4. ANJALI YOGA Series #2

Description

Start: Ajna Anjali
1. Touch Heaven & Circle
2. Touch Heaven & Bend Back
3. Brush Aura & Touch Ground
4. Pyramid
5. Undulation Yoga
6. Speaking the Belly & Rest
7. Sounding the Vowels
8. The Cat & The Cow
9. Eye Circles
10. Belly Tickling the Sky
11. Kneeling Back Swings
12. Half-Bowing & Cup of Light
13. Full Bowing
14. Crescent Moon on Belly
15. Pyramid (and Bless the Ground)

End: Ajna Anjali

Start: Ajna Anjali

• Bring your hands together in the Anjali Ajna mudra
• Bow to others and to the Self.

<P> <GL-SL> <DB> <DB3> <RE>

1. Touch Heaven & Circle

• From Ajna Anjali, extend arms and hands above head (with index fingers pointing up).
• <GL> <SL> Do 9 circles counter-clockwise and 9 circles clockwise.
• Coordinate your in-breath and out-breath with each half-circle.
• Focus your gaze to the center of the circles and feel your entire body circling.

2. Touch Heaven & Bend Back

• Keeping arms extended above head and index fingers pointing up, we do gentle back pushes.
• Lightly tilt your head back, open the mouth, open up the front of the body, curve your back and do 9 pulses of backward stretches, looking back as far as possible.
• Come to center (with hands still pointing up). <DB>
• Turn your hips 45º to the right and do another set of 9 back pulses.
• Come to center (with hands still pointing up). <DB>
• Turn your hips 45º to the left and do a third set of 9 back pulses.
• Send a grateful Thank You to Heaven.

 

3. Brush Aura & Touch Ground

• Gather up heaven's energy and slowly bring it down.
• Brush your aura and infuse it with heavenly energy.
• Stop at each chakra to energize it in turn, using the Anjali mudra for the 4 upper chakras: Crown (Crown Anjali), Third Eye (Ajna Anjali), Throat (Throat Anjali) &  Heart (Heart Anjali).
• At the level of the Heart, turn your hands around, palms facing down, and continue to bring Heaven's energy down your aura, all the way to your feet and the ground.
• Touch the ground and feel it as the skin of Mother Earth.
• Greet Mother Earth <DB>

4. Pyramid

• Walk your fingers in front of you until you are in the "Pyramid" position.
• Your legs are straight (with feet flat on the ground), your sacrum & lower back are up, your arms are straight with your palms touching the ground.
• Check that your head is hanging between your arms and your body forms a Triangle or Pyramid.
• <DB>
• Do 9 gentle pushes, pulling your sacrum and head backwards and keeping your back straight.

5. Undulation Yoga

• From the Pyramid position lower the knees and bend your feet on the toes.
• We are doing here full body undulations with head and sacrum alternatively moving up & down.
• (Start) Bend the arms and move your head forward as if you are brushing the ground with your nose. Your legs are following the undulation.

• When your head is starting to lower for the second half of its circle, your sacrum is starting to rise to go through its circle of undulation. (See video).
• Do 9 undulations. Feel the snake-like dance and get into its rhythm.
• Time your in-breath and out-breath with the movements.

 

6. Speaking the Belly & Rest

• Come back to the Pyramid position <DB>.
• Keep your arms straight down and bring your left knee between your arms touching the ground.
• Your right leg is extended back, knee and foot touching the ground (with sole of foot facing up).
• Raise your head up as far as possible. Look straight.  <G>
• Take a deep breath, open your mouth and make the sound "AAAAHHH".
• Get the sound out of your belly, trying to let your belly speak its hidden energies & emotions. Experiment with various "deep" AAA sounds by lowering the frequency and getting in touch with your "gut feelings": rumbling, growling, grumbling, roaring...
• Do a set of 3 "AAAAHHH" sounds, with deep inhale first.

Rest:
• Bring your left hand in front of you, palm down. Bring your right hand on top.
• Lower your forehead upon your hands.
• Let your entire body slide on your left side, completely relaxed.
• Enjoy the relaxation and breathe deeply.

Repeat:
• Come back to the Pyramid position <DB>.
• Keep your arms straight down and bring your right knee between your arms touching the ground.
• Repeat the above practice of sounding "AAAAHHH" from the belly.
• Repeat the rest period.

7. Sounding the Vowels

• Come back to the Pyramid position. Bring your knees to the ground (with feet pointing back).
• Raise your torso and head up, making sure that your arms are vertical under your shoulders and your back is curved. This also called the "Cobra asana".
• We do 5 vowel sounds: "A", "E", "I", "O", "U"
• (Start). Look straight ahead, take a deep breath and sound the first vowel "A" on the out-breath.
• Do the same for the other 4 vowels.
• Feel the power of the vowel sounds resonate specific organs or parts of your body...

8. The Cat & The Cow

• Come back on your knees and straight arms (hands flat on the ground).
• We are going back & forth between the "cow" and the "cat" position, i.e. curving the back in and out.
• Take a deep breath while curving your back in and raising your head.
• Switch to breathing out while curving your back out (making a round back like a cat).
• Do 3 sets of 9 counts of these in/out breaths & back curves.
• The first set is slow. The second set is faster. The third set is as fast as you can manage, still breathing in/out at each count.

 

9. Eye Circles

• Come back on your knees and straight arms (hands flat on the ground).
• Extend your left leg straight on the left side (with foot parallel to mat).
• Your right hand can be flat on the ground or raised on the fingers if more comfortable.
• Your left arm (with fingers pointing) starts tracing wide circles while your eyes are following the circles.
• Do 9 slow circles.
• Make sure your eyes are keenly active and do not miss any parts of the circling. In so doing, your eyes are going around their own orbit of vision which greatly improves your peripheral vision.
• Switch to the other side and repeat the moves, doing 9 slow circles with your right arm & fingers.

10. Belly Tickling the Sky

• Come back on your knees, with arms on your side (upright kneeling position).  <DB>
• While taking an in-breath, start to curve your body backwards, reaching behind to touch your ankles, and letting your head hang back.
• You can lightly hold on to your ankles or rest on them more heavily if needed for balance.
• Find a comfortable back curving position. Feel you belly TICKLING the sky. <DB>
• Do a first set of 9 gentle back pulses and come back to upright kneeling position. <DB>
• Do a second set of 9 pulses, exploring how far you can go without forcing or losing your balance.
• You can also let go of your ankles, lean back to touch the ground with your upturned hands and push on the ground for 9 pulses.

 

11. Kneeling Back Swings

• Sit down on your knees.
• Extend your arms straight back and join your hands (index fingers pointing).
• Lower you forehead down to touch the ground in front of you.
• Do 1 set of 9 back wings with your arms and hands.
• Rest <DB>.
• Do two other sets of back swings, resting in between.

 

12. Half-Bowing & Cup of Light

• After the Back Swings, let your arms & hands gently fall on your side, keeping your forehead on the ground.
• Your shoulders are rounded up and your entire body is utterly relaxed.
• Go into a deep relaxation, feeling like a child in the womb of Mother Earth, resting in an embryo-like position. <DB>
• Slowly move your arms forward, brushing them on the ground, until your elbows are at the level of your forehead (still touching the ground). Your hands are face down, feeling the earth.
• This is called the "Balf-Bowing" position. A very good asana to feel gratitude to oneself and to the universe. <DB>
• Turn your hands around with their backs touching the earth and the palms forming a receiving cup.
• Invite into the cup of your hands the Light of the universe.
• When you feel that this Cup of Light is full, slowly bring your hands above your head and shoulders and infuse the light into your body & mind. This is like a self-baptism.

13. Full Bowing

• Bring your hands palms down again.
• Lie on your belly, extend your legs backwards and your arms forwards.
• Place your chin on the mat as another support point.
• On your in-breath, feel your belly expand and pushing against the belly of Mother Earth. Enjoy this deep connection.
• On your out-breath, let Mother Earth's belly push on your belly. Feel the support of Mother Earth.
• Explore this organic direct connection and feel the full communion of embracing your earth planet and pulsing with it.
• Send a prayer a gratitude to Mother Earth and the entire universe for being a Child of Life.

 

14. Crescent Moon on Belly

• Slowly move your hands backwards and grab hold of your ankles.
• Start raising your torso and head while pulling on your ankles.
• Without forcing assume a half circle position, like a crescent moon shape.
• Stay in that position as long as comfortable. <DB>
• Release and relax your entire body, with your arms alongside.

15. Pyramid (and Bless the Ground)

• Slowly push on your hands and come back in a kneeling position.
• Raise your back and form the Pyramid posture, with your head between your arms and your feet flat on the ground.
• Do a few pushes, pulling your sacrum backwards and keeping your back straight.
• Slowly walk your fingers towards your feet.
• Touch the ground in front of your feet with your flat hands.
• Feel the gratitude of having performed this Yoga series in close touch with Mother Earth.
thank yourself and your body.
• Slowly come a standing position, unwinding your spine vertebra by vertebra.
• End up with Ajna Anjali.

Completion: Ajna Anjali

• Bring your hands together in the Anjali Ajna mudra
• Bow to others and to the Self.

 

NAMASTE!