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I usually sit before practice, where I get into a suitable frame of mind by aligning breath, body and vision.

I had very stiff legs and it took a couple of years of yogic hip stretching exercises for me to sit comfortably with my knees on the floor. If you can’t achieve a half lotus – the most stable position outside of the full lotus – you can do a number of things to achieve stability: put cushions or blocks under your knees so that you are supported; kneel by sitting on your haunches; sit in a chair that will allow you to sit upright and where your knees are lower than your hips.

First, reach up to heaven, expelling your breath and seeing how much emptiness you can achieve. Don’t strain. Bring the hands down, drawing the energy of heaven towards you. Release the diaphragm by pressing the fingertips into the diaphragm and exhaling a big sigh, as though you just saw the most beautiful and majestic mountains before you: “aaahhh…” Settle the head on top of the spine. Settle the gaze on the area in front of you where the cows would lie down if you were in the same field. Settle the breath: take three large inhalations & exhalations. See if you can count to twelve for the duration of each one. Settle.

Second, energy hygiene. Up through the perineum, draw in golden light, allowing it to wash your whole body. Let it go. Do this three times. Down through the fontanelle, draw in white light from heaven in the same manner as the golden earth light. Do this three times. In the next three breaths, allow the incoming light from both directions to mingle in your heart area. Settle. Here is the invocation I use. Skip this if it makes you feel uncomfortable:

With gratitude and love I invite my guru (my higher self), my guardians, guides and teachers to join this practice and support my intent.

With gratitude and love I invite the Three Pure Ones, the Taoist Immortals, the Goddesses and the Gods…

With gratitude and love I invite the Spirits of Earth, Moon, Sun, Planets, Stars and all natural Astral beings…

With gratitude and love I invite my mother and father, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, ancestors, relatives and friends, dead and alive…

With gratitude and love I invite benevolent beings from all directions and dimensions to join this practice and support my intent.

This next energy clearing has its roots in both Taoist and Buddhist practice; covering the right nostril, breathe in over the top of the head and down the left side of the spine. Cover the left nostril and follow the breath out through the opposite side. Do this three times. Then cover the left nostril and repeat the process on the opposite side. With both nostrils open breathe in and follow the path up over the head and down either side of the spine, then out, up through the central channel and out through the top of the head. Do this three times. Settle, breathing softly and evenly and fully inhabit not only your body but the area around you for however long you like.

In the next episode I will show you the series of movements called waking the qi, and where we’ll transition to standing.