Morning Yoga II by Shayan (USA)

Come back to yourself.

 Sometimes, in the hurly, burly of life we lose touch with our groundedness.

This a sense of being connected to our whole body and to the earth which supports us.

• Stand up and let your hands drop to your sides. Just stand there for 3-4 breaths letting your shoulders drop and your belly relax.Finally, take a few breaths embracing your wholeness. Let your out breath be slightly longer than your in breath. Allow your attention to rest on the flow of your breath. When you are ready raise your arms above your head on your in breath and lower on your out breath. Do this as often as it feels right for your body to gather up your energy and move into the world.
• As you breath in notice your feet as they make contact with the floor. Notice which parts of your feet make more contact, how you are balancing on your feet. Breathing in gently say to yourself, “I rest into the support of the earth.” As you breath out say “My feet support me.”
• Next bring your attention to your hips. For 2-3 breaths notice how you hold your energy in your hips; where are you relaxed and where are you bracing? Breathing in say to yourself, ” I rest into the support of my hips.” As you breathe out say, “I relax and allow my hips to balance the connection between my spine and my legs down to the earth.”
• Now, bring your attention to your belly. Notice if your belly rises and falls with your breath. Gently allow your breath to lower down to your belly dropping down the front of your body with each breath until it reaches your belly. Breathing in say, “I rest into the support of my belly.” As you breathe out say, “I relax and allow my centre of gravity to drop into my belly. I feel my energy centre drop into my belly.”
• Next, bring your attention to your the whole area of your chest and rib cage. Notice your breathing there. Allow your breath to expand your ribs outwards gently. Feel the whole area expand and release until you your natural breath releases with a big sigh. On the next in breath say, “I expand into the whole area around my heart.” As you breath out say, “I relax into the spaciousness of my heart.”
• Finally, just allow your breathing to find its own rhythm. Relax into your breath. Notice your whole body breathing in and out.
• When, and if this feels right for you, on your in breath raise your arms above your head lifting them from the sides of your body. And on your out breath allow them to come back to the sides of your body. Repeat this stretch 2 or 3 times.