Thursday 9.30a Asana I — Week 9 (April 30, 2009)

Focus: Restorative and pranayama.
Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Discussion: Patanjali Yoga Sutra II.49-50, What is Pranayama?
[See Monday 6.30p Asana I — Week 9 (April 27, 2009) discussion.]
The body is tamasic, the mind rajasic and the Self sattvic. The buddhi reflects the light of the soul onto the citta. In pranayama the process is the same — the sattvic buddhi guides the breath to make the inner walls of the chest more sattvic.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Sarvangasana Cycle (5 min)
a. Chair Sarvangasana
Compare the depth and placement of the breath when feet on the chair back versus feet on the wall.
Which is longer, inhalation or exhalation?
When the heart is above the head, it “dictates” the terms and the brain becomes silent. When the brain becomes silent, the consciousness becomes more sattvic and less rajasic. When inverted the mind also becomes less tamasic; the eyes open and then you can see with sattvic clarity.

b. Blanket Setubandha Sarvangasana
Slide shoulders off of blanket stack to open chest.

c. Menstrual: Supta Baddha Konasana

2. Adho Mukha Swastikasana (forehead on chair seat) (5 min)
a. Head on chair seat, hands up holding the arms of the chair. Relieves pressure in the head from Sarvangasana, but then the consciousness is a little more tamasic, heavy.

3. Viloma I in Chair Pranayama (5 min)
a. Sitting backwards in the chair, pin the scapular ridge to the wall. Hold the chair arms, forearms level.
b. Stepped inhalation. Slow, soft, smooth exhalation.
c. The sound of the glottal breath is as subtle as the wind moving over a rock. Keep the trachea open and take the sound to the back of the throat, to keep it more in the bass register than the treble register.

4. Viloma II in Chair Pranayama (5 min)
a. Sitting backwards in the chair, pin the scapular ridge to the wall. Hold the chair arms, forearms level.
b. Stepped exhalation. Slow, soft, smooth inhalation.
c. Savor the sattvic emptiness at the end, before rajas demands an inhalation.

5. Blanket Supported Savasana (5 min)
a. Two spinewise blankets folded in half lengthwise to make a “bed” for the spinal muscles and raise up the chest. Widen the back body.

6. Ujjayi IV in Blanket Supported Savasana (5 min)

7. Blanket Supported Savasana (5 min)