HATHA YOGA PROGRAMME

1. Centering (10 m)

Commentary

• Hello, my name is Janet Ollason
• Please tell me if you have any particular health problems or physical difficulties
• Think of this session as a workshop (not a class) where you can do what you want
• So do only what feels right for you and your body, it doesn't matter what anyone else does
• I'm going to concentrate on twists, bends and balances
• The word Yoga means yoke, or yoked together
• In modern language, it's about harmonising the physical body, mental thoughts, and emotions to achieve inner calm
• Hatha yoga achieves this goal mainly through postures and breathing

• Stretch out your legs, lean back on your elbows and check that your trunk and legs are in line
• Lie down, lowering the vertebrae one by one, settle back onto the floor
• Check position of head and neck, shoulders and back, arms, front of body, and legs

• Relax your whole body: let your body settle into your mat, feel where you are in contact with the floor, supported by it
• Feel the weight of your body, allow gravity to help you relax
• Breathe normally
• Observe your breathing, notice the length of the in-breath and the out-breath, notice any natural pauses between breaths

• Relax your mind: clear your mind of any worries, leave them outside the room, instead, concentrate on your inner self
• Centre your awareness inside yourself, observe what your body is doing and think how it feels

• Now take control of the breath, deepen your breathing, without straining
• Keeping the breathing slow and deep, make it continuous, in and out with no pauses (saturation breathing), so as to energise the body with oxygen prior to the exercises
• Take 3 more breaths, then push up to a sitting position

• Limber that stretches all the parts of the body
• Slow
• Dynamic

• Lie semi-supine, resting on bent elbows and forearms
• Bend right knee over chest, breathing out }
• Straighten leg at same level, breathing in } x 6
• Bend right knee over chest, breathing out }
• Straighten leg vertically, breathing in } x 6
• Repeat with left leg, then both legs

• As above, but with upper body lying flat

• Bend right knee, clasp back of lower thigh
• Rotate ankle only, one direction, then the other
• Rotate lower leg only, one direction, then the other
• With inside of arms clasped round shin, push right knee towards right arm pit, then left arm pit, onto floor if possible
• Repeat with left leg

• Lie on left side supported on bent elbow and forearm
• Raise right leg to hip height
• Move right leg back and forwards in scissors movement, keeping leg at hip height
• Make as large a circle as you can with right foot, keeping leg straight, first one direction, then the other

• Lie in a T shape with your arms stretched out at shoulder level, palms on the floor
• Bend your knees place your feet flat on the floor a hip width apart
• On an out breath, drop your knees to the right towards the floor and at the same time turn your head to the left – relax into the twist
• On an in breath, return to centre
• On an out breath drop knees to left
• Repeat twice

• Raise knees over chest and repeat

• Now sit in a comfortable cross-legged position and we’ll exercise the hip joints
• Bend your right leg and cradle it with both arms, move the leg from side to side and back to front, to get the full movement of the hip joint
• Make circles with the knee, first in one direction, then the other
• By exercising like this, the joints are being lubricated with synovial fluid and any roughness is being gently smoothed, so increasing flexibility
• Now repeat with the other leg
• When you have finished, lie back and relax

• Sit with knees bent up, feet flat on floor
• Clasp hands behind knees
• Round the back, bend the head down to knees
• Rock backwards while breathing out, and forwards while breathing in – close eyes if you like
• Gradually increase the rock until the feet touch the floor behind the head, do it 10 times
• This exercise massages the spine, releasing stiffness and it stimulates the internal organs
• It is a necessary precursor to the headstand, as a safety precaution

• Sit up with your legs out straight in front of you, feet at right-angles to legs, toes pulled towards your face
• Keep the back straight. Imagine the vertebrae of the spine stacked one on top of the other
• Keep the abdomen firm, the chest out, the chin in
• Place the hands on the floor on either side of the hips, fingers pointing towards the legs
• Breathe slowly and deeply
• This is an example of a static posture
• It is the starting position for many sitting asanas

• Bend the right knee and place the right foot flat on the floor close to the right buttock, keep bent leg upright throughout

• Put the right shoulder to the inside of the right knee and with the right hand clasp the outside of the left leg near the knee or shin, pulling forward to help the turn on the upper body to the left

• Left hand is on left hip, look at right foot
• Take three breaths

• Bring trunk to the upright, sliding right arm to outside of knee of left leg
• Place the heel of the left hand flat on the floor behind you, fingers pointing away
• Try to twist so that the shoulders are parallel to the outstretched leg
• Turn your head to the left and look to the left also
• Feel the spine being twisted, in the region of the lower back (lumbar vertebrae), chest (thoracic vertebrae) and neck (cervical vertebrae)
• Hold for three breaths, trying to increase the turn

• Face forwards and take arms behind back, clasp hands if you can, or use towel/sock, and pull to retain upright posture and turn
• Take three breaths

• Return to Dandasana, then repeat to the left
• When you have finished, lie back and relax

• Sit in Dandasana, bend right knee and place foot at perineum, leg on floor as far back as possible
• Turn to right so that hips come more into line with left leg

• Place right hand behind right hip and back of left hand on floor behind left leg

• Bend trunk sideways towards left leg and slide hand along floor towards foot
• Take three breaths and return to upright

• Place back of left hand on floor in front of left leg, grasping leg with thumb/fingers
• Bend trunk sideways towards left leg, using left hand to pull downwards
• Raise right arm above head and stretch upwards
• Take three breaths and return to upright

• As before, but bending right arm, if possible grasp toes with right fingers, to pull body further sideways
• Take three breaths, return to Dandasana, relax

• Sit on your heels in the thunderbolt
• Keep the back straight, head and eyes level
• If you can, your knees should be together, toes touching, with heels apart
• But if you are not comfortable sitting on your heels like this, you can put a pad behind your knees, or separate the knees, for the next few exercises
• Rest your palms on your thighs
• Relax and breathe for a few minutes

• Kneel sitting on heels with knees a hip width apart, let hands drop to sides
• Inhaling, slowly come to an upward kneeling position, keeping the back straight
• Exhale as you go down
• Go up and down slowly three times
• This strengthens and firms the muscles of the thighs

• Stay sitting on your heels and put your forehead on the floor
• Stretch your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to each other, palms on the floor
• Press your shoulders down close to the floor
• Hold and relax, breathe freely

• Sit back on your heels, rest your forehead on the floor, place your arms palms up on the floor beside your legs – this is the child pose, a relaxation posture
• Feel your shoulder blades relaxing, moving closer to floor
• Rest in this position, breathing freely

• Yoga is well known for its inverted postures, such as the headstand and shoulder stand: we are going to do some preparatory postures
• But if you are taking medication for high blood pressure or a heart condition, remain resting in the child or the swan posture
• Inverted postures rest the veins, and bring blood to the head and neck, oxygenating the brain and thyroid and parathyroid glands in the neck
• Place the crown of your head on the floor just in front of your knees

• Place your hands on your shins/ankles
• On an in-breath, raise your seat, breathe freely
• Get used to the feel of the weight on the head
• Lower the seat

• Interlock your fingers behind your back
• On an in breath, raise your seat and move your hands upwards away from your back, keeping your head on the floor
• This puts more weight on the head, but is very stable
• Hold and breathe freely
• On an out-breath, return to child pose

• This is the preparation for the headstand, hands and head are in the same position for headstand
• Place forearms parallel on floor in front of knees

• Leaving elbows where they are, interlock fingers and rest them on the floor

• Place the head on floor, adjacent to fingers, so that fingers clasp head
• On an in breath, raise seat, breathe freely
• Practice these postures to strengthen the neck muscles

• Return to the child pose

• When you have done an inverted posture, you should always allow time for the body to recover
• Make fists with your hands and place them one on top of the other on the floor, resting the forehead on the hands, so that the blood can return to the body
• Now gradually raise your trunk, the head last and return to sitting on your heels

• Sit any way that is comfortable e.g. easy
• Close eyes
• Head down and up x 3, left and right x 3
• Slowly circle head left 3 times, right 3 times

• Kneel, thighs vertical, tail in, hands in prayer position
• On in-breath, stretch out right leg to side while raising arms to shoulder height

• On next in-breath, turn right leg and foot out, rotate arms so that palms face up
• Raise left arm to vertical, right hand rests lightly on right leg
• Take three breaths, then return to the start

• Tilt body to side bending from hip, left arm over head, right sliding down leg, look up to left arm
• Take three breaths, then return to the start

• Bend upper body to left, arm over head, bring palms closer together, head dropped to side
• Take three breaths, then return to the start

• Repeat to left
• Return to thunderbolt

• Curl your toes under, hands push on thighs, come into a standing position without putting your hands on the floor
• Place the feet parallel and close together, spread the toes, distribute your weight evenly on both feet
• Let the arms hang at your sides, palms facing thighs
• Stand tall, tuck the tail in, keep the spine vertical, shoulders back, chin in and eyes level
• Breathe freely
• Tadasana is the starting position for many standing asanas

• We are going to do some warrior postures – they are quite strenuous: make sure that you are steady and comfortable, use the breath and relax into the postures, don’t strain beyond your capacity – it is better to do less and do it right than to try to do more and do it wrongly
• Stand in Tadasana, prayer position
• Take 2 or 3 breaths to calm the mind and energise the body
• Inhale and step out 4 feet to the right, raising arms sideways
• Turn right foot 90 degrees, left 15 degrees
• Turn head to the right and look down the right arm
• Exhale and bend right leg to right angle, shin vertical, thigh horizontal
• Breathe
• Avoid unnecessary tension e.g. in face, throat, abdomen – tension causes strain and blocks energy
• Return to prayer position, legs still apart, in one fluid movement
• Repeat, then do to left
• Return to Tadasana

• Start in Tadasana prayer position
• Inhale and step out 4 feet to the right, raising arms sideways
• Rotate arms so that palms face up
• Turn right foot 90 degrees, left 60 degrees, and turn trunk and arms to face same direction as right leg
• Raise arms over head, straight and parallel, palms facing
• Exhale and bend right leg to right angle, shin vertical, thigh horizontal
• Breathe
• Repeat, then do to left
• Return to Tadasana

• Repeat I above, then, if you like:
• Exhale, bend trunk over right leg, chest on thigh
• Edge forward with left foot while bringing body forwards and straightening right leg
• Balance on right leg, body horizontal, arms outstretched
• Breathe
• Repeat to left

• We are going to do a balancing posture, the tree
• I’ll demonstrate it first, then visualise yourself doing it, before you actually do it
• Take the weight on the right foot

• Place left foot on top of right, hands on hips
• Put the palms together, fingers pointing upwards, and push the hands down so that the forearms are in a line parallel with the floor – this helps balance
• Now concentrate on raising the arms above the head, keeping the palms together in the midline
• Breathe freely

• Bend the left leg, knee out to the side, and place the foot against the inside of the leg at any point that is comfortable
• Put hands in prayer position and raise them above the head
• Breathe and balance

• Place left foot on top of right thigh, breathe freely
• Put hands in prayer position and raise them above the head
• Breathe and balance

• Lower the arms and the leg
• Repeat standing on the left leg, then relax

• Stand firmly, feet about a foot apart
• Starting from the head, bend forward relaxing the body slowly and smoothly, letting the upper body hang forwards from the pelvis
• Let the head drop, the shoulders droop, the arms hang loosely, curve the back and the waist
• As your muscles relax (e.g. the hamstrings at the back of the thighs), you will be able to stretch them a little further and go down a little lower
• A stretched muscle has the blood squeezed out of it, so that when the stretch is released, the blood flows quickly in again, bringing fresh blood to the muscle – this is why it is beneficial to stretch gradually, rather than jerkily
• Stay hanging loosely down, breathing easily and let gravity bring your hands nearer to the floor

• To come up, reverse the process, slowly
• Then sit down and relax

• We are going to sit in the easy posture and do some breathing, before relaxation
• This will help remove any waste products of lactic acid and urea that may have built up in the muscles if not removed, it makes the muscle fibres stick together, this is what makes the muscles feel stiff
• Put on extra clothing so that you will be warm
• The breathing and relaxation will slow down your metabolism and you may feel cold
• Sit in Dandasana
• Bend the legs and cross one shin over the other
• Rest the hands on the knees
• Keep the spine upright
• Be sure you are comfortable – if this posture is not comfortable for you, try sitting on your heels, or stay in Dandasana with your legs out straight

• Breathing is called Pranayama
• Prana = life force or vital energy, essential to life
• Close your eyes
• Lengthen the back of your neck and let the chin drop a little
• Breathe normally
• Observe your breathing, notice the length of the in-breath and the out-breath, notice any natural pauses between breaths
• Make each breath smooth, even, of similar volume

• Now introduce a deliberate holding of the breath, of the same length as the in breath
• Hold the breath between the in and out breaths, and between the out and in breaths
• Imagine a square being drawn on a board – draw the first side of the square as you breathe in, second = hold, third = out, fourth = hold
• Keep going round the square, watch it being drawn
• Introduce colours if you like
• Concentrate on your square breathing for a few minutes

• Stretch out your legs, lean back on your elbows and check that your trunk and legs are in line
• Lie down, lowering the vertebrae one by one, settle back onto the floor
• Check position of head and neck, shoulders and back, arms, front of body, and legs

• Close your eyes
• Breathe normally
• Observe your breathing without trying to control it

• Now take 2 more deep breaths using the diaphragm, then let the breath settle

• Now direct your attention, like the beam of a torch, to each part of the body as I say it
• Look for tension in each part and then let it go, so that the muscles rest with their full weight
• First direct you attention to the toes of the right foot, look for tension, then let it go
• Now attend to the right foot . . . the right thigh front and back; the toes of the left foot . . . the left thigh front and rear; the buttocks, pelvis, abdomen, lower back, chest, upper back; fingers of the right hand . . upper arm front and back, right shoulder; fingers of left hand . . .left shoulder; throat, neck, jaw, face, nose, eyes, brow, ears, back of the head, scalp

• Now the whole body is drained of tension
• The whole body is resting with its full weight
• The mind is also resting, there is calm in body and mind
• The body and mind feel rested and refreshed

• Bring your attention back to the body, lying on your mat
• Take 2 deep breaths
• Begin to move your feet and your hands
• Stretch your arms above your head, stretch arms and legs in a star shape
• In your own time, roll onto your side, open your eyes, and push up into a sitting position