Happy Holidays: Celebrating a Light Shining in the Darkness

Everyone needs a blanket, two blocks, and a strap

Centering - Christmas is a time of celebrating light shining in the darkness, so in our practice we want to turn inward and see the light in ourselves and nourish and sustain that light through the darkest days of the year.

With the lunar eclipse on the solstice we are reminded of the yoga philosophers who said that our divinity is like a light that is always shining and perfect, but sometimes the barriers of our mind and body block that light from shining as brightly. So we can skillfully engage to remove the heavenly bodies that block the light from shining or sometimes is what's blocking us is really intense we just continue to breath with the knowledge that, like the eclipse, the barriers will eventually subside and we will shine brightly again. We just have to remain patient and devoted to that light.

Tadasana - snow angel arms moving with the breath
CV - flow with the breath at own speed through several gentle vinyasas - curl your heart open like a candy cane
Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge with a twist like the stripes on a canday cane on each side, padding the knees for support. Place hands for sphinx pose and settle in for a minute. Remember Egypt came up with idea of father time, as Osirus was reborn every year as baby and then entombed on Dec 21st.
Utkatasana - Ardha Uttanasana - skiing/santa driving his sleigh looking down at houses
Vrksasana - hold hands like a string of christmas lights on your tree and then smile to light your tree up!

Star/Padottanasana - like a star in the sky or a gingerbread man right out of the oven...hold for a minute then bow forward, let your doughy heart melt onto the mat
Downdog/Nutcracker lion - hold leg back and up behind you on each side, turn hips open to tap neighbor, giving them a little christmas cheer...come back to downdog and let out any sounds.
Standing Splits - bring leg back and up behind you on each side, like the flag on the mailbox full of christmas cards, send card to someone you're thankful to, then send one to yourself. Thank yourself for shining through the darkest longest nights of the year. Know now that the days will get longer and your life will be filled with more light.
Agnistambhasana - Yule log post
Padottanasana - wide legged forward bend - I just slipped on the ice pose

Janu Sirsasana - tying the laces on your ice skates
Padangusthasana with strap - hang the strap over your foot like a christmas stocking handing from the mantle. make the bottom of your foot a flat shelf, pressed up towards ceiling. What gift are you going to give yourself and others this year.
Jathara Parivartanasana - Jelly Belly Twist - get it touch with your bowl full of jelly
Happy Baby Jesus pose
Savasana

Closing: We practice yoga to celebrate the light that shines in the darkness. Even when our divine light is obscured, we're reminded that it's still always there, good and perfect as it is, and it will eventually be revealed. Peace on earth, goodwill towards all beings everywhere.

Adhikara: Studentship and Shining Brightly

Adhikara is studentship. My teachers like to say that students are like hot sauces and Adhikara is expressed as Tapas, the heat or enthusiasm that you bring to your practice. A teacher is just a really spicy student with a lot of kick.

So today we're going to cultivate our studentship by kicking it up a notch and bringing more engagement and enthusiasm to our practice. Also, we can learn a lot as students by assisting others and seeing their alignment, so we'll work with partners to support and spot their alignment. Helping others can create a powerful shift in our own practice as students.

So Adhikara is expressed in the practice by spreading the fingers wide, shining brightly, rooting your foundation, and clawing with the fingers...revisit during warm-up practice.

Centering – seated position, focus on the perfect light of your inner being in your heartspace. Sometimes that light is obscured by clouds and we can examine our clouds and see if maybe they are labeled: stress, anxiety, work, sadness, illness. Whatever those clouds are, our practice helps us break those clouds open and let the sun shine through. And even if we can't get the clouds to break, our practice helps us to remember that if we don't like the weather all we have to do is wait sometimes and it will eventually change.


Seated Shoulder opening/arm toning exercises
Chaturanga Vinyasa – drunken cobra
Chaturanga Vinyasa – cobra/uttanasana with arms clasped
Chaturanga Vinyasa – cobra with arms clasped
Surya Namaskar – Warrior I, Rev Warrior, Warrior Seal – shalambhasana arms clasped and legs raised

Demo/Assist - told everyone not to light/creepy touch and reminded them to always look for 1. Sri - beauty first, then 2. Foundation of hands/pose and finally 3. alignment, shoulders over wrists, etc...

Handstand at the wall, demo practice kicking up with partner spotting you, keeping raised leg straight
Dolphin with Partner at wall, holding block with partner pressing knees into your heart
Pincha Mayurasana with block and partner at the wall
Pincha Mayurasana with block at wall by yourself for a minute

Firelog - eagle arms then clasp hands behind back (some used strap...demo'd this
Ardha Matsyendrasana - twist both sides
Paschimottanasana
Bridge – arms clasped under back (backbend optional)
long Savasana

Closing: We practice yoga to clear the clouds in our minds and body, to let the sun of our inner being shine through. Blessings to all beings everywhere.

Mentioned some schedule changes for upcoming weeks, handed out Stress/Anxiety workshop handouts for students that couldn't attend the session a few weeks earlier. Also invited students to check out the Anusara website if they were interested in attending John's workshop in February at the JCC.

Ahimsa: Non-Harming and Compassion for Self and Others

Ahimsa is the first yama or ethical precept and means non-harming. Means not harming yourself and others
Goes hand in hand with compassion
Talk about Ahimsa and diet, eating compassionately for your self and for other beings

Centering turn inward and connect to your breath. Look at yourself as perfect as you are, a creation of the divine. Have compassion for yourself and your perceived faults or imperfections. From that place of self-compassion turn outward and shine and radiate your compassion out into the world.

Open to Grace - Surrender (contrasting with battle theme from Bhagavad Git...remember bowing to goddesses from previous weeks)
1. Sun Salutation - High Lunge
2. Sun Salutation - Low Lunge, Twist, lift back leg up
3. Sun Salutation - Low Lunge, Thigh Stretch

Muscle Energy - Give yourself a hug, muscle to bone action is protective and safe for your body
1. Handstand Demo - legs in L at the wall, work with partner to spot alignment
2. Pincha Mayurasana - work with partner at to spot your shoulder/elbow alignment at the wall
3. Shoulder opener, Vasisthasana, Wild Thing

Inner Spiral - bow inward, have compassion for yourself. What can you do to serve yourself better?
1. DD - turn pelvis open - Iguana

Outer Spiral - look at the world around you. How can you serve others?
2. DD - turn pelvis open - Pigeon, rise up, bow forward, thigh stretch

Organic Extension - reach out to the world around you. How can you help?
3. DD - turn pelvis open - Hanumanasana (ultimate compassion pose - hanuman represents service or seva)

Supta Padangusthasana
Savasana

Closing: We practice yoga to cultivate Ahimsa and Compassion for ourselves and others, so we can recognize the divine in the world around us and in our own hearts.

Success!/Concerns: Had some students return after last weeks class and they said the techniques last week for stress and anxiety helped them. Didn't get through my whole class sequence because we spent more time focusing on the inversions and instructing proper alignment. I gave the students more to interact and help spot each others alignment in the poses after showing them what to look for.

Had another class coming in that wasn't scheduled so not a lot of time for Savasana. Promised them a longer Savasana next week.

Mind/Body Weekend at the Y: Yoga Techniques for Managing Axiety & Stress

Special Mind Body Weekend this week in place of regular class.

Centering - Turn senses inward in centering exercise. Observe the quality of mind and breath before, during, and after the invocation. See if there’s a subtle shift in your energetic and physical body during and after this exercise.
Invocation or Chanting – calms the energetic body, singing can also have the same effect.

Anxiety/Panic Attacks – Anxiety is a survival mechanism…there’s nothing wrong with you
1. Turn inward, live in the present instead of past or future illusions. The past never happened exactly as you remember it. The future will never work out as you imagine in will when you worry about it.
2. Breath…double your exhalation count to inhalation count. Hands on belly and chest to feel full breaths as you inhale from belly to chest and exhale from chest to belly.
3. Acknowledge the goddesses of our thoughts, thanking them and then dismissing those that don’t serve our highest and best intentions in the given moment. Our thoughts both good and bad are just transitory things orbiting our mind, not a permanent part of us. The heart is permanent and true. Trust and follow your heart.

Asana for Anxiety – practice Chaturanga Vinyasa, moving with the breath. Chaturanga Vinyasa is cycling though these poses: standing – forward bend – downdog – float forward to plank – lower down to belly – rise up to cobra – exhale back to downdog – forward bend – standing. Try holding plank six inches off floor and observe if you are still breathing during this difficult moment. Mindfully return to your breath and continue to connect to your breath and body throughout the sequence as you repeat this several times. Holding plank is like having to rough moment. Poses that can help you open your heart, become more embodied, and relieve anxiety…
1. Cat/Cow – on all fours, inhale lift the head and drop the belly, then exhale drop the head and lift the belly.
2. Bow – lay on your belly, grab your feet and kick your feet back into your hands to rise up.
3. Child’s pose – bring your big toes together with knees mat’s width apart and bow forward.

Diet Tip: Cut out the caffeine and sugar…either reduce dosage to a smaller cup or switch to decaff beverages.

Depression – realize the part of the cycle that you are in. There will be ups and downs in life. If you’re down you need to re-invigorate the body so you feel embodied and connected to your feelings instead of numb. Don’t check out when life gets tough. Connect back to body and breath. Recognize the impermanence of both positive and negative experiences. Try leaning into the sharp edges of your life and challenge yourself to live more fully in that intensity.
1. Commit yourself to remaining active with the faith that you will pull through the fatigue and weariness. One or more hours of workout at least 1-2 times per week, no matter how much you don’t want to go on any particular day. Make yourself go. Reward yourself for going aftwards.
2. Get some sunlight. Light affects your mood.
3. Feel free to take a mental health day. Find a way to take a break from work or household responsibilities for an afternoon. Remember Ahimsa or non-harming applies to yourself as well as others. Honor yourself by not overextending your energy when you are low and need to recharge.

Asana for Depression - Poses that can help you become embodied and energized:
1. Dolphin Pose – downdog with forearms on the ground. Step feet in towards your elbows and soften heart. If you are at the wall you can kick up to Peacock (handstand on your forearms).
2. Handstand at the wall. Can put feet in L pose with feet standing on the wall. Soften heart before you go up.
3. Uttanasana, touch your toes with knees bent if you can’t touch the floor. Easy to do in the office or in a seated position and good for both anxiety and depression.

Anger – remember that anger isn’t something bad. It is a legitimate emotional state. It can even be righteous.
1. Be honest with yourself and others about what angers you. Verbalizing your anger in a constructive, non-abusive way can help disarm it sometimes before it boils over. “I have to be honest, that makes me angry when…”
2. Reduce your swearing internally and externally. Recognize when the things that may make you angry (driving mistakes, lines at the store, etc…) are not caused intentionally by others and forgive them.
3. Cool off. Again don’t drink too much coffee or heating drinks. Even consider less spicy foods. Anything overly heating can contribute to an anxious and angry mind.

Asana for Anger - Three more poses to ease an anxious mind AND anger as they help cool and calm the body down.
1. Bridge – laying on back, bend knees and bring heels close to butt, lift pelvis and clasp hands under your back.
2. Shoulderstand – keeping a safe space behind the neck (put shoulders on blanket if needed) lift torso and legs
3. Legs up the Wall – butt up against the wall with thighs pressed into into the wall. Also aids digestion.

Insomnia - At the end of the day, a good night’s sleep helps your mental state.
1. Uttanasana – forward bend, a gentle inversion to slowly ground your energy and clear your head.
2. Downward Facing Dog – let your head and neck hang lose. Soften your heart and repose.
3. Seated Forward Bend – sit up on blanket to root thighs onto the floor. Bow from the heart forward.

Success/Concerns! The class size was the largest I'd dealt with before (36 people), which offered some unique challenges serving all of the students by myself. I had a shorted time period of 60 minutes (usually class is 90 minutes) to cover all the material for the workshop and had a few students who weren't actively doing poses on the periphery of class. Would have liked to have been able to help them with an alternate pose.

Next time I'm going to structure the class so there's at least one demo and assist where regular students assist new students to help make sure everyone gets served even if I can't give them individual attention on every pose due to time constraints. Also, I'm going to make sure that when I have a workshop like this that I structure the class to serve a wider audience. I thought that some of the inversions like handstand at the wall and dolphin would be more accessilbe to everyone, but actually lost some beginners mind there. The handstand was not necessarily the best choice for this class even though it was good to show the students that could confidently attempt it. I'll keep thinking about this one.

Bhagavad Gita, Song of God - post Thanksgiving Restorative Class

Centering...talk about the battlefield
Arjuna the archer is your courageous spirit. Krishna is your divine nature. The Kauravas are all your familiar bad habits and past pains.

CV demonstrating keeping shoulder loop through chaturanga transition to cobra
Cat-Cow/Gomukhasana
SN - Low Lunge/Twist/Thigh Stretch
SN - Warrior I/Parvottanasana/Parivrtta Trikonasana
SN - Pigeon turning knee open from LL/FB on ridgetop cobra/Thigh Stretch

Lay on a blanket roll
Badda Konasana
Childs Pose Ahdo Mukha Virasana
Virasana - Supta Virasana (legs in alignment means amazing things happen, out of alignment disaster waiting to happen)
Blanket Roll - Sitting back on roll, toes tucked then toenails down, stand on blanket roll in Uttanasana

Paschimottanansa supported on bolster
Janu Sirsasana supported on bolster
Jathara Parivatanasna
Supported Bridge
Savasana

Closing: We practice yoga to skillfully engage in battle to overcome our injuries and pain that holds us back, so we can free ourselves to align with our hearts.

Success!/Concerns: Had some students with knee issues so spend time showing everyone how to properly and safely align legs in virasana with invisible line through second toe, heel, and knee.

Had several students after class with questions about using some specific poses to relieve chronic back pain. Pointed out poses we already did today that they can do at home to help. Also gave them a few other options.

Next week we're having mind/body weekend at the Y so my class will be a 1 hour workshop called Yoga Technigues for Anxiety & Stress Management.

Arjuna and his brothers, the 5 Pandavas

Last week talked about Krishna, this week Arjuna and the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita or Song of God is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna about right and wrong, and takes place on a battlefield.

War doesn’t seem very yogic, but we’re going to explore how this setting is actually appropriate and represents the inner world of every being as they often struggle with themselves to come to terms with what their own highest and best potential is in life.

Centering – focus on the five pandava brothers, the five principles in comfortable seated position. Talk briefly about cosmic headrest in the chariot to briefly introduce skull loop.

Tadasana/Utanasana/Downdog – engage the five principles in each pose, Arjuna is one of the five virtuous Pandava brothers, all heroic half gods.

Plank, knee to nose six times each leg, 12 for years in exile, childs pose for last year in hiding. The Pandavas are tricked by their cousins, the evil half demon Kauravas, into gambling away their kingdom for 13 years.

SN – HL/Warrior I/Parvottanasna/Warrior Seal – Krishna is Arjuna’s brother in law and his chariot driver, but Arjuna doesn’t know that Arjuna is actually the 8th avatar of Vishnu. Arjuna tells Krishna he wants to give up the fight rather than kill his relatives.

SN – HL/Parsvakonasana/Warrior II/Reverse Warrior – Krishna reveals himself as the 8th Avatar of Vishnu, an embodiment of the divine and demands that Arjuna fight.

SN – HL/Utkatasana Twist/Ardha Uttanasana/Warrior III – Arjuna decides to fight

Dhanurasana/Ardha Dhanurasana – eyes closed, Arjuna practiced in the dark. Used skill at festival to win the hand of his wife Draupadi. Her father the king suspended a wooden fish high above a pool of oil. The fish rotated around and the archers had to hit it in the eye looking only at the reflection to aim. Arjuna won this contest and claimed her as his bride, though he was in disguise at the time because it was his 13th year of hiding.

High Lunge/Twist/Revolved – on the 13th day of battle. Arjunas son Abhimanya is killed in chariot battle by the evil king Jayadratha’s forces. They violate the rules of warfare by luring him into a trap, disarming him, smashing the wheels of his chariot, and crushing his skull when they get him on the ground. He fights valiantly killing many Kaurava warriors before he is slain.

Padottanasana/Star – Arjuna tries to confront Jayadratha, but he hides behind his army. Krishna summons the nightfall, calling on forces of stars and moon to darken the sky.

Trikonasana/Ardha Chandrasana - Krishna finishes using his yoga powers to invoke the darkness so the days battle will end and Jayadratha will be lured out.

Urdhva Dhanurasana (right leg then left leg up) – Arjuna shoots his celestial arrow at Jayadratha when he comes out of hiding, believing that night has fallen and he is safe. Remember that Arjuna practiced shooting in the dark…oops, Jayadratha didn't know about that. So Arjuna is very angry at Jayadratha and passionate about avenging his son's death. Krishna encourages Arjuna to use his passion and anger instead of renouncing it and to break the traditional rules of engagement in battle, just as Jayadratha did to them when his forces killed Ambhimanya. So too, we want to transform our emotions and passions into a force for good, and not be bound by any rules as we pursue what's in the best interest of ourselves, our family, and our community.

Supta Padangustasana – leg extended

Savasana

Next week – talk about ujayi breath work toward Supta Virasana in restorative class with many twists.

Success!/Concerns: The students I spoke with really enjoyed the story and message of confronting difficulty. We'll continue with our discussion of the Gita. The class has consistently been around 24 students for the past several weeks with many more returning students. Also, they are communicating that they are remembering principles we discussed in previous classes and I'm seeing regular students developing by applying loops and principles. No injuries or conditions mentioned before class. Very inspiring.

One thing I would have changed with the sequence is that Warrior Seal was too early in the sequence. I should have put that in the second or third sun salutation so they could warm up the shoulders a little. A couple students remarked that it was really cold this morning and they really felt that opening. I showed them how to apply the principles in tadasana to relieve any residual discomfort they felt from this opening after class.

Krishna, Cowboy Demon Slayer

This week we are introducing Krishan, next week we talk about Arjuna and the Gita.

Krisha
8th incarnation of Vishnu the god of preservation
Embodiment of love and divine joy

Born to Devaki, the daughter of a cruel demon king Kamsa
Prophecy said Kamsa would be killed by his nephew, so the king killed the first six children. The 7th escaped, and Krishna was secretly swapped with a cowherd’s daughter

Centering - softening outer body and heart opening, hold something you love in your heart, reflect back on that thing during the practice.

Cat/Cow - focus on shoulder loop and melting the heart - krishna was sent to hide among cowherds
Chaturanga Vinyasa x5 - Krishna mastered the 5 headed demon snake Kaliya that was poisoning the holy river Yamuna.
Vrksasana - he defeated the beast by jumping down on it from a tree and dancing on it's heads.
Natarajasana
Surya Namaskar - Parsvakonasana/Trikonasana/Ardha Chandrasana - dancing with milkmaids, Krisha separates self into many versions of himself…represents the diving show up to dance with everyone equally. Sometimes you find you might be checking out in a tough pose, but to experience the divine all you have to do is show up to the moonlit barn dance. The divine supports us all equally…no one is ever left standing by the punchbowl.

cobra pose - The demon king kansa sends five demons to defeat him. One of them was the giant demon snake Aghasura who pretended to be a cave and swallowed many cowboys until Krisha saved them.

Shiva Twists - a whirlwind demon Trinivata came to get him when he was a baby, Krishna became large until the whirlwind couldn’t hold him up and fell to earth
Malasana/Bakasana (melt the heart) - an enormous crane demon Bakasura attacked him down by the river when he was playing with his friends, Krishna pulled off his beak.
Plank/Cow/Gomukasana w/ shoulder opener - demon disguised as a calf Vatasura to sneak up on the cowboys, Krishna threw him up into a tree
Ustrasana - the monsterous horse Keshisura, Krishna stuck his hand down its throat and choked the demon
Mayurasana prep (level II try balancing on hands) - Peacocks dancing in the forest, enjoyed his flute playing and gave him a feature to wear as a gift.

-Downdog/Uttanasana/Tadasana - Krisha taught the cowherd to stop giving sacrifice to Indra for the rain. Held Govardhan hill over their heads to shelter them from the rain Indra sent as his wrath until he gave up.
-Virasana - seated mediation, for pranayama, nadi shodana, breathing prana into the body, your nostrils are like the holes in the flute.
-Setubanda Sarvangasana - arms clasped underneath, lift hips high, alternate legs
-Jathara Parivartanasana - shoulders onto the mat
-Navasana/Savasana (romantic boat ride of radha and krishna) - krishna restores his great uncle to power after defeating Kansa, and he becomes and influential prince in court. This is how he meets Arjuna, the hero of the Bhagavad Gita

Closing: We practice yoga to boldly defeat any demons that cross our path in life, and we show up to the dance every day to experience the divine.

Concerns/Success!: I think people really enjoyed the theme. Got a lot of great feedback. Largest class so far (24+ students). Gave feedback from Stacey about student with jaw pain to the student who asked about it last week. Will follow up later this month or early next to find out if there's progress. I gave her several techniques to try out, from grounding her shoulders and opening the heart and laying on blocks to relieve tension in the neck (and jaw). We'll work on skull loop next week when we talk about Arjuna.

Samskaras, Making Use of Suffering

Samskaras are ruts or behaviors, and they can be both pleasurable and painful. Samskaras are part of the armor that builds up when emotional and physical trauma gets trapped in our bodies.

In Hatha yoga we cultivate a heat and power to purify our body of this energy to achieve Moksha, or liberation to act and engage freely in the world around us (we'll talk more about Moksha later this month. So today we're focusing on cultivating enough power to climb out of our rut and form a new habit. To buff away the scratches in our armor.

Centering - breathing into kidneys with partner holding hands over them - explain that kidneys are power plant of the body

Cat/Cow
Lion's breath
Chaturanga - Vinyasa - kidney loop

Until I practiced yoga I never knew how miserable I was. You don't noticed dirt and scratches on a car that's already beaten up. As you start to buff out the dings in your armor that you've accumulated through life, you'll become more sensitive to the smaller imperfections. Cultivate an awareness of this so that it doesn't distress you and you can keep your perception of these in proper proportion. Don't sweat the small stuff, just keep working on transforming it.

Surya Namaskar - HL twist/center/LL thigh stretch, skip the cobra, move on to next...
Surya Namaskar - Iguana bow twist open & thigh stretch - shalambhasana x3
Surya Namaskar - HL/Warrior II/Trikon/Ardha- dhanurasana x3

Vasisthasana/WT/Childs pose actively inflating kidneys with the breath

Lotus or Agnistambasana - Pranayama Kidney breathing several minutes to cultivate a fire, burn up the samskaras in your body, use that dead energy as fertilizer for new growth. Power your body up with pranic energy, the vital lifeforce of existence. talk about how a lotus grows up from the mire, so now that the stuck energy is unstuck what do you do with it. How do you make the best use of that suffering? With yoga we transform energy into something more auspicious.

Hanumanasana - FB then curl back opening the heart
Pigeon - FB then come to upright and open the heart

Setubanda - leg lift/urdhva dhanurasana/uttanasana
Shoulderstand - Read John Friend excerpt about Tantric philosophy in Foreward from Douglas' book "poised for grace".

Happy Baby
Savasana

Meditational Reflection:

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, was a Swiss-born psychiatrist, a pioneer in Near-death studies and author. From Daily Love.

Closing - If you desire to master the art of living better, make the best use of your suffering. Create a fire in yourself to burn away the Samskaras, and transform that energy into fertilizer for new growth.

Concerns/Success!: One student had a question about jaw tension, but I'm not very familiar with that, so I offered to talk to my teacher about it. Gave several students alignment instructions to relieve discomfort before and after class. Good results on immediately relieving discomfort by applying the principles. A few students left class early. I had a chance to speak with all of them briefly and they all said they were feeling well and just had to leave early for their schedules. I'm been trying to make sure no one leaves class uncomfortable and thus far haven't had anyone indicate that they felt anything bad going on in their bodies, though I can't always catch everyone on their way out.

In the coming weeks we are going to continue exploring the Gita from a Tantric perspective. We'll be introducing some of the characters in the story like Krishna and Arjuna and talk about how the battlefield represents the landscape of our hearts and embodiment. I had a request for shoulder and heart opening asanas so I think next week we'll do heart opening and talk about Krishna.

Halloween, the masks we wear and the light within

Continue talking about 3 A's. First we emphasized Attitude, then Alignment, now Action, specifically inner spiral and outer spiral (tailbone action).

Continuing our Halloween month practice of playfully engaging in scary poses, we shift the focus from scary inversions to more scary backbend dropbacks with partners to assist us.

Halloween is a great time to talk about masks. In non-dual tantra yoga philosophy everything in the universe shares one consciousness, but we all wear masks, our identity assemblage point, that defines us and conceals our divine nature. The supremem consciousness enjoys playing hide and seek or peek a boo by taking away the mask sometimes and experiencing the revelation that we are connected to everything else (ie...something miraculous or amazing happens in our lives).

Transformation occurs at the boundry between the inner light of our being and the outer mask we wear every day (our identity assemblage point). As the light of our inner being shines out in our practice we ccultivate a purer, brighter expression of our own unique identity.

Seated Centering...inner spiral and tailbone action.

Shining light of inner being out and draping the outer mask of the body over that light.

Stand in Tadasana - demonstrate inner/outer spiral with block between thighs...engage in next several poses

Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - High Lunge - Cobra (focus on tailbone action)
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Warrior II/Rev Warrior - shalambasana
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Trikonasana/Padottanasana/Trikonasana/padottanasana - dhanurasana
Utkatasana - Malasana - Bakasana
Utkatasana - Vrksasana - Padottanasana - Natarajasana

Vasisthasina/Wild Thing
Pincha Mayurasana at the wall with block between hands, play with tailbone action to stabilize the pose and see if you can balance without the wall.
Thigh Stretch at the wall
ustrasana facing toward the wall
Urdhva Dhanurasana dropback with partners

Ustrasana
Supta Padangusthasana
Windshield Wipers
Happy Baby
Savasana

Concerns: I didn't get to do all of the poses I intended because I wanted to really focus on the three A's and safe alignment in the standing poses. So we missed out on some backbend variations and a few hip openers I wanted to do toward the end like Hanumanasana and Pigeon. I'm going to integrate those into our class next week talking about Samskaras. We'll do pranayama and more hip openers next week.

One student had some questions after class about hand placement in Bakasana, because they experienced some wrist pain. showed how to claw floor to engage wrists and protect them and also that wrists are shoulder width apart.

Another student had some concerns about tailbone pain in standing poses and on one side in Wideshield Wipers. Had the student engage tailbone action. In windshield wiper used block to create barrier for knees moving toward the floor so she could feel an intensity in the place that was uncomfortable without it going into a painful space. I'm not sure that I was familiar with the nature of the pain, but she said she believed it was from sitting too much in meditation. I haven't seen or experienced that kind of pain before so I'll need to ask my teachers more about it. I told the student that as long as the muscles around the tailbone were engaged during the pose it should protect and relieve pain in the area, but that if they continued to experience discomfort or pain even when muscles and taiblone action was happening then they should back off and respect the boundry their body was setting.

I student had a little lower back discomfort after the dropback. I came over to work with her after having everyone take ustrasana, and she said that the forward bend relieved it and she didn't need any more help.

Success! I beleive this was an intense class from seeing the students, but I didn't get a lot of feedback after class. I felt a shift in some of the students. Since many quietly left the room I'm not entirely sure what the overall experience was. A few of the newer students left looking very happy.

There were about 20 students and half of them were regulars and I remembered almost all of their names :) Continuing to work on names with nametags and I hand out the invocaton sheets at the beginning of every class. Chanting is good and the students seem to enjoy that part of the class. The 6 or so students that come regularly are showing good form and alignment and are definitely beginning to grasp the principles. I get good questinos and feeback from them about alignment that seems to help the class at large when my teaching may not be enough to properly communicate an action.

Still praying before every class that my teaching will help the students awaken to the divinity in themselves and others in a way that will best serve their highest and best intentions. I'm really enjoying teaching and look forward to it every week.

Seeking Lord Shiva in the Cremation Grounds

Shiva lives in the cremation grounds surrounded by the gunas, his army of goblins. They frighten away any not heroic enough to approach him. So it's a great metaphor for understanding the nature of our own reality. The fog of the body clouds our divinity, shrouding it in darkness, like the ashes that Shiva and the gunas smear on their skin in the cremation ground. To reach back to our own divine power and recognize our true potential we have to brave the darkness and move past the gunas, the aches and pains of our own body.

So last week we cultivated a courageous attitude when playing on our edge in headstand and we talked about the three A's attitude, alignment, action. Today we're focusing more on the second part, alignment, as we do more inversions and hip openers.

Cat/Cow, Downdog (focus on alignment of hands)
Chaturanga Vinyasana (move with the breath throgh vinyasa with drunken halloween party cobra)
Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge with a twist
Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge with a thigh stretch
Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge - rising up to high lunge (attitude, alignment, action)

Handstand at the wall with legs in L
Handstand with partner in the middle of the room (pick a partner about your height and size)
Handstand at wall - handstand cultivates a fire, like the cremation ground that burns away all the dead energy, it's a great practice to reveal your divinity

Virabhadrasna II - only the bravest warrior will approach the cremation gounds
Trikonasana
Ardha Chandrasana - the moon shines at night over the cematary
Parvottanasana - reach into your hamstings and find those gunas
Parivrtta Trikonasana - feel the fire in your hips and your heart
feel difference in first leg before moving to second side. This isn't trick or treat, we give candy to both our legs and balance them out before the end of the practice.

Iguana, bring leg to center and turn knee down to the earthVirasana - Kapalbati Kriya Pranayama - shining skull pranayama - lots of skulls around in cematary.
Savasana - corpse pose
Closing: We practice yoga to courageously enter the cremation ground. The gunas cannot hurt us. The fire cannot burn us. As our fear falls away our true nature is revealed.

Concerns/Success!: Some injuries and conditions in class today, but I felt prepared to help each student with them. They were within the range of my present therapeutics knowledge. I'm looking forward to learning more about therapeutics next year so I can help out more people that come to class with specific issues.

I should have reviewed kicking up for more students. We covered it when I saw some of them were having trouble with it. Looks like everyone got it.

Next week talk about masks, and how divinity wears many masks like a masquerade ball. The notion that masquerade balls are places where people do things they normally wouldn't, so it is true with divinity in the context of how people treat one another. Shiva-Shakti energy enjoys the concealing and revelation of it's own divinity. It revels in chasing itself around in circles. The trick is the concealment, the separration of being. The treat is the revelation of divinity when the self finds the Self.

Courage and the three A's: Attitude, Alignment, Action

Theme: Courage is the emotion we feel when we confront the terrifying face of Shiva, the unknown, or the risky. When we skillfully engage at the edge of our ability and have courage, transformation occurs, but we have to take that action.

October is a good time to talk about the three A's because it's a time when we playfully think of scary things leading up to Halloween. For the next three weeks we're going to get out the ghosts and goblins in our bodies with hip openers and confront some fears with inversions like headstand, handstand and others.

Talk about the three A's, Attitude, Alignment, Action. We're going to talk about this more as we skillfully engage and play at our edge, doing some tricky poses.

Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - High Lunge
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Parsvakonasana, reach hand to floor
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Stack hips leg up, then Iguana
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Trikonasana
Utkatasana Surya Namaskar - Trikonasana, Ardha Chandrasana Think What might be possible today. Attitude is surrender sometimes.

Forearm plank, hold core
Downdog with head resting on blocks - test pressure
Partner Headstand with two partners for support, play at your edge.
demo tripod headstand for level II, headstand at wall for level I
Headstand at wall or middle of room any variation, yogi's choice

Setubanda Sarvangasana - Bridge, lift leg on each side
Salamba Sirsasana - shoulder stand, self observe neck space with fingers under neck
Halasana - plow toward wall, monitor neck space
Viparita Karani - legs up the wall with low back supported by bolster - action, revitalize, now that you've opened your heart and lined yourself up for transformation, let the action happen naturally even in a reclined pose. Viparita Karani isn't a passive pose, the three A's are still there living in it.

We cultivate courage when we play at our boundry, our attitude is open and soft, our alignment is rooted and stable, our action is graceful.

Closing: The next time you need to cultivate courage to face the terrifying visage of Shiva, remember...Attitude, Alignment, Action. Namaste.

Success!: Students requested hip openers and inversions so we're working on their requests. I felt comfortable with everyone's alignment. I gave lots of specific instruction to protect the necka and head in shoulderstand and headstand. I have personally had some pains in this pose so I was able to give a few hopefully helpful tips on these matters.

Concerns: Had a few students with some back pain after headstand and shoulderstand. Did spadog to relieve and both students said they felt fine afterwards.

Swatantrya, Stretching Your Self on the Loom of Creation

Theme: we're going to talk today about Swatantrya, or Freedom. The Sankrit word has two parts swa and tan. Swa means self.

Sanskrit word Tan, which means to stretch, like fabric on a loom

So by stretching or expanding your heart over the loom of our practice we can achieve a greater awareness of our true self, the divinity that exists in all things

So this concept of Swa or Self and Tantrya or stretching, means self stretching - creating a sense of freedom and expansion in the heart. When you stretch fabric or threads over a loom you create space for a pattern to be embroidered or woven and you create space for the divine energy of the universe to flow into you.

So why weaving. Well the idea is that when your free, then you can do anything. The loom metaphor is about creating something stable out of that freedom, because we're always seeking balanced action between freedom and stability, to create the future we want.

When you're at the edge in a pose, that's the place where transformation occurs and it's the best moment to reflect on your highest and best intentions.

Seated meditation...hands anjali mudra
1. soften the heart and the outer body. Let the skin drape onto the skeleton
2. draw shoulders up towards ears and lengthen side body
3. draw the shoulderblades onto the back and bring the heads of the shoulders back
-think about something you'd like to do if you were free to do it, something in alignment with your highest and best intentions, something socially responsible.

Tadasana - shoulder loop
Uttanasana - Downdog
SN - Parsvakonasana
SN - Trikonasana
SN - High Lunge - practice stepping stance wide, then bring it back in Stability vs. freedom. Beach ball, plug arms in on second side.

Garudasana - Eagle pose - eagle is the animal that represents freedom in our country
Vasisthasana/Wild Thing - demo
Dolphin - partner at wall, dolphin free swimming through the ocean diving through the waves
Dolphin plank - hold 1 minute
Pincha Mayurasana - hold 1 minute, hold your highest intention in your heart. what would you do if you could do anything, if no one and no thing was holding you back. Whatever limitations you perceive melt away and you found the flexibility to weave your desires into your current being and existence. Maybe the limitations aren't really there. Maybe they're just in your mind and the way you are viewing your circumstances.

Gomukhasana - arms behind back
Ardha Matsyendrasana - half lord of fishes
Purvottanasana - tabletop, hold 1 minute
Spine supported on bolster or block/Savasana

Closing: We practice yoga to stretch our consciousness and being over the loom of our practice, so we can weave the destiny we choose.

Concerns: Student at beginning of class asked about Sciatica and said had some hamstring pain. I explained that I wasn't an expert on the condition of sciatica, but told her that it was caused by compression of a nerve by tight muscles. Since the specific pain and tingling she was presently experiencing was in her hamstring, I showed her some hamsting stretches to do at home that should be able to help her relieve tight muscles (sciatica or otherwise). I'm going to do more research on sciatica and if I see that student again, I'll be sure to see if that helped and offer more help if possible.

Success!: Students engaged and interactive during class. Requested hip openers, headstands, and more inversions for future classes so I will integrate these things into the class over the next month.

Kula, Community of the Heart

Theme: Kula, sanskrit for a family of spirit, the community of the heart.

Setup: two rows of mats facing each other

1. We come to class instead of working out at home to find community of like minded people...we're social beings
2. Finding a like minded community of beings like the Y gives us the support to push ourselves to improve
3. We are all separate threads woven together to form a tapestry so if one is a little weak one day the rest hold the fabric together

Seated Mediation: remember someone who supported or inspired you, and bring their strength to the community of the heart. That highest ideal is what you want to manifest in yourself and your practice so you can shine it out for others as a light in the world. By community we don't mean a group adhering to strict rules of behavior, but a collection of unique individuals bound by a common respect for the divinity in themselves and others.

Partner Stretch - Utkatasana
Tiptoe Uttanasana
Downdog stack hips and twist open to touch neighbor if you can reach
Surya Namaskar x3 (your asana practice should look different. our community celebrates diversity because it is beautiful, the many colored threads form a rich tapestry of life)
-Parsvakonasana support partner, pressing top palm into their hand
-Trikonasana
-High Lunge/Warrior III - hold partners forearms across from you and to the side

Vrksasana - support partners hands
Padangustasana - support partners ankles
Natarajasana - support partner across from you
Chatturanga Vinyasa x3 - Dhanurasana (tops of feet then ankles, and last one whichever is harder)
-partner demo, first thing we look for is Sri, beauty in the partner.
Setubanda Sarvangasana - lift the leg

Urdhva Dhanurasana x3 - pump heart toward your partner, walk toward partner and high five if possible. shine your heart out toward your friends. your uniqueness is your offering. Third UD lift leg on each side or rest if you are tired.

Eye of Needle
windshield wipers
Happy Baby
avasana

Closing: We come together as a Kula today, a community of the heart, the family of spirit, to celebrate the divine light that shines in all beings everywhere.

Success!: We had good participation in the class with the partner poses. An Anusara Certified instructor who teaches at YogaKula and the Oakland Y visited my class serendipitously and I asked her how it was. She said it was good and she enjoyed the class and theme. It was nice to get some feedback from another Anusara teacher trainee on the class. The students are giving good feedback as well. I asked one of the regular students for suggestions on things they want to work on and she said that shoulder openers would be beneficial so her, so I will work on shoulder openers and shoulder loop next class.

Concerns: I was concerned about some foundation alignment and some people had tightness that I was looking at and encouraging people to do the backbends more gently so they weren't muscling into the poses. I did several adjustments at the end of class as well. Last few classes I've had some students come into the room and open the windows so I've been negotiating with them by closing the windows during the warmup and then opening them back up after the first 30 minutes. I want to make sure all the students get adequately warmed up for the deeper poses and sometimes with the windows open it cools off too much in the room.

Ganesh, Embracing Change and Overcoming Obstacles

Theme: Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacles
Lessons: Obstacles are doors to understanding ourselves
Props: Two blocks and a strap
Flavor: Ganesh wrote the epics with ink on the end of his tusk. Reminds us to dance even when our head is heavy.

Told the story of how Ganesh got his elephant head. Reminds us that sometimes an obstacle, like angry Shiva will blow our minds and transform us radically. Ganesh accepts and makes the best of his new visage and form, he doesn't spend all his time lamenting that he now has an elephant head. We want to learn to accept transformation when it happens in our lives, in those instances when we can't just blast an obstacle out of the way like Shiva does in the story. Sometimes we're the ones who divinity forces to change to overcome an obstacle.

Cat Cow - Alternate Arm Leg/Thigh Stretch
Chatturange Vinyasa x5
-baby cobra
-drunken cobra
-wide armed cobra
-bow feet
-bow ankles
Surya Namaskar x3
Iguana w/ locust
Parsvakonasana w/ locust - arms behind back
High Lunge w/ locust - up into cobra

Natarajasana w/ strap
Padottanasana w/ arms behind back
Elephant w/ blocks
Camel
Setubanda Sarvangasana - raise leg

Dhanurasana - demo, partner, self
help partners by lifting knees and rocking hips side to side then lengthening spine and rotating legs in circles to unwind any tension in the low back
Uttanasana
Dandasana - Forward Bend
Knees to Chest
Savasana

Closing: We practice Yoga to be more like Ganesh, skillfully engaging our hearts to embrace any transformation or change that happens in life and helps us overcome the obstacles before us.

Success! Parner Urdhva Dhanurasana was awesome. People had a good time.

Concerns: Had a few students who left partway through class but I checked in with them and they advised their bodies were okay, they were just short on time. Had another student ask about tucking toes under in Ustrasana, she said she felt intense pressure (not pain) in the knees when tucking the toes under but normally didn't when the toenails were clicked down into the mat. I told her that her body was probably used to putting weight on a little different part of the knee since she'd been doing it with the toenails clicked down for a while and that in time the knees would probably become accustomed to having the toes tucked under. I explained that the toes tucked under protects the knees an ankles, but that she was welcome to do whatever variation felt best for her body. In retrospect, I would have like to suggested that she engage muscle energy even with the toes tucked under and see if that or apply other principles could have resolved the pressure as well.

Anjali Mudra: Sealing Your Highest Intentions

Anjali Mudra (meaning Gift/Offering and Seal) is a hand gesture that focuses our energy.

Some of the things I think about with Anjali Mudra:

1. It's a bowing inward towards the divinity in yourself as well as a bowing outward to the divine in all things around you.

2. It's a balance point between the right and left, past and present, any opposing forces.

3. It's a container, you hold the seed of your intention between your hands in front of your heart and nourish that seed by shining your heart out during the practice.

When we cultivate an intention, it might be like a desire for something in the world, but part of the practice of sealing the intention is emptying ourselves of any attachment to the outcome or need for the object of desire. When you release your desire or attachment to that thing into the world you create a container in yourself for that gift to flow back into your life.

Illustration: Like the person sitting at a table with a bunch of smokers and the smoke drifts toward the non-smoker, so the person who is not attached to something will attract that thing to them.

Seated Mediation, focusing on the light of the breath. Holding your highest self in mind. We will explore your highest intentions in various facets of your life in the practice and nourish and seal those intentions in Anjali Mudra over the course of our practice.

Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge w/ Anjali Mudra - Open to Grace

Surya Namaskar - Low Lunge w/ AM (raise back leg after twist) - think of highest and best intentions with regard to your health and well being

Surya Namaskar - High Lunge w/ AM - highest and best relationship with beloved and with your family, what gifts do you already have and what more can your bring as an offering. Cultivate the qualities you admire in others in yourself.

Vrksasana w/AM - what's your career ideal. Do you enjoy going to work every day. If not, think about what that would feel like. If you do, then how can you make work more enjoyable for others.

Utkatasana w/AM - hold someone who needs help in your heart. Someone you know may be having trouble in life or be ill.

Virbhadrasana II/Reverse Warrior - student request

Iguana Lunge
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana - Pigeon
Hanumanasana

Virabhadrasana III w/ Anjali Mudra - stand firm in your own truth. Speak from your heart. Partner demo and assist stabilizing the pose and spotting friend's alignment. Spa dog to root thighs and heals back after standing poses.

Child's pose w/ hands in Anjali Mudra - set an intention to see the world clearly, witnessing the beauty and divinity in yourself and the world around you.

Eye of the Needle
Cactus Twists

Kapalbhati Kriya Pranayama - seated with hands in Anjali Mudra - set intention to use the gifts you are given in life to set a good example for other. Ask yourself how you can lead others better.

Savasana

Closing Statement from DailyLove.com:

To often we do not say what we are feeling in our hearts and we hold back our true words of love, courage and compassion that should be said. When you become courageous enough to express the Truth of how you are really feeling you set yourself free and align with the vibration of your Truth.

This is when miracles, synchronicities and amazing things begin to happen. At first it might be a little rough because you are clearing out everything that isn't true for you.

Once you've reached a clean slate, your Truth will set you free, your Truth will make you happy and your Truth will always provide for you.

Your Truth will deliver a life greater than you have imagined. All you have to do is let go of what is not true for you and let it in what is.

Closing Anjali Mudra: I bow from the spark of the divine in myself to the spark of the divine in all of you.

Concerns: I didn't feel like the students were following my directions in the demonstration/partner pose, so I want to do a little bit better job of structuring the partner work so they're following a set up alignment instructions. Everyone still had fun though and it was Warrior III so everyone looked like they were working safely. They were supporting each other minimally so it didn't seem like anyone would get hurt by not following my instructions on looking at the alignment.

Success!: I saw a shift in the students. I received positive feedback from the class afterward. I felt less anxiety in my introduction that in some previous classes and was more at ease and spoke more slowly.

Shakti: Concealing and Revealing our Divine Nature

Theme: Story of Shakti playfully covering Shiva's third eye during his savasana meditation. When she covers his third eye he loses his ability to correctly discern his own essential divinity and manifestation as all things. So Shiva begins to see the world and himself as a bunch of separate entities and things and he becomes confused.

So we're all little confused versions of Shiva, the supreme divine consciousness, wandering around in our day to day lives, believing that we are all separate when in fact there are little clues and hints that we are all connected (coincidences, miracles, etc...)

Like a divine game of peek-a-boo as Shakti pulls her hands away from Shiva's third eye, he starts to recognize his own divine nature again, and as she replaces them again she conceals the truth of supreme consciousness.

In our practice we connect to the breath and Shakti. Shakti energy can be stuck in our bodies in places, concealing our divine nature, but with our practice we can also use muscular engagement and organic extension to cultivate Shakti that burns away the stuck energy, so Shakti can both conceal and reveal our highest and best.

Surya Namaskar - Parsvakonasana
SN - Virbhadrasana II
SN - Trikonansana
Ardha Chandrasana
Vrksasanan
Utkatasana
Malasana
Ardha Bakasana

Virbahadrasana I - curl open
Parvottanasana
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana - partner pose

Tricep Dips
Supta Padangusthasana
Happy Baby
Savasana

Concerns: I had a student with hearing impairment which presented an interesting challenge adjusting them. I had to be very mindful that they were aware of my presence and intention to help them before I assisted.

In the partner pose there were lots of questions, so I think I'll need to practice my partner demonstration and step by step instructions a little more before next class.

Success!: Good feedback on the class and the philosophy/theme. Themes have been source of the most positive feedback I've received for the past several classes.

I also wanted to bring a partner assist into this class as we didn't have a chance to do that much in the past few weeks and it worked out well. I'm going to work on making sure we do at least one partner assist every class because it builds a stronger community in the classroom, and community is one of the values the Y says they want to emphasize in their classes.

Conclusion: We practice yoga to clear the fog from our body and mind so we can see the divinity in ourselves and others. Shakti conceals and reveals our own true nature.

Satya, Revealing and Re-inventing the True Self

1. The underlying truth of the universe is that everything is good, so we want to discern inauspicious actions and behavior from the individuals themselves who are all divine. We share the same soul but perceive ourselves as separate beings.
2. When things don't always appear to be auspicious we want to have faith in providence, the truth that the universe wishes to sustain and provide for us. So even in difficult situations we can look for the good in others and our situation and see a new possibility revealed. Whether it's a situation on the mat or in our daily lives.
3. The universe is constantly re-inventing itself, just as you can re-invent yourself in every moment and every breath to reveal your true nature and shine it out in the world.

Story's on Invention: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Every cloud has a silver lining. Etc...

1. The potato chip invented by chef and angry customer in new england. He made the french fried potatoes thin with lots of salt to punish the angry customer and the customer liked it.
2. The microwave - scientist working on radar has candy bar melt in his pocket, he figured out if he put food in a metal box and pointed the waves at it, then he could cook the food. We want to turn our melted candybars into something new and interesting in life.
3. Cellophane - French man trying to invent a waterproof tablecloth. Covering wouldn't adhere to the tablecloth but stuck to other things. When our truth shines through all the cloudy stuck energy and things in our lives. We cultivate a fire to burn away the impurities in our bodies and the cellophane just drops away to reveal a brighter, fuller self.


Partner Stretch & Cat/Cow
Surya Namaskar - High Lunge w/ Twist
Parsvottanasana w/ arms clasped behind back
Chaturange Vinyasa – several at own pace - story
Padottanasana w/ arms clasped behind back
Trikonasana
Ardha Chandrasana

Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana
DD-Plank Pushups/Cross
Vasisthasana/Wild Thing
Chaturanga Vinyasaa - Child's pose - story
Downdog Flossing Shoulder Blades

Parivrtta Trikonasana
Child's pose
Cactus Twists
Supta Padangustasana
Savasana

Closing: Stand in your truth and look for an opportunity to view obstacles and difficult situations as divine and a part of yourself. See how the universe may be inviting you to invent something new in your own life.

Success!: Gave each student a lot of personal attention and adjustments. They were pleased with this and gave me positive feedback. Also had some good feedback on instructing Vasisthasana and Wild Thing. One student said they'd never had anyone suggest using the top leg as a kickstand and lifting their hips, and that it was very helpful for them (though they said they wished that the instruction had been provided a little earlier before their arm got tired). There were some really beautiful expressions of poses in the classroom.

Concerns: I didn't get through my planned sequence of poses all the way to Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana because I wanted to really make sure everyone was expressing themselves more fully in Parivrtta Trikonasana first. So we focused on that as the Maha and next week we many get to PAC as I wanted to a few weeks back. It's becoming a journey and the regular students are flowing with it right now. We had lots of new students and only two regulars this class so I wanted to be more vigilant on alignment principles for safety and giving people a greater opening.

Flowing with Grace

Theme: Flowing with Grace

-Anusara means flowing with grace, or following your heart.
-Open to grace and all the other alignment principles will follow.
-On the mat we want to open our hearts to accept the possibility in each pose.
-We will skillfully engage the principles in our alignment of the poses.
-Fill up with the breath and soften the outer body.
-When we swim against the current life it hard, so when we do align with the current our life becomes easeful.
-The currents of grace are never not supporting us, Nishprapanchaya Shantaya, they are always present and full of peace.
-First open to grace, see what's possible, now engage the principles.
-Turn your heart up to the sky...inhale and expand your inner light, exhale soften outer body.

Invocation
Centering – visualize difficult situation or person and see how stepping into grace could help you more easefully respond to them in a skillful way. More gracefully accepting criticism or opposition without attachment to whether your situation is true, false, good or bad.
Demo Chaturanga Vinyasa

Chaturanga Vinyasa - otg
Utkatasana/HL
Trikonasana - me
Privrtta Trikonasnana
Parsvakonasana - is/os
Padottanasana
Pasrvottansana

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana - leg up/side/out oe
Utkatasana/HL
Bakasana
HL (tune into the high lunge...fully engage all the principles on both sides)
Pidgeon
Bakasana
Dandasana

Paschimottanasana - FB
Purvottanasana - upward plank
Janu Sirsasana
Tolasana - scale (lie back to savasana)
Closing (reading from Daily Love):

Live your Truth!

The greatest "sin" in the world is to pretend to be someone you're not in order to please another person.

Have the courage to be you, no matter what. If you ruffle someone's feathers their reaction is not your business. All you can do is be the amazing, one of a kind human being that you are.

But remember, this is a two-way street so chances are you'll get your feathers ruffled, too. Have the self-esteem to be you and at the same time allow others to be themselves.

This doesn't mean that you have to always agree with what others do; moreover, it means being able to hold a space of acceptance that allows you to be just as you are and others to be just as they are even if you hold opposing views.

In this way you will come into harmony with the variety of whole and happily join the dance of creation.

Concerns/Successes: Some students had flexibility and knee issues so I gave them variations and worked a little more with them to ensure proper foundation. I received positive feedback so I feel like they were able to get a little more out of the practice. Good feedback in general.

The Myth of Hanuman, Remembering Divinity

Theme: Hanuman is the monkey god in Indian Mythology. He was born to Vanara parents, a race of ape like beings with human intelligence and civilization and was an incarnation of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva wanted to help Rama, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu help slay Ravana the terrible demon, so he decided to be a monkey. Shakti decided to be the tail. So Hanuman is known for being a diety of service or Seva.

He is particularly interesting because the supreme consciousness as Shiva and Shakti chooses to manifest as a supporting character to help out in the story instead of as the center of attention. So too the divine supports us every day in small ways if we tune in to become more away of those times when it reaches out to assist us.

Centering: Think about the people and moments when the world has reached out to you. Hold them to your heart. Tap into the universal (back body) and shine out through the heart.

Surya Namaskar x5 with no lunge:

Hanuman was a disciple of Surya, the sun, during his early life and he gives his energy freely to others just as the sun does. It’s said that Hanuman himself created Surya Namaskar the yoga sun salutation.

Surya Namaskar x5:
High Lunge – low cobra
Parsvottanasana – drunken cobra
Trikonasana – wide armed cobra
Iguana – feet dhanurasana
Low Lunge – ankle dhanurasana

Handstand 1 minute timed at the wall
Pincha Mayurasana 1 minute timed at the wall

Neighbors supporting hands/arms:
Vrksasana – leg out - timed one minute each side
Warrior III – timed one minute each side

Vayu the god of wind carried the seed of shiva and shakti to be born in the Vanara queen who was praying to Shiva for a son. So Hanuman also is technically a child of the wind god and has the power to fly when he is born. Just like Hanuman we support our neighbors.

Hanuman gets captured by Ravana and his demons set Hanuman's tail on fire, so he stretches his tail out so that it doesn't burn his body. Engage the toes like the flaming tail, stretch through the heal away from your body. Release after 1 minute, put out the fire.

The hero Rama rides into battle against Ravana the demon riding on the back of Hanuman.

Shoulder Stretch @ wall
Vasisthasana/ Wild Thing (level II option)

Be wild like the Vanara. Be a little wild like a monkey.

Child’s pose
Downdog, leg up and stack hips, bend knee (monkey tail over to touch neighbor behind you) then ab work knee forward to right then left elbow alternating with breath.

Standing Splits @ wall
Ardha Chandrasana

Hanuman carries a mountain from the Himalayas back to save a friend who needs special herbs atop the mountain (he doesn't remember which one is needed so he brings the whole thing). So like Hanuman, we endeavor to move mountains in the service of others.

Supta Padangusthasana
Hanumanasana

Hanuman was mischevious during his childhood so the other gods placed a curse on him so he would only be able to use his powers when reminded of them. Jambavantha reminds Hanuman of his abilities and encourages him to go and find Sita. The specific verse that is recited by Jambavantha is:

You are as powerful as the wind
You are intelligent, illustrious & an inventor
There is nothing in this world that’s too difficult for you
Whenever stuck, you are the one who can help.

Eye of Needle
Happy Baby
Savasana
Nadi Shodhana, in honor of Hanuman the mythic inventor of Pranayama

Closing: Remember that the divine is always supporting us (nishprapanchaya). I honor the teacher in each of you.

Concerns: Didn't have time for Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana, so I'm going to do it next week. The room was very cold so we ended up doing twice as much warmup as originally planned. I'm going to start planning very vigorous workouts for the beginning of class to compensate for the cold. The ceilings are very high and the windows were open from the previous class...they must have been freezing.

Success!: Everyone I spoke with enjoyed the class. Very good feedback. They enjoyed the timed poses and the extra work. I feel like I'm making progress in designing sequences. I promised the students a flow class (where all the poses in the sequence flow concurrently uninterrupted from beginning to end). They had a previous teacher to taught Ashtanga in the same time slot so I'm going to design a similar flow sequence appropriate for the level we usually see in the class and teach that next time.

Aum, the Sound of the Absolute

Theme: Aum, or Om, is the sound of the absolute.
How it relates to our everyday lives: sometimes the stories we tell ourselves become overwhelming. If we try to block them out or tune out we won't alleviate the issue because we give more power to them. We need to acknowledge them first instead of trying to block them our or fight them.

Thoughts are transitory and we can relieve those that don't serve us by turning in and listening to them so we can discern if they are true or of value. Then we thank the goddess of that thought for arising and release it to go about it's own business. These thoughts or goddesses all resonate with the sound of Aum, so we can connect to them and our bodies through chanting Aum and merge our self and dreams with the large divinity in the world around us.

Break it down into three parts...
Ah, the sound of the self, our identity assemblage point, who we tell ourselves we are.
Ou, the sound of our dreams and aspirations.
Mm, the sound of pure consciousness bliss, our self and dreams merging together with the rest of the world.
Silence is the fourth sound when all merge into a calm quiet state like savasana at the end of our practice and the cycle renews

Repeat each sound once, then merge all sounds together in chant.

Surya Namaskar x2 - Crescent and Prayer Twist - engaging muscle energy

Tadasana - instruct SITO and tailbone action with block
Uttanasana - with block
Downdog - with block

Surya Namaskar x2 - Crescent and Prayer Twist - with SITO and tailbone action

Vrksasana - inner and outer spiral
Utkatasana - is/os
TUD - Parsvakonasana - when in doubt stick it out - Ah
TUD - Trikonasana - Ou
TUD - Bhujanghasana - have partner help encourage IS and lift chest - Mm
Dhanurasana - partner holds heels down to help you rise up
Setubandha Sarvangasana with block

Urdhva Dhanurasana x3
Supta Padangusthasana with strap, encourage rooted thighs (is) and outer spiral
Windshield wipers
Sirsasana - tripod arm balance or rise up to full pose (level II)
Sarvangasana
Pranayama - Chant Om (several minutes)
Savasana - hear the primordial sound of the absolute resonating over and over again in your heart

Concerns: One student experienced some low back pain after the backbends. Gave them some further instruction in engaging their tailbone to relieve the low back. Another student had some discomfort on the crown of their head after headstand. Showed all the students how to relieve the tension in the muscles of the scalp with their fingers clasped and holding the tops of their heads.

Success: Partner poses went well and the students enjoyed them, giving good feedback. Also, the student who didn't feel very warmed up last week advised that this week the warmup was good.

Jiva is Shiva

Theme: Invite you to contemplate some words with me. Jiva is Shiva was the mantra of Swami Vivekananda. He was the first yogi to bring Indian spiritual ideas publicly to the United States in 1893 at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago.

Jiva means individual and Shiva means god. So Vivekananda was saying the individual is divine. He believed every person was a manifestation of god and needed to be honored as such. Jiva is Shiva. Every individual is divine. Our uniqueness is our perfection. Diversity is beauty, it is Sri.

Invite you to consider what makes you unique and maybe consider expressing your uniqueness a little more in life. Try to consider a little less what others expect of or demand of you, and focus in on those things in life that reflect your own highest and best intentions. Your unique path in life is your Satya, your truth.

Quotation: Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss

Surya Namaskar - move with the breath
Surya Namaskar - engage muscle energy and organic extension
Surya Namaskar modified sequence...

Tadasana - inner body bright, soften outer body, hold your satya in your heart.
Uttanasana - hands clasped (open the container of the heart with the breath to fill it up.
High Lunge - hug the beach ball
Parsvakonasana (level II touch the floor)
Downdog - bring leg up - bend the knee and roll over and back
Chaturanga - hold and just connect to the breath
8-point - engage the core and suspend the breath then release down into the earth

Cobra - baby, drunken, and wide armed (open up the heart and hold your satya there again)
Low Plank Oblique (level II - come up to plank)
Downdog - Vasisthasana (level II - Wild Thing)
Iguana
Pigeon with Thigh Stretch
Utkatasana
Malasana - Bakasana

Gomukhasana - Cow pose (forward bend from heart and hold your satya firmly in mind)
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Padmasana - Kapalbhati Kriya Pranayama - with Gyan Mudra
Supta Padmasana/Virasana, supported on bolster
Jathara Parivartanasana
Eye of the Needle
Happy Baby/Savasana

Concerns: one student mentioned after class that he experienced that he didn't feel warmed up enough for Supta Padmasana/Virasana. So in my next class I will endeavor to focus more on the warmup sequence, add more sun salutations and make the intro more vigorous.

Closing: We practice yoga to remember that individuality is divine. Our uniqueness is our perfection. Diversity is Sri.

Kali, Shiva, and Raktabija

Used John's template from the TT manual for inversions to construct this sequence.

Told the myth of Raktabija the asura coming to conquer the city of the gods. Indra called on Shiva and Uma. He asked to awaken Kali so she could defend the city from the blood demon, who every time he was cut each drop of blood would grown into another demon, making him more powerful.

Shive released the power of Kali from Uma and she destroyed Raktabija and his demon army. She drank up the blood before it could become more demons. Once she destroyed the army she was continuing to destroy things and out of control. Shiva lay on the battlefield among the corpses in repose and when Kali stepped on him he drew her wild ecstatic destructive power out of her so she could return to her more auspicious, nurturing form.

So to in our practice we want to fiercely defend our highest and best intentions, but still ground the wild energy down when it no longer serves us so we can be at peace.

Invited student to contemplate what their city of the gods is, what that highest intention in their heart is that they would want to defend fiercely.

Everyone needs a block, a strap, a bolster, and two blankets. Starting out at the wall.

Surya Namaskar x4
-Tadasana - Volcano
-Uttanasana
-High Lunge
-Downdog - Plank
-8-point
-Cobra
-Plank - Downdog
-High Lunge
-Uttansana
-Volcano - Tadasna

Handstand - Ahdo Mukha Vrksasana
Pincha Mayurasana (hands clasped, level 1, palms pressed together, level 2)
Vrksasana - arms in Anjali Mudra and Stretchout out overhead
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana - Leg forward and out to side
Shoulder Opener @ Wall
Vasisthasana - Leg in kickstand/together
Wild Thing

child's pose - lift belly and fingertips to fully engage in repose
Low plank engaging core, then lower down to Belly and lay on a Blanket Roll - Abdominal restorative, talked about stuck energy in the body, anxiety and emotions and how they are natural and good instincts that can protect us, but we have to be able to discern when they don't serve us so we can release and transform it through our yoga practice.
Supta Virasana Supported on Bolster to open the knees for pigeon.
Pigeon - pressing back heel into the wall
Iguana - to open the hips for hanumanasana
Hanumanasana - use two blocks to come more upright, once settled, optional forward bend
Nadi Shodana Iin Ardha Padmasana (half lotus) careful not to retain the breath as that can kick up anxiety...let breath flow naturally. For inauspicious emotional releases remember that you are divine, you are worthy of love and you are Sri (you are beautiful).

Ardha Matsyundrasana
Setubanda Sarvangasana - lift the leg
Shoulder Stand - use two blankets
Uttansana - Shoulder stretch, hands clasped behind the back
Savasana - ground down any wild energy that isn't serving us that we've dredged up in our practice. Draw it down into the earth so the fire at the core can purify it and it can take on a more auspicious form.

Closing: A myth is an outright lie told in the service of a greater truth, and you are all of the characters.

We practice Yoga to be like Kali, fiercely defending our highest and best intentions, and to be like Shiva calmly grounding any energy that doesn't serve us so we can be at ease.

Notes: No concerns with injuries or other issues this class.

I had been helping my wife who had chicken pox this weekend, so I made sure to clean myself thoroughly before class and did not manually adjust or shake hands with anyone. I inquired and learned that there were only two people in the class who had not had it yet, so I was very careful not to make contact with them and to let them know that I had been in contact with chicken pox and had taken every possible step to prevent them from getting it. Since I do not have chicken pox the risk was supposed to be very low that I could transmit it.

After class I asked for future class suggestions. Told them I was planning to revisit their requests from last week. This class we did flow, inversions/hand balances, and pranayama. Next three classes I plan to focus a little more on each one. One student requested a longer flow sequence (moving with the breath) but with a little more technical instruction in the warmup and also more hip openers, so I'm going to incorporate those elements into the next class.

Spanda, the Dynamic Pulsation of the Universe.

Everyone needs two blocks and a bolster.

Theme: Spanda, the dynamic pulsation of the universe. Turn inwards to reflect on your highest intention and see where you are presently in the pulsation energetically, physically, and emotionally in your life. Look to see that the low points in life were doorways to new expansion and appreciate when you are at the top of a great auspicious wave or cycle in your life.

In yoga poses we don't want to just hang out when we get to the form of the pose or become a rigid statue, we want to pulsate with life and look at each moment and every breath as an opportunity to re-engage the body and new opening and place in the pose.

Talked about visiting my family last week now that they've retired. Also talked about how my parents have chosen to more deeply engage themselves in life by adopting more children to help them. Asked students to turn inward and find a compassionate place to thing about how they can better serve themselves or another (compassion is for the self as well as altruistic).

Cat/Cow - Alt Hands
DD-Cobra-Sphinx w/Thigh
Dolphin - Uttanasana
DD-Cobra-Locust
Uttanasana - use blocks to root to rise, everyone using blocks to engage more
Utkatasana - twist both sides
Padottanasana - use blocks to engage deeper and connect to warriors breath.. My dad has a sleep apnea machine that helps him breath while he sleeps. My mom jokes it makes him sound like darth vader, but it actually a similar sound to warriors breath. Connecting to the breath is one way we engage in intense poses so we can feel the dramatic pulsation in the body and the breath and be more fully embodied.
Warrior I - remember your highest and best intention for yourself.
Parsvakonasana - hand to floor
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Virabhadrasana II
Triangle
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Warrior III - lenthening the side body and softening the heart. My dad had his knee replaced and he goes for a two hour walk every morning to keep himself mobile and healthy, which is great, but I woke up one morning and my dad just got back from his walk and he was eating chocolate chip cookies for breakfast as his reward. So had them engage fully in warrior III knowing that they will get a reward at the end, told them we're going to child's pose right after.
Child's pose
Demo - dolphin w/ block at the wall - connect your highest and best effort to your hearts desire, open the heart to make it a container to hold your offering
Partner - knees to open heart at the wall
Self at wall - pincha mayurasana - asked student to hold highest intention in their heart during this pose, to reconnect to their highest intention. Mentioned that the peacock embodies opposites in that it has beautiful colors, but not the most musical voice.
Child's pose
WLFB
Uttansana with hands clasped behind back
Sivasana - with spine supported on a bolster - to keep the mind more aware so they can open the heart, connect to the breath, hold their highest intention and then release everything down into the earth.

Everything in the universe moves. pulsation is life. If there's no movement then there's no life. Spanda is the dynamic pulsation of the breathing living supreme consciousness that surrounds us and creates us in every moment. In every moment we can tune into our bodies and our breath and realize the greater truth, that we and all things are connected and composed of the same divinity.

Closing: We practice yoga to connect to our breath and bodies so we can feel the spandic rhythm of the universe, and to make us more aware of the divinity in ourselves and others.

Concerns:

I had more twists and hip openers planned for this sequence, but working with the students on aligning and engaging the standing poses we didn't get to them. I felt good about the energy level, attitude, and pace of the class. People said they enjoyed it. I think I want to talk more about balanced action though. It seems like Spanda is a great way to talk about balanced action. We touched on recognizing pulsation and life, but I didn't mention balance at all. Will have to integrate that into future classes.

I asked the students what they wanted to see in the future and I had several suggestions to incorporate Pranayama, which I intend to do in moderation towards the end of the next few classes. Also we had a request for more inversion and balancing poses and another for more yoga flow. We did Surya Namaskar in the last class which is good for a warmup at a faster pace, flowing with less alignment instruction.

I'm going to speed up the warmup sun salutations to make it more dynamic and then slow it down to work on balances and close with pranayama.

Surya Namaskar, Sunday June 27th, 2010

Theme: Working in Sun Salutations. Talked about healthful effects of the sun. Also talked about how the sun gives its energy freely to the world without asking for anything in return, so through our practice of Surya namaskar we want to learn to more fully embody that quality so we can cultivate power that we can give back out to the world.

Breathing exercise...breathing in through the back body from spine to crown and exhaling, shining out through the heart/softening the heart.

Surya Namaskar x2 (once on each side...first time faster, second time slower - observing changes in the quality of body, breath, and consciousness). Flowing with the breath and using inhalation/exhalation. In between the two sun saluations, had the students observe how the physical and energetic body may have shifted and see if there's any dust kicked up in the process mentally or emotionally. We're going to work on our spring cleaning to make way for summer and let go of anything that's not serving our highest and best intentions moving forward.

Surya Namaskar
-Anjali Mudra
-Tadasana
-Uttanasana
-Llunge
-Plank
-8-point
-Cobra
-Downdog
-Llunge
-Uttanasana
-Tadasana
-Anjali Mudra

Shiva Twists
Natarajasana
Utkatasana w/ Twist
Malasana ...do squat pushups
Bakasana
Shoot back to Plank
Do a cobra

Cobra demo
Cobra with partner, lifting with hands above the chest/below clavicle to open heart
Cobra by self as part of Suya Namaskar...with emphasis on Bujanghasana at the heart of the sequence.

Requests? Students wanted to do another vigorous Surya Namaskar, flowing with the breath.
Google Hips...observe is any baggage or dust needs to be cleaned off the mirror because the thighs and hips are where we sometimes store mental and physical baggage that can be released.
Ardha Mandalasana (half wheel)...mind they are placing the hand on the calf or floor not the knee.
Parighasana (gate)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes)

Slow Surya Namaskar flowing with the breath gently, as you would do at the end of the day to prepare for bed and to calm the nervous system. Ancient practice was to do up to 108 sun salutations a day. Gave the students handouts so they could do the remaining 103 sun salutations at home on their own on their own time :) The image is attached. I found it on a google search (url: http://gabbyinbrownstudy.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/surya-namaskar.jpg)

Janu Sirsasna turning heart open toward the sun
Windshield Wipers
Eye of the Needle
Sivasana

Closing: We practice yoga to be more like the Sun. We cultivate greater power through our practice so we can take the extra energy that we don't need to live and shine it back out into the world, without expectation of anything in return.

Concerns: I had a student in uttanasa who was not touching the earth with his fingertips. I offered him blocks and he refused them saying that he had heard that "flexion" or bending forward in uttanasana was not good for the body. I told him to listen to the teacher in his body and honor any boundries he felt. He left the class. I would like to have offered him more. In retrospect, I would have liked to have inquired more about where he was specifically feeling discomfort and see if there was an alternate pose or perhaps have him try bending his knees to get the hands on the floor to make him still get some benefit from uttanasana without discomfort.

Progress: I had a student from last weeks class return that had knee issues. She asked about taking an alternate pose to Utkatasana and others with deep knee bends and I told her she could work in Uttanasana with the hands on the floor, just slightly bending the knees to a comfortable limit. In that pose, I told her it may be easier to bring more weight onto her hands and protect the knees if she feels they are bending too deeply or is uncomfortable.

Much more community involvement socializing and interaction on the partner pose this time. The cobra was much more accessible than the handstand.

Painting wth the Brush of Self Awareness, Sunday June 13th, 2010

Theme: Continuing handstands from previous week since we didn't have as much time to look at everything we wanted. Setting a firm foundation. How we set our foundation reflects our intentions. Work with opening the heart then engaging Muscular Energy. Shared some themes from yesterday's class about setting intentions with the New Moon for Summer.

Christopher Tompkins told the story about the Rabbi who had a student who wanted to know what his future would be and the Rabbi said write down your thoughts for 30 minutes and that is your future. Invite the students to observe their thoughts over the course of the practice and see if they are in line with their highest and best intentions, because their thoughts are the foundation upon which their future is built.

Empasize: Muscle Energy. We will hug into ourselves and build our foundation from the strength we already have. That means thinking about 1 or more things about ourselves, our gifts and talents in this embodiment that we can be thankful for. These things could be great people, careers, physical power, or academic knowledge. Whatever it is we have in abundance is the strength we use to build our strong foundation in our practice. The knowledge of that strength and holding those qualities in our hearts helps us more fully express ourselves in our poses and in life.

Class Sequence:
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana
2. Uttanasana - Downdog - High Lunge
3. Uttanasna-Downdog - Standing Splits
4. Uttanasana-Downdog- Warrior III
5. Iguana
6. Dandasana Tricep Dips
7. Vrksasana
8. Utkatasana w/ Twist on both sides
9. Malasana
10. Parsva Bakasana
11. Handstand demo
12. Handstand with a partner
13. Handstand alone at the wall
14. Parsvakonasana
15. Virabhadrasana II
16. Ecstatic Warrior
17. Padottansana with Shoulder Stretch
18. Agnistambhasana with twist
19. Wide legged FB
20. Windshield Wipers
21. Happy Baby
22. Sivasana

Quotes about setting intentions (from Douglas and Mark’s Sivasutra workshop last week): “Siva paints with the brush of self awareness on the canvas of his own consciousness, and is delighted at his creation.” Asked students to imagine if they were going to paint a picture of their upcoming summer what it would look like.

Closed practice with a long AUM to celebrate the upcoming Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

Closing: We practice yoga to paint with the brush of self awareness on the canvas of our consciousness and to delight in our creations.

Concerns: Didn't have too many takers for the handstand partner pose. Feel that perhaps the class needed a little more community building and encouragement. Decided to go with a little friendlier heart opening partner assist with cobra next week that would feel more accessible to all people in the class. Also, I worked with a student that was having trouble with handstand because of knee trouble and didn't feel comfortable kicking up, but I felt like I may have been neglecting the rest of the class a little. I was left feeling that perhaps there was a principle I should have taught more for the people who were uneasy about handstand, say maybe having them just practice kicking up on their own, so they would have something more to build with. Instead I told those who didn't want to do handstand or invert to continue working on Bakasana.

How We Set Our Foundation Reflects Our Intentions

Taught class with Holly Strother who composed the theme, gathered quotes, and taught the first half of the class.

Theme: setting foundation on the new moon for summer. How we set our foundation reflects our intentions. Focus on OTG, ME, and OEEncourage people to dig a little deeper when setting their intentions. To listen to their hearts desire.

Class Sequence:

1.Warmup with the breath
2. Iguana w/ Thigh Stretch
3. Cobra with arms clasped on the small of the back
4. Utkatasana w/ Twist
5. Plank/Pushups
6. Sphinx w/ thigh stretch
7. Parvakonasana
8. Trikonasana
9. Ardha Chandrasana
10. Parsvottanasana
11. Pado9ttanasana w/ hands clasped behind back for shoulder stretch
12. Dolpin
13. Vasithasana
14. Wild Thing
15. Dhanurasana - Bow Pose - with a partner

16. Standing Splits - Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana
17. Parsvakonasna with shoulder stretch (arms clasped behind the back)

18. Hanumansana
19. 3xCobras (arms wide, hands clasped, and locust)
20. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (thigh stretch and forward bend)
21. Setubanda Sarvangasana + 3x Urdhva Dhanurasana
22. Ustrasana

23. Wide Leg FB

24. Supta Virasana laying back on a bolster

25. Windshield Wipers
26. Supta Padangusthasana

27. Happy Baby

28. Sivasana

Inspirational Quotes from Mary Anne Radmacher:

"Remember and know...What is my vision? I remember. I will paint it. What are my goals? I remember. I will dance them. Where is my integrity? I know. I will build upon it. Where is my personal responsibility? I know. I will appropriately extend it. At every turn, in each opportunity I will stand tall and fully in myself."

"It is not the easy or convenient life for which I search, but a life lived to the edge of all that I may be."

"Often one meets their destiny on the way to somewhere else. At first glance it may appear to hard. Look again. Always look again."

"We are remembered from the ways we have walked our ideals. At the heart of history is this reminder- You paint the colors of your days."

"Do what you love. Walk through walls. Allow no limitations to be defined on your behalf:
choose your own borders(if you choose borders) walk through walls(if you choose walls) sing with resonance: we change, we move on. Live with Intention."

"Live with Intention.
Walk to the edge
listen hard. play with abandon.
practice wellness. laugh. risk love.
continue to learn. appreciate your friends.
choose with no regret.
fail with enthusiasm.
stand by your family.
celebrate the holidays that make sense.
lead or follow a leader. do what you love.
live as if this is all there is."

Madya Vikasa Chidananda-Labha, Sunday June 6th, 2010

Theme: Madhya-vikasac chidananda-labhah

"The bliss of consciousness is found in the expansion of the center"

What you hold at your center as the object of consciousness is what you illuminate in the world around you.

I used several examples that I thought of during a sequence I taught during teacher training on this same sutra. They came to me during prayer while I was on the mat:
...You are reading a book and notice other people carrying that book or reading it in a cafe.
...You are driving a car and see that same model of car on the freeway or parked along the side of the street.
...You wear a certain style of clothing and notice someone else with the same style as you as you pass by.

How this applies to yoga: We cultivate recognition of our own divinity and our highest and best intentions so we can illuminate the best qualities in the world around us and notice them.

Quote from President Barak Obama at 2009 Nobel Lecture: "So let us reach for the world that ought to be - that spark of the divine that still stirss within each of our souls."

Class Sequence:
1. Cat/Cow with alternating arm/leg balances
2. Uttanasana - Cobra - High Lunge
3. Uttanasana - Cobra - Low Lunge with a twist
4. Uttanasana - Cobra - Iguana
5. Dhanurasana
6. Sphnix with thigh stretch
7. Padottanasana with shoulder stretch
8. Parsvakonasana
9. Parsvottanasana
10. Virabhadrasana II
11. Trikonasana
12. Ardha Chandrasana
13. Vrksasana
14. Padangusthasana
15. Utkatasana w/ Twist
16. Malasana
17. Bakasana
18. Demo - Handstand at the wall with legs in L
19. Maha - Ahdo Mukha Vrksasana at wall
20. Tricep Dips
21. Request - Ustrasana (focusing on opening the heart)
22. Jathara Parivartanasana belly twists
23. Eye of the Needle
24. Happy Baby
25. Sivasana