We're looking at some filthy hot and sticky days here in New York City of temperatures in the 90's and heat indexes at around 100. I love the Summer (and I say that without irony). Here's a short practice designed to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to keep you cool and hydrated. I'm off to do it now before heading out to my first class.


Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
• head resting on blocks

Prasarita Padottanasana 1 (Wide Spread Feet Pose1)
• head supported on floor or on blocks

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
• variation: over chair

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)
• over bolster

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Tags: Restorative

Here's a scratch track from a CD I'm working on of guided relaxations. Remember, don't listen to this while driving or operating heavy machinery!

Enjoy!


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Tags: Restorative, Basic

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) - 10 min

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) - 3 min

Shirshasana (Head Stand) - 2 min
• Baddha Konasana Variation - 2 min
• Upavishtha Konasana variation - 2 min

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) - 1-2 min

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) over chair - 3 min
• Supta Baddha Konasana variation - 3 min

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) 10 min
• legs on chair

Tags: Intermediate, Restorative

The past few days have been filthy hot and humid days, so I wanted to teach something to refresh and restore. On top of that it turned out that there were a handful of neck, shoulder and lower back issues to deal with. I had my work cut for me. This is what I came up with:

Matsyasana (Fish Pose) - 2-3 min each crossing of the legs
• over bolster
• legs in simple cross-legged pose with the knees belted for support
• roll buttock flesh towards heels
• elbows clasped, with arms over head, except for those with shoulder issues, who should keep arms by their sides

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Child's Pose - 2-3 min
• belt loop pulled tight around tops of thighs and ankles
• head on block if neccessary

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) - 3-5 min
• legs belted
• thin folded blanket across upper back
• blanket under head

Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 2 lunge
• hands on blocks

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2) - 1-2 min each side
• leg to side, resting on bolster
• bend knee of raised leg if necessary to maintain depth of hip crease

Utthita Marichyasana (Extended Marichis' Pose)
• foot on chair

Ardha Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Half Downward Facing Dog Pose)
• hands on chair
• heels on floor
• push chair away from you, pull thighs back

Bharadwajasana on chair
• seated sideways on chair
• block between knees
• keep knees even

Bharadwajasana on chair
• with bolster on chair seat
• block between knees
• keep knees even

Ardha Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Half Downward Facing Dog Pose)
• hands on chair
• heels on floor
• push chair away from you, pull thighs back

Hip Opener on chair
• sit on chair with one ankle on opposite thigh
• roll thigh of raised leg out in hip socket
• hinge forward from hip creases

Pavana Mukatasana on chair (Wind Relieveing Pose) - 1-2 min
• sit well back in chair with heels outside chair legs and fold forward

Adho Mukha Sukhasana (Downward Facing Comfortable Pose) - 1-2 min each corrsing of legs
• sit up on 2 or 3 folded blankets
• cross forearms and rest head on chair

Simple back bend over roll - 2-3 min
• lie back with rolled up blanket under shoulder blades/upper back

Viparita Karani (Upside Down Pose)
OR
Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) over bolster
• hold for 3-5 min
• people with neck issues do Setu Bandha
• people with lower back issues to Viparita Karani on low blankets

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) 5-10 min

Tags: Basic, Restorative

The goal of this practice is to bring sensitivity and balance to both the diaphragm and the temples. Softening the diaphragm and keeping it soft during pranayama allows for efficient breathing and the fine-tuning of the breath, the powerhouse of the energy body. The temples act as an energetic bridge between the senses of hearing and sight. Maintaining softness and balance in the entire region from the opening of the ear to the outermost corner of the eye is pranayama in its most fundamental sense of the regulation of fluctuations of the energy body.

We begin with a few poses to open up and bring intelligence to the abdomen and ribcage. We follow that up with simple pranayama both reclined and seated. The practice ends with a Shavasana (Corpse Pose) that focuses on pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses, in preparation for a seated meditation.

Perform all these poses with a head wrap, if available, unless otherwise noted.


Rope Shirshasana - 5 min
• alternate pose: Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose) - 3-5 min
• head resting on blocks

Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero Pose) - 3-5 min
• over bolster

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) - 3-5 min
• over bolster

Parshva Bharadwajasana (Side Bharadwaja's Pose) - 3-5 min each side
• over bolster

Child's Pose - 3-5 min
• over bolster

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) - 3-5 min
• over bolster

Viparita Karani (Upside Down Pose)
• 3-5 min: breathing with full tidal volume only
• 3-5 min: Ujjayi 4 breath
• 3-5 min: Viloma 2 breath
• use the exhalations to find release in the diaphragm

Any comfortable seated pose
• 3-5 min: breathing with full tidal volume only
• 3-5 min: Ujjayi 8 breath
• 3-5 min: Viloma 5 breath
• use the exhalations to find release in the diaphragm

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
• without head wrap
• 5-10 min: successive release of skin, tongue, nasal passages ears, eyes and brain
• 5-10 min: soften and balance the diaphragm and the two temples

Any comfortable seated pose - 5-10 min
• without head wrap
• soften and balance the two temples
• draw the wandering mind back to the sounds that come into your awareness. Allow all the sounds to wash over you without singling out any one of them.

Tags: Restorative, Pranayama, Meditation

My very dear friend Kristen Davis came over to practice yesterday and we were both pretty wiped out with exhaustion, so we did an old favorite restorative practice from Mira Mehta's excellent book, "Health Through Yoga." Ms. Mehta calls the practice "The Tension-Free Mind."

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)
• over crossed bolsters

Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
• any leg variation
• over a bolster

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
• over a bolster

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
• head resting on a bolster

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
• head resting on blocks or on a chair

Shirshasana (Head Stand)

Janu Shirshasana (Head of the Knee Pose)
• with head wrap
• head on bolster

Triang Mukhaikapada Pashchimottanasana (Three Limbs Supported Intense West Stretch Pose)
• with head wrap
• head on bolster

Pashchimottanasana (Intense West Stretch Pose)
• with head wrap
• head on bolster

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
• with head wrap
• on chair

Ardha Halasana (Half Plough Pose)
• with head wrap
• on chair

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)
• with head wrap
• on bench or bolster

Viparita Karani (Upside Down Pose)
• with head wrap
• on chair

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
• with head wrap
• bolster under trunk

Viloma 2 (Interrupted Exhalation)
• with head wrap
• in Shavasana with bolster under trunk

Tags: Restorative

Simple Supported Backbend - 5-10 min
• Fold two blankets lengthwise and two blankets widthwise.
• Take the long blankets and place them under the upper back and the short blankets under the head. Leave a small groove in between for the shoulders to hang into. Lie back with the soles of the feet flat on the floor and the knees up in the air.
• Soften the muscles of the neck, chest, shoulders and upper back.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) - 5-10 min
• Soften the lower abdomen and hollow out the pelvis, releasing the muscles that line the pelvic bones.
• Soften the ribcage and all the muscles that line the inner ribs.
• Soften the lungs, allowing them to deflate evenly, retracting inwards away from the ribs cage.
• Soften the diaphragm

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) - 5-10 in
• Use same set-up as simple back bend above, with a bolster under the knees.
• Soften and observe the movement of the diaphragm.
• Allow the stomach and the liver to move freely, descending as the diaphragm moves down with the inhalation, and rising as the diaphragm releases with the exhalation. Soften the organs and the ribs as much as possible to allow the most freedom of movement.

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) - 5-10 min
• Restorative set-up over a bolster or folded blankets, with thighs belted.
• Balance the movement in the abdomen with the movement in the rib cage so that neither one overpowers the other.
• After several minutes of this, begin to increase the inhalations and exhalations to a full tidal volume (the amount of air you can inhale and exhale without the muscles of the chest, back or core engaging to assist) for the remainder of the time.

Viparita Kaarani (Upside Down Pose) - 10-15min
• First establish a full tidal volume and continue for several minutes.
• With the exhalations, imagine the bottom of the lungs chasing away from the diaphragm and the diaphragm chasing away from the liver and stomach to create some separation between each of these three parts.
• Ujjayi 4: Increase the breath to full Ujjayi breathing. Use the inhalations to create room around the stomach and liver, the exhalations to separate lungs, diaphragm and organs. Continue for 3-5 minutes.
• Viloma 2 (Variation): At the bottom of each exhalation, create a brief pause where the breath is suspended, without hardening the breathing muscles. Use the pause to increase the separation of lungs, diaphragm and organs. Continue for 3-5 minutes.

Parshva Bharadwajasana (Side Bharadwaja's Pose) - 3-5 minutes each side
• Lie to the side over a bolster.
• Ujjayi 4: Use the breath to increase the space around whichever organ is elevated. On the inhalation, expand the ribs from the spine to the front. On the exhalation allow the organ to slide up and expand into the space created.

Seated Breath Observation - 3-5 min
• Establish a full tidal volume.

Ujjayi 8 - 3-5 min
Increase the breath to full Ujjayi breathing. Use the inhalations to create room around the stomach and liver, the exhalations to separate lungs, diaphragm and organs.

Viloma 5 (Variation) - 3-5 min
At the bottom of each exhalation, create a brief pause where the breath is suspended, without hardening the breathing muscles. Use the pause to increase the separation of lungs, diaphragm and organs.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) - 5-10 min

Tags: Restorative, Pranayama

My friend Erin gave me this sequence, given by Mr. Iyengar in a class in Pune, India on 2/18/94. The holdings are wicked long, and not to be attempted unless you are very experienced, especially head stand. The sequence is great, though, ending in Tadasana. Modify the timings according to your capacity.

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Spread Feet Pose)
10 min

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
10 min

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
5 min

Shirshasana (Head Stand) 25 min, including:
• Parshva Shirshasana (Side Head Stand) 2 min
• Parivrtta Eka Pada Shirshasana (Revolved Single Leg Head Stand) 2 min
• Parshva Virasana Shirshasana (Legs in Hero Pose) 2 min

Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero Pose)
10 min

Viparita Dandasana (Inverted Staff Pose over chair)
10 min

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
10 min

Halasana (Plough Pose)
10 min

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
5 min

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Spread Feet Pose)
5 min

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
5 min

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
5 min

Total = 120 minutes

Tags: Advanced, Restorative