Sudokasana : Dwi Pada Pitham Session 15

FIRST EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
Lie on your back with your legs in a crooked position. Bring your knees close to your chest and place your hands on the front of your knees. Keeping your knees pressing into your hands, straighten your legs. Inhaling, and keeping one knee pressing into one hand, lift the other arm through the air to the floor over head and at the same time lower the corresponding leg towards the floor. Note it is NOT important for the lowered leg to reach the floor but it very important that the knee of the other leg remains pressing firmly into the hand against it as this will keep the abdominal muscles engaged in a way that protects the lower back. Exhaling, lift the lowered leg and lift the corresponding arm through the air, returning the hand to knee so the knee ends up pressing firmly into the hand. Repeat to the other side. Repeat 2 to4 more times to each side. Then return your feet to the floor and your arms to your sides.
SECOND EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
From semi supine bring knees and feet together. Bring your attention to your neck – check its back is long and head and neck are in alignment with trunk. Bring arms beside trunk, palms facing down, and pull shoulders down away from ears; then relax. Bend your elbows to bring your forearms to vertical and then extend the wrists so the elbows face upwards. Press your feet into the floor so that the hips lift. Then aid the lifting of the hips and opening lift of the chest by also pressing down through the shoulders, elbows and feet. Hold for a couple of breaths to become established in this position. Then transfer your weight from one leg to the other. Straighten the unweighted leg, and lower it until just the heel rests on the floor. Keeping the leg straight, press the heel downwards. Keep pressing down through the feet aiming to keep both hips as high as each other and the chest open (by pressing the elbows and shoulders down) – hold for 3 breaths (or so). Bend the knee of the straight leg and return the foot to beside the other foot – and then repeat on the other side. Release gently on an exhalation by slowly lowering your back down, vertebra by vertebra (from the neck downwards) until your bottom is resting on the floor again.
THIRD EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
Bring your knees towards your chest and curl your trunk to bring your head to your knees and your hands on top of your knees. Inhaling, straighten one leg upward at the same time as uncurling your trunk back to the floor and taking the arm on the side of the straightening leg through the air to the floor over head. Exhaling, bend the knee back to your chest and bring your hand back to the knee as you curl your trunk again to bring your head towards your knees. Repeat to the other side. Repeat 2 to 4 more times to each side. Uncurl your trunk back to the floor and return your feet to the floor. Then turn your head gently from side to side a couple of times.
FOURTH EXERCISE OF SESSION (4 minutes)
Lie down in a comfortable position and practise a relaxation method of your choice. Perhaps: imagine a very large shallow bowl of water. Imagine a drop of water falls into the centre of the bowl and watch the ripples that result until the surface of the water is completely still again. Then try watching another drop fall into the water – and watch this in slower motion so you can see more of the details as the drop of water falls to the rest of the water and the resulting ripples. Then rest in, and enjoy the stillness of, the water. Remember not to rush sitting up (and then standing) after practising relaxation as it causes one’s blood pressure to lower, which can cause dizziness if one moves too quickly.