Asana
The videos below are only for your reference. You need to listen to your own body, and adjust the speed and depth of the practice accordingly.
The practices are to be done in the order given below.
If you only do practices in bold, the sequence should take approximately 25 minutes. The whole sequence takes approximately 45 minutes.
All the leg-loosening practices are optional from now onwards, and have been taken out of the schedule below accordingly. However, they are highly recommended as a warmup before any sequence of asanas, or even other physical exercises. In addition to this function, their regular practice is also invaluable for all those wishing to develop a steady seated posture for meditation and pranayama.
All practices in sequence: click here to access playlist
Pada chakrasana (leg rotation)
Single-leg version: click here
Double-leg version: click here
Practise 5-10 rounds (each variation)
Breathe in as the leg goes up, and out on the downward movement.
If this practice is not suitable for you, practise pada sanchalana (cycling) above instead.
Click the links below for videos:
Single-leg version: click here
Double-leg version (alternating): click here
Double-leg version (together): click here
Namaskarasana (salutation pose)
Practise 7-10 rounds. Breathe in, lift the head, and breathe in when in the starting position. Breathe out as you bring your head between your arms, lean forward, and bring the knees together.
IMPORTANT: Make sure your position is stable: either place your feet flat on the floor or, if need be, roll a blanket under your heels.
Kashtha Takshanasana (chopping wood)
Practise 7-10 rounds. Breathe in deeply through the nose as you lift the head, and hold the breath for 1-2 seconds as the tension in back and shoulders intensifies. Breathe out forcefully trough the mouth as you swing both arms downwards. For an added stress-release effect, produce a loud “HA” sound at the end of the exhalation.
IMPORTANT: Precautions as for Namaskarasana above. Additionally, take care not to hit the floor on the downward movement of the arms so you don’t hurt your hands.
If this practice is not suitable for you due to the squat, you can do it standing up as shown in the second part of the video.
Vayu Nishkasana (wind-releasing pose)
Practise 7-10 rounds. Breathe in deeply through the nose as you lift the head, and hold the breath for 1-2 seconds. Then exhale as you lift the buttocks and straighten your legs, with the aim not to move the shoulders from their pivoting position. However, move the shoulders up and down as needed until flexibility in the hamstrings develops with practice.
Tadasana (palm tree pose)
Practise 10 rounds.
Breathe deeply in on the way up, breathe out on the way down.
Do each movement slowly and with control, developing balance gradually.
Fix your gaze on a point ahead of you to help you maintain balance.
Coordinate the movement of the heels and hands; synchronise both with the movement of the breath.
Eka Pada Pranamasana (one-legged prayer pose)
Practise up to two rounds on each leg.
Make sure the raised foot is either above or below the knee, not pressing against the knee.
Find balance when you transfer the weight of your body on one leg, before you raise the foot, and also find a point to gaze upon during the practice at this time. Then, try to remain in that balanced state as you lift the leg and then maintain the posture.
Develop balance through a steady gaze and mental focus, rather than by tightening muscles in the body.
Breathe normally all throughout.
Trikonasana, Variation 1 (triangle pose)
Practise up to 7 rounds to each side.
Breathe in when in the starting position. Exhale when bending to each side.
Keep the palms facing forward at all times.
First practise with the eyes open to make sure you’re not twisting.
Then, close your eyes and feel the movement from within.
Squeeze the abdominal muscles when bending to the side, and when coming back up, to protect the lower back and to allow deeper sideways movement.
When coming up into the starting position, first straighten the leg, then bring the body up.
Practice notes:
1. Do not try to reach the floor with your hand. This is not at all important, and, if you try to do it before your flexibility allows you to do so, it will be counterproductive as you will be led to bend forward rather than just doing the sideways stretch, which is what we’re looking for.
2. You can use the elbow/ forearm to gently push against the knee to make sure there’s no bending forward
3. Never bend the leg so that the knee is over the ankle. Always keep the knee behind the ankle. If this means your movement downwards is limited, try separating the feet a little further.
4. The more the feet are separated from each other, the easier it will be to come down. Make sure you have enough grip so you don’t lose balance.
Eka Padasana (one-foot pose)
Practise up to five rounds on each leg.
Try to bring the whole upper body - in line with the raised leg - towards a horizontal position, but only bend forward as far as you can without having to break that alignment.
Breathe deeply on the way down and up, and normally while you’re holding.
Activate the abdominal muscles (by tightening them deliberately) while holding; use all the big muscles in the back, including the glutei (buttocks) and abdomen, preventing any strain in the neck.
Trikonasana, Variation 3 (triangle pose)
Practise up to 10 rounds to each side.
Breathe in when in the starting position. Exhale when bending to each side.
Slide each hand to its maximum comfortable position, so that the shoulder stretches at the same time as the opposite side is being stretched downwards..
First practise with the eyes open to make sure you’re not twisting.
Then, close your eyes and feel the movement from within.
Precautions: like for Trikonasana Variation 1 above.
Samakonasana (one-angle pose)
Practise up to 5 rounds. Breathe in in the starting position. Exhale as you bend forward.
Breathe normally in the final position, and hold it as long as you can without compromising the form or straining your neck.
Inhale as you raise the arms back up, then exhale as you lower them down.
Kati Chakrasana (waist rotating pose)
Practise 10 rounds to each side.
Breathe in when coming into the starting position. Exhale when twisting to each side.
First practise with the eyes open to make sure your waist and hips stay facing forward.
Then, close your eyes and feel the movement from within.
Lead the movement with your chin and keep the head upright.
Turn the head fully, to give the whole spine an even movement, from the base to the top.
Utthita Lolasana (swinging-while-standing pose)
Practise up to 5 rounds.
Breathe in in the starting position. Exhale as you bend forward.
Inhale when raising the arms up. Hold the breath in for up to 5 seconds.
Exhale when lowering the arms. Inhale when coming back up into the starting position
Always bend from the hips. Feel the movement mainly in the hamstrings.
Only bend forward until you feel forearms lifting off the back, then stop.
Do not push your arms into a movement that is not appropriate for you. Flexibility in the shoulders will come with practice.
Dolasana (pendulum pose)
Practise up to 5 rounds on each side.
Breathe in in the starting position. Exhale as you bend forward and sideways.
Important: bend from the hips, not the waist, and lead the movement with the chest, not with the head.
Keep the breath out as you move your head to the opposite knee, and then back to the original knee.
Inhale when raising the trunk back up.
Ardha Shalabhasana progression (easy half-locust)
Practise up to 10 rounds.
Practice note: it is best to counterbalance this asana by spending some time in shashankasana, the child’s pose, before moving on to other practices.
Saral Bhujangasana (easy cobra pose, aka Sphinx)
Practise 3 - 5 rounds.
Use the whole forearms and hands to support yourself while holding the posture. It is preferable to hold it for some time to doing more rounds; however, if your arms get tired easily, then it is better to do more rounds held for a shorter duration.
Practice note: it is best to counterbalance this asana by spending some time in shashankasana, the child’s pose, before moving on to other practices.
Surya Namaskara Preparation 1
Practise 3 - 5 rounds.
Spend some time in each posture, breathing normally.
Practice notes:
1. In Ashwa Sanchalana (where the foot is between the hands and head looking up), make sure you’re not bringing the knee over the toes. To achieve a slight backward bend, puch the pelvis down, trying not to twist the body to the side of the outstretched leg.
2. In the mountain pose, focus on gently pushing the heels towards the floor. Important: if you feel that this pose is not suitable for you due to weakness in the shoulders, skip it.
3. In ashtanga namaskara (where chest and chin are on the floor), try to keep the buttocks up as they were in the starting position (cat pose). If this is quite difficult for you to achieve right now, bring the hands further away from the body and leave them there for the subsequent cobra pose, too.
4. In the cobra, make sure the hips come in contact with the floor, and keep them on the floor while raising the trunk into the cobra pose. If this feels too strenuous to hold in the arms, bring the hands further away from the body, but don’t try to compensate for weakness in the arms by straightening the elbows and therefore lifting the hips off the floor. This is important.
Also, keep the toes tucked under in this version of the practice.
Shavasana (corpse pose)
Practise for at least 5 minutes after your asana programme.