Seventy-two

“It is impossible to express the experiences you have below the surface with words, when water gently caresses your face and body, the pulse decreases and your brain relaxes. You are immediately cut off from the stress and hustle of everyday life when you are below the surface – there are no noisy telephones or SMS messages, no inboxes full of mail, no electrical bills, or other trivialities of everyday life taking up time and energy. There is nothing connecting you to the surface but the same withheld breath that connects you to life. There is only you and a growing pressure on your chest that feels like a loving hug and the vibrations from the deep quiet tone of the sea. It is quite possible that this deep quiet tone is none other than the mantra Om, the sound of the universe, trickling life into every cell of your body.”
~ Stig Åvall Severinsen ~

Sixty-two

Eight Limbs of Yoga

1. Yama = Social Restraints

• Ahisma = Do No Harm
• Satya = Tell The Truth
• Asteya = Do Not Steal
• Brahmacharya = Use Sexual Energy Wisely 
• Aparigraha = Have No Possessions

2. Niyama = Self-Restraints

• Saucha = Purity of Mind, Body, and Speech
• Santosha = Be Content
• Tapas = Be Self-Disciplined
• Svadhyana = Study Self
• Ishvarapranidhana = Study God

3. Asana = Practice of Body Postures

4. Pranayama = Practice of Breath Control

5. Pratyahara = Withdrawal from sensory experiences - release addictions and distractions

6. Dharana = Concentrate on Inner States: Mantra, Breath, Bandha, Mudra

7. Dhyana = Meditation

8. Samadhi = Enlightenment

Sixty-one

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”
The Bhagavad Gita

Fifty-seven

“The way that Bhakti Yoga works... you just love until you and the beloved become one.”
~Ram Dass~

Thirty-three

At Dawn

Asana

Surya Namaskar

Sun Salutations

Standing Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hands in prayer position.

Upward Salute
Urdhva Hastasana
Inhale as you sweep your arms out to the side and overhead. Arch your back and gaze at the sky.

Standing Forward Fold
Uttanasana
Exhale as you fold forward from the hips. Place your hands beside your feet and bring your nose to your knees.

Half Standing Forward Fold
Ardha Uttanasana
Inhale as you lift your torso up, back is flat. Your torso should be parallel to the floor. Your fingertips on the floor.

Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana
Exhale as you step  back 1 foot into Plank Pose.Inhale as you step the second leg back. Exhale as you lower your body toward the floor.

Cobra Pose
Bhujangasana
Inhale as you draw your chest forward and straighten your arms. Shoulders back and lift your heart to the sky.

Downward-Facing Dog Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Exhale as you lift your hips and roll back, placing the soles of your feet on the floor. Push down through your hands and the soles of your feet, lengthening your spine. Stay here for five breaths.

On your last exhalation, bend your knees and look between your hands.

Half Standing Forward Fold
Ardha Uttanasana
Inhale as you step one foot forward in between your hands. Exhale as you step the second leg forward. Inhale and lift your torso halfway. Keep your fingertips on the floor.

Standing Forward Fold
Uttanasana
Exhale as you fold your torso over your thighs. Place your hands beside your feet and bring your nose to your knees.

Upward Salute
Urdhva Hastasana
Inhale as you sweep your arms out to the side and come up. Gently arch your back and look toward the sky.

Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Exhale as you come back into Mountain Pose, hands into prayer position.

Thirty-two

At Dawn

Pranayama

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Sit in a comfortable position with your legs crossed. Place your left hand on your left knee. Lift your right hand up toward your nose. Place your thumb lightly on your right nostril. Place your index and middle finger on your third eye. Place your ring finger lightly in your left nostril. Exhale completely and then use your right thumb to close your right nostril. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through your left nostril for five breaths. Close the left nostril with your finger. Open the right nostril. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through your right nostril for five breaths. Open both nostrils. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through both nostrils for five breaths.

Repeat 2-4 times.