This yoga sequence should be considered a meditation. It's adding movement to the Body Scan, so like the Body Scan, as you practice it you are coming home to your body and learning to listen to its language. Please consider this entire sequence a meditation. Have the intention to maintain the connection with your body and your breath as you flow from one posture to the next, including the in between time. The "spaces between the notes" are just as important as the notes themselves. Remember not to push or strain while doing these poses. Apply gentle, sustained effort, allowing the muscles and joints to gently release. Use your breath, sending it into the areas of the body with which you are working. Deal with mental distractions just as you would in sitting meditation, noting them and letting them go by coming back to your body, again and again. Posture 1 Overhead Stretch Lying on your back, on the in-breath, bring the arms up over-head, parallel to the floor, breathing and feeling the shoulders release. Then gently stretch the arms and legs out along the floor, stretching the entire body. Try bringing the palms of the hands together. Bring the arms back to the floor slowly, feeling them moment to moment until they reach the floor, then release. Posture 2 Pelvic Tilts On the out-breath, tilt the pelvis (tailbone) up, gently pressing the lower back into the floor. On the in-breath, tilt the pelvis (tailbone) down, underneath you, lifting the lower back off the floor. Be mindful of just how far you should flex and extend your back, listening to is right for your back in that moment. Posture 3 Spine Extension To come down, on an out-breath, continue pulling the chest forward as you return to the mat. Lying on your stomach, relaxing into gravity, bring arms forward, rest. Bring hands to push up position and rock the torso from side to side, feeling the lower back muscles releasing. then gently push up off the mat as far as feels comfortable. Remain in the up position for a few breath cycles, feeling the stretch down the entire back and into the sacrum. Then on the in-breath, pull your head and chest forward along the mat and Posture 4 Table with Hip Circles Come to a hands and knees position (table pose). Make circles with your hips, first small then larger. Change direction. Lean torso to one side, feel the hip receive the stretch, and then accentuate the stretch by rocking the torso front to back, as much or as little as you feels OK. Repeat other side. Posture 5 Elliptical Cat Arch From table pose, cat arch. On the out-breath, tilt your tailbone down, back comes up, head down. On the in-breath, tilt your tailbone up, back stretches down, head up. Then add the "elliptical motion” with your torso. In-breath, torso down and forward, out breath, torso up and rocking back towards heels. Slow motion as you sit back on your heels. Think of yawning into the stretch. Posture 6 Child's Pose From table pose, move into child's pose by sitting back on your heels and bringing your forehead down to your arms to either side of you and rest your forehead on the floor or mat. Rest for as long as you wish. your hands resting on the floor in front of you. You can also move Posture 7 Downward Dog Come back to table pose. Straighten legs and elevate pelvis, coming into downward facing dog. Explore straightening legs by encouraging heels towards the floor and engaging quad muscles (lift your kneecaps). Try "bicycling" your legs, extending one heel towards the mat and bending the opposite knee, then repeating other side. See how high you can bring your hips. Belly-button in. Arms straight, bringing elbows in. Breathe, find your still point. Posture 8 Leg and Hip Stretch Mindfully move to lying on your back. Bring both feet up towards the buttocks, resting on the mat. On the out-breath, elevate the left leg toward the ceiling, work with the stretch. Move the right leg out along the floor, encouraging the right knee into th
