Enter
- Close your eyes and relax your body.
- Place your tongue in khecarī and begin ujjayi.
- Open your eyes; direct your gaze upward and inward.
- Tilt your head back about 45°; straighten your elbows.
Steps
Support
Sit bones and outer foot edges; hands pressing both knees.
Hold
- Press your knees with your hands.
- Keep your torso upright.
Exit
- Bend your elbows; release your tongue and gaze.
- Return your head to an upright position.
- Resume normal breathing.
- Breathing
- Slow, deep ujjayi, without breath retention in this version.
- Gaze
- Eyes open, upward and inward, between your eyebrows: śāmbhavī.
- Duration
- As long as comfortable; increase the duration very slowly.
- Rounds
- Start with one round; gradually increase to five.
Adapt
Adaptations
- Raised seatElevate your pelvis on a folded blanket or cushion.
- Supported kneesPlace blocks or blankets under knees that remain lifted.
- ChairSit upright, feet supported, with your hands on your knees.
Variations
- Inhale while tilting back; hold; return upright while exhaling.
- skyward gaze and breath retention; 3–5 rounds.
Signals of effort
- Head tilted backward.
- Sustained upward, convergent gaze.
- Tongue curled against your palate.
- Breath retention in the variations.