Summary of Day 5 Exercises

1) Samasthiti
2) Prasarita Padottanasana with wall
3) Uddiyana (Flying Up) Bandha (Energetic Lock) Kriya (Cleansing)
4) Adho Mukha Svanasana) focus on Uddiyana Bandha
5) Sirsasana set up and variations with wall
6) Sirsasana set up and variations

Day 5 you will learn a wall variation of Prasarita Padottanasana, the inverted wide-legged standing forward bend. By grounding your legs into a wall you can find an immovable position and tune in to the meditative rest that inverted positions offer. Another main reason that inversions are such an important category of asanas is going upside down automatically gives you a feeling for engaging your bandhas, (energetic locks) especially the first, easiest bandha that is called uddhyana, which means ‘flying up’. You’ll experiment with a hollowing action of the abdomen in several different positions. Day 5 will give you the final step in the learning progression of going up and coming down in Sirsasana. It’s done with straight legs, without kicking up. You will attempt a seamless transition into your vertical position with one smooth gesture that is synchronized with an inhalation, and then you reverse the process by gesturing all the way down to your set up position with a controlled exhalation. First you learn to do it near a wall and eventually you gain the skill to do it without a wall. I also take you incrementally through steps that teach you how to fall out of Head Balance with control by doing a forward somersault.