Saturday 10:30a Intro: Week 2 (May 9, 2009)

7 students. One student as well as teacher (me, KD) taking antibiotics for UTI infection. Discussion on how medications and illness can affect practice, the body and the mind. The antibiotics caused tamas or sluggishness in my body and a fuzziness in my head making it difficult to muster the energy to both speak and demonstrate the poses. When Bruce took over teaching Utthita Trikonasana I was able to demonstrate without speaking and focus my energies on the pose. Focus of the class: using the legs to charge the spine to combat tamas or heaviness in the poses.

Sit in Swastikasana for the invocation to Patanjali;

1. Tadasana

2. Utthita Trikonasana

3. Utthita Parsvakonasana

4. Utthita Trikonasana

5. Supta Trikonasana
Supta = supine/reclined
Trikonasana performed lying on the floor with feet on the wall, head supported on a blanket;

6. Supta Padangusthasana 1
Supta = supine/reclined, Pada = foot, Angustha = big toe;
Use two belts: one around upper thigh of raised leg to foot of lower leg; other to hold raised leg @ heel;
Extend raised leg upward into belt at 90 degree angle to the floor;
Extend lower leg into wall & belt; keep top of thigh pressed down;
Keep shoulder blades on the floor as arms extend up to hold belt;

7. Supta Padangusthasana 2
Bolster support touching outer hip;
Hold raised leg's belt with same hand, other hand to top of lower leg's thigh or extended out to the side, palm up;
From Supta Padangusthasana 1, take raised leg out to the side to rest outer thigh on bolster;
Extend from groin to inner heel; draw in from outer heel to outer hip, pulling the femur into the socket;
Keep lower leg on the floor; do not let opposite hip roll with the action of the raised leg;

8. Supta Padangusthasana 3 Hold raised leg's belt with opposite hand, other hand/arm out to the side;
From Supta Padangusthasana 1, cross raised leg over to opposite side;
Keep both buttocks on the floor;

9. Supta Tadasana

10. Baddha Konasana facing the wall
Baddha = bound, Kona = angle;
(See above image)
Seated on bolster facing the wall; folded blanket support under each knee;
Wall rope around upper back chest, pull with arms to lift up through the chest;
Note: when Bruce pressed & spread on my sacrum with his feet the abdomen softened and the heaviness of the bladder ceased to exist.

11. Viparita Karani
Viparita = reverse, Karani = process;
"Legs-up-the-wall" pose; hips supported on bolster, shoudlers on the floor;

12. Savasana