Hindi Video

English video tutorial

1. Sit with your spine erect.
2. Inhale forcefully through nose with mouth closed
3. Immediately exhale with same force
4. Inhale and exhale repeatedly, deeply and thoroughly
5. Relax Body & Face
6. Make a strong nasal sound
7. Maintain a rhythmic process
8. Complete 10 cycles to complete one round
9. Practice three rounds per session

1. Think: “In-Out”
2. Use arms to maintain rhythm: arms up for inhale; arms down for exhale
3. Imagine you are a blacksmith that blows air using a bellow to create heat and purify iron

• Heating effect

Great for energizing the body

Improves lung function, stress reduction, circulation, vitality, digestion, blood sugar, weight management, allergies

Please Note:

Per Eastern Science and Traditions, Bhastrika should not be practiced by pregnant or menstruating women, individuals with high blood pressure, heart disease, hernia, gastric ulcer, epilepsy, vertigo, significant nosebleeds, detached retina, glaucoma, recent abdominal surgery, and anyone at risk for stroke.

Hindi Video

English video tutorial

1. Sit with your spine erect
2. Relax Body & Face 
3. Focus on your breath: inhalation & exhilation
4. As you inhale, silently say “so” to yourself
5. As you exhale, say “hum”
6. Inhale and exhale repeatedly, deeply and thoroughly
7. Make a strong nasal sound
8. Maintain a rhythmic process
9. Complete 10 cycles to complete one round
10. Practice three rounds per session

1. Keep hands on thighs or knees
2. Visualize yourself connecting to the 5 billion human beings and countless creatures on Earth being fed by the same tidal rhythm of the breath
3. Contemplate the meaning of “So-hum”: when inhaling, think “I am”; when exhaling, think, “all that is”

• Balancing effect

Great for self-awareness

Reduces Stress and Anxiety, promotes relaxation, improves concentration and focus, enhances memory and mental clarity, connect you to your spiritual self, boosts immunity, and removes any blockages in the chakras, leading to better physical and emotional health

Hindi video tutorial

English video tutorial

1. Sit with your spine erect
2. Take a few natural breaths to center yourself 
3. Curl your tongue and extend it out a little
4. Inhale through the tunnel of the tongue
5. Release the tongue, close the mouth and exhale out through the nose.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for a couple of minutes, allowing the cooling effect to bring ease into the body and mind.

1. Imagine using your tongue as a straw to suck in the air
2. Focus your attention to come to the cooling effect in the mouth, down the throat and into the torso
3. Visualize boiling water within the body quickly being cooled with each breath

• Great for cooling the body

Kindles the digestive fire, mitigates hyper acidity, soothes inflammatory skin conditions (such as acne), helps to calm inflammation throughout the body, calms and soothes the mind, induces mental tranquility, bolsters the flow of prana throughout the body, fosters a sense of satisfaction, reduces fever, soothes colicky pain, enhances immunity, alleviates excess hunger, quells excess thirst, reduces blood pressure

English video tutorial

Description: A form of alternate nostril breathing that is very cooling and meditative (relaxing).

Step-by-step instruction: 

1. Sit in a seated position with your spine erect.
2. Place your index finger and middle finger of your right hand in the space between your eyebrows. 
3. Place the palm of your left hand face down on your left knee. This will have a calming effect. 
4. With the thumb of your right hand, close your right nostril and breathe in through your left. Hold the retention for 1-2 seconds and then  the ring finger of your right hand, close your left nostril and breathe out your right nostril. Hold the exhalation for 1-2 seconds then breathe in your right nostril and close it off with your right thumb. Hold the inhalation 1-2 seconds before exhaling left. That is one round.
5. Repeat for 12 rounds or approximately 3 minutes. 

1. Think: “In-Out”
2. Give right elbow support atop lifted knee or another object so it remains lifted away from the body
3. Repeat a self-affirmation with each inhale. Fro example, mentally say “I am whole”; with each exhale mentally say “I am complete”

• Great for balancing mind and body

Quickly calms the nervous system and is very grounding and centering. 

English video tutorial

Description: Ujjayi (Victory over) breath is a breath technique that quickly calms the central nervous system. Ujjayi breath also serves to build heat in the body. 

Step-by-step instructions: 

1. Sit in a seated position with your spine strong.
2. Close your eyes with your drishti at the third eye (If this is painful, participants can be encouraged to at least have their attention at their third eye.)
3. Begin breathing in and out of the nose with your lips sealed (no breath passes the lips). 
4. With the lips gently closed (teeth, jaw, throat and/or neck are relaxed), the breath is passing through your nostrils while the emphasis is in your throat thereby creating a constriction in the throat as if breathing in and out of a thin straw. 
5. Continue with uninterrupted cycles of smooth and steady inhales/exhales.
6. Hands can rest palms up on your knees or you can add arm/hand movements (see video tutorial above).

1. You can feel the breath stroke the back of your throat as you inhale and exhale. Many yoga practitioners compare it to the sound of waves, or for the Star Wars fans out there, Darth Vader’s breathing. “May the force be with you!”
2. Visualize your throat as a garden hose, with the breath passing through like a trickle of water. If you put your thumb partially over the opening of the hose, you increase the power of the water that is coming through
3. Do not hesitate to make noise. The louder the sound the higher the constriction of breath and increase in the power of redirection of energy

English video tutorial

Description: This is a meditative breath appropriate for all ages, but especially for children.

Step-by-step instructions (*Instruct from the bottom of the face up so that your students can both see and hear you.)

1. Sit in a seated position with your spine erect.
2. Tongue is rolled back with the tip touching the roof of the mouth just after the bump. This is called Khechari mudra. 
3. Place your pinky fingers just below your lips gently pressing on your jawbone.
4. Place your ring fingers just above your upper lip.
5. Place your middle fingers slightly above your nostrils gently pressing against your nasal bone.
6. Place your index fingers over your closed eyelids (If this is uncomfortable, you can place your index fingers on your eyebrows.
7. Lastly, place your thumbs in your ear canals and begin humming.
8. Inhale and hum. Repeat for 1-3 minutes.

1. Elongate your exhale so you gradually let-out your breath
2. Imagine you are a bee enjoying the pollen of a beautiful flower
3. Visualize you are letting out your pain, anxieties and worries with every exhale

*Can also be done standing*

1. Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor with equal pressure on the ground
2. Spine erect
3. On an inhalation reach up and clasp your hands over your head
4. Begin to stretch your arms slowly from side to side pausing to breathe
5. Breathe in center, breathe out stretch to the left; breathe in center; breathe out stretch to the right

• Hips are grounded
• Core is engaged
• Lengthen and open rib cage
• Create space between your hips and arms
• Eyes are closed

• Improves breathing
• Stretches entire body
• Improves digestive health
• Grounding
• Balances central nervous system

• 2-4 rounds each side

*Can also be done standing*

• Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor with equal pressure on the ground
• Spine erect
• Clasp your hands behind your head
• On the inhalation, open your chest and lift your head gently upward
• On the exhalation, round your spine drawing your chin to your chest

• Hands clasped behind your head is relaxed (do NOT apply pressure on your neck)
• Eyes are closed

• Releases stress and tension by opening the chest/shoulders/neck/back
• Balances your central nervous system
• Grounding

• 4-6 rounds

1. Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor with equal pressure on the ground
2. Spine erect/shoulders relaxed and downward
3. Place your hands palms down on your thighs
4. Inhale through your nose
5. Exhale forcefully while sticking your tongue out as far as possible

• Maintain an erect spine while relaxing your shoulders downward
• Eyes are open with gaze forward or toward the tip of your nose

• Releases tension in the face 
• Grounding
• Reduces stress

• 3-4 rounds

1. Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor with equal pressure on the ground
2. Spine erect/shoulders relaxed and downward
3. With your left palm faced down on your right thigh and your right hand holding onto the arm of your chair, lift up on the inhalation and gently twist to the right while exhaling
4. Neck/chin/gaze turns to look over the right shoulder last!
5. Inhale/Exhale back to center
6. With your right palm faced down on your left thigh and your left hand holding onto the arm of your chair, lift up on the inhalation and gently twist to the left while exhaling
7. Neck/chin/gaze turns to look over the left shoulder last!
8. Inhale/Exhale back to center

• Lengthen spine before twisting
• Neck is always last
• Eyes are open gazing over the shoulder of the side you are twisting toward

• Calms the nervous system
• Stretches the lower spine and shoulders
• Opens the chest

• 2-4 rounds each side

*Can also be done seated*

1. Stand feet hip-width apart
2. Lift and engage the core
3. Shoulders/arms are relaxed
4. Tailbone tucked in/Spine elongated
5. On inhalation, rotate neck slowly to one side and back tucking chin in
6. On exhalation, rotate neck slowly in the other direction and back tucking chin in

• Eyes are closed
• Attention is at third eye

• Releases stress and tension in neck, throat, and shoulders
• Becomes meditative

• 2-4 rounds each side

*Can be done seated*

1. Stand feet hip-width apart with spine erect
2. Ground feet as extend one arm over your head reaching to the opposite side
3. Extended hand is active with opposite arm/hand relaxed at your side

• Lengthen through the stretch (do NOT compress)
• Legs/core engaged
• Open rib cage creating space between your hip and the arm that is extended
• Eyes are open with your gaze forward or up toward the extended arm

*Note: You can gently increase the stretch by extending the relaxed arm further down your side.*

• Creates a grounded feeling
• Stretches the entire body
• Creates more space in the rib cage improving breathing
• Balances central nervous system

• 2-4 rounds each side

*Can be done seated*

1. Stand feet hip-width apart with spine erect
2. Place your hands on your hips
3. Balance on one leg pointing/flexing/rotating your opposite foot
4. Chin is parallel to the floor

• Sense a feeling of lifting upward through the balancing leg (do NOT dump into the hip
• Eyes are open with gaze forward

*Note: Can look down if you struggle with balance.*

• Increases balance
• Creates a grounded feeling
• Strengthens leg/core muscles
• Lubricates foot/ankle joints

• 2-4 rounds each side

1. Stand feet shoulder-
2. width apart
3. Place arms at your sides
4. Raise your arms to shoulder level
5. Twist the body to the right
6. Bring left hand to right shoulder wrapping the right arm around the back; the right hand around the left side of your waist
7. Glance over your right shoulder
8. Repeat on the other side to complete one round

• Keep the back of your neck straight
• Imagine the top of your spine is a fixed point around which your head turns
• Eyes are open with gaze toward your shoulder

*Note: You can accentuate the twist by gently stretching the abdomen.*

• Good for a tight back
• Good for physical/mental tension
• Tones the neck/shoulders/waist/back/hips

• Hold for 2 seconds or less each side for as many rounds as needed to loosen/relax the body

1. Stand with your feet together.
2. Step back with your left leg so your heel is raised and your toes press against the ground. You should feel the muscles on the bottom of your feet pull gently.
3. Repeat with your right foot.

• Gaze is forward (Can look down and forward to help with balance if needed.).

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concentration.
3. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

1. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds each foot.

1. Stretch your fingers far apart, relax them, then stretch them again. 
2. Stretch your thumb by pulling it back gently, holding it, and then releasing it.

• Gaze is forward.

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concen-

tration.

1. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

1. Repeat 4 times each.

• Rotate your wrist up, down, and from side to side. 

• Gaze is forward.

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concen-

tration.

1. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

• Repeat 4 times.

1. Sit in a firm chair, or stand up straight. 
2. Turn your head slightly toward the direction you will be stretching
3. If you would like a little added stretch, use your hand to gently and steadily pull your head forward on the diagonal. 

• Gaze can follow the direction of the stretch or eyes can remain closed.

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concen-

tration.

1. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

1. Repeat 2-4 times.

1. Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Looking straight ahead, raise both arms over your head and reach toward the ceiling. Do not allow your head to tilt back.

*Can also be done while seated in a chair*

• Eyes can be closed (Open eyes for more balance if standing.).

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concen-

tration.

1. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

1. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then lower your arms to your sides.
2. Repeat 2-4 times.

1. Happy face. Smile as wide as you can, hold for the count of 5 and then relax. 
2. Slack jaw. Let your jaw fully relax and your mouth hang open. 
3. Brow furrow. Wrinkle your forehead by arching your eyebrows as high as possible. 
4. Eye squeeze. 
5. Nose scrunch.

1. Improves awareness, focus, and attention. 
2. Enhances concen-

tration.

1. Helps us evaluate and address physical and/or mental tensions associated with each of these joints.

• 2-3 rounds each.

A form of meditation that involves repeating a sacred sound, word, or phrase to focus the mind and promote relaxation. In giving your mind a simple task to focus on, you allow your thoughts and worries to fade away and uplift them toward a higher ideal.

Aum Meditation

1. Inhale
2. Exhale slowly creating sounds: A, U, M
3. Repeat 3x

is a Sanskrit symbol that consists of three sounds, which together are combined to be the first sound of creation. is also regarded to be a symbol of peace and truth.

1. Keep hands on thighs in dhyaan mudra – two hands are placed on the lap, right hand on left with fingers fully stretched (four fingers resting on each other and the thumbs facing upwards towards one another diagonally), palms facing upwards
2. With closed eyes, visualize the symbol.
3. Repeat mantra using a mala which contains 108 beads, or repeat mantra using the lines on your hand (one hand has 20 lines which equals repeating mantra 20 times)

1. Play circumulation game – all persons stand in a circle while one steps outside of the circle and sees how many times they can go around the circle and return to their starting position while chanting in one single breath. The next participant challenges themselves to go further, etc. 
2. Find your own mantra to repeat that empowers you – Swamini Chidekarasananda Saraswati at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Rishikesh shares one her favorite mantras
3. Repeat any vowel sound (AEIOU) that helps you remove your negative energy

A form of meditation that involves watching, counting, and/or concentrating on your breath ONLY. In giving your mind a simple task to focus on, you can deepen relaxation, improve focus, and unwind faster.

Buddhist Vipassanna Technique:

1. Find a comfortable sitting position
2. Close your eyes
3. Close mouth and relax jaw
4. Focus on tip of your nose
5. Watch your breath go in and out from your nose
6. Set a 5 minute timer
7. Resist the urge to move at all costs

Vipassana meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation that comes from the original teachings of the Buddha. It is a way of observing oneself without judgment, and it is said to be helpful in achieving enlightenment.

1. Put your right hand on your stomach and left hand on your chest – observe the filling and emptying of air
2. Take a 10 day vipassana course in your local area

1. Count your inhales and exhales until you reach 100
2. Visualize your breath traveling through your nose, to your lungs and diaphragm and then in reverse out your nose.
3. Practice Sohum praaNaayaam while concentrating only on the air going in and out

Bhava is a Sanskrit word that refers to the acting of being and becoming. This meditation technique focuses on thoughts that affirm how we want to be

20 Affirmations

1. Pick one that you like most
2. Close your eyes
3. Exhale
4. Inhale – slowly repeating the affirmation
5. Repeat the affirmation using this method 20 times 

1. Repeat mantra using a mala which contains 108 beads, or repeat mantra using the lines on your hand (one hand has 20 lines which equals repeating mantra 20 times)

1. Adopt a prayer or self-affirmation of someone whom you look up to as your own self-affirmation. 
2. Experiment with the Prayer of St. Francis of Asis (reading each line with eyes open and then repeating the same line with eyes closed 5 times)
3. Write your own mission statement and repeat each line in your mind as an affirmation of who you seek to be
4. Victory Visualizing – visualize yourself being the best teacher, friend, human. What does that version of you do?

An Icon is a person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere.This meditation technique focuses on connecting and interacting with your icon. Through this process you gradually imbibe the qualities you most admire in your icon.

In Hinduism, the icon that is revered the most is worshipped by offering flowers, water, milk, etc.

1. Have a picture or three dimensional figure of your icon

1. Who is someone you admire or have deep love and respect for? Who is someone who you wish to be like? Visualize that person and 5 of their most revered qualities
2. Instead of focusing on a person, concentrate on an element of nature that you revere most:  wind, sun, sky, fire, water, etc. Visualize the element expressing beauty and serving humanity
3. Write a letter expressing gratitude to your icon (irrespective of whether the icon is living or no longer alive)

A technique that employs sound for clearing the mind. Many report relief from pain, decreased stress, feelings of relaxation and calm, a release of repressed emotions, and greater positivity

Singing bowls specifically connect to the frequencies of our organs to release blocked negative energy. 

1. Select meditation music that helps you wake-up and focus
2. Select meditation music that helps you release your worries and aides in falling asleep

1. Sing & Play Music (Baul Singer) – creating sounds whether with an instrument or our voice is extremely therapeutic. Sing and play for 5-10 minutes to destress.

Art can be a form of meditation as it can encourage you to be fully present, focused, and mindful in your artistic activity. This can lead to a deep sense of relaxation and mental clarity.

Mandala Art is a piece of art comprised of geometric patterns and symbols. In Sanskrit, mandala translates to mean circle or center. The word mandala has particular meanings in spiritual practices in the way it represents one’s own spiritual journey from the outside of oneself inward. As a symbol, mandalas represent harmony, wholeness, and the infinite nature of the universe.

1. Identify what medium of art you enjoy most as well as the one you can easily access. Keep the tools for readily doing art in the space where you get most stressed

1. Madhubani Art is an ancient folk art from India that is powerfully expressive and  therapeutic for the mind. Take your first lesson

Madhubani lesson