For past 1 week I have been trying hard to get up early and start my yoga schedule. But my main sleeping hours in the night seem to be early. Luckily today I got up at sharp 5:00 in the morning. And the biggest surprise was I never had any alarm to wake up me nor I informed my parents and neither programmed my mind forcefully to get up early. It happened naturally. I wouldn’t contribute to early night, because I slept sometime by 1:00 AM only.
As soon as I walked out from sleep, I went to brush my teeth and another biggest change from the usual is – not sitting straight in front of my computer. Usually after brushing my teeth, my next activity of the day is getting to my computer. Today, I walked up to the terrace and starting to do Yoga. I learnt basic Yoga postures and pranayama from the Sivanand Yoga Ashram in Kerala sometime back, I should say more than a year. I had a copy of the book, “Yoga – Mind and Body” from the ashram which I used today as reference.
For the first time I’m practising without any trainer and practising it after a year. I had my own doubts. But before I started I paid my prayers to the God to guide me on the right way of doing it and accept my mistakes and give a mind to rectify it. I started doing abdominal breathing for five minutes. Just lay on the back on the floor with the back straight and slowly inhaled and exhaled. Subsequent to that, started with Yogic breathing in sitting posture. I guess I faced the problem in doing it. Though I tried to inhale, I did not get a feeling of doing a long breath, it was very short than exhale. I did not try for a long time though.
Next was my favorite Anilom - Alternative nostril breathing. I guess I did close to 15 rounds and I felt good doing it. And finally closing the pranyama with Kapalbhathi, forceful exhale. The thought that I had while doing was on the sound of exhale. I guess there was no rhythm, every time I made a forceful exhale there was no rhythmic pattern of exhale.
Then started with Sun salutation - Surya namaskar. I did about 10 rounds and now I can feel little pain in my body with all the stretches. I also wanted to try one more yoga posture which was shoulder stand. I just read the instruction in the book and followed the steps. I did about 2 times with standing in shoulder stand for about 2 minutes in each round.
I started doing all the above by 5:30 AM and could complete by 6:30 AM. Not sure if I did correctly, though the doubt always remains in my mind. But I’m happy that I tried naturally without forcing myself. Best way to start my day and fill with inspiration.
Great Palani once u decided to do the practise ur mind would just follow naturally…
Just one thing always practise kapalabhati before anuloma viloma! kaphalabhati is a kriya and it would open the nadis and also u would notice that analoma viloma would become much more deeper and easier inhalations and exhalations…
By: Bernice on May 16, 2010
at 9:40 am
Good start palani! Hopefully you are able to continue this routine thro the work week.
By: Lakshmi on May 16, 2010
at 2:58 pm
@ Lakshmi akka: Thanks akka. I really hope to pull next day. Taking it day by day. One of my long term bad habits have been not maintaining consistency in anything. I want to prove myself i can break that habit and the best way to start is with this exercise.
@ Bernice: Thank you. I was also wondering the same if I should Kapalbhati first followed my Alternative Nostril breathing. I remember taking notes in the ashram but today I went along with the book and the book had kapalbhathi at last. I also did the search over the net and found out that I was wrong today.
By: Palaniappan on May 16, 2010
at 3:23 pm