Intimately Connected

Hi, thanks for being here. This practice is a yoga of intimacy practice and like all the practices I'm sharing, breath initiates, so the breath moves first before the body moves. And with this one we'll add a mantra, which is a mantra that I, to me, but resonates is it's a recognition of life as a nurturing force, the nurturing force of reality that sustains us, and we forget about it sometimes, so it's a call back to remember that, and the mantra goes like this, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah, if you want to try that. So breath, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. And I'll weave the mantra through, intermittently throughout the practice, but at times I'll be chanting the mantra internally, so without making an external noise, and you can play around with it a little bit.

Yeah, so let's get started. Find a long spine, at the base of your body, whether you're on your knees or in cross legs, at the base of your body, settle and sink down into the floor. Use your breath to rise up through your spine, through your body. Hold that expansion and exhale, and engage in the back of your, so the ujjayi mechanism, so like a, but with your mouth closed. Same on the inhale as on the exhale.

And if the breath is this long, the movement is this long, so the breath completely envelops the movement. The first movement is arms up, arms down. And I add the mantra, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Head for the inhale, follow it when it moves, pause, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah.

Two more. Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Next one, make the sound internally. And come on to hands and knees.

Follow the spine, find your breath. And we'll do cat-cow, so inhaling, belly-dine, sit bones up, chest up. And mantra as you go to cat, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Whole-breath in, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Three more times, do the mantra internally.

Hold neutral spine, pause at the top of the breath. And on the exhale, bend the elbows and sit back, chakra, vakasana. Inhale, tabletop, neutral spine, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Inhale, brings you back up, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Inhale, brings you back up, mantra internally.

Inhale, tabletop, exhale to dog pose. Inhale, tabletop, child's pose with the mantra, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. You know it's time to move because the breath is already moving. From our dog with the mantra, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Inhale to tabletop, exhale, child's pose, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah, tabletop.

Child's pose, Om Shreem Shri Hait Namah. Tabletop on the inhale, child's pose, internal mantra. Rise onto your knees again with the inhale and exhale, child's pose again, internal mantra. Tabletop on the inhale, exhale, child's pose. Keep going with this little movement and the rhythm of your own breath.

Plant the mantra internally. Inhale to tabletop, this time Dharma dog with the mantra internally. Tabletop, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Tabletop inhale, mantra Dharma dog, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Tabletop on the inhale and child's pose, mantra, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah.

Lie down for three cycles of breath, plant the mantra internally. Rise up on your knees as you inhale. And suggest with the mantra, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Arms wide, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Three more times with your breath and internal mantra.

So back on your heels, take a breath. Arms up, arms down with the mantra, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Put your hands on the floor, inhale tabletop, Dharma dog, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Stay here in dog pose, stay with your breath.

Walk your feet forward towards the front of the mat. Inhale to halfway lift, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Ride and inhale all the way up, power through your legs, arms wide, look up, mantra at the hands of Namaste, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, again, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Arms up again, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Arms wide, inhale and fold, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah.

Wide lift, fold, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, all the way up, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, arms wide and fold. Halfway lift, inhale, internal mantra on the way down. Power through the legs, all the way up, internal mantra to Namaste, again, arms wide. And fold, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, halfway lift, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, all the way, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. One more time through the same sequence, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, halfway.

Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Save your breath in Tadasana. Give attention to any sensations you feel in your body, the quality of your mind, the quality of your breath. Step one foot back, soft bend in the front leg, relax your arms by your sides. And arms up, inhale, fold to the floor, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, soft neck.

Right for the inhale, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Exhale Mantra, again. Step forward to Tadasana, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Save your breath, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Rest your hands by your sides, step the other foot back.

Little bend in the front knee, stable. The inhale, take your arms up. And fold, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah.

And step forward to Tadasana, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Shreem Step forward to Tadasana, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Stay with your breath and the sensations in your body. What is it like for you to practice Asana with Mantra? Take a wide stance. Toes can be turned out a little bit, not so wide that you lose stability.

Take your arms up and open. Little breath in here, Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Breath in again, exhale right hand to left foot. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah.

Pause at the bottom, wait for the inhale. Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Om Shreem Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. To keep going with that movement, the rhythm of your own breath and the internal mantra. Okay, one more round of both sides.

Step your feet back to hip distance apart, arms wide, full breath in, bring your hands in Namaste, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Arms overhead and dine, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Just here for a moment and come down onto your back. Bend your breath, chant the mantra internally. Pause at the bottom and inhale, legs and arms up.

Exhale, squeeze your knees in towards your chest, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Inhale up, feet up, hands overhead, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Feet on the floor, lift your hips up, arms overhead. Squeeze everything in and again, feet on the floor, hips up, arms overhead, inhale. Legs up, arms up, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah.

Keep going with that movement, internal mantra. Inhale arms up, legs up. Internal mantra. Feet on the floor, hips up, arms overhead. Keep lifted up and exhale here with the mantra.

Full breath in, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Another breath in, internal mantra, hips down, squeeze everything in. Push your feet flat on the floor, rest here for a moment. Lift your hips and scoot them to one side, bring your knees in towards your chest and roll your knees over to one side. Find a position for your opposite arm that's comfortable.

Stay here for five breaths, two with the external mantra, three with internal. Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Come back to neutral, scoot your hips the other way. Knees in and roll over, full breath in, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, three times internally. And come back to neutral, place your hands on top of your knees with straight arms so your feet hang, full breath in here.

Squeeze to the chest, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah, Om Shreem Shreem Hait Namah. Twice more with internal mantra. Release your legs down, relax your hands at the side of your body, palms face up. Let your feet roll out to the side and give your body over to the floor. Come back to neutral, and let your feet hold recognizably.

One more time. If you would like to lay longer, please do otherwise, start to make little movements in your fingers and toes, deepen your breath. Take a long full stretch for your breath, one knee in at a time, and roll over onto one side. Use your arms to bring yourself up to sitting. Bring your knees or cross-legged, whatever is comfortable for you.

Bring one hand onto your chest, one hand onto your belly. Drop your chin down towards your chest and inhale up your chest. Inhale belly towards the spine, inhale upper chest, belly towards the spine. Keep going with that. Bring your hands in Namaste and chant the mantra out loud three times.

Home, Shreem, Shri, Hai, Namaha, Home, Shreem, Shri, Hai, Namaha. Rest your hands and your lap. Be here with your breath for a moment. If you feel drawn to that quiet space and would like to stay there, please do otherwise. Thank you very much for practicing with me, Namaste.