Tuesday 6.30p Intro: Week 7 (Feb 17, 2009)

We continue to refine the poses already covered, and have added Ardha Chandrasana and Sarvangasana. The remainder of the class focused on consolidation of what we covered through Week 5, with an emphasis on Virabhadrasana I, and Sarvangasana preparations.

Next week we will do restorative poses.
Note new poses for this week are in bold face.

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. Urdhva Namaskarasana inserted after Gomukhasana arms
b. Holding elbows, roll open from the sternum to the frontal shoulders.

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 (Urdhva Namaskarasana )
a. Variation 1: Stretching the side ribs, take the arms up at the side and “clap” hands. Hold a few moments.

8. Tadasana (Paschima Namaskarasana)

9. Rope 1
a. Omitted for lack of time. Do this prior to every class to help open shoulders.

10. Utkatasana
a. Feet together.

11. Utthita Hasta Padasana
12. Parsva Hasta Padasana
13. Utthita Trikonasana
a. Press the right hand down and turn open the abdomen and chest from the right groin.

14. Virabhadrasana II
a. Lift pubic plate.

15. Utthita Parsvakonasana
a. Press the right hand down and turn open the abdomen and chest from the right groin.

16. Vrksasana
a. Press down inner edge of right foot by moving outer left thigh in.
b. Side of standing leg near a wall for confidence.
c. Did Utthita Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana II, Utthita Parsvakonasana first to facilitate opening the right groin towards the knee.

17. Vimanasana
a. Perform classic pose without lifting the left heel.
b. Those who have difficulty opening the armpits, or have elevated blood pressure, in Urdhva Hastasana can temporarily substitute this variation for the classic Virabhadrasana I.

18. Calf Stretcher Tadasana
a. Soles on inverted chair seat, facing wall and holding lower ropes. This continues and increases the stretch of Vimanasana, as a preparation for Virabhadrasana I, Parsvottanasana, and Adho Mukha Svanasana.
b. When calves are stretched, the back brain descends, and internal relaxation sets in.
c. Do this prior to every class to help open the calves.

19. Virabhadrasana I
a. First steady the right leg. Lift the toes to press the inner edge of the first metatarsal down. From there lift up through the inner knee to prevent the knee from wandering away from the midline.
b. Press hands into upper wall ropes to lift the pubic plate. This takes the pressure off of the diaphragm to help you breathe and keep the blood pressure normal. When there are no wall ropes, press the hands into imaginary ones to feel the resistance to help lift the pubic plate.
c. Keeping the left heel down, lift the femur into the socket. The lower buttock, at the buttock crease, should be firm, but the sacral muscles and upper buttock must not grip, else the pelvis tilts forward and it is difficult to breathe.

20. Ardha Chandrasana
a. Keeping the right knee bent, and the right inner foot pressed down, lift up the left leg.
b. Press the fingers into the floor to straighten the right leg.

21. 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.

22. Prasarita Padottanasana (hands on bricks, concave back)

23. Adho Mukha Svanasana
a. Hands turned out at wall. Stretch the inner armpit towards the hip.

24. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
a. Substituted for Uttanasana (concave back)
b. Buttocks at the wall, hand forward.
c. If stiff, do Ardha Uttanasana facing the wall in an L shape.

25. Padangusthasana
a. Loop a belt beneath the forefoot, and, make it sufficiently long with straight arms to be able to make the upper back and the lumbar concave.

26. 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.
d. Remember where you placed the blankets relative to the wall. It is critical to place the shoulders on the blanket but have the back of the head on the floor.
e. Get on top of the shoulders to relieve pressure in the head. If there is throbbing pressure in the head, come down immediately and ask the instructor how to proceed.

27. Forward Extensions
a. Substituted Adho Mukha Swastikasana for Paschimottanasana.
b. Place head on chair seat, hands up holding the arms of the chair.
c. Relieves pressure in the head from Sarvangasana

28. Savasana