Wednesday 9.30a Intro — Week 7 (April 15, 2009)

Focus: Use the buddhi and the gunas to observe the effects of your actions, so that you may evaluate, and self correct in asana.

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.
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. Tadasana/Samasthiti

2. Virabhadrasana II
a. Swap first prior to Trikonasana to get freedom in hips without the challenge of stiff hamstrings.
b. Turn the right leg out more to bring the right femur more into the socket. Connecting the femur into the socket supports the pelvis and trunk.
c. The legs must be firm and stable, a tamasic quality, while also lifting, or rajasic. If the pelvis and trunk are tamasic, and just collapse onto the right leg, the right knee will take the load, and become very heavy and dull, or tamasic, along with the mind. Therefore the pelvis must strongly lift up, a rajasic action, in order to bring lightness and mobility, or sattva, into the right hip joint. This results in greater clarity, making the mind sattvic.

3. Urdhva Hastasana
a. Hit the outer thighs in and lift the inner knees.
b. When the legs support you, it is easier to lift the arms.

4. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Repeat the actions as above.

5. Utthita Parsvakonasana
a. Connect the femur into the socket to turn and open the chest.

6. Virabhadrasana I
a. With Urdhva Hastasana arms, press wrists into imaginary Upper Wall Rope to lift the pubic plate and sternum.

7. Utkatasana

8. Parsvottanasana (hands on chair seat, head on brick on chair seat)
a. Pull right hip back, left hip forward.

9. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
a. Substitute for Uttanasana (concave back feet apart and feet together)
b. Omitted for time

10. 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.

11. Padangusthasana
a. From Chair Kurmasana, hold the big toes and stand up. (2X)
b. Keeping the hips flexed, stretch from the back of the knees up to the buttock bones, and take the weight onto the toes.

12. Adho Mukha Svanasana
a. Hands turned out 90° at wall.

13. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Wall Ekapada Sarvangasana
Holding the bottom wall rope hooks, 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.

14. Forward Extensions
a. Adho Mukha Swastikasana
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.

15. Savasana
a. Blanket beneath head.

16. Student recovering from Strep infection (AH)
After three weeks in bed left with slight cough, much fatigue, and muscle soreness.

Supta Baddha Konasana (10 min)
a. Bricks with a blanket on top to make a firm “bed” for the spinal muscles to relax and to relieve cough. Knees on a bolster to relieve lower back pain.

Chair Virabhadrasana II (20 sec/side)
a. Left heel at the Rope Wall, sitting on brick on a chair seat, hold the lower wall rope to keep from leaning into the right leg.
b. Substituted for Utthita Parsvakonasana and Virabhadrasana I

Parsvottanasana (hands on chair seat, head on brick on chair seat)

Chair Kurmasana

Wall Ardha Uttanasana
a. Substituted for Adho Mukha Svanasana
b. Prevent heat in the head by not collapsing the chest. Fatigue manifested as heat in the head, mandating rest.

Adho Mukha Virasana (10 min)
a. Blanket under shins, with brick and bolster support under chest to quiet the mind. Blanket beneath arms encourages the skin to relax, and then the muscles can relax. It leaves an imprint of a mind as calm as a “still lake.”
b. Substituted for Sarvangasana and Savasana