Main concerns of simple yoga (5)

 

  1  Intend to be the best person that you can be when you practice yoga.

  2  Allow your breathing to be free and thorough.

  3  Straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.

  4 Support your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) seated firmly and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly in a position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition.

  5  Stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your shins at your knees downward then align your shoulders, arms, hands and head with the position of your backbone as well as you can and hold those parts of your position still as long as the position is comfortable.

  Chapter 1 describes how to combine these concerns to place your legs, hips and backbone into a comfortable position to remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.  Chapter 1 contains enough information for you to begin and progress in simple yoga without personal help from an instructor.

  The priority of concerns that you need to follow to place your body in the best position that you can is the same priority of concerns that you need to maintain to ensure that remaining seated still will be beneficial.  Although you might experience any part of the method naturally before the others, you need to maintain each part of the method in this order to benefit reliably from the position of your body while you remain seated still.

  Each concern supports the following concerns and each concern helps to maintain the preceding concerns.

 

Intend to be the best person that you can be
when you practice yoga

 

The first main concern of simple yoga

 

1  When you intend to be the best person that you can be the illuminating quality of your mind pervades all of your experience to some degree.

  Intend to be the best person that you can be when you practice yoga.  It’s sufficient to be the best person that you can be as you understand it and as well as you can. Intend that all of your thoughts and experience will be positive, beneficial, while you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.

  You need to intend to be the best person that you can be for your breathing to be free and for the position that you hold still to be reliably beneficial.  If you don’t intend to be the best person that you can be your breathing won’t be free and the position that you hold still won’t be reliably beneficial.

 

  You cannot practice the yoga that’s described in this text when you’re concerned with thoughts that are negative as you understand or experience them.  Remaining seated still when you don’t intend to be the best person that you can be reinforces emotionality and discursive thinking.

 

 

2  Intending to be the best person that you can be and allowing your breathing to be free and thorough and maintaining the best position of your body that you can are mutually supporting.  You naturally experience beneficial positions of your body during many ordinary experiences. This text provides information that can help you to maintain a reliably beneficial position nearly effortlessly.

 

  You need to be seated in a position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition to benefit reliably from the position of your body while you remain seated still.  Your potential to be seated in a beneficial position in your present physical condition is due to the integrating potential of being seated on three firm bases of support and maintaining the position of your backbone standing upright and leaned slightly forward and the potential of your legs to be gathered together into progressively more integrated positions.

 

  You can use the method to be seated in a beneficial position that’s not cross-legged.  The text describes a rudimentary position of being seated upright with your legs extended forward, not cross-legged, and a beneficial position of being seated upright on a chair. When you use the method of condensing the muscles of your abdomen to exhale so that the following inhalation can be effortless you can experience many of the benefits of a cross-legged position when you’re seated upright on a firm flat support with your legs extended forward and when you’re seated upright on a firm chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing.

 

 

3  Devote your attention to maintaining the best position that you can maintain comfortably.  Intend to be aware of your physical position. Concern with your imagination, memory or discursive thinking can result in becoming distracted by ideas or expectations and you might not perceive or control your position as well as you do ordinarily.

 

  A beneficial position is comfortable and easy to hold still.  When you’re seated in the most integrated position that you can maintain comfortably your position will be easy to hold still. A position of remaining seated still that’s not comfortable and easy to hold still is not reliably beneficial.

 

Allow your breathing to be free and thorough

 

The second main concern of simple yoga

1  Breathing is an experience that’s intangible like your mind and tangible, material, like your body.  Breathing shares all the qualities of your mind. Allowing your breathing to be free joins the illuminating quality of your mind with the integrating potential of straightening your backbone and standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly on three firm bases of support.

  Your breathing will become free immediately when you allow your breathing to be free.  Whenever you allow your breathing to be free your breathing will become as free and thorough as it can be in your present physical condition.

 

  Your breathing will gradually become more thorough.  Your breathing might be shallow and fill only a small part of your lungs when you begin to be seated still. When you remain seated upright and still in a cross-legged position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition and allow your breathing to be free and thorough your breathing will gradually become more thorough.

 

 

2  When your breathing is free you can straighten your backbone with a small muscular effort and hold a beneficial position nearly effortlessly.  You need to allow your breathing to be free during all of the time that you’re placing your body in a position to remain seated still and also during all of the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.

 

  You need to allow your breathing to be free to straighten your backbone and stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that when you condense the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be effortless.  You can verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial by condensing the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale and then relaxing the muscles of your abdomen to inhale as described in Chapter 1 and 8.

 

 

3  Don’t try to slow your breathing or hold your breathing still.  It’s not beneficial to try to slow your breathing or hold your breathing still while you’re practicing simple yoga.

  Your breathing might become still naturally while you remain seated still.  Your breathing becomes still naturally and harmlessly during many kinds of ordinary experiences.

  You might pause between exhaling and inhaling and allow your breathing to be still for a while until you naturally begin to breathe again.  The benefits of breathing continue for a while even when you’re not exerting any muscular effort to breathe.

 

 

4  Don’t hold your body still to help your breathing to be free.  Holding your body still can help your breathing to be free after you’re seated comfortably on three firm bases of support and standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that the inhalations of your breathing to be effortless.

 

  If you hold your body still before you’re maintaining the concerns that combine to make the position of your body beneficial, the position that you hold still might not be beneficial and might become uncomfortable or numb.

 

 

5  Some influences that might not interfere with the beneficial motion and rest of energy in your body while you’re moving can disrupt, block or spend the energy in your body when you remain seated still.  Those influences are described in Chapter 3.

  Tight clothing or an elastic waistband, stretch fabric or any cloth pressed in the folds of your knees interferes with the beneficial motion and rest of energy in your body when you remain seated still.  Elastic and stretch clothing exert constant pressure on the surface of your body that confuse and frustrate the motion and rest of energy in your body and cause conflicting muscular tensions in your abdomen that interfere with free and thorough breathing and straightening your backbone when you remain still.

  Tensions in your abdomen and breathing that are caused by wearing elastic or stretch fabric don’t diminish by remaining still and might cause nausea, anxiety or drowsiness.

 

 

6  The support beneath your body should be firm when you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.  You need to support your posterior firmly and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly and stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press your knees downward to experience the integrating potential of the three firm bases of your cross-legged position.

  If the support beneath any part of your body is not firm when you remain seated still your breathing won’t be free.  Springs, sponge, elastic or rubberized supports exert fluctuating pressures when they're condensed by the weight of your body. The energy in your body moves continually to remedy the instability of your position and the muscles of your abdomen and legs move continually to adjust your balance. Even when the position of your body is beneficial when you’re supported on springs or sponge or a rubberized surface your breathing won’t be free.

  Tensions in your abdomen and breathing that are caused by the support beneath your body not being firm don’t diminish by remaining still and might cause nausea, anxiety or drowsiness.

 

 

7  Don’t rely on help from another person to maintain a beneficial position of your body.  Although another person can observe the position of your body while you remain seated still and can tell you how your position appears as they see it, if you rely on help from another person to maintain a beneficial position of your body that will distract your attention from allowing your breathing to be free and straightening your backbone and you won’t be able to maintain a beneficial position.

 

  Similarly if you engage in conversation or eye-contact, or watch or listen to another person while you remain seated still your breathing won’t be free, you won’t be able to straighten your backbone with a small muscular effort and you won’t be able to maintain a beneficial position.

 

 

8  When your thinking is confused or when you’re anxious or ill your breathing might be obstructed or impeded.  Maintaining the concerns of simple yoga can help to remedy some confusion and anxiety and some causes and effects of illness.

 

  Don’t concentrate on a difficulty of your physical position.  If you focus your attention on a difficulty of your physical position any longer than you need to remedy it as well as you can that will interfere with the natural remedy of simple yoga. Energy won’t move and rest freely in your body and you won’t be able to maintain a beneficial position.

 

 

9  You can verify that the angle that you’re curving or leaning forward is beneficial by condensing the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale then relaxing those muscles so the following inhalation can be effortless.  If you’re not curving or leaning forward far enough or if you’re leaning forward too far the following inhalation won’t be effortless. When you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position and you stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly the muscles beneath your thighs and hips and at the sides and back of your body exert more effort to support your position upright than they exert ordinarily. This allows the muscles at the front of your body to exert less effort to support your position upright than they exert ordinarily. The comparative rest of the muscles of your abdomen and chest allows your breathing to be more free and thorough than you experience ordinarily.

 

  Condensing the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale then relaxing those muscles so that the following inhalation can be effortless can be as free and thorough as breathing spontaneously.  Although exerting effort to exhale and inhaling effortlessly can help you to verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial, you don't need to be concerned with your breathing any other way than to allow your breathing to be free and thorough.

 

 

10  When the muscles that support your body upright become too tired to support your position nearly effortlessly you might need to exert more muscular effort to breathe.  If your breathing becomes more difficult when you become tired then then you should rest.

  Don’t remain still if your position is not comfortable.  You won't benefit reliably from remaining seated still when your position is not comfortable. If you cannot stand your backbone upright nearly effortlessly or if your breathing is not nearly effortless then any position that you hold still might become uncomfortable or numb.

  You can practice simple yoga beneficially for as brief a duration of time as one cycle of inhaling and exhaling your breathing.  You don’t need to remain seated still for a long time to experience the benefits of an integrated position of your body. Even a moment of experiencing an integrated position of your body is beneficial.

 

Straighten your backbone as well as you can
with a small muscular effort

 

The third main concern of simple yoga

 

1  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort is natural and nearly effortless.  You straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort during many of the actions you do ordinarily.

  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort for even a moment is beneficial.

 

2  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort draws your energy into alignment with your entire spine between the lowest level of your backbone to the top of your head.  The spaces between the individual vertebrae expand minutely where any vertebrae were pressed together excessively. Each vertebrae separates minutely from the vertebrae above and below it. This allows energy to flow more freely through the vertebrae and vitalizes your backbone.

 

3  Your backbone remains flexible and you can move any part of your body while you’re straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort does not interfere with your freedom to move any other part of your body.

  Don’t think that you need to become still to straighten your backbone.  You can straighten your backbone with a small muscular effort while you’re moving as easily as you can straighten your backbone with a small muscular effort when you remain still.

 

4  Straighten your entire backbone when you straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.  Straighten all the levels of your backbone as well as you can. Don’t try to improve the straightness of any particular level of your backbone. Straightening a particular level of your backbone is not necessary. When you become seated firmly in a beneficial cross-legged position, then standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly will gradually straighten all the excessive curves of your backbone.

  Any level of your backbone might straighten spontaneously before the other levels.

  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort straightens your entire backbone to some degree and in time straightens any excessive curves of your backbone naturally and nearly effortlessly.

 

 

5  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort should always be comfortable.  If your experience of straightening your backbone is not comfortable move your body for your position to become comfortable or rest for a while.

  Don’t imagine lifting your backbone or being lifted or suspended.  Imagining lifting your backbone or being lifted or suspended does not help to straighten your backbone when you’re seated. Imagining lifting your backbone or being lifted or suspended will cause you to exert confused muscular effort or no effort at all and you won't be able to be still.

  Don’t try to cause unusual feelings inside your body and don’t be concerned with unusual feelings that occur if they’re not uncomfortable.  If you feel or hear the motion of fluid or air inside your body, observe its relation to the inhalations and exhalations of your breathing. If the motion of fluid or air occurs during both the inhalations and exhalations of your breathing, it might be caused by exerting excessive muscular effort or holding a mistaken position of your body. Exert less muscular effort or improve the position of your body, or move or rest for a while. If the motion of fluid or air occurs during either the inhalations or the exhalations but not during both, and if it continues for only a few cycles of your breathing, then it might be an effect of tensions relaxing beneficially like they do ordinarily.

 

 

6  Your backbone might not straighten naturally when you don’t intend to straighten it.  If you don’t straighten your backbone as well as you can you might not exert enough muscular effort to support your body upright with normal stability and control. You might not straighten your backbone as well as you do ordinarily.

 

 

7  You need only a little energy or strength in the muscles that adjoin your backbone to straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.

 

  Don’t exert more muscular effort than you need to straighten your backbone.  Exerting excessive muscular effort to straighten your backbone is a common mistake and reason for not continuing to practice yoga.

  Don’t try to generate force or cause pressure inside your body while you remain seated still to benefit from your physical position.  Trying to generate force or trying to cause pressure inside your body while you remain still can damage fragile parts of your body.

  If you exert excessive muscular effort to support your body while you remain seated still the energy in your body won’t move and rest beneficially.  The hazards of exerting excessive muscular effort while you remain seated still are described in Chapter 3.

  If you perceive that you’re exerting too much muscular effort, exert less effort and improve the position of your body as well as you can.  Exerting too much muscular effort does not reliably diminish any other way than by exerting less effort and improving your position. If you don't exert less effort and improve your position you might continue to exert too much effort and your position won't be beneficial.

 

 

8  Your backbone will move and become straighter when you straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.  Your backbone will become as straight as it can be in your present physical condition, within the natural range of your strength and flexibility at the present time.

  The physical change that will occur in the straightness of your backbone might be very small when you straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.  Your backbone might move only a small amount toward becoming straighter.

  Straightening your backbone as well as you can might not change your position immediately as you perceive the position of your body.  The position of your backbone might seem to not change because the change that occurs might be small, or because you might not perceive the change that occurs.

  The apparent straightness of your backbone as you might imagine that your position might appear to another person is not relevant to this description of straightening your backbone.  Straightening your backbone as described here is an internal action and experience and is not defined by how your position might appear to another person if another person were observing the external appearance of your body.

  A position of your backbone that you straightened as well as you can might not appear straight or even nearly straight to another person if another person were observing the external appearance of your body.  Straightening your backbone as well as you can might not straighten your backbone enough so that another person observing your position would know that you straightened your backbone.

 

 

9  Pressure on the surface of your body caused by tight or elastic clothing confuses and frustrates the motion of energy in your body and distracts your energy from straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort while you remain seated still.  When you’re experiencing pressure on the surface of your body because you’re wearing tight or elastic clothing it’s possible that when you intend to straighten your backbone the muscles that need to exert effort to straighten your backbone won’t exert any effort at all.

  Don’t rely on a stimulus to straighten your backbone because you cannot control the effects of a stimulus to remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.  The harmful effects of tight or elastic clothing and relying on a stimulus are described in Chapter 3.

 

10  You don’t need to support your weight firmly first or stand your backbone upright first to straighten your backbone.  Straightening your backbone does not depend on exerting effort in most of the muscles that support your weight. Many of the muscles that support your weight don’t exert more effort when you straighten your backbone.

 

  You don’t need to straighten your backbone for a long time before you improve how your body is supported.  Intending to be the best person that you can be –and allowing your breathing to be free -and straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort are enough preparation for you to place your body in a beneficial seated position.

  Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort helps you to place your body in a beneficial cross-legged position more easily.

 

Support your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) seated firmly and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly in a position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition

The fourth main concern of simple yoga

1  Chapter 1 describes how you can be seated supporting your posterior firmly and supporting the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly.  Chapter 2 describes a beginner’s cross-legged position in detail. Chapter 4 describes a developing cross-legged position in detail. Chapter 6 describes how you can be seated in a beneficial position on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing. Chapter 7 describes how you can support your posterior and the ends of your shins at your knees in a beneficial kneeling position.

  Chapter 1 is the only chapter that describes how you can experience each main concern of simple yoga combined with the all of other main concerns of simple yoga.

 

  This section describes some details about supporting your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees and is concerned primarily with the support of the lower levels of your body.

 

 

2  You need to feel or appreciate the weight of your body pressing down constantly on the support beneath your posterior and on the supports beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees during all of the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.  A description of your backbone as a relatively straight and naturally curving tower of vertebrae is provided in the following section regarding Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees downward firmly.

 

  It’s not helpful to imagine that you’re weightless or suspended when you’re seated cross-legged.  If you imagine that you’re weightless or suspended when you’re seated cross-legged you might not exert enough muscular effort to straighten your backbone beneficially or you might exert confused muscular effort and become uncomfortable.

 

 

3  You don’t need to think about how your weight is supported to allow your breathing to be free or to straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.  You don't need to be concerned with whether your legs, hips and backbone are supported in beneficial positions -or not before you allow your breathing to be free and straighten your backbone as well as you can with small muscular effort.

 

  Your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees might be already supported firmly and comfortably enough before you allow your breathing to be free and before you straighten your backbone as well as you can.  When you intend to be seated in the best position that you can maintain comfortably, if your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees are already supported firmly and comfortably enough then allow your breathing to be free and thorough. Then straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort. Then you need to ensure that the three bases of support beneath your posterior and beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees are firm and comfortable.

 

 

4  When you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position the support of your weight is distributed on three bases:

 

  Your posterior is supported firmly and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees are supported firmly.  When you gather your ankles and feet together as near to your hips and abdomen as you can support them firmly and comfortably the ends of your shins at your knees will press downward firmly on the upper sides of your ankles and feet beneath them.

  Your posterior and both knees are located relatively equally far apart in a cross-legged position.  Your posterior and both knees form a triangular base that can support your legs, hips and backbone firmly and comfortably.

  A strong tripod is formed inside your body by your legs, hips and backbone based on the supports beneath your hips and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees that support your backbone on three firm bases.  Your legs, hips and backbone are held together internally by the muscles and tendons that support your seated cross-legged position and the lower levels of your backbone.

  Your hips should be elevated a short distance higher than your knees when you can.  That helps to energize your position.

  Supporting your posterior elevated higher than your knees and standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press your knees downward

  Will cause the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body to exert more effort than they exert ordinarily to support your position upright.  That will allow the muscles at the upper sides of your shins and thighs and at the front of your body to exert less effort than they exert ordinarily to support your position upright.

  The downward pressure of your weight will move forward from being supported most of all beneath your posterior to being supported gradually more beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees.  The transfer of your weight from being supported most of all beneath your posterior to being supported gradually more beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees will help to support your crossed legs more firmly and comfortably in each more developed cross-legged position.

 

  Your ankles and the ends of your shins at your ankles will rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward, and your legs will tend to fold inward nearer to your abdomen.  Your legs will be more comfortable folded inward slightly nearer to your abdomen. Your ankles and the ends of your shins at your ankles rotated forward minutely and then lifted slightly nearer to your hips and abdomen by your hands will feel more comfortable than your ankles and the ends of your shins at your ankles felt previously and will show that your cross-legged position is developing.

  The positions of your legs, hips and backbone will be mutually supporting and agile, and your legs, hips and backbone will move minutely toward a more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated still.  These developments of a beneficial cross-legged position are described in Chapter 4.

  You can experience all the events described here while you remain seated still in a cross-legged position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition.  All of the events described here are natural and will result in your position becoming more firm and comfortable while you remain seated still.

 

5  The positions of your legs, hips and backbone are more beneficial when you’re seated cross-legged compared to when you’re seated on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing.

  When you’re seated on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing relatively fewer of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your position upright.  Similarly when you’re kneeling relatively few of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your position upright.

  When you’re seated on a chair your weight does not become distributed progressively more equally beneath your posterior and beneath the ends of your shins at your knees.  Similarly when you’re kneeling your weight does not become distributed progressively more equally beneath your posterior and beneath the ends of your shins at your knees.

  When you’re seated on a chair you can maintain your position upright comparatively less easily and for a shorter time than you can when you’re seated cross-legged.  Similarly when you’re kneeling you can maintain your position upright comparatively less easily and for a shorter time than you can when you’re seated cross-legged.

 

6  Being seated in a cross-legged position and standing your backbone upright and leaned backward is severely harmful.

  Standing your backbone upright and leaned backward in a cross-legged position will cause the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body to exert more effort to support your position upright than they exert ordinarily and will cause tensions in your legs, abdomen and chest.  If you lean backward when you’re seated cross-legged that will press the vertebrae at the lowest level of your backbone forward uncomfortably, the joints of your knees and hips will twist unnaturally and your legs will become uncomfortable or numb.

  The tensions at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body will pull your knees upward so the ends of your shins at your knees won’t press downward on the upper sides of the ankles and feet of your opposite legs beneath them.  The ends of your shins at your knees will be suspended above your ankles and feet by the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body.

  The weight of your crossed legs that’s not suspended above your ankles and feet by the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body will press your ankles and feet downward on the mat beneath them.  That downward pressure will pull the outer sides of your ankles apart and will press the inner sides of your ankles together.

  The upper levels of your position won’t be supported by the muscles at the sides and back of your body so the position that you hold upright won’t be stable and will tend to fall toward one side.

  The positions of your legs, hips and backbone won’t be mutually supporting and won’t improve.

 

7  Don’t support your foot excessively high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg to place your legs in the most developed cross-legged position that you can.  Chapter 4 describes the hazards and possible injury of supporting your foot or both feet excessively high on your opposite leg or too near to your abdomen when you’re seated cross-legged to benefit from the position of your body.

 

8  Don’t take longer than one or two minutes to be seated in the position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience in your present physical condition to benefit from the position of your body.  Chapter 4 describes the hazards of taking longer than one or two minutes to place your body in a position to remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.

 
9  When you’re seated in a rudimentary position on a firm, flat support with your legs extended forward, standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward causes the muscles beneath your shins, thighs and posterior and at the back of your body to exert effort or stretch and allows the muscles at the upper sides of your shins and thighs and at the front of your body to rest.

  When you have been seated in a rudimentary position for at least a few minutes nearly every day for several months, the ends of your shins at your ankles tend to rotate, the upper side outward, lower side inward -

  And tend to gather together and feel more comfortable crossed, one ankle over the other.  You can support one ankle on the other ankle beneficially whenever you can cross your ankles comfortably.

  Being seated in rudimentary position is conducive in this way to becoming able to be seated on a firm, flat support in a beginner’s cross-legged position with the ends of both of your shins as near as possible to your knees supported on the upper side of your ankles and feet of your opposite leg beneath them or supported on small firm cushions.  These motions of the ends of your shins at your ankles might not occur when you’re concerned with something that’s happening in your external environment.

 

10  When you’re seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position supporting your posterior firmly with the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees supported on the upper side of your ankles and feet beneath them or supported on small firm cushions -

  Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward causes the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body to exert effort or stretch, and allows the muscles at the upper sides of your shins and thighs and the front of your body to rest.

  That causes more of your weight to be supported beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees, and the ends of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward while you remain seated still.

  When you have remained seated still in a cross-legged position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition, standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward for at least a few minutes nearly every day for several months -
 
  The ends of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely progressively farther, the upper side forward, lower side backward, while you remain seated still -
 

  And your cross-legged position progresses from needing to support the ends of your shins at your knees on small firm cushions to being able to support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees on the upper side of your ankles and feet beneath them.

 

 

11  When you’re seated in a developing cross-legged position supporting your posterior elevated higher than your knees on a firm cushion or stack of folded cloth, -

  Supporting one foot, ankle, shin and knee firmly on a rug or mat beneath them -

  And supporting the shin at your knee of your other leg, on the upper side of your partly upturned foot that remains supported on the rug or mat beneath it, -

  And supporting the ankle of your leg that’s uppermost as high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg and as near to your abdomen as you can support it comfortably with only small downward pressure, -

  Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward -

  Then curving your backbone toward the side where the end of your shin at your knee is supported on the partly upturned foot –between the ankle and heel- of your opposite leg beneath it -

  Presses the end of your shin at that knee downward on the partly upturned foot of your opposite leg beneath it -

  And the end of your shin at your ankle of your leg that’s uppermost rotates minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward while you remain seated still.
 
  When you have remained seated still in a developing cross-legged position, standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward for at least a few minutes nearly every day for several months -
 
  The end of your shin at your ankle of your leg that’s uppermost rotates minutely progressively, the upper side forward, lower side backward -

  And presses downward less on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it, -

  And the muscles inside the fold of it exert effort and pull the end of your shin at your ankle upward higher on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it while you remain seated still.  The end of your shin at your ankle of your other leg rotates progressively also, the upper side forward, lower side backward but rotates comparatively less. And presses downward less on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it -but comparatively less. And the muscles inside the fold of it exert effort to pull the end of your shin at your ankle upward higher on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it –but comparatively less than the other leg while you remain seated still.

 

 

12  When you’re seated in a completely developed cross-legged position, the ends of your shins at your ankles have already rotated, the upper side forward, lower side backward, as far you want or need to support them on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath them with only small downward pressure.
 
  And the muscles inside the fold of your shins and thighs have already exerted effort and pulled the ends of your shins at your ankles upward slightly higher.  Chapter 3 describes how you can add to the minute rotations and motions of the ends of your shins at your ankles upward by lifting your ankle with your hands to place as high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it and as near to your abdomen as you can support it comfortably with only small downward pressure.
 
  Your legs, hips and backbone are gathered together in the most integrated position that you can experience so you simply maintain the best position of your body that you can as long as the position is comfortable.
 

 

13  All of the concerns for maintaining a beneficial cross-legged position that are described in this text improve the mutual support and stability of the gathered

positions of your legs, hips and backbone.

  When you’re seated in each more developed cross-legged position you’ll be able to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly more easily and each improved position will be more comfortable and vital.  You'll experience more rest in the muscles that support your body upright and your energy will be renewed. You'll be able to remain seated still and alert for a longer time in every position that's nearer to a completely developed cross-legged position.

  When you think about achieving progress in the development of your physical position of yoga it’s important to remember that at whatever stage of progress toward a completely developed cross-legged position your physical achievement might be whenever you practice simple yoga you experience all the benefits.

 

Stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward

far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward

then align your shoulders, arms, hands and head 
with the position of your backbone as well as you can

and hold those parts of your position still as long as the position is comfortable

 

The fifth main concern of simple yoga

 

1  Chapter 1 describes how to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward beneficially and how to align your shoulders, arms, hands and head with the position of your backbone in the context of the main concerns of simple yoga.

  This section describes some features of the physical nature of your backbone -

  Then describes how the position of your backbone strengthens, tires and improves while you remain seated still.

  Some common conditions of weakness in the muscles that support your backbone upright and excessive curves between some of the vertebrae are described and how maintaining a beneficial position can help to remedy those conditions.

  Chapter 6 describes why you need to curve or lean forward slightly and how to verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial.

 

  Chapter 7 is a detailed description of beneficial positions, muscular effort and rest of your shoulders, arms, hands and head.

 

 

2  To understand and control your experience of standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward beneficially it can be helpful to appreciate that your weight presses downward through all the levels of your backbone during all of the time that you’re standing, walking or seated.  Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly occurs within the condition of your weight pressing downward through your backbone onto the support beneath your body.

  Your backbone is a relatively straight and naturally curving tower of bones (vertebrae) that are larger at the lower and middle levels and taper to smaller at the lowest and highest ends.  The word backbone refers to your entire spine including the lowest levels, the levels adjoining your hips, waist and shoulders and all the levels of your neck. Although the position of your backbone is relatively straight when you're walking, standing and seated upright, your backbone naturally curves forward and backward at some levels.

  The lower and upper surfaces of each vertebrae are relatively flat and socket-shaped where each vertebrae is connected to the adjoining vertebrae below and above it.  Each vertebrae is separated slightly from the adjoining vertebrae below and above it by a relatively flat compressible cushion of cartilage.

  Both sides of the lower levels of your backbone where the vertebrae are thick and strong are connected to your hips.

  Your entire backbone is supported by your hips.  All of the weight of your body above the level of your hips is supported by your backbone.

  Each individual vertebrae above the level of your hips supports all of the weight of your body above it.

  Each vertebrae is held in position and moves because it’s connected by ligaments and muscles to the vertebrae below and above it.

  The vertebrae at specific levels of your backbone are affected by the motions of your legs, hips, shoulders, arms, hands and head.

 

 

3  You might not have sufficient energy to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly to benefit from the position of your body as described in this text.  Experiencing energy, effort, tiring and rest in the muscles that support a position of remaining seated still to benefit from the position of your body is described in Chapter 3. Chapter 3 features energy and effort. This chapter and Chapters 8 and 9 feature tiring and rest.

 

 

4  Exerting excessive effort in the muscles that support your body upright while you’re remaining seated still to benefit from the position of your body is harmful.  Exerting excessive effort to maintain even a beneficial position still is harmful.

 

 

5  You will naturally experience tiring in the muscles that exert effort to support your body upright while you remain seated still.

 

  Tiring as the word is used in this text refers to the natural tiring that occurs in the muscles that exert effort to support your body upright.   The muscles that exert effort to support your body upright will tire after some time has passed.

 

6  You experience rest in parts of your position immediately when you place your legs, hips and backbone in a beneficial position to remain seated still, and you will experience rest in parts of your position after some time has passed.  When you support your posterior firmly and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly, and stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward, the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body exert more effort than they exert ordinarily -or stretch to support your position upright, and the muscles of your abdomen and chest to rest more than they rest ordinarily when you’re supporting your body upright.

  The muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and shins rest and your ankles press downward less on the support beneath them.  The ends of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward, and tend to rise upward to become more comfortable.

 

 
7  You can experience the integrating potential of your body when you’re seated in the best cross-legged position that you can maintain comfortably in your present physical condition and you stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that when you contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be effortless. 
 
  A strong tripod is formed inside your body by your legs, hips and backbone based on the supports beneath your hips and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees that support your backbone on three firm bases.  Each more developed cross-legged position gathers your ankles together slightly nearer to your hips and abdomen and supports slightly more of your weight beneath the ends of your shins progressively nearer to your knees developing a pyramidal structure of the combined positions, muscular effort and rest of your legs, hips and backbone that supports your backbone progressively more thoroughly.
 

8  The tiring and rest that occur after some time has passed help to improve the position of your body.  When you’re seated on three firm bases of support comparatively more of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your position upright than exert effort to support your position when you’re standing, walking or seated on a chair.

  When the muscles that support your position upright tire some of those muscles will rest and alternative sets of muscles will exert effort to support your position upright until they tire.  Then the muscles that rested will exert effort again to support your position upright.

  When the most of muscles that support your position upright tire so much that they cannot support your position any longer many of those muscles will rest, and parts of the combined positions of your legs, hips and the lower levels of your backbone will loosen and fall downward minutely into an improved position.  Some of the muscles and ligaments that support your legs, hips and backbone will stretch beneficially minutely and the combined positions of your legs, hips and backbone will become more flexible and vital.

  You’ll be able to perceive and control the improved position of your body more easily and precisely than you could when you began to be seated still and you’ll be able to remain seated upright and still for a longer time comfortably than you can ordinarily.

 

9  If your habitual postures of walking, standing and being seated on a chair don’t engage enough of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body to exert effort to support your position, some of the muscles adjoining your backbone might become weak or dormant and an excessive curve or stiffness might develop between some of your vertebrae even though you exercise a lot.  The strength of some of the muscles adjoining your backbone might diminish so severely that they don’t exert any effort at all, not even when you do everything that you can to make those muscles exert effort. Some of the muscles that adjoin your backbone might be dormant, inert.

  The space and flexibility between some of your vertebrae might diminish and an excessive curve might develop between some of your vertebrae so acutely that you cannot straighten the excessive curve even when you do everything that you can to straighten it.  That level of your backbone might be stiff, rigid. The conditions described here might be effects of injury, illness or aging. Then the muscles that support even your ordinary postures of standing, walking and being seated on a chair might become tired unnaturally soon.

  If some of the muscles adjoining your backbone are weak or dormant, or if there’s an excessive curve or stiffness between some of your vertebrae, you might be able to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly for only a few cycles of inhaling and exhaling your breathing or only a few minutes, before you need to move and rest from being seated upright to benefit from the position of your body.

  If you maintain a beneficial position of your body seated upright for at least a few minutes nearly every day for several weeks or months, in time the muscles that adjoin your backbone will become stronger and your backbone will become more flexible and straighter.  You don't need to wait until your position becomes stronger, more flexible or straighter to experience the benefits of yoga. Whenever you practice simple yoga as well as you can you experience all the benefits.

 

 

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