• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.

Asana
Netra Viyaymam
Diaphragmatic Breathing - Dῑrgha Śvāsam with Hugs
Meditation – 1 min
WISDOM TEACHING – Ahimsa – In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease. Apply this teaching to your own life.

You mentioned that you cannot meditate because the thoughts come. Know that this happens to everyone - no one can start to meditate and have no thoughts. This does not happen even in people who have been meditating for a long time and you have just begun to meditate. Be aware if you are expecting too much of yourself from meditation. The ego does not want us to meditate and brings all sorts of thoughts to the mind. We need to be patient because if we are not patient we might just abandon the practice and never develop it. The practice of developing meditation is for the long term – for many years. But as you develop the practice with guidance, especially the guidance of the SRF lessons, then you will see how all this comes about in your life. God has forever and he will wait for us for as long as it takes to reach Him – we must have patience with ourselves. Patience goes very well with the teaching of Ahimsa which we learned today - non-harm especially with our selves. When we expect too much of ourselves, when we are impatient, when we blame ourselves, when we label ourselves – this is not using discernment which allows us to learn from mistakes, rather it is negative thinking and reinforces and prolongs the pattern.

You also mentioned that part of the issue is that when you are in ‘meditation’ you “don’t want to get rid of a thought because there is something that you have to think about and resolve”. That happens to everyone also. That state of the mind is called concentration. The purpose of meditation is to find God – the peace and joy you feel inside. Centration is before meditation and in concentration the thoughts come and go. Until we reach the level of ‘flow’ we do not have meditation where the thoughts don’t come and you feel love and joy and one with the universe.

Concentration is for solving worldly matters. That is how many inventions and discoveries have been made in minds that have concentrated on one thing. But be aware that many destructive things have been created in the world by the power of concentration such as the weapons of mass destruction such as the atom bomb – these inventions have resulted out of wrong thinking - improperly using the faculties that we have. This goes to the part of the discussion of being a victim, the feeling of being a victim. You wanted to know about some knowledge about this. Here again, I think you should speak with a talk therapist. I can only guide by Yoga. As we discussed in Yoga Sutra I.6 says that the 5 types of vrittis are right knowledge, misconception, verbal delusion, sleep and memory. When we consider the wisdom written in the Sutras about these – any of these could be the source of a problem for us and could bring us to think in the wrong way. Analyze yourself. Ask yourself if you might be too sensitive or emotional. Analyze yourself and see. Are you sure that you have the correct knowledge about something? Read Sutras I.6 – I.9 pages 12-16.

Things slip out automatically (involuntarily) - it takes effort to turn off the automatic mode and to be conscious and in control. It takes effort. Practice taking moments to stop yourself before you speak. Develop Titiksha - bearing things with patience, endurance and mental evenness in everything you do so that it is easier to turn off the automatic mode. As we discussed in the past, use the breath as a tool in those few crucial moments before you say anything so that you are responding from your frontal cortex with composure, self-control and intelligence in that moment.

Developing concentration is an important step towards meditation. If you can develop the power of concentration just by focusing in on your studies this is good. When you are ready to go deeper into meditation, your practice of concentration will help you then.

Continue to try one minute of meditation. If you feel calm and peace for 3 seconds out of 60 that is good because your mind will slowly begin to recognize the difference.

Everyone I know who has tried to meditate and has found it hard to do, including me, and has persevered to develop a practice of meditation has found it to be spiritually and practically beneficial.

• CENTERING
• CHECK IN
o Review what YT has she been able to integrate (what worked)
since last session?
o Diaphragmatic Breathing?
o Assess client’s meditation practice.
o Heart rate - Has she felt her heart rate increased?
o Client sharing. Other questions were asked to client this session.
• ASANA
o Tadasana
o Half-moon
o Uttanaasana
o Star - 5 pointed star with hands free
o King Dancer
o Pelvic circles
o Waist circles
o Forward bend with spinal stretch
o Standing Strut
o Standing Twist
o Spinal Extension and Flexion

• YOGA NIDRA - 30 min offered with Restorative Savasana with cushion support (she gets little support in other areas of her life…)
o Full body tensing and releasing
o Body Scan
• PRANAYAMA
o Dirga Swasam with Hugs

• WISDOM TEACHING -
o Sutra II.35 – Ahimsa – In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease. Page 130

• CHANTING - "Hari Om”

• MEDITATION – 1 min

• CLOSE OUT
CO-CREATING CLIENT’S TOOL BOX
o Half Moon
o Full forward Bend
o Extended Star
o King Dancer
o Standing twist
o Eye movements
o Breathing
o Meditation
o Wisdom teachings

When the client gets very stressed, her own practice and other things that are important get pushed to the side. Today we spoke about Ahimsa in terms of non-harm to ourselves. She really like this, and it made her bring up the topic of ‘self-victimization’. For this went back to Sutras I.6 – I.9. And we discussed again about being overly sensitive or emotional and thinking before we act.

Client continued to do the asana’s she enjoys to stretch to the body. Breathing exercises Breath of Joy and double breathing with tension.

The client sometimes takes two steps forward and then one step back in her expectations of herself, in her ability to retain the knowledge and apply it in her life, and her ability to see through the distractions of her life. For this she needs long term spiritual study.

We have not met for two weeks because she had some serious issues that caused her and her husband a lot of stress related to her son’s school situation. I have found that when we miss a meeting and she has been very stressed that she regresses a little in her thinking and behavior.

• CENTERING
• CHECK IN
o Review what YT has she been able to integrate (what worked)
o Assess client’s meditation practice.
o Heart rate - Has she felt her heart rate increased
o Client sharing.
• ASANA
o Tadasana
o Half-moon
o Uttanaasana
o Star - 5 pointed star with hands free
o King Dancer
o Pelvic circles
o Waist circles
o Forward bend with spinal stretch
o Standing Strut
o Standing Twist
o Spinal Extension and Flexion
• NETRA VIYAYMAM
• YOGA NIDRA - 30 min
o Full body tensing and releasing
o Body Scan
• PRANAYAMA
o Dirga Swasam ‘WITH HUGS’.
• CHANTING - "OM Shanti"
• MEDITATION – 1 min - ask the following:
o Teach client to lightly touch the tip of each finger as in sa, ta, na, ma during meditation.

• WISDOM TEACHING
o Sutra II.26 – Satya – To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient.

• CLOSE OUT - 5 min {reflection on how she is feeling, any questions she might have, the homework – the idea is to continuously focus her and our conversation back to YT and what will grow her true self, not about what has happened.