Nude or comfortably dressed, on a thick rug or pad, kneel. or sit up straight. Face a partner or a mirror. Gaze into your partner’s or your mirror- image’s eyes.

BREATHE CONSCIOUSLY
Notice how your spine and ribs shift as you expand and contract your lungs. Imagine life’s like breath; you live as you breathe.

Inhale
Breathe in through your nose as you keep eye contact with your partner. If using a mirror, look in your own mirrored eyes.

As you inhale, lower your chin slightly and lift the back of your skull. Stretch the back of your neck. Imagine your crown reaches up to the sun or a star. Your skull gently tugs your top neck bone, the atlas, heavenward. The atlas in turn stretches the axis, the bone below it, up. Axis pulls up the neck bone beneath it. In turn stretch each cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebra up.

Lift your ribs and suck air through your nostrils into your lungs. Direct the air first to the top of your lungs, your upper chest. Then let the tops of your lungs press your middle ribs wider. Fill the space between your shoulderblades with air. Pull your shoulder blades back toward each other. Keep your belly firm as air fills your lower lungs. Still inhaling, lower your diaphragm toward your pelvis. As you complete inhaling, let your diaphragm drop. Curl your tailbone back toward the space behind you.

Gaze into your partner’s or mirror-image’s. Open your heart to your partner (or mirror self). Especially gaze into your partner’s (or mirror image’s) left eye. In that eye, see your partner's or your own Higher Self--the loving, appreciative, compassionate core being.

Inhale whenever you lift your arms, expand your chest or arch your back. Inhale when you stretch into backward bends or extension positions. Inhale also when you straighten from twists or side-bends.

Exhale
As you breathe out, curl your tail bone forward (in front of you) and upward--toward your navel--as you pull the front of your sit-bones into the earth. Draw each successive backbone–sacrum to atlas–down toward the earth between your hips.

Tighten the muscles of your perineum, then tighten your belly muscles and draw your navel in toward the spine. Ribs, chest and shoulder blades relax downward as your diaphragm rises and pushes air out of the bottom of your lungs.

Experience air flowing up and out of your lungs. Imagine that your coccyx and the front of your sitbones root to the center of the planet. Pretend they connect you with the energy of the material world. At the same time, imagine your send energy out your crown into your partner’s (or your reflection’s).

In Bija Yoga, you exhale when you lower your arms or compress your chest or belly. Breathe out when you stretch into forward bends, twists and side bends. Exhale also when you straighten your back coming out of backward bends.

BENEFIT FROM THE BANDHAS (Internal Holds)

Throat Hold (jalandara bandha (straight neck variation)

After each inhale, pull your crown skyward, turn your chin down toward your throat (until the back of your neck pulls straight). Then exhale slowly, drop your spine and hold your head up.

Belly Hold (uddiyana bandha).

When you’ve emptied your lungs, suck your navel back toward your spine and pull your belly up toward your throat

Pelvis Hold (mula bandha)

Tighten then pulse your pubococcygeal and anal muscles. Imagine you pull energy from the earth through your perineum and up through you belly, throat, out your crown, an to your partner or mirror image.

POSE SEQUENCE PRINCIPLES

Warm up--move in and out of poses--before you hold them.

Inhale when you expand your rib cage (raise arms, untwist, etc.).

Exhale when you compress your rib cage.

Bend forward before and after you twist or bend backwards or sidewards.

Bend backwards, sidewards and twist to a mild degree to balance (counterpose) forward bends.

OUTLINE OF BIJA YOGA SEQUENCE 1

Warm-up: Eagle Rises (Vadrasana)

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