This routine is another gentle sequence that one can do in the morning to stretch out the muscles and fascia. This series was modified by Aadil from the one taught in the Bihar School of yoga in East India.

First Movement: Full Body Stretch

Lie on your back with your arms overhead, shoulder width apart, palms facing the ceiling. Keep the legs straight and together. Become conscious of your breath. Take a deep inhalation and then, exhaling, stretch into your fingertips from the pit of your abdomen and move the buttocks toward the heels (pit of abdomen up, sits-bones down toward heels). On the next inhalation, relax the body. One the exhalation, once again repeat the stretch, and on the inhalation, release and relax.

Repeat 3 breath cycles.

Second Movement: Ankle Stretch, Flex, and Rotation

Lie on your back, arms overhead and relaxed (like a cactus position). Become aware of your breath. Take a deep inhalation and, on the exhalation, pint your toes away from you, pulling hyour heels toward your hips (ankle extension). Then reverse that action by pushing your heels away from your hips and pulling your toes back toward your head (ankle flexion). Repeat this alternating motion as many times as you can while exhaling. Press the inner edge of the big toe mounds together and keep the toes in one straight line throughout. On the inhalation, pause and relax. Wile exhaling, move at a comfortable pace so you get maximum flexion and extension of the ankles. This action stimulates the meridians around the ankle joints and relieves stress in the ankles, as well as prepares the ankles for taking the weight in standing poses and while walking.

Repeat for 3 breaths.

On the next exhalation, rotate both ankles clockwise for the duration of the exhalation, inscribing circles with your toes, making these circles as big as possible to achieve the maximum range of motion. On the inhalation, relax. On the exhalation, reverse the direction of the circles, and relax on the inhalation. Repeat twice for a total of three times. These rotations help prevent and relieve arthritis in the ankles.

Third Movement: Straight-Leg Twist

Lie on your back with your right arm at ninety degrees to the spine (straight out to the side), palm facing up. While keeping both knees straight, lift your right leg and place your right Achilles tendon on the web between the big toe and the second toe of the left foot. Inhale, and then, exhaling, swing your pelvis toward your left, bringing the big toe of your right foot onto the floor to the left of the body. Pull the pit of your abdomen to lengthen the spine. Simultaneously turn your head to the right while pushing down on your right shoulder with your left hand. On the inhalation, come up, release, and swap legs. On the exhalation, repeat on the other side, this time taking the right hand on the left shoulder, turning the head to the left, swinging the left pelvis over to the right, and bring the left toe on the floor to the right of the body.

The twisting actions are done on the exhalation while the coming up and changing of the legs are don on the inhalations. Be conscious not to do the actions passively, that means, maintain the length of the spine by pulling the pit of the abdomen toward the diaphragm and press into both heels so the legs are pressing away from the pelvis throughout.

Alternating sides, repeat three times.

Movement Four: Bent-Leg Twist

This is also a twist but, this time, the upper leg is bent instead of straight. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on the floor six inches to the left of the left knee. Inhale and then, exhaling, swing the right knee toward the left side, rolling over onto your left pelvis, and bringing your right knee to the floor. With your left hand, pull the right knee toward the floor and toward the left. One that same exhalation, left the pit of the abdomen, lengthen the spine, and turn the head to the right while bringing your right shoulder onto the floor as much as possible. So first bring the knee down, and then counter the action with the belly, the chest, and the shoulder to create a lengthening and then a twisting. Inhaling, come out of the pose and change sides. The breathing is the same as the last pose-exhaling to go into the pose and to do the action, inhaling to come out of the pose and to change sides.

Alternate sides until the movement is done three times on each side.

Movement Five: Knee to Chest, One Leg at a Time

Lie on your back and straighten both legs. On the exhalation, bend your right knee toward your chest. With your hands, clasp the shinbone near the knee. Pull the shin into your chest and, lifting your head at the same time, press your chin (not the forehead) into your right knee. Pull the right knee toward the right side of your chest. If you get pain in the hip, you may bring the knee toward the armpit. Ideally, keep the thighbone parallel to the spine as you bring the knee up. As you pull the shinbone toward the chest, also deepen the groin, pressing the knee toward the hip. Inhaling, release the leg and bring your head onto the floor. Exhaling, repeat on the other side.

Repeat each side three times.

Movement Six: Knee to Chest, Both Legs Together

This is the same action as the one described in movement five. But with this movement you bring both legs simultaneously to your chest. On the exhalation, bend both knees to the chest. Wrap the arms around the legs, interlocking the fingers, and pull the legs toward the chest. Then lift the chin up and reach the chin toward knees. Inhaling, release the legs and, keeping the heels just off the floor, straighten the legs, and then place them on the floor.

Repeat this movement three time.

Seventh Movement: Side Rolls

Next, roll to the side while embracing the legs. Inhale, and then exhaling, pull the knees up to the chest just as before, wrap hyour arms around and interlock your hands, this time keeping your head on the floor. Inhale, and then exhaling, roll to the right and back up. Inhale. Exhaling, roll to the left and back up. Keep the knees together to keep the strain on the pelvis to a minimum.

Repeat three times.

Movement Eight: Suptu Padangusthasana (Reclining Hamstring Stretch)

Inhale and bend both legs. Using a broad strap, place around the ball mound of the right foot, exhale and straighten both legs. (Left leg will be along floor) Let strap slip between hands until the leg is straight in the air (it might be 5 inches off the ground but the leg is straight and the arms are straight holding strap-the goal is to get leg to 90 degrees or greater). Hold for 3-9 breaths bend legs and switch sides.

Movement Nine: Return to full body stretch

To put it all together, end with the pose you performed at the beginning of the sequence (see movement one).