Things You'll Need:
- Comfortable clothing
- Yoga mat
- Yoga blocks
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Step 1
Initiate your Yoga session with relaxation for about five to ten minutes. Deep relaxation (not sleep) is necessary to perform yoga asanas. Lie prone, arms to sides, palms facing upward. Legs are spread even with hips. Corpse Asana. Move gracefully into Sitting Pose. Cross your legs and sit with back straight, but not strained. Relax your shoulders and neck, feeling all tension draining away. Roll your neck three times.
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Step 2
Perform opening prayers for several minutes. A simple prayer to align with the divine is to recite AUM. Pronounce, "Ah-ooh-mmm," Allow each sound to resonate within you and transition without pause from one sound to the next. AUM is the sound of the universe. This mantra centers the mind and bring the whole being into alignment with all reality. AUM brings blessings to all who chant its sounds.
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Step 3
Breathe (Pranayama). For five to ten minutes, establish your breathing to prepare for your asanas (poses). Begin with full Yogic breathing. Perform breathing exercises while seated in full- or half-lotus asana.Begin with a breath exercise by inhaling into the abdomen as if blowing up a balloon. Exhale as if the balloon is deflating.
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Step 4
Next perform alternate nostril breathing. Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Counting to four, inhale through your left nostril. Close both nostrils, hold your breath and count to sixteen. Close the left nostril with your ring and little finger and exhale through your right nostril as you count to eight. Maintain the hand position and inhale through the right nostril to the count of four. Close both nostrils again and hold your breath. Count to sixteen. Close the right nostril with your thumb, exhale through your left nostril as you count to eight.
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Step 5
Begin your asanas with the Sun Salutation. This is a sequence of asanas that stretch your body in preparation for the 12 Asanas. The Sun Salutation lasts about five minutes.
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Step 6
Perform the 12 Yoga Asanas (instructions linked in Additional Resources). The sequence of the 12 Asanas is Headstand, Shoulderstand, Plow, Fish, Sitting Forward Bend, Cobra, Locust, Bow, Spinal Twist, Balancing Pose, Standing Forward Bend and Triangle.
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Step 7
Move into Final Relaxation, which is as important at the end of your Yoga session as it is at the beginning. It is a recovery period that brings the best benefit from your asanas and circulates Prana throughout your whole being. Lie prone. Tense and release your different muscle groups, beginning at your feet. Instructions for Final Relaxation are linked in Additional Resources.
