108. Eye and Mirror

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature". - HDT

107. Sacral Chakra Mantra

The biji mantra, or seed sound, of the sacral chakra is VAM, pronounced "vum". Sitting with your spine straight, gently sing this sound to yourself to increase your ability to go with the flow when life gets a little crazy

106. Mantra for Flow

Pantha rei, the Greek aphorism meaning "everything flows, changes, or is in flux" can make a useful mantra.

Fear

105. Your Sacral Chakra

Explore the flowing energy of the sacral chakra and of water, its associated element, when you get a chance to sit or lie in relaxation.  Close your eyes and visualize a stream flowing into a deep lake in your pelvis.  Feel the fluidity of this energy giving you the flexibility to respond creatively to situations and to see potential in others.

104. The Power of Water

"Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water.  Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it.  So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful." - Lao Tzu

103. Reveal Your Inner Vibrancy

"By cutting away sorrow, the brilliant light of the Self dawns." 

-Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

102. Start the Day SHINING

Cultivate Tejas, Sanskrit for "lustre" or "majesty", with Ujjayi, Sanskrit for Victorious Breath

101. Energy of the Day

Yoga teaches that there are three Gunas, or energy forces, that inhabit all matter.  Rajas is the active energy of the early part of the day, of spring and of youth.  This makes up a cycle with sattwa, balance, and tamas, inertia.  Think how you can benefit from the active force rajas today -- to pitch a new idea, for example, or simply to adopt a can-do attitude.

100. Golden Visualization

Lie on your back, breathe deeply and focus on your spine.  Bring your attention to the left side of your body and try to tune into how it's feeling.  Then do the same on the right side.  Does one side feel more depleted of energy than the other?  If so, visualize that side being bathed in glowing, gold energy for a few minutes, then open your eyes.

99. Chair Pose Vinyasa

For a quick boost before you begin working at a desk, crouch in Chair Pose, without the yoga block, and practice the following flowing movements.  Exhaling, reach your arms forward until you fold into a forward bend.  Inhaling sweep your arms up and sit back in Chair Pose.  Repeat 5 times flowing with your breath.

98. Utkatasana :: Chair Pose

Utkatasana This posture strengthens and enlivens the lower body so is useful in the morning if you have to spend much of the day sitting at a desk.  Place your feet hip-width apart and parallel, gripping a yoga block or thick book between your thighs to enliven the inner "seams" of your legs.  Bend your knees as if skiing, with your knees directly over your toes with the block still in place.  Swing your arms skyward and take 5-10 deep breaths, focusing your gaze on a fixed point in front of you, then relax into the asana/pose while being mindful of the neck.

97. Play Your Instrument

Yehudi Menuhin said of yoga, "Reduced to our own body, our first instrument, we learn to play it, drawing from it maximum resonance and harmony."  When you do asanas, think of your body as a harp and each movement as a note being played.  Let energy flow through your tuned strings.

96. Self-Knowledge Mudra

Jnana Mudra To start the day feeling engaged with the tasks ahead, sit with your spine straight and your hands on your knees, palms upward to receive.  Outstretch your fingers, like starfish.  Now curl the index fingers in to touch the tips of your thumbs.  Your index finger signifies your ego - the self that separates you from the universe - and your thumb the cosmic Self.  Imagine the small self melting into the greater Self, absorbing its wise energy.

95. Opposite Energies

When dressing, consider the yogic belief that the left side of your body signifies your intuitive, feminine energy and your right side logical, masculine qualities.  The Hindu god Prajapati embodied both polarities. 

Can you recognize both masculine and feminine qualities within yourself?

94. Inner Energy

"Yoga is not attained through the lotus posture and not by gazing at the tip of the nose.  Yoga ... is the identity of the psyche with the transcendental Self." - kula arnava tantra