Welcome to your practice.
My name is Annie and it is my honor to guide you through this gentle pranayama sequence.
I love practicing this in the morning.
Feel free to turn to it whenever you need a moment to energize or to reconnect.
Begin by finding a comfortable sitting position.
Let your spine grow tall.
Let your roots reach deep into Mother Earth and allow your crown to gently drop towards the sky,
Settling into your sacred space.
Together let's take three deep breaths to arrive.
Taking a full inhalation through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth.
Let it go.
Again taking a deep inhalation through your nostrils and release it.
Make a sound.
Once more inhale deeply and exhale fully.
Feel yourself centered.
Now observe your natural breathing.
Let your breath flow as it is,
Noticing its rhythm and what is present within you at this very moment.
There is no need to change anything.
Just become the observer.
I invite you to dedicate this practice to something or someone meaningful to you.
Your bhakti,
Your object of devotion.
It could be a deity,
A god or a goddess if you have one,
Or someone closer to home,
A family member,
Friend,
A beloved pet or even a group of beings.
While our practice brings personal benefits,
It is never selfish.
We practice selflessly for the benefit of all beings.
Take a moment now and connect with your bhakti.
Let's open the space with one resonant OM.
Taking a deep inhalation,
Feeling the vibrations of this sacred mantra.
Remaining in this space for a moment.
Noticing with every inhalation how your spine is lengthening and with every exhalation allow the awareness to drop from your head into your heart.
Inhaling,
Elongating the spine.
Exhaling,
Bringing the awareness from your brain into your heart.
Starting to deepen your breath.
With every inhalation bringing the air all the way into the belly,
Feeling the belly expand.
Go large.
With every exhalation,
Exhaling fully,
Feeling your belly contract.
Feel your breath as it travels.
Also noticing the pause between each inhalation and exhalation.
Noticing this moment of absolute stillness,
No air moving in or out of the body.
Taking a few more deep breaths.
Inhaling all the way into the belly,
Feeling the belly expand.
Exhaling fully and completely.
Gentle deep breaths.
We will now begin with our first practice.
Moving into three rounds of Kapalabhati,
A practice that translates into shining skull,
Invigorating your being and clearing any blockages,
May they be conscious or subconscious.
To practice Kapalabhati we focus on the exhalation.
We draw the belly button toward the spine,
Engaging the abdominals to forcefully exhale through the nose.
Don't worry too much about the inhalation,
It will come automatically.
It sounds something like this.
We will do three rounds,
Each a little bit longer.
Find your own rhythm here,
Find what feels right for you and your body today.
There is no need to excessively push yourself.
If you have any concerns such as a heart or brain condition or have undergone recent abdominal surgery or are currently pregnant,
Make sure to practice this really very gently or maybe even consider skipping it altogether.
So let's begin.
Take a normal breath in through your nose and a normal breath out through your nose.
Now draw in a deep inhalation,
Exhale halfway and begin your Kapalabhati.
Keep going as you continue,
Keep your awareness gently focused between your eyebrows,
Your third eye.
Just a few more seconds here.
Take a deep breath in and gently release.
Pause and feel.
Notice whatever is present after this first round,
Tuning in.
Prepare for the next round by taking a normal breath in through your nose,
Normal breath out.
Now draw in a deeper breath,
Halfway out.
To begin,
In your own rhythm,
Finding your pace,
Engaging your abdominal muscles,
Pressing your belly button back towards the spine with each exhalation.
Keep your awareness on your third eye and if it feels comfortable with your closed eyes,
Gently gaze inward towards the point between your eyebrows.
Few more moments here and take a deep breath in,
Hold for a moment,
Observe what arises and slowly release through the nostrils.
Pause and observe.
Preparing for the final round,
Take a normal breath in through your nose and exhale.
Inhale deeply,
Halfway out to begin.
Finding your rhythm here,
Maintaining your focus on the point between your eyebrows.
If you feel energized,
You may quicken your pace slightly but if your body calls for gentleness,
Slow it down.
Stay present with your breath and keep going,
Keep clearing all the blockages.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold and notice the sensations within,
Tingling,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Whatever is present,
Notice it.
And then gently release.
Return to your natural breathing,
Taking time to notice the effects of your practice.
They may be profound or they may be subtle.
Gently scanning your body,
Observing sensations with curiosity and care.
Now let's bring a sense of calm and centeredness to our practice.
We'll move into Samavritti,
Equal breath.
Inhaling gently together for a count of five,
Holding the breath for a count of five and then exhaling for a count of five,
All through your nostrils.
Once again bring your awareness inward and first fully exhale.
Let's begin.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two and one.
Hold four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Again inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continue at your own pace,
Keeping the inhalation,
Retention and exhalation balanced in length.
Stay present with your breath.
Let it flow with ease,
Bringing harmony into your practice.
When you're ready,
Very gently allow this exercise to come to an end with a soft exhalation.
Your breath returns to its natural rhythm.
Release all techniques,
Simply observing your breath as it is.
With every inhalation notice that this is more than just air you're breathing.
Prana,
The life force that sustains us.
Without breath there is no form.
Take a moment to honor the miracle of your breath,
Feeling gratitude for this essential process.
Bring to mind your bhakti,
Who or what you dedicated this practice to.
Hold them in your heart and share with them a sense of peace cultivated through your breath and through your efforts.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.
Once more,
Breathe in deeply and release.
Make a sound.
One last time.
Inhale fully and sigh it out.
We will close this practice with one long om and three shanties.
Bring your hands together in front of your heart in namaste mudra.
Palms gently pressing together,
Thumbs touching the sternum.
First exhale all the air out and now take a deep breath in for om.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Bow your head towards your fingertips in gratitude for your breath,
Your practice,
Your teachers and anything else you hold in your heart today.
Let these thoughts fill your being with thankfulness.
With the next inhalation,
Gently lift your head.
Exhale here and slowly open your eyes.
Welcome yourself back into the flow of your day.
I'm wishing you a beautiful rest of your day.
Namaste.
