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Hello again, and good day once more. We continue with our program, practicing āsana and prāṇāyāma. These are very easy āsanas from the first and second stages of yoga, suitable for everyone in daily life. We will practice some āsanas from the first and second levels of Yoga in Daily Life. We begin with Ānandāsana. As always when we start, we relax. Lie on your back and find the most comfortable position. Place your hands a little distance from the body, palms facing upward, and let your legs be slightly apart. Practice double breathing: inhale and exhale deeply a few times. Feel the whole body and simply relax. With inhalation, feel the entire body; with exhalation, let go completely. On an exhalation, stretch the whole body. Inhale and stretch the body along the floor, pressing the back to the mat. Exhale and place the hands back. Exhale, arms back, and one more time—stretch well. In this way we activate the whole body and, if necessary, wake it up. Now turn your hands and rub the palms together. Close the muscles of the face and warm them. Place your hands on the floor at shoulder height. Be aware of your neighbors. We begin with some twisting postures. Bend the legs and place the feet on the floor near the buttocks. Inhale slowly, and with exhalation let the legs fall to the left side while the head turns to the right. Watch that the right shoulder stays down. Inhale slowly back to center; exhale to the other side. With exhalation, lower the legs slowly to the right, ensuring that the knees and feet remain together all the while and that the shoulders do not lift from the floor. Continue in your own rhythm a few more times, feeling the twist in the spinal column. When you return to the center, continue with another twisting variation, this time keeping the legs and feet a little further apart. If possible, bring one knee to rest on the opposite foot. Shoulders remain on the floor; keep the pelvis lifted. Inhale center, exhale slowly—legs to one side, head toward the other shoulder. Then stretch out the arms and bring the hands back beside the body. Inhale and exhale deeply. Feel the body. Feel the influence of the āsana and simply relax. Now we continue with Pavanamuktāsana. Bring the feet together. Inhale and draw the right knee toward the chest. With exhalation, bring the forehead or the nose toward the knee. Inhale, lower the head. Exhale, slowly straighten the leg and place it back down. With each repetition, try to bring the head as close to the knee as possible, but do not lean to the side; keep the head centered. In later repetitions, while one leg is bent, keep the other straight. Stay in the posture breathing normally. If it becomes too strenuous, come back slowly; otherwise remain a little longer. Feel the energy of the stomach muscles and breathe normally. Exhale, lower the leg. Inhale and exhale deeply, and relax. Once again with the left knee: inhale, bend the knee; exhale, draw the forehead nearer to the knee; try to touch the knee with the forehead and feel the back muscles. When you have had enough, come back with an inhalation, and exhale to lower the leg slowly. (The sequence repeats with conscious breathing.) We will now do the bicycle riding. We ride as if genuinely pedaling a bicycle. Raise your legs and move them alternately in large circles—do not rush. Twenty large circles, in your own rhythm, paying attention to every detail. Try to lower the legs as much as possible toward the floor without touching it; stretch the feet upward. If this is too difficult, place your palms on the floor beside the buttocks for support. (Please avoid this āsana if you are menstruating, have injured your back, or experience stomach pain.) After finishing, relax for a while, then pedal in the opposite direction—twenty more rounds. Stretch the legs first, then bend them consciously. Try to bring the legs a little closer to the floor. Sometimes it is not important how many rounds we do or how long we practice; what matters is that this moment is conscious, exact, and full—perfect for each of us. When done, take a deep breath and release the whole body. Feel the impact of the āsana on the body and on the breath. If your breathing has quickened, a few complete inhalations and exhalations will bring peace. Now we will do Pavanamuktāsana with both knees together. Inhale, draw both knees to the chest. Leave the upper part of your back on the floor and remain in the position as comfortably as possible with normal breathing. Try to relax the stomach muscles. Feel the neck muscles. Then slowly, with a breath, lower the head. With a breath, extend the legs toward the ceiling, and with an exhalation stretch the legs and lower them to the floor. Take a few deep breaths. This āsana is also very good for digestion. After the next exhalation, slowly turn onto your stomach. We will practice some more āsanas from this position. Stretch the arms out and rest the chin on the floor. In the first variation, bend the knees. Place the hands at shoulder level. Feel the back muscles. Inhale—only the head and chest lift; the hands remain on the floor. Look up. For the third repetition, inhale, lift up, relax the hands, and feel the back muscles, the buttocks, and the legs. Exhale, slowly lower, relax the legs, rest the chin or face on the floor, and let the whole body—especially the shoulder muscles—release. Next, we will take one more version. Again, rest the chin on the floor, arms stretched forward. With the breath, we will lift everything from the floor eight times. Inhale, lift the whole body up except the stomach, of course. Do not spread the hands too wide; keep them in front. Inhale up, soften the face, look forward. Exhale, release. One more time: inhale, push a little higher; stay in the posture with normal breath a little longer if possible. If not, simply return. Pūra Laga Nizda—slowly exhale. Come into the Tiger posture for relaxation. Place the palms together, and move the knees closer to the elbows. This posture is especially comfortable for women, more so than lying flat on the stomach because of the chest. Relax the back muscles, particularly the lumbar spine. This posture also relieves tension in the hip joints and legs. After the next exhalation, change sides. If all is well, I see all the experts in Tiger posture. Inhale and exhale deeply a few times. After the next exhale, lie down slowly on your side. We will practice Hastapādāṅguṣṭhāsana from the second level of Yoga in Daily Life. The lower arm extends overhead, head resting on it. The leg is straight, and the other hand moves so that the palms touch each other. The whole body forms one line. Look ahead, and try to place the hands on the floor—do not keep them in the air. Feel the entire body. Now, slowly and consciously with inhalation, raise both the upper hand and the upper leg. Inhale, lift them, and try to hold the foot. It is important that the knee stays straight; it does not matter where you catch the foot. Inhale and exhale; on the third repetition we will stay a little longer in the posture. Inhale, try to gaze at a single point in front of you, maintaining concentration and balance. Remain in the posture with normal breath for as long as it is comfortable. Slowly exhale, return the hand and leg to the floor. Deeply inhale and exhale, relax. This āsana is excellent for the hip muscles, strengthening them, and is good for the whole back. It also opens and cleanses the channels and respiratory tract. Feel that the legs are straight and relaxed. Inhale. Slowly raise the buttocks up. Look toward your navel. Rise onto your toes. Exhale, lower the knees back down. Inhale up, exhale down. Slowly sit back, deeply inhale and exhale. One more time: lift the buttocks up, exhalation lower the knees, exhale sit down. Deeply inhale and exhale. On the third repetition we will remain in the posture. Slowly move the fingers, rub the palms together, and place them on the eyes and face. If possible, bring the hands down and rest the forehead on the floor. Slowly come up again. Hari Om.