Waking Energy 7 Timeless Practices Designed to Reboot Your Body and Unleash Your Potential

spine backward on the inhalation, allowing your eyes to follow your trajectory back.
5. Exhale as you lift your head and upper back to return to the original position.
Tip: Establish a rhythmic breathing pattern. Breathe in deeply as you arch your spine. Breathe out as you return to an erect position. If
possible, keep your eyes closed while performing this rite to eliminate distractions and keep your focus inward.
Rite Four: Tabletop Lever
Rite Four stimulates the second chakra, the Sacral Chakra (svadthisthana), the home of our sexuality
and creativity, where emotions are exchanged between other chakras as well as interpersonally. The
Tabletop Lever activates the nadis and the energies to and from your groin and down your legs,
stimulating and augmenting your sexual and kidney prana reserves. It also connects your second
chakra to your Heart Chakra, raising your sexual awareness to a higher, more conscious level, leading
it to embrace the loving aspects of your heart and all that it holds. Physically, this rite strengthens and
tones your legs, glutes, and abdominals as well as the major muscles of your upper body and back.
1. Sit on the floor with your spine tall and your legs extended straight out in front of you about
twelve inches apart.
2. Flex your feet and place your palms flat on floor next to your hips with your fingers pointed
toward your feet. As you press your palms into the mat, straighten your arms and press them more
firmly against the floor to grow taller and lift into perfect posture.
3. Inhale deeply, then exhale, while dropping your chin to your chest and gently tucking it forward
against your chest.
4. Bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor, still keeping your legs hip-width apart.
5. Press your hands into the floor by your sides, inhaling and tilting your head backward as far as it
will go. Engage your buttocks and abdominals fully to lift your hips into a position parallel to the
floor, as you push up into a Tabletop Pose with your arms straight behind you. Your face should
be looking skyward.
6. Be sure to breathe in as you raise your body into the Tabletop position and hold your breath as
you engage all your muscles while in the “up” position. Breathe out completely as you come
down.
7. Once you have established a stable position with your feet, inhale and lift yourself up into your
hips-raised position. The trunk of your body should be in a straight line with your hips and upper
legs, horizontal to the floor. Let your head fall back gently, with your eyes focused upward,
keeping your head in line with your spine.
8. Exhale and push even more firmly away from the floor with your arms. This will create more
height in your upper body, so that as you come down into your original starting position from
Tabletop, you’ll be able to lift your body high enough to glide down, seamlessly sliding your
bottom back and through your arms before you immediately begin your next repetition in a steady,
unbroken rhythm.
Tips: After the second repetition, the action should become quite vigorous, building momentum like a steam engine. Exhale as your body
swings strongly back into the seated preparation position. With each repetition, focus on rooting your feet even more solidly before lifting