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Part 1: A Morning Yoga Practice As you make a big circle again with your arms, feel the sides of your body lengthen. Feel an opening in the top of the chest. As you make this opening physically with your body, draw the breath deeper into it. As you create more space, fill that space with your breath. Use the movement of the hands downwards to help empty the lungs completely, and continue like that. Complete one more round, finishing with the hands beside the body. Notice any effects from our first breathing practices this morning on your body, on your breathing itself, and on your concentration, awareness, and thinking. We’ll take a stretch through the right side of the body. As you breathe in, raise the right arm above the head, curl the right toes back towards the face, and try to press the right hip down into the mat as you open out through each and every one of your right ribs. Exhale, lowering the arm. Breathing in, left arm above the head, curl the left toes back towards the face, press the heel away, hip down, ribs open, and breathe out. One more on each side, in your own breathing rhythm. Use your inhalation to stretch and lengthen through that side of the body. Try to keep the other side of the body completely relaxed. Just be aware of the difference in movements on each side. Stretch through the whole body now, taking a deep in-breath. Try to coordinate both sides of your body. As you stretch, try to get an evenness through the stretch. When you breathe out, bring the arms back to the sides of the body, coordinating both arms together. Then two more times like that. Move a little more slowly so you can really bring your awareness to the evenness of movement and, as best you can, find a symmetry in the stretch. Make the next round the final round, bringing the hands back to the body. We’ll bring the arms out to the side of the body at shoulder height. We’ll do one of our twisting variations. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on the outside of the left thigh. Or it can be on top of the left thigh, or it can even be on the inside of the left thigh, if that’s how you’re working today. Reach over with your left hand, take hold of the thigh, or you might only be able to grab some part of your clothing. Then take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, slowly start to take the right knee towards the ground on the left side of the body. Rest the hand on top of the knee, as though there’s a little bit more weight through your hand on the knee and thigh. Turn the head to the right and look out over your arm. Just check where your arm is, that it’s at a comfortable shoulder height. Stay where you are in the lower part of the twist, and then lift the right arm off the ground a few centimetres. Stretch out to your fingertips. Take a deep inhalation, stretch a little bit more, and then as you exhale, let the arm fall softly back onto the ground. Breathing in, coming back to the middle. Keeping the knee bent, breathe out. Deep in, breathe again. Try to breathe right down deep into your pelvic area. As you breathe out, again slowly taking the right knee towards the ground on the left side of the body, moving slowly, try to release and relax around the hip and back. Turn the head, and look out over the opposite direction from your knee. Breathe in back to the centre, and then one more in your own time. Try to take the whole of your out-breath to take the knee across the body. Then breathe back into the centre, straightening the leg and bringing the arm out to the side of the body. Take a deep breath and relax. Notice that side of your body that we’ve been using, stretching. Then bend the left knee, arms out to the side of the body at shoulder height. Āśram, Strīlky, Kumbha Melā, Jādan, Oṁ Śrī Alakh Purījī, Siddha Purījī, Siddha Karatā Prabhu Dīp Karatā Purījī, Siddha Karatā Prabhu Dīp Karatā. Letting the arm fall softly back onto the ground. Breathe in, coming back to the center. And breathing out, relax. Take a deep in-breath again. Long and deep, trying to feel right down into your pelvic area. As you breathe out, take the whole of your exhalation to draw the knee over to the side of the body, turning the head in the opposite direction. Breathe back into the center, just keeping the knee bent. Then one more time in your own breathing rhythm, making your out-breath as long as you can, releasing, relaxing, and softening through the hip, buttock, and back. Keep both shoulder blades on the ground. Coming back to the middle when you’re ready, straighten the legs and bring the hands back to the sides of the body. Take some long, deep inhalations and exhalations. Siddha Paramparā, Siddha Paramparā... Siddha. Start our morning with boat posture. We’ll bring the hands out in front, warming up the muscles of the lower back and abdomen. We’ll do our first round a little easier by starting with the knees bent, hands out in front, focus on your thumbs, lift up and lengthen through the spine. As you breathe in, tilting slightly back, keep a length in the spine, straighten the legs out in front, and then rock from side to side. Try not to let your back round out. Keep the spine long and tall, and try to keep steadiness in your breathing. Come back to the centre, bending the knees, straighten out the legs, bring the hands to the back of the body, and take a deep breath. Go through another round, either starting with the knees bent or with the legs straight. If you’re working a little more gently today, you can have the knees bent, feet on the ground, and just roll the knees from side to side. Take a deep in-breath, tilt back, lift the legs into the air, pull the toes back towards the face, and then rock from side to side. Feel you’re rolling all the way onto the side of your hip, back to the centre, lower the legs, bring the hands to the side of the body, and take deep breaths into the belly. We’ll do one more round. Hands out in front, sitting up tall, deep inhalation, keep the spine long, lift the legs into the air, curl the toes back, rock from side to side, keep the shoulders relaxed, muscles of the face relaxed, and back. We’ll bring the hands behind, and then take some deep breaths in the belly. Let’s feel the warmth in the body, especially around the abdominal area. Feel how that can also bring some strength into the muscles of the back. We’ll do Marjariyāsana, the cat stretch posture. Come to sit on your heels at the back of the mat in Vajrāsana, resting the hands on the thighs. Find your breathing rhythm, and allow your body to relax. Then, as we breathe in, bring the arms up to shoulder height and then lift up onto the knees. Breathe out, coming forward, hands under the shoulders, and fingers wide. Arch through the spine by tucking the tailbone under. Arch through the lower back and feel the arch reach right up to the top of the spine as you tuck the chin towards the chest. Start the movement from the same direction as you breathe in. Roll the tailbone up. Concave from the lower part of the back, through the middle of the back, to the upper part of the spine where the head lifts up. Breathing out, tailbone under. It’s the first part of the movement. Arch all the way along the spine to the very top. Then as you breathe in, start from the base of the spine, rolling the hips up, letting the belly relax as you arch through the middle back and upper back, looking up. One more round like that. Inhaling back into neutral. Inhaling, lifting up onto the knees. Exhaling, lower yourself slowly back down onto the heels, bringing the hands onto the thighs. Deep breath. Go through another round as we’re breathing, bringing the arms up, lifting up onto the knees. Breathing out, bring the hands under the shoulders, fingers as wide as you can. This time, start the movement from the top of the spine, so start to tuck the chin towards the chest, arch through the upper part of the back, through the middle back, and let the last part of the movement be the tailbone tucking under. Then, as you inhale the same, lift the head first, then concave through the upper back, middle back, lower back, tailbone up, bringing out some rolls. Breathing, lifting up onto the knees, hands in front. Use the muscles of the thighs and buttocks, and lower yourself back onto the heels. Hands rest on the thighs in a deep breath. One more round. Breathing in, coming up. Breathing out, hands under the shoulders, fingers wide. This time, use the spine together. As you breathe out, tuck the tailbone under and bring the chin towards the chest at the same time, so you’re moving the whole spine at once. Breathing in, lifting the head, rolling the hips up. Breathing out, the whole spine moves into one movement, breathing in. We’ll stand sideways on the mat for trikoṇāsana, variation number two. Have the legs wide apart. Have the legs wide apart, so that when you bring the arms up to shoulder height, your ankles are beneath your wrists, broadened out across the front of the chest. You’ll feel that the tailbone moves down, trying to lift up from your belly, as though you’re making your spine long. Take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, tilt over to the right side, placing the right hand anywhere on the leg that feels comfortable and taking the left hand into the air. Have the palm facing the front of the room. Stand tall on your legs, chest wide and open. Reach the top hand into the sky. Strong legs. Take a deep in-breath, coming back to the centre. As you breathe out, bring the hands back down to the sides. Easy breath here. Now, moving to the other side as we breathe in, bringing the arms up to shoulder height. Let’s take a moment and have a look at shoulder height on yourself. With your exhalation, tilting over to the left side, resting the left hand anywhere on the leg that feels comfortable, right hand into the air, palm facing forward. Keep the legs very strong, so you’re standing tall on your legs. Keep the spine long. Take a deep breath in. Take a deep breath out. Deep in-breath, back to the centre. As you breathe out, bring the arms back down to the side of the body. A deep breath, breathing in, bringing the arms up. Breathing out, tilting over to the right side, right hand on the leg, top arm into the air. Then from here, extended triangle, and next variation, turning the palm to face your face. As you breathe out, let the arm float over the face. As you breathe out, let the arm float over the face. As you breathe out, let the arm float over the face. As you breathe out, let the arm float over the face. As you breathe out, let the arm float over the face, Purījī, Purījī... Siddha Purījī, Siddha Purījī,... Siddha. Deep inhalation, coming back to the centre, and breathing out, lower the arms. Then step both legs together and step into a still standing posture. Come as still as you can. Come back to your breath. Notice the effects of Trikoṇāsana on your body. Siddha Purījī, Siddha Purījī... Siddha Purī. Purījī, Purījī... Inhalation and exhalation. Breath back to the centre, breathing out, turning the feet forward, hands to the side of the body, and stepping both feet together. Step both feet together, still standing posture, hands beside the body, shoulders soft, find your breathing. A simple forward bend, taking a deep breath, and as you breathe out, tuck the chin towards the chest. Part 2: A Guided Yoga Practice with Breath Retention Then, allow yourself to roll all the way down your spine, letting the arms hang down towards the ground. Drop the right shoulder to the mat. Even up the shoulders. As you breathe in, roll up from the spine, allowing the head to be the last part of the movement, lifting the head back onto the top of the spine. Relax. Kumbha Mela, Kumbha Mela... So the abdomen is deep, the neck and shoulders are comfortable. Drop the right shoulder towards the mat, and then the left shoulder towards the mat. Feel strong through the back of the legs, breathing all up the spine, facing the back, top of the spine. Relax. One more round. Deep breath. Breathing out, chin towards the chest, rolling all the way down the spine. Breathing in, dropping the shoulder, another shoulder. Let’s quiet wide and then think face forward. You can be doing the same position as they were in our last easy forward bend, heels turning out slightly. Raise the arms above the head, and as you raise the arms up, try to really reach up through the sides of your body. Tailbone down, get some length along the spine. As you breathe out, roll forward from the hips. Keep stretching out in front of you, fold forward. This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition. Take the arms out to the sides of the body, taking hold of the heels. Keep pressing the heels into the mat, keep the back of the legs long, and keep the upper body and shoulders comfortable. Take long, deep breaths. One more breath. Release the hands, place the hands on the ground. Lift the upper body with a little bend in the knees, rolling up from the spine. Raise the arms into the air, bringing the hands back down to the sides of the body. Then step the legs together into a still standing posture. Let’s find a standing posture, relaxing the shoulders, with a steady breath. Find a point on the ground to focus on, a drifting point. Balancing posture impacts your tonus arm, one-legged forward bend. Let your gaze be steady, and your breathing be even and smooth. Feel the right leg strong, as though it’s lifting up the whole of your body. Then, bend the left knee and place the left foot on top of the thigh. Bring the arms out to the side of the body at shoulder height, raise the arms above the head, and then bring the hands together in front of the chest. Feel the front foot pushing against the top thigh. As you breathe out, tilt slightly forward from the hips, and so you’re following your out breath. A gentle, smooth inhalation again, and if you breathe out, again you’ll come a little further forward. And then one more like that, going with your exhalation, softening through your upper body. As you breathe in, coming up smoothly and steady, raising the arms into the air, a big circle with the arms back to the side of the body, and then place the foot on the ground. Try not to move or adjust. Simply come into a still standing posture and feel your left leg strongly working, lifting the whole of your body. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on top of the thigh. Bring the arms out to the side of the body, raise the arms above the head, hands together, and then bring the hands in front of the chest. Take a deep inhalation, keep the spine long, and as you breathe out, roll forward. Keep the spine long. Take another deep breath, breathing out, and come a little further forward. One more breath, coming as far forward as you feel comfortable with this morning. Coming up, raising the arms above the head, big circle with the arms, bringing the hands back to the sides of the body, placing the foot on the ground. Still, steady, standing posture. Find your breathing. Come to the back of the mat. Look up towards the hands. Bring the hands apart, rolling forward from the hips, resting the hands, elbows, and forehead on the ground. Lift the head, lift the hips slightly off the heels, slide into a caterpillar. Keep pushing off from your feet as you slide onto the hips, lifting the head and upper body into a cobra. Shoulders down and chest forward, tuck the toes under, lift up and lengthen back into a mountain posture. Sit the heels back down towards the ground, look between the hands, bend the knees, and take a big step with the right foot forward, lifting the chest off the thigh into a sprinter. Then, unfurling the back toes, sitting tall into the hips, raise the arms above the head and look up. Bring the hands back beside the feet, back toes tucked under, and step into a forward bend, slightly bending the knees. You breathe in and stretch the arms out in front, raising the upper body. Hands together, look up. Bring the hands apart and fold forward from the hips, rolling down, looking towards the knees. Bend the knees and step the right foot back into a sprinter’s lunge. Look up towards the hands, bring hands back beside the feet, back toes under, lift the right knee, walk back into mountain posture, fingers wide, extend the heels towards the floor. The ground, then bring your body weight forward onto your knees, sit back towards the heels, then slide your chest through, hands over, toes under, hips in the air, scapula, and then pushing up and back into hare posture. Breathing in, raise the arms above the head, hands together, looking up. Bring the hands apart and back onto the thighs. Take a deep breath. Go through the other side. Raise the arms above the head. Try to keep the shoulders softened down as you bring the hands together and look up. Bring the hands apart. Roll forward from the hips. Do your forearms heavy on the ground, forehead on the mat, look ahead, lift the hips off the heels, slide through into a cobra, coming up, toes under, lift up and back into mountain, encourage the heels towards the ground as you lengthen through the sides of your body. Look ahead, bend the knees, big step left foot forward, into a sprinter, kick the chest off the ground, and you lengthen through the sides of your body. Look ahead, bend the knees, big step left foot forward, into a sprinter, kick the chest off the ground, and you lengthen through the sides of your body. Look ahead, bend the knees, big step left foot forward, and you lengthen through the sides of your body. Look ahead, bend the knees, big step left foot forward. And you lengthen through the sides of your body. Siddha Paramparā, Siddha Paramparā... Stepping the knees, stepping the left leg back, chest forward, look ahead, sitting up tall, reaching the arms out, looking up, hands back beside the feet, back toes come under, walk back to the mountain, coming forward onto the knees, sit back towards the heels, slide through, Cobra, Cobra, Deer, Caterpillar. Up and back, this is a hair posture, raising the arms and upper body, hands together, looking up, bringing the hands apart and back onto the thighs. Deep breath, go through another round, following our breathing rhythm. We’ll add some breath retentions, some kumbhaks, bāhya kumbhak and anta kumbhak, holding the breath on the inhalation and holding the breath on the exhalation. If that breathing is uncomfortable or just doesn’t feel right for you today, come back and find your own easy breathing rhythm. We’ll breathe in as we raise the arms above the head. Go slowly so that you can really fill the lungs with air. Bring your hands apart, and as you breathe out, take your time to expel the last bits of air from your lungs. So now, as you come forward onto the knees, chin and chest to the ground, as we’ve had it before, lift the breath, fill the lungs, and then hold the breath in a cobra. Toes under, breathe out, all the way back into mountain. Looking ahead as you breathe in, right foot forward, breathe up, lift the chest, fill with air, and then hold the breath, raise the arms up above the head in hero posture. Breathing out, slow and steady, back to straight up. With the breath out, step into a forward bend. Breathing in, raise the arms and upper body, hands together, looking up. Breathing out, fold forward, slow and steady, taking your time to expel all the air from your body. Inhaling, right leg back, chest forward, feel the lungs, hold the breath, raise the arms above the head, and look up. Breathing out, coming back to sprinter, keep the breath out and walk back into mountain. Breathing in, coming onto the knees, sliding into a cobra, breathing out, toes under the chair, catapult up. And hold the breath out as you press back to the head posture. Breathing in, raise the arms and upper body, hands together, look up. Breathing out, hands onto the thighs. So long inhalation and a full exhalation. Another round: as we breathe in, raising the arms; breathe out, fold forward. Long breath to come onto the knees. Keep your chest again round. Hold your breath, slide forward, and exhale back to mountain. Inhale, left foot forward, hold your breath, hero posture, breathe out and keep the breath out as you step forward. Breathing in, raise the arms up and lift them up. Breathing out, breathe down. Breathing in, left leg back, hold the breath. Breathing out, hold the breath out. Breathing in, onto the knees, into a cobra. Breathing out, a caterpillar. Holding the breath out, back to here. Deep in breath, raise the arms, look up. Take a deep inhalation and lift the hips into the air. Keep pressing down through your feet and shoulders. Scoot the tailbone down. Keep lifting your hips up into the air and encourage the chest toward the chin. Try not to let your chin drop down toward the chest. Even weight through the feet, try not to let your feet roll out, but press firmly down. With your next exhalation, roll your spine back down onto the mat and bend both knees to the chest, holding the knees against the body, releasing any tension through the back. We’ll do one more round, placing the feet on the ground, reaching down to the front of the ankles. If your hands don’t reach your ankles, keep the arms straight beside the body. If that felt uncomfortable through the lower back or hips, then take the feet a little bit wider apart. Then, taking a deep in-breath, press down through the feet and lift the hips up into the air. Lift the tailbone down, while reaching your hips up towards the sky. Imagine you’re pointing your knees away from you. Purījī, Purījī... Has all the contraindications for inversions. High blood pressure, any discomfort caused by extra blood flow to the head. Menstruation is also a contraindication for this posture. If you’re not doing the posture this morning for any reason, a gentle twist, or keeping the knees towards the chest, rolling from side to side, massaging the back and abdominal area. Bring the hands to the sides of the body with the palms facing downward. Bring the legs together. Start to press down through the hands and arms. Then bend the knees to the chest with enough momentum to roll the hips off the ground and bring the hands into your back. Now, allow the hands to slide down to the very lowest part of your body. Take your awareness down to your feet. Feel both feet, all ten toes. Take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, allow the muscles of your feet and toes to relax. We bring your awareness to all the muscles of both legs, calf muscles, thighs, and take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, allow the muscles of both legs to relax. Bring your awareness.