Thursday 6.30p Intro — Week 7 (April 16, 2009)

Focus: Continue to review and refine standings from Week 4. Add Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana, Padangusthasana from Week 5, Virasana from Week 6, and work more on Sarvangasana. Next week consolidate with Week 6 program.

Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Discussion: Patanjali Yoga Sutra I.2, What is Yoga?
See Thursday 6.30p Intro — Week 6 (April 9, 2009) for the discussion.
The answer to this question requires an understanding of the world view of the yogin. B.K.S. Iyengar’s method is indirect: “by the body, for the mind.” By focusing the wandering citta on the intricacies of asana, we indirectly restrain the citta and guide it towards vritti nirodha. Bring sattvic intelligence into the pose to restrain the citta vrittis.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Virasana (Parvatasana arms)
a. Release the knee cap to create more space at the front thigh skin to stretch the quadriceps muscles. When we begin, the thighs are dull, tamasic. Using the buddhi, the intelligence, coordinate the stretch of skin and muscle.
b. Sit the shins on two or three blankets and then drape the ankles over the back edge of the blankets to relieve ankle stiffness. Turn open the calf more. The blanket support converts the rajasic fear and pain into sattva.
c. Cross the legs and sit in Swastikasana.

2. Tadasana/Samasthiti

3. Tadasana (Paschima Baddha Hasta arms)
a. Omitted. Substituted arm actions in Virabhadrasana II.

4. Tadasana (Gomukhasana arms)

5. Virabhadrasana II
a. Swap first prior to Trikonasana to get freedom in hips without the challenge of stiff hamstrings.
b. Go into pose with Paschima Baddha Hasta arms. Spread from the sternum to the shoulders and roll open the shoulders. This rajasic action removes the tamasic heaviness and bring lightness and mobility to the chest and spine. This results in greater clarity, making the mind sattvic. Then straighten the arms.

6. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Repeat the actions as above. It charges the legs, making them more rajasic, to support the spine.

7. Utthita Parsvakonasana
a. Learn the rhythm when coming out of the pose to make it lighter, more sattvic. Simultaneously pull the right hip back to straighten the knee, and lift the trunk. Coordinate the straightening and lifting to end at exactly the same time when you reach Parsva Hasta Padasana. Then add the inhalation to last exactly that long.

9. Virabhadrasana I
a. Turning the trunk, do not bend the left knee. Convert tamas to rajas . Using the intelligence, “fill up” the inner back knee to straighten it, then turn the inner calf out. Then strongly, rajasically, lifting the front and back thigh, pull up the entire thigh into the hip socket. Connect it so that, with only sattvic intelligence, you can easily lift the pelvis. This makes a heavy, tamasic, pose lighter, more sattvic. Then the mind becomes more sattvic.
b. Bend the right knee. With Urdhva Hastasana arms, press wrists into an imaginary Upper Wall Rope to lift the pubic plate and sternum.

10. Utkatasana
a. Omitted.

11. Parsvottanasana (hands on chair seat, head on brick on chair seat)
a. Pull right hip back, left hip forward.
b. Lift the skin of the right posterior knee up towards the right buttock bone to move the hamstrings with it.

12. Chair Uttanasana (head on brick on chair seat, feet apart)
a. Lift the skin of the posterior knees up towards the buttock bones to move the hamstrings with it.

13. Chair Kurmasana
a. Preparation for Padangusthasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana hip movement.
b. Thighs on chair seat, bend forward from the hips, head on bricks, and hands on floor.

14. Padangusthasana (feet apart)
a. From Chair Kurmasana, hold the big toes and stand up.
b. Keeping the hips flexed, stretch from the back of the knees up to the buttock bones, and take the weight onto the toes.

15. Uttanasana (hands on floor, feet apart)
a. From Chair Kurmasana, after holding the back rung of the chair, hold the big toes and stand up in Padangusthasana.
b. Then put the hands on the floor, stretch from the back of the knees up to the buttock bones, and take the weight to the frontal heel.

16. Adho Mukha Svanasana
a. Hands turned out 90° at wall. Stretch from the back of the knees up to the buttock bones, and stretch the inner armpit towards the hip.

17. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Wall Ekapada Sarvangasana
Get more on top of the shoulders and walk the feet up the wall. With the left foot on the wall, straighten the right leg vertically towards the ceiling. Then repeat on the other side.

b. Salamba Sarvangasana
Straighten both legs.

18. Forward Extensions
a. Adho Mukha Swastikasana (forehead on chair seat)
Head on chair seat, hands up holding the arms of the chair. Relieves pressure in the head from Sarvangasana.

b. Paschimottanasana (forehead on chair seat)
Substituted for Paschimottanasana to provide more support and rest. Legs wide apart in Dandasana for greater hip mobility, holding the chair arms to keep the chest open, rest the forehead on the chair seat.

19. Savasana
a. Blanket beneath head.