, and ennobled over millennia. Some of these techniques are simple but effective, and through a regular exercise they help us to move more gracefully into better balance mentally, physically, and spiritually. Ancient yoga texts place particular emphasis on the importance of step-by-step equanimity in the practice, in order to not overwhelm the senses or the body, and to train the brain and heart to connect and be more stable, in every way. In many techniques, one sense is used in order to strengthen another, through one side of the body to balance the other, to go from doing to being, inner focus to outer focus, and so on. And through rest, we can find activity and vice versa. The word health derives from the Old English word hlth, which originally meant whole. Yoga is a way to become whole by integrating oppositeswhat we have within us interacts with what is outside of us. Then we reflect upon that merge and meditate before action.

We humans have an incredible capacity within us. And yoga helps us to understand our potential and through that to live a fuller life. Through a regular yoga practice, you can learn how to control the blood flow in your brain in order to strengthen the centers that control various mental and physical functions.

First we align the body with the help of breathing properly, and then through visualization and concentration exercises, we try to direct our attention to specific locations in the body to thereby recover the power of the brain and strengthen different body parts.

In this book, I focus on three aspects of yoga practice: breath, energy, and the physical body, as well as how to enhance the interaction between them and how they can be combined through short but effective yoga sessions15 minutes a day.

The suggested practice sequences I have put together, which you can find in the back of the book, are all designed so that you start to work on merging the opposites I have mentioned: activity with recovery, more body in one, more mind in one, balance both right and left hemispheres and both sides of the body as well as building and recovering exercises. I have mixed yin yoga, which focuses on targeting the connective tissue with an aim of creating better circulation, more elasticity, and a harmonious mind, with yang yogaenergizing exercises to strengthen the muscle tissue. The mix of activity and rest creates power and stability in equal doses on the inside and on the outside. This way of practicing yoga has helped me a lot in my work and life in general. I hope you will appreciate how the programs are varied, and that they will do you good. Use them according to your own needs, circumstances, and goals, and then it will hopefully feel invigorating and motivating.

I wish you all the best.
Namaste,

THE YIN AND YANG YOGA

Physical yoga, called hatha yoga, works consistently with the balance of opposites in the practice, activity (ha in Sanskrit) and recovery (tha), in a way where one synchronizes the exercises that works the muscle tissue (ha) as much as the connective tissue (tha) in order to balance the force within an individual, prana. The ha and tha definitions come from the Indian tradition of yoga, while similar interactions of opposites in Chinese Taoism are called yin and yang. The concepts of yin and yang are often better recognized in the west, which is why modern yoga often borrows them to describe the relationship between opposites.

Yin yoga exercises are characterized by holding the poses longer and in stillness, in order to release tension, free locked-up prana (life force), and mobility, while yang yoga targets the muscle tissue and involves movement in flow with the breath, creating strength and stability.

The purpose of yin yoga is to create a greater elasticity in the connective tissue. The circulation in the muscles is promoted and yin yoga also makes it easier to release tensions and mental stress. In this book you will find a number of beneficial yin exercises that you are welcome to try.

BASIC YOGA TERMS

What you often hear us yoga teachers talk about when we teach:

Alignment