The last couple days, I’ve returned to Sun Salutations. They are a perfect practice in and of themselves. I used to hate them. Always forced myself through them, knowing I needed the warm up. Finally I realized: if you hate a pose in yoga, you’re doing it wrong. There is some other alignment, variation, or way of breathing that will work for you. Even burning, strengthening poses are enjoyable if you’re at your edge, and not over it. A few examples:

“I hate Warrior I.”
Many standing poses create intense burning in the legs. This pose in particular has some goofy alignment on top of the fire. Back foot rotates out while hips face forward? Are you kidding? Just know that different traditions have different expressions of the pose, for different reasons. Iyengar aligns front heel to back arch; Kripalu has the back heel up, like a Lunge! Once you learn or decide the intent of the pose (for me, it’s a heart opener with a lot of fire underneath), you can wiggle the hips and explore the breath until you feel that intention with full-body participation. We all have different skeletons, no two poses will ever look alike. The stance can be very narrow if that is where you breathe fully and feel stable. The hips can turn towards the side if it lets you lift through the heart and stop sinking into the lower back. You want ease but not easy. There’s a lot of room for exploration. Your teacher’s head might explode, just tell them you have a doctor’s note for self-medication. Adjust.

“I hate Ankle to Knee.”
One of the most intense hip openers, Ankle-to-Knee (aka Fire Logs) gets right into the freaky tightness in a mysterious corner of the hips. All around the classroom, students avoid the full parallel of the shins and round into a cross-legged ball. Try not to care that they’re cheating. See above. For full sensation, keep the ankles right on the knees, not on the thighs. Flex the feet and try to relax. In martial arts tests, you hold squats for 1, 10, 20 minutes to get your belt. The secret is apparently to focus on the sensations of breathing, not the sensations of pain. Like life: if you run around thinking about your problems all day, you will not be smiling very much. So, sit up tall, and breathe up and down the back. Maybe an exhale tips the hips an inch forward; maybe not. As Leslie Kaminoff says, think about spinal movement, not spatial. A new door opened on intense poses when I learned to stay where I was. Relax.

“I hate Handstand.”
This inversion uses an invigorating combination of muscle and fear. Even against a wall, I used to freak out. I was sure I didn’t have the strength to hold it. Heart openers immediately prior helped — a little clasp of the hands behind the back before diving forward — but I still hated the feelings of panic and wobbly weakness while in the pose. It was too unfamiliar, there was too much going on. So, I simplified. An L-shaped Handstand allows both feet to be firmly on the wall, which somehow feels much more familiar and secure, so that the alignment of the shoulders can be the focus. (Since we want to work from the ground up, we have to tackle the hands and shoulders before the core and legs.) Eventually, each leg could take a turn extending to the sky.  I firmly believe it’s better to do one piece of the pose well, then all of them terribly. Simplify.

And finally, “I hate Sun Salutations.”
The jump backs. The Down Dogs. The repetition. There’s so much to hate! My attitude finally changed I think at Sivananda, when we were led through two rounds of Surya Namaskar, and then told to do three more at our own pace. It’s a shock to realize that you don’t know what your own pace is. Suddenly, this exercise was an exploration of how I actually wanted to move. I started skipping Up Dog, and appreciating Cobra. Keeping the step-backs, and their connection to the core. Hearing the breath more like a breeze than a freight train. Since then, I’ve noticed how different the speed of my breath is at different times of day — sometimes it wants to race, sometimes it wants to relax. Following the breath is like letting an alternate brain lead. It’s a different choreographer each day; the quality and rhythm of movement changes subtly and sometimes drastically. Breathe.

Acknowledging, deciphering and accommodating irritants will create positive reinforcements for your practice instead of negative. Practice in a way that leaves you looking forward to the next one, not holding subconscious dread. You will start to get it.

Last night I tried to practice yoga with Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah. It was a rainy day and I needed some energy. Instead it pushed me into listening mode, I just lay on the floor enjoying the album for a while, until I finally got up and practiced in silence.

So, today I decided to share my five fail-safe albums for yoga practice. I exclude kirtan from this list; if it’s any good it makes me want to sing to a distracting extent. In fact, anything with words is excluded. I like practice music to soothe and smooth any rough moods, and add an uplifting vibe. I’d call my favorite genre “symphonic electronic” — complex abstract music. These are albums you can play straight through without skipping a song.

1. Ratatat, self-titled. My all-time favorite album, I have yet to get tired of this thing. Two guys, a million effects, gorgeous textures and rhythms. It made the rounds of all the coffee houses a few years ago, and is perfect for bright, focused energy. It makes me so happy.
2. Brian Eno, Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. The most famous ambient album? Apparently Eno was hit by a taxi, and couldn’t stand any music while recuperating in the hospital. So he invented ambient. This album is an opiate, and the track “An Ending (Ascent)” is pretty perfect. Quiet and soothing.
3. Four Tet, Rounds. A beautiful album by Kieran Hebden from Fridge (another nice electronic group). Blissful and romantic; drum samples and heartbeats underlay enchanting melodies. Perfect mix tape fodder.
   
4. Bibio, Fi. A quirky mix of finger-picking, reverb, and synths. The soundtrack to a flashback to childhood. Dreamy and gentle.
5. Dub Specialists, Dub. This will have to represent the whole genre of reggae, the best morning music ever. It makes you want to move, without any stress. Classic and groovy, this album chills me ouuuuuuuut.

All these artists have more recent albums out, I have not kept up 100%. I also have to mention Beirut for sheer heart, if they would put out an instrumental album I would die.

Any favorite practice albums you want to share? Comment away!

This morning I went to a free class at Om Factory, schlepping over to the Garment District at 10am. (Still better than the 7am call time when I used to teach there.) I was puffy-eyed and groggy from some gluttony the day before, but knew that three hours before breakfast wouldn’t work for me, so I had a quarter-cup of coffee with cream en route. (I had to save the rest of my daily coffee allotment for a meeting at everyone’s favorite coffee place, Grumpy’s.)

The class was slow vinyasa, a perfect pace to guard my shoulder from any aggravation. (I saw a sports medicine MD on Tuesday, who assured me my shoulder was no big deal and would heal without problem. Tendonitis is a really common yoga injury. But weight-bearing will stress it, I have to be careful to strengthen and not stretch too much. I have ligaments “like rubber bands.”)

I felt so alive and awake afterward, I wondered why I don’t practice in the mornings any more?? Then I remembered: the hump. I don’t make it past the first 15 minutes. If I plow through it I have an amazing, creative, fulfilling solo practice, but I have issues with plowing through yoga. Aren’t we supposed to listen to our intuition? What if that body awareness is saying “I don’t want to move! I want to lay back down!” How do we know if it’s actually tamasic (heavy) energy that needs to be burned up?

This is the weird dialectic that is my practice: I have to force myself through the beginnings, but once I’m going it’s an easy flow.

Two-score days ago I started a little New Year’s Resolution, and guess what? Today is day 40! I did it!

“It” was a simple daily practice of Navel Lock with breath retention for 10–40 seconds. In most cases it was about twenty or twenty-five seconds; I’ve always had trouble with retentions on exhales more than inhales. Of course, I wasn’t using a metronome to count, just “Om 1, Om 2, Om 3…” like they do at Sivananda… so the actual times were who knows what. I started off doing it in bed, right after I sat up, but I felt like I had no capacity at all. Plus, I was sick for the first few days of this practice, and couldn’t breathe so well. So, after a few days I went for shower, clothing, makeup, pranayama, breakfast as my routine. (It is kind of bizarre to put on makeup before yoga, but it feels like part of my “getting dressed” bit.) This also created a nice pause if any rushing-to-get-ready feelings had built up.

This kriya/pranayama is called a Golden Nugget, one of the most powerful yoga practices (according to the excellent blog/resource Mastery of Meditation, Yoga & Zen). I did the intermediate option: one retention only, for 10–40 seconds max — although I had quite a few vinyasa classes this month that threw in this bandha practice too! So I might be disqualified. And on two mornings I forgot to practice, and did it later on the subway platform or in bed. We’ll assume that those disruptions did not affect the efficacy of the exercise (?). As for the quoted benefits:

• “Dissolv[es] blockages (granthis) caused by emotional debris and toxin buildup in the psychic channels (nadis)” — I’ve never directly experienced the specific energy channels in the body, only the more general waves and tingles of energy or lethargy. So I can’t give a full traffic report on my blockages and channels. But I have felt more like myself lately; enlivened by spurts of real joy and actual relaxation. The lows are not so low, the highs are actually high.
• “Tones and cleanses all the digestive organs and markedly improves the entire digestive system” — My digestion is getting better, but I’m doing some dietary changes as well. My skin looks better. I should have kept watch on my tongue, that’s a real indicator of toxins. But if this kriya is cleansing, shouldn’t I feel WORSE as the toxins come out?
• “Works on the respiratory system and nervous system” — Not sure what “works on” implies, but I’m less nervous and more easy-going.
• “Builds core strength and power” — Definitely. It’s helped my postural awareness too.
• “Most importantly, its goal is to burn up unresolved emotions stored in the subconscious mind.  Steady and sincere practice of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama, results in a significant refinement of awareness and a calm, peaceful, silent mind capable of connecting with the Divinity that lies within.” — This has been the most pronounced or noticable change: I can meditate again. For the last six months, or even year, I’ve really struggled with my mind’s dances and dashes when I sit. It was really depressing and discouraging, because I really craved those moments of peace, and didn’t know why they had disappeared. I went back to open-eye, object-focused meditation; no luck. I tried a more regular schedule; still crazy. Group practice, solo practice; same thing. But in my Hatha class the last week or two, I’ve finally felt really at ease in the poses, and ended up in a peaceful little buzz of stillness. Credit to my teacher, too — he’s quite radiant :)

We can debate if I was “steady and sincere”; I will put forth that I felt genuine excitement to do the practice each morning. I’ve missed my pranayama routine, it really cleared my head in the mornings, and I was happy to have the inspiration to restart it. (In fact, these Golden Nuggets often led into a long round of Breath of Fire and a few rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing.) One of the nice things about pranayama is that it doesn’t trigger my athleticism or vanity like asana sometimes does. It’s unique, mental, and wholly engaging, and in any case I’ve reached a point in my life where I think 80% effort is a lot better than 100% (and the subsequent 0%). It was a very valuable exercise to focus a practice on regularity versus quantity.

Overall, however, I’m left with a chicken-and-egg situation, because there are a lot of things going on in my life right now, so I can’t credit or blame individual factors with any degree of certainty. In the last two months, I ended a long relationship, I started talking to a therapist, I turned 30, and I finished a big job  — all these things affected my habits and health. Did the kriya inspire some of these events, or did the events actually cause the above benefits? This is one of my continual confusions with yoga; it’s not a black-and-white science, and none of us are isolated laboratory subjects. It’s empirical, holistic, and slow; you have to get a big-picture perspective of yourself over time. A steady practice works you like water in canyons — the current is most eye-catching, but years later what’s dramatic is the epic change.

The image that keeps coming to mind is from the Scientific American piece on rapid thinking: “even brief periods of heightened mood can lead to upward spirals.” This pranayama practice was part of an upward spiral… or the bellows beneath the whole great contraption.

It's your year, baby

New Year’s is probably my favorite holiday (in spirit, not in typically exorbitant and excessively drunken practice). It’s about starting fresh with what you have, doing things you’ve been wanting to do, declaring your intentions for the next year. I’m not usually a resolution-maker; I’m kind of a self-improvement junkie so I’m always tweaking my habits anyways. Plus, I don’t like to make good health a source of additional pressure — cause then I rebel against myself like a schizoid.

But this year, post-holiday, I’ve been really inspired by watching a few resolutions actually get carried out — namely this one and this one. Both women committed to daily yoga practices; one general, one specific. Both have described real transformations taking place even in just these few weeks, and I’ve even noticed their writing styles changing.

Luckily, the Chinese have scheduled their new year to scoop up all us late bloomers. I’m using today’s Chinese New Year to resurrect my morning pranayama, and make it a real habit. Kundalini yoga recommends that you practice a set for 40 days to truly master it, psychology books tend to say it’s 30 days to build a habit, and here’s an article that says 21 days is the brain’s minimum:

Brain circuits take engrams (memory traces), and produce neuroconnections and neuropathways only if they are bombarded for 21 days in a row. This means that our brain does not accept “new” data for a change of habit unless it is repeated each day for 21 days (without missing a day).

So, I’m going for 30 Days of Golden Nuggets. Not only does it sound like a fast food special, it promises to burn unresolved emotions. Which I am kind of full of these days, post family time and post breakup. It’s also good for the digestion, which I am also kind of full of. Basically, it’s Navel Lock with breath retention. The intermediate version takes 40 seconds each day. Maximum. If I can’t handle that, then I need to be led around on a little velcro leash. We’ll see if the old routine (Breath of Fire / Alternate Nostril Breathing / meditation) seems appealing afterward. No pressure, though.

If you have a New Year’s resolution you’d like to share, please do! Happy Year of the Ox!

In these chilly winter months, it’s good to remember that the root of flexible is FLEX. When you’re tugging away in a yoga pose, remember to support whatever you’re stretching by FLEXING the opposing muscles. This creates heat, which is essential for safe stretching. For example, in a Forward Bend, the more you flex the front of the legs (the quads), the more the back of the legs (the hamstrings) can release. You should feel a burning heat, not a pulling tweak, when you’re stretching.

Flexing also creates a safe boundary. If you pull and pull and pull with no resistance, you will eventually overstretch or dislocate something. Ligaments and tendons receive very little blood flow, so they are slow or impossible to heal once you’ve overdone it. In Warrior II, for example, you are stretching the hands away from each other at about 80% effort — not 100 or 110% — and pulling the shoulder joint BACK into its socket with about 20% effort.

If flexibility is one of your goals, I think Extended Side Angles (all the many variations) are the best poses ever. You get deep stretching in the hips, thighs, and hamstrings, as well as the chest, shoulders and neck. BUT to get there you must:

• keep pressing the outside edge of the back foot firmly down
• keep flexing the back quad strongly
• keep dropping the hips
• keep rotating the front hip under and the back hip over
• keep the front knee directly over the ankle, in line with your second toe
• keep pressing 1/3 of your weight into the bottom hand
• keep pressing your bottom arm into the front knee
  (unlike the picture, I prefer the hand inside the foot)
• keep lifting the navel up and in
• keep spiraling the heart towards the sky
• keep spiraling the neck towards the sky (gently)
• keep straightening the top arm
• breathe calmly and slowly!

Just try doing all that at once, and imagine a yoga practice with that much engagement in every pose. You’ll break a sweat in the first five minutes.

Happy New Year’s Resolutions!

Images courtesy of Yoga Art & Science, Creative Commons license

It's nice and cool here

I’ve recently noticed an upswing of “How to Become an Early Riser” articles (although I think it’s a topic that’s recycled more often than the magazines themselves), and I’m wondering if I should adjust my schedule. Getting up early satisfies the competitive achiever in us all — I remember one Saturday in college where I’d been to crew practice on the lake, fed the whole team breakfast, showered/dressed, and started my homework before my roommates even woke up (around 11am). I felt like an Olympian. It’s also said that the early morning hours (2–6am) are the best for meditation, since they’re the most still. Kundalini manuals insist that you should get up at 3:30am to begin your practice. It shows your commitment.

My current schedule usually gets me to my desk by the bright sparkling hour of noon. I read blogs and news for an hour or two, then plan my day, fit in a yoga class, and generally get my best work accomplished after 9pm. Some nights it’s 1 or 2am that I’m really in the zone to work — it’s nice and quiet then, with no neighbors (like the one currently blasting NPR) to distract me. 3 or 4am is not an unusual bedtime. It feels right for me, but I have this nagging feeling that meditating at 3:30am — on the tail end of my day — is not going to get me full credit w/the gurus.

Finally, this month, my guilty conscience was assuaged by the geeks at Wired:

Three Smart Things About Sleeping Late

1 // You may need more sleep than you think.
Research by Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders Center found that people who slept eight hours and then claimed they were “well rested” actually performed better and were more alert if they slept another two hours. That figures. Until the invention of the lightbulb (damn you, Edison!), the average person slumbered 10 hours a night.

2 // Night owls are more creative.
Artists, writers, and coders typically fire on all cylinders by crashing near dawn and awakening at the crack of noon. In one study, “evening people” almost universally slam-dunked a standardized creativity test. Their early-bird brethren struggled for passing scores.

3 // Rising early is stressful.
The stress hormone cortisol peaks in your blood around 7 am. So if you get up then, you may experience tension. Grab some extra Zs! You’ll wake up feeling less like Bert, more like Ernie.

I think the important thing is a RELATIVE schedule. No matter what time you wake up, you do your meditation and asana practice straight away (or after 15 minutes, or before bed, or whatever). I get lost when I look at the clock and think OH SHIT IT’S LATE and skip my practices because “I need to get to work.” But my efficiency and creativity are down, so the day is less productive than if I’d taken 30 minutes or an hour for yoga. Granted, my brain and body would be more habituated to asana and meditation if I did them at the same time every day. But when I follow my heart, my evenings do NOT end on schedule. So my days just get pushed four hours out of sync with everyone else. Fingers crossed my next job will let me work second shift…

Sri Dharma Mittra

Dharma Mittra, the inimitable (or eminently imitable) senior teacher, just emailed these tips for the new year:

1. Spend time Meditating. Meditation is unbroken concentration and the most effective type is self-reflection. Spend at least 15 minutes meditating every morning.
2. Get serious about your practice! One must get serious and simply attending class is not enough. Spend at least 15 minutes each morning doing Asana and focus on the main ones: Headstand, Shoulderstand, Plow, Fish and Cobra.
3. Drink lots of green juices and remember the first Yama, Ahimsa. As long as you are involved with violence, your meditation will go nowhere.
4. Understand the five subtle bodies or sheathes so that you can commence negating them at once.
5. How you begin something is of great significance. If you begin the New Year with a big mug of coffee, it sets the wrong tone for the entire year to come. Begin 2009 committed to the attainment of Self-Knowledge.
6. Outside of the three main texts, The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Yoga Padipika, read and study Swami Sivananda’s Self-Knowledge as it contains all the answers.
7. Dedicate the fruit of all action and be nice to everyone. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

I found them inspiring and hope you do too. Lots of good ways to start the new year here. I did my 15 minutes of meditation and asana this morning; it was great to be reminded that it’s not how much you practice, but how regularly, and that the basic principles are the most important achievements.

If you’re ever in New York for New Year’s, I highly recommend Dharma’s New Year’s Eve classes. The vibe is intense and uplifting. He did not do the midnight celebration last night, but taught his regular 6pm Asana and 7:30pm Meditation/Psychic Development. The former is an open-level vinyasa class, the latter is chants and breathing exercises to purify and strengthen the mind. Both began with Dharma talks that really cleared my mind. (And then my evening was free to see Blonde Redhead at Terminal 5!) The center is chanting 108 Hanuman Chalisas all day today, so if you’re near 23rd and 3rd drop by for a little spiritual high.

PS — You can download Swami Sivananda’s book, and others, for free at The Divine Life Society.

Wii Fit Yoga

I’m staying with my older brother and his darling wife this week for the family Xmas get-together. They have more video games than God, and one of those systems is the Wii Fit!

I’ve only played a Wii once, and that was the cooking game where you have to turn and shake the controller to crack eggs or saute veggies or roll out ravioli. The Wii Fit has a floor panel that you step on, which measures your balance both left/right and front/back. It’s only about 15″ x 20″, so you’re limited to basic standing poses. In Warrior II you have only the front foot on the panel; in Down Dog you have just your hands on the panel.

The poses are offered individually, not in sequences, like a Hatha class. You mimic the trainer guy or girl on screen, and try to synchronize your breathing to a circle that expands or contracts. (Unfortunately the breathing circle doesn’t really match up with the movements in the pose.) There’s also a little balance indicator — a dot within a circle — that you try and keep centered by centering your weight.

It’s super interesting to see where your balance actually lies. In the last few months I’ve realized that my left leg and arm are noticably weaker than my right, and the Wii Fit agreed — I consistently had my weight around 52% on the right side, 48% on the left, even after watching the dial and trying to fix my imbalance. If there was a full-size yoga mat with balance sensors, that would be REALLY interesting.

Of course the game is totally different than a real yoga practice; it actually made me MORE tense because once I hit my mark, I didn’t want to move or breathe and lose points. The pose alignments are also weird; in Warrior II the demo guy has his front knee in front of his ankle, which is not generally regarded as safe for beginners. But the balance info is really cool. And the Wii system is really designed for sedentary people, so it’s definitely a good way to get off the couch. Where else can you alternate yoga with slalom skiing and hula hooping?

Note: I’ll be back home on New Year’s Eve, posting for the New Year!

It’s sometimes hard to have a happy holiday. You’re so sleep-deprived you could kill/cry, your brain is a gray mush of to-do lists, and the prospect (or lack) of family time is cuing thunderclouds of emotion. Plus, it’s so cold/windy/sunless that your shoulders are frozen somewhere near your ears and you haven’t really exhaled in weeks. Ready to party?

I thought I’d share my favorite yoga routines for stress relief. I tend towards anxiety year-round, so I would say much of my yoga exploration has been a search for natural Xanax. I came up with this particular routine for a friend in crisis, and I’m happy to say she reported an incredible amount of stress relief after we went through it. The whole thing takes about 75 minutes; you can do just one or two sections, or all three. Practice with a friend for double the energy. I call it Kunyatha © ™ ® :)

Note: If you don’t have time to practice, just read through the exercises, visualizing each for a few seconds. The brain cannot really tell the difference between reality and a strong visualization. You’ll feel the effects.

KUNDALINI
WAKE UP THE SPINE AND FIRE UP THE GLANDS

Sit in a comfortable seated position (cross-legged etc.) Move as quickly as you comfortably can, breathing through the nose. In these poses we do “Breath of Fire” where the exhales are quick, pulling the navel up and in, and the inhale comes as a passive relaxation. Make sure to relax for a few breaths after each exercise, to observe the effects and regain your peace. These poses are part of Yogi Bhajan’s spinal warmup series. They stretch each portion of the spine, massaging major glands along the way.

1. Camel Ride: Sitting comfortably, holding the ankles. Inhale and arch the spine forward; exhale and round the back. Head stays level with the ground. Breath of Fire, quickly. (60 seconds)
2. Chinese Drum: Hands on shoulders, fingers in front, thumbs in back. Arms parallel to the floor. Inhale and twist and look left; exhale and twist and look right. Breath of Fire, quickly. (60 seconds)
3. Camel Ride: Same as before, but siting on the heels. Hands rest on the knees. (60 seconds)
4. Shoulder Shrugs: Sitting comfortably. Inhale and lift the shoulders to the ears; exhale and drop them down. Breath of Fire, quickly. (60 seconds)
5. See-Saw: Clasp the hands in front of the heart. Inhale and lift the left elbow; exhale and lift the right elbow. Breath of Fire, quickly. (60 seconds)
6. Bear Grip: Pull hard; take a deep breath in and out. Raise the grip above the head; take a deep breath in and out. Repeat 2 more times. (30 seconds)
7. Neck Rolls: Let the chin fall towards the chest. Inhale and roll it very slowly towards the right; when you reach the back exhale and return the chin to the chest. Repeat in the other direction, making a few figure eights. (60 seconds)
8. Antenna: Sitting on the heels, raise the arms and make a steeple grip towards the sky. With sharp exhales, think “true.” With passive inhales, think “name.” Breath of Fire, quickly. (2 minutes)

VINYASA
STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES AND NERVES

This sequence is a Moon Salutation variation. Moon Salutes have a lot of back bends and forward bends, which calm us down. There are some tricky transitions, which help us regain balance and focus. And they feel great, stretching arms, legs, and spine in nice swinging arcs. Do a few sets, until your heart rate is raised and/or you break a light sweat. It’s not what you can do, but how you do it — move gently, like your breath. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly; if there were instant mastery we’d have nothing to practice. Start off standing, with your hands in Prayer Pose in front of your heart.

1. Raised Arms: INHALE, lift hands and gaze up to the sky.
2. Forward Bend: EXHALE, fold forward, arms extended, and interlace fingers behind back.
3. High Lunge: INHALE, step first foot back and raise arms to sky.
4. Low Lunge: EXHALE, place hands down in line with front toes.
5. Plank: INHALE, step second foot back to meet first, hugging belly in.
6. Knees-Chest-Chin: EXHALE, drop knees, chest and chin to floor; tail in the air.
7. Baby Cobra: INHALE, pull heart forward between the shoulders, belly in.
8. Child’s Pose: EXHALE, send hips back to rest on heels.
9. Toe Stretch: INHALE, tuck toes under, breathe into back, press palms down.
10. Down Dog: EXHALE, straighten legs and arms to push tail towards sky.
11. High Lunge: INHALE, step first foot forward between hands; raise arms to sky.
12. Forward Bend: EXHALE, step second foot forward and interlace fingers behind back.
13. Raised Arms: INHALE, sweep arms forward and up, gaze follows hands.
14. Prayer Pose: EXHALE, bring palms together in front of heart.
    Repeat on the other side to make one set. (Try 3, 5, or 9 sets)

HATHA
RELAX THE BREATHING AND CLEAR THE MIND

These poses are just you and gravity. They alter the standard blood flow, to rejuvenate the organs and other systems. Holding poses longer lets you experience stillness and more subtle sensations. You don’t have to “do” anything, you just want to let things be as they are. Become completely fascinated by the breath, letting the thoughts rise and flow out like steam. Take a vacation from your thoughts; if they try to intrude on your nothingness just let them go away, and start listening to the breath again and again.

1. Half Headstand: Sitting on your heels, clasp your hands and place them on the mat or carpet 18 inches in front of your knees. Spread your elbows apart, slightly narrower than your shoulders. Roll the flesh of your forearms out from underneath the bones. Place the crown of your head on the floor in front of your hands. The back of your head should graze your fingers. Press into your forearms to move your shoulders away from your ears, and take most of the weight off of your neck. If this is comfortable — as relaxing as sitting on the couch — gently exhale the legs straight, into an inverted V shape. If this is comfortable, walk the toes 12 inches forward and feel the hips balance over the head. (Hold 1–5 minutes)
2. Legs up the Wall: Place a small cushion or folded-over bed pillow against the wall. Rest your hips on the pillow, and extend the legs up the wall. This pose prevents and eases swelling in the legs and feet. (Hold 1–5 minutes)
3. Straight Leg Twist: Sit upright, with legs extended. Draw the right knee into the chest. Place the foot on the outside of the left knee. Inhale the left hand up to the sky. Exhale and twist gently to the right, about 80% of your maximum, taking the extended arm around or in front of the bent knee. Place the other hand on the floor behind you for support. (Hold 1–5 minutes; repeat on other side.)
4. Seated Forward Bend: Sit up, with legs extended. Place the hands on the thighs. Inhale and lift the chest; exhale and move the chest towards the toes. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the toes pointing straight up. With every inhale, feel all the little stretches. With every exhale, relax the chest forward and down. Surrender to gravity. (Hold 1–5 minutes)
5. Corpse: Lay down on the back. Feet are 18 inches apart; palms face up, 12 inches from the body. Lift the ribcage for a second and tuck the shoulderblades down the back. Lengthen the back of the neck and relax. From the toes to the tongue, feel each part of the body relax. Let the eyes and mind rest on the tip of the nose. Enjoy the feeling of your breath rippling across the surface of a deep, still pool of water. (Hold 2–10 minutes)

After your final relaxation, it is nice to enjoy some alternate nostril breathing, or a seated meditation to continue this vacation from your thoughts. When you are ready to rejoin the world, imagine a thin plexiglas shield surrounding you, sealing in your peace. Let stress and stimulus just slide right off it.

For further explorations, try Lauren Cahn’s Walking: Meditation for Non-Meditators (thanks for the “vacation from our thoughts” idea) or Boris Bhagavan Pisman’s Yoga-Based Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Anxiety™ workshop at Integral Yoga.

POSTSCRIPT: These 3 types of yoga are also great spread across an entire day. Kundalini is nice in the morning because it has a lot of quick movements and breathing to wake up and warm up. Vinyasa is great in the afternoon or twilight to clear out the stress of the day, and stretch with naturally warm muscles. Hatha is perfect before bed, to slow down the pace of the mind and prepare for sleep.