HATHA YOGA PROGRAMME

1. Centering (10 m)

Commentary

• Hello, my name is Janet Ollason
• We are going to concentrate on the spine. A strong flexible spine is fundamental to good health.
• Use the breath, allow the body to relax into the postures
• Treat your body with respect, allow for any health problems or physical difficulties
• Do only what feels right for you and your body

• Lie on your back, close your eyes
• Check that you are lying symmetrically
• Rotate your legs in, let them fall out, feet open
• Do the same to the arms, have them away from the body, palms up, fingers loose
• Move your head from side to side to centre it, keep the back of the neck long
• Stretch yourself out, so that the spine rests on the floor, shoulders down
• Let gravity embrace you, feel your weight pulling you deeper into relaxation, melting your body into the floor

• Breathe normally, just let it happen
• Breathe through the nose: the nasal passages warm and moisten the air as it is drawn down into the lungs via the larynx and trachea
• Observe your breathing, notice the length of the in-breath and the out-breath, notice any natural pauses between breaths
• Make each breath smooth, soft and rhythmic, of similar volume
• On each out breath, become aware of heaviness in your body as your muscles relax
• On each in breath, become aware of lightness as you 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
• Notice how the breathing becomes slower and deeper, the air is taken further down into the lungs

• 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)
• This will help to expand the air sacs at the extremities of the lungs, so that there is a better exchange of gases – oxygen entering the bloodstream and carbon dioxide diffusing out – so as to energise the body prior to the exercises
• It also helps the air sacs retain their elasticity and makes them less likely to become clogged with fluid
• Air breathed in contains 21% oxygen and < 1% carbon dioxide – what is breathed out contains 15% and 4%
• Take three more breaths, then sit up

2. Limbers (10 minutes)

• We are now going to do the cat dynamically as a limbering, warm-up exercise
• It flexes the whole spine backwards and forwards (dorso-ventrally)
• If you have any knee problems, put a pad under your knees
• If you have wrist problems, put knuckles on floor instead of palms
• Come up onto all fours, with the hands shoulder-width apart and the knees hip-width apart
• Start with the thighs and arms vertical, point the hands forwards, the feet backwards
• Breathing in, hold the spine and the head in a straight line (the neutral position)

• Breathing out, move the body slightly back and raise the middle of the back, opening out the dorsal spines at the back of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, so letting the inter-vertebral discs expand at the back
• Contract the abdomen, keep the head down with the chin on the chest, contract the buttocks and lock the anus, bring the shoulders and hips towards each other
• Hold for a count of 3

• Breathe in and return to neutral, thighs vertical

• Breathe out and moving slightly forward hollow the back, head up, tail up
• Stretch the throat, open the chest, stretch the abdomen, squeeze the lumbar region
• Hold for a count of 3

• Repeat this cycle three times with the breathing
• Visualise your spine flexing backwards and forwards, becoming more flexible
• There are 33 vertebrae in the spine: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 fused in sacrum, 4 fused in coccyx imagine them flexing dorso-ventrally

• Next time you raise the back, breathing out, also bring the right knee and the head closer to each other
• Return the knee to the floor as you breathe in
• As you hollow the back, breathing out, also raise and straighten the right leg behind you, keeping the pelvis level, head up
• Return the leg to the floor as you breathe in
• Then do the same with the left leg
• Repeat the full cycle three times

• Then do 3 cycles with opposite arm raised at same time as leg is raised

• When you have finished, lie back and rest in corpse

3. Vinyasas and Asanas (60 minutes)

• Put arms out from sides of body in a T shape, palms down keep shoulders in contact with floor throughout
• Bend knees, feet on floor near buttocks, a good hip width apart
• On an out breath, lower both knees to the floor on the right of the body and turn head to the left hold
• On an in breath, raise knees and bring head back to centre
• Repeat to left
• Do 3 cycles
• On an out breath, straighten legs and rest

• Bend knees, feet together near buttocks
• On in breath, lower knees to floor
• Raise legs along floor until thighs are parallel with arms, then stretch out lower legs – hold
• Now keeping legs straight, raise left leg to vertical, followed by right leg, then bend knees and put feet on floor near buttocks
• Repeat to left
• Do 3 cycles then rest

• Bend your knees, place feet flat on floor near buttocks
• Place palms on thighs
• On out breath, raise hands along thighs and beyond
• Hold
• Come down on next in breath
• Repeat twice

• 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

• The spinal twist does just that, twisting the spine throughout its entire length
• This twisting movement stretches and lengthens every muscle and ligament in the spinal column, so increasing the flow of blood and toning up the muscles

• As a preparation, bend right knee and place foot at outside of right hip
• Bend left knee and place foot at perineum – try to get both thighs on the floor
• Turn upper body, shoulders, head, and eyes to right, keeping back upright
• Place right hand flat on floor behind you, left hand alongside right hip, fingers pointing backwards
• Relax and breathe, twisting more on each exhalation
• Return to Dandasana

• The half and full spinal twist compress the abdomen, encouraging peristalsis in the intestines hence it is important to start with the right leg bent, thigh pressing against the ascending colon on the right side of the abdomen

• Bend right knee and place foot flat on floor outside left knee, keep left leg straight
• Raise arms to horizontal, turn upper body, shoulders, head, and eyes to right, keeping back upright
• Bring left arm over outside of right leg and grasp right foot with left hand
• Place right hand flat on floor behind you
• Relax and breathe, twisting more on each exhalation
• Return to Dandasana

• Bend left knee and place left thigh, shin and foot on the floor alongside right hip
• Bend right knee and place foot flat on floor outside left knee

• Raise arms to horizontal, turn upper body, shoulders, head, and eyes to right, keeping back upright
• Bring left arm over outside of right leg and put hand through gap under right knee

• Bend right arm behind back and grasp left hand
• Relax and breathe, twisting more on each exhalation
• You’ll feel an intense stretch over the right hip – stretching the gluteus maximus
• Return to Dandasana

• Repeat to the left stimulating peristalsis in the descending colon

• We are now going to do some backward bends the sphinx is a god preparation
• The aim is to relax the back and let it bend
• Lie prone, supported on elbows with palms flat on floor, fingers pointing away
• Push on the hands and straighten the arms, relax the back, breathe freely
• Return to the floor
• Repeat 3 times

• Sit in thunderbolt
• Leaning forward, stretch back the left leg
• Then try to make the body upright
• Hold and breathe, feeling the stretch in the groin and the bend in the lumbar
• Repeat to the left

• Start from the upward kneeling position hands on hips with fingers and thumb pointing forwards, elbows back
• Put the right foot flat on the floor with knee at right angle
• Exhaling, lunge forwards, stretching back with the left leg and keeping the body upright
• Hold and breathe

• Repeat but rest right elbow on right knee and take left arm to horizontal pointing backwards over left leg
• Exhaling, lunge forwards, stretching back with the left leg and keeping the body upright
• Hold and breathe

• Repeat but raise both arms to horizontal, right arm forward, left arm back
• Exhaling, lunge forwards, stretching back with the left leg and keeping the body upright
• Hold and breathe
• Inhaling, twist the body to the left, looking left and using arms to balance
• Exhaling return to forward facing
• Repeat twice
• Repeat kneeling on right knee, left foot flat on floor

• Curl your toes under, push with your hands on your thighs and come into a standing position
• 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

• Stand in Tadasana, feet slightly apart
• Raise both hands to shoulder level
• Inhale, keeping arms straight, rotate arms outwards, turning them at the shoulder joint
• Exhale and rotate them inwards
• Repeat several times
• These exercises work the muscles of the arms, shoulders and upper back – biceps, triceps, deltoids and trapezius
• They also lubricate the joint with synovial fluid

• Inhaling, raise the arms forwards to shoulder level
• Exhaling lower
• Repeat several times

• Inhaling, raise the arms forwards and up to vertical
• Exhaling lower
• Repeat several times

• Inhaling, raise the arms forwards and up to vertical
• Exhaling, take them over the top and down again in a large circle
• Repeat several times, first one direction, then other

• Stand in Tadasana
• Inhale and step out 4 feet to the right, raising arms sideways to shoulder level, palms down
• Turn right foot 90 degrees, left 15 degrees
• Exhale, bend right knee to a right angle, place right elbow on right thigh and raise left arm to vertical palm facing forwards – breathe
• Extend left arm over head in line with body and look up at left hand – breathe
• Return to Tadasana

• Repeat, but place right hand flat on floor in front of right foot

• Now repeat to the left side

• Stand in Tadasana
• Balance on the right leg, bend left leg and grasp left ankle with left hand, holding foot next to buttock
• Raise right arm straight vertically above head palm facing forward
• Balance and breathe
• Return to Tadasana

• Repeat, but lean body and right arm forwards and pull left foot backwards and away from body
• Keep the hips level and the raised leg and arm in line with the forward facing direction – breathe

• Repeat standing on the left leg

• This is a relaxation posture, it allows the vertebrae to separate, releasing the pressure on the intra-vertebral discs, and it allows the back muscles to relax, both very beneficial for the bipedal human being
• It is also an inverted posture (for the top of the body), so it brings blood to the head, irrigating the thyroid (metabolism) and parathyroids (calcium) in the neck and the thymus (immune system) in the chest

• Stand in Tadasana, hands on hips
• Inhale and step sideways 4 feet with right foot
• Exhale and bend at the hips to the horizontal
• Hold and breathe
• Return to upright

• Repeat, then place hands flat on floor below shoulders, inhaling look up and flatten back, exhale and look down
• Start to walk hands towards space between feet, alternating flattening of back with bending lower and bending the elbows
• Take backs of hands between feet and behind the body, hang and relax with breathing
• The hamstrings are being stretched – blood squeezed out, so that when the stretch ceases, fresh blood will surge into the muscles
• Return to upright by heel-toe and knee bend
• Lie back in Savasana

• Bend the knees, place the feet flat on the floor close to the buttocks, a hip-width apart
• Place your arms at your sides with palms down
• Tuck your tail in and tilt the pelvis so that the sacrum in the small of the back is flat on the floor
• On an in-breath, slowly raise the seat
• Breathe freely, on each in breath, push the seat up higher
• On an out-breath, slowly lower the seat, put the vertebrae down on the floor one by one
• This exercise flexes the back, especially the lumbar vertebrae and sacrum. It strengthens the muscles of the back, abdomen and thighs

• Lie back, straighten the legs and relax in Savasana

• Lie back, bend knees over chest
• Rock from side to side on lower back to massage the spine and relax back muscles
• Rotate the knees first in one direction, then the other
• Squeeze the bent legs towards the sides of the chest
• Relax in corpse until breathing returns to normal

4. Breathing (10 minutes)

• We are going to sit in the easy posture and do some deep breathing, before relaxation
• This will help remove any excess lactic acid and urea that may have built up in the muscles
• If this is not removed, the muscle fibres tend to stick together – this is what causes stiffness
• Put on extra clothing so that you will be warm
• 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
• Yama = control
• Close your eyes
• Lengthen the back of your neck and let the chin drop a little
• Breathe normally, until fully recovered from postures

• Most people breathe quickly and shallowly using only the upper chest (clavicular breathing)

• In contrast, diaphragmatic breathing used in yoga is a three-part breath: the clavicles are raised, the rib cage is expanded by the intercostals upwards and outwards (to front, sides, back), and the diaphragm, the dome of muscle between the chest and abdomen, is lowered, thus creating a partial vacuum in the chest cavity which causes air to be drawn down into the lungs
• So I want you to breathe deeply, thinking about the three-part breath
• Visualise the movement of the upper chest, the whole rib cage and the diaphragm as you breathe in and out

• Concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes

5. Relaxation (10 minutes)

• Lie on your back in Savasana, legs slightly apart, feet falling open, arms a little away from your sides, palms facing upwards, fingers loose, head centred, spine lengthened
• Or if you prefer, lie semi-supine, with your knees bent up
• Close your eyes

• 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, melting your body into the mat

• Relax and breathe normally

• Breathe in prana, vital energy and let it collect in a sphere at the solar plexus
• Notice how the air feels warm and light
• Give it a colour, any colour you like
• On each in breath, imagine the colour extending out from the solar plexus, spreading warmth and lightness to your body
• Feel the warmth and lightness extending to your abdomen, see the colour in your abdomen
• Now feel and see it extending into your legs, spreading down your thighs and shins to your feet and toes
• Feel the warmth and lightness extending into your chest, see the colour in your chest
• Now feel and see it extending into your arms, spreading down your upper arms and forearms to your hands and fingers
• Feel the warmth and lightness extending to your neck and face and head, see the colour in your neck and face and head

• Now the whole body feels warm and light, bathed in colour

• The whole body feels rested and refreshed

• Now become aware of the weight of your body lying on your mat, supported by the floor
• Become aware of this room and the other people in it
• Slowly begin to move and stretch
• When you are ready, roll over onto your side, open your eyes and sit up