• 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.

Affirmation:
o Add affirmations during Tadasana practice: “I am strong, I am stable, I am flexible.”

Meditation: Instead of meditation focusing on the breath alone now you can follow your breath with a mantra, it could be like we discussed - breath in “Soul” and breath out “not the mind”. Say it mentally.

Tongue: Keep your tongue on the roof of the mouth towards the front.

Hearing Sounds during Meditation: If you hear any sounds while your are meditating go deeper. Remember the story of how I befriended the bark of my neighbor’s dog. You can befriend any sound, then it will not bother you anymore and you can go deeper.

Waking up earlier: We discussed if you can wake up earlier how that would help you.

Medications for sleep: take them at the time the doctor says you should.

Hug Yourself sometimes: you are your best friend. Hug yourself with love.

BREATHING PRACTICE:
Do these practices instead of the things that are wasting your time and money:
o Continue to do Breathe of Joy during the day.
o Start to incorporate an affirmation with Nadi Sudi – breath in something that is significant to you, we practiced breathing in ‘peace’ and breathing out ‘tension’ or breath in ‘trust or confidence’ breath out ‘fear’.
o
WISDOM PRACTICE:
We discussed that when we are in a situation that we cannot externally change, we must change our internal environment, the way we see and think of what is happening. When we change our internal environment, the external environment will also change. We discussed acceptance, and especially prayer to God for help - to help us change ourselves, the need for a regular meditation practice to nurture that Self. We discussed that the mind can know about the Self but the mind cannot experience the Self. Only the Self can experience the Self.

You feel your husband is right about what he says to you. Can you control your thoughts and feelings so that you are not reacting to what he says? Remember that if we cannot change our external environment and the things that we have to do in our life right now, the alternative is to change how we think and feel and respond. If we can be flexible, we can adjust.

We must mindfully control our thoughts and emotions. For this we must become stronger – how do we do that? To do this we must dedicate time to go inside that cultivate peace inside of us, to connect with our Soul – “Then the Seer [Self] abides in His own nature.”

Recall the understanding you received in Sutra I.4 – At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications. Try to remember that you are the Self (the Soul) and not the mind.

Centering.
Hatha asana – Tadasana with affirmation, Arddha Chandraasana Half-moon, and Uttanaasana
SRF asana, same as before (no new SRF asana have been added).
Full body tense and release (Seegra Savaasana)
Body scan.
Breathing Practice – Nadi Sudi with affirmation – 5 minutes
Meditation - JAPA
Discussion on how the assignments/homework went for client.
How the personal sadhana is going?
Client's sharing.
Review Wisdom teaching - Sutra I.3 – Then the Seer [Self] abides in His own nature.
Wisdom teaching – Sutra I.4 – At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications.

This past week client was not able to do meditation. Instead of silent meditation focusing on the breath we have given her JAPA. She will breath in “Soul” and breath out “not the mind”.

We discussed a few obstacles to meditation including sounds and tongue issue. Client moves with the tongue while she meditates and this is a distraction. She was instructed to rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth towards the front. She asked if she could place the tongue at the teeth, I said yes, and that she can start that way and allow the tongue to relax there, but it wants to move by itself just above the teeth for more comfort to allow that.

Client shared that she is very distressed about her weekends and her relationship with her husband and does because she has to take care of her son and this competes with her need to study, additionally when she attempts to speak with her husband about helping out more in the house or the issues she is having in her life, especially the medical exam that she is studying for. She feels a lot of time constraints. Her husband criticizes her and pressures her about how she spends her time, etc. Client feels she is unable to speak with him because it causes so much tension.

Unfortunately, her husband had been speaking with her in a strong way – a little unkind with her and this disturbs her mind. For this therapist offered that the client mindfully control her thoughts and emotions when they are speaking. The only way to control this is to cultivate peace inside of us.

We discussed if she could control her thoughts and feelings so that she is not reacting to what her husband says. Therapists offered that when we are in a situation that we cannot externally change, we must change our internal environment, the way we see and think of what is happening. When we change our internal environment, the external environment will also change. We discussed acceptance, and especially prayer to God for help - to help us change ourselves, the need for a regular meditation practice to nurture that Self. That the mind can know about the Self but the mind cannot experience the Self.

In this session, client received a brief discussion on who Patanjali was and how the Yoga Sutra came about. We reviewed Sutra I.3, and added Sutra I.4 At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications, with examples of how this happens in us and in other people and how this state of consciousness is the normal for most of the people.

Client appreciates what she is learning. She is doing her best to try to use the tools. I find that reviewing things we’ve discussed in the pervious sessions helps the teachings to go deeper.

This is my fifth session with this client. I have to make a decision soon about my capstone client. I will be away in July for almost 2 weeks, during that time I will think about which client I would like to ask about this and I will let you know before I speak with them.

Centering.
Hatha asana – Tadasana with affirmation, Arddha Chandraasana Half-moon, and Uttanaasana.
SRF asana, same as before (no new SRF asana have been added).
Full body tense and release (Seegra Savaasana)
Body scan.
Breathing Practice – Nadi Sudi with affirmation – 5 minutes
Meditation - JAPA
Discussion on how the assignments/homework went for client.
How the personal sadhana is going?
Briefly review Wisdom teaching - Sutra I.3 – Then the Seer [Self] abides in His own nature: Moon and calm lake analogy.
Briefly Review Wisdom teachings – Sutra I.4 – At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications.
Wisdom teaching – Sutra I.5 – There are five kinds of mental modifications which are either painful or painless.
Possibly begin discussing the Koshas.