Mixed Level on Sunday, August 29, 2010

Today's class focused on seated poses and opening the joints of the feet and ankles. Enjoy!

Swastikasana - maintain even lift of the front and back of pelvis as you extend up through the sides of the trunk

Adho Mukha Virasana - keep heels on buttocks as you extend the trunk forward

Adho Mukha Svanasana - reach down through the outer heels and back through the inner heels as you take your thighs back to lengthen the trunk

Uttanasana - feet mat's-width apart, concave spine, then head down

Tadasana


Virasana - keep shins facing straight down, draw outer ankles in as you sit between your feet on the floor or support, observe sensations in feet, ankles, knees, hips, and low back

Supta Virasana - from Virasana, extend trunk back, lengthen buttocks away from low back, observe sensations in feet, ankles, knees, hips, and low back

Vajrasana - sit on the heels with the knees and feet together

1. Belt around ankles with toes pointed straight back
2. Belt around ankles with toes tucked under
3. Feet crossed, top of one foot in the arch of opposite foot
4. Belt around ankles with toes pointed straight back, toes on rolled blanket

Virasana - observe sensations in feet, ankles, knees, hips, and low back and compare to previous attempt of the pose

Supta Virasana - observe sensations in feet, ankles, knees, hips, and low back and compare to previous attempt of the pose

Lolasana - from hands and knees, cross top of one shin just above calf of opposite leg, keep both feet pointing straight back as you sit on your heels, place hands next to mid-thighs and press hands down as you round your shoulders, low back, and raise your kness to your chest and heels to your buttocks

Gomukhasana - from hands and knees, cross one knee completely behind and to the outside of opposite knee; keep feet pointing directly back as you sit on your heels, lowering hips evenly down; add support under buttocks if necessary and then complete the pose by performing Gomukhasana arms

Baddha Konasana - roll shins forward and down toward the floor

Mulabandhasana - join big- and little- toe ball joints, slide hips down wall to sit on block, with hands move heels forward as the knees widen, lower block as you are able 

Vamedevasana


Paschimottanasana


Savasana

Mixed Level on Sunday, August 1, 2010

Swastikasana - extend from inner thighs to inner knees and draw back from outer knees into outer hips to compact the hips and lift the trunk

Siddhasana - roll the thighs and calf flesh from inside out as you place the heels in line with the pubis; extend from inner thighs to inner knees and draw back from outer knees into outer hips as you press the thighs down to lift the trunk; pull on the knees with the hands as you plug the upper arms into the shoulder sockets as you draw the shoulderblades down and into the back-body to open and lift the chest

Baddha Konasana - sitting on 2 folded blankets, roll the thighs out, extend from inner thighs to inner knees, widening the knees, as you pull from the outer knees back into the outer hips, press the thighs down and the outer heels together to further widen the knees apart, press hands down to lift trunk and draw upper arms into the shoulder sockets to open the chest, repeat with the block between the feet (all 3 widths) and with block under the feet (all 3 heights), then do classic pose flat on floor (or on blankets if the knees are higher than the hips)

Supta Padangusthasana II - draw the front thigh down into the hip crease and draw from the outer knee back into the hip socket, compacting the hips, as you extend from inner thigh to inner heel, keep sacrum even on floor

Virabhadrasana II - back foot at the wall, roll thighs out, press outer heels down to draw up from outer knees to outer hips, compacting the hips, press more into the bent-leg heel to lift the pubis up and away from the inner thigh of the bent leg

Utthita Parsvakonasana -  in Virabhadrasana II: place a block between the wall and the head of your bent-leg shin, step the back leg back until the shin is vertical and the thigh is horizontal, press the inner knee into the block firmly and pull the outer knee away from the block, roll the back leg out and move the femur into the hamstring, press the bent-leg heel down to lift the pubis up and away from the bent leg, extend trunk toward wall into Utthita Parsvakonasana, keeping the actions of the legs, especially pressing the inner knee into the block and pull the outer knee away from the block to bring the outer thigh into the hip socket

Ardha Chandrasana - 1st time: place lifted-leg's foot on the wall with the standing leg vertical, hand on a block. Press the outer heel of standing leg down to firm outer thigh up and into the hip socket, then press inner heel down to move the inner thigh forward, bringing the standing-leg hip underneath you more, lift the top hip up, press hand down onto block and roll opposite shoulder back to turn trunk. 2nd time: with a partner, same as above, partner places belt around the top of the thigh of the standing leg and pull the outer thigh back toward the wall, moving the thigh back and turning in outward

Utthita Trikonasana to Ardha Chandrasana - classic asana, same actions as above with special attention to keeping the hips compact just before lifting into Ardha Chandrasana

Salamba Sarvangasana
Eka Pada Sarvangasana
Parsvaika Pada Sarvangasana
Halasana
Karnapidasana
Savasana

Mixed Level on Sunday, July 25, 2010

Tonight we are focusing on twists! One of the challenges of twisting poses is keeping the extension of the trunk so we focused on using the legs and arms to create the desired effects in the torso: rotation with extension.

Vajrasana with ankles belted and blanket behind knees
Virasana I and II, outer ankles in
Virasana forward
Adho Mukha Svanasana, heels at wall
Adho Mukha Svanasana, heels on corner of blocks at wall, lift soles of feet off floor, pull thighs up into the hip crease to make it more of a crease, press hands down and forward to extend the shoulders and trunk
Uttanasana, concave spine, block behind calf at wall, pull thighs up into the hip crease, pull the floor toward you to move the shoulderblades back toward the hips and the sternum forward
Supta Padangusthasana I, II, and IV, pull front thigh and outer thigh up into the hip crease, pull the upper arms down into the floor to broaden the chest and move shoulderblades up and into the back-body to lift the sternum
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, pull front thigh into the hip crease, plug upper arms into the shoulder-socket and draw the shoulderblades down and into the back-body to open the chest
Parsva Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, pull front thigh and outer thigh up into the hip crease, pull upper arm back into the shoulder-socket and move shoulderblades down and into the back-body to open the chest
Parsvottanasana, concave spine, heel at the wall, pull front thigh and outer thigh up into the hip crease, pull the floor toward you to move the upperarms and shoulder-blades toward the waist and move the shoulderblades down into the back-body to open chest
Utthita Trikonasana, heel at the wall, pull outer thigh up into the hip crease, pull upper arms into the shoulder-sockets, press hand down on floor or block and extend thru opposite arm to broaden the chest, take shoulderblades into the back-body to open chest
Parivrtta Trikonasana, heel at the wall, pull front thigh and outer thigh up into the hip crease, pull upper arms into the shoulder-sockets, press hand down on floor or block and extend thru opposite arm to broaden the chest, take shoulderblades into the back-body to open chest
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Marichyasana III, pull from outer knee of bent leg down and into the hip crease, press upper arm into outer thigh and roll opposite shoulder back to turn the trunk
Uttanasana
Salamba Sarvangasana I
Eka Pada Sarvangasana
Parsvaika Pada Sarvangasnaa
Halasana
Parsva Halasana
Savasana

Mixed Level on Sunday, July 18, 2010

It's backbend week once again at the Yoga Hut!

Swastikasana
Adho Mukha Virasana - press hands down and lift arms away from floor and bring dorsal spine and shoulderblades down and into the back-body
Adho Mukha Svanasana - press hands down and thighs back to lengthen trunk
Uttanasana - concave spine first, keeping the entire front body lengthening away from the thighs, take the trunk and head down
Adho Mukha Svanasana - hands at the wall, press the hands down and forward and pull the thighs up and back to lengthen the trunk, stretch the armpits open
Adho Mukha Vrksasana - 1st time - Ardha, walking up the wall.  Press hands down and lift thighs up to lengthen trunk just as in Adho Mukha Svanasana, take shoulders and chest toward the wall to open the shoulders and chest. 2nd time - classic asana kicking up, lift head and look at feet to open chest and shoulders furthur, keeping chest lifted, release head down
Pinca Mayurasana - preparation - press forearms down and forward to lift shoulders up, walk feet in (like Adho Mukha Svanasana) keeping shoulders over elbows by pressing forearms down to lift shoulders and shoulderblades up, keep hips high bringing them over the shoulders
Sirsasana - press forearms down to lift up shoulders and side chest, stretch up through buttocks and thighs to lift trunk up
Supta Virasana - lengthen buttocks and thighs forward to lengthen lumbar spine, lengthen trunk and arms toward the head side, press upper arm bones down to open chest
Paryankasana - from Virasana, come back onto elbow, press elbows down to lift chest up, walk elbows in (toward feet) and continue to press elbows down to lift trunk, bring crown of head to floor, extend arms in Baddha Hastasana over head, press buttock bones down, press elbows down and lift shoulderblades to open the chest
Bhekasana - 1st time - Ardha (no spin of hand), keep one hand in Chaturanga Dandasana position, bring tailbone in as you press your heel to your buttock, bending your elbow, press both hands down to lift the chest. 2nd time - Ardha, spin fingers forward. 3rd time - both legs, no turn of hands. 3rd time - both legs, turn fingers forward
Bhujangasana - push hands down and forward for lift of chest, pull hands down and back to move dorsal spine in, alternate pushing and pulling to maximize lift and openning of the chest (ratchet yourself up)
Dhanurasana - tailbone in!, press shins back and lift knees up to lift chest, move dorsal spine in
Adho Mukha Svanasana  - lengthen trunk
Adho Mukha Virasana - lengthen trunk
Adho Mukha Vajrasana -  knees together, lengthen trunk
Salamba Sarvangasana near wall - press elbows down (as in Paryankasana) to lift and open chest, lift buttocks up, tailbone in and stretch up through legs
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana dropping to wall or floor from Sarvangasana - press elbows down to open chest, keep tailbone in as you bend your knees, bringing your heels to your buttocks, keeping tailbone in stretch knees up to ceiling to open front hips and groins, keeping elbows pressing down and chest lifted and tailbone in, curl back and bring your feet to the wall or floor
Savasana

Mixed Level on Sunday July 11, 2010

I'm so excited to be back in town to teach awesome yoga students! I am so grateful for you.  Today's class focuses on "eka pada" actions in standing poses and forward bends; specifically, keeping the depth of the groins by rolling your thighs in and "pinning" the outer thighs in as you draw the tailbone in.

Here's what we did:

Swastikasana

Adho Mukha Virasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Uttanasana

Tadasana

Urdhva Baddhanguliasasa in Tadasana

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana - 1. bent knee only: keep standing thigh lifted and pulling to midline, keep standing-thigh back, press inner edge of bent-leg foot down to move buttock bone and groin down, "pin" hips in to lift trunk, pull arms into shoulder sockets to open chest. 2. Classic pose

Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana - concave phase only, keep standing-leg thigh lifted and drawn back and to mid-line as you lift opposite leg; move slowly so you can "catch" when you lose the correct action of standing leg

Virabhadrasana I - keep "front-leg" hip "pinned" to mid-line as you enter the pose

Virabhadrasana III - keep "front-leg" hip pinned to mid-line in all phases of entering the pose

Parivrtta Trikonasana - keep"front-leg" hip pinned to mid-line as you bring the tailbone, spine, and head all in one central line, lift both thighs and pin both outer-thighs in to project your trunk forward

Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana - 1. head and trunk down, hands on floor. 2. From Adho Mukha Svanasana, place lifted-leg's toes on wall, pin hips in, and rotate lifted-leg thigh in

Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana

Paschimottanasana - feet apart

Uttanasana - feet apart

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - sacrum on block

Savasana

Mixed Level on June 27, 2010

This is the last class I'll be teaching until I get back from my concert band tour on July 10, 2010.  I hope all of you continue to practice while I'm gone!

We did a backbend sequence in the style of George Purvis, one of my senior teachers.  I hope all of you that were able to come enjoyed the class.

Swastikasana (invocation)

Adho Mukha Virasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana: press all the base knuckles of the fingers down with even distribution of weight

Supta Tadasana, feet at the wall

Urdhva Hastasana in Supta Tadasana, feet at the wall: rotate triceps in and biceps out, extend from triceps to pinky fingers and draw arms back into the shoulder sockets from thumb-side to biceps

Urdhva Baddhanguliasana in Supta Tadasana, feet at the wall: same as above

Adho Mukha Svanasana, hands at the wall: press hands down and forward into the wall and lift thighs and press them back to lengthen trunk up toward hips

Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana: place hands one leg's-length from the wall and walk up the wall until thighs are parallel to the floor, press base knuckles of fingers down, lift shoulders up, press thighs up

Pinca Mayurasana (preparation): press forearms down and forward to lift shoulders up, keeping upper arms vertical, walk in and lift thighs up to lengthen trunk

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana on a chair:

• (seat of chair away from the wall), armpits at edge of chair, kness bent, hands on chair back, pull down on chair back to lift chest, press feet down to lift tailbone
• armpits at edge of chair, knees bent, take arms into Urdhva Hastasana, turn triceps in, extend from tricep to pinky and plug arms back into the shoulder from thumb-side to bicep
• armpits at edge of chair, arms holding back legs of chair, press feet into wall to straighten legs and extend trunk towards the head, press thighs down, lift tailbone, pull chair legs down to open chest
• turn the chair around, armpits at edge of chair, knees bent, press feet down to lift thighs and tailbone up, take hands to wall with hands shoulders'-width apart, bring elbows narrower so upper arms are parallel to each other, plug arms into the shoulder sockets and lift shoulderblades up the back to open the chest; walk hands lower down wall repeating arm actions

Urdhva Dhanurasana with chair

• (chair seat away from the wall), armpits on sticky mat on chair back, take arms overhead to wall with hands shoulders'-width apart, bring elbows narrower so upper arms are parallel to each other, plug arms into the shoulder sockets and lift shoulderblades up the back to open the chest; walk hands lower down wall repeating arm actions until arms are straight, adjust distance from wall
• turn chair around, armpits to edge of chair, bring hands to blocks at wall with hands shoulders'-width apart, bring elbows narrower so upper arms are parallel to each other, plug arms into the shoulder sockets and lift shoulderblades up the back to open the chest, press heels down to lift thighs and buttock, press hands down and straighten arms to lift chest and trunk up into Urdhva Dhanurasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana, heels at the wall

Parvottanasana, right leg forward

Adho Mukha Svanasana, heels at the wall

Parsvottanasana, left leg forward

Parsva Uttanasana

Adho Mukha Virasana

Adho Mukha Vajrasana 

Savasana, feet at wall, head supported

Mixed Level on Sunday, June 20, 2010

To begin backbend week this month, we went back to the basics and practiced developing shoulder/neck clarity by focusing on the upper arm moving into the shoulder sockets and trapezius muscle releasing down and away from the neck.

Swastikasana: move upper arms back, shoulderblades and trapezius down, and bring shoulderblades forward (into the back body to open and lift the chest
Supta Tadasana: feet into the wall, start with knees bent, feel how trapezius gets trapped on the sticky mat and moves away from the neck as you straighten the legs
Supta Urdhva Hastasana: feet into the wall, start with knees bent, take arms over head, feel how trapezius gets trapped on the sticky mat and moves away from the neck as you straighten the legs
Adho Mukha Svanasana: thumb and index finger at wall, create same action with the trapezius as you felt on the floor; 2nd time, partner lifts trapezius up with first two fingers of each hand
Uttanasana: concave back, move shoulderblades into the back-body, move trapezius away from the neck
Tadasana: with block between thighs, roll inner thighs back, descend buttock away from lumbar without moving inner thighs or block forward

For all of the following arm positions: keep the leg and buttock actions of Tadasana, move upper arms back into the shoulder sockets, bring trapezius down and away from the neck, bring shoulderblades down and into the back-body to open the chest
Urdhva Hastasana
Urdhva Baddhanguliasana
Paschima Baddhanguliasana
Ardha Paschima Baddha Hastasana
Gomukhasana (arms only)
Paschima Namaskarasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana

Salabhasana:  arm action only (legs stay on floor), back of hands on blocks, keeping chest down, press hands down to lift upper arms up, stretch hands back toward feet to move shoulderblades and trapezius away from the neck,
Salabhasana: arm action only (legs stay on floor), hands thru belt loop, slightly wider than shoulder width, keep chest down, press sideways into belt, lift outer upper arms, stretch back thru hands to move shoulderblades and trapezius away from the neck
Salabhasana: classic pose
Bharadvajasana I: first time no clasp, second time classic arm position, move upper arms back and trapezius down and away from neck, bring shoulderblades into the back-body to lift the chest
Sarvangasana
Savasana

Mixed Level on Thursday, June 17, 2010

This arm balance sequence is almost identical to what I taught on Sunday, June 13 at the Yoga Hut.  Hope you enjoy!

Swastikasana
Adho Mukha Virasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Uttanasana
Tadasana
Eka Pada Pavanmuktasana: from Supta Tadasana, keeping one leg fully extended and completely on the floor, bend the opposite knee toward the chest and move groin of bent leg toward the extended-leg foot
Supta Padangusthasana I, III: keep straight leg extended and down, move opposite groin and femur forward
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana: (we didn't do this on Sunday but should have!) extend legs up, move buttocks to heels and pubis to navel as you lower the legs
Salamba Sirsasana I
Paripurna Navasana: extend legs, lift sacrum up and in, draw shoulderblades down and in
Ubaya Padangusthasana (we did Ardha Navasana on Sunday): extend legs, lift sacrum up and in, draw arms into sockets, draw shoulderblades down and in
Malasana: press inner edges of feet down to bring thighs closer and tighter around the trunk
Marichyasana I: forward extenstion, press inner edge of bent-leg foot down to keep leg firmly against the trunk
Akarna Dhanurasana: keep both buttock-bones down as you pull the knee and elbow back as far as possible
Eka Hasta Bhujasana: extend thru inner edge of foot to keep leg up on the shoulder
Dwi Hasta Bhujasana
Chatushpadasana
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana on a block (Sarvangasana I on Sunday)
Savasana