For those of you interested in creating and sustaining a home practice of yoga, I would like to share with you an arc structure and basic template I learned through my YTT training. Each provides a different method of approaching your practice. These are just suggestions, choose what works for you, feel free to modify, and most importantly, enjoy!
Arc Structure:
Initiating the yogic process
Warming the body
Pathway to the peak
Peak Exploration
Integration
Basic Template: Seated meditation, ujayi pranayama Initial warming Surya Namaskara (3x A, 3x B) Standing asanas: externally rotated hips Standing asanas: internally rotated hips Abs Backbends Arm balances Twists Forward bends and hip openers Inversions Path to Savasana Savasana
Suggested postures for building your sequence with accompanying visuals and prompts to follow! Namaste:)
The first opening minutes of a yoga or meditation session helps to set the tone for the rest of the practice. The same goes for the closing moments of a session. Personally, I like very little talking during both the opening and closing moments. On those amazingly rare yet spectacular times however, the instructor seems to speak directly to me, as though she has somehow been able to peer into my soul and say exactly what I need to hear.
One of these moments happened roughly three years ago during a particularly difficult time in my life. I was not incredibly fond of the particular instructor that day. I continued to attend her class, however, because the time slot fit perfectly with my schedule. I had no real reason to not enjoy her class. She was incredibly skilled and knowledgeable. She was friendly, and most importantly, she was careful with her words, avoiding the verbose diatribe that plagues other classes. As the months passed by, I realized I had made this class into a challenge. The issue was not her, it was me. This came to a head at the close of a vigorous vinyasa class.
As I awoke from savasana, making my way to a comfortable cross-legged seated position with my eyes closed, she shared a quote with us prior chanting a collective om. This one sentence has stuck with me ever since then, and to this day keeps me smiling. I encourage you to use this quote at the close of a yoga or meditation session. I hope it brings you and your students much joy:
Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.
Today, I would love for you to join me on this journey into meditation and mindfulness with a brief meditation script. Perhaps you already made it to the gym this morning, or to that yoga class. Now, let’s take our minds to the gym. I have added suggested time for pause throughout the meditation. Remember, these are purely suggestions and do not need to be followed to the T. Meditation is a personal practice, do what feels best for you. This is your time, allow your body and mind unwind. And most of all, be happy, be well and enjoy:)
Please sit comfortably, arms resting on your thighs, palms facing up towards the sky, open to receiving positive energy. Gently close your eyes. Take several slow deep breaths. Breathing in through the nose, notice your chest expanding, lungs filling with air, and as you breathe out, notice how the body softens, melting into the earth letting go of any tension.
PAUSE: 15-20 seconds
Allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm, in and out through the nose or the mouth, whichever is most comfortable for you.
PAUSE: 15-20 seconds
With the eyes closed, we become more aware of our other physical senses. Focus on the feeling of contact between your body and the earth. Feel that sense of support from grounding down into the earth. Noticing the weight of the arms and hands, resting in your lap on your legs. For the next moment, focus on the sensation of touch.
PAUSE: 45-60 seconds
Notice any sounds. Sounds are often seen as an obstacle, a distraction, something that gets in the way of this restful time. For this meditation, we will use these sounds as a tool. Take a moment to simply notice these sounds, both pleasant and unpleasant. Whether it is birds chirping, cars whizzing by outside your window, or your neighbor breathing heavily, simply notice these sounds and allow them to simply be.
PAUSE: 45-60 seconds
Gently bringing the attention back to the body. Notice how your body feels just sitting here, in the present moment, in this room.
PAUSE: 30-45 seconds
Don’t worry too much if your mind wanders off as you’re doing this. As soon as you notice your mind has wandered off, gently bring the attention back to your breath.
PAUSE: 15-20 seconds
Allowing your body to breathe naturally, notice where in the body you feel the movement of your breath most, and notice the rhythm of your breath. Take a few moments to notice that rhythm, the natural rise and fall of your breath.
To help maintain focus on the breath, let us count the breath. With each rising sensation on the inhale, count 1. Falling sensation on the exhale count 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, starting back over at 1 when you get to 10.
Try that a couple times through. Providing this point of focus through counting allows us to tune into thebreath and the natural rhythm in the body.
PAUSE: 1-2 minutes
Remember, it is perfectly normal for the mind to have wandered off. When you notice it has wandered, gently guide your attention back to the breath as you count the rising and falling rhythm in the body.
PAUSE: 1 minute
For these last moments, I’d like you to let go. Allow the mind to be completely free. If it wants to race, let it race. If it wants to be still, let it be still. Allow the mind to simply be, without judgment or effort.
PAUSE: 1-2 minutes
Gently bring the attention back to the body in the physical space. Bringing the attention back to the sensation of body in contact with the earth, hands and the arms resting on the legs. Once again, notice any sounds, brining the mind back into the physical senses.
PAUSE: 15-20 seconds
In your own time, gently open your eyes, and smile
Nicole Saal, Graduate student of the 1-year Masters Credential Cohort program at the University of San Diego, Spanish teacher at High Tech High in San Diego, CA, yoga instructor and mindfulness advocate