Second day of the intensive
First exercise
Every day, if you can—or every other day if you cannot—do:
Your Yoga. Ayurveda. Abhyanga
This is a pleasant, relaxing procedure.
Now I’ll explain how to do it in our, so to speak, “not-so-simple” urban conditions.
Heat the oil in any small container. For example, you can pour the oil into a glass, place it in water in a saucepan, and bring the water to a boil. The water will heat the oil in the glass. You can literally check the oil’s temperature with your finger—it should be slightly hot. Once you start the massage, the temperature will drop and become normal. The oil should be as warm as possible during the massage—not hot yet, but at the comfortably hot temperature of a bath or shower.
Stand in an empty bathtub, without water. Pour about 1 cm of hot water into the tub so that heat rises from it and warms the bathroom.
If you do not have a bathtub:
Keep the glass of oil nearby. You can simply place it on the bottom of the bathtub, for example. Then dip all your fingers into the glass of oil, immersing them in it, and transfer the oil to your body. Dip them again and apply it to your body again, as if painting a fence with a brush. Personally, I found this method more convenient.
Apply oil to your entire body, then begin the massage. I posted the link a little higher up.
Massage your body for 5–10 minutes. Then turn on the hot water, at a comfortable temperature. Fill the bathtub and lie in it. Simply relax in the hot water. Hot water means comfortably warm water.
Stay in the bath for another 5–10 minutes.
Afterward, you can rinse off the remaining oil with the shower. Get out of the bath. Pat your body dry with a terry towel. A light layer of oil will remain on your skin; that is normal. There is no need to wash anything off with soap.
The oils I recommend, if you do not have Ayurvedic oils, are:
- Ghee.
- Sesame oil.
- Coconut oil.
- Cedar oil.
- Walnut oil.
- Olive oil.
You can mix them all together and also add whichever natural essential oils you like—tea tree, rose, fir, and so on. Anything you like.
After such a bath, it is very good to lie down and rest. This will relax and calm you even more. The place where you lie should be warm and free of drafts. For example, a bedroom with the door closed (and, of course, the window closed too), on a regular bed.
Second exercise
I strongly recommend any kind of physical exercise. You can put together any routine that works all the muscles. You have a very wide choice when it comes to creating the second exercise of the intensive.
- Squats of all kinds—wide-stance, narrow-stance, with lunges, against a wall, and so on.
- Push-ups of all kinds—wide-grip, narrow-grip, on parallel bars, on supports, and so on.
- Pull-ups—wide grip, narrow grip, underhand grip, and so on.
- Jumps.
- Ab exercises.
- All kinds of gymnastics, even the exercises we did at school during recess. Everyone knows them.
I also shared a single exercise that works all the muscles:
Women can use light dumbbells or none at all.
You can do push-ups from your knees and pull-ups using your legs for assistance. In other words, if something is difficult, you can always find an easier variation.
Make every part of your body work fully.
Work out every day. Even if it is only 10–20 minutes, do it every day. Then work your way up to 30–60 minutes a day.