Welcome,
Namaste,
Thank you for coming.
Please take a comfortable seat.
Thumb and index finger together,
Resting the back of the hands to the legs.
Feel the weight of your arms,
The volume of your arms.
Feel the symmetry of your hip.
The weight and volume of your hips and your legs.
Now lengthen the spine.
Towards the top of the head.
And as you do this,
The chin will naturally tuck in a little bit.
And now closing the eyes.
Welcoming in these slow and smooth breaths.
Use the knives.
Breathing out through the nose too.
And then when you think the lungs are empty,
Press out a bit more air.
And continue.
Bring your attention to your fingertips,
And when you do,
I'm sure you'll notice that.
.
.
An aliveness there,
Either in the form of.
.
.
World.
Buzz or hum or vibration.
Visualizing.
Blood being delivered to the fingertips.
By the tiny capillaries.
Bringing attention to the lips.
Which are gently closed.
As you rest your attention there.
I'm sure you'll feel the aliveness there.
In the form of warmth or buzzing or humming.
Of vibration.
Where our attention goes.
Energy flow.
Let's take a few deeper breaths now.
Delaying the lungs to the maximum.
Drawing the diaphragm.
Way down low,
Making space for the lungs to fill in all directions.
Breathing out through the nose as the diaphragm moves up,
Compressing the lungs.
Releasing the the air that is spent.
You stop.
No longer of service to us.
Making space.
For the next round.
Taking two more just like that.
When you're ready.
Keep the eyes closed but bring the palms together.
Thumbs can make contact with the sternum.
And we'll chant Aum together once.
I like to.
.
.
Know and imagine.
All of the other people who are chanting Aum at this time.
Adding my voice.
To that collective sound and adding my voice.
To the sound of all the birds that are singing now.
All the animals that are vocalizing.
So let's add our voice now.
So deep breath in to prepare.
And then blinking the eyes open with a smile.
Smiles like this that are for no particular reason,
Happy for no reason.
Are even better than the smiles that are associated with a particular pleasure.
We should be able to smile at any time.
For no reason.
Let's begin with Pranayama.
Alternate nostril breathing.
When I was preparing for that.
Meditation session with Sadhguru last month.
For the three days before the session.
It was recommended to do alternate nostril breathing,
12 minutes.
Before going to bed.
And in fact,
Every day,
Every day is part of my meditation routine.
I do the alternate nostril breathing for seven minutes.
But we'll do it just for a couple of minutes.
So index finger,
Middle finger.
On the forehead,
Between the eyebrows.
Thumb to the outer right nostril,
Ring finger to the outer left.
Compress the right side and breathe in.
On the left.
Press the left side,
Release the right and breathe out.
Complete it.
Breathing in on the right.
Hold down the right,
Release the left and breathe out completely.
That's round one.
Breathing in on the left.
Close the left,
Breathe out on the right.
Breathing in on the right.
Blows off the right,
Breathe out on the left.
That's too loud.
Continue now.
Remember you always switch nostrils after you've breathed in.
Through our alternate nostril breathing.
We're harmonizing the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
The left nostril associated with the right brain.
The right nostril associated with the left.
And in this process also balancing.
The nervous system.
Sympathetic and parasympathetic.
And the yin and yang of our being.
Thank you.
You After you complete this round,
Do one more.
After which Rest the hands to the knees,
Palms up turn.
Eyes closed and It's important.
To notice.
The effect.
Then blinking the eyes open.
Coming to hands and knees.
Let's take the left arm up as we breathe in,
Twisting.
Up to the left,
Look high.
With the breath out,
Let the hand come beneath and rest the left ear to the mat.
Twice more.
Breathing in.
Opening up,
Twisting.
With a breath out,
Return.
Resting the left ear,
Pressing the left arm to the mat.
Again,
Breathing in.
Twist and open.
Breathing out.
Lying the arm beneath the body,
Rest the head and remain for a breath here,
A breath or two.
Actively pressing the left arm into the mat.
On the next breath in,
Reaching the arm up again.
And breath out to replace it.
On the side.
Breathing in,
Reaching the right arm up.
And breath out Slowly,
Smoothly sweeping the arm beneath.
Rest the right knee.
We're in again.
Reaching the arm towards the vertical line.
You read that.
Slide at the knee.
Breathing in,
I'm up.
And breathing out slide and stay.
Firmly pressing the right arm into the mat.
Breathing in and out of the nose,
Closely.
Breathing in,
Reach as high as what's comfortable.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Replace.
Keeping the left knee bent in a right angle approximately.
Start to take some rotations.
It doesn't matter which direction because we'll be reversing.
A little wine.
Re-locating the left hip joint.
Bye-bye.
Then replace the knee,
Do the same with the right leg.
Slowly,
Smoothly.
Big circles with the right knee.
Like that.
Of your place.
Breathing in.
Arching the spine,
Slide the shoulders back,
Lift the chin.
Breath out,
Reversing.
Resting the shoulder blades as high as you can as you tuck the chin.
Looking to the navel,
Which is pulling up.
Breathing in,
Arch.
You.
And breathing out,
Reverse.
Breathing in,
Out.
Breathing out,
We nurse.
Tuck the toes,
Press back to downward facing dog.
Peddling feet.
Relaxing both heels towards the mat.
And firmly into the palms of the hands and in particular the thumb and index finger.
Reaching tailbone up.
Tucking the lower ribs in as you press the chest towards your thighs.
Breathing in,
Begin walking the hands back towards the legs.
And rest the back of the hands either side of the feet.
From the floor to the walls.
Completely relax the naked head.
Let's take half a minute here.
Feel the weight and the volume of your arms.
Feel how relaxed your shoulders are.
And your neck.
Forward and the scalp.
Smooth.
One more breath.
Breathing in now to roll up very,
Very slowly.
Keep the arms hanging forward.
Play me.
Relax.
And walking to the top of the mat.
Two sun salutes to warm up.
Big toes touch,
Palms together.
Standing as tall as you can.
Breathing in.
Floating up on the sides.
Arms make contact.
Gentle back bend.
With a breath out,
Folding forward with a flat back.
Bend the knees as much as you need to in order to make contact with your fingertips,
Either side of the feet.
Breathe again,
Half lift and look up.
Breathing out,
Stepping back with the lift.
Coming into a lunge.
Follow with the right.
I'm going into a plank.
Here's the option of dropping the knees down,
Breathing in.
Breathing out,
Bend into the elbows as you lower slowly.
Breath in,
Cobra,
Lifting head,
Shoulders and hands.
Breath out,
Let the head rest forward,
Tuck the toes.
Pressing back to a child's pose,
Resting the head for a moment.
With the breath in,
Straightening the legs.
Downward facing dog.
Another breath in.
Breathing out,
We look forward so we see where we're going and then we step with the left foot.
And then with the right.
Breathing in,
Half lift and look up.
Breathing out,
Falling forward.
Breathing in,
Rising,
Soft knees.
Bread position above as you lengthen,
Lean back a little bit.
And breathe out as you turn to the heart.
Once more.
Breathing in.
Reach out.
Bend back.
Breathe out,
Forward fold.
Eyes down.
Pressing forward towards the lower leg.
Breathing in,
Half lift your cup.
Breath out,
Step back with the right.
Coming to a lunge.
Follow with the left.
Arriving in a plane.
Drop the knees,
Breathing in.
Breathing out slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly down.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Arching the back,
Squeezing the elbows inwards towards the spine.
Lift the hands.
Press out through the toes.
And breathing out,
Lower.
Tuck the toes.
Strong arms too.
Send the hips back towards the heels.
Rest your head.
Breathing in,
Straightening the legs,
Downward facing dog.
Another breath in.
Moving out,
We look forward to see where we're going and then stepping the right foot.
In between the hands.
And then the left.
Breathing in,
Look up.
Breathing out,
Fold.
Breathing into your eyes.
Palms feet above.
Gauge the buttocks as you lean back.
Without cancer too.
Separate the feet a little,
Soften the knees.
And sway the body side to side.
Slowing down.
You Now coming to lie on the tummy.
Thanks,
Paul.
The skin tones.
There's some feet,
There's some distance between the feet.
I usually have my.
.
.
Toes inwards and my heels outwards.
See what feels better for you.
Toes in or toes out.
And then supporting the head,
Either in your hands or on a block.
Closing your eyes.
Feeling the planes of contact between your body.
And the mat.
The abdomen.
So up to the side.
On top to the feet.
Directing your brain,
Towards your lower back.
Visualizing.
Sending nourishing oxygen.
Towards the lower back.
Every breath in.
Sending any tension.
Bye.
As you breathe out.
Today I'm going to read to you from Thich Nhat Hanh's book,
The Art of Living.
I read to you a bit of it before,
But now we're moving on to a different chapter.
Chapter B.
Impermanent,
Now is the time.
Thanks to Impermanent.
Everything is possible.
There are turtles that live to be three or four hundred years old.
And redwood trees that live more than a thousand years.
Our own lifespan is only about a hundred years.
How will we live in those years?
Are we making the most of our days?
What are we here to realise or to accomplish?
We all want to live deeply so our lives.
.
.
Are not wasted and when death comes we won't have any regrets.
When we are fully established in the present moment.
We know that we are alive.
And that it's a miracle to be alive.
Past is gone.
And the future.
Has not yet come.
This is the only moment.
Where we can be alive.
And we have it.
We have to make this present moment.
Into the most wonderful moment.
Of that line.
Contemplating in permanence.
Helps us to touch freedom and happiness in the present moment.
It helps us see reality as it is.
So we can embrace change.
Thanks for being.
And change what we have.
When we can see the impermanent nature of a flower.
A pebble.
The person we love.
Our own body.
Our pain and sorrow.
We can make a breakthrough.
Into the heart of reality.
Impermanence is something wonderful.
If things were not impermanent.
Life would not be possible.
A seed could never become a plant of corn.
The child couldn't grow into a young adult.
There could never be healing and transformation.
We could never realize our dreams.
So impermanent.
Is a very important part of life.
And it is.
Important for that.
Thanks to a permanence.
Everything is possible.
Okay.
Take another breath here.
And then slowly lower the upper body,
Create a cushion for the forehead with the back of your hand.
And decompress.
You Returning to the Sphinx pose.
And this time,
The left leg.
Comes out to the side.
Remember to cushion your forehead,
Give the head support.
So your neck doesn't have to.
.
.
Supporting Heavy Head.
If you find it uncomfortable.
Perhaps to the right.
Right side of the pelvis or the inner left knee.
You can also always place a towel.
Or blanket.
Thank you.
And spread the towel or blanket.
Upon your yoga mat.
And this time,
Think of directing your brain.
Towards your left hip.
With every breath in.
Thank you.
Flooding that left hip with Oxygen with healing light.
With nourishment.
And with gratitude.
Of all day.
His left hip and the rest of the body down.
To support us.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You There's an old story.
From China.
About Mr.
Lee.
A rural villager whose livelihood depended on his horse.
One day his horse ran away.
And all his neighbours took pity on him.
How unlucky you are,
What a misfortune.
But Mr.
Lee was not anxious.
You suck.
Let's see.
We'll see.
Story to be continued in a moment.
Lower the forehead to the back of the head.
Now sliding the hands.
So that they're more or less beneath the shoulders.
With a breath in,
Begin to straighten the arms.
Just take a moment here.
Relaxing into the lower back.
Thank you.
Just half,
Half a minute will be enough.
And then slowly down Straighten the left leg down.
Use your hands too.
Press you up.
Come to the knee.
And step the left foot forward.
And bring the hands either side.
But now transfer the left hand to the inner left foot.
This is more of a lizard type shape.
So left hand inside of left foot.
Now you can either remain like so,
Or it may be possible to lower your body to your forearms.
That's too low.
You might take a bolster.
Got your forearms there.
Then also you can use your hands too.
Pushing your forehead.
Won't be here too long.
Close your eyes.
And now think of directing your breath towards your left knee.
Cutting the left knee.
With nourishment.
The healing.
So back to our story.
By Mr.
Lee Curtis.
Lost his cause.
Well,
A few days later,
His horse returned.
Bringing several wild horses back with it.
Mr.
Lee and his family were suddenly very wealthy.
How lucky you are!
Exclaimed the other villagers.
We'll see.
Replied Mr.
Lee.
We'll see.
Then one day his only son was training one of the new horses.
And he fell off and broke his leg.
What misfortune!
Declare the neighbors again.
We'll see.
Said Mr.
Lee.
We'll see.
We'll return to the story in a moment.
But for now.
.
.
You can ease out.
Of the lizard pose.
It's connected to the.
.
.
Forward of the left knee.
From here we're going to the sleeping swan.
So lift knee at an angle.
Right leg behind.
Again.
Slowly settle yourself down.
Either to the forearms or maybe bringing the head all the way down.
Again,
You always have the option to take a support like the bolster.
What is your eye?
This time bring your attention to your Left ankle.
And visualize directing your breath and all the nourishment that goes along with it.
Towards that left ankle.
A few weeks later,
The Imperial Army passed through the village.
To conscript all able-bodied young men into the military.
They did not take away Mr.
Lee's son,
Who was still recovering from his broken leg.
How lucky you are,
Said his neighbours again.
We'll see,
Replied Mr.
Lee.
We'll see.
So impermanence is just as capable.
Of bringing about happiness.
As it is of bringing about suffering.
Impermanence is not bad news.
Because of impermanence.
Despotic regimes are subject to fall.
Because of impermanence.
Ailments can be cured.
Thanks to Inferminate.
We can enjoy the wonder of the four beautiful seasons.
And thanks to Impermanent.
Anything can shine.
And transform.
In a more positive direction.
Thank you.
Another half minute here.
Are you still sending your breath to your left ankle?
Two more breaths.
There's my mom.
To slowly emerge.
Slide the left knee back,
Come to all fours,
Take circles with the hips laterally.
Coming up on the right,
Down on the left.
And the other way,
Down the right,
Up on the left.
Then let's repeat those postures on the other side.
So lying on the tummy in a sphinx pose.
With the right hand.
Right knee approximately.
Level with the hip.
Where to plant your elbows.
Or that you get the.
.
.
Optimal curvature of the lower back.
Okay.
Support your head.
Love you,
Jeremiah.
Resting your awareness on the right hip.
Training your mind to focus.
By sending your breath towards your right hip.
There were times during the war in Vietnam when it seemed the violence would never end.
Our teams of young social workers labored tirelessly to rebuild villages that had been destroyed by bombs.
So many people lost their home.
There was one village near the demilitarized zone.
That we had to rebuild.
Not only one,
But two and even three times.
After repeated body movements.
The young people asked,
Should we rebuild or should we give up?
Luckily,
We were wise enough not to give up.
To give up would be to give up on hope.
I remember that About this time,
A group of young people came to me and asked,
Dear teacher,
Do you think the war will end soon?
At that point.
I could not see any sign of the war ending.
But I did not want us to drown in despair.
I stayed silent for some time.
Finally,
I said,
Dear friend.
The Buddha said that everything is impermanent.
The war has to come to an end one day.
The question is,
What can we do to accelerate the impermanence?
They are always seen.
We can do each day.
To help with the situation.
Thanks.
On the next exhalation.
Slowly lower the body,
Rest the hip a moment to the back of the hand.
And now position the hands beneath the shoulders.
Begin to straighten the arms.
You Breathing.
Feeling the right hip.
Opening.
Your lower back,
Relaxing.
You And slowly back down.
Straighten the right leg.
Take a moment.
Bye.
You And sliding our hands so big.
Level with the ribcage.
Pressing up.
Come to the knees.
And set the right knee forward.
Hands down and then we come to a lizard pose by bringing the right hand to the inside of the right foot.
Thank you.
Make sure you slide your left knee far back.
To increase that hip flexor stretch on the left.
I'm going to do the same thing on the other side.
You go a little deeper,
Coming to the forearms,
That's going too deep.
You support the forearms on something like a bolster.
You you you.
Bye.
We may agree with the truth of impermanence.
And yet we still behave as though everything is permanent.
And that is the problem.
That is what prevents us.
And taking the opportunities available to us right now.
To act to change the situation.
Or to bring happiness to ourselves and others.
With the insight of impermanence.
He won't wait.
You'll do everything you can do to make a difference.
To make the person we love happy.
And to live the kind of life.
Good luck to you.
The Buddha offered the contemplation on impermanence.
Not for us to treasure as a notion.
But for us to get the insight.
Of a permanent.
By applying it to our daily life.
There's a difference.
Between a notion and an inside.
To operate here.
And then.
Gently coming up.
We transfer directly.
To the sleeping swan.
Lighting out.
Nine to one.
Check that the hips are square.
Chest is square.
The left leg is three feet high.
And then soften forward.
Either to the forearms or all the way.
Take whatever support you need.
Is required.
Close your eyes.
Directing your breath to the right ankle.
So there's a difference between a notion and an insight.
Stay,
We strike a match.
To get a flight.
As soon as the flame vanishes.
It begins to consume the match.
The notion of impermanence.
Is like the man.
And the insight of impermanence.
Is like a flame.
As the flame manifests.
It consumes the man.
Which we don't need anymore.
What we need is the flame,
Not the message.
We're making use of the notion of impermanence.
To get the insight of impermanence.
We can make the insight of impermanence.
Into a living insight.
That is with us in every moment.
The inside of impermanence has the power to liberate us.
Suppose someone you love has just said something that has made you angry.
And you want to punish them by saying something unkind back.
Is good.
To make you suffer.
And you want to lash back and make him suffer too.
You are about to start an argument.
But then you remember.
To close your eyes and to contemplate impermanence.
You imagine your beloved.
300 years from now.
You will be nothing but ash.
It may not take 300 years.
Perhaps within you.
30 or 50 years.
We will both be ash.
You suddenly realise how foolish it is to be angry and to argue with each other.
Life is so precious.
It takes only a few seconds.
Concentration to recognize.
And touch your nature of impermanence.
The inside of your firmness.
Burns away the anger.
And when you open your eyes.
You don't want to argue anymore.
You just want to hold them in your arms.
Your anger has transformed into love.
Take a few more breaths here.
Breathing in too much.
Returning to hands and knees.
Taking those lateral circles of the hips.
Going down on one side and up on the other.
You Reverse the direction.
You and then be still.
Let's take one forward bend and one back bend.
I'll let you choose whether the forward bend will be Butterfly.
A diamond with the legs.
If you need support under the knees,
Take it,
Forms of cushions.
Alternatively,
Caterpillar legs out in front.
Dragonfly.
Widen the legs.
Whichever you choose.
Thank you for your support.
For more support,
You can have a bolster.
Less support.
Be white.
Lie the bolster flat in front,
Maybe you'll stack up.
A break upon the ghost.
Trial and error.
That's the important thing.
Is to find your edge.
That edge that is not painful.
That you feel you can soften into with time and stillness and a breath.
Relax down to the legs.
From the hips all the way to the toes.
Close your eyes.
And think of directing your breath.
In and out of the heart.
Many of the people I have loved in the world,
My family members and close friends,
Have already passed away.
That I can still breathe is a miracle,
And I know that I breathe for them.
Every day when I get up.
Stretch my body and do some gentle morning exercises.
Which brings me a lot of happiness.
I don't exercise to get fit or be healthier.
I do it to enjoy being alive.
The happiness and joy of practicing mindful movement.
Nourishes my body.
And mine.
With each movement that I do.
I feel how wonderful it is that I can still do it.
Exercising like this.
I enjoy having a body.
I enjoy being alive.
I accept life and my body.
Just as it is.
And I feel so much gratitude.
Even as we age and experience ill health or pain.
We can still profit from the movement.
Where the pain is not too strong.
If you can still breathe.
It's possible to enjoy your breathing.
If you can still walk.
It's possible to enjoy your walking.
If you can get in touch with the elements of peace.
And freshness within you and around you.
Both body and mind will benefit.
And it will help you embrace the difficulties and pain in your body.
A dog singing that song.
We'll take another half minute here.
If at this stage you'd like to make an adjustment to the amount of support,
Either reducing it or increasing it,
You can do that now.
Thank you.
And remember that this is yin,
So we're not pushing or pulling or striving.
By being completely relaxed and soft.
Just a few more breaths here.
And breathing in,
Slowly sitting up.
Feet in front,
Knees bent,
Feet wide.
Fly the knees to.
.
.
Drop all the way from one side to the other.
And let's take that breath in.
Take a look.
Or fold it down.
Placing the block.
Cross the shoulder blades round about here.
Relaxing out of the block.
Thank you.
We bring the soles of the feet together.
Get the knees full out wide.
If you feel your head needs more support,
Interlace your hands behind your head.
Let the elbows fall out wide.
Close your eyes.
And whilst breathing in and out through the nose with closed lips.
Imagine that you're directing that breath.
Directly to your heart.
I once heard Ram Das describe this as imagining that you have nostrils at the chest.
Starting at the heart.
Imagine drawing the breath in through those nostrils.
And the chest.
We may fear dying.
Thank you.
Decided hard to imagine growing old.
We cannot believe that one day we might not be able to walk or stand.
We are lucky one day.
We will be old enough to sit in a wheelchair.
Contemplating this.
We value every step.
And know that in the future.
It will not be as it is now.
Recognizing impermanence.
Allows us to cherish the days and hours.
That are given to us.
It helps us to value our body,
Our loved ones.
And all the conditions that we have for happiness in this moment.
We can be at peace knowing.
We are living.
Our life to the fullest.
Repeating inwardly.
I treasure the days I have left to live.
I treasure the days I have left to live.
They are so precious.
I vow not to wait.
Be the one.
They are so precious.
I vow not to waste a single one.
You you you Take a few more breaths here.
And then rolling towards your right hand side,
Rolling off the block.
Remove it from behind you.
And.
.
.
Prepare for Shavasana.
If you have the bowls to hand.
Place it behind your knee.
Arms by the sides,
Palms up turned.
Chin slightly cupped.
Feet rolling outward.
Notice the Curling of the fingertips.
Mouth is closed,
Softly.
The tongue is resting at the base of the mouth.
The eyelids are shut.
The muscles around the eyes are relaxed.
You you you you Just resting now.
Nothing else to do.
Nowhere else to go.
We are here now.
And treasuring this moment.
You Yeah.
Thank you.
You.
Bye.
You.
Starting to deepen the breath.
Wiggling the toes.
Moving the ankle.
Wiggling the fingers.
And rotating the wrist.
Let the head roll from one side to the other.
And shrug the shoulders a few times.
Reaching the arms above the head.
Breathing in and stretch.
Oh,
The band.
Lungs expanding.
And let it go.
Embrace the knees and rock from side to side.
Roll towards the right hand side.
Pausing briefly,
Before returning to a comfortable seat.
Bring the hands together at the heart.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
May all beings be happy and free and may our thoughts,
Words and actions contribute to this happiness and freedom for all.
Bowing the heads.
Namaste.
