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Bring the right leg back. Bring the hands to the side of the body. Find your breathing. Notice the stillness and steadiness in the body. We’ll come down into Daṇḍāsana, sitting with the legs out in front, and we’ll warm up the hips, back, and belly muscles for a back bend by doing grinding. We’ll bring the hands out in front, shoulders relaxed, then reach forward, and then make a big circle out to the side as you inhale, and exhale as you come forward. When you turn to the side, make it a deep turn, as though you feel a twist through the side of your body, and then to the other side, forward. Reach as far forward as you feel comfortable, and as you come back, keep the spine long. Try not to round out through the back. Maintain your breathing, keep the shoulders relaxed. Having a little bend in the elbows can help keep the shoulders and upper back relaxed. And then reversing, and then next time you’re forward, release the hands, bring the hands behind the body, just leaning back into the shoulders, and take some deep breaths into the belly. We’ll roll onto our abdomen for Bhujaṅgāsana, Cobra Pose. Press the forehead or the chin on the ground, have the hands beside the body, around about where your top ribs are, and the fingers as wide as you can, and the elbows working their way into the sides of the body, feet as close together as feels comfortable to you. And again, if you’re working with any problems in the foot, feet can be as wide apart as you feel comfortable with. Start to point your toes away from you and press the hips into the ground without the buttocks going high. Then start to lift the head and bring the chest forward. Try to feel the curve in the upper part of the back. Try to bring the ribs forward as you move the curve into the middle of the back. And then, using the strength in your arms, come up as far as you’re coming up to that. The shoulders move down, the chest lifts up, open up the throat, and direct the gaze upwards. And as you mix, breathe out, gently rolling back down. Forehead or chin on the ground. Deep breath, and as you breathe in through your belly, stand against the ground, pushing the air into the back of your lungs, into the back of your body. Allow that to soften your muscles through the back. We’ll go through another round, starting by pointing the toes away. Feel the legs long, the hips anchored into the mat. Start to lift the head, and as you lift your head, you can start to feel the curve in the neck or into the upper part of the back. Coming up slowly, keep the shoulders moving back and down. You can even wait through your hands. Press a little more strongly through the thumb and forefinger side of your hand. Open the throat, direct the gaze upwards, and, breathing out, roll back down. Deep in breath, breathe into your back. Make the feet as wide apart as your yoga mat, and tuck the toes under. Ṛṣṭi Cobra, Triyat Pūjaṅgāsana. As you breathe in, start to lift the head, bring the chest forward, coming up, finding your Cobra. And then, as you breathe out, turn to the right side. Try to bring the left shoulder forward, right shoulder back, heels pointing up. Try to make eye contact with your left heel. Breathe in back to the centre, breathing out, rolling back down, deep in breath, and relax. On the other side, as you breathe in, slowly coming up, breathe out, turn the whole upper body to the left, bring the right shoulder forward, look up and over your shoulder, the heels stay pointing upwards. Breathe in to the centre, breathing out. Bring the legs together, push up and back onto the heels, bring the hands behind the body, take hold of the left wrist, and let the forehead rest on the ground in Yoga Mudrā. Deep inhalations and exhalations, let your body relax, and then slowly rolling up, remain in Vajrāsana at the back of the mat, and we’ll go through some rounds of Kartu Praṇām. Bring the hands onto the thighs. Find your breathing, and then we’ll raise the arms above the head. Let the arms move slowly through space. Bring the hands together and look up towards the hands, palms flat, reaching through the sides of the body. Bring the hands apart. Roll forward from the hips. Bring the hands, forearms, and forehead to the mat. In Śaśāṅkāsana, the hare posture, lift the hips off the heels, slide forward through your arms into a caterpillar, turning the toes under, hips in the air, chin and chest on the ground, and then pushing off through your feet, slide forward onto the hips into a cobra. Press down through your hands, come back up onto the knees, look up into a cat posture, and as you bring the chin down towards the chest, tuck the tailbone under, toes under, lift the hips into the air, into a mountain posture. Extend back through your heels, look between the hands, bend the knees slightly, and take a big step forward with the right leg into a sprinter’s lunge. Bring the chest forward and look ahead, then straighten the spine, raise the arms above the head, bring the hands together, and look up to the sky into a hero posture. Bring the hands out to the side, take a deep breath, and as you breathe out, turn your whole upper body to the right side, bringing your left hand onto the right knee, then tilt back and take hold of the back heel. Reach the left arm up into the air. Have the palm facing inwards. Reach up and look up. Bring the hand back onto the thigh. Turn the whole upper body to the front. Raise the arms above the head. Look up. Bring the hands apart. Bend forward into a sprint. Step with the left foot. Bring your hands together and look up. Hands apart. Bending. Big step back. Chest forward. Tall into the hips. Reach the arms out in front, hands together, looking up. Bring the arms out to the side. Make sure the back toes are tucked under to make the heel a little higher to reach. Deep in breath, and as you breathe out, turn to the left side, bringing the right hand onto the left knee, tilt back, take hold of the heel, raise the top arm into the air, palm facing inward, look up towards your hand, a twisting back bend. Coming forward, bringing the arms out to the side, raise the arms above the head, look up, bringing the hands apart and back to sprinter. Looking ahead, step back into mountain, the fingers wide. Press back from your fingertips along the sides of your body, all the way through the backs of the legs to the heels. Come forward onto the knees, into Marjaryāsana, looking up. Burden your spine, bring the hips to the ground, chest forward into Cobra, and uncurl the toes. Toes under, lift the hips in the air, chin and chest to the ground, Caterpillar. And then, pressing back through your hands onto your forearms, slide back into hare posture. The whole upper body, raising the arms into the air, bring the hands together, looking up. And bringing the hands apart, back onto the thighs, deep breath. Go through some more rounds. Start to raise the arms above the head, keep... The shoulders are soft, hands together, looking up. Bring the hands apart and roll forward. Bend over from the hips, fold into the hare posture. Lift the hips slightly off the heels as you slide the chest through the arms, toes tucked under, like a caterpillar. Give yourself a little push off from your feet, and slide forward into a cobra. Come back into cat posture, looking up, tilting the hips up into the air, then tuck the toes under, looking down, rolling up into a mountain. Look between the hands, bending the knees, stepping the left foot forward into a lunge, forward, looking ahead. Lifting the upper body, sit tall into the hips, raise the arms above the head, hands together, looking up. Back toes are tucked under. Bring the arms out to the side. As you breathe out, turn to the left side, bringing the right hand onto the left knee. Tilting back, taking hold of the right heel, bring the right arm into the air, looking up. Keep the twist in your spine, bringing the hand back onto the knee. Coming back to the centre, raise the arms above the head, looking up, bringing the hands apart and back into sprinter. Stepping towards the upper body to relax, hands together looking up, hands apart, chest forward into a spring, lifting up the upper body, raising the arms up, hands together looking up. Bring the arms out to the side, and with your exhalation, turn to the right side. Place your left hand on the thigh, tilt back, and take hold of the left heel. Bring the top arm into the air, looking up, and bring the hand... Back onto the thigh, turning back to the center, raise the arms into the air, looking up, bringing the hands apart, and coming forward to a seat. Back, forward onto the knees, posture, looking up, tilting the hips up into the air, then unfurl the toes, bring the hips forward to the ground in a cobra. Toes under, hips in the air, chin and chest to the ground, caterpillar, pressing up and back into hare posture. Squeeze the thighs together, lift the whole upper body, hands together, looking up, and bring the hands apart and back onto the thighs, and take a deep breath. Go through another round, raising the arms, smooth and steady, looking up, hands apart, rolling gently forward, slide through your hands into a cat-cow, toes under, hips in the air, chin and chest on the mat, push off from your feet, slide onto the hips. Step back with the left leg, bringing the left knee to the ground. Lift the chest, straightening the spine as you sit into the hips. Raise the arms above the head, hands together, and look up. Bring the hands apart, and with your out breath, turn to the right side, bringing the left hand onto the knee, tilt back, take hold of the back ankle, reach the top arm into the air, looking up. Bring the left hand back, turn back onto the thigh, turn back to the centre, raise the arms above the head, look up, bring the... Hands back beside the feet, walk back to mountain. Bring the body weight forward, bringing the knees to the ground. Loop up into cat, pull the toes, bring the hips forward to the ground. Shoulders down, bending the elbows, cobra. Bring the chin and chest to the ground, toes under, hips in the air, caterpillar, and then press up and back, here, posture. Lift the whole upper body, hands together, looking up, and bring the hands back onto the thighs, and take deep breaths. Feeling the effects from our rounds of Kaṭhūpraṇām, a whole series of forward bends, back bends, and twists. Kaṭhūpraṇām moves the energy through the whole of the body. Just feel that energy flowing through your body now. Feel your body energized, revitalized, refreshed. We’ll slide off our heels and bring the legs out in front in Daṇḍa Āsana. And we’ll come to Ekapāda Yoga Mudrā. We’re bending the right knee behind, bringing the right foot to the buttock. And then bring the left foot in to rest on the inside of the thigh. Turn your whole body to the left side and place your hands on the ground. Let’s take a deep in-breath. And as you breathe out, slide your hands out in front. Allow the left side of your ribs to align with the outside of your left thigh. Let the shoulders relax and the forehead come as close towards the ground as feels comfortable for you. Keep your body square. Press the hips down. Right hip presses down, and left hip rolls up. Notice the symmetry in your back. You’re not leaning onto one shoulder more than the other. And as you breathe in, slide up and turn back to the centre. We’ll straighten out the left leg and the right leg. And bend the left leg behind, bend the right knee, and place the foot sole on the inside of the thigh. Turn to the right side, lift up tall, and place the hands on the ground. And as you breathe out, slide the hands forward. Keep sliding forward, aligning the right side of your ribs with the outside edge of your right thigh. Feel the left thigh rolling inwards, the right thigh rolling outwards. Try to get an evenness through the upper body. You’re not tilting down to one side. That will come from the hips. Square up the hips, lengthen through the spine. Then, sliding the hands up, turning back to the centre, and straightening out the right leg and left leg. We’ll do one more round, bending the right knee behind, bend the left knee and place the left foot on the inside of the thigh. This time, raising the arms up, bring the hands together. Turn to the side, bring the hands apart, then roll over the hips. And as you come down, look for that symmetry in movement, slow and steady, allowing yourself to relax over the thigh. Deep breaths, then reach the arms out. Take a deep in-breath, lift the whole upper body, turning back to the centre, and bring the arms back down. Straighten out the legs, and move to the other side, left knee back, and bring the right foot to the middle of the body. Take a deep breath down into and under the āsana for a short relaxation. Make sure that you are warm enough. Have the legs slightly wider than the hips, letting the feet roll out to the sides. Have the arms a little wider than the shoulders, palms facing upwards, and allow the shoulders to drop back onto the ground. Chin very slightly tucked towards the chest, so you’re making the back of your neck long. Then let your breathing become smooth and relaxed. Take your... As you breathe out, allow both legs to relax. Feel your buttocks, hips, and belly. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, allow the whole lower part of your torso to relax. Become aware of your chest, ribs, back, and shoulder blades. Take a deep in-breath and allow the whole upper part of your torso to relax. Feel your neck and throat. Feel all the fine muscles connected to your shoulders. Take a deep in-breath, and when you breathe out, allow all the muscles around the neck and shoulders to relax. Feel all the fine muscles of your face, around your forehead, eyes, cheeks, jaw. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, allow all those fine muscles of the face and head to relax. Bring your awareness to both hands, all ten fingers. Notice where your hands join your arms at the wrists. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, allow both hands to relax. Purījī, Siddha Purījī, Siddha... Purījī, Purījī... Prāṇāyāma. That state of mental quiet, mental relaxation. We’ll practice Nāḍī Śodhana, alternate nostril breathing. Allow your breath to deepen, and then, bending the right elbow, bring the right hand into the Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. With the first two fingers resting at the center of the forehead and the ball of your thumb closing the right nostril, breathe in through the left nostril. After that breath, close the left nostril with the ring finger and breathe out through the right nostril. Breathe back in through the right nostril, closing it with the thumb, and breathe out through the left. That’s one round. Continue following that rhythm from left nostril to right nostril, from right to left. Pranayama is the control of the breath. Maintain a gentle control over your breathing. Feel that you are guiding the air into your body and that you are guiding the air out of your body. Feel that you are in control of your entire breathing system. You are responsible for the expansion and contraction of your lungs. You are in control of all the muscles that are used to make a breath. Diaphragm, muscles along the ribs, chest, collarbones. Harmonize your breathing and body together. And this time, closing the left nostril with the ring finger. Breathe in through the right nostril. Use the thumb to close the right nostril and breathe out through the left. Breathe back in through the left, closing with the ring finger, and breathe out through the right. That’s one round. Continue in that rhythm from right to left, left to right. Begin to feel your breath finer and more subtle. Prāṇa travels into the body on your breath. As we control our breathing, we are in control of the prāṇa in our body. As you move the breath deep into your whole body, feel the prāṇa permeate every cell of your body. Let the prāṇa draw your concentration deeper. Complete one more round, and bring the hand back to the body when you’re finished in Chin Mudrā. And bring your awareness to Ājñā Cakra, the eyebrow centre. Let your concentration rest there. Feel the flow of prāṇa in your body, in the awakening of your awareness, consciousness. On your inner space, behind the eyebrow centre. Any thoughts, feelings, or memories that disturb your concentration, just allow them to pass by. Thoughts will come and thoughts will go. Without attaching yourself to those thoughts, without getting involved in the story behind your thinking, simply notice your mental fluctuations. Keep drawing yourself back to your concentration at the Agñā Cakra, and then slowly start to deepen your breath, letting your awareness begin to surface. Take some moments to notice how you feel from our practice together this morning. Notice how you feel physically. Notice how you feel energetically. Notice how you feel mentally. Notice how you feel spiritually. Deepen the breath, and we’ll chant Aum together and the Śānti Peace Mantra. Deep inhalation. Śānti. Śānti. Keep the eyes closed. A short reading from the Yoga in Daily Life system book from Swamījī says: "There are three things you can never retrieve: time that has passed, the arrow that has been shot, and the word that has been spoken. Therefore, carefully consider each word in your heart." Before you speak, and before each action, begin to move the fingers and toes. Bring the hands together and rub the palms, then place the warm hands on the face, massaging all the muscles of the face. And then folding forward, blinking open your eyes behind your hands, allowing the senses to extend outwards even further. Set your Saṅkalpa for the day, and whenever you are ready, slowly come up. Hari Om. Thank you, everybody, for joining us here at Śrī Devpurījī Āśram in Dungog, Australia.