I woke up a little late and groggy this morning, so my practice time was cut to just 15 minutes. So here’s what I did:

• Lie on your back in Savasana.
• As you inhale, let your chest expand first and then your belly.
• As you exhale, actively draw your belly inward first, and then let your chest relax.
• Continue to breathe this way to the count of 6 for the inhale, and 8 for the exhale.
• After about 10 minutes, change the breath count to “in for 9, out for 12.”

Here’s what I noticed from this practice:

• Expanding my belly on the inhale is challenging!
• I unconsciously created tension in my jaw and in my  neck.
• My Monkey Mind was definitely already at work – even at 615am.
• After the practice I felt energized.

I’ve always been a “make me sweat” exercise kind of person, so to take 15 minutes to “just lie there” has been a major shift for me over the past few years. It took a lot of self-convincing to get myself to practice yoga this way.

Try it – how do you feel afterward?