Antistress Yoga

ANTISTRESS YOGA

A five-week yoga challenge. “The Scent of Spring” is a time in which we attune ourselves to the resonance of nature. Spring carries the scent of young flowers, freshness, sunlight and nature awakening. In harmony with it, we awaken the body gently and organically. This is a time to return home, to our temple and to the true nature of our being. Through these practices, we create the conditions for our whole being to resonate with the vibration and rhythm of Prana, the energy of life. We increase the Pranic quality of our life energy and bring health and the richness of sacredness into the body and our life. We balance our resonance with the resonance of health and the laws of nature by releasing the ego, our contractions, and allowing health to rise to the surface. The point is to begin seeing ourselves more as a pulsing body and energy than as something concrete and rigid.

Mindful journal: Become aware of how your energy vibrates during different activities throughout the day. Notice how situations and relationships affect your resonance. Explore these subtle energetic changes within yourself. 

Yoga therapy for: 

• yogic breathing
• comfortable mobility
• whole-body mobility
• relaxation and openness
• ease of being and joy
• better sleep
• reducing stress
• mental and emotional wellbeing
• a sense of meaning in life

INTRODUCTORY TALK AND YOGA CLASS ON THE MONTH’S THEME – 75 MIN

THE SCENT OF SPRING

An exciting month lies ahead. We open it with a short talk in which I introduce the essential concepts we will use and a feeling for how things flow in nature and resonate in harmony with natural laws. I have just noticed that the PDF I prepared with these concepts and use to guide the talk was not shared, so I am sending it as an attachment. Play the talk and open the PDF beside it so that you can follow along.

The key is to understand Prana as something sacred, greater than us, intelligent and ever-present, shaping all life. It is also important to understand consciousness and spiritual growth, which are inscribed in nature’s movement and form part of our path. We place consciousness and its evolution on a scale from victimhood to Buddhahood. I explain this briefly in the talk, and I hope it resonates and that the diagrams I show help bring it to life. 

The invitation is to begin experiencing yourself as a vibrating body and notice how your resonance changes according to what is happening and the conditions around you. We attune a little more closely to subtle energetic changes. We use this language in the journal to describe who we are and what is happening, noticing when we separate ourselves from the whole and when we belong within it.

After the talk, we move through a yoga practice in which we can experience the tangible feeling of Pranic breath, balanced movement, flow and release. These are all themes we will practise throughout the month. :)

Mindful journal:
1. The intention we set: where is it most difficult for me to remain open, and where is my stumbling block? What closes me, and where do I react blindly? Choose one aspect of yourself for this month. Write down precisely what it is and accept the truth of the present situation as it is. We acknowledge that this is the truth and set a conscious intention to change it and our relationship with it. May I find the patience and peace to create more space when this difficult issue touches me, so that I can remain within myself instead of running away. Place this difficulty within a space of calm awareness. Imagine that it can be resolved and that you no longer contract around it.
2. The second intention is: may I move in the direction of the evolution of my consciousness and the release of my ego, towards Buddha nature, so that I may resonate more fully with the truth of nature and Prana.

30 MIN

DAY 1 – LENGTH THROUGH THE FRONT BODY

During the first week, our theme is entering the groins, psoas and hips, bringing light, movement and breath through this area. We begin by attending to the breath and connecting awareness with the difference in its amplitude: the inhalation expands and lifts, while the exhalation lowers and narrows. With this, we dissolve into being within the body. 

We connect breath and movement and follow everything we feel, including every detail of the movement. We then enter our comfortable circular Sun Salutations, immersing ourselves more deeply in the rhythm of movement connected with breath. 

Already within this warm-up, in Kapyasana,we emphasise opening the front body, creating length from the knee through the groin, abdomen and chest to the throat. This remains the focus of the class, and through movement we continue to open the entire front plane.

We move through several more Kapyasanas, slowly and with control lengthening the front line and allowing it to open evenly and comfortably. We explore the same action in pulses from Downward Dog to Upward Dog. 

Take care that these backbends do not cause pain in the lower back, because the movement can naturally enter the lumbar spine. If you feel discomfort, do not move further into the movement or pose, and engage the abdomen a little more firmly. Apply this rule to every class this week.

Mindful journal: Distinguish between entering a struggle, when your energy begins to contract, and the absence of struggle, when everything flows without effort. Distinguish effort from effortless being. Try to become aware of what this effort feels like in the body, what causes it and whether you can help resolve it so that it transforms into something constructive. Ask these questions in relation to your specific example and write down your observations each day. Observe these changes without judgement. Write as though you were writing to the Buddha, who is deeply interested in what is happening within you, is here for you and will not judge you at all, regardless of what you feel. 

30 MIN

DAY 2 – LET GO, IT IS FLOWING ANYWAY

Again, we begin simply by connecting with the breath. I say “simply” because, although this is something we repeat continually, it remains one of the most important foundations. We also dissolve attention into the body, into pure body awareness : the body that knows itself from within and understands what it feels through the language of physical sensations. Breath and movement are one experience of body awareness within the practice.

Through this practice, may we truly sail into being at one with the flow of life and Prana within us.

We move through gentle, comfortable, rhythmic and circular Sun Salutations with inhalations and exhalations of equal length. We then continue with a focus on opening the meeting point of the thigh and quadriceps with the groin and pelvis. We extend the leg backwards several times through Cat-Cow waves in preparation for Natarajasana, opening into this asana and into Diamond Pose.

Our attention sinks into the opening of this area. Enjoy the movements and do not hurry. Through moving slowly, let every sense of haste slow down.

Set the intention: “I allow everything that needs to pass to pass. Whatever I hold tightly is not me. Everything wants to pass and is always passing, and this is the only truth on which we can rely. We can therefore open the fist around whatever we hold tightly and let it pass.”

30 MIN

DAY 3 – ON TARGET

Today, continuing our work with the psoas and releasing stress from the pelvis, we use a warm-up that leads into a short set of dynamic exercises. Naturally, we begin by connecting with breath and movement that enters the body deeply and comfortably. With contact at the point of the heart, we set the intention to dedicate this practice to pleasant movement through which life energy moves freely. :)

After the Sun Salutations, we enter a sequence that works more intensely into the groins. We practise Kapyasana with the back knee on the floor, drawing the heel towards the glutes to open the front line of the back leg intensely, and combine this with strengthening the pelvis by lifting the knee from the floor.

 There is no need to describe it all; you will see. The important thing is to work only to a constructive degree, because it is quite easy to injure the knee or move too deeply in these poses, so take care. 

After the class, we let tension shake out of the psoas and relax completely. In Shavasana, we ask the body whether it is ready to release what needs to be released from deep within, without seeking an answer on a rational level. We let everything flow naturally and remain aware. 

Mindful journal: How is your awareness of your own struggles developing? Can you recognise the restlessness caused by aversion and detect when it appears? How are you doing with creating a scale of your body’s resonance?

30 MIN

DAY 4 – INHALE INTO OPENNESS

We begin seated on the heels, breathing with an extended spine. We then add arm movements with a strap to awaken the breath and open the body. Next, we move through circular Sun Salutations and remember that we are not rushing; we are here. In the second round, we raise the arms with a wave from a Kapyasana base. May I allow the flow of life to move through my body so that everything rigid comes into contact with fluidity.

We then practise several poses that lengthen the front body until we reach Ustrasana,a fairly intense stretch from a kneeling position. We move slowly and carefully in these poses, feeling the front plane lengthen and open so that we can breathe through it without collapsing into the lower back. In other words, we first stretch and lengthen, and only then gently bend backwards.

Naturally, we practise poses between these movements to reset the back and strengthen the centre. At the end, we strengthen the centre a little more and then relax in Shavasana..

Mindful journal: Ask yourself whether you can place what is difficult for you, where the heart closes, including those moments, situations and relationships, within an open space. Can I create a space as open as the Buddha mind, where there is no judgement of my difficulty, and place it there, surrendering it without expecting it to change, simply knowing how to hand it over? Can I generate this space of openness in which difficulty becomes one with openness?

40 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 5 – CALM PRESENCE

WATCH THE VIDEO

We begin with a short guided seated meditation in which we place awareness within body awareness and calmly surrender to feeling the subtle changes of pulsation within the body.  

We then move to a gently modified inhalation, lengthening it slightly, followed by yogic breathing in which we inhale through the nose for four counts and exhale through pursed lips, as if through a straw, for six counts. Prepared to meditate through the body, we move into Cat Chasing Its Tail. 

We settle comfortably and relax the parts of the body that are opening. Through inhalation, we bring more openness to what is already open, and through exhalation, more relaxation.

I remember that physical sensations are the feeling of “I know how I am” and how the body exists in space. Between sides, we relax and reset the back. We also open the groins while lying with the sacrum on a cushion, gently lengthening the front of the connection between the legs and pelvis, our theme this month. 

Mindful journal: May I stand calmly and steadily within the situation of my life. Until I have this calm and stability, I will keep running in aversion from what I cannot accept. We bring this peace and the feeling of grounded standing into the body. Stand with full, calm and wide feet in the intention you set at the beginning. Bring your Buddha presence into that relationship, situation or state. Stand proudly, as though this is precisely where you want to be, and allow yourself to feel its pain. 

30 MIN

DAY 6 – SACRED PRESENCE

This week, we move into the diaphragm area. This is the space between the upper abdomen and the lower lungs. If this area is restricted and tight, the whole body feels constricted. Quite simply, when we cannot breathe freely, the body sounds an alarm that it is under threat and places us in danger mode, which means stress. In the longer term, the diaphragm’s freedom to move is also related to emotional freedom and our general sense of health and wellbeing.

Today, we also revisit the perspective introduced in the opening workshop: seeing our everyday ways of being as sacred. The space through which we move is sacred; our body and life are sacred, and our intentions to work on ourselves are sacred. We introduce the idea of Divine presence , the sacred presence we feel through the moving body. When we are fluid and full of Prana,we are full of spirit and life.  

We begin by swaying gently and lowering the breath into the body, then continue with circular Sun Salutations. This time, within the same sweeping movement in Kapyasana,we attend to the area beneath the ribs and how it opens when we inhale and lift the chest. We even imagine having a nose in the diaphragm and inhaling directly through it into the body.

Mindful journal: Feel sacredness in your body and life, and place this perspective upon everything. Bring gratitude into the heart. Try to feel that the present moment is immersed in Divine presence and that everything dissolves within something greater than us that includes it all. How does what is difficult feel from this perspective? What does this perspective bring you?

30 MIN

DAY 7 – SOFTNESS AROUND THE DIAPHRAGM

The movement is so gradual and slow, so comfortable and gentle, that it supports the breath as it slowly develops and allows the space between each vertebra to move. 

We introduce a strap exercise in which we press the lower tips of the shoulder blades down and forwards to open the lower edge of the ribs and breathe there. We repeat this exercise later in the class.

We move through several variations of Dolphin Arms, with the full forearms on the floor. This position strengthens the shoulder girdle and creates an opening rotation. The chest also expands within the inversion, allowing the lower edge of the ribs, which faces upwards in this position, to open on all sides and decompress the diaphragm itself.

We practise a short set of exercises on the abdomen to strengthen the structure of the back and repeat our strap exercise here as well.

Mindful journal: Sacred presence is always here. We simply need to return to the wide perspective of space. May we see everything we experience as sacred and include it within this broader medium of unity.

30 MIN

DAY 8 – BENEATH THE RIBS

Today, continuing to soften the space that allows the diaphragm to move, we alternately open the area beneath each side of the ribs. We begin by circling the arms and move through twists in which we can stretch and direct the breath beneath the ribs.

Naturally, we follow our familiar approach: connect with the breath, warm up through flowing movements and then work on bringing breath beneath the ribs. 

Our intention is to feel that we massage the organs beneath the ribs by breathing slowly and deeply in positions that open this area.

The class is slightly longer because, at the end, we take time to relax in a passive twist that also lengthens a diagonal line through the body. 

Remember the yoga therapy principle: become aware by directing attention to a part of the body; open by arranging the body so that this part is lengthened; breathe by deepening the breath so that it massages from within. This is how we approach the area beneath one side of the ribs and then the other today. :)

Mindful journal: How ready am I to touch and open myself to difficult emotions? How available is it for me to allow myself to feel what is difficult exactly as it vibrates in the body? Allow yourself to feel. Take several days and notice how open you are to feeling what is painful, exactly as it exists in the body.

30 MIN

DAY 9 – SOFTENING

We work on opening the space beneath the ribs. More precisely, think of the diaphragm area deeper within the body and how we massage and soften it through movement and breath. We circle the arms and open opposite arm and leg while kneeling and lying on the abdomen. Remember to move slowly, find the rhythm and immerse attention more deeply in the body and flowing sensations with every circle.

We have several opportunities to remain still and allow the space beneath the ribs to open. It is important to enter the pose slowly so that we do not become locked. We use the strength of the leg to draw the arm towards it, while the arm, shoulder and chest surrender to that force. I try to emphasise this in the poses; you will see. :)

We also practise Gomukhasana Arms, entering the same area and giving ourselves time to breathe. This is also an opportunity to notice how the body vibrates in response to certain inputs, for example the difference between holding an asana and releasing it, which brings a wave of relief.

Mindful journal: May I see myself illuminated by the sun of an eye that observes me entirely without judgement. Within its warmth, I can relax completely because I am not guilty of anything and cannot control everything. I choose to release control and be one with this non-judging gaze, belonging within it through everything I experience.

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 10 – THE LIGHT OF AWARENESS

At the beginning, we briefly review the mechanics of the diaphragm so that you can visualise its movement during three-part breathing. In three-part breathing, the inhalation first fills the lower abdomen, then the middle around the diaphragm and finally the chest. We exhale in the opposite direction, from top to bottom. As we breathe fully and fill the body, we feel the diaphragm move slowly in the direction opposite to the breath.

After centring through the breath, we gently mobilise the arms and shoulders and again open the area beneath the ribs in a lateral position. We relax while lying on a cushion beneath the shoulder blades so that the chest opens. Here, we return attention to the movement of the diaphragm and how it regulates the breath.

When we touch the organs beneath the ribs, which are important storehouses and transformers of emotion, the invitation is to let ourselves feel. We need to distinguish between being immediately immersed in an emotion and having a space of awareness through which we can see it, observing the unsettled from a calm space and knowing how to respond mindfully.

Mindful journal: Allow yourself to feel in the body how emotions vibrate without letting thoughts and concepts persuade you of their story. Remain awareness with energy. Create a scale: how does the emotion arise and resonate, which thoughts does it awaken, how suddenly does it intensify and how does it subside? You can colour and visualise this scale simply to become more familiar with difficult emotions.

30 MIN

DAY 11 – THE HEART SPACE

Today we open our work with the heart space. We remember the values of the heart, which cannot be replaced by anything else, breathe through the heart and gently open the chest.

We explain this heartfulness briefly, but we all know it, and it is better to speak less and feel more. Let this be our guiding thread for the week. :)

We warm up with a strap, move through Sun Salutations and then mobilise the chest in several more ways. 

May the wave of movement begin in the heart. The heart initiates, and the entire body follows. 

Mindful journal: Simply place your attention in the heart and remember how simple it is. Try this throughout the day in several different situations and notice how you feel and how events unfold.

30 MIN

DAY 12 – THE HEART LEADS

Today, we once again immerse attention in the heart, breathe through it and let the heart lead the movement. Through familiar, simple, flowing and wave-like movements, the heart shows the direction. We practise our wave-like Sun Salutations and add arm pulses in which the heart opens and closes. 

We repeat these movements in Warrior I to mobilise the shoulders powerfully and therefore the heart space. As you repeat each movement, close your eyes, immerse yourself, enjoy and let the heart guide you from its most sincere, pure and loving place.

Mindful journal: Each morning, place your fingertips on the chest to bring complete attention into the heart area and deepen several inhalations and exhalations through the heart space. Remember to surrender leadership to the heart. Tell yourself, “let God think about it; everything is now as it should be”. Begin your day with this peace and direction, and whenever needed, remember to return to the heart and breathe.

30 MIN

DAY 13 – HEART MANDALA

We begin the class with a gentle arm movement that awakens the energy of the heart. We lower attention into the heart and pure feeling without the mediation of thought. There, we touch our sincere life. The heart again leads the movements and waves, and we fill it with breath.

We use a slightly different warm-up and begin moving from Downward Dog. The Heart Mandala is an arm movement that creates a sphere around the heart. As I guide it, close your eyes, enter your inner world and energetic centre, release the brakes and allow the body to dance and express itself. :)

Naturally, this circle mobilises the shoulders, neck and chest with great precision, but the more gently, slowly and joyfully we move, the more deeply we can enter its details.

Mindful journal: Remember to feel your greatest value: life itself. Rest in this simplicity and in your true worth so that other doubts about yourself can fall away.

30 MIN

DAY 14 – AIRINESS

This morning, we emphasise opening the sides of the chest with a spacious breath. The idea is to highlight openness in the chest in a slightly different way.

We breathe powerfully and use movement to help the breath become free and expansive.

We use a slightly different warm-up and dissolve into its rhythm. We then practise several poses from a Warrior II base, which naturally give us access to expansion through the side body. 

We attend to the body’s airiness and the ease awakened by these gentle movements.

Mindful journal: Airiness includes ease, flow and heartfulness, the opposites of pressure, contraction and stress. The invitation is to distinguish this scale of feelings and sensations, not to call anything good or bad, but to recognise it clearly. We want to understand that this scale is natural and that, through these practices, we learn to balance more easily and return more quickly to ease and airiness. There are two important steps: 1. understand the difference between contraction and relaxation and the full scale between them; 2. notice how the body’s subtle resonances change according to present conditions.

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 15 – WITHIN BUDDHA NATURE

A little meditation: lowering attention into the body, the happy heart and presence. We need not ask anything of the heart; we simply return to it. We return to ourselves and our true nature, in which we are one and part of the whole. If we try to understand this through reason, the mind will ask why and how. In the heart, we simply allow the feeling that we are one within our Buddha nature to resonate. :)

We gently mobilise the spine and take several easy poses, including Rabbit, in which we stimulate the crown of the head, like a gentler version of Headstand. We then move to the floor for Bananasana, relaxing and opening each side body and penetrating deeply through the layers. May light enter the depths of the body.

Mindful journal: Make a vow to relax into your true nature and Buddha nature, which are here when we allow the heart simply to be and ask nothing of it. :)

30 MIN

DAY 16 – THE NECK

This week, we enter the area of the neck, throat and jaw. Today’s class is devoted almost entirely to mobilising the neck. :)

We begin by awakening Ujjayi breath, which gently and pleasantly returns focus to the throat and helps us relax. We then make very slow, comfortable circles with the head, massaging the neck muscles. We mobilise this entire area while breathing with a pleasant, full breath. We also add several strap exercises that help smooth the neck muscles and open the area.

We include several inversions in which the neck has an opportunity to decompress.

We narrow the area of focus in today’s class so that we can give it our full attention.

Mindful journal: Remember the intention set at the beginning. This week, we set an intention for communicating what is painful and troubling us. Give your issue a form in which it can be expressed. Literally consider how you would tell yourself or another person what is difficult and what bothers you if there were no judgement of anything you need to say. Write it down freely, but then say it aloud. Talk to yourself; let the words come out and vibrate through the vocal cords.

30 MIN

DAY 17 – A LONG NECK

Yesterday, we began by placing attention on the neck; today, we play with letting the neck lead every movement. We move through familiar rhythmic Sun Salutations, emphasising the thread of breath flowing through the throat and opening the front of the neck. We therefore let the head open a little further backwards. We mobilise this area from many directions, lengthening the front, back and sides of the neck through different asanas.

Feel how different the same movement becomes when we place attention in a different way and a different part of the body. This week, attention is in the neck and throat, which also transmit the wave-like movement of the spine. This is why attention is essential. As we said: become aware, open and breathe. We apply these steps through the neck this week, giving the throat and thyroid the silky quality of Prana. :)

It is beautiful to devote attention to every part of the body, because each part needs care and appreciates targeted work.

We love touching the body with this precision so that every part receives attention and healthy movement.

Mindful journal: The idea is to be able to express ourselves through words and sounds and communicate what we need clearly, while following the guidelines of Right Speech on the Buddha’s path.

30 MIN

DAY 18 – THE BACK OF THE NECK

We introduce a useful strap exercise called the “sports bra”. Naturally, it is not about the breasts, but about moving the shoulders backwards and downwards and thereby opening the chest.

The exercise is simple and I demonstrate it several times during the class. We massage and mobilise in this position; simply remain gentle and move slowly.

In this way, we open the shoulders and the back of the neck and connect this position with similar movements throughout the class. We also practise several Dolphin Arms variations to strengthen the shoulders within this open rotation. 

Halfway through the class, we move onto the back and build from there into a modified Shoulderstand, Viparita Karani, using a cushion or block if needed. Our focus remains on lengthening the back of the neck, so enter slowly and listen to the body. We need to be in a position where the body gives us space and allows us to continue, rather than one where it contracts further.

If you often have chronic neck tension, practise all these exercises slowly, gently and gradually. You can add them to a daily routine, but do not overdo them because the effect can otherwise be the opposite of what you intend.

When we place the neck in its correct, comfortable position, we naturally settle into the heart with the right balance of awareness and love, as well as humility and gratitude.

Mindful journal: Become aware of your resonance during and after practice. This broad view of how we vibrate continues to interest us. Take everything into account and include it in the picture.

30 MIN

DAY 19 – THE VALUE OF EVERY MOMENT

Continuing yesterday’s work on mobilising the throat and neck, today we again settle beautifully into movement and breath. We feel the breath flowing through the throat and pay special attention to immersing ourselves in the uniqueness of every moment. 

We mobilise through Sun Salutations and practise Warrior I with the strap position, the “sports bra”, followed by a longer sequence of Bridge, Viparita Karani, a modified Karnapidasana and Fish Pose, all of which address the back of the neck.

I repeat: enter every pose slowly and take great care that the neck feels comfortable both entering and remaining. The position should be beneficial and allow the body to relax.

When we have a routine and repeat the same thing each day, the familiar reveals that boredom does not truly exist, because every new present moment is unexperienced and unique. When we adopt this perspective, we experience everything through uniqueness and recognise the value held by every present moment. Through movement, we seek to feel the present moment genuinely within the body.

Mindful journal: Several times during the day, remember to become still briefly and establish a starting point. Feel the body as it is and tell yourself: now my awareness of physical sensations and their movement within the body begins. Continue observing how the body’s vibration and resonance change through everything you do and everything that happens. Then remember that you create the way in which you balance yourself towards openness and relaxation within every situation.

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 20 – RESONANCE OF THE THROAT

We begin with a reminder that humming the sound M is one of the best practices for healthy flow through the throat and neck. In yoga, of course, we use the mantra OM. We let these sounds resonate for a while. Hum whenever you have the opportunity.

We then move through several exercises from face yoga for the jaw and throat, followed by restorative reclining positions for the neck. We place a cushion beneath the back of the head to lengthen the back of the neck, beneath the neck to relax its natural curve, and beneath the upper edge of the shoulder to open the lower front area of the neck. Altogether, we simply relax deeply. :)

Mindful journal: We set the intention to practise Right Speech and follow principles through which our words can be genuinely useful and constructive. Let Right Speech become a gateway to mindfulness. Write down moments when you clearly see that your words did not respect yourself or another person, then replay the situation inwardly in a way that expresses Right Speech more fully.

30 MIN

DAY 21 – INTEGRATION

During the final week of the cycle, we integrate all the areas explored from week to week. We now express movement through the whole body. The wave of breath carries movement across the groins, pelvis, abdomen, ribs, diaphragm, chest and throat. I describe this so that you can direct attention along that pathway and feel how everything is connected beneath the skin and participates in movement. We seek to perform the movement so that each part contributes equally. 

The principal qualities of antistress yoga are rhythm, repetition and familiarity. Today, we immerse ourselves in known pulses and directions of movement. This is another class that is different each time yet already familiar, so begin without thinking and remain in the body with every movement. 

Mindful journal: Immerse yourself in the whole and in the view that everything is integrated. See what appears separate or more strongly emphasised within the context of the whole. No segment exists outside context; everything is interrelated with everything else, both in the body and in life. You cannot cut out what you dislike as though it were a tumour, because it is part of a relationship, and the cause itself lies in relationship. How does this change of perspective affect your attitude towards challenges?

30 MIN

DAY 22 – AWARENESS WITHIN THE WHOLE

Today we begin standing and awaken a sense of the body as a whole. Gentle movement connected with breath gradually awakens and integrates us, bringing the body into wholeness and our attention into the body. Standing, we continue with several hip-opening squats and, through Prasarita Padottanasana, move into a position with one knee on the floor, from a Kapyasana base, where we continue mobilising the hips. 

The class moves further down to the floor for Pigeon. We relax here and attend to the balance between how much the body can soften and the tension that remains, without forcing it. :)

We also practise Baddha Konasana, breathing calmly and carrying a long breath through the body.

Mindful journal: Just as we can feel the body as whole and integrated, knowing that every part equally affects and builds the whole, we can feel ourselves included and connected within the whole of our surroundings. Consider: yes, this is true. Then relax into that truth and allow yourself to feel that we are always within the matrix of Prana. What does this mean to you?

30 MIN

DAY 23 – HEART STRENGTH

We establish coherence in the rhythm of the breath, which creates energetic resonance throughout the body. We find a rhythm that feels comfortable and naturally flows without effort. 

Through breath and attention, we awaken the juiciness of life. It is present not only when we are happy, but as support and capacity for everything in life. 

With this encouragement, we immerse ourselves in movement. Today, we modify the movements by keeping the knee lifted while pulsing the hips, creating an even longer front line to stretch. We lower the pelvis gradually so that we can feel every detail and lengthen this plane evenly.

We also practise a set of asanas that integrate the body as a whole and stretch in every direction. The class is slightly longer because we relax in two reclining twists at the end. :)

Mindful journal: How does this idea sound: it is possible, and actually desirable, to choose consciously the medium in which our states marinate, whether they are emotions, thoughts, sensations, relationships or problems. What if the capacity characterised by presence, non-judgement and love can genuinely be broader than what you are experiencing? Can you write or draw your state within the context of this rich Pranic love and joy? How can we remain with difficulty without fighting, running away or freezing?

30 MIN

DAY 24 – FROM RIGHT INTENTIONS

We use the final dynamic class of the challenge to integrate once more. Tomorrow, we naturally complete everything with a Mindful Slow Flow class.

We connect first through standing sways, entering the ease of rhythmic movement, allowing and surrendering, and then through familiar movements and pulses. We unite our attention so that the entire body feels connected as one, filled throughout with the vital energy of Prana. This is not only a question of what we eat and drink, but more importantly of how the whole system allows flow. Under stress and trauma, the system closes and vitality cannot move as freely. This differs from being RESILIENT , resistant to stress and comfortably fluid.

We pulse the knee away from and towards the floor, circle, immerse ourselves within and remain in several asanas. At the end, we relax on the floor.

Mindful journal: Can you live from the heart and, without expecting a result, offer your best in every situation and moment from the most honest intentions you can recognise? When you look back, you will not regret what has happened because you can say that you did the best you knew and were able to do. Can you set an intention to approach everything this way?

30 MIN – MINDFUL SLOW FLOW

DAY 25 – SPIRITUAL CAPACITY

We sit and gradually enter meditation. We feel the directions of the breath, then deepen and balance them and carry them evenly through the body. We allow the breath to become the most present element in our current experience, so that nothing else is as important, and let everything else go. We continue deepening the directions of the breath, making them ever more relaxed and yet clearer.

We apply this perspective to the movement of breath within the body: the body now expands into space with the inhalation and gathers towards its centre with the exhalation. The entire body breathes.

Prepared in this way, we dissolve into a forward bend and continue sinking. We move through several Cat-Cow waves and pulses, integrating the body as a whole and remembering to act without expectation or force. From the sincere heart, we express every movement, not because we need to achieve something through it, but because expression is our nature: to give our best, find meaning in joy, feel ourselves completely and be here…

Mindful journal: Breadth, peace, presence, openness and spaciousness create a capacity through which we see what is happening and experience with breadth what narrows our attention. Place the issue you chose at the beginning of the challenge within this capacity. You can draw it too: place your challenge within the “landscape of this experience”, supported by the breadth of love. Imagine the Buddha holding your pain with you.