Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Home Practice Manual PDF
Home Practice Manual PDF
Home Practice
Manual
Bringing Yoga into
your daily life.
Three Week Guide
Vinyasa Yoga
- Synchronising the practice of Yoga Asana with Breath.
Pranayama - Breath Awareness
During Vinyasa Yoga practice the breath should continuously flow through the nose. Try to
synchronise the duration of the inhalation and the exhalation to last from the time that the
movement begins until slightly after it finishes.
Controlling the breath will help you to control your thoughts and remove fluctuations of the
mind, making your practice steady and fluid. If you find that you are holding your breath,
observe the underlying thought that lead to you holding the breath. Over time remove these
thoughts that lead to breath retention, through conscious awareness of each breath when
moving from one asana to another.
Weekly Guide
Week 1
Sun Salutation x 2 rounds
Warrior sequence l & lll
Lunging Twist
Closing Sequence
Relaxation
Week 2
Sun Salutation x 2 rounds
Warrior sequence l & lll
Standing Strength
Hamstring & Seated Twist
Closing Sequence
Relaxation
Week 3
Sun Salutation x 3 rounds
Warrior sequence l & lll
Hip Opening
Headstand
Closing Sequence
Relaxation
Sun Salutation - Surya Namaskar For each round lead with the right leg first, then repeat leading with the left
leg. Choose option of either knees or toes in Plank and follow with either Cobra or Upward-facing Dog.
Hold each of the first six asanas for 5 breaths. Repeat sequence with opposite leg forward.
Option
Take hold of the back foot or ankle and open into the chest and shoulders.
Avoid lifting the hips away from the mat. To work deeper in the pose, take hold
with both hands.
Week 3
Salamba Sirsasana - Head Stand
Inversions have a powerful affect on calming the mind,
relieving stress and mild depression. They also stimulate the
pituitary and pineal glands which is great for digestion. The
physical demands of Salamba Sirsasana strengthens the
arms, legs, and core muscles. Therapeutically inversions help
to relieve asthma, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis
Alignment
It is important that you acknowledge your level of practice and
experience when coming into Head Stand, only progressing
when you feel balanced and steady.
Place the elbows shoulder width apart, interlock the fingers
and cup the back of the head. The top of the head should
have contact with the mat. Walk feet towards your head.
Option engage abdominal muscles and bring knees to chest
and feet to buttocks. Keep pressing elbows in to the mat to
lift shoulders away from the ears.
Option straighten the legs to vertical above the hips and
shoulders. Engage the core and buttocks muscles.
Hold whichever option you take for 10 breaths. Rest in Childs
Pose for breathes before moving through the closing
sequence.
Closing Prayer
Om
Asatoma sadgamaya
Tamasoma jyothir gamaya
Mrutyorma amruthan gamaya
Om shanti, shanti, shanti.
Om
Lead me from ignorance to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
Om, peace, peace, peace.
Closing Sequence
All practices
Bridge (Kandharasana) 5 breathes
Perform twice if not coming into full wheel position.
Perform this sequence at the end of each practices. There are several challenging asanas illustrated for
advanced students. Work towards the full wheel and variations of the neutralising pose for shoulder stand.
Pranayama
Breath Control
Your unconscious breath is subject to all
kinds of fluctuations according to your mood,
thoughts, external environment, digestion and
so forth. Some of the first Yogis discovered
the connection with the breath and the mind,
realising that if they could even out the
breath, they could even out the fluctuations
of the mind. From here the practice of
Pranayama was born.
Prana is the energy that moves the universe
and resides in all beings. So, through
Pranayama (control of prana), you use the
breath to release and channel the bodys
internal energy (prana).
Pranayama nurtures a high level of physical
health and mental clarity enabling us to lead
a wholesome and authentic life.
There are many different approaches to
Pranayama. Over the coming weeks, aim to
practice both of the following techniques on a
regular basis.
1. Three-part Breath - Dirga Pranayama
2. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (Alternate Nostril
Breathing)
Close you eyes, let you body become still, let you
nerves become still. In this stillness, observe the
quality of your natural breath. After several minutes of
observing the breathe, begin to shape the breath
making it more fluid and rhythmic. Begin to distribute
the breath evenly so that all of the lungs become
equally receptive to the breath. Open the spaces of the
lungs where the breathe is more reluctant to penetrate
by bringing your attention to these spaces so that
they can receive the breath more fully.
When you first begin to work with your breath, it will
naturally increase in volume. Dont suppress that
increase but try to not actively encouraging it, either.
The focus is not on ingesting more air, but on
increasing the quality of your breath and your
sensitivity to it.
After a few moments of conscious breathing progress
to Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana
Pranayama).
Meditation
Sit in a comfortable posture that is stable and
connected to the Earth. Let your eyes close and
turn your attention to your breathing. Breath into
stillness, letting each breath bring a calmness and
ease to your body and mind. Continue to feel
your steadiness and connections to the earth,
sense your capacity to rest unshaken by the
fluctuations of life. Use you breath to stay
present with each passing moment and not be
distracted by thoughts.
Start with five minutes a day of quiet meditation
and progress towards fifteen minutes by the end
of the third week.
There is a world of difference between a bird sitting and singing in a tree and a bird singing in a
cage. It is only when the mind is free that the person can be free, not otherwise. With a free and
quiet mind, we are able to live with a song of life, a song of love, a song of joy in our heart! Yet our
freedom should not be used as a reckless license to do anything we please. In true freedom and
happiness we like whatever we do, but we do not always do whatever we like.
~ Swami Nirmalanda, A Garland of Forest Flowers
www.LisWhiteYoga.com
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life
contribute to the happiness and freedom for all.