Prayer / Loosening Practices

Prayer

Yogic Practice shall start with a prayer or prayerful mood to enhance the benefits of practice.

̈Om Saṃgacchadhvaṃ saṃvadadhvaṃ saṃ vo manāṃsi janatam deva bhagaṃ yatha pūrve snajanana upasate ||

May you move in harmony; may you speak in unison; let our mind be equanimous like in the beginning; let the divinity manifest in your sacred endeavours.

Sadilaja / C̣alana kriyas / Loosening Practices

The C̣alana Kriyas/loosening practices / Yogic Suksma Vyāyāmas help to increase microcirculation. These practices can be done while standing and sitting.

Neck Bending

Sthiti: Samasthiti (Alert Posture)

Technique

Stage - i : (Forward and Backward Bending)

• Stand with the feet comfortably apart.
• Keep the hands straight beside the body.
• This is Samasthiti. This is also called Tādāsana.
• Keep your arms on the waist.
• While exhaling, move the head forward slowly and try to touch the chin to the chest.
• While inhaling, move the head as far back as is comfortable.
• This is one round: repeat 2 rounds.

• While exhaling, bend the head slowly to the right;bring the ear as close as possible to the shoulder with out raising the shoulder.
• While inhaling, bring the head to normal position.
• Similarly, while exhaling, bend the head to the left side.
• Inhale and bring the head up to normal position.
• This is one round: repeat 2 rounds.

• Keep the head upright
• While exhaling,gently turn the head to the right so that the chin is in line with the shoulder.
• While inhaling, bring the head to the normal position.
• Similarly, while exhaling, turn the head to the left.
• Inhale and bring the head to the normal position.
• This is one round: repeat 2 rounds

• Exhale; bend the head forward trying to touch the chin to the chest.
• Inhale; slowly rotate the head clockwise in a circular motion, exhale while coming down
• Do a full rotation.
• Then rotate the head in anti-clockwise direction.
• Inhale; go back and exhale, come down.
• This is one round: repeat 2 rounds.

• Move the head as far as possible. Do not over strain.
• Keep the shoulders relaxed and steady.
• Feel the stretch around the neck and loosening up of the joints and muscles of the neck.
• Can be practiced sitting in a chair.
• People with neck pain can do the practice gently especially when taking the head back to the extent it is comfortable.
• Elderly people and persons with cervical spondylitis, high blood pressure may avoid these practices.

Trunk Movement

Trunk Twisting (Katishakti Vikasak)

Sthiti: Samasthiti (Alert Posture)

• Keep the legs about 2-3 feet apart
• Rise both the arms up to chest level with palms facing each other and keep them parallel.
• While exhaling twist the body towards the left side so that the right palm touches the left shoulder, come back with inhalation.
• While exhaling twist the body towards the right side so thatthe left palm touches the right shoulder, come back with inhalation.
• This is one round: repeat two more times.
• Relax in Samasthiti.

• Do slowly with breathing.
• Cardiac patients shall do with care.
• Avoid this practice in case of severe back pain, vertebral and disc disorders, after abdominal surgery and during menstruation.

Knee Movement

Trunk Twisting (Katishakti Vikasak)

Sthiti:Sama Sthiti (Alert Posture)

• Inhale, lift your arms up at the shoulder level, palms facing downwards.
• Exhale, bend the knees and bring down your body to the squatting position.
• In the final position both the arms and thighs should be parallel to the ground.
• Inhale, and straighten the body.
• Exhale while bringing down the hands.
• Repeat two more times.

Source: Ministry of AYUSH