Guidelines
- The physical sequence is a preparation for breathing practice. Pushing too hard and arriving tired at the breathing practice defeats the purpose of the practice!
- Give breath priority over physical movement.
- Coordinate ujjayi breath and movement.
- Move within your breath.
- Movements of extension or opening are done on inhale, movements of compression or closing are done on exhale.
- Every step in the practice sequence is also a sequence of breaths.
- Pause between postures resting in natural breathing, staying with the question: am I ready to move to the next posture?
- Keep your neck stretched by tucking in your chin towards your chest (and avoid bending the neck forward).
A dotted line around two stick figures indicates that you are seeing the same posture from two perspectives.
Step1: Arriving
Place your hands gently on your heart space,attentive to your natural breathing to get a sense of where you are.
Step2: Neck Movement
Side to side and down and up movement of the neck.
Step3: Arm Movement
Keep your shoulders loose. Allow your elbows to bend. Stretching your your arms out too long you may cause your shoulders to lock and negatively effect the breath.
Step4: Forward Bend
Try to keep your spine straight the entire time. Most of the movement takes place in the lower back.
Step5: Static Stay
Do this twice, once to the right and once to the left. Discern between breathing into the posture and breathing in the posture.
Step5: Breathing Practice
Turning your palms up, take time to rest from the physical practice before doing your breathing practice.
