Practice suggestions for...

Cleansing techniques

Kapalabhati (frontal brain cleansing)

Jala neti (nasal cleansing with salt water)

Tongue scraping

Trataka (concentrated gazing)

Laghoo shankhaprakshalana (short intestinal wash)

Nauli (abdominal churning)

Agnisara (activating the digestive fire)

Posture Work (Asana)

Pawanmuktasana and/or Swami Rama’s joints and glands exercises to mobilise all the joints and remove blockages to the flow of energy through the body.

Dynamic (moving) repetition  of  postures to get the energy flowing.

Flowing sequences e.g. surya namaskara, chandra namaskara, Egyptian sun salutes.

Breathing (Pranayama)

Nadi Sodhana (alternate nostril breathing)

Bhastrika

Surya bheda pranayama

Savitri pranayama (2:1:2:1 rhythm)

Relaxation

Practice relaxation techniques incorporating visualisations with water, healing, cleansing or moving energy imagery.

Or try Swami Gitananda’s prana jnana kriya - a mental cleansing technique.

Lying in savasana... watching the breath... following the inhalation as it passes through the nostrils, down the throat and into the lungs… following the exhalation as it passes from the lungs, up through the throat, and out through the nostrils. Concentrating on the breath until you become the breath.

Meditation

Meditation techniques which incorporate movement e.g. walking meditation or, for a group of people, the lotus mandala.

Sit by a well or spring or river.

Imbolc - February 1st

Imbolc, “in the belly of the mother”, is a festival of awakening. The days now are noticeably longer; the sun is stronger; energy is beginning to move and the natural world is waking up after its winter’s rest. This is a time of purification, initiation and healing. It was traditional to make a pilgrimage to a healing well, holy well or spring at this time of year .