Tuesday 6.30p Intro — Week 7 (December 15, 2009)

Focus: Don’t allow the mind to go with the motion. Practice the poses more quickly relieves mental fatigue by reducing heaviness due to tamas and increasing sattvic clarity.

Two new students making up.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Tadasana/Samasthiti

2. Utthita Hasta Padasana

3. Parsva Hasta Padasana
a. Don’t turn the trunk with the leg. Don’t allow the mind to go with the motion.

4. Utthita Trikonasana
a. .i.Utthita Trikonasana:Coordinate the length of the exhalation with the amount of time it takes to take the hand to the ankle. Fear of pain causes you to hold the breath, which makes you stiffer.
b. .i.Utthita Trikonasana:Extend the spine from the tailbone to the crown of the head to bring sattvic clarity and prevent tamasic mental heaviness.

5. Utthita Parsvakonasana

6. Ardha Chandrasana
a. Stabilize the four corners of the right foot, and look at the front of the room so the chest doesn’t fall towards the floor, else the mind goes with the eyes.

b. Keeping the right knee bent, and the right inner foot pressed down, lift up the left leg several times per side, very quickly.

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana

8. Virabhadrasana I

9. Parsvottanasana (hands on bricks, head down)
a. Preparation for Adho Mukha Svanasana.

10. Parivrtta Trikonasana
a. From Vimanasana, turn to the right, take the left hand to the right ankle and then straighten the knee as much as possible without holding the breath.

11. Prasarita Padottanasana (head on brick)
a. Head on brick. Support head higher up and widen the knees apart to relieve outer ankle fatigue.

12. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana

13. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana I

b. Ekapada Sarvangasana
Not for new students making up.

c. Halasana

14. Forward Extensions
a. Omitted for emphasis

15. Savasana on blanket support (10 min.)