As I begin to practice Parsvottanasana more, I am coming to realize that this pose is definitely a gateway pose. Gateway to Virabhadrasana I, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana, Virabhadrasana III. It teaches us to balance with our feet awkwardly placed. While our hips are tight and not wanting to turn, the buttocks really, really want to hold our low backs hostage, and then back to the feet thing! So, next time you practice, remember this pose can be as much as a warm up as Dog or even the infamous Utthita Trikonasana, you know the one us Iyengar yoga teachers always want to teach, teach, and teach more:)
Watch this video carefully. Listen to Geeta and her description of why the back leg is so important. It really is true, being all in the front causes our ego to not be in check. Bringing attention to the back of the body makes us more humble. Think about it after your practice. Leave a comment and let me know what your experience is!!
Geeta teaching Parsvottanasana
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Senior Sequence
This is the sequence from yesterdays class at Northglenn:
-Cat/Cow use breath and articulate the movement from the tailbone and the sternum.
-Vajrasana-sit on heels with blankets or bolster, toes pointed back. After 2 minutes, lean forward, tuck toes under. Repeat this 3 times.
-Tadasana with Urdvha Hastasana, use belt around wrists to help keep the arms straight. Only take the arms up as much as you can, remember, do not overdo!
-Put belt around wrists again, but this time back behind you. Loosen the loop as needed for your shoulders. Then, bend forward into Uttanasana lifting the shoulders up away from the neck. If you have a shoulder injury, please stay upright and work on the shoulder blades deep into the back.
-Quad opener at the wall, place your left fingertips at the wall. Grab your right ankle with your right hand, bring the knees close together, draw the tailbone forward, abdomen lifted. If you have a knee injury, place a rolled sticky mat behind your knee and use a belt to lift the leg. Repeat this 2 xs
-Lie down on the floor on your belly. Be sure to roll the thighs in and extend the buttocks to the heels for a long low back before beginning these!!
-Urdvha Mukha Svanasana, upward facing dog. Turn hands out to roll the shoulders back. Come up on the knees and lift chest. Maintaining a strong core, lift the knees a few inches off the ground. If you cannot lift the knees today, do not worry! Just stay on the knees and work on the arm strength!
-Salabhasana, Locust. Lift your chest, your arms and your legs off the floor. Keep the legs straight, abdomen lifted, and please breath!
-Bujangasana, Cobra. Place hands right beside the floating ribs. Keep the legs straight and hip width apart. Once again, focus your attention on the buttocks, move it towards the heels and then slowly coil your spine up off the floor. Maintain even steady breath and smile a little.......Backbends make you happy!!
- Dhanurasana, Bow pose. Bow, like a bow and arrow. Bend the knees and grab both feet with your hands and inhale lift your chest off the floor by pressing your feet into your hands. Breath!! If you have an injury and cannot grab your feet, just repeat the last pose and know you are taking care of your body. That is the hardest thing to learn in yoga, to listen to your body, take cues of when to back off, when to modify, when to push. So listen and let your body be your teacher.
-Adho Mukha Virasana, Pose of the child. Time to neutralize!
-Lie down on the back, place a belt around your heels and straighten out your legs to the ceiling to release the back some more.
-VIparita Karani, Legs up the wall.
** I have run out of recent photos seniors. Anyone up for being photographed again??
-Cat/Cow use breath and articulate the movement from the tailbone and the sternum.
-Vajrasana-sit on heels with blankets or bolster, toes pointed back. After 2 minutes, lean forward, tuck toes under. Repeat this 3 times.
-Tadasana with Urdvha Hastasana, use belt around wrists to help keep the arms straight. Only take the arms up as much as you can, remember, do not overdo!
-Put belt around wrists again, but this time back behind you. Loosen the loop as needed for your shoulders. Then, bend forward into Uttanasana lifting the shoulders up away from the neck. If you have a shoulder injury, please stay upright and work on the shoulder blades deep into the back.
-Quad opener at the wall, place your left fingertips at the wall. Grab your right ankle with your right hand, bring the knees close together, draw the tailbone forward, abdomen lifted. If you have a knee injury, place a rolled sticky mat behind your knee and use a belt to lift the leg. Repeat this 2 xs
-Lie down on the floor on your belly. Be sure to roll the thighs in and extend the buttocks to the heels for a long low back before beginning these!!
-Urdvha Mukha Svanasana, upward facing dog. Turn hands out to roll the shoulders back. Come up on the knees and lift chest. Maintaining a strong core, lift the knees a few inches off the ground. If you cannot lift the knees today, do not worry! Just stay on the knees and work on the arm strength!
-Salabhasana, Locust. Lift your chest, your arms and your legs off the floor. Keep the legs straight, abdomen lifted, and please breath!
-Bujangasana, Cobra. Place hands right beside the floating ribs. Keep the legs straight and hip width apart. Once again, focus your attention on the buttocks, move it towards the heels and then slowly coil your spine up off the floor. Maintain even steady breath and smile a little.......Backbends make you happy!!
- Dhanurasana, Bow pose. Bow, like a bow and arrow. Bend the knees and grab both feet with your hands and inhale lift your chest off the floor by pressing your feet into your hands. Breath!! If you have an injury and cannot grab your feet, just repeat the last pose and know you are taking care of your body. That is the hardest thing to learn in yoga, to listen to your body, take cues of when to back off, when to modify, when to push. So listen and let your body be your teacher.
-Adho Mukha Virasana, Pose of the child. Time to neutralize!
-Lie down on the back, place a belt around your heels and straighten out your legs to the ceiling to release the back some more.
-VIparita Karani, Legs up the wall.
** I have run out of recent photos seniors. Anyone up for being photographed again??
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Sequence for ALL of us!
I am back on the blog wagon. I have no excuse people. I have been working a lot and not wanting to be on the computer when I get home. I am the one who preaches balance to my husband. I sit here now watching Roxy and Wilson (Wilson is the new 10 week old puppy) they are sleeping now. Sleeping because they know when to say stop. The beasts know when to say when. Maybe I should take a lesson from them. It is not about work work work, then crash crash crash. Life it too short people. Get outside, even though its hot and enjoy what nature has to offer. Remove yourself from the dredges of your couches and play in the grass and plant something that makes you happy. Know that each time you choose to sit in stillness, breath and take a few moments to sit in the grass and look at what is growing, you have chosen wisely.
This sequence is for us all. Do it mindfully in a quiet place, unless you have a new puppy.....get over it and do it anyways.
(if you cannot remember the sanskrit, remember the pose index over on the side of the blog)
Adho Mukha Virasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Uttanasana
Tadasana
Utthita Trikonasana
Vira I
Vira II
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Dandasana
Baradvajasana I & II
Triang Muka Eka PadaPaschimottanasana
Chatush Padasana
Salamba Sarvangasana or Vipariti Karani
Supta Baddhakonasana
Savasana
This sequence is for us all. Do it mindfully in a quiet place, unless you have a new puppy.....get over it and do it anyways.
(if you cannot remember the sanskrit, remember the pose index over on the side of the blog)
Adho Mukha Virasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Uttanasana
Tadasana
Utthita Trikonasana
Vira I
Vira II
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Dandasana
Baradvajasana I & II
Triang Muka Eka PadaPaschimottanasana
Chatush Padasana
Salamba Sarvangasana or Vipariti Karani
Supta Baddhakonasana
Savasana
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sequence from IYCD Level 1
Sequence from Level One: Moral of the story, breath, take your time, and keep you face, neck, and shoulders passive.
Jathara Parivartanasana (twist on the back legs outstretched, Legs bent) x 3
Adho Mukha Virasana to the side x 2
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Uttanasana x 2 one minute each
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Tadansana with brick in between upper thighs, close eyes, observe the weight and space evenly over the 4 corners of the feet, observe the breath, allow the back of the body to descend while the front of the body ascends.
Urdvha Hastasana x 3 use breath inhale arms up up up and lift from the ribs not the shoulders
Paschima Namaskarasana in Tadasana (do this and the above with the brick still in between the thighs)
Uttanasana with bricks for hands, concave and convex spine
Padangusthasana x 2
Paschima Namaskarasana in Tadasana
Padahastasana
Urdvha Prasarita Padasana x 3 only to 90 degrees
Upavistha Konasana
Baddhakonasana x 2 (2nd time lean to one side and place your elbow on the thigh to descend the thigh, then when coming back up keep that thight down. As Lisa said last Friday................the thigh that is descending is your dream and the other side is your reality, so make them both your reality!)
Dandasana
Janusisasana with head to bolster
Viparita Karani
*I loved teaching this sequence today. Everyone seemed to not only look as though their bodies felt better, but everyones faces were so relaxed......what else can we ask for? Integrated Mind, Body, Soul? This is the yoga, not just your body moving around in poses. To integrate the breath into the poses so they feel effortless. Maybe not at the beginning, but as you keep practicing the poses will come, the brain will be focused, and the face will be passive.
Jathara Parivartanasana (twist on the back legs outstretched, Legs bent) x 3
Adho Mukha Virasana to the side x 2
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Uttanasana x 2 one minute each
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Tadansana with brick in between upper thighs, close eyes, observe the weight and space evenly over the 4 corners of the feet, observe the breath, allow the back of the body to descend while the front of the body ascends.
Urdvha Hastasana x 3 use breath inhale arms up up up and lift from the ribs not the shoulders
Paschima Namaskarasana in Tadasana (do this and the above with the brick still in between the thighs)
Uttanasana with bricks for hands, concave and convex spine
Padangusthasana x 2
Paschima Namaskarasana in Tadasana
Padahastasana
Urdvha Prasarita Padasana x 3 only to 90 degrees
Upavistha Konasana
Baddhakonasana x 2 (2nd time lean to one side and place your elbow on the thigh to descend the thigh, then when coming back up keep that thight down. As Lisa said last Friday................the thigh that is descending is your dream and the other side is your reality, so make them both your reality!)
Dandasana
Janusisasana with head to bolster
Viparita Karani
*I loved teaching this sequence today. Everyone seemed to not only look as though their bodies felt better, but everyones faces were so relaxed......what else can we ask for? Integrated Mind, Body, Soul? This is the yoga, not just your body moving around in poses. To integrate the breath into the poses so they feel effortless. Maybe not at the beginning, but as you keep practicing the poses will come, the brain will be focused, and the face will be passive.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Devki isms and other thoughts of getting grounded
Is it Chastise or CHEST-IZE?
Is it comfortable or COMFOR-TABLE?
Shall we move up the spine or down?
Whatever it is we did, we did with purpose. After 3 days now, I am finally getting grounded. I not only needed to eat something hearty (thanks Becky), but I needed to realize I am in control. In control of my thoughts. My feelings. Let it sink in. Let the yoga penetrate. Allow the meditation to take you to that place of complete humbleness. The sounds of the spine, the root, the heart, the head...............they are all there. All the time. Whether or not we see them. Whether or not we feel them. Whether or not we even pay attention. They are always there. We are always able to get to that place. Maybe it takes a weekend workshop with a humble teacher, maybe it takes breaking down all barriers. Not just the physical barriers, but the mental, the spiritual. It doesn't matter what you believe, what higher power you believe in. It matters that you open your heart, your eyes, your soul, your body to the experience. Thank you to our friend Devki. Thank-you to myself for allowing those barriers to break away. Now I can rebuild again and again and again to a better person. A better friend, a better teacher (even though after that I almost feel as if I have nothing to offer but gratitude to my teachers). Thats it.
Is it comfortable or COMFOR-TABLE?
Shall we move up the spine or down?
Whatever it is we did, we did with purpose. After 3 days now, I am finally getting grounded. I not only needed to eat something hearty (thanks Becky), but I needed to realize I am in control. In control of my thoughts. My feelings. Let it sink in. Let the yoga penetrate. Allow the meditation to take you to that place of complete humbleness. The sounds of the spine, the root, the heart, the head...............they are all there. All the time. Whether or not we see them. Whether or not we feel them. Whether or not we even pay attention. They are always there. We are always able to get to that place. Maybe it takes a weekend workshop with a humble teacher, maybe it takes breaking down all barriers. Not just the physical barriers, but the mental, the spiritual. It doesn't matter what you believe, what higher power you believe in. It matters that you open your heart, your eyes, your soul, your body to the experience. Thank you to our friend Devki. Thank-you to myself for allowing those barriers to break away. Now I can rebuild again and again and again to a better person. A better friend, a better teacher (even though after that I almost feel as if I have nothing to offer but gratitude to my teachers). Thats it.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Devki Desai
This past weekend a senior teacher from Puna was here. Not only was she compassionate, she was firm in her instructions and wove philosophy and asana well. From what others say who have studied at the institute she is a perfect balance of the 3 Iyengars.
With this, I say thank-you for everything. It has been hard to be inspired lately to blog. This assessment process tends to suck the creativity out of a person. It seems to streamline us so much we forget why we do what we do. So all-n-all, taking time to just practice is a must. STOP studying for second. Stop doing everything for a minute and take care of yourself. Do yoga. Meditate. Breath in and out.
With this, I say thank-you for everything. It has been hard to be inspired lately to blog. This assessment process tends to suck the creativity out of a person. It seems to streamline us so much we forget why we do what we do. So all-n-all, taking time to just practice is a must. STOP studying for second. Stop doing everything for a minute and take care of yourself. Do yoga. Meditate. Breath in and out.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)