Sudokasana : Vajrasana Session 10

FIRST EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
From the upright kneeling position, bring one leg forwards and place the foot on the ground in front of you. Place a yoga block or thickly folded towel beside the foot that is still pointing backwards (behind your trunk). Lower your buttocks backwards onto the padding and the heel beside it. Ideally the pelvic girdle will be level and you may find you need to experiment a little with the height of the padding to achieve a pelvic girdle that does not tilt to one side. Move the front leg to bring the foot level with, and hip-width apart from, the knee of the other leg. Place your hands on the front of the lifted knee – the hand of the same side as the lifted knee covered by the other hand, with palms facing inwards. Broaden your shoulders and also have a sense of your elbows pointing sideways. With a sense of your arms trying to pull away from each other (but not actually moving), pull your hands against the knee and use this to encourage the breastbone to lift forwards and a general elongation of the spine upwards. Inhaling, swing the arm on the opposite side to the lifted knee to point sideways at shoulder level, then, continuing to inhale, straighten the arm and lift sideways – at the end of the inhalation have a sense of the fingers lifting into the air above them. Exhaling, lower the arm forwards, returning the hand to covering the other one. Repeat the arm movement with the breath 2 to 4 more times. Then slide your front foot forwards, lift your hips and trunk up to the one-foot-forwards kneeling position and then return the raised knee to the upright kneeling position. Repeat to the other side.
SECOND EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
Sit in a kneeling position with your bottom resting on your feet. The soles of your feet will be facing upwards – if this is uncomfortable for your shins, try rolling up a towel and place it under your ankles. If this position is uncomfortable in your knees and/or front thighs, place appropriate amount of padding between your bottom and feet. Check your spine is long, vertical and essentially straight – if your lower back curves inwards, think in terms of encouraging your tailbone to sink downwards and, if your upper back curves outwards, think in terms of broadening your shoulders and encouraging your breastbone to lift forwards and upwards. Press down through your lower legs just enough that you have a sense of your lower back lengthening downwards. Interlock your fingers and, keeping the palms facing you and your arms in a loose curve, lift your arms forwards until hands are above your head. Using the fact that your fingers provide resistance, engage muscles as though trying to draw your elbows as much sideways as you can – this will tend to encourage the chest to open. Maintain the sense of trying to keep elbows as much sideways as possible in the flowing arm movement – exhaling, draw backs of hands up to ceiling (i.e. arms straighten) and, inhaling, draw hands downwards to crown of head. Repeat for a few breaths, then lower hands forwards and interlock fingers the other way and repeat.
THIRD EXERCISE OF SESSION (2 minutes)
Lie on your back with your legs in a crooked position and rest your palms on your abdomen. Inhaling, slide the heel of one leg along the floor (the toes will have to lift off the ground at some point) so the leg becomes straight along the floor and, at the same time, rotate the arms about the axis of the upper arms (maintaining the loose curve of the spine) taking the backs of the hands to the floor a little to the side of the trunk. Exhaling, slide the heel of the straight leg back to the buttocks (to beside the other foot) and at the same time rotate the arms (maintaining their loose curve) & bring the palms back to the abdomen. Continue for 4 to 8 more breaths enjoying slow movements and the gentle smooth flow of breath.
FOURTH EXERCISE OF SESSION (4 minutes)
Lie down in a comfortable position and practise a relaxation method of your choice. You could try a breath meditation or the following relaxation practice. Inhaling, imagine prana or warmth flows into one hand and up the arms into the shoulder girdle. Exhaling, imagine prana or warmth flows down the other arm and out through the hand. Next inhale, imagining prana/warmth flows into the hand it has just flowed out of and up the arm into the shoulder girdle. Continue for a while and finish, imagining prana or warmth flowing out of the hand you first imagined it flowing into. Remember not to rush sitting up and standing after practising relaxation as it causes the blood pressure to fall, which can cause dizziness if one moves too quickly.