Slim Calm Sexy Yoga: 210 Proven Yoga Moves for Mind/Body Bliss

deeply and let all your muscles relax as you exhale.

After taking a deep breath in and out, let your head hang and relax your neck completely.

  Seated Shin Hug
    Extend both legs forward and flex your feet. Bend your left knee, bringing your ankle in toward your hips. Bend your right knee and lift your right leg toward you so your shin is parallel to the floor. Bring the bottom of your right foot into your left elbow and wrap your right arm around your leg. Sit up tall as you move your leg closer to your chest.

    TIP:
Try this with your hips on a blanket or block. Sitting with your hips higher than your knees allows extra room in your torso to extend straight up.

  Seated Spine Twist
    Extend your left leg and place your right foot on the outside of your left thigh. Inhale and extend your left arm straight up. As you exhale, wrap your left arm around your right knee. Press the fingertips of your right hand against the floor behind your hips.

Think of your spine as a barbershop pole when you do a seated spine twist. Your torso is spiraling around your spine like the stripes on the pole. Inhale as you lift up tall. Exhale all the air out as you twist around farther. Repeat on each breath and you’ll get the most out of your twist.
Try pushing the back of your left elbow against your right thigh just above your knee instead of wrapping your arm around it.

  Bent Boat
    From a seated position, legs extended in front of you, bend your knees, flex your feet, and raise your shins until they’re parallel to the floor. Place your arms outside your shins, parallel to the floor; lift your chest and sit up tall.

  Boat Twist
    Dip your knees to one side and bring your arms to the other side.

  Spine Roll
    Lie on your back. Bend your knees in and hug your shins. Gently rock forward and back on your spine. Start the movements small and gradually make them larger. Press each vertebra on the floor and treat this as a nice massage for your spine. Try to keep an equal distance between your head and your knees as you roll forward and back.

    CULTIVATE YOUR CORE
    When doing any of these poses, lift your belly in and up. A common error in yoga and other physical activities is to push out your stomach during abdominal effort. Lifting your stomach in and up builds strength in the deeper layers of muscle and develops a strong core and flat stomach more efficiently than pushing out your belly on each crunch. Lifting in and up also helps with every other yoga pose, from down dog to handstands. When your core is strong, challenging poses become so much easier.

Three Wise, Monkeys
    The movements on these pages are borrowed from the Three Wise Monkeys maxim: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil. You may have seen statues of these three monkeys depicted together, one covering his eyes, one covering his ears, and one covering his mouth. Sometimes a fourth monkey is with them, crossing his arms. He is the Do No Evil monkey. The Three Wise Monkeys became popular from a 17th-century carving over a door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. The maxim probably came to Japan originally with a Tendai Buddhist legend from China in the 8th century. Our modern-day interpretation of the Three Wise Monkeys is intended to ward off anxiety, which can be interpreted as evil that is happening to the self.

“SEE NO EVIL”
Eye Soother
    Rub your palms together to create a little bit of heat in your hands. When your hands feel warm, close your eyes and place the heels of your hands gently over them. Let your fingers point upward and rest on your forehead.

    This is great for eyestrain caused by too much computer-screen staring. It is also good for mild headaches and calming the brain.

“HEAR NO EVIL”
Ear Soother
    Rub your palms together, creating heat, and place them over your ears. Let your fingers point upward and rest on the sides of your head.

    This is great for silencing external noise. Just for a few moments, we come back to our breath and are shielded from outside distractions.

“SPEAK NO EVIL”
Jaw Soother
    Rub your palms together and place your right hand over your mouth and your left hand on top of your right hand.

    This is great for calming our impulses to speak without thinking.

“DO NO EVIL”
Crossed Arms
    Cross your arms.

    This is great for looking cool.

Hero
    Sit on your heels and rest your palms in your lap. Rise up on your knees and separate your heels a little wider than your hips, keeping your