glory of the snow

Today in our Monday morning, gentle vinyasa class, we explored creating a short practice utilizing tools from basic mindfulness and the Vajra Yoga sequence by Jill Satterfield.

When entering a short (or longer practice), it is beneficial to start by settling the body into an upright and relaxed seated posture or coming into Shavasana. Ask yourself: “Where am I starting from? What is arising in the present moment?” Then you can ‘investigate with kindness’ the arising sensations, emotions, thoughts, breath quality, as they are present and shifting.

Once you have investigated this for a couple of minutes, choose to let your attention rest on the flow of natural breath or engage a simple pranayama of choice (e.g., add-a-little breath technique (let the inhale get slightly fuller than natural breath flow and relax the breath out on the exhale) or Ujjayi breath, etc.

Consider ‘skillful means’ as you approach your practice. Skillful means is choosing to engage in poses and breathing practices, etc. that serve what is present on any given day. Listening intuitively to how energized versus tired you may be, can both guide your practice choices, as well as nurture your attunement to the ongoing feedback and dialogue that is always occurring on the edge of our attention and/or consciousness.

The Vajra sequence can be found in the graphic below. This sequence can be used for a short practice and/or interwoven near the beginning of a class. It is helpful for waking up the whole body and opening the hips before entering standing poses. In this graphic, the spinal rock sequence is offered as a gentle warm-up before the Vajra sequence.

This is so analog or non-tech, it makes me smile.