Wake-Up the Body to Handle Stress and Strain

(Owner’s Manual for the Human Body, pp. 18-19; Taught by Yogi Bhajan on October 19, 1988.)

Lying on Your Back. Begin stretching your body in every possible direction. Turn left and right, stretch around and roll back and forth on your back. Continue for 1 ½ minutes.

Lie on Your Belly. Jump like a fish. Jump your hips, chest, knees, everything jumps. 6 minutes.

This exercise stimulates the entire body and digestive system.

Baby Pose. Clasp the hands behind the small of your back in Yoga Mudra. Raise the arms up and begin moving your head up and down as if saying, “yes.” After one minute begin to rotate your head in a circle for another 30 seconds.

Lie on Your Back. Raise your left leg up and hold it with both hands, 30 seconds. Lower your left leg and raise your right leg and hold it with both hands, 30 seconds. Again, holding your right leg up with both hands, begin to move the left leg up and down rapidly raising it to a 40 degree angle and lowering it to the floor, 30 seconds. Change legs, holding the left leg up and moving the right leg, 30 seconds. Change legs again, holding the right leg up and moving the left leg, 30 seconds.

Lie on Your Back. Bend your knees and begin kicking your buttocks with both heels rapidly, 1 minute.

Cobra Pose. Open your eyes wide, stick your tongue out and begin lion breath through your mouth, 1 ½ minutes.

Lie on Your Left Side. Bring your right leg up to 90 degrees and hold it with your right hand, 1 minute. Change sides and hold the left leg up for 30 seconds.

Frog Pose. Do 52 frogs with heels together and off the floor.

Stand Up. Lock your arms over your chest and begin moving rapidly from the standing position to sitting down in Easy Pose and return to standing position, 21 times.

Corpse Pose. Deeply relax and sleep for 16 minutes. Then roll your hands and feet a few times.

Repeat Exercise #1. One minute. Then repeat Exercise #2 for 1 minute.

Easy Pose. Sit like a yogi and sing, “Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru” for 6 minutes. Then inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale and hold for 15 seconds. Exhale, inhale and hold 15 seconds and release.

Comments: When Yogi Bhajan taught this “wake-up” set of exercises at the Yoga Center in Los Angeles he had the class chant the “Dhan Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru” shabd at the end of the set. This is a beautiful and powerful shabd, said to bring a miracle when you need one.