Thursday 6.30p Intro: Week 6 (Feb 12, 2009)

Since the session 75% over, and we will not admit any new students, we continue to consolidate and work more on Paschima Baddha Hasta arm work, Rope 1, and Sarvangasana variations in detail. Next week we will introduce Ardha Chandrasana.

Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

Discussion: Patanjali Yoga Sutra II.31, Yoga is universally applicable regardless of class, time or place, even though yoga has been appropriated through the ages to accomplish the needs of various religions and cultures.

Invocation in Swastikasana

1. Tadasana/Samasthiti

2. Urdhva Hastasana
a. Navel back, stretch the armpits up

3. Tadasana (Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana)

4. Tadasana (Namaskarasana)
a. Omitted for lack of time.

5. Tadasana (Paschima Baddha Hasta arms)
a. Holding elbows, press floating ribs back into the arm to free the diaphragm. Then roll open from the sternum to the frontal shoulders. Pressing back also stops throat tickle and cough tendency.
b. If unable to hold elbows, Baddha - bind - the arms with a belt.

6. Tadasana (Gomukhasana arms)
a. Ardha Gomukhasana arms: 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.
b. Left arm in Paschima Namaskarasana to complete Gomukhasana arms.

7. Tadasana (Paschima Namaskarasana)

8. Utkatasana
a. Omitted for lack of time.

9. Vrksasana (bend right knee first)
a. Fix your gaze on a non-moving point and press down inner edge of left foot.
b. Adaptation: If both knees are arthritic, swollen and difficult to bend, don’t push right sole into left inner knee. Place head of right kneecap on wall, and right sole above left knee to do safely. Then hit in from outer left thigh into right sole.

10. Utthita Hasta Padasana
11. Parsva Hasta Padasana
12. Utthita Trikonasana

13. Virabhadrasana II
a. Lift pubic plate.

14. Utthita Parsvakonasana

15. Rope 1
a. Roll upper arms out to open shoulders and further facilitate Urdhva Hastasana. This action also prevents painful compression in the Paschima Namaskara arm in Gomukhasana.

16. Vimanasana
a. Arms to the side are like the poles of a palanquin. On top of these poles rested a cabin with seating. This ancient conveyance was shouldered by servants to carry their lord. In modern times “vimana” is used to denote an airplane.
b. Variation: Bend the right knee to 90 degrees, as in Virabhadrasana I, but allow the left heel to come up as little as possible. Then, keeping the left foot turned in 60 degrees, extend the calf to take the left heel to the floor
c. Perform classic pose without lifting the left heel.

17. Virabhadrasana I
a. As in Vimanasana, keep the right hip back to turn in the left foot.
b. Lift pubic plate.

18. Ardha Chandrasana
a. Omitted for lack of time. Will do next week.

19. Parsvottanasana (hands on bricks, head down)
a. Turn back leg in; right hip back; left hip forward
b. Right heel up on flat brick, right sole on angled brick at wall.
c. Preparation for Adho Mukha Svanasana.

20. Adho Mukha Svanasana
a. From Uttanasana, hands turned out 90° on edge of bricks at wall.
b. Heels up on bricks, hands straight ahead on floor.

21. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
a. Substituted for Uttanasana (concave back feet apart and feet together)
b. Omitted for lack of time. Will do next week.

22. Padangusthasana
a. Pull belt looped around feet to get concave back.
b. Omitted for lack of time. Will do next week.

23. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana at wall
b. Holding rope hooks or, if shoulders too stiff, belts tied to the rope hooks, walk the feet up the wall. With the left foot on the wall, straighten the right leg vertically towards the ceiling. Then repeat on the other side.
c. Keep upper arms down to free torso.

24. Forward Extensions
a. Substituted Urdhva Hasta Dandasana & Padangustha Dandasana for Paschimottanasana.
b. Urdhva Hasta Dandasana: Sit on a folded blanket or bolster.
c. Padangustha Dandasana: Use a belt around the soles of the feet if unable to hold the big toes. Arm and leg push/pull action.
d. Omitted for lack of time. Will do next week.

25. Savasana