Illuminating Your Life

Namaste dear yogi friend, today I'm going to share with you the Gayatri Mantra and then we're going to move into a flowing sequence. So the Gayatri is said to be the oldest or at least one of if not the oldest Sanskrit Mantra that there is and it calls upon the divine sun, that divine light, illuminated consciousness that lives within all things to illuminate our lives, our hearts, our minds, to bless, to guide and to protect us. So I'm going to sing it through three times and we're going to just set an intention for ourselves, something we'd like to illuminate in our lives. And if you know it, please join in. If you'd like to learn it, please maybe just find it on the internet so that you can see the words and you can start to sing with me.

And if you'd like to just listen and rest in your heart as I sing, then just allow the sounds just to wash through you. So let's begin just by finding a comfortable seat and take a deep inhale and exhale. So as we begin, just allowing perhaps the backs of the hands to rest on the thighs or the knees, maybe touching the thumb and the index finger lightly together and take another deep inhale. As you exhale through the mouth, let the belly drop with a sigh. We hold so much tension in the belly, just allowing that to release.

Exhale, allow the tailbone to drop back and down. Feel the shoulders align over the hips. Inhale press down through the base of the spine, reach the crown of the head up so the spine is like it's growing out of the earth like a tree. Exhale soften the inner body. Beautiful one more time, inhale lengthening, lift the shoulders, hug them back, feel the heart brighten and open.

Exhale soften the inner body. Just bring your awareness onto the breath. Just noticing the breath moving in and out. Relax the jaw, soften the hands, breath moves in and out. Breathe in, feel the belly expand, the ribs expand, the upper chest fills with air.

Exhale soften the chest, ribs, belly. Inhale feel the belly expand, ribs expand, upper chest fills with prana, life force. Exhale soften the chest, ribs, belly. One more breath like this. Drop the awareness into the center of the chest, the heart center.

Feel the breath gliding in and out of the heart, easily and effortlessly. I'd like you to connect with something in your life that you would like to illuminate. Some area of your life that you'd like to shed more light on or bring more light to. As we chant this mantra together, allowing the blessings of this mantra, this ancient mantra to bless your life, to light you up, to guide and protect you. Exhaling in the heart center as you choose to sing with me or just to listen.

Deep inhale, exhale everything, begin with an om, inhale for om. Om po bhuva suva ha. Tatsavitu varinyam. Bhargodevasya-di-mahi. bhagavat yadimahi dhiyoyona prajodhayat hombu bhuvasu vaha tatsavito varenyam bhago devasyadimahi dhiyoyona prajodhayat In your heart calling on that illumination, divine consciousness that lives within all things, hombu bhuvasu vaha tatsavito varenyam bhago devasyadimahi dhiyoyona prajodhayat hombu bhuvasu varenyam bhuvasu varenyam bhago devasyadimahi dhiyoyona prajodhayat Breathe in, breathe in, golden light into your body. Exhale, softening into that light.

One more deep breath in. Exhale, gently allow the eyes to blink open. We're going to move onto hands and knees. So just placing the wrists directly underneath the shoulders, have the fingers wide. Press the palms and the finger pads down into the earth. Bring the knees slightly behind the hips to give a little length in the lower back and have the knees hip width apart.

Inhale, tilt the tailbone up, let the heart move forward, shoulders move back, head comes up. Exhale, press down through the hands, tilt the tailbone down, draw the belly up in towards the spine. Inhale, arching the back, breathing, drawing light into the body as you inhale. Exhale, tilting the tailbone down, releasing any stress, anxiety, stagnant energy. Inhale, breathing in light, illuminating the body.

Exhale, rounding, this time tuck the toes under, let the hips come up into a downward dog. Pressing down through the hands, lift the head and the torso away from the hands, tilt the tailbone up, feel the back body lengthen, heels come down towards the earth, deep breath in. Exhale, soften. Inhale, look forward, we're going to walk the feet up towards the hands. Bring the hands onto the shins, inhale, look forward, exhale, bringing the hands down onto the earth.

Press down through the feet, inhale, let the arms bring you all the way up, reach tall, draw the belly in towards the spine. Exhale, let the arms come down alongside the body. Take a moment to find your breath, beautiful, then allow the knees to soften, allow the hips to soften down. Placing one hand on the lower belly, take a breath in, exhale, just let it all just soften down here. One more time, inhale, beautiful.

And then we're going to just let the arms be heavy and let them swing you from side to side. Dip the knees as you come through the center. We're just starting to unwind the energy in the shishumna nadi, the central channel of energy, that moves from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. This is one of our main pathways of light in the body that we want to keep flowing and open. Allow the arms to come a little higher up the body as you swing round and use the breath here to clear the energy.

So breathe in to the right, out to the left, in to the right, using the breath to clear and open the body. And then when the arms get to about shoulder height, bend at the elbows, lift the elbows so they're slightly higher than the shoulders, extend the fingers, the palms, activate the hands. So now we're breathing in to the solar plexus in the center of our being, which according to the yogis is the seat of our fire, Agni. That transformative element within the body that lights us up, that dissolves tension and toxins. So breathing in to the center of your being, out to release.

See yourself actually stoking that inner fire and exhale, see that light glowing within you. Inhaling into the center, igniting the fire, exhale, expanding the light throughout your being. Beautiful, feeling the heat starting to rise in the body, lift the fingers a little higher, and just see yourself in an illuminated state. See yourself happy, healthy, loved, accepted, feeling good in your being. Bright, beautiful, and then slowing it down, allowing the arms to come back alongside the body.

And just coming back to center, bring the feet hip width apart, close the eyes for a moment, take a deep breath in and exhale everything. Drop your awareness inside your body, feel into the fingers, arms. Notice the effects starting to bring the prana in to wake up the channels of light of energy within the body. Feel into the feet, the legs, the torso. Bringing our awareness towards that consciousness within, that subtle layer of being.

Breathing in to the fire, the agony in the solar plexus. Exhale, let it light you up from the inside. Beautiful, one more breath in, exhale. Bring the hands in front of the heart center and prayer position, inhale. Exhale, step that left foot along the mat.

We're going to bring the feet parallel, just bring the hands to the hips to begin with. Beautiful, so firmly pressing down through the feet, draw the thighs in and up, strong legs. And then inhale and reach the arms out shoulder height. So one way to figure out what a good sort of distance between your feet is, is to allow your fingers to point down towards the earth. Check out where your wrists are, where your fingers are, and it's good to have the outer edges of the feet about where your fingers are.

So often we stand like this, or we stand really wide, so just finding that kind of medium place. Beautiful, and then inhale, reach the fingers wide. So can you remember that fire in the center of your being, the solar plexus area? Take a deep breath into here, stoke the fire. Exhale, shine out through your fingers, out through the top of your head, feel your eyes sparkle.

One more time, inhale into that inner fire. Exhale, shine like a star, radiating light in all directions. Beautiful, inhale, turn to the right, bring that right foot forward, left foot turns in at 45 degrees. Tendency here is for this left hip to come up. So bring that left hip down towards the right ankle, so the hips are even.

Inhale, and then exhale and bend that front knee forward, keeping the shoulders directly over the hips. So we're coming into illuminated warrior, breathe into that solar plexus, that fire, and exhale maybe turning to look over the front fingers, radiate light out through your fingertips, out through your eyes, beautiful. Inhale, bring the hands to the heart, turn the feet so that they're parallel. Exhale, extend the arms, turn that right foot in to 45 degrees, left foot turns forward, soften that front knee down, coming into illuminated warrior on the other side. Breathe in to the solar plexus, exhale, shine through the fingertips, out through the eyes, beautiful.

One more time, inhale, looking forward, exhale, shining. Inhale, bring the hands in front of the heart center, bring the feet parallel. Exhale, turning to the other side, coming down into warrior. And then inhale, straighten that right leg, bring the right fingertips over the head, let the left hand come all the way down the leg and bend the right knee forward. Deep inhale, exhale, soften, get a beautiful stretch there in the side of the body.

And inhale, straighten that front leg, come back up to standing, palms touch, take a breath in. And exhale. Breathing in to your center of your solar plexus, that inner fire. Exhale, turn to the other side and let that front knee come down. Inhale, straighten the left leg, reach the left fingertips back, right hand comes down, the right leg, and then exhale, soften that left knee forward.

Maybe even just looking up, feeling the heart open, the chest open, leaning back a little bit. Deep inhale, beautiful. And then exhale, we're going to windmill the hands down onto the earth and step back into a plank position. Take a breath here, and then exhale, pushing back into a downward dog. Find your breath, one inhale.

And exhale, just gently walk the feet forward, we're going to come down onto our backs. So allowing yourself just to lie down with the feet on the earth, the knees in the air, and just rest the knees against each other and take a couple of breaths here. And then bring the feet parallel, hip width apart, just below the sit bones, so you can just lightly brush the heels with your fingertips if you reach down. Press down through the feet, inhale, let the hips and the arms glide up so that the fingers reach back, the arms reach back behind you. Exhale, let the arms come down at the back, melt down onto the earth.

A few times like this, inhale, lift the hips and the arms overhead. Feel the solar plexus, the center of your light, acne shining, the heart opening. Exhale, soften down. Again, inhale, draw light into the body, feel yourself expand and open. Press down a little bit more through the feet, lift the hips, heart opens.

Exhale, rolling down. Beautiful. This time we're going to do it a little bit differently. Inhale, reach tall, press down through the feet, lift the hips, stay here as you exhale. Inhale again, lifting the hips a little higher. Feel that solar plexus open, the heart shine.

Exhale everything, stay as you are, get the breath completely empty. And on no breath, slowly let just the back melt down onto the earth. No breath, and then allow a natural breath to return. It's allowing yourself to soften down into the earth. Beautiful. Inhale.

As you exhale, just let the knees fall down to the right. Inhale, knees up to center. Exhale, knees down to the left. Inhale, knees up to center. Exhale, knees down to the right.

This time take a breath with the knees down on the earth. Allowing the body to open, stretch. Inhale, knees come back up. Exhale, knees down to the left. Let them rest on the earth.

Take a deep breath in. Exhaling. One more breathing, light into the whole body. Exhale, soften. Inhale, knees come up.

And just hug them into the chest. Gently wobble from side to side. Just as it feels good to you. Maybe just release the hands from the knees and make a few circles with the knees together around the hips. One direction and then the other direction.

Just massaging the lower back. Beautiful. And then release the legs down onto the earth. Moving towards our final resting pose. Allow the arms to rest slightly away from the body, palms face up. And take a deep inhale.

And exhale out through the mouth. One more time, inhaling. Exhale. Allow the centres of the soles of the feet to soften and relax. We're going to draw light in through the soles of the feet.

Deep breath in, drawing this golden light up through your feet. Letting it fill your whole body. Moving up through your legs, hips, torso, arms, hands. Exhale, feel yourself soften into this light. Again, deep breath in, drawing this golden healing light up through your feet, your legs, hips, torso, neck, head, arms, hands.

Exhale, soften and dissolve into that. A couple of times, just feeling the wave of the golden light moving up into you as you breathe in. Feeling it illuminating you from the inside, allowing yourself to soften into that. Just bathing in your own light. Deep inhale.

And exhale. Gently wiggle the fingers and the toes. Inhale, reach the arms overhead. And exhale, just curl over onto your side. Rest here for a moment.

As you breathe in, letting light fill and expand your body. So you exhale, softening into that. Beautiful press down with that top hand, gently coming all the way up, finding a comfortable seated position. Just allow the backs of the hands to rest on the thighs or the knees. Close the eyes and take a deep inhale.

Exhale out through the mouth, relax the belly. Again, inhale. Exhale, relax the belly. The tailbone drop back and down, shoulders come over the hips. Press down through the base of the spine, inhale, lift the crown of the head up, feel the spine lengthen.

Gently allow the heart to brighten to open. Ramana Maharshi said, may the lamp of all our hearts be lit by the flame of love. Resting your awareness in the center of your chest, in that inner flame of love. Feeling the breath moving in and out of the heart center. Feeling that light grow brighter with each inhale.

Feeling it illuminate your whole being on the exhale. Feeling your eyes sparkle, your fingertips sparkle, tips of your toes sparkle. Whole being dancing with light. Deep breath in. Exhale.

Inhale, gently bring the hands together in front of the heart center. We'll finish with one om, inhale for om. Om. Blessings on your journey. Much love, namaste.