Thursday 6.30p Intro — Week 3 (November 19, 2009)

Focus: Since there are no new students in class, work on the back leg in standings, Sarvangasana variations, and applying yamas to practice.

Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Discussion: Patanjali Yoga Sutra II.30-39 — The Yamas
What is Ethical Yoga Practice? [Tuesday 6.30p Intro — Week 3 (November 17, 2009) for details]

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Upavistha Konasana

2. Baddha Konasana

3. Forward Extensions
a. Dandasana

b. Padangustha Dandasana

4. Tadasana/Samasthiti

5. Tadasana (Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana)

6. Tadasana (Paschima Baddha Hasta arms)

7. Urdhva Hastasana
a. Extend the biceps to open the armpits. Extend the radial wrist, thumbs away from the inner elbows, to extend the biceps more.

8. Tadasana (Gomukhasana arms)
a. Skipped for time and emphasis.

9. Utthita Hasta Padasana
a. Outer left heel down. Left inner thigh towards outer thigh to spread the legs.

10. Parsva Hasta Padasana
a. Keep the outer left heel down and left inner thigh towards the bone to make turning the right leg out very light.

11. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Take the hand down only as far as the chest remains open.

b. Paschima Baddha Hasta arms to prevent shoulder pain.

12. Virabhadrasana II
a. Omitted for time and emphasis.

13. Utthita Parsvakonasana

14. Vrksasana
a. Like hands in namaskar: Press right sole into left inner thigh. Entire outer right leg presses into right foot.

b. Open from the inner right groin towards the inner right knee.

15. Virabhadrasana I
a. Turning the trunk, do not bend the left knee. Do not allow the knee to go with the motion. 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.

16. Utkatasana
a. Turn the outer arms in to lift the pubic plate. Lift up the biceps to open the armpits.

17. Parsvottanasana
a. Extended phase: head on chair seat

18. Prasarita Padottanasana
a. Concave back: Hands on bricks.

b. Extended phase: Head down on a brick.

19. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
a. To straighten the knee, lift both the kneecap and the back thigh up, away from the knee, to make the knee light.

20. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana

b. Ekapada Sarvangasana

c. Parsvaikapada Sarvangasana

d. Halasana

21. Savasana