Amoeba – This is a powerful attention practice. Execute
it while reclining on the floor. Begin a tiny, barely visible motion in one
part of your body. Let that motion move smoothly, like an amoeba moves, out
and through your whole body. For
instance, move your right ankle, let the movement ooze up your right leg
into your right hip, from your right hip up into your chest, from your chest
into your left shoulder, from your left shoulder down your left arm, etc.
Move in this fashion all through your body. A variation is to let your
breath initiate these tiny movements. Exploring how to make this so is a
powerful integration practice.
Angles
-- This is an imagination practice. Make angles in space with each part of your body, up to and including
your full body.
Arrhythmic
-- This is an attention practice. Move deliberately against or without rhythm – not as easy as it sounds!
Body
Follows the Mind – This is an imagination practice. Let an image of a particular movement
form in your imagination. Attempt to actually execute this movement. Figure
out what it will take in terms of coordination and training to achieve this
movement.
Breathwork.
CAVEAT: If you have
high blood pressure or glaucoma do NOT hold your breath in during breath-holding
portions of the following exercises -- merely suspend your breath
– you aren’t actively breathing, you are just letting your lungs be idle
for several moments.
Anuloma
Viloma -- NOTE: this breathing not recommended for persons with high
blood pressure. This is an
integration practice. This is a form of alternate
nostril breathing. Sitting comfortably in easy pose or half lotus, bring
your right hand up to your nose. You will alternately cover one nostril
and then the other with the fingers of the right hand. Cover your left
nostril, breathe in through your right nostril for 3 counts. Cover both
nostrils. Hold your breath in for 12 counts. Release your left nostril.
Exhale for six counts. Immediately breathe in through your left nostril
for 3 counts. Cover both nostrils. Hold your breath in for 12 counts. Uncover
the right nostril. Exhale for six counts. Immediately breathe in for 3
counts. Continue until you have repeated this cycle 12 times. Sit in easy
pose with your eyes closed, breathing deeply, exhaling completely for 1
minute. You may alter the ratios above to explore the ways in which counted
breathing affects your mind and body.
Breath
of Fire -- This is a purification practice. Continuous rapid breath through the nose only. The focus
of your attention is at your naval. To inhale, let your lower abdomen relax which will
allow the diaphragm to extend down, causing your breath to come into your lungs almost automatically. To exhale squeeze the navel sharply back toward
the spine. Release this quickly, which will pull the diaphragm down, causing
inhalation. Gradually build up to two or three breaths per second for 1
to 3 minutes, then (unless you have high blood pressure -- in which case,
do not execute the next part of this exercise) breath in deeply and hold the breath
in with a "root" lock (see Muscle Lock explanations below).
Deep
Abdominal Breathing: This is a deep release practice. Begin your inhalation by expanding your deep abdomen,
then your intercostal muscles (the little muscles of your ribs), then your
high chest muscles around your clavicles. So, you inhale into the deep
lobes of your lungs, then your mid-lobes, then your top lobes. To exhale,
contract the deep abdominal muscles, then the intercostal muscles of the
ribs, then the high chest muscles around the clavicles, evacuating the
lungs from the bottom lobes to the top lobes. Continue in this fashion for as
long as you like. You may coordinate this form of inhalation and exhalation
with various movements.
Kapalabathi--
This is an energizing practice. Sitting comfortably in easy pose or half lotus, let your attention come
to your diaphragm as you do deep abdominal breathing. Let your diaphragm
relax down, causing air to rush into your lungs. Let the inhalation be
through your nose. Swiftly contract your deep abdominal muscles, expelling
the air through your mouth. This kind of inhalation and exhalation is called
a "pumping." Do ten pumpings then several deep abdominal breaths. Do three
sets of ten pumpings, then (unless you have high blood pressure -- in which
case, do not execute the next part of this exercise) breathe in deeply and hold
your
breath in with a "root" lock (see Muscle Lock explanations below).
Breathing
with movement – This is an integration practice. Let movements proceed from your breath – i.e. as
you exhale let your arm fall, as you inhale allow it to rise.
Rhythmic
breathing – This is a trance practice. Breath directly on the rhythm of music or in a particular
rhythm. You may coordinate this breath with rhythmic movements.
Counted
breathing – This is an attention practice. Breath in for a certain number of
counts, hold for
a certain number of counts, exhale for a certain number of counts.
You may coordinate this breath with rhythmic
movements.
Muscle Locks - These
are consolidation practices.
1. Root
Lock (Mulabandha) Take a deep breath. Hold it in. Contract your anal
sphincter, pull your pelvic floor muscles up toward your heart and your navel point
toward your spine. Hold these deep muscle contractions for as long as you like.
2.
Diaphragm
Lock (Uddiyana bhand) Take a deep breath. Hold it in. Lift your diaphragm up
toward your heart. Your rib cages will fan out. Let them. Then lift your
stomach muscles up underneath your ribs. Hold these deep muscle contractions
for as long as you like.
3. Neck
Lock (Jalandara bhand)- Take a deep breath. Hold it in. Pull your chin in
strongly. The underside of your chin will be pressed against your upper chest. Squeeze
your attention up from the base of your spine to the top
of your skull and down the surface of your face to the point of your chin as
though to curl your chin into the space between the top lobes of your lungs. Let
your attention enter your chest, brush past the top of your heart, exit the
space between your shoulder blades, course up your spine, across the top of your
head then down the surface of your face to the point of your chin...continue
cycling your attention in this fashion as you hold your breath in for as long as
you like.
Circles
-- This is an imagination practice. Make circles in space with all parts of your body, up to and including
your full body.
Complex
visualizations – This obviously is an imagination practice. Use your imagination to create experiences purely
within your mind. Don't be afraid, coy, or shy. Go for the gusto and create
experiences within. Live them fully. Let them exit into movement as you see
fit.
Continuous
flow -- This is a powerful integration and attention practice. Move slowly and smoothly with no breaks. This is used particularly
when moving from reclining to standing – the challenge is to do this smoothly
with no breaks. This practice develops
intense strength, focus, proprioception, and kinesthetic awareness.
Directed
Attention -- Obviously an attention practice. Has deeply integrative
properties as well. Pay complete attention to different parts of your body
– the goal is to eventually develop a powerful, sensitive, gestalt proprioceptive
awareness. Example: While in corpse pose, place your attention on the sensations
in the soles of your feet. Draw your attention from there up over the
mountains of your toes to the front of your feet. Carefully and mindfully
move your attention up the front of your body to the top of your head (don't
forget your hands and arms), then cycle it down your back, returning to the
soles of your feet. You are walking your attention carefully through the
sensation fields in each micrometer of your
body in this systematic fashion -- in essence, you are deliberately and
consciously mapping this aspect of yourself.
Distillation --
In this practice, one opens into pure watching and lets the watching move
one extremely slowly with intense focus Let the watching fill you. Become
The Watching. Let a motion begin. Watch it as it unfolds minutely,
micrometer by micrometer. Do this for a long while, watching the unfoldment of your deepest currents
express themselves in motion.
Evolution
-- This is an integrative and attention practice. Let a motion unfold and grow
organically, one movement proceeding logically from the previous movement.
Hand Dance --
This is a witness practice. Let your hands dance with each other. You can begin with just one hand, then let that hand fall still and move the other hand. You can
let one hand lead the other, then switch lead hands. You can do evolution
movement with your hands, vibrations, continuous flow, mind follows the
body, body follows the mind, angles, circles, and undulations with your
hands.
Listening
–
This is a witness practice. This means attending to the information coming not just from
your auditory
sense, but from the proprioceptors throughout your body.
Mind
follows the Body – This is one of the most powerful of the integration
practices, which has elements of witness as well. Come into supine awareness
(see below). Become the Watching. From this place, let your body dictate what motions
you execute while your mind simply watches.
Mirror
work – This is a deep witness practice. It is a form of
self-exploration and self love. You can do various movement exercises while watching
yourself in a
mirror. You may also simply gaze into your own eyes and explore your inner
dimensions, as you might the inner dimensions of a beloved friend.
Moving
– This is the second of the cardinal paradoxical practices. It can be done
with any of the underlying practice intentions: purification, trance, paradox,
attention, integration, consolidation, deep release, imagination, to energize,
and to promote witness. For the simple reason that you are completely free to
choose to do absolutely anything you wish, it becomes immensely difficult to
choose what to do at all.
Partner
– This is a powerful witness practice. Two or more people choose to
execute metacognitive practices together. This can include choosing to keep contact between designated parts
of bodies or mirroring each other, or follow the leader, or taking turns
witnessing each other performing any of the practices described here.
Perpetual
Motion – This is a paradoxical trance practice. Trance practices are
designed to relax your entire nervous system, indeed to reset your default
mode to active, exquisitely responsive relaxation. Keep all parts of your body in motion at the same time.
You will find that in order to be perpetually in motion, you must establish
a 'still spot' within your body from which motion arises.
Repetition
-- This is a trance practice. Choose a motion, any motion. Repeat it over and over
until you feel like a body of water lapping gently within and against the
container of your skin.
Running
– This is an energizing integration
practice. The goal here is to develop the gait of power. This means you
coordinate your breath, your stride length, and the frequency of your 'leg
strokes' with the beat of your heart. Achieving this degree of coordination
is no small endeavor. In the end, this becomes a trance practice.
Rhythmic
– This is a trance practice. Move any part of your body or your entire
body in a rhythmic manner.
Sitting
– This is the first of the cardinal
paradoxical practices. It sounds so simple to sit. It is not. Sitting
requires great strength. You must lift your entire body up off the floor
with the deep muscles around your bones. Ideally, when your strength is
adequate, you will feel no strain or pressure in your knees, ankles, feet,
sacrum or hips. Explore this very difficult practice quite actively. Only
when your physical strength is adequate to permit you to sit with absolute
peace in your body (no more pain or strain anywhere), can your mind reliably
soar as you sit.
Sleep
– This is a paradoxical, deep release, and
consolidation practice. To sleep implies a cessation of activity, but this
is only partly true. During sleep, as modern neuroscience is beginning to
demonstrate, memories are consolidated. In addition, deep release into pure
rest occurs as the conscious effectors of our nervous and muscular systems
quiet. There is both activity then, and no activity, depending on which
physiological system one considers.
Spirals
-- This is an imagination practice. Make spirals in space with all parts of your body, up to and including
your full body.
Standing
– Another paradoxical practice. Standing
implies stasis. Nothing could be further from the truth. Standing is
vertical amoebic motion. Be in mountain pose. Begin a microscopic undulating
motion with your whole body. You are shifting your weight almost
imperceptibly from one foot to the other -- do this side to side and back to
front.
Standard Flow Opening Sequence
--
Be in easy
pose with your right leg in front. Feel your sitbones directly underneath
your shoulders, your weight distributed evenly between your sitbones. Breathe
deeply, exhale completely and let your attention come softly down through
your whole body. Become aware of yourself as a unit in space.
Breathe in deeply as you stretch
your arms way up over your head. Exhale as you slowly extend your torso
out over your folded legs. Inhale as you roll up from the base of your
spine.
Exhale as you: Unfold your legs.
Place the soles of your feet on the floor in front of you, let your knees
be bent. Reach behind your shoulders, place your palms on the floor a foot
or so behind your shoulders. Let your fingers be facing towards your legs.
Sink back, rounding your spine as you take the weight of your torso into
your palms, stretching your arms, shoulders and spine.
Breathe in deeply as you stretch
your arms way up over your head. Exhale as you slowly extend your torso
out over your folded legs. Inhale as you roll up from the base of your
spine.
Exhale as you: Unfold your legs.
Place the soles of your feet on the floor in front of you, let your knees
be bent. Reach behind your shoulders, place your palms on the floor a foot
or so behind your shoulders. Let your fingers be facing towards your legs.
Sink back, rounding your spine as you take the weight of your torso into
your palms, stretching your arms, shoulders and spine.
Repeat this sequence six times –
three times with the right leg in front, three times with the left leg
in front then reach back into the rounded back position. This time, instead
of coming right back up into easy pose, stay there. Breathe in as you arch
your back strongly. Keep your palms on the floor as much as possible. Exhale
as you press your navel against your spine and walk a contraction in your
abdominals up from your pelvis to your chest. Alternate this arch and contraction
with the breathing twelve times.
Use your back button to return to
the meditation from which you came.
Static Poses
(Hatha yoga) These are all consolidation practices. Introductory poses, Moderate
poses, Intermediate poses
Supine
– Another paradoxical practice. To be
supine on the floor implies cessation of activity. That is the practice of
sleep. In this practice, close your eyes. Extend your attention from the
very center of your skull out and beyond the limits of your skull. Let your
attention extend down your spine. Let it radiate out from your spine,
following the pathways of your peripheral nerves out through the limits of
your skin. At first you may find the field of your attention cannot
encompass that much internal space or its intersection with external space.
The first thing to know is that this is a soft field of attention, not
one-pointed focus. Initially you may find this difficult. Do not worry. Keep
working until you can expand the field of your attention until all of your
experiences shimmer inside you like a hologram. Become that hologram
intersecting with the lives of all beings with whom you have come, are
coming, and may come into contact.
Vibrations
-- This is a purification and deep release practice. Tiny shaking motions in any part of your body (shoulders and hips usually,
but
up to and including your full body). Purification practices cleanse body tissues
and require complete release of top-down, mental control.
Walking
Basic
walking: This is a trance practice. Be in mountain pose, feeling the air caress your skin. Shift
your attention deep into your body and let your attention become soft, so you feel yourself as a unit in space. Now begin to
walk, being careful to deliberately place each foot on the ground, heel
first, then roll through the ball of your foot, pressing your toes against
the earth to press off with each step. Feel the balance between your moving legs
as it is produced by
the relationship between your feet, knees, femur heads, pelvic blades, sacrum,
spine, chest, and skull.
Before you begin this practice explore these relationships. Place
your hands on the front of your pelvis. You will feel two parallel bones
along the outer edge of your hips. These are your hip blades. Follow these bones down toward your
legs. Where they end is approximately where your femurs insert into your
pelvis.
Keep your knees in line with your
femur heads and your ankles in line with your knees as you walk. Make sure
your feet point straight forward, not out to one side or the other. This
stabilizes the forces acting through the hips down into the earth and utilizes
your muscles most efficiently. If you feel your weight rolling from the
very center of your heel through the centerline of your foot into the center
of the ball of your foot and in the bottoms of all five toes, you will
be in perfect alignment.
Lift up through the core of your pelvis as you walk. Let your shoulders be directly over
your pelvis, your head directly over your shoulders. Your hips will feel
light and easy floating above your legs, your legs will swing freely from
your hip sockets. Let your arms swing freely.
Walking
backwards: This is an attention practice. Most people find walking backwards awkward at first. The key
is to keep your attention in your pelvis and let its trajectory guide you.
Let your legs swing freely from your hip sockets, your arms swing as they
do when you are moving forward. Reach back with your toes, roll through
the balls of your feet to your heels.
Patterned walking:
These are attention practices. Here are
two very distinct patterns for walking that strongly condition the feet,
legs, proprioception and kinesthetic awareness:
-
Up up down
down – this is done to a 4/4 rhythm. Step up onto the ball of your
right foot (your leg will be straight), then the ball of your left foot
(your leg will be straight), then step down onto your whole right foot as
you deeply bend your knee, then your whole left foot as you deeply bend
your left knee, then back up onto the ball of your right foot (straight
leg), the ball of your left foot (straight leg), then back down again,
etc. Do this for as long as you wish.
-
-
Down up
down or up down up – this is done to a ¾ rhythm. This is called
a “triplet.” Step down onto your entire right foot with the leg bent, then
up onto the ball of your left foot (your leg will be straight) then down
onto your right foot (leg bent). You can reverse this and start with your
left foot. In fact, one should alternate the starting foot. The reverse
variation of the triplet is to start by stepping up onto the ball of your
right foot (leg straight), then down onto your entire left foot (leg bent),
then up onto the ball of your right foot (leg straight). Then you repeat this starting
with your left foot.
Evolution
walking: This is an integration practice. Begin walking. Let your movements evolve naturally – this
might involve weaving side to side, walking backwards and then forwards,
raising your arms and lowering them, or swinging them, executing turns,
etc. The important thing is to let your movements evolve smoothly and incrementally
without preplanning, to do whatever evolves in an unforced way.
Undulations
-- This is an attention practice. Undulations are flowing serpentine motions in space with
different
parts of your body, up to and including your full body.
Workspace -- This is both an inner and outer
space we deliberately create within which to work on our minds and bodies.
For a detailed explanation of what this means and how to create this space,
go HERE.
