Do this short meditation before exercise or yoga practice to relax the muscles and tissues in your body.
This will enhance the benefits of your practice and decrease the likelihood of injury.
If you don't have time for a full yoga practice at the moment,
Take this time to step away from the activities of your day,
Allowing your body and mind to rest and return fully to the present moment.
Find a comfortable seat either on a chair or on the floor.
If on the floor,
Elevate your pelvis slightly with a blanket or a cushion.
This allows your thighs to open slightly away from the belly,
Facilitating the breath.
Sit tall with your spine in its natural alignment.
Now close your eyes.
Go to a place of inner stillness.
Shifting your awareness inward sends a calming signal to your mind and body and to the whole of your nervous system.
Notice how you feel.
And as you sit,
Imagine roots extending deep into the earth.
But just as the trees roots bind it to the earth,
Its leaves and branches reach upward toward the light.
The crown of your head lifting to gently elongate your spine,
Creating a little more space between each vertebra,
More space for the breath.
Now simply observe your body as it breathes.
As you open to the experience of your body breathing,
Notice any place in your body that might be resistant to the natural flow of breath.
If you find something,
Go there with the breath and allow it to dissolve any holding or clenching.
And each exhale carries away a little more stress or tension.
Do this until the breath again flows naturally.
And again,
Mentally scan through your body,
Noticing any remaining pockets of tension.
Notice how you are in your legs.
Your hips.
Your belly.
And all around your sacrum in your low back.
Relax all the muscles surrounding your rib cage.
The front of your chest.
The back and sides.
Even those intercostal muscles between the ribs.
Allow the whole expanse of your shoulders to naturally broaden.
Loosen any gripping in your hands and your forearms,
And allow them to settle a little more deeply on your lap.
Allow the whole of your face to soften,
Especially the corners of your eyes and mouth.
Notice how you feel.
Notice how it is to be in your body at this moment.
And mentally resolve to maintain this level of awareness as you transition into your Hatha yoga practice or into the rest of your day.
Make sure you're self moving with grace and relaxed intention.
Now take a deep breath and let it go with a big sigh.
Again breathe in,
This time shrugging your shoulders.
And let it go.
Now slowly open your eyes.
Namaste.
Namaste.
