Thursday 6.30p Intro — Week 1 (September 3, 2009)

1 new student
Focus: Legs in standings.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Rope 1
a. Shoulder blades down, head up.

2. Brick Tadasana (Brick between thighs)
a. To straighten the knee, lift both the kneecap and the back thigh up, away from the knee, to make the back knee light. Don’t just throw the knees back. This prevents indentations at either the top or bottom knee.
b. Lift to straighten the knee, not straighten then lift. The latter locks the knee backwards and prevents lift of the leg.
c. Pin the hips.

3. Urdhva Hastasana
a. Ardha Gomukhasana arms: Right arm up, bend the right elbow. Elbow behind the head. Hold the right elbow with the left hand and side bend to the right to stretch the right side ribs.
b. Make a connection: Brick between thighs, lift the knees to lift the arms.

4. Tadasana (Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana)
a. Omitted. Do next week.

Tadasana (Namaskara and Urdhva Namaskara arms)
a. Omitted. Do next week.

5. Utthita Hasta Padasana
a. Left heel at the wall. Inner left knee push laterally into the bone (towards the wall) to keep the weight off of the right hip.

6. Parsva Hasta Padasana
a. Left heel at the wall. Inner left knee push laterally into the bone (towards the wall) to keep the weight off of the right hip.

7. Virabhadrasana II
a. Swap first prior to Trikonasana to get freedom in hips without the challenge of stiff hamstrings. Left heel at the wall.
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. Lift the right pelvic rim up, off of the thigh, to bring more freedom to the hip joint when bending the right knee. Keeping that up, then sit the right buttock down.
d. Inner left knee push laterally into the bone (towards the wall) to keep the weight off of the right hip. This also prepares for Prasarita Padottanasana.

8. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Similar as above.

9. Parsvottanasana (hands on wall, concave back)
a. Right heel up on brick.

10. Prasarita Padottanasana (hands on bricks, concave back)
a. Omitted. Do next week.
b. Prasarita = spread. Spread the inner knees apart, away from each other.

11. Forward Extensions
a. Omitted. Do next week.

12. Viparita Karani (5 min)
a. Substituted for Sarvangasana Cycle

13. Savasana

Thursday 9.30a Asana I — Week 27 (September 3, 2009)

Focus: Twists taught by Geetaji and Guruji in Pune July, 2009.

Discussion: Connecting mind to body.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Upavistha Konasana

2. Parsva Upavistha Konasana

3. Baddha Konasana

4. Marichyasana III

5. Paschimottanasana

6. Ardha Matsyendrasana

7. Brick Setubandha

Tuesday 6.30p Intro — Week 27 (September 1, 2009)

Focus: Week 8 of syllabus. Because there are no new students, this offers a rare opportunity to begin work on Asana I poses. Arm actions in Adho Mukha Svanasana,

Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Tadasana/Samasthiti

2. Utthita Trikonasana

3. Virabhadrasana II

4. Virabhadrasana I

5. Parivrtta Trikonasana
a. Pin the hips to prevent falling.

6. Ardha Chandrasana
a. Keep the inner edge of the right foot down.

7. Uttanasana (Baddha Hasta arms)
a. Omitted. Will work on in more depth next week.

8. Padangusthasana
a. Omitted. Will work on in more depth next week.

9. Virasana (Parvatasana arms)
a. Omitted. Will work on in more depth next week.

10. Adho Mukha Virasana
a. Sit on brick. Will work on in more depth next week.

11. Adho Mukha Svanasana

12. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
a. Omitted for time and difficulty. Will start work on it in two weeks.

13. Forward Extensions
a. Omitted for time. Will start work on them next week.
Dandasana
Urdhva Hasta Dandasana
Padangusthasana Dandasana
Paschimottanasana
Janu Sirsasana
Paschimottanasana

14. Sirsasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sirsasana

15. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana

b. Ekapada Sarvangasana
Foot on chair seat.

c. Halasana
Feet on chair seat.

d. Chair Supta Konasana
Omitted for time. Will start work on it next week.

e. Chair Karnapidasana
Omitted for time. Will start work on it next week.

16. Paschimottanasana (forehead on chair seat)

17. Savasana (5 min)

Tuesday 4.30p MS — Week 1 (September 1, 2009)

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Supine Tadasana

2. Rope 1
a. One foot forward for stability.
b. Sit in chair if unstable.

3. Rope Malasana
a. Arms up to open armpit chest while squatting

4. Virabhadrasana II [Swap first prior to Trikonasana to get freedom in hips without the challenge of stiff hamstrings] 3X
a. With the back to the wall, and holding the wall ropes to prevent fatigue or falling due to lack of balance and stamina.
b. Turn right foot out. Right shin vertical to make a square.
c. Shoulders down. Buttocks down.
d. Lift right side chest up off of right thigh.

5. Utthita Trikonasana
a. With the back to the wall, and holding the wall ropes to prevent fatigue or falling due to lack of balance and stamina
b. Omitted for time. Do next time.

6. Utthita Parsvakonasana
a. With the back to the wall, and holding the wall ropes to prevent fatigue or falling due to lack of balance and stamina
b. Shin vertical at chair seat, hand on chair seat.
c. Alternate for lack of leg strength: Sit on 2 bricks on chair seat, facing wall. First work on right leg alignment. Once that is learned, work on stretch of left leg.

7. Chair Pavanmuktasana
a. Sitting in a chair with legs spread, bend forward. Rest the chest on a bolster stacked on chair seat number two.
b. JM: Stack folded blanket on bolster to free breath.
c. LS: Belt groins to prevent neck pressure.
d. Use as recovery pose in lieu of Chair Dandasana or Chair Urdhva Hasta Dandasana.

8. Parsvottanasana (hands on chair seat, head on brick on chair seat)
a. Omitted for time. Do next time.

Prasarita Padottanasana (concave back)
a. Omitted for time. Do next time.
b. Buttocks at wall, hands on chair seat

10. Viparita Karani (15 min)
a. Substituted for Sarvangasana Cycle

11. Savasana