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Day 11 — Lift

Phase 3 · First inversion — sarvangasan

Edge Sarvangasan (salamba sarvangasana) — first inversion
Theme word lift
Pranayama Kapalabhati — continuing from phase 2 JANKI: confirm cycle count — suggest 2 rounds of 30 pumps, then anulom-vilom 8 rounds
Science hint "Sarvangasan reverses the blood's direction — the thyroid and parathyroid are bathed in fresh circulation."
Inversion Phase — Confirm Before Practice

Before starting today's inversions, confirm Shivangi has none of these conditions: high BP, glaucoma, neck/cervical injury, recent eye/ear/dental surgery, vertigo, heart disease, untreated migraines. Skip inversions during menstruation or pregnancy. If any apply, substitute setu bandhasan and dolphin. Full safety conversation →

Special notes

First inversion of the 20 days. Go slowly. Janki to set up the shoulder position before the pose: folded blanket or folded mat under the shoulders to protect the cervical curve — neck should be free, weight on shoulders only. Halasana follows immediately as the counter — do not skip it. Dolphin is the runway before the inversion; make sure Shivangi has found the forearm position before lifting.

Sequence (60 minutes)

TimeSegmentDetail
0:00–2:00 Gayatri Mantra Sung together
2:00–10:00 Sukshma vyayam Neck rolls (4 each direction) → shoulder rolls (6 forward, 6 back) → wrist rotations (8 each) → forearm stretches (4 each direction — dolphin prep) → hip circles (8 each direction) → cat–cow (8 rounds)
10:00–45:00 Asana practice See below
45:00–53:00 Pranayama Kapalabhati — JANKI: confirm cycle count; follow with anulom-vilom 8 rounds
53:00–58:00 Savasana JANKI: insert prayer text
58:00–60:00 Closing One breath together

Asana sequence

#PoseSanskritDetail
1 Butterfly Baddha konasana 6 breaths — settle, arrive
2 Cat–cow Marjari–bitilasana 6 rounds — wake the spine
3 Downward dog Adho mukha svanasana 6 breaths — shoulder prep
4 Plank Phalakasana ~40 seconds — maintain phase-2 baseline
5 Child's pose Balasana 5 breaths
6 Dolphin pose Ardha pincha mayurasana 6 breaths — runway pose: forearms grounded, hips high, head between arms; weight forward onto forearms not back toward feet; this is the shoulder pattern of shirshasan
7 Child's pose Balasana 6 breaths — rest the shoulders before inversion
8 Sarvangasan Salamba sarvangasana 8–10 breaths (edge) — blanket/mat under shoulders; neck free; Janki supports legs if needed on first attempt; chin toward chest, eyes soft
9 Halasana Halasana 6 breaths — immediate counter; feet toward floor behind head; hands flat on mat; if feet don't reach floor comfortably, keep hands on low back
10 Setu bandhasan Setu bandhasana 6 breaths — gentle backbend counter; knees hip-width; press feet into floor evenly
11 Bow pose Dhanurasana 4 breaths — first appearance in phase 3; hands to ankles, lift chest and thighs simultaneously; cue front body opening
12 Child's pose Balasana 6 breaths — full rest after bow
13 Seated forward fold Paschimottanasan 8 breaths — decompress the spine after backbends
14 Butterfly Baddha konasana 5 breaths — close

Janki's notebook prompt

Sarvangasan: did she find the shoulder base without neck strain? How many breaths before she came down — note honestly.

First impressions of being upside-down — did the face relax or hold? Any dizziness after coming down?