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.