It’s been a while since the last issue, and I’m sure everyone has been practising his or her yoga postures in the heat of the glorious sun, oh yeah, that beautiful weather is just in my imagination!

I am going to introduce a couple more warm-ups and then, still staying with the cat pose, I will give further variations that can lead onto the first warrior pose, which is very useful for opening the front of the body, especially the groin area. It is a very energising posture but people with heart problems or high blood pressure or heavily pregnant women should not raise the arms over the head.

Always remember that warming up is important for the body to be able to achieve postures safely and comfortably. Never go further than is comfortable for you, be especially aware of any injuries and get a doctor’s approval to continue if necessary.

Warm-up Stretches:
1. Lying on the ground on your back, slowly stretch your arms up over your head whilst at the same time stretching the legs away from the hips and pointing the toes.
As you breathe out sigh ‘haa’ and bring the arms back down to the sides and relax the legs. Repeat.

2. Still lying on your back, bend the knees and place them hip-width apart with the ankles directly under the knees. As you breathe in press the waist into the floor and slightly lift the hips and pelvic area. Hold this for a few seconds, then as you breathe out, roll the hips down and relax. Repeat, then hug the knees to the chest and rock from side to side to gently massage the spine.

Cat Pose Variation 2
* Begin as in variation 1 from the June issue, with shoulders and knees directly under the hips– table position.

* Follow the same instructions, however this time in addition to raising the right leg from the floor as high as is comfortable, also slowly raise the opposite arm.

* Lift the head and look forward, if this strains your neck in any way, remain looking at the ground.

* Hold the pose for as long as is comfortable, then return to the table position and repeat on the other side.

Warrior 1
* Step the feet about 4ft apart and rotate the entire right foot and leg 90º out to the right, then lift the toes of the left foot and swivel it slightly inwards.

* Turn the body to the right and try to keep the hips parallel.

* Raise the arms to shoulder level with the palms facing upwards then bring them overhead keeping them shoulder width apart

* Bend the right knee and lower the body as far as is comfortable, first making sure that the knee is a straight line above the ankle. (This protects the knee joint.)

* Keep the shoulders relaxed and lift the chest upwards.

* If you have no neck problems you can look up at the ceiling, otherwise remain looking to the front.

* Breathing in, come out of the posture and turn to the centre before repeating on the other side. To relax, stand with feet together then bend forward slowly from the hip joints (at the top of your legs) keeping the front of the body long. When you have reached as far as is comfortable for you, place your hands wherever they reach on your legs or the floor and relax the head and neck for a few breaths.