Yoga - Routine: Content Page
Yoga - Routine: Content Page
Yoga - Routine: Content Page
By Khun Reinhard
http://www.khunreinhard.com
[email protected]
CONTENT page
1. Introduction 2
2. Overview 3
2.1 Time frame 3
2.2 Postures 4
3. Yoga – routine 5
3.1 Standing postures 5
3.2 Sun salutation 6
3.3 Supine postures – lying on the back 7
3.4 Prone postures – lying on the front 9
3.5 Sitting postures 11
3.6 Final relaxation – corpse posture 12
4. About the author 13
Yoga – Routine
1. Introduction
This yoga routine has been taught by the author of this paper over many years to more than 2.000 male
participants of the meditation retreats at the Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage in Thailand.
Women have separate yoga classes, taught by a female instructor, but the routine is similar to this.
There are many different postures in yoga and many different schools which teach postures in different
ways to achieve different results. Building up strength may require doing the same posture in a slightly
different way than if one wants to increase flexibility.
It is quite difficult and lengthy to describe in writing the details of postures. Many more details are given
orally during practising the exercises.
This routine is designed to help participants get through a 10-day meditation retreat which requires
hours of sitting each day. The focus is on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles and on opening
hips and groins to some extent. This helps participants to sit with straight backs more and more comfort-
ably. As neck and shoulder pain is a quite common experience during meditation retreats, some exercises
to release tensions in this area are implemented as well.
The classes usually have 30 to 60 people. The participants come from all walks of life, aged between 17
and 70 years. Some have not done any exercise for years, others are used to doing some kind of bodily
training regularly. The average participant is not very flexible – touching the floor with the fingertips
when bending forward with straight legs is for many beyond reach when they start the class. Therefore
the exercises have to be simple, so that nearly everybody can take part without getting injured or frus-
trated. Age and health limitations like back, heart and blood circulation problems, have to be taken into
account as well.
During the meditation retreat the mind should become calm and peaceful and the participants should be-
come aware of what is going on in their body and mind. The yoga class is designed to accomplish just that
and so there is no jumping into the postures and there is a lot of relaxation between the exercises and at
the end of the class.
The routine has evolved over the years to include
• Do it slowly
• Do it with awareness (many postures can be done with eyes closed to increase your awareness)
• Be stable (do not move) in the final posture
The purpose of the following description is to help participants, who have taken part in the yoga class at
the International Dharma Hermitage, to remember the routine and some of its details. It cannot serve as
a manual for people who have not taken part in our yoga class.
2. Overview
2.1 Time frame
-----
A) STANDING POSTURES (loosening exercises)
1. Tadasana – Mountain posture
(Starting position while standing)
2. Neck
3. Shoulders
4. Stretch the sides of the body.
5. Backward bend 30 min.
6. Forward bend
7. Spinal twist
8. Hip rotation
9. Loosening joints and muscles of the legs and balancing exercise
Total 85 min.
2.2 Postures
Standing
postures
(repeat on opposite
side, in reverse
direction, with
opposite arm or leg, if
suitable)
Sun salutation
- basic -
Supine
postures
Prone
postures
Sitting
postures
(repeat with
right leg)
and
Final Relaxation
3. Yoga – routine
3.1 Standing postures (loosening exercises)
1. Tadasana – Mountain posture – starting position while standing
Stand straight, feet together or a little apart, inside of the feet parallel, thighs a little tensed, weight
evenly distributed on the feet, shoulders slightly rolled back, ankles, knees, wrists, hips, elbows,
shoulders and ears in line.
2. Neck (5B = 5 breaths in and out)
• Look up to the ceiling and raise the chin high, stretching the throat (5B)
• Look down to the floor and bring the chin between the collar bones, stretching the neck (5B)
• Look over the left shoulder (5B), back to centre and look over the right shoulder (5B)
• Lower the left ear towards the left shoulder and pull right shoulder down (5B), back to centre,
lower the right ear towards the right shoulder and pull the left shoulder down (5B), stretching
the sides of the neck
• Rotate the head until the resistance in the neck and reverse the direction (5 times in each
direction)
3. Shoulders
• Alternately lift left and right shoulder (6 times each shoulder)
• Lift both shoulders at the same time (8 times)
• Alternately rotate left and right shoulder forward (6 times each) and reverse (6 times each)
• Rotate both shoulders forward at the same time and then rotate backwards (8 times each)
4. Stretch the sides of the body
• Raise the right arm sideways up to the vertical, biceps close to the ear, palm of the right hand
pointing to the left, the left arm hanging loosely by the side. Bend to the left stretching the right
side of the body from the foot to the toe. (To intensify the stretch, look up to the right arm.) (8B)
• Return to Tadasana and be aware of the sensations in the right side of the body (compare with
the left side) (8B)
• Do the same towards the opposite side
5. Backward bend
• Place hands on the left and right side of the hip, thumbs and fingertips pointing to the front.
Starting from the neck, bend backwards. Stretch of abdomen, chest and throat, with compression
of the back (10B)
• Inhaling straighten up again and focus on the sensation at the front side of the body and in the
back (10B)
6. Forward bend (be careful if you have lower back problems)
• Inhaling, raise both arms to the vertical, palms pointing to the front. Straighten up and bend
forward from the lower back. Interlock thumbs and elbows, relax the back and try to bend further
down with every exhalation (10B)
• Bring the arms to the legs and slowly, sliding the arms along the legs stand straight again.
Inhaling raise the arms above the head, straighten up and exhaling drop the arms to the side.
• Feel the sensations in the hamstrings, lower back and abdomen (10B)
7. Spinal twist
• Swing the arms around the body, keep the legs and feet firm, twist only above the waist, look
back over the shoulders to twist the entire spine (10 times each direction)
8. Hip rotation
• Place hands on the left and right side of the hip, thumbs next to the spine, fingers pointing to the
front. Keep feet and legs firm, rotate the hip without moving the shoulders (10 times each
direction)
9. Loosening joints and muscles of the legs and balancing exercise
• Raise the right foot off the ground and rotate the foot outwards (12 times) and inwards (12 times)
• Raise the right leg higher until the thigh is parallel to the floor and rotate the lower leg in the
knee (10 times outwards/inwards)
• Now rotate the entire leg at the hip (6 times outwards/inwards)
• Do the same with the left foot, lower leg and entire leg
1. Learn how to come up from lying down on your back to a sitting posture
(explained on the 1st day only, practised every day)
a) Bring straight left arm on the floor behind the head, bend right knee and rest the sole of the right
foot next to the buttocks on the floor. Roll over to the left side, bring right hand in front of the
chest on the floor and push up to a sitting posture (or right arm behind your head, left knee bend).
Or
b) Place the hands next to your armpits on the floor, come up on your fingertips and push up to a
sitting posture.
(If you have serious difficulties in sitting up, start from the sitting posture to bend forward and return
to sitting up straight without lowering the body and arms to the floor.)
1. Learning relaxation postures (explained on the 2nd day only, practised every day)
a) Make a cushion with the hand (one on top of the other) in front of the chest and rest the head on
the hands, looking into the direction of the fingertips of the top hand. Legs straight, feet a little
apart or
b) Crocodile posture: Place right hand on the left shoulder and left hand on the right shoulder. Head is
resting on the forearms where they cross each other. Legs straight, feet shoulder width apart.
Khun Reinhard - 10 -
Yoga – Routine
• Then, while inhaling, raise the knees up to the vertical and bring the head to the centre.
• While exhaling lower both the knees to the left towards the floor and turn the head to the right,
looking to your right hand.
• While inhaling, bring the knees and the head back to centre (to the starting position)
• This is one round. Perform 10 times
• Rest in Corpse position for a short time
4. Butterfly (to release remaining tensions in hips, groin and lower back)
• Sit straight, bring the soles of the feet together. Get hold of the toes. Pull the feet closer to the
groin
• Slowly and effortlessly bounce the knees up and down simultaneously (20 times)
• Straighten and shake the legs, relax into corpse posture
Khun Reinhard - 11 -
Yoga – Routine
• Lie on your back, legs straight, feet a little apart and dropped re-
laxed to the sides. Arms by the sides of the body, a little apart,
palms facing towards the body or towards the ceiling. Keep the
neck comfortable without tension (Picture 1a).
• In case of back problems, make sure the lower back is in contact
Picture 1a
with the floor, bend the knees and rest the soles of the feet next
to the buttocks on the floor (Picture 1b).
• Relax the body part, by part, from the toes to the skull.
• Mindfully relax feet, ankles, lower legs and knees, front and back
Picture 1b
of the upper legs, buttocks, and pelvis.
• The lower part of the body from the navel to the toes should now
be totally relaxed and without tension. If there are still some tense parts, try to relax them.
• Mindfully relax lower back, middle back, shoulders, abdominal muscles, muscles of the chest, muscles
around the collar bones, fingers, palms, wrists, forearms and elbows, upper arms, the shoulders, neck
and throat.
• Middle and lower part of the body should now be totally relaxed and without any tension. If there are
still some tense parts, try to relax them again.
• Mindfully relax chin, jaw, mouth, cheeks, ears, temples, eye-regions, nose, forehead, and skull.
• The entire body from the top of the head to the tip of the toes should now be totally relaxed and
without any tension, with your breathing going smoothly and slowly and your mind being calm.
Khun Reinhard - 12 -
Yoga – Routine
http://www.meditationinhuahin.org
Another interest of mine is yoga. I have practised Hatha Yoga for 48 years and taught it for more than 17
years after yoga teacher training in 2000 at the Vivekananda Ashram near Bangalore in India.
During my lessons I have introduced more than 2,000 women and men to the basics of Hatha-Yoga. Most
were taught in 10-day courses.
Information, articles and books regarding my meditation and yoga experiences are available on my web-
site at:
http://www.khunreinhard.com
Publications
eBooks (available in PDF, EPUP, MOBI ... - format; in both English and German language)
• An Engineer turned Meditation Teacher
- 20 years fascinated by Suan Mokkh -
• Introduction to Buddhism and to Buddhist Meditation
• Enjoy Hatha Yoga – 2nd Edition
Articles (PDF, free of charge, most but not all in both English and German language)
• Non-Self and the Five Aggregates
• The Here-and-Now-Interpretation of Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppāda)
- An attempt to explain the arising of the self-concept in the human mind -
• Karma and Merit in (Thai) Buddhism
• Free will in Buddhism and Western Philosophy
• Bhikkhunī-ordination controversy in Theravāda Buddhism
• Meditation – postures and practices
• Meditation in daily life
• Aging and Yoga
• Breathing and Yoga
• and more …
Khun Reinhard - 13 -