Volcano

YOGA DETOX

A volcano represents the great force of a large amount of energy that must reach the surface. This is the nature of balance: when pressure becomes too high in one place, it has to equalise. The body seeks balance through natural cleansing functions such as vomiting, burping and hiccups, and we can support it through yogic kriyas or inner actions. The six fundamentalyoga kriyas are: Neti , cleansing the nasal cavity; Dhauti , cleansing the digestive tract from the mouth to the stomach; Nauli , abdominal massage; Basti , cleansing the lower digestive tract with an enema; Kapalabhati , yogic breathing that cleanses the nose, sinuses and lungs; Trataka , cleansing the eyes and improving focus. These techniques are specific and are practised under supervision, but understanding their principles allows us to use movements that support the body’s cleansing processes. By awakening the body’s cleansing processes, we awaken liveliness and vitality.

Yogic techniques awaken our inner strength and warmth. We strengthen the centre and cultivate a sense of the body as a safe place for the fire that burns away what is old and unnecessary. We practise asanas that awaken strength and bring dynamism, as well as those that raise body temperature, support cleansing and improve circulation. We move through dynamic yoga kriyas and pranayamas: yoga for detoxification and stimulating the body’s cleansing and anti-inflammatory processes. Dynamic movement and strength awaken the volcano of our system, clearing away what has accumulated.

Mindful journal: connect with anger and its healthy aspect. Direct the energy of anger, take conscious control and reduce reactivity.

Yoga therapy for:

• stimulating digestion and metabolism
• better circulation
• detoxification and cleansing of the organs
• awakening the abdomen
• flow within the body
• emotional release
• abdominal massage
• overcoming lethargy

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

VOLCANO

We talk briefly about the ways the body cleanses itself, naturally expelling what is unnecessary and toxic, and about yogic techniques that can support it. Health is flow. This is a central idea because becoming ill or experiencing stress is not the only issue; the question is how quickly and comfortably we return to balance. 

A system with a healthy exchange also knows how to hold a boundary and say a healthy NO. We discuss the six main yoga kriyas which I mention briefly to give an impression of cleansing the system. We do not practise these kriyas in their classical form, but throughout the month we follow their principles of flow and vitality through the digestive tract, from the mouth to the pelvic floor, together with abdominal massage and active breathing through Kapalabhati and Simha Mudra. 

In the practice, we introduce several movement principles that we will develop during the month. We rotate around the waist and practise potent Cat-Cow movements through which breath and motion help unblock the whole system. We mobilise and strengthen the low region of the hips and abdomen.

Mindful journal: What is the difference between control arising from fear and aversion, and openness with clarity and determination arising from love? Explore what motivates you when you set a boundary and when you feel aversion towards something or someone.

40 MIN

1. A CIRCLE BENEATH THE RIBS

Today’s class is dedicated to massaging the area beneath the ribs through movement and, naturally, through breath.

From the beginning, we introduce circles through the ribs and ribcage, opening and closing the space beneath them to create a massage. The upper digestive organs live here, and they enjoy warmth and the awakening of digestive juices. The body warms thoroughly even though we do not jump or exert ourselves too much, though we do practise a few squats. :)

We move through sun salutations with an added pulse of knee to opposite elbow, again creating an alternating shortened and lengthened space through the abdomen and beneath the ribs.

In several asanas, we repeat these circles and keep attention on the area as it opens with the inhalation and closes with the exhalation. Dive gently within and take time to feel a very specific part of the body through a precise movement. 

May we move towards health and healthy flow, quickly recognising what has arrived, taking what we need and discarding what we do not.

Mindful journal: The stomach is the first organ to transform what we take in, whether food or information. Consider the healthy agility of this organ and what it means for it to transform quickly and efficiently. As the first line of defence, may it know: the system needs this, so it can continue; it does not need that, so NO, thank you.   

40 MIN

2. LIGHT

We recall the introductory workshop and the areas addressed by the fundamental yogic kriyas : cleansing the sinuses, eyes, nose, mouth, throat, upper and lower digestive tract and abdomen, in short, the body’s principal vital areas. With the intention to clear what is old and unnecessary and bring light along this pathway, we move in waves and with momentum. We awaken a spontaneous and lively energy: the arms and legs create momentum that breath carries through the torso and the whole body. 

At the beginning, we attend to a clear, potent breath and practise several rounds of Kapalabhati kriya pranayama. 

We move through pulsating sun salutations, several asanas with the same wave-like movements and others in which we become still. We mobilise the hips and relax in Pigeon, where you can place a blanket or cushion beneath the hip, as demonstrated.

At the end, we rock gently on the floor in Happy Baby and pour ourselves into Shavasana.

Mindful journal: Set an intention: may I feel how the body moves towards the flow of health, and may I awaken gratitude for these practices that maintain balance. May I be grateful for movement that heals.

MINDFUL SLOW FLOW CLASS – 40 MIN

3. CLARITY

A moving meditation and contemplation of an important principle: knowing through the body. We begin with a meditation that introduces clarity. Clarity does not have to mean recognising exactly what is here; it can mean simply knowing that it is here. How does the body feel at this moment? This is an awareness that knows clearly through bodily understanding. Breath is often an anchor for meditation precisely because its movement is familiar to us.

Clarity also means recognising what is useful and what we wish to take into the body, whether food and drink, information or emotion, and what is not useful. The yogic path invites us to take responsibility and choose, to know yes and no. We can naturally decide rationally what we want to consume, but we also need to listen energetically and respect the body: the gut feeling that sends a direct and clear impulse of yes or no. 

Mindful journal: May I awaken the clarity to honour what I genuinely feel through the body and know whether something is healthy for me without trying to convince myself. May I respect bodily aversion. May I hold a healthy no within and respond in the most appropriate way without harming myself or another. Write clearly about how you can hold a healthy NO in your own example.

40 MIN

4. AROUND THE WAIST

Today we find a pathway around the waist, first tracing it with the hands and later through rotations. We warm up with several sun salutations that include knee-to-opposite-elbow pulsations, followed by Sun Salutation B with a rise into Warrior I. We already introduce the pulsation around the waist here. We then hold several poses: Warrior I with a twist and Revolved Triangle, where we remain longer to feel, breathe and stretch in every direction. 

We repeat a similar position with one knee on the floor, then move through seated rotations and finally dynamic and restorative reclining twists. 

Everything flows from one movement into the next, so simply surrender to the class. :)

Mindful journal: May I enter every situation with openness and presence so that I feel clearly what is happening. May clear intentions be my shield, because I know what to open to and what to keep outside. Ask yourself: why do I remain closed in particular situations, and when am I afraid of openness? Will knowing that I can choose and hold a healthy NO help me live openly?

40 MIN

5. ABDOMINAL MOVEMENT

As we breathe, the abdomen moves. We join our focus with this movement and then deepen and lengthen it. Breath and abdominal movement become one clear action. We strengthen the exhalation by contracting the abdominal muscles and emphasise the inhalation by lengthening the front of the body.

With this focus, we continue into practice, warming up, moving through sun salutations and several poses. Attention remains on abdominal movement as it travels energetically through the body together with the breath, specifically through the belly.

The class contains dynamic aspects that raise the temperature, followed by movements that calm and lower the energy.

Mindful journal:  May I bring openness into my future, feel the body and remain present. 

MINDFUL SLOW FLOW CLASS – 40 MIN

6. CALM EARTH

We begin with a breath that relaxes the nervous system and resets stress: a three-count inhalation and a five-count exhalation through lips shaped like a straw, so the current of air is clearly felt. This breath returns attention to the body and lowers us towards the earth.

We create waves and enjoy slow, comfortable movements, mobilising the spine while remembering that we are in no hurry and are simply here.

We also practise Rabbit, a kneeling pose that massages the crown of the head, an area rich in nerve endings and one of the body’s most sensitive parts. Through the crown, we release everything unnecessary into the ground and allow the calm earth beneath us to receive our tension.

Little by little, through comfortable movement and breath, grounding poses and several pulsating positions, we relax more and more until we sink into Shavasana. 

Enjoy the class. May all stress and tension relax and descend into the earth, leaving us free and light.

Mindful journal: May we respect bodily energy without imposing what we think should be or what we have learned. The health and joy of life are found in openness and flow, not control. Through the structure we offer the body in these practices, may we learn to listen to it and honour things as they are rather than needing to change them immediately.

40 MIN

7. A FLAME FROM THE HIPS

Focusing on breath and its fullness in the body, we practise Kapalabhati pranayama to kindle light within. We begin by mobilising the hips from side to side, an exercise you will remember from the introductory workshop. We then move through sun salutations for a thorough warm-up, followed by several asana sequences from a Warrior II base. Finally, we connect the mobile squat with a twist.

The class develops hip mobility and strength, focusing on pelvic-floor power connected with abdominal strength. I hope you feel healthy mobility and an inner flame, then sink into complete relaxation in Shavasana.

Deep within, nature is already playing its part, and my role is to support it. Then I am on the right path for my mind, heart and thoughts. This is why openness matters: struggle cannot achieve everything. We take an attitude of humility, gratitude and love. When we do the best we can, everything will arrive as it should. 

Mindful journal: What does it mean to let everything unfold naturally? Can you allow life to move in its natural way and see that where something appears wrong, there may simply be another perspective? How deeply can you surrender to nature with trust? May the natural flow show me what is opening.

40 MIN

8. JUICY FLOW

The idea is to mobilise anything that may have become stagnant or hardened in the abdomen. This is not only muscular contraction but also the quality of the ligaments that hold the organs and of fascia that can become rigid. It is naturally a chemical state of the abdomen, but movement, breath and what we consume all influence it. This is our focus for the month.

We begin with a gentle warm-up and introduce dynamic rotations in which the hands dance around the waist and belly, showing attention where to settle while awakening the organs and spine. These dynamic rotations are today’s theme, so we repeat them from other bases: in Utkatasana, Warrior I and Kapiasana. We combine twists with forward folds throughout the class to encourage the feeling of juicy flow. :)

Practise these dynamic movements at your own rhythm. A dynamic exhalation during rotation also helps clear the airways, so keep a tissue nearby if your nose begins to run.

Mindful journal:  Which emotion, state or relationship causes discomfort or makes your insides close and contract? Answer without judgement. Write as though a friend had told you what troubled them and simply become aware.

40 MIN

9. EXPRESS YOURSELF

Today’s class has three parts. First, we practise face yoga for the lower facial muscles, specifically the jaw, lips and tongue. We mobilise the jaw with circles and strengthen it through pressing and resistance. We shape the lips as for a kiss and play with moving them in different directions. We then move the tongue up and down and from side to side, finishing with Simha Mudra , the Lion.

In the second third, we practise dynamic pulsations that build on the Cat-Cow movement. The hips move energetically in Kapiasana, Low Lunge, High Lunge and Warrior I bases. We breathe actively and move the breath together with the body.

The third part brings us to the floor to work with the hips, relaxing with the tension and intensity that arise as they open. 

The intention of the class is to encourage ease of expression.

Mindful journal: May I express my truth and what I genuinely feel with ease. What can you not express? Is there a relationship or situation in which you do not say or show what is within you? When does this happen, and how do you feel?

40 MIN

10. EVERYTHING YOU NEED

We remember that perfect conditions are not necessary for practice. Moving for a short time, often, is far more valuable than practising once in a blue moon under perfect circumstances.

The first exercises form a short routine you can repeat more often during everyday activities: simply a few squats from a wide base. :)

Afterwards, we practise several more dynamic movements and positions explored during the month. 

We keep the breath dense and deep. The movements build upon one another so the breath truly occupies the body, emptying us on the exhalation and filling us on the inhalation. This exchange, especially in the parts of the body that open or work, is the secret of flow and awakened bodily energy.

Naturally, in the second part, once the breath is circulating well, we come down to remain in several floor poses and continue this subtle, hidden work.

Mindful journal: May I express my truth and what I genuinely feel with ease. What can you not express? Is there a relationship or situation in which you do not say or show what is within you? When does it happen, and what do you feel?

A healthy NO is an energetic response of the body. The feeling of the body saying NO can appear as discomfort in the abdomen, arriving before thought and understanding. If we ignore this honest impulse, we may begin convincing ourselves otherwise, move away from our truth and waver in holding a clear no.