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Yoga Booklet by Carolyn Relei E-RYT 500, RYT-500, Registered Yoga Teacher
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Yoga Booklet by Carolyn Relei E-RYT 500, RYT-500, Registered Yoga Teacher
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Yoga Handbook by Carolyn Relei
A Supplement to Personal Instruction Note: this booklet is protected by all copyright laws. You may print one copy for your own personal use. To share with others, please link to this page. An Introduction This handbook for beginning students will introduce you to some of the postures and practices that are included in the realm of yoga. Yoga works to bring together the physical, mental, and spiritual components of our human life, through the physical postures (asanas), control of the breath (pranayama), the practice of cleanliness (kriyas) and meditation (raja yoga). Hatha Yoga is one of the oldest continuing systems of physical and mental culture in the world. It originated in India, where its practice has been passed from teacher to student for thousands of years. Practice of Hatha Yoga is said to result in a toning and developing of the whole body and in delaying of old age, resulting in the extension of the creative part of life. Through its beneficial influence on the glandular system, the body and emotions are brought into harmonious balance. Through the practice of the mental and relaxation techniques, the mind and spirit can be developed Hatha Yoga is a sane and natural means of improving and retaining a healthy appearance and an enjoyment of life. Indeed, cheerfulness and contentment are components of yoga practice. Many aspects of life are guided or regulated by the tenets of yoga. In addition to a daily practice of asanas, the yoga practitioner is advised on sleep, diet and hygiene according to the ancient injunctions of this discipline. The following suggestions on basic "caretaking" of the body are part of this ancient art. Sleep Adequate and restful sleep is important. Many yoga practitioners feel that the most refreshing sleep is that which begins before midnight and the most refreshing sleep of all begins before 10 PM. A good practice to follow is to go to bed every night at least before midnight, and, a couple of nights a week, go to bed before 10 PM. If tension troubles you after you lie down, try a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing. Also, you may try (mentally) talking yourself through savasana until you fall asleep. You may find that if you include a short yoga practice, including a few complete breaths, before you go to bed, you will be relaxed enough to effortlessly fall asleep. When your room is well ventilated, your body will get more refreshment from sleep, because, after developing the habit of yogic breathing techniques, you will automatically breathe deeply when asleep. Upon awakening, spend a few moments gently stretching before jumping out of bed. Stretch and point your toes, arch your back. Then get out of bed carefully. After you have emptied your bladder and/or your bowels, wash your hands and face with water and scrape your tongue with an inverted spoon or a special tongue cleansing tool. Performing neti kriya (salt water wash of the inner nostrils) will help you to expel mucus and dirt from the nasal passages. Now you are ready for a morning yoga routine. Some people are troubled with awakening at 3 or 4 in the morning and cannot get back to sleep. Take heart if this is you. The hours before dawn are a special time for yogis. The predawn hours are called the Brahma muhurti hour(s), and it period of time that is considered to be the best for meditation as well as asana practice. If you plan ahead and place a mat and blanket somewhere in your home apart from your sleeping family, when you awaken in the predawn hours, you can go straight to the prepared area and do some gentle yoga, followed by savasana pose, ending with seated meditation. Dietary Suggestions The suggested diet for yoga practitioners is a diet of fresh foods, uncontaminated by pesticides, preservatives, and other additives, and prepared in as close to a natural state as possible. Yoga tradition holds that foods can be divided into three categories: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Each category is thought to foster a different mental state. Sattvic foods are thought to raise consciousness and encourage calmness. Rajasic foods are said to be stimulating, while tamasic foods are reputed to contribute to sloth, laziness and self-destruction. Sattvic foods include grains, nuts, beans, seeds, honey, oil, milk and un-aged cheese. Rajasic foods include meat, eggs and spices. Tamasic foods are foods that are aged or spoiled. As you become regular in yoga practice, you may notice that you may become more and more attracted to the sattvic foods. This is a natural outcome of Hatha Yoga practice. Hygiene A daily bath or shower is a recommended part of yoga hygiene. Cleaning the teeth in the morning, after meals and before bedtime is also recommended. Tongue scraping, with a spoon or special tool (available online or at many natural food stores), is a way of removing wastes that have accumulated on the tongue overnight. Neti kriya is the cleansing of the nasal passages. There are special neti pots (they look like a teapot) that are used just for this technique. Saline (salt) water is poured through from one nostril to the other. The technique is cleansing and healing. Sometimes, in dry climates, the inside of the nose becomes dry, irritated, and flaky. To deal with this, put a bit of sesame oil on your pinkie or on a cotton swab and wipe the oil inside the nostril. The oil will alleviate the dryness and allow the flakiness to heal. Mental Hygiene Mental hygiene is achieved through the practice of mental relaxation and formal meditation techniques. These techniques, with regular practice, will gradually cleanse the mind of hatred, envy, jealousy, bitterness and anger. This "cleansing" is the result of the new habits of mind that are built by the practice of the yamas and niyamas, the restraints and observances of aspiring yogis. Hatha Yoga The Sanskrit work for physical posture is asana. Hatha refers to sun-moon while the word Yoga refers to yoking or joining, so a short definition of Hatha Yoga is: the union and balancing of opposites within the Self. This is accomplished in yoga by faithfully following the yoga program of cleansing, stretching, breathing, and mental techniques. Within weeks or months, growth and progress in yoga will become apparent. There are hundreds of yoga postures, categorized as forward bending, backward bending, inverting, twisting, and balancing. A complete yoga session (or program) consists of some postures from each category. When a daily practice of postures from each category is not possible, you may plan your yoga sessions so that you do postures from each category on alternating days. Use a yoga mat and/or a blanket dedicated to your practice. By using the same mat or blanket daily, you will reinforce the habits you are developing. Never strain beyond the threshold of pain. Gently stretching to your limit each day will result in increased flexibility over time. Patience is important and, indeed, is one of the observances of yoga. By patiently developing flexibility in asana, you will be avoiding injuries, and insuring that you will continue to enjoy your yoga practice. At the beginning of your practice, warm up with spine rolls, spine wiggles and side rolls. Do each posture slowly and deliberately, and when you have stretched to your limit, hold the posture and do not fidget or bounce around. Yoga gains its power by stillness.
Description of Some Basic Asanas
Trikonasana (triangle pose) From a standing position, spread the feet about three and one half feet apart. Raise the arms up at the sides, until they are parallel to the floor. Turn the right foot to the right, ninety degrees. Then turn the left foot slightly to the right. (If a straight line were drawn through the right foot from toe to heel, it would intersect the left foot through the arch). Exhale and bend toward the right leg, making sure that the bending action comes from the hip joint and not from the spine. Bring the right hand toward the right ankle. If the hip joint is flexible enough, the right hand may be placed on the floor behind the right leg. Keep the left arm stretched and opposite the right arm at all times. Turn the head to look up at the outstretched hand. Hold the pose for thirty seconds or more with awareness of your breathing. Then reverse the pose. Balancing Poses Stand with your arms at your sides, feet slightly apart. Bend your right knee, lift your foot off of the floor and stand, keeping your body erect and balancing on the left foot. Hold the pose for a minute, then repeat with the opposite leg. There are many variations of one-legged balancing poses. When this simple variation becomes easy for you, move on to the next level of difficulty, which includes standing on the right foot, bending the left leg at an acute angle, crossing the left foot over the thigh, resting it as high as possible near the very top of the right thigh. Repeat on the opposite side. Further work on balancing includes stretching both arms overhead, slightly bending the supporting leg at the knee and carefully bending forward at the hips to touch the floor with the hands. Balancing poses strengthen the small muscles of the legs. Adeptness at balancing helps to ensure balance while walking or doing any physical exercise, helping to prevent falls. Paschimothanasana (forward bending pose) In as seated pose with legs extended, stretch your arms over your head, and stretch your back upward as well. Slowly bend forward, from the hips. When you reach the limit of your forward stretch, move your hands to rest on your legs, and hold the position. When you hold a position, at first, when you are a beginner, you will stay in a pose for only a short time. You can count the time you spend in a pose in various ways. You may mentally count, using a yoga sound combined with numbers, such as OM one, OM two, and so forth, or may count your breaths and hold a pose for one, two or more breaths. Holding most poses for a minute or more will give you the most benefits of yoga practice. But at first, 10, 15, or 30 seconds is fine. Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose) This pose is similar to the forward bending pose. The difference is with the legs. In Janu Sirsasana, one leg is bent at the knee and the foot is placed against the opposite leg. Once you have placed your foot to the other leg, arrange yourself so that your sitting bones are in contact with the mat, then fold your upper body forward, slowly, until you have reached the limit of your stretch. Place your hands on the outstretched leg. Press back of your extended leg to the floor, so the back of the knee is more in contact with the mat. Breath deeply and consciously and hold the pose. Then raise your head, following with the your upper body, then release the hands and sit up fully. Reverse your legs and practice the posture on the other. This pose has many variations, some with distinct names. When you are more flexible, you can place the foot of the bent knee on the thigh of the extended leg, the sole of the foot faces up. Although this variation requires extra flexibility, it is worth doing for two reasons. One reason is that with the foot on the top of the leg, the knee is kept from popping up, so the stretch on the hamstring is more intense and hastens increased flexibility. The other reason is that, in this pose, when you bend forward, the foot is also pressing against your abdomen, giving your internal organs a bit of a pressure massage. Bhujangasana (cobra pose) The cobra pose stretches the spine backwards and is considered to be an invigorating pose. Lie face down, stretching your legs straight behind you and rest your head on your forehead, placing the palms of the hands on the floor next to your shoulders. Take a couple of breaths, then inhale, tighten the buttocks, and raising your head, neck and shoulders away from the mat, rolling upwards, vertebra by vertebra. If holding the pose for ten or twenty seconds, just hold your breath and exhale on the downward movement, coming out of the pose vertebra by vertebra. If you are holding the pose longer, you will breathe "behind the stretch", with long conscious breathing, at the top of the cobra pose and then exhale on the way down. Salabhasana (locust pose) Lie face down on the floor, legs stretched back straight behind you. Make a fist with each hand and place your hands under your body, with the backs of your hands on the mat. Your arms need to be quite straight and angled toward your groin. This position of the arms and hands provides a strong base for the rest of the pose. Rest your chin on the floor, exhale, and then inhale and lift your legs and pelvis off the floor. Hold the pose and, before your next breath, exhale, bringing the legs straight down. Dhanurasana (bow pose) Lie face down on the floor, legs stretched back straight. Bending your knees, bring your feet toward your buttocks. Grasp your feet or ankles with your hands. Exhale, then inhale as you lift the legs, head and chest off the floor. When the maximum stretch as been reached, the body will look like a bent bow and the arms will resemble the bowstring. Hold the pose and, before your next breath, return to the starting position. When you are more proficient at the pose you can hold the pose longer. At that point, you can hold the pose and breathe deeply before exhaling and bringing your body to the starting position. Salamba Sirsasana (headstand) Kneel on the floor. Rest the forearms on the floor and completely interlock the fingers. Form an equilateral triangle on the mat with the arms and clasped hands forming the apex of the triangle and the space between the elbows forming the base. Place your head so that the crown of the head is on the floor and the back of the head is against the cupped area of the hands. Now "walk forward" with your feet until your feet are close to your face. At this point it will be possible to bend the knees and almost effortlessly swing up into the headstand. When will you be ready to try this pose? You will be ready to try the headstand when you have achieved flexibility in the forward bending poses, strength in the standing poses and balance with the balancing poses. When you are ready to try the headstand, have an experienced partner or your teacher "spot" you, so you won't fall down. Alternatively, you can get into the preparatory position in a corner, positioning yourself about 10 inches or more from the corner. This way, when you ease up into the headstand, you will have both walls of the corner in which to center your balance by gently touching the walls with your feet until you are fully balanced. Ardha Matsyendrasana variation (half spinal twist, beginner's version) Sit on the floor with both legs stretched out straight in front. Bend the right knee, gently moving the bent right leg along the floor, so that your foot touches the inner left thigh. Now, gently bend the left knee, holding your left ankle with both hands, gently cross the left leg over the right, placing the left foot next to the outside of your right leg, just between the thigh and knee. Now your lower body is "locked" into place. This is the starting position for the half spinal twist. Now stretch upward so that your spine, neck and head is erect. Then place your right hand against the outside of your left knee. Place your left hand on the floor, near your left hip as you gently twist your body, neck and head to the left. At your maximum stretch, hold the pose, breathing deeply for a few moments. Coming out of the pose, sit erect, centering the spine, neck and head, then repeat on the other side. The Reverse Pose and the Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) Reverse Pose: Lying flat on the floor, legs extended and arms at the sides palms down, exhale, flex the knees, bringing them toward the chest, after a couple of breaths, raise the hips from the floor, supporting your hips with your hands. lifting legs, buttocks and back, and supporting your upright lower body with your hands, your thumbs and fingers opposed, circling just below the hip bones. In the Reverse Pose your back is not perpendicular to the floor, you are supporting your hips with your hands, and there is little pressure on your neck. Although your back is at a diagonal angle to the floor, you can straighten your legs, so the legs are perpendicular to the floor. This posture is reputed to be very beneficial for women, because of its effect on the organs within the pelvis. Shoulderstand: We arrive at the Shoulderstand in much the same way, but the difference is that the final pose of the Shoulderstand is straight - the body from the neck to the feet is a straight perpendicular line. The benefits of the Shoulderstand include deep relaxation, increased blood flow to the brain and face, the reverse of gravity's effect on the internal organs. However, for many people, the strain and pressure on the small bones of the neck severely limit the enjoyment of this pose. For this reason, a modification of the Shoulderstand is suggested. Fold a large firm blanket into a rectangle large enough to support the width of your shoulders and the length of your body from neck to waist. Place this folded blanket carefully under your back and shoulders, so that the blanket ends exactly at shoulder level Your head and neck should not be on the blanket. Now raise yourself into the Shoulderstand as described above. The use of the blanket as a prop creates a different angle at the junction of the neck and shoulders, eliminating most, if not all, of the pressure, yet keeping all of the benefits of the shoulder stand. Halasana (plough pose) A natural finish to the shoulder stand is the Plough Pose From the shoulder stand, bend from the hips and lower the feet to the floor behind the head. Straighten your legs and stretch your arms onto the floor by taking your hands from your hips and placing the palms on the floor. Hold the pose for a half minute at first, gradually increasing your time, if you wish. This pose can be extremely relaxing and if you practice it before bedtime, it can help you to achieve a more restful sleep. When you come out of the plough, bend your knees and, at the same time, lift your chin and press the back of your head into the mat. Unroll the spine, slowly coming out of the pose. While you are unrolling the spine, gradually straighten your legs, until your buttocks are on the floor and your legs are perpendicular to the floor. Then place your hands under the buttocks, palms down, and lower the legs slowly and with control to the floor. Placing the hands under the buttocks while lowering the legs helps to prevent strain on the lower back. Raising the chin and keeping the back of the head on the mat while you unroll the spine helps to prevent strain on the neck. Matsyasana (Fish Pose) The fish pose is the counter pose to the previous poses, so should follow the Shoulderstand or Plough. Lying flat on your back with the legs stretched out straight on the floor, ankles touching, place the hands under the buttocks, then raise your chest and neck from the floor, keeping the crown of the head near or touching the floor. Bring the shoulder blades toward each other and hold the pose two or three minutes with normal breathing. There are other variations of this pose. The "complete" or advanced form of this pose requires full flexibility in the full lotus position, as the legs are engaged in the full lotus pose while the back is arched into the raised chest position that characterizes all the variations of this pose. This pose of relaxation follows all yoga sessions, ideally for at least 10 minutes. Lie on your back, on the mat, feet slightly apart, arms at your sides, hands palms up. Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breath, aware of the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. After a few moments of conscious awareness of the breath, bring your attention to each part of you body in turn, starting with the feet, mentally saying "I am relaxing my_______________________, my ____________________, (is) (are) relaxing, my ______________ (is) (are) relaxing". Name the feet, soles of the feet, the ankles, the lower legs, the knees, the upper legs, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, lower back, middle back, upper back, neck, head, including mouth tongue, cheeks, nose, eyes, forehead, scalp, and ears. After completing the suggestions, go back, with your awareness, to any parts of the body that are retaining tension, and consciously release that tension. Then visualize yourself as heavier than lead, sinking into the floor, then as lighter than clouds, floating carefree above the earth. Suggest to yourself that you will remain this way, full of light and joyous energy for several minutes, and that when you complete the corpse pose, you will be energized, alert, and ready to resume your conscious life with vigor and enthusiasm. When your are ready to resume your normal waking consciousness, you may tense your face, hands, and feet, then release the tension a few times. Next roll to your side and rest a little while on your side before getting up. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salute) a twelve position sequence 1. Stand at the top of your mat, arms at your side feet parallel and about 2-4 inches apart. Bring your hands together in the namaste (greeting) position, that is, palms together as in a prayer, centered at the level of your chest. 2. Bring your arms up over your head, palms facing one another, shoulder width apart and open the chest, leaning your upper body back, following the sweep of your arms. 3. Bend your knees slightly for support while you bend forward, arms sweeping before you, until you are standing with your body folded, hands on or close to your mat. 4. Place your hands firmly on the mat with your fingers spread for support and facing forward while you bring the right leg all the way behind you, stretched out with the knee and foot on the mat. 5. Lift off the mat with the right leg, supporting yourself with your hands, and bringing the left leg back so that both feet are on the mat, but not your knees or belly or chest. 6. Now, drop your body into the next part of the sequence, placing the knees, chest, and chin on the mat. Your feet and hands are still on the mat, but your belly is not. 7. Now, drop the belly as you lift your chest and head into a cobra pose. 8. From cobra, push your hands and feet into the mat while you lift your mid-body off the mat, achieving the downward dog pose. 9. Now, bring your right foot between your hands, you are in lunge pose that is a mirror image of the first lunge (#4). 10. Now bring your left foot forward to enter into a standing forward fold pose, just like #3. 11. Now sweep up the arms, head and upper body as you inhale, sweeping your arms and upper body backwards. 12. Return your hands to your sides. Typically the Surya Namaskar is repeated several times, sometimes variations are added, and the sequence includes other postures such as the triangle, upward dog, standing twists, etc. It will be beneficial to memorize this sequence, as written, and practice it faithfully. When you are no longer challenged by it, add some of the variations to this flowing pose. Uddiyana Bandha (stomach lift) This exercise, which strengthens and massages the abdomen, should be performed when the stomach is empty, preferably in the morning before breakfast. Stand erect and place the feet about one foot apart with the toes pointing straight ahead. Exhale completely, stoop over, bending the knees and place the palms of the hands on your thighs. Hold your breath out, press your chin into the notch at the base of the throat and contract the muscles of the entire abdominal region, pulling them upward and inward. Then, straighten the legs and place the hands on the hips without inhaling or loosening the contraction or taking the chin up. Then soften the abdomen and inhale, without lifting the chin, until inhalation has been completed. Repeat three to six times. Yoga Breathing The breathing exercises, known as pranayama, enable the practitioner to gather a great supply of nerve energy. Yogic wisdom teaches that this nerve energy, also called prana or life force, exists in and around all the material manifestations, that the abundance of prana promotes energy and good health while the lack of prana leads to debility and sickness. Breathing exercises help to steady the mind. The breathing practices go hand in hand with the mental concentration and relaxation techniques. You may sit cross-legged or in a chair, with an erect spine, neck and head. Sit in one of the cross-legged postures or firmly on a chair. Exhale and inhale slowly through the nostrils. Allow the area from the navel to the bottom of the ribs to fill with air by relaxing the muscles in that area. Keep the area below the navel firm. Allow the solar plexus area to fill, without purposely protruding the belly outwards. Then expand the lower ribs sideways, backwards and forwards. Then let the breath rise to fill the upper chest as the upper ribs expand sideways, backwards and forwards. The breath is complete at this point. The collarbones do not rise upwards, but are the upper stopping point of the breath. Exhalation is the opposite of inhalation. First the upper ribs are allowed to relax, then the lower ribs, and finally the diaphragm area is contracted. Nadi Sodhana (alternate nostril breathing) Alternate nostril breathing cleanses and soothes the nerves to prepare the mind and body for the relaxation-concentration techniques. Sit upright and fold the first and second fingers of the right hand toward the hollow of the palm. Leave the third finger, little finger and thumb extended. The tips of the little finger and the third finger rest on the left nostril, just below the nose bone. The tip of the thumb rests on the right nostril just below the nose bone. Exhale and bend the head forward so that the chin rests against the notch at the base of the throat. Then inhale through the right nostril only, by blocking the left nostril with the little and third fingers. Make the inhalation steady and complete, not hurried. Repeat for a period of time, five to ten minutes, alternating nostrils, ending with inhalation through the right nostril. Follow with relaxation in the corpse or with a relaxation/concentration technique. Kapalabhati (cleansing breath) This breath is practiced to cleanse the sinuses and all the air passages in the head. Sit in one of the cross-legged positions or firmly on a chair. Inhale, softening and filling the entire abdominal area from the pubis to the bottom of the lower ribs. Do not allow the inhalation to expand upwards into the chest area. Exhale forcefully through the nose by contracting the abdominal muscles. Inhale, passively and slowly, moving only the abdominal area. Exhale forcefully again, inhale slowly, and repeat the sequence of the cleansing breath with a steady rhythm. Do ten or more repetitions at a time. Each set of ten or more repetitions constitutes one round After each round, do one or more complete breaths. Continue until the first signs of fatigue appear. Follow with the corpse pose or a meditation technique.
Relaxation-Concentration Techniques The mind has been likened to the ocean. The thoughts are likened to the restless waves. Beneath the surface of the waves lie the vast depths of the ocean, full of myriad creatures, plants, and currents. Likewise, beneath the surface of the mind-thoughts lies the unexplored vastness of the human mind. With relaxation-concentration techniques we learn to still the thought-waves of the mind. Thus, we are able to become aware of that which has been previously hidden by the restless waves of our thoughts. whereas, once we identified ourselves with our thoughts, we now, by stilling the mind, begin to see the richness and vastness of the realm of the mind. Candle Concentration Sit in a comfortable position in a dark, draft-free room. Place a candle, with the flame at eye level, in front of you. Gaze fixedly at the candle flame with your attention centered on it for three minutes. Then cup your hands over your opened eyes. In the darkness of your cupped hands you will see the after-image of the flame. Hold this after-image steady in the center of your vision for three minutes. At first, the after-image will dart around. Eventually, you will be able to keep the after-image fixed on one point. With this technique, you are training your mind not to wander, to obey you, and to hold itself on one point. Concentration on the Breath Sit quietly with your eyes half closed. Place your attention on the breath as it enters, moves within, and leaves your body. Breathe rhythmically through the nostrils. This technique stills the mind, inducing a state of deep relaxation.
Yoga Ethical Tenets Yamas and Niyamas (restraints and observances) Yamas and Niyamas are two of the Eight Limbs of yoga practice. Ancient Indian texts describe ten yamas and ten niyamas, though some yoga traditions mention only five yamas and five niyamas. The Yamas, or restraints, are:
The Niyamas, or observances, are:
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