Sadhguru: Yoga for Health – Directional movement.
When you lie in horizontal postures for a few hours during sleep,
the lubricating fluids in your joints tend to settle down and are not in circulation.
So when you wake up, body is demanding - you first lubricate your joints.
Directional movement is a simple way of doing this.
It also exercises the muscles without any risk of injury.
Joints have a concentration of energy nodules,
So by activating them, everything in the system, gets ignited for action.
Here are a few guidelines that will set optimal conditions and
greatly enhance your receptivity of the practices.
Please ensure cell phones are either in silent mode or switched off.
It is advisable not to sit for the program with a full stomach or immediately after a meal.
Please sit with your spine comfortably erect, hands uncrossed and palms open.
These conditions will prepare you to be in a heightened state of receptivity and
derive the most benefits from the practices.
These practices are very safe and simple and can be done by anybody.
The practices we will be learning here can be done by anyone ages 7 years and above.
If you wear glasses, while doing the yoga practices, please remove them and keep them aside.
Now we will learn the first part of Upa Yoga.
This is called 'Directional Movement of the Arms'
We will be doing this practice in four different directions.
We will see the demonstration of the first direction. Please observe.
How you do this is – stand with your feet comfortably apart and parallel to each other.
Eyes closed. As you inhale, bring your hands just in front of your shoulders,
this is the starting position.
The first direction is sideways.
As you exhale, extend your arms sideways.
The wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Once your arms are fully extended, as you inhale, bring them inward.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
This is one cycle.
You do this three times.
This is not only about rotating the wrists
but your hands should also open and close with the rotation.
All the muscles are tense like you’re pushing something - like a screwdriver.
Create maximum tension you can in your arms without creating tension in the rest of the body.
When your arms are going out, it is always outward rotation of the wrists with an exhalation.
When your arms are coming in – it is always inward rotation of the wrists with an inhalation.
Now we will do three cycles together. Please stand.
Make sure you have sufficient space around you.
Stand with your feet comfortably apart and parallel to each other. Eyes closed.
As you inhale, bring your hands just in front your shoulders.
This is the starting position.
As you exhale, extend your arms sideways.
The wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Once your arms are fully extended, as you inhale, bring them inward.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
This is one cycle - we will do this twice more.
Second cycle.
This is not only about rotating the wrists,
but your hands should also open and close with the rotation.
Create maximum tension you can in your arms, without creating tension in the rest of the body.
Third cycle. When your arms are going out,
it is always outward rotation of the wrists with an exhalation.
When your arms are coming in, it is always inward rotation of the wrists with an inhalation.
When you’re finished, please relax. You can sit comfortably.
Now we will look at a few common corrections to keep in mind, while you do the practice.
As a clarification, when your arms are going out, it is always outward rotation of the wrists.
This is outward rotation.
When your arms are coming in, it is always inward rotation of the wrists.
This is inward rotation.
Do not do it fast or casually with little tension.
Do it slowly creating as much tension as you can in your arms,
but it should not extend to the rest of your body.
The rest of the body should be loose and relaxed.
We have seen how to do one direction of the practice.
Now we will see all the four directions - please observe.
Starting position – hands just in front of your shoulders, eyes closed.
The first direction is sideways.
As you exhale, extend your arms sideways with outward rotation of the wrists.
As you inhale, bring the arms back with inward rotation of the wrists.
Notice how the arms are always moving just in line with the shoulders.
This is one cycle, you would do this three times.
The second direction is forward.
As you exhale, extend your arms forward. The wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Once your arms are fully extended, as you inhale, bring the arms backward.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
Ensure you’re creating as much tension as you can.
This is one cycle, you would do this three times.
The third direction is upward.
As you exhale, extend your arms upward.
Your wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Again, as you inhale, bring your arms down.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
This is one cycle.
You would do this three times.
The fourth direction is downward - as you exhale extend your arms downward.
Your wrists should rotate with outward movement.
As you inhale, bring your arms up.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
This is one cycle.
You would do this three times.
Now we will do three cycles together in all the four directions.
Please stand.
Starting position - feet comfortably apart, check that they are parallel to each other,
hands just in front of your shoulders, ensure your head is straight.
Eyes closed.
The first direction is sideways.
As you exhale, extend your arms sideways with outward rotation of the wrists.
As you inhale, bring the arms back with inward rotation of the wrists.
Second cycle - as you exhale, extend the arms.
Ensure your arms are moving just in-line with your shoulders.
As you inhale, bring them back.
Third cycle.
It is a full exhalation as you extend the arms, and a full inhalation as you bring them back.
Once you return to the starting position, switch directions.
The second direction is forward.
As you exhale,extend your arms forward.
The wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Once they are fully extended, as you inhale, brings your arms backward.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
Second Cycle.
Ensure you are creating as much tension as you can.
Third cycle.
The hands should open and close as you rotate the wrists.
When they open, all the five fingers should spread apart.
The third direction is upward.
As you exhale, extend your arms upward.
Your wrists should rotate with outward movement.
Again, as you inhale, bring your arms down.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
Second cycle.
The hands should move just in line with your shoulders.
Third cycle.
Don’t do it fast, do it slowly with attention.
The fourth direction is downward.
As you exhale, extend your arms downward.
Your wrists should rotate with outward movement.
As you inhale, bring your arms up.
Now your wrists should rotate with inward movement.
Second cycle.
Ensure you are not holding your breath.
Third cycle.The arms should move just inline with the shoulders, just beside the body.
When you’re finished, you can relax your arms and sit comfortably.
[Explore 5 minutes for Health] This human system, in yoga, we look at it as five sheaths or five layers.
Five layers of body.
In the yogic system, there is no such thing as mind.
There is no such thing as anything. Everything is seen as body.