Monday 6.30p Asana I — Week 35 (September 21, 2009)

Focus: Study of embodiment through body - mind - breath taught by Prashant Iyengar in Pune July, 2009.

Discussion: Pratyahara and Dharana - Stabilizing the mind
[See Tuesday 6.30p Intro — Week 29 (September 15, 2009)]

Discussion: Body - mind - breath
There are nine combinations to apply to practice:

By the body for the body
By the body for the mind
By the body for the breath

By the mind for the mind
By the mind for the breath
By the mind for the body

By the breath for the breath
By the breath for the body
By the breath for the mind

1. Invocation in Swastikasana
a. By the body for the body: Reinforce the spine with the paraspinal muscles... back ribs, shoulder blades, latissimus dorsi.
b. By the breath for the body: apanic cycles with mulabandha and uddiyana kriya to reinforce the spine at the root.

2. Upavistha Konasana
a. mulabandha and uddiyana kriya

3. Parsva Upavistha Konasana
a. By the mind for the body: When stiff, the willpower gives up first.
b. By the breath for the body: Out of fear of pain you hold the breath, which makes you stiffer.
c. By the breath for the mind: Reverse the pattern to keep calm. Add mulabandha and uddiyana kriya .

4. Padangusthasana Dandasana

5. Baddha Konasana
a. mulabandha and uddiyana kriya

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana
a. By the body for the body: Pin the hips, using a belt, and outer deltoids in. This increases strength and elongation.
b. By the body for the mind: When you learn from prakrti there is less struggle; the mind becomes more sattvic.
c. By the body for the breath: It is easier to breath. “Find out if the shoulder blade can contribute, if the sternum can contribute, if the floating ribs can contribute... Find out how any part can contribute... to improve [the mind’s] willingness to exercise..., the power to exercise. Exhalative kriya. Retentive kriya. Inhalative kriya. It’s not just exhaling, inhaling, or retaining. Understand the kriyas there. Understand that you are commencing the study of embodiment.”
d. At the termination of exhalation, there is a slight bahya pause. Extend into that vastness.

7. Parsvottanasana (head on brick on chair seat)
a. Same as above in Adho Mukha Svanasana.
b. By the breath for the body: The slight retention at the end of exhalation can generate power. Lengthen more into the vastness.
c. By the breath for the mind: The mind becomes more sattvic.

8. Salamba Sirsasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sirsasana I
The body - mind - breath combination should turn out motor power in your breath and muscle power in your mind.

b. Parsva Sirsasana
“Turn more!” You exercise the shoulder. “Turn more and more! Open the chest further!” Then you exercise the shoulders.

9. Sarvangasana Cycle
a. Salamba Sarvangasana

b. Ekapada Sarvangasana

c. Halasana