Good morning,
And welcome to your practice.
My name is Rishi.
I'm really looking forward to our session today.
This morning practice is designed for you to do when it's warm or hot outside.
And by the end of the session,
My intention is for you to feel more focused,
Awakened,
And attuned to yourself.
So start off in a seated position.
You can be seated on the floor with your legs crossed.
You can also be seated in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Make sure your eyes are closed.
Start to notice your body.
Remember that you can fill your belly with breath and bring some space into the sometimes tense and cramped environment of your body.
We're here to expand and root deeply in ourselves.
Let's take three deep breaths,
Inhaling and exhaling through our noses for six counts each.
And I'll count.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Beautiful.
We have two breathing practices that we'll do today.
The first one is called kumbhak and some of the benefits of kumbhak include Improving your ability to absorb prana.
Which is also called life force energy.
It can basically combat disconnectedness that you're feeling or dullness.
It can be very awakening,
So sometimes I like to think of it as an alternative to coffee or caffeine,
Or an addition to that.
Kumbhaka can also improve your concentration and the one-pointedness of your mind.
You might want to avoid kumbhaka and instead focus on the regular breathing through your nose that we were doing earlier if you're under 12 years old,
If you're pregnant or if you're menstruating,
And also if you have a serious heart condition or high blood pressure.
In order to do kumbhaka,
You're going to.
Inhale and exhale through your nose,
But the way that it goes is you exhale for a count of three.
You inhale for a count of six,
And then you hold it or retain for a count of 12.
So I'll just.
.
.
Do a demonstration count so that you can understand what the practice will be like.
Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally.
Whereas with some breathing exercises in the pranayama tradition,
You might perform these exercises back to back.
For kumbhaka,
The way that I like to do it is to have a breath in between that feels natural and easeful.
So let's go ahead and start.
We're going to do this for 10 rounds and then we'll move on to our other breathing exercise.
Let's exhale 2,
3,
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Exhale,
Inhale naturally.
And once more,
Exhale 2,
3,
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally.
Exhale 2 3 Inhale 2 3 4 5 6 Hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Breathe naturally.
Exhale 2 3 inhale 2 3 4 5 6 hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 breathe naturally Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally.
Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally.
Exhale 2 3 Inhale 2 3 4 5 6 Hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Breathe naturally.
Exhale 2 3 inhale 2 3 4 5 6 hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 breathe naturally Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12.
Breathe naturally.
That was our last one.
And slowly blink open your eyes.
And just notice how that felt.
And bring a little bit of movement into your feet,
Into your fingers.
The next exercise we'll do is Chandrabhedana.
This practice involves.
And inhale to a count of four.
Holding for a count of eight.
And exhaling for a count of four.
Chandra Vedana can stimulate your creativity and intuition.
It can reduce pitta and alleviate associated disorders like inflammation,
Acidity,
And ulcers.
Reduces your body heat,
And it can be a pacifying practice that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.
You shouldn't do Chandrabhedana if you have low blood pressure,
Cough,
Cold,
Or fever,
If you have asthma,
Bronchitis,
Or pneumonia.
Or if you have serious depression.
If you're pregnant or menstruating,
For Chandra Vedana,
I recommend you don't hold your breath,
But instead you do the inhale and exhale portion of the practice.
So in order to do Chandra Bhedra.
You're actually going to inhale through your left nostril.
Close both of your nostrils if you're retaining your breath.
And then you'll exhale through your right nostril.
And there won't be any breaks for natural breathing in between.
You'll kind of go straight back into the practice.
After you exhale through your right nostril,
You'll just inhale through your left nostril.
And then continue like that.
We'll do this for 10 rounds.
And I'll count with the retention of the breath,
But if you're not holding your breath,
Please go ahead and do this practice to your own count.
Now once again,
Close your eyes.
Bring your right hand up to your face.
Use the thumb of your right hand to close your right nostril.
Inhale.
Two,
Three,
Four,
From your left nostril.
Use the ring finger and pinky finger on the same hand to close your left nostril.
Hold for 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Release the thumb of your right hand.
Exhale through your right nostril,
2,
3,
4.
That was just a demonstration,
So release your hand and breathe normally.
Now we'll actually get into it.
So again.
Bring your right hand up towards your face.
Inhale through your left,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right.
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left.
2,
3,
4.
Hold.
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Your right 2 3 4 inhale through your left 2 3 4 hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 exhale through your right 2 3 4 inhale through your left 2 2,
3,
4,
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left,
2,
3,
4,
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left.
2,
3,
4.
Hold.
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale through your right.
2,
3,
4.
Inhale through your left.
2,
3,
4.
Hold.
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Exhale to your right.
2,
3,
4.
Inhale to your left.
2,
3,
4.
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Exhale to your right,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Release your hand,
Breathe naturally in through your nose and out through your nose.
Slowly flutter your eyes open.
Notice how you feel.
Bring some movement back into your fingertips.
Into your toes.
We'll take three closing breaths to a count of six.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Thank you for joining me for this practice.
I hope you're entering your day feeling more awakened,
More focused,
And more attuned to yourself.
