Thursday 6.30p Intro: Week 5 (April 2, 2009)

Focus: Restorative poses. Prayatna saithilya: Effortless effort means keeping the facial skin soft and relaxed when you inhale, as when you do automatically when you exhale. The skin must extend, says B.K.S. Iyengar, to allow the muscles sufficient space to lengthen.
Supported poses to stabilize the mind. Stabilize the breath to stabilize the body. When the body becomes stable, the mind is pacified. When the mind is pacified, the pain of stretching lessens. Inversions directly pacify the mind and take the consciousness towards the vastness within.

Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Discussion: What is Iyengar Yoga?
The Iyengar method embraces three unique aspects to obtain firmness of body and steadiness of consciousness in asana : intricacies, sequencing and timing. The intricacies, or detailed techniques such as precise alignment, are necessary to penetrate the mind that lies beyond the frontier of the outer, physical body.

The techniques we use vary according to the purpose of practice, whether it be to learn, refine, or consolidate; to generate energy, to relax or recuperate; or to devote yourself to God.

The techniques also vary according to the skill of the class. Since Intro classes are geared to learning new material, we sequence the poses in a progressive manner: Virabhadrasana II prior to Trikonasana, Trikonasana prior to Parsvottanasana, and Parsvottanasana prior to seated forward bends to open the hip and ease the load on the hamstrings. Similarly, we sequence class by doing the stimulating poses first, and then end with calming poses, such as Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and Savasana (Corpse Pose).

We teach the intricacies — the “how to” of the pose to make it doable. How you lift the knee and how you use the foot, leg and hip determine how much space can be created in the hamstrings. Flexibility is not innate; it is learned through the penetration of consciousness, culminating in mature, skilled action.

The “timing,” an Indian term for how long a pose is held, not only builds physical and emotional endurance, but also multiplies the benefits to the physiological organs, the circulation, the nerves, and, most importantly, the mind.

We vary the timing according to the nature of the pupil. For pupils recovering from acute illnesses, we give supported restorative poses designed to be held for a long time. With beginners and children, we emphasize mobility; poses are done for a short duration because the mind will become disturbed if held longer. Once experienced practitioners have attained that mobility of the outer body, instruction is aimed at penetrating the physiological, emotional, mental, and intellectual sheaths — which takes a long time. When this is mastered, “the infinite being within is reached” and the dualities cease to exist, “as body, mind and soul are one.”


Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Adho Mukha Virasana (10 min)
a. Demo: Blanket under shins, head down, extend the arms forward to pacify the mind. Bolster support under chest further quiets the mind. Brick beneath sternum to elevate the spiritual heart, makes it quieter still. Blanket beneath arms, even more quiet, because the softness and warmth of the blanket encourages the skin to relax, and then the muscles can relax. It leaves an imprint of a mind as calm as a “still lake.”

Poses are icons, says B.K.S. Iyengar. To master the pose, study it and take on its attributes rather than trying to conquer it. For example, sinus headache was relieved with rolled blanket at abdomen to restore lumbar flexion.

2. Bolster Setubandha (leg on chair seat) (10 min)
a. Elevate the heart to silence the mind. Elevate the sub-conscious mind, which resides in the spiritual heart, to give it prominence.

3. Savasana in Supta Baddha Konasana (10 min)
a. Two spinewise blankets folded in half lengthwise to make a “bed” for the spinal muscles and raise up the chest. Knees on a bolster.
b. Keep the facial skin soft and relaxed when you inhale, as when you do automatically when you exhale.

4. Ujjayi I in Supta Baddha Konasana (10 min)
a. Samavrtti, normal inhalation and exhalation of the same length.