Flow with the breath — make your practice an offering

≤30 min. Svaha (pronounced swa ha) is an important mantra in yoga. There are many Sanskrit definitions of the word svaha as well as several different translations. For the purpose of this practice we can use svaha as a way to allow an easeful flow of the breath wherein the in-breath is “sva” (swa), the out-breath is “ha”. This is a mantra that is often associated with blessings, or offerings. In all yoga practice it is common to set an intention (aka Sankalpa) at the beginning of the practice. The intention can be a heart quality you would like to cultivate such as patience, generosity, forgiveness, gratitude, strength, or use the practice as your offering to a loved one or to one in need. As you maintain a steadiness and focus on the breath, you are able to maintain focus to your intention. In this practice forward bends, backbends, lateral stretches, and twists enable you to dive deeper into poses such as uttanasana, lunges, bhujangasana, uttitha parsvakonasana, marichyasana, and setubandha sarvangasana. Blocks are useful for the practice.