The P ra c t i c e
look back down the journey you just
Begin in a comfortable seated posture, one
that you can be comfortable in for 3 to 5
minutes.
Close your eyes and come into present
awareness. Notice the habits in your
attention.
- Do you feel dull or sleepy?
- Do you feel mildly distracted?
Look for the sattvic state withinthe state
of relaxed, alert, mindful, present awareness.
Bring your attention to and focus your
internal awareness on your sit bones for a
few seconds. Then your sacrum,
lumbar spine, thoracic spine, shoulder
girdle, and cervical spine. Then the
atlas, axis, and brain stem.
From the perspective of your brain stem,
travelled, and when you arrive at base camp
(your sacrum), look back up once more.
Hold this journey in your awareness while
you bring your attention to the tip of your
nose, and start to deepen inhale and
lengthen exhale. Engage in a soft ujjayi if
you are familiar with it.
On exhale, bring attention below the navel
and gently tighten the belly.
On inhale, feel the chest expand and the
ribs lift. Relax the belly at the end of the
inhale.
Repeat 6 times, keeping your mind fully
attentive to the flow of breath and the
movement of the spine.
With each repetition:
On exhale, see if you can tighten pubic
bone to navel to solar plexus, keeping the
belly firm as you begin to inhale.
On inhale, notice your sternum lift away
from the navel, and relax from solar plexus
to navel to pubic bone.
When the external frame of your body is
still, its easier to feel the effect of the
breath moving the spine. The challenge in
movement in asana is to bring your mind,
again and again, back to the relationship
between the flow of the breath and
movement of the spine.
Lie on your back, legs straight, feet slightly
wider than your sits bones, arms extended
at your sides with palms on the floor.
Bring your attention to the tip of your nose
and progressively deepen the inhale and
lengthen the exhale. On inhale, expand your
chest. On exhale, gently tighten the belly.
Repeat for a few breaths.
On inhale, raise your arms upward all the
way to the floor behind your head on a
count of 4 seconds.
On exhale, lower your arms back to your
sides on a count of 4 seconds.
Repeat 3 times.
On inhale, lift your arms over your head
while simultaneously flexing your ankles on
a count of 5 seconds.
On exhale, lower your arms back to your
sides while simultaneously relaxing your
ankles on a count of 5 seconds.
Repeat 3 times.
APANASANA
Bend the knees, lift the right knee and place
the hand on it. Lift the left knee and place
the hand on it for apnsana.
On inhale, expand the chest then relax
the belly, as you straighten the arms.
On exhale, tighten the belly, bend the
elbows and pull the thighs toward the belly,
feel the low back pressing into the floor.
Repeat 2 times counting 4 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Repeat 2 times counting 5 seconds on
inhale and exhale, suspending the breath
at the end of exhale 2 seconds.
Repeat 2 times counting 6 seconds on
inhale and exhale, suspending the breath
at the end of exhale 2 seconds.
VAJRASANA
Stand on your knees with arms at your
sides.
On inhale, sweep your arms wide as you
expand your chest, pull your shoulder
blades back, and flatten your upper back.
On exhale, tighten your belly as you bend
forward, rounding your low back, sweeping
your arms behind your back, and bringing
your hands to the sacrum, palms up.
Repeat 2 times counting 4 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Repeat 2 times counting 5 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Repeat 2 times counting 6 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Bhu j an g a sa n a
Lie on your belly with your forearms on the
floor and your palms by your shoulders.

On inhale, pull back a little on the heels of

your hands as if you are pushing yourself
forward and lift your chest. Toward the end
of the inhale, lift your chin.

On exhale, come down as you lower your

chin, bring your forehead on the floor, and
relax your low back.

Repeat 4 times, retaining the breath after

inhale 1, 2, 3, and 4 seconds.
ca k r a v a k a sa n a
Bring yourself to all fours with shoulders
vertically above wrists and with hips above
knees.
On inhale, lift the chest up and away from
the belly. Lead with the chest, keeping chin
slightly down. Avoid compressing the low
back, rather feel the chest expanding.
On exhale, gently contract the belly, round
the low back, and bring the chest toward
the thighs. Let the chest lower toward the
thighs sooner than the hips toward the
heels.
Repeat 2 times counting 4 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Repeat 2 times counting 5 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
Repeat 2 times counting 6 seconds on
inhale and exhale.
j a t hara p ari v r tt i
Transition to lying on your back. Bend both
knees, thighs lifted toward chest, both feet
off the ground, and arms out to your sides,
slightly less than perpendicular to the body.
On exhale, bring both knees toward the
floor on the right side of the body up
toward your right elbow, twisting abdomen
and simultaneously turning the head left.
On inhale, lift your legs back to the starting
position, and bring your head to the center.
Repeat 3 times alternating sides, counting a
4-to-5 second inhale and exhale.
Then stay 3 breaths on each side, counting
a 4-to-5 second inhale and exhale.
Tip: Use the exhale to deepen the twist.
u rdh v a p r as a r i t a Repeat 1 time.

pa da s a na On inhale, raise arms upward and all the

Lie on your back with arms down at your
sides, legs bent, knees toward chest.
On inhale, raise your arms upward all the
way to the floor behind your head.
way to the floor behind your head, and
simultaneously raise your heels to the
ceiling and flex your ankles.
Repeat 3 times.
Repeat 3 times, staying 1 breath.

On exhale, lower the arms back to your

sides.

Repeat 1 time.

On inhale, raise your heels to the ceiling and

flex your ankles.

On exhale, bend your knees and relax your

ankles.
Dv i p a d a P i t ha m
Lie on your back with arms down at your
sides, knees bent, feet hip-distance apart.
On inhale, pressing down on your feet and
keeping your chin down, raise the pelvis up
toward ceiling, vertebra by vertebra, until
the back of the neck is flattened.
On exhale, return to the starting position,
vertebra by vertebra.
Repeat 2 times.
On inhale, pressing down on your feet and
keeping your chin down, raise the pelvis up
toward the ceiling vertebra by vertebra,
until the back of the neck is flattened, as
you simultaneously raise your arms to the
floor behind you.
On exhale, return to the starting position,
vertebra by vertebra.
Repeat 2 times.
A PA N AS A NA
Bend the knees, lift the right knee and place
the hand on it. Lift the left knee and place
the hand on it for apnsana.
On inhale, expand the chest then relax
the belly, as you straighten the arms.
On exhale, tighten the belly, bend the
elbows and pull the thighs toward the belly,
feel the low back pressing into the floor.
Repeat 3 times.
S A VASANA
Lie flat on your back, arms at sides, palms
up, and legs slightly wider then hips. Close
your eyes. Relax the body fully, keeping the
mind relaxed and alert to sensations in the
body. Feel the pulsation of the life force in
your body. Stay here for 3 to 5 minutes.
Gently and progressively come out of
savsana, and in your own time, come to a
comfortable seated position.
Close your eyes, and come into a present
awareness. Notice the habits in your
attention. Has it shifted from the beginning
of the practice?
Do you feel dull or sleepy?
Do you feel mildly distracted?
Look for the sattvic state withinthe state
of relaxed, alert, mindful, present awareness.
Bring your attention to and focus your
internal awareness on your sit bones for
a few seconds, then your sacrum, lumbar
spine, thoracic spine, shoulder girdle, and
cervical spine. Then the atlas, axis, and brain
stem.
With each repetition:
On exhale, see if you can tighten pubic
bone to navel to solar plexus, keeping the
belly firm as you begin to inhale.
On inhale, notice your sternum lift away
from the navel, and relax from solar plexus
to navel to pubic bone.

From the perspective of your brain stem, Release the breath and come into stillness.
look back down the journey you just
travelled, and when you arrive at your
sacrum, look back up once more.

Holding this journey in your awareness while

you bring your attention to the tip of your
nose, start to deepen inhale and
lengthen exhale. Engage in a soft ujjayi if
you are familiar with it.

Repeat 6 times, keeping your mind fully

attentive to the flow of breath and the
movement of the spine.
 R es our c es
Connecting Breath and Movement
A master class with Gary Kraftsow

Pranayama Unlocked: A Practice-Based Intensive

+ Deepen your practice + Increase energy, health, and well-being
+ Increase mental clarity + 10 hours of course material