Yoga Sparks: 108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute or Less

204 Pages·2013·1.78 MB·English

by  Carol Krucoff E-RYT

“This is a wonderful collection of micro-practices designed to elicit
the meaning of the teachings [of yoga]. Who would want more?
Pause, feel the truth, be glad. Keep it simple, short, and frequent.”
—Erich Schiffmann, author of YOGA: The Spirit and Practice
of Moving into Stillness
“With a lighthearted understanding and compassion, we are
offered 108 easy practices to ‘spark’ our remembering, connecting
us to our spiritual source, each and every moment.”
—Nischala Joy Devi, international teacher and author of The
Healing Path of Yoga and The Secret Power of Yoga
“Krucoff’s Yoga Sparks is a simple, powerful tool for you to move
from ‘doing’ yoga to ‘being’ yoga. For too long in the West we’ve
separated yoga as something we do, when by practicing Sparks
you will discover that yoga is in fact what you are, moment to
moment. My sense is you will soon be creating your own Sparks
as you delight in your realization that 108 is really only just a good
start! Let your fire burn brighter with Yoga Sparks!”
—Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD, ERYT, former president of the
International Association of Yoga Therapists, and the
‘mindbody’ rehab guy bridging traditional rehab with yoga
“Yoga Sparks is the perfect book for anyone interested in a
practical way to incorporate yoga into his or her daily busy life.
Krucoff goes beyond the poses and really provides a guide to
experiencing all of the benefits that yoga has to offer for improving
health and wellbeing.”
—Adam Perlman, associate vice president for health and
wellness for the Duke University Health System and
executive director at Duke Integrative Medicine
“Yoga is popularly described as a practice for on and off the mat,
but how many people actually integrate and transfer their insights
from yoga to ordinary moments? Our reactivity easily eclipses our
ease and calm when triggered by the unexpected, or worse, the
unwanted details of life. If yoga is to become more than merely
exercise, we need to inhabit mini moments with awareness and
find ways to reconnect ourselves in body and mind. In Yoga
Sparks, Krucoff offers profound wisdom in sparkling bites that can
easily be applied while moving through our day, enhancing our
capacity for mindful living. She teaches us that our busy life is not
in the way of our yoga practice, and in fact the way to live
yogically is through the everyday moments of our life.”
—Sarah Powers, author of Insight Yoga
“It is so easy to go from zero to sixty and stay in high gear until
you break down. Yoga Sparks generously offers a way for you to
make a Uturn: quickies that translate into quick ease of posture,
concentration, joy, and presence. Krucoff’s sensitive sparks jump
off the page and inject moments of repose into your days, nights,
and life.”
—Jill Miller, ERYT, creator of Yoga Tune Up® and the
Therapy Ball System™

Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with
the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If
expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2013 by Carol Krucoff New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Acknowledgments for the use of copyrighted material appear on pages 232, which constitute an extension of the copyright page.

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Text design by Michele Waters-Kermes; Acquired by Jess O’Brien; Edited by Jasmine Star
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Krucoff, Carol.
Yoga sparks : 108 easy practices for stress relief in a minute or less / Carol Krucoff, E-RYT.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60882-700-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-701-5 (pdf e-book) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-702-2 (epub) 1. Stress
management. 2. Relaxation. 3. Yoga--Therapeutic use. I. Title.
RA785.K78 2013
613.7’046--dc23
2013014405
To my teachers, on whose shoulders I stand,
And to my students, who have taught me so much
The Gita sums up [what] this means in one word—yoga… This
ancient word is pressed by the Gita into service to mean the entire
gamut of human endeavor to storm the gates of Heaven. It is derived
from the verb yuj…which has numerous meanings: to join, to attach,
to yoke; to direct, to concentrate one’s attention on; to use, to apply, to
employ. In the Yoga Sutras it is used to mean discipline or control. It
thus means the yoking of all the powers of the body and the mind and
soul to God; it means the discipline of the intellect, the mind, the
emotions, the will, which such a yoking presupposes; it means a poise
of the soul which enables one to look at life in all its aspects and
evenly.
—The Gita According to Gandhi, by Mahadev Desai
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
• 1 • Anywhere Practices
Posture Sparks
1. Freeze, Ground, Breath, Spine
2. Mountain Pose
3. Seated Mountain Pose
4. Tree Pose
5. Shoulder Shrugs
6. Gentle Twist
7. Lips Together, Teeth Apart
8. Lion’s Face
9. Relaxation
Breathing Sparks
10. Relaxed Abdominal Breath
11. Three-Part Breath
12. Even Breath
13. Extended Exhalation
Meditation Sparks
14. Mindful Awareness of Breath
15. Conscious Breathing with a Smile
16. Mantra Meditation
17. In and Out Visualization
18. Loving-Kindness
19. Riding the Waves
20. Preferred Place
Principle Sparks
21. Body Scan
22. Awareness
23. Self-Talk
24. Letting Go
25. Acceptance: It Is What It Is
26. Contentment and Gratitude
27. Cultivating the Opposite
28. Cleanliness 1: Hand-Washing Practice
29. Set an Intention
• 2 • Around the House Practices
Posture Sparks
30. Rise and Shine
31. Knee-to-Chest Pose
32. Apanasana: Wind-Relieving Pose
33. Standing Salutation
34. Chair Pose
35. Hip Hinge: Lift and Carry
36. Puppy Pose
37. Nondominant Hand Practice
38. Tightrope Walking
39. Palm Tree
40. Crane Pose
41. Legs up the Wall or on a Chair
Breathing Sparks
42. Shower Om
43. Bee’s Breath
44. Alternate Nostril Breathing
45. Chanting or Singing Breath
Meditation Sparks
46. Housework or Yard Work Meditation
47. Mindful Eating
48. Sacred Space
49. Three Good Things
Principle Sparks
50. Cleanliness 2: Tidy Home Practice
51. Unplug: Restraint of the Senses
52. Clutter-Busting Practice
53. Self-Study: Journaling
54. Discipline
• 3 • At Work Practices
Posture Sparks
55. Mini Mountain Pose
56. Side Stretch
57. Computer Asana
58. Seated Back Bend
59. Angel Wings
60. Wrist, Arms, and Hands Stretch
61. Forearm Stretch
62. Hand Jive
63. Modified Cow’s Face
64. Spread Your Wings
65. Eye Play 1: Clock Eyes
66. Eye Play 2: Fingertip Push-Ups
67. Eye Play 3: Palming
68. Neck Side Stretch
69. Restorative Forward Bend
Breathing Sparks
70. Breath Surfing
71. Sun Channel Breathing
72. Moon Channel Breathing
73. Victorious Breath
Meditation Sparks
74. Boot Up, Download, or On Hold Meditation
75. Telephone Meditation
76. Rehearse Success Visualization
77. Walking Meditation
Principle Sparks
78. Sympathetic Joy
79. Concentration
80. Integrity
• 4 • On the Go Practices
Posture Sparks
81. Driving Asana
82. Seat Stretches