Tuesday 4.30p MS — Week 2 (September 8, 2009)

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Urdhva Hastasana
For lack of stability and balance in Tadasana:
a. Halve the upper wall ropes and hold them while sitting on a bolster in Swastikasana to lift collar bones and open armpit chest. (LS, JC, LL)
b. Halve the upper wall ropes and hold them while kneeling, facing the wall. With brick between the thighs, take the outer thighs and hips in. Use the inner thigh muscles to try to lift up the brick. (JM)

2. Tadasana (Gomukhasana arms)
a. Ardha Gomukhasana arms: Sitting on a bolster in Swastikasana, take the right arm up, bend the right elbow. Hold the right elbow with the left hand and side bend to the right to stretch the right side ribs.

3. Rope 1
a. One foot forward for stability.
b. Sit in chair if unstable. (JM)

4. Parsvottanasana (hands on wall ledge) 3X
a. Push on wall ledge to take right hip back. Lift from back of the right knee up to the buttock bone and then lift the kneecap with the quadriceps.
b. Right hip back, left hip forward.
c. Outer hips in.

5. 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.

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

7. Savasana

Saturday 10.30a Intro — Week 1 (September 5, 2009)

6 New students
Invocation in Swastikasana

1. 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.

2. Urdhva Hastasana
a. Brick between thighs, lift the knees to lift the arms.

3. Tadasana (Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana)
a. How is lifting the arms different when feet are apart or feet together?

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

5. Utthita Hasta Padasana

6. Parsva Hasta Padasana
a. Align knee. Don’t let pelvis drop.

7. Virabhadrasana II (3X)
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.

8. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Similar as above.

9. Parsvottanasana (hands on wall, concave back)
a. Omitted. Do next week.

10. Prasarita Padottanasana (hands on bricks, concave back)
a. Omitted. Do next week.

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

12. Savasana

Saturday 8.30a Asana 1 — Week 36 (September 5, 2009)

Focus: See Friday 6.00a Asana 1 — Week 35 (September 4, 2009)

Friday 6.00a Asana 1 — Week 35 (September 4, 2009)

Focus: Abdominal and twists from Sequence #6, Basic Guidelines for Teachers of Yoga, YOG: Pune, 2003.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Tadasana/Samasthiti
a. Pin the hips.

2. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Pin the hips and criss cross action at sacrum.

3. Utthita Parsvakonasana

4. Prasarita Padottanasana
a. Prasarita = spread. Spread the inner knees apart, away from each other.

5. Supta Padangusthasana
a. Supta Tadasana
b. Supta Padangusthasana I
c. Supta Padangusthasana II
Brick beneath trochanter to keep femur in socket.

6. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana

7. Paripurna Navasana

8. Marichyasana III (10X)

9. Paschimottanasana

10. Adho Mukha Svanasana

11. Sirsasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sirsasana

12. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana
b. Ekapada Sarvangasana
c. Parsvaikapada Sarvangasana

d. Halasana

e. Karnapidasana
Omitted for time.

f. Supta Konasana
Omitted for time.

g. Parsva Halasana
Omitted for time.

13. Savasana (5 min)