Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.
~An Ute Prayer
Those 2 practices are such deep and healing work. And the best way to release any lingering tension and pain is to move it through and then out of your body with movement.
This Yoga sequence is very focused on the connection to the Earth. You will be prompted to bring your attention to your hands, feet, and sitting bones in different poses.
This is very intentional direction.
The simple act of really FEELING the ground beneath you has the ability to bring immediate calm. You can feel centered and know that all is well in a second.
Because all is well. Truly.
Please feel free to close your eyes during this sequence once you get the hang of it. Drop in to relaxation. You will feel gravity supporting you. Nourishing you.
- Sit in Cross leg pose (Sukhasana)
- Breathing exercise (Pranayama)-We will be doing a breathing exercise called Chandrabhedan-this pranayama brings fresh cool air into the body through the left nostril. It helps connect all of us to the coolness of the earth. Not in a cold or frozen sense. But if you’ve ever gardened and plunged your hands into the dirt below the surface, remember that feeling now. No matter how hot it is outside, it is very cool and damp deep inside the earth.
Fold the index,middle and ring finger against the palm of your right hand.
Close off your right nostril with your thumb and 1st exhale out any air through the left nostril.
Inhale deeply through your left nostril and hold the breath.
Exhale through your right nostril.
Close off right nostril with your thumb and hold the breath.
Inhale through the left nostril and hold.
Exhale through the right nostril and hold.
Repeat 10 x’s.
Fully take in the effects of this breathing exercise. Physically feel the coolness now. - Form Bhu Mudra (Earth mudra)
Fold pinky and ring finger toward palm, thumb goes on top of these 2 fingers. There is now a V shape with index and middle finger. Place the V onto earth.
Feel the connection. Lift your chest to the sky feeling sunlight. - Kundalini Circles-begin to bring movement to your hips.
Start circling your hips in one direction. Then the other. DEEP breaths.
Allow the movement to still. Fingertips come to the earth. Hold your breath.
Engage the pelvic floor (squeeze rectum,sex organs, stomach). Feel the a red glow expand in your pelvic region. - Cat/cow sitting down.
Hands come to the shins and round your back backwards. Now come forward lifting the heart to the sky. - Bring your left hand to your right knee and twist. Now right hand to left knee and twist. 2 x’s.
- Bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)
Bring the soles of your feet to touch.
Begin to massage those wonderful feet that have carried you through life. Gently bring warmth and focus to each toe, the ball of your foot, the arches, and the heel.
Allow your knees to bounce gently up and down. DEEP breaths.
Inhale and reach the crown of your head to the sky.
Exhale and fold forward from your hips.
Lay your palms onto the ground and bow to all who came before you. Feel their strength woven together inside of you. This ground you are touching is the same ground they touched.
Continue sitting, feeling both sits bones pressed into the ground. - Return to an upright sitting position. Press your right hand to the Earth. Inhale lifting your left arm up and exhale stretch the arm over to the right side. Left hand comes to the Earth. Right arm comes up and over to the left side of the body.
Repeat on both sides.
Move gracefully. Flow like water. - Seated wide angle pose (Upavistha Konasana)
Open your legs as wide as possible.
Bring some movement here, rotate your hips, stretch from side to side.
Inhale and lift your chest slightly.
Exhale and fold from the hips forwards. Any amount.
Are there any feelings/thoughts right now? Allow yourself to let them go. This is your time. Relax. Feel the stretch in your hips and spread your fingers wide feeling Mother Earth. - Thunderbolt pose (Vajrasana) w/ Cow pose (Gomukhasana)
Sit on both legs, hips rest on heels
Inhale and lift growing taller and exhale twist.
Bring your right hand up over your back and swing your left arm around to meet it.
Repeat on the other side - Childs pose (Balasana)
Allow your body to let go completely.
Your forehead, shins, arms are all connected to source energy.
Feel a heavy cloak surrounding your body. - Begin to lift your hips while rolling onto the crown of your head gently. Grasp your heels with your hands stretching out the shoulders.
- Heart melting pose (Anahatasana)
Fingers gripping the earth. Drawing strength up into the arms.
Move your hips upwards.
Chest moves toward the earth. - Cat/cow pose
Gently come onto all fours.
Press your 2 beautiful hands and 2 beautiful feet into the earth.
Inhale and lift your booty, head comes last, exhale curl. Repeat 10 x’s. - Circle your hips wide
- Camel pose (Ustrasana)
Hips lower onto the heals. Hands come behind you to touch the Earth.
Lift your head and chest to the sky. Become quiet. - Yogic squat (Malasana)
Hands in Namaste.
Repeat LAM (bija mantra~1 syllable sound connected to the root chakra due to its vibrational energy)
Pull up on Pelvic floor (squeeze rectum, sex organs, stomach). Breath DEEPLY/rhythmically.
Inhale. Hold breath. Continue engaging mulabhanda. Exhale release.
Place your right hand on the earth and raise the left hand to the sky. Repeat with left hand.
Again, place your right hand on the earth and now take a bind (arm comes around the back) with your left arm if desired. Repeat on other side.
Connect with any emotion in this pose and then feel free to release it.
Come back to stillness, hands in namaste.
Inhale. Hold breath. Engage pelvic floor. Exhale release hands to the ground in front of you. - Sit down. Feet flat on floor. Arms hug your bent legs.
Take a second here to check in. Feel your feet flat against the earth. There is energy there. Gravity is reaching up. Can you feel it? You’re fully grounded in this moment.
Hands can come behind thighs. Spine elongated. - On your next inhale roll back gently.
Exhale roll back up. Repeat. Get into a rhythm.
Feel the earth massage the entire spine. Open all that energy in the back body. - Shouler stand pose (Sarvangasana)
Feet reach up to the sky. Hands come to the lower back. Balance on your shoulders
Your entire weight is supported. By YOU. That is the strength you have. - Plow pose (Halasana)
Feet can now rest by the head. Hands by the side of your body. - Childs pose
Spread your knees wide. Arms outstretched in front of you.
Feel your entire weight melt into the Earth. Just let it ALL go. - Fish pose. (Matsayana)
Bring hands under the hips. Lift up onto elbows. Legs can be outstretched or bent.
Gently lean the head back so that the crown of the head rests on the ground.
Weight is in the arms, NOT the head.
Your heels and top of the head are engaged with the earth.
This is the pose of RESTORATION. - Shake your feet back and forth and side to side releasing any energy that no longer serves you.
- Lying down hands on belly in diamond shape
In this moment I have everything that I need. In fact, I always have what I need INSIDE to make it in this life. I am whole. And without fault. I feel myself open while at the same time I feel myself completely supported by the Earth. I can calm and relax knowing All is Well. I am ok. I will always be ok.
The only moment that matters is right now. Me on this mat right now is the only thing that matters. There are no worries here. There is nothing to do. I can just be ME. There is only peace. I bow to myself. To my beautiful self. You are all I need.
Muladhara_Asana2 (in PDF form)
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