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.