Spring is my favorite time of year for many reasons, the main one being it is time for gardening!  For those of you who don’t know me, gardening is a passion of mine.

I love plants and I love landscape design too.  In October 2015 I was featured in an article about backyard kingdoms called  “Where the Roads Meet” in Preview Massachusetts magazine along with a neighbor of mine who also loves gardening.

It is great to be outdoors weeding and planting the vegetable garden again and enjoying the beautiful perennials blooming in my flower beds.  When I garden I tend to go non-stop, but now that I am getting older I am finding I need to take a little break every now and then to stretch my body so I don’t come in the house at the end of the day in pain.

Below are 5 Easy Yoga Poses that you can do in your yard when you are tending your gardens to help keep your body more limber and pain free during the gardening season.  You can do one pose as needed or you can do them in a sequence.  As you hold each pose breathe deeply, relax into the pose and enjoy stretching your body!

1. Half Moon Pose – Stand with feet close together and reach your arms overhead clasping your hands together with your index fingers pointing to the sky.  Lift and lengthen your spine inhaling then exhale and lean to your left side stretching through your rib cage.  Hold for a full breath and then come back to the center and repeat on your right side.

2. Forward Angle Pose – Stand with feet hip width apart and interlace your fingers behind your back.  Squeeze your should blades together and look up to the sky and inhale.  Exhale and bend forward and let your head and neck relax as you stretch your arms away from your spine.  Take a few deep breaths and let out a nice sigh as you exhale.  Lower your arms onto your back again and  inhale as you lift your torso back up and squeeze your shoulders back again and then relax your arms at your sides.

3. Standing Back Bend – Stand with your feet together and place your hands in the small of your back (palms against your body fingers pointing toward the earth).  Tilt your head up and press your hips forward squeezing your buttock muscles to support your back.  Hold for a few breaths and lengthen your spine from your tailbone up to base of your skull.  Slowly return to starting position and relax your arms at your sides.

4. Swinging Spinal Twist – Stand with your feet wider than hip width apart and start swinging your arms from side to side as you rotate your torso and head from left to right.  As you twist to the left, let your right heel lift up off the ground and when you twist to the right let your left heel lift up.  Swing from side to side five times and coordinate your breath with the movement so as you swing to the side you exhale and as you come back to the center you inhale.

5. Downward Dog – Start on your hands and knees and lift your tailbone up to the sky straightening your legs.  Lengthen your spine and move your chest toward your legs.  You can bend one knee and then the other and stretch the opposite heel to the ground a few times.  Return to hands and knees and then come up to standing.

Gardening is great for body and soul but when we try to do too much it can take it’s toll on us!  Remember to pace yourself and try to slow down and enjoy the process instead of feeling like you have to hurry and get it all done at one time.

Enjoy the rest of this season of rebirth and renewal and happy gardening!!!