Welcome.
Before you begin your practice,
Please make sure that you're in a comfortable and quiet space with adequate time to relax into the experience.
You are going to be practicing Shavasana,
The ground zero.
Shavasana is the corpse pose.
It is typically done at the end of a yoga practice.
It can,
However,
Be a practice completely on its own.
It allows for the release of the structural body,
To empty yourself before you begin,
And to ease muscular tension dropping into the reassuring gravitational force of the earth and your body.
Shavasana is a pose where the body is fully supported,
Resting horizontally,
So that a profound stillness and quiescence can be felt on the inside of the body.
Ultimately,
Letting go into Shavasana suggests not a physical death,
But a metaphysical one,
A mahasamadhi,
As we would call in Sanskrit or ancient yogic language,
Where all traces of self-limiting perceptions can drop away and you can experience a sense of boundlessness,
Space and inner peace.
So please get comfortable.
Begin by lying on your back.
You can do this on a yoga mat or any firm support on the floor.
Please exhale deeply,
Repeating several long exhales,
Allowing the body to become relaxed.
Few more long,
Deep exhales.
And one more.
Allow the weight of your bones to drop into the floor beneath you.
And as you are resting on the ground,
Imagine the ground rising up against you as a support,
Holding you,
Supporting you.
Rest into the support of gravity.
Allow the weight of your organs to sink,
Like cool air dropping to the bottom of a valley.
Visualize your blood and breath settling into the back of your body,
Like dust settling on stirred up ground.
Allow your skin to spread on the ground so that the skin of your back body is in full contact with the floor.
Allow the weight of your sacrum,
The hard part of your lower back,
To drop.
Allow the back of your skull to drop.
Imagine inhaling into the back of your ribs.
And feel the back of your ribs widen and broaden against the ground.
Breathing a few more deep inhalations,
Inhaling into the back of your ribs.
Feel them widen and broaden against the ground.
And on the exhale,
Let the entire body soften and relax.
A few more rounds at your own pace.
Inhale.
Exhale,
Soften and relax.
Inhaling and widening,
Broadening the back of your ribs.
Exhale,
Let the body relax.
Now begin sensing your pranic or energy body,
The pranamaya kosha.
Just feeling,
Sensing your energy.
Ask yourself,
Am I tired?
Am I restless?
Am I heavy?
Am I distracted?
Become really present and curious to your experience.
Without judging or labeling,
Just experiencing yourself as you are right now.
Do you have any pain,
Physical or emotional,
That is palpable right now?
Scanning your body for any sensations,
Any tingles or quivers.
Notice any tingle or pulsation in your nerves,
Bloodstream,
Muscular body.
Developing sensitivity to such sensations and attuning to your subtle body.
Being present with the natural,
Unadulterated,
Soft rhythm of your breath.
Allow the body to completely relax.
Whole body is completely relaxed.
And then slowly begin to take slightly deeper breaths again,
Nothing changes,
Only taking slightly deeper breaths,
Long,
Steady inhalations and exhalations in and out of your nose,
Moving the breath out into your extremities,
Into your fingers and toes.
You can gently begin to move your hands,
Your feet,
Your wrists and ankles,
Waking up all the little nerve endings.
You can gently move your neck.
And then please roll over to either side of your body,
Making the back round and curling the knees in,
Creating no tension in anticipation of coming up.
When you are ready,
Bring yourself up to any comfortable seated position.
Take your time.
Sit with your back straight,
The spine long and tall,
And the rest of the body completely soft and relaxed,
Allowing for your blood pressure to stabilize.
Bringing the breath and the body back in its upright position,
Noticing the effect of your practice,
And then take another slow breath in through the nose,
Slow breath out through the nose,
One more round in through your nose,
And exhale through the nose.
Please bring the palms of your hands to touch in front of your chest.
Take a moment to close your practice.
Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts that you make in taking care of yourself.
And with this energy that you created,
Move out into the rest of your day.
Namaste.
