BREATHE
Ujjayi Breath:
Come into a comfortable kneeling or sitting position , one in which you can relax
Place the backs of your hands on your knees and touch your thumb and forefinger together, in jnana mudra the other three fingers straight. Take your attention to your feet and legs,soften and release your feet and legs, relax your buttocks and release into your sitting bones. Feel spacious in your hips and spread that space to your lower back. Let go into the ground.
Now lift up through your spine away from the heaviness of your base, feeling light and spacious; release your shoulders and softly lift the base of your skull so that your chin draws slightly in towards your throat.
Now follow your breath, breathing in and out through your nose. Find an easy and balanced rhythm.
Develop your breathing so it becomes longer, slower and smoother.
Take the breath to your abdomen as well as your mid and upper chest, work from the bottom up on both the in and out breath. Feel the breath’s easy expansion and contraction in your front, sides and back.
Now, imagine you are standing close to a mirror. Take a long slow in-breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth, making a long “haa” sound as if you are steaming up the mirror.
Do that again, listen to the sound and feel the sensation in your throat.
Now breathe in and out through your nose again and continue to feel and hear the “haa” sound. Now as you breathe in, continue to maintain this subtle throat constriction and hear a sightly higher-pitched “saa” sound. Continue this breath finding a smooth rhythm.
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Deepening your Practice:
'When I lose track of why I do what I do, I remember a simple observation from my years of practicing and teaching yoga. I have never seen anyone truly become more aware of his or her body without also becoming more compassionate. On the flipside, when we become more disconnected from our bodies, we become more self-destructive. Each day, as I practice connecting my mind and my body, I am able to feel a more compassionate path.'
