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Good morning, everybody, and welcome to our yoga practice this morning here from Śrī Devapurījī Āśram, Dungog, Australia. We’ll start our morning practice by lying on our back with a breathing exercise called the full yogic breath. Find a comfortable lying posture, with the legs a little bit wider than the hips, allowing the feet to roll out to the sides, and the arms a little bit wider than the shoulders, with the palms facing upwards. Tap the chin very slightly towards the chest to lengthen out through the back of the neck. Start to take a few deeper, longer, fuller breaths, just allowing your body to wake up for the morning. Feel the gentle expansion of your body with your inhalation and the gentle contraction with your exhalation. As you breathe in, feel the fresh air moving into your body. As you breathe out, feel any stale old air leave the body. Begin the full yogic breath by placing one hand on your abdomen and the other hand at the very top of the chest near the collarbones. As you breathe in, draw the breath deep down into the bottom of the lungs and feel the abdomen expand. As you breathe out, allow the abdomen to soften. Then, take a slightly deeper breath. As you breathe in, the abdomen expands, and then breathe right up to the top of your chest. As you breathe out, breathe out from the top of the chest down to your belly. Use the position of your hands as indicators of where the movement of the breath in your body is. As you breathe into the bottom of the lungs, feel the hand on the belly rise up. As your body continues to expand with the inhalation, try to breathe into your top hand at the collarbones. As you breathe out, let the top hand create a little pressure to help the top of the chest relax. Then feel the weight of the hand on the belly, pressing the belly back towards the spine. Continue like that, breathing in, filling the lungs from the very bottom to the very top. As you breathe out, breathe out from the top of the lungs down to the bottom. Develop a gentle, wave-like rhythm as you breathe. Let one breath flow smoothly into the next breath, utilizing all the muscles that are involved in taking a breath. With your inhalation, feel those muscles around the diaphragm, the abdomen, sides, ribs, chest, and back gently expand and stretch. As you breathe out, feel those muscles gently contract and soften. When the muscles are soft, take your next in-breath, feeling them expand a little more, a little deeper. After the next breath, bring the hands back down to the side of the body. Maintain your steady breathing rhythm, and then take a simple stretch through the right side of the body as you breathe in, raising the right arm above the head, curling the right toes back towards the face, and pressing the right hip into the ground. Try to expand and open through each of your right ribs, and exhaling, bring the arm back down to the side of the body. As you breathe in to the left side, raising the left arm above the head, press the left hip down to the mat, open up through those ribs, and exhale, lowering down. Now take a big stretch through the whole body. As you breathe in, raise the arms above the head, curl the toes back towards the face, and flatten the back into the mat. Leave your arms where they are and breathe out, softening through the shoulders and relaxing the body. Then, with your inhalation, stretch diagonally across the body by making the right arm extra long and the left leg extra long. Stretch from the opposite fingertips to the heel. When you breathe out, let your leg and arm relax. Then, as you breathe in, make the left arm long and the right leg long. Stretch across your torso also, and exhale. Soften through the arms and shoulders, legs, hips, and belly. Take a deep in-breath, make both arms extra long, both legs extra long, and exhaling, bring the arms back down to the side of the body. Now, a simple twist to warm up the muscles around the hips and lower back. As you breathe in, raise the right arm above the head and bend the right knee towards the chest. With your left hand, take hold of your knee or thigh, or take hold of your clothing, and draw the knee close in towards your body. As you breathe out, take the right knee up and over towards the left shoulder. Keep the left toes pointing up to the sky; the left leg doesn’t roll at all. Then come back to the middle, keeping hold of the knee. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, draw the knee a little closer in towards the chest, then take it up and over towards the left shoulder. As you come back to the middle, keeping the leg where it is, take one more round. Take a deep inhalation. As you exhale, draw the knee close into the chest, then draw it up and over towards the left shoulder, stretching through the hip, buttock, and lower back. Come back to the centre, lower the arm, and lower the leg. Take a deep breath and relax. We’ll go to the left side. As you breathe in, raise the left arm above the head. Curl the left toes back towards the face and push the heel, bringing the knee towards the chest. Then, with your right hand, take hold of the knee. Draw the knee close down to your body, and with your exhalation, take the knee up and over towards the right shoulder. Keep the right toes pointing up. You can allow your right leg to roll into the middle of your body. Then bring the left knee back to the centre. With your next exhalation, draw the knee a little closer in toward the body. Then take it up and over towards the right shoulder, stretching through the hip, buttock, and lower back. It’s back to the middle, and one more round. Moving with your out breath, the knee goes down to the body. Kumbha Melā, Kumbha Melā,... Siddhi, on to your right side, use your hands on the ground to help yourself up. We’ll come to the back of the mat, sitting on your heels, and warming up the muscles around the hips, lower back, and through the whole spine with Vyagrāsana, the tiger stretch. We breathe in, come up onto the knees with the hands in front, and as we breathe out, bring the hands under the shoulders, arch the spine, and bring the right knee towards the chest. Have the fingers wide and the arms... Āśram, Strīlky, Kumbha Melā, Jādan, Oṁ Śrī Alakh Purījī, Śrī Madhavānanda Purījī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Śrī Madhavānanda Purījī, Siddha Karatā Prabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā He Kevalam. Deep inhalation towards the chest. Deep inhalation, taking the left leg behind. Let the back concave, chest forward, and look up. Extend out from your hip to your toe tips. Exhaling, bending the knee towards the chest, curling through the spine. Breathing in, taking the left leg behind, and breathing out. Deep inhalation and exhalation. As you breathe in, bring both knees together, coming up onto the knees, hands in front. And breathing out, bring the hands back onto the thighs, and take a deep breath. We’ll come up into standing, and we’ll have the feet just slightly apart. Triyaktadāsana, side stretch. We’re bringing the hands together, and the palms are turning down. Taking a deep inhalation, raise the arms above the head. As you exhale, tilt over to the right side. Breathing in, come back to the centre, and breathing out, go to the other side. Deep in breath, back to the centre, and lower the arms. Breathing in again, raising the arms above the head, breathing out. Try to keep an even weight through both feet. Breathe back to the centre and out to the other side. Deep in breath, breathing out. Just one more round. Deep inhalation, raising the arms, reach up as tall as you can through the sides of your body. Exhaling, tilting over. Try to keep both sides of your body long as you reach up toward the sky. Back to the middle, and exhaling through the other side. Let’s go back to the middle, lowering the arms and bringing the hands to the side of the body in a deep breath. Relax the shoulders, hips, and back. We’ll stand with the legs wide apart now for Vīrabhadrāsana. Turn sideways on the mat. Then turn the front foot forward, so we’re all facing the front of the room. The back foot turns in as much as you feel you can to square up your hips to your front foot. Have your hips facing in the same line as your front foot. Raise the arms above the head and keep the shoulders soft. Keep the shoulder blades moving down onto your back, and then reach up through the sides of your body. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, bend the front knee. Go nice and slowly, as though you’re pushing from your back leg to go forward. Deep breath, tailbone scooping down and under, bring the hands together and look up towards your hands. Take a deep in-breath here, reach up a little higher, and as you exhale, descend through the front hip again. Inhaling, raising the arms. Exhaling, lowering the arms and coming back to the center. Take a deep breath. Now go to the other side, turning the other foot out and the back foot turns in, and then try to roll the hips so the front hips are facing forward. Raise the arms above the head, shoulder blades slide down onto your back, and reach up through the sides of your body. Take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, start to bend the front knee and move slowly, pushing off from your back leg. Keep trying to stay in that position. Bring the hands together and look up toward the hands. Take a deep in-breath here, scoop the tailbone under, lift taller, and as you exhale, descend deeper through the front thigh. Coming back up, we come back to the center, bringing the hands back to the side of the body. Step the legs together, come into a still standing posture. Notice your breathing, just feel the effect from our first standing posture this morning. Vīrabhadrāsana variation: having the legs wide apart once again, turn the foot forward so we’re all facing inwards, and the back foot turns in slightly again. Bring the arms up to shoulder height, and the chest and hips face out to the side this time. Look over your front hand, take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, again bend through the front leg. Keep the tailbone moving down, lift up through the side body, take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, descend deeper. Keep a lightness in the upper body and a softness around the hips. Breathing in, back to the centre, bringing the foot back, hands down to the side of the body. Turn the other foot out, bringing the arms up to shoulder height. Take a look at your back arm to see where it is, and then look out over your front arm. Lift tall through the sides of your body, lengthening the spine, take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, bend the front knee. Move slowly and smoothly. Try not to lean forward; keep your head on top of the spine, on top of the hips. Take a deep in-breath here, lifting up tall, and as you breathe out, descend through the thigh again, back leg long and strong. Breathing in, back to the middle; breathing out, turning the foot back to the centre, hands to the side of the body, and stepping both feet together. As you step together, stand very still. Just come back to your breathing. Trikoṇāsana Variation 3: we’re standing with the legs wide apart, and turn both feet out slightly, bringing the arms up to shoulder height. Check in on shoulder height for you, and then once more, with the tailbone moving down and lifting up from your belly, making the spine long. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, tilt up and bring the arms up to shoulder height, and then once more, over to the right side, allow the left arm to reach up to the sky, and then turn the palm to face downwards. Allow your arm to come over your head, stretch from your fingertip into your back heel, and try to feel it lengthening through the whole side of your body. If it feels comfortable for you today, look up towards your hand, hold for one more cycle of breath, and as you breathe in, coming back to the center. Deep breath, and then to the other side, bringing the arms up to shoulder height without inhalation. Breathing out with the exhalation, then let the top arm float over the head, reaching from your fingertips into your back heel. No matter where the top arm is, but look for that straight line from fingertip to shoulder, then hold for one more cycle of breath. Coming back up, and breathing out, hands down to the side of the body, step the legs together, and come into a still standing posture. Come to twisting triangle, variation four, with the legs wide apart. We’ll bring the arms out to shoulder height. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, turn your whole upper body to the right side. Hold for one more cycle of breath, and then come out by bending the knees and supporting yourself with your hands all the way back down. Come into a relaxation, so make sure that your body is warm. If you need anything for your sitting practice, then have that with you now. Just come into a comfortable lying posture, so have the legs a little wider than the hips, and the arms a little wider than the shoulders. Purījī, Purījī... Mahāprabhujī Karatā He Kevalam. Do the same for your right leg, and feel your right leg from your toes to your hip. Then, lift the right leg a few centimetres off the mat. If it feels uncomfortable through your lower back, don't lift it much higher. Notice the muscles around your thighs, hip, buttocks, and back that are holding your leg in space. Take a deep inhalation, and as you breathe out, allow the leg to fall softly back onto the ground and let all those muscles relax. Then, bring your awareness to your left leg, feeling the left leg from your toes to your hip. Lift the left leg a few centimetres off the mat, holding it there, and be aware of the muscles around the hip, buttocks, thigh, and back. Take a deep in-breath, and as you breathe out, let the legs soften onto the ground. Feel your whole lower body relax. With each exhalation, let your body relax deeper and deeper. Let go of any tension or tightness through the shoulders and back, through the hips, lower back, and belly. Let your mind relax. Let any thoughts, memories, feelings, or sensations just pass by your field of awareness, without engaging in any thinking process, just letting your mind relax. Be aware of the connection between body and mind. As you allow your body to relax, the mind begins to quieten. As the mind becomes quiet, the body becomes soft and still. Then try to keep that stillness and that quiet in both body and mind. As you slowly bend the left knee and place the left foot on the ground, roll onto your right side and come smoothly into your sitting position. Rest the hands on the knees or thighs, with the hands in Chin Mudrā. Just close the eyes. We’ll start our prāṇāyāma practice this morning by chanting Oṃ three times together. Use the sound of the Oṃ to sharpen and heighten your awareness. Use the chanting of the Oṃ to open and deepen the breath, the deep in-breath. Bring the hands together and rub the palms. Place the warm hands on the face and massage the muscles of the face. Then, slowly bending forward, just relax the spine and hips, letting the blood come back to the top of the head. Take a few moments to set your saṅkalpa for the day. Whenever you’re ready, slowly coming up. Hari Om. And thanks everybody for coming this morning to our yoga practice here at Śrī Devapurījī Āśram, Dungog, in Australia.