Breath Meditation

This meditation uses your breath to help relax your body and calm your mind. Breath Meditation allows you to go into a deeper meditative state, helping to strengthen your minds awareness. It is easier to meditate focussing on your breath instead of trying to empty your mind and focus on nothing.  The breath or Prana comes into your body through the air we breathe. Prana is our life force, as air enters your body it brings new energy and on the exhalation lets go of old energy. Breath meditation can cleanse the lungs, encourage a good night’s sleep, de-stress and improve emotional health.

Lay on your back in Corps pose (Savasana), legs slightly apart, let your feet roll open, rest your arms at your sides, palms up, close your eyes, if you need to support your lower back bend the knees or find a more comfortable position. Feel your whole body starting to relax and soften, sinking down into the matt. Connect with your breath, breathing in through your nose and out through your nose. Start to lengthen your breath, breathing in through your nose and into your belly, allowing your belly to swell, like a balloon and as you exhale allow your belly to soften. Use your exhalation to let go of any tension or irritation. When you feel ready, take your breath even deeper, breathing into your belly, your belly rise and then into your chest, your chest rises. As you exhale, notice your chest fall and then your belly fall. When you feel ready to go into your Full Yogic breath, take longer and slower breath in through your nose and into your belly, your belly rise, into your chest, your rises and then collar bones, your collar bones rise. Retain that breath for a moment, as you exhale notice the breath leaving your body, notice your collar bones fall, your chest fall and your belly softens. The full Yogic breath will help to cleanse the lungs and relax the body. Take as many full Yogic breaths as you feel you need.

Now allow your breath to flow naturally in and out through your nose. Try not to control it. Think of 3 words that you want to bring into your body, for example “Love, Health & Gratitude” and think about where you want to focus the words, for example ‘love to the heart’ or ‘Health to the body if you have any pain or discomfort in the physical body or perhaps health and wellbeing of the mind’. Visualise your first word in-front of you, turn this word as a colour. As you inhale take the colour into your body, see this colour start to travel around your body and fill your body. See the colour settle at your chosen area. Do this for all 3 words.

Notice how you are feeling.

Keep Your breath flowing naturally. Start to count your breath on each exhale. See how far you get before losing concentration. Stay here as long as you wish.

Sunrise Yoga

This blog is not only about meditation but also about using Yoga to set you up for the day ahead. Every day the sun will rise, Sunrise Yoga is about welcoming the new day and preparing yourself for what’s to come. Let go of yesterday and embrace today’s opportunity’s with open arms. This yoga practice will warm and strengthen the body, focus the mind and raise energy levels. If possible this practice is done best at sunrise or when you first wake up, with a view of the sun, but this is not crucial.

Start standing in the mountain pose (Tadasana). Feet parallel, hip width apart or together. Activate the leg muscles, but keep your knees soft. Pull up through your pelvic floor and draw your belly button in. Lift and lengthen through your spine. Relax your shoulders and hold your arms at your side palms facing forward. Tuck your chin in slightly and keep it parallel to the earth. In mountain pose you should be feeling tall and strong. Close your eyes and connect with your body, noticing how you feel. You are the connection between the sky and earth, feel your feet are grounding you. Connect with your breath, allowing it to flow naturally in through the nose and out through the nose. Visualise the sunrise in-front of you, see the colours in the sky, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. As the sun gets brighter and bigger allow your whole-body to glow. Stay here as long as you feel you need to.

When you are ready to start your physical practice, deepen your breath. Inhale and reach your arms out and above your head, exhale bring your hands into pray (Audra) hands together and lower them down to your heart centre, thumbs touching your sternum. As you reach up visualise bringing new light and energy down to your heart and allow it to illuminate your body. Repeat this a few times before moving into Sun salutations.

  1. Inhale reach your arms out and above your head (Hasta Uttanasana)
  2. Exhale, take hands into pray and fold forwards into a standing forward fold (Uttanasana)
  3. Inhale, step your right leg steps back into Horse Riders Pose (Equestrian pose)
  4. Retain the breath, step back lowing onto your hands and knees or into a plank position (Phalakasana)
  5. Exhale, lower knees (if in plank), then your chest, chin and belly onto the matt (Ashtanga Namaskara)
  6. Inhale, lifting into a sphinx or into the Cobra pose (Bhujagasana)
  7. Exhale, lowering your chest back to the floor and then lifting your pelvis back into Childs pose or Downward-facing Dog
  8. Inhale, step right leg forward into Horse Riders Pose (Equestrian pose)
  9. Exhale, step forward bringing feet together into a standing forward fold (Uttanasana)
  10. Inhale, reach your arms out and up above your head (Hasta Uttanasana)
  11. Exhale, lower hands back down to your heart centre into the pray mudra and repeat the whole sequence this time starting with your left leg.

If you are a beginner aim to do 3 rounds 3 times a week. One round is a set on each side. Ideally you want to work up to completing a few rounds every day. Remember to listen to your body and only do as many as you feel you need. Once you have finished your rounds, take a moment to scan your body, in Mountain Pose. Bring your hands to pray at the heart centre to connect again with your heart. How are you feeling? Acknowledge without judgement, it’s okay if there are no obvious changes.  Little by little, day by day you may feel enlightened.

Hourglass

This meditation is all about letting go of the old and welcoming the new. The hourglass meditation can help if you’re going through a difficult time, letting go of negativity and allowing positive energy to come through, it can help reduce stress and clear your mind. Even though the hourglass is the theme there is no time limit and you don’t need an actual hourglass.

Start by sitting in a comfortable position, you may sit on a chair or pillow, lift and lengthen through your spine, relax your shoulders, take a moment to connect with your breath and body.  How are you feeling physically? Take a deep inhale and as you exhale let go of any tension and allow yourself to be in that moment. Notice any thoughts or emotions that come up. Take as long as you need, allowing your breath flow naturally. Visualise an hourglass, the shape, the stand, the glass thickness and the colour of the sand. The top of the hourglass is everything that’s happening in your life right now, notice if there is anything that makes you feel unhappy or uncomfortable and hold onto these thoughts and feelings in your awareness. Take time to lengthen and deepen your breath again, as you inhale accept this is how things are at the moment and as you exhale visualise the sand falling down the neck of the hourglass. As the sand falls, you start to let go. Notice if the sand change colour. Allow yourself to feel calm and at peace. Wait until you see all the sand at the bottom of the hourglass and allow the breath to flow naturally. The bottom of the hourglass symbolises your strength, holding all your thoughts and emotions. You are now feeling strong, confident and grateful for everything you have.

If the sand started as one colour and changed, here’s an example of what the colours may reflect;