Sathya Sai Ladies Wing Workshop

Introduction to Yoga – A Short Course Venue: Strathfield Sai Centre

October 2012

© Copy rights Protected. Sree Harshini Kare ABN 54146966381

Disclaimer

“All the participants of the “Yoga Short Course” are participating at

their own will/risk. They will not hold the organizer/ facilitator(s)

responsible for any loss of property and/or accident on the premises.

Participants will take full responsibility for the same & give

permission for medical/ambulance assistance in case any

emergency/accident occurs and agree to pay such costs incurred.”

Program Outline

Prayer

Introduction to Yoga

Breathing Exercises

Warm Up and Loosening Exercises

suryanamaskaras

Prayer

Starting Prayer:

“Om Sahanavavatu, Sahanou bhunaktu,

Saha viryam karavavahai,

Tejasvinavadhitamastu, ma vidvisavahai

Om Santih, Santih, Santih”

Meaning:

May he protect us both (the teacher and the student). May he

nourish us both. May we both work together with great energy.

May our study be enlightening and fruitful. May we not hate

each other. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

Introduction to Yoga

The Root Of Word Yoga:

1. The term yoga has its verbal root as YUJ in samskrta.

2. YUJ means joining. “Yujyate anena iti yogah”.

3. Yoga is that which joins. What are the entities that are joined?

4. In the traditional terminology it is joining of individual self with the

universal self.

5. One of the great Rsis(Seer),Patanjali compiled the essential features

and principles of yoga in the form of sutras.

6. According to sage Patanjali, “Yoga is a conscious process of

gaining mastery over the mind”

Prerequisites For Yoga

1. Everyday you should practice yoga for at least 30-45

minutes to get maximum results.

2. The best suited time to practice yoga is early morning

hours,but it can be practiced in the afternoon after

following food restrictions.

Food Restrictions

Stomach should be empty while practicing. That is you should consume solid

food 3-4 hours before practicing and liquid one hour before practicing.

Place should be clean, airy, spacious, bright and away from disturbances.

Yoga should not be practiced on bare floor. But keep mat or carpet below.

Clothes should be comfortable, loose, clean.

Yoga prefers vegetarian diet.

One should have faith in yoga and what he/she is doing.

Breathing Exercises

The respiratory system is a bridge between the conscious

and subconscious, voluntary and involuntary or in general

body and mind

Using the voluntary control we change the involuntary

functions

Objectives of Breathing Practices

Bringing into action all the lobes of the lungs for full

utilization

To normalize the breathing (slow, deep, continuous and

smooth)

To make the breathing uniform, continuous and rhythmic

Principles of Breathing Exercises

Slowness

Awareness

Synchronizing the movement with the breathing.

Exhalation should be longer than Inhalation.

Ability to increase and decrease the breathing rate.

No tightness in the body.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Special Tips

Emphasize the movement of hands, legs, abdominal and

thoracic muscles as needed in each exercise.

Use ‘in and out’ instructions in the mind.

Emphasize on full breathing each time.

Synchronize the breathing with corresponding movements.

Develop an awareness of breathing.

Close the eyes and repeat a few rounds retaining the

awareness.

Breathing Exercises

Hands In and Out Breathing

Hands Stretch Breathing

Ankle Stretch Breathing

Dog Breathing

Rabbit Breathing

Tiger Breathing

Sasankasan Breathing

Straight leg Raise Breathing

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

F e e l i n g C h a n g e s I n :

1. Breath

2. Arms

3. Shoulders

4. Back

5. Neck

Hands Stretch Breathing

(At 90, 135, and 180 degrees)

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

NOTE

1. Collapse the shoulders at the beginning and end of each cycle.

2. Maintain perfect awareness of the breathing.

3. Exhalation should be longer than inhalation.

4. If required, it can be practiced sitting in a chair too.

5. Synchronize the breathing with hand movements

6. Balance the Prana in the chest.

7. Improves concentration and calms down the mind.

Ankle Stretch Breathing

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

NOTE

1. Eyes open

2. Fix your gaze on a point in front of you.

3. Feel the stretch from ankle to finger.

4. Enjoy the stability

Dog Breathing

STHITI : DANDASANA

RELAX: SASANKASANA

NOTE 1.Mouth is open.

2.Tongue is pushed out to its maximum.

3.Practice rapidly.

4. Forceful inhalation & exhalation.

5. Abdominal breathing.

AVOID Those who have:

•Epilepsy

•High Blood Pressure

Dog Breathing

Benefits:

1. Increased diaphragm contraction empties lungs

2. Rapid exhalation cleanses the lungs.

3. Increases awareness of middle and lower part of lungs.

4. Open up Prana blocks.

5. Calms down the mind.

Rabbit Breathing

STHITI : DANDASANA

RELAX: SASANKASANA

NOTE

1. BREATHING RAPIDLY THROUGH MOUTH ONLY.

2. THORACIC BREATHING.

3. ABDOMEN SHOULD PRESS ON THIGH

4. NO ABDOMINAL MOVEMENT.

5. DO NOT DROP HEAD ON THE FIOOR.

Rabbit Breathing

Benefits:

1. Helps in acute episodes of asthma.

2. Develops voluntary control of muscles of lungs.

3. Opens up Prana blocks.

4. Quick way to calm down the mind.

Tiger Breathing

STHITI : DANDASANA

RELAX: SASANKASANA

NOTE

1. Ensure that you are comfortable with the posture before starting

2. Co-ordinate the movements with breathing

3. Eyes closed, Practice with Awareness

4. No movement of Arms and Thighs

5. Awareness on spinal movement

Tiger Breathing

Benefits:

1. Awareness and mastery over all three sections of the chest.

2. Empties the lungs fully.

3. Harmonize the muscles of respiration.

4. Calms down the mind.

5. Feed back of airway status by sound in case of asthmatics.

Sasankasana Breathing

STHITI: DANDASANA

RELAX: SASANKASANA

NOTE

1. Exhale and collapse the shoulders.

2. If necessary, Apart knees to avoid unnecessary pressure on the abdomen

and chest.

3. Synchronize Breathing with movement.

4. Close the eyes.

5. Awareness on the breathing.

Sasankasana Breathing

Benefits:

1. Expels air trapped in lower part of lungs.

2. Trains diaphragmatic breathing.

3. Release Pranic blocks.

4. Calms down the mind.

Straight Leg Raise Breathing

STHITI: SUPINE POSTURE

RELAX: SAVASANA

Stage I : Alternate legs

Stage II : Both legs

NOTE

1. Keep arms either by side of the body or above the head.

2. Do not bend the knees.

3. Do not disturb the leg lying straight on the ground.

4. Do not raise the leg beyond 90 degree.

5. Synchronize the breathing with the leg movement.

6. In the case of both legs, use strength and have control over the movement.

Straight Leg Raise Breathing

Benefits:

1. Reduces abdominal fat.

2. Tones abdominal muscles.

I.R.T.(Instant Relaxation Technique)

Lie in Shavasana. . . Bring legs together, hands by the side.

Stretch and tighten the toes. . . Stretch the ankles.

Tighten the calf muscles. . . Pull up the knee caps and tighten.

Tighten the thigh muscles.

Exhale and suck the abdominal muscles.

Make fist of hands and tighten.

Inhale, expand and tighten the chest.

Tighten the neck muscles. . . Tighten the facial muscles.

Tighten the whole body. . .Tighten . . .Tighten . . .Tighten . . .

Release and Relax.

Warm Up

Hand Clinching

Wrist Rotation

Elbow Bending

Shoulder rotation

Slow Jogging

Forward jogging

Backward Jogging

Side Jogging

Forward/Backward Bending

Side bending

Twisting

Loosening Exercises (Sithilikarna Vyayama)

Principles:

1. To loosen the various joints in the body.

2. Flexibility of the spine

Objectives:

1. Remove lethargy and tiredness in the body.

2. Build up the stamina of the body.

3. Discipline the body-mind complex.

Special Tips

1. Practice the exercises stepwise.

2. Count the steps slowly and perform the same with

attention.

3. Check the performance of each step before increasing the

speed.

4. Synchronize steps with group.

5. Increase the number of repetitions as per your capacity.

Jogging

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

NOTE

1. Loose fists and place them on the chest.

2. Collapse and relax shoulders.

3. Increase the speed of jogging gradually.

4. Continue the practice till 4 stages of jogging.

5. Fists on the chest throughout the practice.

Stages

STAGE I: SLOW JOGGING.

STAGE II: FORWARD JOGGING.

STAGE III: BACKWARD JOGGING.

STAGE IV: SIDE JOGGING.

Mukha Dhouti to Relax

Benefits:

1. Through exhalation the strain of jogging and jumping relieves.

2. Pulling the abdomen inwards, during exhalation can improve the force of

expulsion of air.

Jogging

Benefits:

1. Tones up the calf and thigh muscles.

2. Warm up the body.

3. Stimulates breathing.

Forward And Backward Bending

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

NOTE

1. Start slowly and increase gradually.

2. Practice with either legs apart or together.

3. Swing the body when bending forward.

4. Always bend from the lower waist.

5. Make the movements free, easy and flowing.

Forward And Backward Bending

Benefits:

1. Reduces fat from waist, back and specially from abdominal region.

2. Increased flexibility of spine.

3. Increases exercise tolerance; helpful in exercise induced asthma.

4. Expels blocked air from the lungs.

5. Expels phlegm from the air ways.

6. Harmonize flow of Prana.

7. Calms down the mind.

Side Bending

STHITI: TADASANA

RELAX: SITHILA TADASANA

NOTE

1.Legs about one meter apart.

2.Avoid forward or backward bending.

Side Bending

Benefits:

1. Open up the airways of middle lobes of lungs.

2. Free flow of Prana.

3. Calms down the mind.

4. Strengthens middle part of chest.

5. Empties middle and upper part of lungs.

6. Stimulates middle lobe of the lungs.

Twisting

NOTE

1. Legs to be firm on the ground.

2. While twisting side to side, look at the side of the finger.

3. All twisting should be above the waist level.

4. Keep the body below the waist, straight and firm.

5. Do not bend the knees.

Twisting

Benefits:

1. Reduces fat from the waist and abdomen.

2. Increases flexibility of spine.

Q.R.T.(Quick Relaxation Technique)

Stage I- Observation

Observe your abdominal movements

Stage II- Recognition

Synchronize your abdominal movements with your breathing.

Stage III- Sensitization

Feel the relaxation and fresh energy in the body. Also, feel the

temperature of the air as well as the feeling of the breath.

Suryanamaskar

Prayer:

“Hiranmayena Patrena

Satyasyapihitam Mukham

Tat tvam Pusan Apavrnu

Satya Dharmaya Drstaye”

Meaning:

Like a lid to a vessel, O sun your golden orb covers the entrance to

truth. Kindly open the entrance to lead me to truth.

Do at sunrise and sunset, facing the Sun.

Practice after loosening exercises and before Asanas.

Combination of Yogasana and Pranayama.

Two modes of doing Suryanamaskar

12 steps/10 steps.

With each round, chant BIJAMANTRA with name of the

SUNGOD.

Special Tips

BIJA MANTRA

1. Aum Hram Mitraya Namah

2. Aum Hrim Ravaye Namah

3. Aum Hrum Suryaya Namah

4. Aum Hraim Bhanave Namah

5. Aum Hroum Khagaya Namah

6. Aum Hrah Pusne Namah

7. Aum Hram Hiranyagarbhaya Namah

8. Aum Hrm Maricaye Namah

9. Aum Hrum Adityaya Namah

10. Aum Hraim Savitre Namah

11. Aum Hroum Arkaya Namah

12. Aum Hrah Bhaskaraya Namah

Round

Suryanamaskar

Benefits:

1. Increases flexibility of the body.

2. Tones muscles.

3. Improves circulation.

4. Harmonize breathing.

5. Releases Prana blocks.

6. Prepares for Asanas and Pranayama.