Other practices supplement the main posture groups.
Dorsal hand hold
Starting pose
Sit with the legs crossed or sit on the heels.
Into the pose
Place the left hand on the lower back, palm out, and slide it as far up the back as possible.
While breathing in, raise the right arm straight up. While breathing out, bend the elbow and lower the hand behind the neck.
Try to get the hands to meet behind the back. Lock fingers if possible.
Hold
Rest in the pose while doing 3 full cycles of yoga breathing.
Out
Release the hand grip.
While breathing in, lift the right arm straight up. Move the left arm back to the front of the body.
While breathing out, slowly lower the arms and place them in the lap.
Sit and rest for a few seconds.
Repeat the posture using the opposite arm.
Place the hands in the lap and rest.
Sit with the legs crossed or sit on the heels.
Place one hand on each shoulder, on the fingertips, and relax.
Make large circles with the elbows.
Bring the elbows forwards to touch each other in front of the chest.
While breathing calmly in, separate the elbows and lift them above shoulder height. While breathing out, move the elbows backwards and then down.
Repeat the circles slowly in the same direction 5 times.
Reverse direction and repeat 5 times.
Place the hands in the lap and rest.
Shoulder roll
Head roll
Sit with the legs crossed, on the heels, or in a chair.
Look straight forwards and close the eyes. While breathing out, bend the head forwards. While breathing in, roll the head towards the right shoulder and turn the face up slightly. While breathing out, roll the head back down to the middle. While breathing in again, roll the head slightly upwards to the left.
Repeat 5 times, changing direction each time.
Lift up the head and rest in the starting pose.
The rolling should be done slowly and carefully without force and from side to side. Make sure that the head is not bent backwards.
Sit with your legs crossed or sit in a chair, with your hands in your lap. Repeat the movements 3-7 times at a relaxed but even pace. After you have completed one practice, close your eyes and then rest, with your fingers very lightly pressing your eyelids.
Practice I – side movements Look straight in front with a soft, restful gaze.
While breathing in, calmly move the eyes as far as possible to the right.
While breathing out, move slowly back to the central position and look straight in front.
While breathing in, move the eyes calmly as far as possible to the left.
While breathing out, move back to the central position.
Practice II – vertical movements Start in the same way. Look up as far as possible towards the eyebrows while breathing in, then down as far as possible towards the chest while breathing out.
Practice III – rolling movements Let the eyes make large circular movements, first to the right, then up, then to the left, then down and back to the starting point. Breathe in when lifting the gaze, and out when lowering it.
Change the direction for each repetition.
Eye practices
brumadhya drishti
Abdominal lock
uddiyana bhanda
Starting pose
Stand with the legs together and the arms along the sides.
Into the pose
Place the feet a little more than hip width apart and bend the knees slightly.
Curve the upper body forwards and put the hands on the knees.
Draw the breath in, as in the first part of the yoga breathing cycle.
Empty the lungs as fully as possible by exhaling forcefully. When the lungs feel empty, hold the breath whilst firmly pulling in the stomach so that the diaphragm is lifted.
Hold
Hold the breath with the stomach retracted for 10-30 seconds.
Out
Breathe in, let the stomach out, and return to the upright position.
Do full yoga breathing three times before, if you wish, repeating this bhanda or abdominal contraction.
Lie on the back to rest.
Starting pose
Lie on the back with the arms along the sides.
Into the pose
Bend and raise the knees with the feet on the ground and the legs slightly apart.
Exhale completely, then firmly pull in the stomach.
Stomach waves
Hold
Hold the breath while moving the stomach in and out several times as quickly as possible. Keep going for 20-30 seconds.
S AN d 1
Out
Breathe in. Do two cycles of full yoga breathing before repeating.
Lie on the back to rest.