We begin the series with an introduction to the key practices for the month:
ɝ Vajrasattwa Mantra
ɝ Viloma 1 Pranayama
ɝ Padachakrasana – Leg Rotations
ɝ Tiryaka Bhujangasana – Twisting Cobra Pose
ɝ Shashankasana – Pose of the Hare
ɝ Hasta Mudra Pranayama
Principles of care are always an important feature of a Satyananda Yoga class and so our practices are introduced with these in mind.
The most gentle version of a practice is initially demonstrated …accompanied by detailed instructions.
Additional resources
A favourite practice for so many, Yoga Nidra is a wonderfully healing recharge that you can practice as often as you like!
The practice systematically brings about a profound release of physical, mental and emotional tension - increasing receptivity and laying the groundwork for enabling lasting change.
Yoga Nidra works principally with the first stage of meditation – “pratyahara” – the withdrawal of awareness from the senses. This takes the awareness from the external to the internal environment—preparing it for meditation.
Designed to help you become more comfortable with this Mantra, this video series begins with a call-and-response practice and progresses to practising in unison in week 3.
The words of the Mantra appear line by line so you don’t need an extra copy of the words to practice along with me.
Transliteration is the process whereby the sounds made by the Sanskrit words are replicated using the English alphabet.
I recommend printing yourself a copy or otherwise having it handy for each class while you are learning the Mantra.
Trataka or concentrated gazing is an amazing practice designed to cleanse the mind of unwanted thoughts and improve concentration in preparation for meditation.
Generally done at the end of a Yoga Sadhana, it is often used as a meditation practice in and of itself. Great to do before bed or when sleep is elusive due to overthinking.
Most commonly, the object gazed upon is a steady candle flame. However any object may be used if a candle flame is unsuitable/impractical. I have included a PDF copy of the word JOY that you can print off and use for this purpose.