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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Phew

This is a challenging sequence.  Challenging but good.  I have found that once we finish parsvottanasana (side angle pose), it's time for a breather.  This always seems like a good time to rest in balasana (child's pose) and do a little side stretching, then some lunges then a little work in downward dog, although it's not officially on the agenda yet.  Then back to the standing poses and finishing with the inversions.


I see, hear and feel you all struggle through the class and I am aware that some of this stuff if pretty hard.  I see you challenge yourself and work harder than you think you can.  I also see the restful, peaceful faces when you are all done and getting ready to go home.

You can begin to gauge your progress by how much easier the poses feel over time and how much more you can work on a poses' finer points while you are actually in the pose.  This ability takes time, determination and effort but it will come.

Pixie says you're doing a great job and keep up the good work!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Programming Note



For the year 2010, go here:
Behold The Class - 2010

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Preparing the Lesson Plan

I am going through the 30 week course, week by week as outlined in Light On Yoga.  As previously posted, I am making a little sketch of each pose in each week to help me both plan and teach these classes.

I am up to weeks 16-17 and, surprisingly enough, this is the first week that Downward Dog makes an appearance.  The first half of the practice is clearly focused on developing solid strength and beginning an inverted practice by introducing shoulder stand immediately.

I have been practicing weeks 1-2 for the past 2 weeks in my own practice.  I am finding that the little aches I typically have are dissipating.  This is good news and has helped me develop a plan for both the beginning and continuing classes.

In the beginning class, we will start right from the beginning of the course.  We will begin each class by warming up then we'll get right into the practice.  In the continuing class, we will also warm up, then we'll practice headstand before proceeding to the Course 1 practice.  Mr. Iyengar doesn't introduce headstand until late in the first half of Course One but since we have been working on it I don't want to regress.  However, there is no handstand in Course One so, for now, we will forego our handstand practice in class.  That inversion, however, will be replaced by shoulder stand.  I think we will find all the standing poses actually help bring a new sense of ease to head and shoulder stand.

Can't wait to get started.

P.S.  Pixie is practicing Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) which makes an early appearance in Course One.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Fall Session 2009-1 Review

As we approach the end of our session, let's review.

We have focused on standing poses and learning Sun Salutation.

Standing poses help bring alignment, balance, stability and awareness to the feet, ankles, knees and hips.  In the process, all aspects of the skeleton are effected.  Alignment, balance, etc., transfers all the way through the spine, shoulders, neck and head.


We began in mountain pose, or tadasana, learning how to balance the weight between the ball mounts of the big toes, pinkie toes and the center of the heel.  We learned how to lift the kneecaps to engage the front thighs.  By preventing the knees from locking, we maintained a gentle contraction in the hamstrings as well.  We learned how to level the pelvis.  For some, that requires the back pelvis move down some.  For others, a small lift is needed.

We learned how to draw the abdomen back towards the spine without bracing the muscles hard.  We lifted the breast bone, drew the shoulder blades towards the spine and gently down the back.  Finally we balanced the head correctly on the neck, without jutting the chin forward or lifting it above parallel with the floor.

And then the real work began!!

Some of the salient points of standing poses include:
1.  Maintaining the "plumb-line" alignment along the ankle, knee and hip joints.
2.  Keeping the weight balanced evenly on the feet.
3.  Carry no weight in the toes.
4.  Maintain a firmness in the legs for safety in the joints.
5.  Maintain a level pelvis.


As you can see, regardless of the standing pose, they are all merely variations of mountain pose.

Some of the benefits of standing poses include:
1.  Developing or maintaining a healthy arch in the foot.
2.  Strengthening the small muscles in the feet.
3.  Stretching the calf muscle.
4.  Maintaining a healthy knee joint.
5.  Stretching and strengthening the thigh muscles.
6.  Developing or maintaining a healthy range of motion in the hip joints.
7.  Developing or maintaining a healthy gait.
8.  Increasing circulation in the legs and hips.
9.  Cultivating an awareness of the feet, knees and legs and bringing their actions under control.

It may seem from class to class that you're just performing poses at the teacher's direction.  However, when you begin to breakdown the work that is done, and the benefits which accumulate, you may begin to see the fullness of the practice and your active involvement in it.

My hope is that you begin to feel the benefits of yoga throughout your daily life and allow yourself to be attracted to the good things that come from practice.


Although I don't mention it often, we are using the body as the text from which we gleen a greater understanding of ourselves as a piece of the universal whole.  As a well-known yogi once said, "how can you become enlightened if you can't even lift your knees!"

When you practice, you end up looking like Pixie's alter ego.  Isn't she fabulous.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Something New

We are working on standing poses and Sun Salutaiton this session.  One of the hardest parts of Sun Salutation is the transition from downward dog to a lunge.  Stepping one foot up is extremely difficult for students, especially beginners.

I have stumbled upon a technique which recruits the abdomen "a lot" during that transition, using it's strength to wave the spine forward, lift the knee high and get that foot up.  We will begin working on that technique tonight.  It is challenging to be sure but worth the effort.


Overall, we begin the transition by lifting the leg that will step forward back and up.  We then begin to tuck the tailbone, allowing the back to round, pulling the abdomen in towards the spine and up, moving the shoulders forward over the wrists and keeping the hips high.  The knee of the leg stepping forward will tuck high towards the chest first, before the foot steps down.  This lift in the hips and strong abdominal pull in and up creates a lift for the leg and some nice momentum for the leg to come forward.  We'll try it and see if it helps.  I think it will.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Fall Session 2009-1

This fall we will be working on standing poses and sun salutation.  I have posted very little about sun salutation, so to get us started, Pixie has kindly agreed to let us see a lovely overview of the poses commonly involved in Sun Salutation:

Pixie is practicing a typical Sun Salutation sequence.  She will repeat this sequence, stepping the opposite foot back (#4) and again, that same opposite foot forward (#9).  
Sun Salutation can be modified, practice quickly or slowly, and done as a stand-alone, complete practice.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Abs, Arms and Air




This session has been about strengthening and loosening the arms and shoulders, strengthening the abdomen and learning about the mechanics of breathing. Here are some of the poses we have practiced so you can try at home!

Stuff for abs. Be sure to keep the throat open and the low back rolling down towards floor.
Single Leg Lift
Plank Pose
Fire Series

Boat Pose; variation and full pose
Double Leg Lifts

Stuff for the Arms:
downward facing dog

fierce, powerful pose

upward hand pose
dolphin plank pose

Breathing: