Laughing Yogini’s Asana Practices:

• BEGINNER’S SEQUENCE
• WEIGHT and LEVITY

Please read  Home Practice and seek advice from your medical practitioner before beginning.

1.CENTERING : Begin sitting either in cross-legged position or in seated kneeling (feet pointing straight back, calves outside of thighs). Either way, support yourself on several folded blankets or bolster. Knees should fall lower than the hips. Feel the grounding of your sitbones (ischial tuberosities)-how they connect you to the bolster and the floor and eventually to the warm core of the earth. Allow your self to drop into this support, not only your physical self, but the mental chattering, and the churning of the heart. Imagine the brain resting deep in the skull. Without losing that grounding, bring your awareness to your breath and allow it to lift and lighten your being. Feel the spine grow longer with each breath, beginning at the tail and continue through each vertebrae, lengthening the back of the neck, allowing the chin to draw down and in slightly, the body lengthening until the crown of the head lightens. Keep your gaze parallel to the floor.Spend a few moments acknowledging your presence here and now. As you scan your present state of existence, you can set your intention for the day’s practice (e.g. “I will strive to practice with less judgment today”), for the gift of yoga in your life, and if you wish, to dedicate your practice to someone else or for a cause, such as “So that all beings may be free of suffering.”

D. Woltz sitting with props, Studio Panterra

2. BREATHING (PRANAYAMA): The first and most important breath practice is to become aware of how you are breathing in this moment.

2a. Breath Observation: Don’t try to change anything about your breath and refrain from forming judgments about the breath. Try to turn off your language mind as much as is possible and turn ON your sensorial mind. FEEL the way the breath moves in and out of the body. Feel the way the body moves in response to the breath and the ways the body initiates and supports the breath.

2b. Extended Exhalation: Breathing through the nostrils, unless otherwise directed, begin to draw in/gently squeezing the muscles of the abdomen, starting at the pubic bone, continuing through the middle abdominal muscles and the upper abs, the intercostal muscles between the ribs (you may not feel this at first, or even for years, just be aware that they are working with your breath) and finally, the muscles beneath your collar bones. When you have emptied the lungs, soften the belly and receive the inhalation. Continue with this exercise for a few minutes, up to ten minutes.If you feel light-headed or in any way uncomfortable, stop; take some regular breaths, and if you feel comfortable, resume. Work gently, developing faith that a regular practice will bring transformation on several levels.

3. DANDASANA: This deceptively simple pose requires awareness of your sitting posture. Remain supported on your bolster. Straighten out both legs. Wiggle them a bit if they are tingly from the sitting practice.To come into the posture, rest you hands on blocks or the bolster behind you, or beside your hips. Reach through the heels as you draw both sides (big toe and pinkie toe sides) of the feet towards the chest equally. Press the thighs onto the floor. Feel the connection of the sit bones with the bolster. Lift the heart center. Keep the drshti (gaze) about 18 inches beyond the feet on the floor in front of you. Feel the breath moving throughout the torso. Smile. After several breaths, release.

4. CAT/COW: This first spinal wave can be done on all fours on the mat, or sitting upright in a chair. Beginning on an exhalation, dropping the pelvis, draw the tail down and under, as you arch your spine up into a “hill,” drop your head, release your shoulders away from the spine. Listening to your own internal cues, transition to COW by inhaling, dropping the belly towards the floor as you simultaneously lift the sit bones toward the ceiling and the sternum lifts and draws forward; the shoulders squeeze in towards the spine. Keep the elbows firm and straight. Continue this for a few repetitions, being aware of how your breath begins to connect with the movement. This is the start of meditation in motion. The breath serves as a link: the bodily movement with the mind as we strengthen our focus.

5. SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA: This is the first forward bend we learn. It is done while the back is supported by the floor, so it is relatively safe even if you have a back injury. To make it even less stressful on your lower back, keep the leg that is not raised, bent. Be sure you give yourself plenty of space on the floor, spreading each shoulder blade and lengthening the back of the neck. Use a folded blanket beneath the neck if it is arching uncomfortably.

Begin with both knees bent. Grasp the right leg and make a few circles in the air to open the bones in the hip socket. When you are ready, use the loop end of a strap to loop around the balls of your toes. Grasp the loop with your right arm, held straight. Adjust the loop as necessary so that the right leg can be straight (no bend in that knee). The left arm can be placed on the floor or it can press down on the left hip. Engage the muscles of the left thigh to press it onto the floor. In the same manner, press the thigh of the lifted leg away from you. See if you can feel how it moves into the back of the hip socket. Lots of energy should move through the floor leg and foot as well as through the lifted leg and foot.

The action then grows from the right shoulder moving towards the floor to bring the right leg closer to the head-for fun, visualize the right foot touching the floor beyond your head! Wiggle the shoulder as necessary to release any tension that begins to accumulate there. Release the hips into the floor. BREATHE. Repeat on the other side.

Supported Balasana (Child Pose with Props) (Dariel Woltz photo)

6. BALASANA/ CHILD POSE: Begin kneeling with big toes touching and knees apart. If you are using a prop, place it between your knees. Slowly bend forward. This can be practiced with or without props. The point is to have the upper body supported with enough height that the tail bone can drop towards or on the feet. If you do use props, be sure to entirely support the torso, including the belly. You can rest on your forehead or on your cheek. Arms can be back or forward; they can even be folded beneath your head for more support. If the knees are speaking to you, GO HIGHER. Place a bolster or blanket on your shins to lift the hips. You can also place rolled washcloths in the space behind each knee to create more openness.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

7. ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA: Begin kneeling on all fours. Spread all of the fingers of the hand as wide as you can with thumbs moving towards each other and middle fingers pointing straight ahead. This will increase the area that is weight bearing and lessen the stress on your wrist. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome or other wrist issues, please make use of a wedge to lessen the bent angle of the wrist. Walk the legs back so that the knees are at a greater than 90 degrees from the hip. Curl the toes under and then begin to lift the hips toward the ceiling.

Try to lift off the wrists by pressing into the knuckles of the fingers and lifting the lower arm away from you . Just as you did in Dandasana, and Supta Padangusthasana, press your upper thighs away from you, into the rear of the hip socket. Lift your sit bones. You can bend your knees and/or stay high on your toes to achieve a longer spine. The point of DOG Pose is to lengthen the spine. Continue to breathe, lengthen, press the thighs back, raise the sit bones, lift off the hands. Work through these points as you inhale and exhale gently. This is a foundation pose. It places the entire length of the spine in traction. Strive toward evening out the stretch.

8. APANASANA: This has the inelegant name of wind relieving pose-and you can guess why! Lay on your back, giving yourself permission to take up as much space as your body needs to be totally supported and comfortable. Draw your knees toward your chest and clasp the legs around the knees. Even better — clasp the thighs beneath the knees to place less pressure on the vulnerable knees. Keep the back of the neck relaxed and long. BREATHE. Feel the lower spine grow longer and wider with each breath. This is another excellent low back stretch.

If you’d like, rock from side to side, giving the sacrum a little massage. When you are ready, roll over to the right side. Stay curled up for a couple of breaths. Using your arms for support, transition to sitting. Be sure to allow the head to be the last part of your anatomy to rise.

9. LEGS UP THE WALL: This is the basic restorative pose because it enables the body to heal itself. Sit as near to the wall as you are comfortable. Snuggle your right hip against the wall and then as you lay back onto your elbows, swing your legs straight up the wall and continue straightening out your torso on the floor. Don’t worry if your buttocks don’t rest against the wall-some like them there; others don’t. The point is the inversion, the stillness, the rest–not how far your hamstrings can stretch. If your shoulders allow, stretch your arms over head so that the palms of your hands face the ceiling. Use an eyebag to assist your eyes in relaxing more deeply. Give yourself permission to surrender and let go of the chattering in your mind. Allow yourself to release into the support of the wall and the floor. Breathe into any area of the body that feels as if it is still holding on. Let your thoughts go. Let yourself be breathed.

When you are ready to come out, slowly wiggle your fingers, breathe a bit deeper, slide the legs one at a time down the wall, hug the knees into the chest if you wish and then roll over onto your side. Stay there for a breath or two before slowly pushing yourself up, using your arms for support, letting your head be the last thing to come up. Sit in any comfortable position. If you like, place your hands in prayer position, atmanjali mudra and bow your head. Honor the work you have done for yourself today. Honor all those who support your yoga practice, including those in the room. Honor all those who support your life. Look deep within your heart and honor the Divine within.

Brunnera "Jack Frost" (ckg photo)