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august 2017yogajournal.comLEARN MORE!
Sign up today for Aadil Palkhivala’s online
Master Class on Purna Yoga (plus get eight
more transformative workshops from other
world-renowned teachers) at yogajournal.
com/masterclass.HEARTFULL MEDITATION: MASSAGING THE HEART CHAKRA
Return to a comfortable seated pose. Bring your middle fingers to the
front of each armpit, and draw them in a horizontal line to the center
of your chest. At this point, keep your right middle finger on your chest
and bring your left hand, palm up, to your left knee. You will feel a sen-
sitive area on your sternum and a slight indentation. This is where your
heart chakra, or the doorway to your soul, resides. With eyes closed,
use your right middle finger to gently massage your chest, feeling
deep love and gratitude for your life, for yourself, a loved one, or
a beautiful situation. Visualize the light deep inside your heart center.SUSPENDED SPINAL TRACTION
Secure a strong looped belt from a door frame and place it at your hip
crease. Lean into the belt and bend your knees, placing your hands
on the floor. Taking weight onto the belt, walk your feet up the wall
until they are just below your hips, and hold your elbows. Take several
deep breaths. Exhaling, lengthen your spine toward the floor and
release the tension in your back. To come out, place your hands on the
floor and walk down the wall to the floor. Bend your knees and place
your thumbs in between the belt and your hips. Press the belt down
to stand up. Then lean against the wall until you feel stable. This pose
releases gravitational tension in your spine and nervous system.5
Awaken your heart
Stay in Heartfull Meditation for about 5 minutes. Then,
gently release your right hand and place the back of
both palms on your right knee. Smile as you gently
open your eyes. As you emerge from this practice, feel
the renewal in your body, mind, and heart. With this
new sense of balance, resolve to leave the world better
than you found it. One person at a time, we must and
will create a more loving world.MASTER CLASS
practice well
SUPINE PRANAYAMA (BREATHING) POSTURE
Lie on a bolster or folded blanket so that the flesh of your buttocks
is a few inches in front of it and your back is supported from your
kidneys upward. When the placement of the blankets is accurate,
your abdomen will move away from your diaphragm and your lungs
and rib cage will move toward your head, freeing your diaphragm to
breathe more easily. Place another blanket or two under the back of
your head so that your forehead slopes toward your chest and your
heart chakra. Turn your palms to face the ceiling. On the inhalations,
expand your breath outward in all directions from the center of your
rib cage like a sunburst (three dimensionally). On the exhalations,
allow your breath to retreat back to the center of your rib cage. Main-
tain an awareness of your entire chest cavity. Repeat this breathing
for approximately 10 minutes. This posture reveals tension in the
nervous system, and with practice releases that tension.7
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