Shiva-Shakti
Shiva is the ocean of consciousness, pure potential, stillness, and bliss Shakti is the waves of the ocean, the vibrational pattern and motion of all being, and the energizing force.
Utkat SN - Pvakon - cobra: Ha-tha (Sun-Moon)
Utkat SN - Iguana - bow: Rajas-Tamas (hold to center, your Satvic true intention)
Utkat SN - HL to Warrior III - arms clasped locust: Liberating Current upward - Manifesting Current downward. When we liberate energy, upward we then broadcast it out (like seeds) out into the world, so our intentions can take root and manifest.
Utkat SN - Warrior Seal - lift one leg each side in chaturanga: Light-Dark
Utkat Mal Crow (ardha bakasana): concealing-revealing
Bend back - come to tiptoes
Shiva Twists
Vrksasana
Utthita Hasta Padangustasana
Natarajasana - demo, partner, self (with partner press front arm into partners palm for stability)
Pigeon
Ardha Hanumanasana
WLFB
Navasana
Savasana
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Lesson Plan for 2011
January – Intentions
2nd – sub (Family Celebration)
9th – Foundation & Intentions
16th – MLK Tribute
23rd – sub (Family Celebration)
30th – Shiva/Shakti: Finding Balanced Action
February – Balance
6th – The 5 Yamas/Square Breath Pranayama
13th – sub (Family Celebration)
20th – sub (John Friend in SF)
27th – TBD
March – Goddesses
6th – Lakshmi
13th – Parvati
20th – Durga
27th – Shiva Ardhanarishvara
April – Shiva
3rd – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu
10th – Shiva Nataraja
17th – Hanuman
24th – Easter Celebration Class
May – Tantra
1st – Matsyendra
8th – Uma the All Mother (Mothers Day Class)
15th – Tantic Philosophy
22nd – History of Tantric Shaivism
29th – JFK/Memorial Day Class
June – Divine Consciousness
5th – The Big “S” Self
12th – Shri (Beauty/Diversity)
19th – Satya (Truth/Fathers Day Class)
26th – Swatantrya (Freedom)
July – Shakti
3rd – Moksha (Liberation/Independence Day)
10th – Kali, Shiva, and Raktabija
17th – Spanda (Dynamic Pulsation)
24th – Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)
31st – Invocation/Chanting
August – Grace
7th – sub (Family Celebration)
14th – Opening to Grace
21st – Flowing with Grace
28th – Mudras
September – Attitude, Alignment, Action
4th – The Three A’s
11th – Seva (Service)
18th – TBD
25th – Acknowledging Goddesses
October – Halloween Stories
2nd – Ganesh
9th – Yama
16th – Shiva
23rd – Kali
30th – Halloween Class
November – Bhagavad Gita
6th – Samskaras
13th – Krishna
20th – Arjuna
27th – The Gita
December – TBD
2nd – sub (Family Celebration)
9th – Foundation & Intentions
16th – MLK Tribute
23rd – sub (Family Celebration)
30th – Shiva/Shakti: Finding Balanced Action
February – Balance
6th – The 5 Yamas/Square Breath Pranayama
13th – sub (Family Celebration)
20th – sub (John Friend in SF)
27th – TBD
March – Goddesses
6th – Lakshmi
13th – Parvati
20th – Durga
27th – Shiva Ardhanarishvara
April – Shiva
3rd – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu
10th – Shiva Nataraja
17th – Hanuman
24th – Easter Celebration Class
May – Tantra
1st – Matsyendra
8th – Uma the All Mother (Mothers Day Class)
15th – Tantic Philosophy
22nd – History of Tantric Shaivism
29th – JFK/Memorial Day Class
June – Divine Consciousness
5th – The Big “S” Self
12th – Shri (Beauty/Diversity)
19th – Satya (Truth/Fathers Day Class)
26th – Swatantrya (Freedom)
July – Shakti
3rd – Moksha (Liberation/Independence Day)
10th – Kali, Shiva, and Raktabija
17th – Spanda (Dynamic Pulsation)
24th – Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)
31st – Invocation/Chanting
August – Grace
7th – sub (Family Celebration)
14th – Opening to Grace
21st – Flowing with Grace
28th – Mudras
September – Attitude, Alignment, Action
4th – The Three A’s
11th – Seva (Service)
18th – TBD
25th – Acknowledging Goddesses
October – Halloween Stories
2nd – Ganesh
9th – Yama
16th – Shiva
23rd – Kali
30th – Halloween Class
November – Bhagavad Gita
6th – Samskaras
13th – Krishna
20th – Arjuna
27th – The Gita
December – TBD
Monday, January 17, 2011
Honoring Dr. King, a Being of Great Intention
Introduction: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great and influential figure. To speak to how profound an influence he was on the world. I’m reminded of the time I asked my Grandmother Thelma Peterson what the greatest thing she’d seen in her lifetime. My grandmother was born in the early 1900s and say the first cars, the airplane, and all kinds of other great technological achievements. She was a Rosie the Riveter, working on bomber planes during WWII, and she saw women gain the right to vote.
But of all the things in my grandmother’s lifetime, when I asked her what the greatest thing she’s seen was she said this, “The other day I was looking out the window of my apartment and I saw a little black boy playing with a little white boy down the street. And you know when I was a child and for most of my life you would
never see that. I think that’s just the greatest thing.”
You think of what you can do in a lifetime and Dr. King is a modern American hero. Someone who moved mountains and touched the hearts of everyone who lived in his time. This is important to our yoga practice because ultimately the goal of yoga is our own union with the highest and best potential. Seeing people like Dr. King who really connect with that potential inspires and enlightens us.
In today's class we’re working with the seven energetic loops in the body. These are all subtle refinements on the poses, but these little things all add up to create big consequences. We engage this with strong intentions to fully
align with our highest and best in each pose.
Centering: We're working with the energetic loops by engaging them sequentially in our practice from the foundation to the extremities of the body. Each loop is part
of the unique beautiful woven tapestry that forms our body. Let your body mirror the community of the heart and the Kula. When all beingslive in their own truth in their fullest, brightest light, we can realize our own truth.
The way the loops are integrated in the body is similar to the way MLK says all beings are interrelated in finding their truth –
“All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
“faith is taking the first step even who don’t see the whole staircase”
1. SN/LL hands on floor with back leg straight/chatturanga – press
through the heels
2. SN/LL twist – shin loop, shins in thighs out, bend knees slightly
“freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed”
3. SN/LL back knee down to hanumanasana – thigh loop,
4. SN/Pvakon/dhanurasana – pelvic loop, when in doubt stick it out, scoop tailbone in bow
“Everthing we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see”
5. SN/HL/dhanurasana – kidney loop, inflate the lower back, beach ball grab in HL, then puff up kidneys in bow
6. SN/HL twist/shalambhasana – engage shoulder loop – side body long, shoulders to ears, shoulderblades onto the back. Widen tops of shoulder blades and bring bottoms together. Engage from the back body. In high lunge plug arms in then rise up.
“Darkness cannot drive out darknesss. Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.”
7. SN/Warrior I to II/hands on back of head lift skull up – focus on skull loop, pull ears back past shoulders and draw head back. Lift the chin and press head back into cosmic headrest.
8. Demo then as a group - Engage all Seven Loops sequentially in Side Plank and open to Wild Thing
“A man can’t ride your back unless its bent”
9. Rest in child’s pose, roll over onto back and come to bridge, engage the seven loops in each.
10. Urdhva Dhanurasana x3
”We might have arrived in different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.”
11. Uttanasana/Malasana engage the seven loops
12. Savasana
Closing: We honor Dr. King and the others in the civil rights movement who taught us that we can only realize our highest and best intentions by reaching out to others to help them reach their highest and best.
But of all the things in my grandmother’s lifetime, when I asked her what the greatest thing she’s seen was she said this, “The other day I was looking out the window of my apartment and I saw a little black boy playing with a little white boy down the street. And you know when I was a child and for most of my life you would
never see that. I think that’s just the greatest thing.”
You think of what you can do in a lifetime and Dr. King is a modern American hero. Someone who moved mountains and touched the hearts of everyone who lived in his time. This is important to our yoga practice because ultimately the goal of yoga is our own union with the highest and best potential. Seeing people like Dr. King who really connect with that potential inspires and enlightens us.
In today's class we’re working with the seven energetic loops in the body. These are all subtle refinements on the poses, but these little things all add up to create big consequences. We engage this with strong intentions to fully
align with our highest and best in each pose.
Centering: We're working with the energetic loops by engaging them sequentially in our practice from the foundation to the extremities of the body. Each loop is part
of the unique beautiful woven tapestry that forms our body. Let your body mirror the community of the heart and the Kula. When all beingslive in their own truth in their fullest, brightest light, we can realize our own truth.
The way the loops are integrated in the body is similar to the way MLK says all beings are interrelated in finding their truth –
“All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
“faith is taking the first step even who don’t see the whole staircase”
1. SN/LL hands on floor with back leg straight/chatturanga – press
through the heels
2. SN/LL twist – shin loop, shins in thighs out, bend knees slightly
“freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed”
3. SN/LL back knee down to hanumanasana – thigh loop,
4. SN/Pvakon/dhanurasana – pelvic loop, when in doubt stick it out, scoop tailbone in bow
“Everthing we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see”
5. SN/HL/dhanurasana – kidney loop, inflate the lower back, beach ball grab in HL, then puff up kidneys in bow
6. SN/HL twist/shalambhasana – engage shoulder loop – side body long, shoulders to ears, shoulderblades onto the back. Widen tops of shoulder blades and bring bottoms together. Engage from the back body. In high lunge plug arms in then rise up.
“Darkness cannot drive out darknesss. Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.”
7. SN/Warrior I to II/hands on back of head lift skull up – focus on skull loop, pull ears back past shoulders and draw head back. Lift the chin and press head back into cosmic headrest.
8. Demo then as a group - Engage all Seven Loops sequentially in Side Plank and open to Wild Thing
“A man can’t ride your back unless its bent”
9. Rest in child’s pose, roll over onto back and come to bridge, engage the seven loops in each.
10. Urdhva Dhanurasana x3
”We might have arrived in different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.”
11. Uttanasana/Malasana engage the seven loops
12. Savasana
Closing: We honor Dr. King and the others in the civil rights movement who taught us that we can only realize our highest and best intentions by reaching out to others to help them reach their highest and best.
Monday, January 10, 2011
2011 Mastering our Intentions with a Strong Foundation
Introduction: My teachers have been talking about how 11 is a number of mastery. 1 represents initiation and 10 represents completion...11 is attainment or mastery and renewal of the cycle.
During the fall we worked on mastering softening and opening our hearts and building our foundation in pincha mayurasana working towards handstand. Today we're going to review some of those ideas and work together as a community, assisting each other to attain a greater awakening and alignment in those poses.
Centering - How you set your foundation, reflects your intentions. On New Years Day Darcy said: Think about your resolutions. What is the root of your intention? Condense it down to simple statement or one or two words that you can focus on throughout the year.
Ask yourself who am I, how can I align with my highest and best intentions this year in a way that will not diminish anyone elses light. Open to grace-soften your heart and let the radiant light of your highest and best intentions pour out from your heart center into your folded hands.
Chaturanga Vinyasa x3
SN - HL turn open both sides - foundation hug legs towards the midline and toward each other front to back
SN - HL root to rise
SN - HL twist, reach arms down and up - reach up and grab onto intention like BART strap, let your intention carry you forward
Pvakon - Pvottan - Pavakon - Pvottan with heart opening heart clasp - leading from the heart more effective than the head on and off the mat.
Demo/Partner - Cobra heart opener (working with partners helps us learn, the mastery of one cycle means initiation of a new one, the strong fabric of our community supports us)
Demo/Partner - Downdog lifting leg with partner clasping ankle
Demo/Partner - handstand at wall with partner supporting heart, lift leg on each side
Demo/Partner - handstand in middle of room in groups of three
Baddha Konasana - forward bend - yoke yourself to your intention and let it lead you from the heart through the new year
Pigeon (student request at beginning of class)
Supta Padangusthasana - use strap, twist to both sides
Bridge Pose - lift leg both sides (backbend option for level II, getting ready for next week)
Savasana
Closing - We practice yoga to create a firm foundation to stand steadfast in who we are, so we can rise up and shine our light out into the world. We yoke ourselves to our strong intentions, so they can lead us from our hearts into the new year.
This Month - All month we will be talking about Intentions. Next week talking about MLK, honoring his strong vision and intention-filled life. Had requests from students to focus on inversions, heart opening, and shoulder loop, so we'll focus on those this month.
During the fall we worked on mastering softening and opening our hearts and building our foundation in pincha mayurasana working towards handstand. Today we're going to review some of those ideas and work together as a community, assisting each other to attain a greater awakening and alignment in those poses.
Centering - How you set your foundation, reflects your intentions. On New Years Day Darcy said: Think about your resolutions. What is the root of your intention? Condense it down to simple statement or one or two words that you can focus on throughout the year.
Ask yourself who am I, how can I align with my highest and best intentions this year in a way that will not diminish anyone elses light. Open to grace-soften your heart and let the radiant light of your highest and best intentions pour out from your heart center into your folded hands.
Chaturanga Vinyasa x3
SN - HL turn open both sides - foundation hug legs towards the midline and toward each other front to back
SN - HL root to rise
SN - HL twist, reach arms down and up - reach up and grab onto intention like BART strap, let your intention carry you forward
Pvakon - Pvottan - Pavakon - Pvottan with heart opening heart clasp - leading from the heart more effective than the head on and off the mat.
Demo/Partner - Cobra heart opener (working with partners helps us learn, the mastery of one cycle means initiation of a new one, the strong fabric of our community supports us)
Demo/Partner - Downdog lifting leg with partner clasping ankle
Demo/Partner - handstand at wall with partner supporting heart, lift leg on each side
Demo/Partner - handstand in middle of room in groups of three
Baddha Konasana - forward bend - yoke yourself to your intention and let it lead you from the heart through the new year
Pigeon (student request at beginning of class)
Supta Padangusthasana - use strap, twist to both sides
Bridge Pose - lift leg both sides (backbend option for level II, getting ready for next week)
Savasana
Closing - We practice yoga to create a firm foundation to stand steadfast in who we are, so we can rise up and shine our light out into the world. We yoke ourselves to our strong intentions, so they can lead us from our hearts into the new year.
This Month - All month we will be talking about Intentions. Next week talking about MLK, honoring his strong vision and intention-filled life. Had requests from students to focus on inversions, heart opening, and shoulder loop, so we'll focus on those this month.
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