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We begin by lying on the back, arms placed alongside the body, and fully relaxing. With a deep exhale, release both legs, the entire pelvis and sitting muscles, the whole torso, both arms, the muscles of the neck, and all the muscles of the face. Send the breath through the entire body while exhaling. Place the right hand into a fist, press firmly, stretch the entire right arm, and press it strongly against the mat. Repeat this three times, feeling the difference between tension and relaxation. Now on the left side: clench the left fist, stretch the whole arm, press as if trying to lift yourself up, and then release. Do the same with the left arm, placing the thumb inside the fist, pressing the entire arm into the floor, and then relaxing. Draw the tip of the right foot toward yourself, straighten the right leg at the knee, press it down onto the mat, and push the whole leg firmly against the ground. Again, experience tension and then release. Choose the length of these two phases according to your own feeling. To conclude this stage, tense the entire body three times—both legs, both arms, and scrunch the muscles of the face as if you wanted to lift yourself off the ground. Then always release completely. Repeat three times. Follow with a deep inhalation and exhalation throughout the entire body. Feel the effects with ease. Slowly, with an inhalation, raise the right arm above the head while simultaneously stretching the right heel forward. Only the right hand moves; the left side remains completely relaxed. Stretch the entire right side, hold for a moment, and with the exhale bring the arm down and relax. Repeat twice. On the third repetition, try to slightly extend the breath retention during inhalation. Slowly finish and place the arm beside the body. Deep inhale and exhale, feeling the effects of this exercise. Now raise both arms up. Bend your knees, draw the feet as close together as possible, joining the ankles, calves, and knees. With an exhale, slowly rotate the legs to the right and the head to the left, keeping the knees together throughout the practice. Inhale, return to the center. Exhale, slowly move to the opposite side. Light the candle slowly and mindfully. After the last repetitions, remain with knees bent and arms outstretched. Take a deep breath in and out. In the next exercise, imagine the knees stay fixed. The left hand will move across the body toward the right palm, and the palms join with the exhale. Inhale, return to the starting position. The head follows the movement of the hand. Now the right arm moves toward the left palm, twisting the upper body so that the right palm touches the left palm. Slowly finish. Return to that basic position: knees bent, arms extended to the sides. Deep inhalation and exhalation. With an exhale, roll onto the right side. The left palm joins the right, and the knees shift to the side. Inhale, the upper palm—the left hand—moves above the torso into abduction, while the knees remain in the lateral field. Exhale, return back. Slowly finish. Turn to the other side and repeat the same sequence. If comfortable, briefly extend the breath retention in the extreme positions. Return to the basic position, knees still bent, arms extended to the sides. Deep inhale and exhale. Keep your arms extended. Bend your knees to the right side, lie down on your right side. With the exhale, the left palm goes over the body to the right palm. Now, pay attention: the hand returns back along the path of the outstretched arms, above the head. Inhale. Roll over to the other side and repeat. Slowly finish and return to the starting position. Straighten your legs, arms beside your body. Deep inhale and exhale, feeling the effects. The next āsana is the enclosed Skandara Āsana from the third section. Those of you who know it may remain lying down; if you need to see, you may look. With an inhalation, slowly, vertebra by vertebra, lift the pelvis up. With the exhale, gently lower the entire torso back down. Repeat three times with the breath. When finished, stretch out your legs, breathe in fully, breathe out, and feel the effects. Inhale, lift the right leg perpendicular to the ceiling, bending the knee. Hold the knee with both hands; with the exhale, draw it closer to the chest, still holding it and gently pulling. Inhale, release slightly but do not let go. With the next exhale, draw in again, gradually trying to increase the range of movement. Stay a little longer on the third round. Stretch the right leg up toward the ceiling, then gently place it on the mat. Practice the same on the left side. Always practice only to the extent that feels comfortable; never try to practice to the point of pain. Slowly finish. Take a deep breath in, exhale, and smile throughout your entire body. We have two exercises ahead to strengthen the muscles of the throat. The first is a variation: slowly turn onto the stomach. The arms are extended to the sides, elbows bent, head supported. With an inhalation, lift the entire torso and arms up. With an exhalation, slowly lower down to the mat. Repeat. In the final repetition, hold the breath retention at the top and breathe freely, as long as each can manage and as feels comfortable. Rest your head on your cheek. Inhale and exhale several times, releasing the back muscles. The next posture is Śalabha Āsana. Place both hands with the palms facing down under the body. Brace yourself and lift the extended legs. Exhale, lower back. In the final repetition, hold the breath a little longer, then relax in the tiger relaxation. Deeply feel the abdominal breathing in this posture; it will energize the entire body. Straighten your leg, turn to the other side, and repeat. Deeper inhale and exhale, slowly straighten the leg. Now prepare for Uttāna Praśṭhāsana. Place the elbows as shown: the right palm holds the right elbow, the left palm the opposite elbow; the head hangs freely, relaxed. Inhale, lift up slightly until the torso is parallel to the mat, and gently look forward. Release back and relax. You may gently sway from side to side, releasing the muscles. Breathe in again, softness. Bend one knee and bring the pelvis as close to the mat as possible. A wide stance helps so that in the extreme position your knee forms roughly a right angle. Turn to the right, bend slightly, rotate the toe, lift the heel, bend the knee, and sink the pelvis as deep as possible toward the mat. Return to the starting position, practicing carefully so that you have control over the extreme positions. Repeat to the other side: first stretch, then rotate the heel, return, roll onto the entire sole of the foot, and then return back again. One last time. Stand with a slight stance. Relax the whole body and deeply feel the effects of the practice. The next exercise focuses on concentration: drawing the knee to the chest while standing. Fix your gaze on a point three or four meters in front of you. Shift your weight onto the right foot. Bend the right knee, draw it up as high as possible to the chest, then slowly return it. Bring the weight onto both feet. Press the shoulders back, relax, and stand tall. Feel the effects. Ring the bell a few times, and then we will practice Katupranām. We will do several rounds, ending with a few more cycles. Sit down into Vajrāsana. The wheel of Katuprāṇa can be more relaxed. In the following rounds, place special emphasis on deepening the stretches. The last round we practice as āsanas with retention. Now we practice together. Inhale, exhale. Inhale forward. Complete the inhalation, elbows pointing backward, head lifted, on the entire soles of the feet. Step forward with the right foot. Inhale, draw in, exhale, complete the exhale. Exhale, the foot goes forward. Inhale. Exhale, onto the whole sole of the foot, kneel, strike or step over, and crawl back like a caterpillar, returning your hands back. Be careful from this position—you can injure the shaft part of the spine; either kneel carefully or move with steady hands. Lift, exhale, release, inhale, complete the inhale. Return back. Keep the chin, chest, knees, and toes. Finish. Step into the first. Body stretched out. Bowing forward. Straighten up. We are going upward. The head rises upward. Maintain this position using the back muscles, palms straight. Caterpillar. Sit on the heels, inhale, raise the arms up, press the shoulders back. Deeply feel the effects of Katupranām. Move swiftly into Ānanda Āsana and relax. This will be a short relaxation, about two or three minutes. With an intense exhalation, release your entire body. Send a deep exhale from the crown of your head all the way to the tips of your fingers. Another exhale with the feeling of release from the eyebrows up to the crown of the head. Gently deepen the inhalation and exhalation. Immerse the whole body; feel it fully. With a deep inhalation and exhalation, slowly sit up and prepare for prāṇāyāma. Sit comfortably, arms resting on the knees, palms open toward the ceiling, thumb and index finger touching in Jñāna Mudrā. The spine is straight; placing a cushion under the coccyx can help prevent hunching and allow a nicely straightened back. Breathe full yogic breath into the abdomen—this is only possible when the spine is properly aligned. Close your eyes and focus on the inhalation and exhalation. With the inhalation, energy flows throughout the entire body. With the exhalation, the body cleanses itself, relaxes, and releases tension. Try to be aware of how your body is truly formed. Now, Nāḍī Śodhana, first stage. The right hand forms Jñāna Mudrā. Press the right nostril with the thumb. Inhale and exhale twenty times through the left nostril. Slowly finish and relax; relax the right arm. Now with the ring finger, press the left nostril. Inhale and exhale twenty times through the right nostril. If your hand hurts, briefly rest it on the knee, then continue. Slowly finish, place your arm back on your thigh, and breathe through both nostrils. Check if your back is straight and continue with prāṇāyāma. We will do a third round, slightly shorter, so straighten your back. Start with the left nostril again. Now breathe through the right nostril. Place the arm back on the knee and breathe through both nostrils. Feel the effects of prāṇāyāma. Take a deep inhale and exhale, and we will chant Om three times. Rub your palms, place them over your eyes, warm your entire face, and then slowly open your eyes. This concludes the morning’s practice.