Yoga exercises

For many of us, taking up sitting meditation places new demands on our bodies.

Below we present some yoga and exercise resources from Hanya Gallagher, a trained yoga teacher and Zen priest. Hanya taught mindful movement and yoga classes at the Auckland Zen Centre for several years while she was on staff at the Centre. Now based in Christchurch, Hanya has made a series of on-line yoga resources for meditators (see below).

Exercises

Exercises for hip opening and spine (20 minute video sequence)

Exercises for hip opening and spine (PDF) (with Kathryn Argetsinger)

Yoga

Yoga for loosening before or after sitting (20 minute video sequence)

Yoga exercises to help improve your posture for meditation (PDF)

Important: Please listen to your body and do not continue with a posture or exercise if you experience sharp pains getting into it, or if there is physical discomfort that continues for more than a few minutes after you stop.