Gratitude exercises

A useful utilisation of the pranayama technique creates a morning and evening ritual of about three to five minutes in duration.

Just before retiring or on waking, sit, stand or even lie down in a comfortable position. Begin abdominal breathing—inhaling to fill the abdomen, exhaling to contract it.

If necessary use the arms as wings to help develop rhythm. Inhale and exhale at a steady rate and after say 10 breaths increase the rate of your inhalations and exhalalations, always keeping the length of inhale and exhale the same.

• After 10 more breaths slow down for 5 breaths, then gradually increase the speed to very fast. Then reduce it again over 5 breaths. When breathing slow, take two large inhalations and exhalations, relaxing any tension.

• Raise the head 45 degrees and raise the eyes a further 45 degrees so you are now looking vertically up. Now begin thinking of all the gifts and blessings in your life you can be thankful for: brother, sister, father, mother, what you have learnt, the house you live in, your children, their children, the shoes you have, the Yoga class you have experienced, the health you have, etc.

After say one minute or so of gratitude for your gifts in life, speak these words to your self, “Oh soul, do you have a message for me today?”

You will, with practice, connect and receive messages of a parent to child nature. When the message is complete write it down. Collecting these messages is the best form of prayer you can have. It is an acknowledgment of your higher self, a prayer of gratitude for what you have and a heart opening experience to open and close the day