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.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
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.
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.
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