Gentle Vinyasa, 11/11/09

I sub-taught a savsani yoga class today.  Wondering what savsani yoga is?  Yeah, me too.  I Googled it, but still don’t really understand what it is.

Anyways, I taught a gentle vinyasa at noon today.  The students were really receptive to it — great breath work!

Gentle Vinyasa
(sub for Savsani Yoga)
50 minutes
10 peeps
music: Boom Boom, Will Dailey and Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf

child’s pose
cat/cow
downward facing dog
down dog to high plank x3
3 Sun As (holding in high push up and then flowing back to down dog)
3 Sun Bs
B1: low lunge with hip opener
B2: crescent lunge
B3: warrior I opening to warrior II
reverse warrior II
triangle
prasritta A/B
pivot to front for airplane
tree
repeat on left from third B through tree
table top
ab work with holding opposite arm and opposite leg out from all-fours (is this a pose?)
half-bow if they want
2 locust
modified pigeon
wide-legged baddha konasana (this is really popular!)
inversion
savasana

Fifty minutes is SHORT!  I kept the class slow moving and pretty gentle.  It was definitely still a vinyasa class (constant motion) but we worked on soothing, even breathing and grounding down through the feet.

Stars in Alignment: Vinyasa Flow 11/10/09

alignment

Vinyasa Flow (60 minutes)
Tuesday 11/10/09
14 peeps
Music: Buddha Bar X mix

(I play music as people are coming in and getting set up.  Once we start, music goes off.  It comes back on after the closing “namaste.”  Since the music post was a pretty popular one, I thought I’d note what was played before/after class.)

child’s pose
downward facing dog
down dog to plank (three times on breath)
rag doll
tadasana
3 Sun As
omitted low push up and up dog
3 Sun Bs
1st B with crescent lunge
2nd B with crescent lunge to low lunge hip stretch
3rd B to warrior I and opening to warrior II
side angle
triangle
prasritta A/B
pivot to front and into eagle
airplane
tree
::repeat from last Sun B through tree::
utkatasana twist
padangustasana
utkatasana twist
padahastasana
step back to high plank and lower on 5
2 locust
1 bow
1 bridge
1 10-count bridge or wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
modified hip stretch on back
(3 stage hip opener)
bound-legged spinal twist
savasana

Worked on simple poses with strong alignment, grounding down through the feet, keeping even balance, stillness and breath-work to support an energetic practice.  The cues to ground down through the feet, big toe mounds and outer-edges of back feet really seemed to resonate/work with the students.  The breath was great today and I hope that can carry over to next week.

Low plank to updog transition is still rough and the cues I’ve been using don’t seem to be helping.  Any suggestions for different cues or ways to get students to think about alignment in the vinyasa sequence?

Mixing It Up: Vinyasa Flow 11/3/09

crescent lunge

Mixing up alright! I’m mixing up the posting dates as well!  Sorry for the delay on posting Tuesday’s class.  Let’s jump right in!

Vinyasa Flow (60 minutes)
Tuesday 11/3/09
15 peeps

toes pose for 10 breaths (cruel, but my fav way to start class)
child’s pose
downward facing dog
“broken vinyasa”
slowed down the high to low push up transition to work on alignment
3 Sun As
3 Sun Bs (crescent lunge instead of WI)
on last B, high twist and open to WII
side angle
extended side angle
triangle
prasritta B/A
pivot to front for eagle
bound airplane
tadasana
utkatasana twist
padangustasana
utkatasana and vinyasa back through to repeat from crescent lunge with high
twist though utkatasana twist on left with padahastasana/rag doll
vinyasa to high plank and hold
lower to mat on 5-count
2 locust with block between ankles (hello inner thighs!)
1 bow
downward facing dog and jump through for backbends
1 15-count bridge with block between thighs (hello glutes and adductors!)
1 10-count bridge or wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
jump back through to downward facing dog
half pigeon on right then left
inversion
spinal twist
savasana

I put in crescent lunge instead of Warrior I because I’ve noticed that the alignment of crescent lunge tends to be better than WI for hip opening and for lengthening and strengthening the legs.  A certain amount of openness in the hips, ankles and calves are needed for a good WI and crescent lunge offers a better base to reach that openness rather than just landing right in WI.

What do you think?  Do you prefer WI over crescent lunge?  When you teach Warrior I, what cues do you use to get your students into alignment?

Fun with Utkatasana

image from thesaladgirl.com

Vinyasa Flow (60 minutes)
Tuesday 10/27/2009
15 people

downward facing dog
down dog to high plank x3
runners lunge w/knee dropped, open hips
repeat lunge on left
rag doll
tadasana
3 Sun As
3 Sun Bs focusing on utkatasana and using breath to support intense poses
humble warrior on 3rd Sun B
warrior II
side angle
extended side angle
triangle
prasritta B on right/10-count horse on left
pivot to front into warrior II/airplane
tadasana
utkatasana one-legged balance & twist
::repeat from 3rd Sun B through utkatasana balance on left::
vastistasana on right, then left
vinyasa to high plank and lower to mat on 5
2 locust variations
1 bow
1 15 count bridge with block in between thighs to work adductors (also worked in utkatasana)
1 10-count bridge or wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
jump through to down dog
half pigeon right and left
inversion
savasana

Today was all about working utkatasana, setting it up, modifying and breathing though it.  The literal Sanskrit translation is”intense pose”, so I talked about the importance of breath in get through challenging moments.  Yoga class is one of the only places we have to practice staying calm in intense situations.  (Bryan Kest talked a lot about this in his master class at Prana last Wednesday and I tried to bring some of it to my MBAs.)

The utkatasana balance with twist (optional) was interesting.  It was a great challenge for the more advanced students, but earned me some Yoga Death Glares from some of the newer students.  Hey, all they had to do was stick to the balance and not go for the twist.  It was an option!

I’d love to shake up the Sun Salutations a little.  Any suggestions on mixing it up for some Sun As and Sun Bs?

Also, teachers — how to you teach the high to low push-up transition?  Students — what cues worked best for you in getting you into the correct form for the chaturangas?

Vinyasa Flow 10/20/09

cartoonstock.com

Welcome to the latest feature of Perusals – a weekly (or more frequent) posting of the sequence in my latest yoga class.

What I hope you’ll get out of this is a chance to see what I’m doing and maybe find some inspiration for your own home practice or teaching.  What I hope to get back is feedback from teachers and pracitioners.

So please comment to your heart’s desire.  The more conversation, the more inspiration!

Vinyasa Flow (60 minutes)
Tuesday 10/20/2009
15 people

rag doll
downward facing dog
“broken vinyasa” x2
(broke down high to low push up, up dog and down dog focusing on
alignment in upper body. core/low body next week)
tadasana
3 Sun As – holding down dog for 5 breaths
3 Sun Bs *working utkatasana* and holding each warrior I for 5 breaths
vinyasa to high push up and hold
vastistasana
three-legged dog w/hip opener
crescent lunge
garudasana
crescent lunge w/twist
warrior II
reverse
side angle
reverse
ardha chandrasana
reverse
triangle
prasaritta A
parsvottanasana
vinyasa to high push up and repeat from vastistasana though gratitude on opposite side
dolphin plank for 10
2 locusts
2 bows
low back release by “windshield wiper-ing” the legs
1 bridge for 5 count
10-count bridge or wheel
supta baddha konasana, 5 breaths into lowest belly
knees to chest
happy baby
rock & roll & jump back to downward facing dog
half pigeon
inversion (yogi’s choice)
spinal twist
savasana

This Tuesday Vinyasa Flow class, which I teach at Harvard Business School’s campus gym, is a great class!  My students are really dedicated people, though their type A-ness can sometimes hinder breath work and the concept of “ease”.  But we’re working on it ::wink::.

I’d love to add in more breath work and balance poses into the flow without sacrificing a strong standing sequence, which brings in the men (Sadie Nardini nailed that on the head!), and half-pigeon which is always a class favorite.

Any suggestions on breathwork and working in more balance poses?

Falling All Over Myself

photo by Theron Trowbridge @ Flickr

My yoga practice is a mess.  Ever since getting engaged, my brain has been working over time: gotta figure out the budget, gotta deal with the guest list, gotta figure out a date that works for everyone, gotta find a location, gotta figure out the dress; OMG I’m engaged, OMG I’m getting married, blah blah blah BLAH!  It’s a hurricane inside my head.  And Hurricane Wedding is wreaking havoc on my yoga practice.  My breathing is totally off.  Balance is non-existent.  Even in my earliest days, I never wobbled coming up from down dog into warrior I.  Now I can barely make it through the transition without falling over.  And the standing series?  HA!  Forget it.   I’m going to rename the poses to “rapidly setting half moon”, “broken dancer”, “fallen tree”, and “dead eagle”.

The first week was especially frustrating, but by the second week I had figure out my issue — too much thinking about wedding stuff!  Once I figured it out, it was interesting to step back, be the silent observer, and watch myself through my practice.  Diagnosis: I was all over the place — a mess.  But I knew why, and I knew what I needed to do to nurture myself through it.  So I took it back to the beginning.  Dropped my knees in chaturanga, knee down in crescent lunge twist, supported bridge instead of wheel, toe down in eagle and tree, legs up the wall for inversions.  With a heavily modified practice that allowed me to focus on the breathing, I feel like I am coming back into my body and giving my brain a chance to rest.  At the end of a practice, I feel calmer, more focused and settled than a week ago when I’d feel more keyed up and scattered than before class.

This has also been a good lesson in rebuilding.  Previous to The Engagement, I was feeling pretty damn good about my practice.  Feeling like Polly Power Yoga and going for the really challenging stuff.  However, I’ve learned that my base was way off for a lot of these poses.  One prime example is that I’ve been experimenting with reaching back for my foot in half moon.  After ratcheting my practice down, I’ve noticed that my toes are turning in … a lot.  Whoops!

While the first week was really frustrating, and the second week was spent on figuring things out, I got a good sense from last night’s practice that all I need to do is meet my body where it’s at.  It’s telling me to back the heck off for a while until it can catch up.  Since my brain is in overdrive through most of the day, my yoga practice has become less about the workout and more about  nurturing and re-grounding.

One of my goals this week is to get back into meditation.  I think 10 minutes a day of quiet would be immeasurably helpful.

What do you do when life gets overwhelming?  What about for the yogis out there?  Do you have a favorite restorative pose or meditation technique?

Setting My Intention

***Some edits made to this post.  When the I transferred the original from the Word Document to WordPress, some of the text got lost.  Hopefully things make sense, and the “thes” and “ands” are back in.***

These days, I’m finding a lot of parallels between relationships and yoga.  (Well, DUH, you’re probably saying to

image from TeeJe @ Flickr

yourself.)   Anyways, it’s been on my mind a lot, especially during my yoga classes, which is not the best time for thinking. [Thinking: it's great for blogging, not so great for yoga.]

In a yoga practice, the first  5-8 minutes are spent warming up the body, getting to know how your body feels that day, checking in, settling in, discovering.  This is the relationship part – the learning process, the falling in love.  It’s where I fall in love with yoga all over again … those precious moments to check-in, center and evaluate are invaluable.

Both yoga and a new romance bring out the best in a person, and also reveal the imperfections, the insecurities and bad habits.  But like a good partner, yoga will love you because of these.  In teacher training, one quote I loved was “yoga doesn’t want to change you.  It just wants to meet you where you are.”  (I think it was attributed to Brian Kest.)  I think the same is true for finding a  life partner.  It doesn’t matter what the future holds or what happened in the past.  What matters is that in any given moment, you love each other just as you are.  Ed liked me enough to see our relationship through a very rocky start – when I was the most insecure and miserable I had ever been.  This was part of our warm up, much like when that first down dog feels so bad you think you’ll never make it through the practice.  Yet through stretching and centering, seeing what needs some love and attention, what needs extra compassion, and listening to ourselves and each other, we find our way to a greater peace.

After the warm up, but before the full practice, you set an intention.  This is the engagement.  The moment when you make a commitment to yourself (and to someone else) that you are going to work together to bring this intention to fruition.  In yoga, say you set the intention to breathe through the practice.  Some moments you’ll do really well, firing up that ujjayi breath, breathing deep, pouring breath into the muscles, joints, and bones of the body, creating and opening space.  Other times, in a challenging pose, the breath will be constricted, tight, and difficult to find.  An engagement follows the same path – you’ve set the intention to marry, to become a life partner with this other person.  Sometimes things go really well, other times the path gets tougher.  What counts is that you come back to the intention.  Use the intention as the lifeline through the challenges and it will bring you back to effortlessness.

Right now I see our wedding and future like a continuing yoga practice. Some days are great and wonderful and you are a creature of light and love.  Other days are tighter, darker and you rely on that other person to help you find your center again. Then when they have that down day (or days) you return the compassion and love.  One thing I’ve learned is that relationships are never 50-50.  Some days are 80-20, others are 40-60, but rarely are they 50-50.  They take work, dedication and commitment to yourself and to the other person.  Just like yoga takes work, dedication and commitment to the self and to the practice.

Last Saturday, Ed and I set our intention.  So far, the early stages of planning have revealed that we both want our wedding to reflect the authenticity, honesty and simplicity of our relationship.  For me, the biggest of those is authenticity.  This is a concept that has been given new life, because it was my relationship with Ed, combined with the heart-opening work of yoga teacher training, which allowed me to rediscover my own authenticity.  I could not have done this work without Ed’s love and support.

My intention for this wedding, and for our relationship, is to nurture our authenticity as individuals and as partners.  My work will be to create space within myself and within our relationship to build, support and love each other.  Authenticity is my touchstone, my intention, and my prayer in building a life together with a wonderful partner.

P.S. Thank you all who left congratulations and words of love on this blog and elsewhere!  Your support means the world to us.  Ed and I are so grateful.

image from autan @ Flickr

“Doga” earns a giant WTF?!

Photo by Michael Nagle for the New York Times

The Gray Lady strikes again.  In my continuing love-hate relationship with the New York Times (I love to hate it), an article from today’s issue jolted me right out of my yoga-buzz and plopped me right down into the middle of WTFville.

The article in question is about “doga” — yoga with dogs.  Dog owners and their pets come to a yoga class where the dog is used as a prop to help the owners achieve a more intense stretch.  Doga also claims to increase human-animal bonding, which is in keeping with the yoga principle of the universal connection between all living things.

First of all, the look on the poor dog’s face in the photo above says it all.  Any dog making pathetic eyes like that is not enjoying himself.  Ears are dropped low on the head, tail is tucked under … or would be if he wasn’t  straddled over his owners pelvis.  Creepy much?  (For the record, the dog could be a she … it’s impossible to tell gender from the photo.)

I understand the importance of bonding with your dog, but I fall squarely in the camp of “this is ridiculous.”  I struggle to understand why people will pay good money in the middle of a recession (or any time, really) for unnecessary things.  Bonding with your dog does not have to be complicated. Play with your dog.  Talk to her.  Throw a stick.  Cuddle up on the couch together.  It’s not too much of a leap to say that same things about human relationships.

Why do we feel the need to seek out “doga” in order to connect with our dogs?  Why do basic, instinctual relationships (human or animal) make us so uncomfortable that we need special ways and places to connect?

::shakes head:: A brief Google search generated 17,700,000 results related to “doga”.  Really?  Seriously?

“Doga” = earning a giant WTF stamp.

Yoga School – Day 8

M was back in the morning with more pseudo-science. Very little of what she said make sense to me and my experiences.  It also got frustrating when she was doing an “inquiry” with a patient and she would ask these open-ended questions while pressing down on their abdomen.  As soon as they gave her an answer that she liked, she’s said “Ah yes.  I can tell that X is an issue because I can feel a lump in your ascending colon.”  WTF?  It was like going to a psychic who asks these leading questions, picks up on the thread they like and turns the person’s response into their own answer.  Anyways, not everything she shared was ridiculous.  She did have some good and interesting things to say, especially on theimportance of a well-balanced diet.

LOTS of teaching this afternoon.  JB was back again so I knew it was going to be a long day, a tough day, but a great day.  This afternoon’s flow was:

1 Sun A
1 Sun B
Vinyasa through to Crescent twist to the right
up to Warrior II
Parsvakonasana on right
Extended Parsavakonasa on right
Vinyasa through to Crescent twist to left
Parsvakonasana on left
Extended Parsavakonasa on left
Utkatasana – twist on right
Uttanasana
Utkatasana – twist on left
Padahastasana or Pandangustasana
Balance pose: eagle, dancer, Warrior III, tree or Half Moon
Vinyasa to WI and WII on right
reverse Warrior
Triangle on right
Prasritta on right
Parsvottanasana on right
Winyasa to WI and WII on left
reverse Warrior
Triangle on left
Prasaritta on left
Parsvotanasana on left
Tadasana
Balasana

…. we did this sequence 7 or 8 times.  I honestly lost count.

The feedback for all the people who taught this sequence today took a very long time.  Teacher training is supposed to end by 8:00pm and it was 9:30 by the time we were cleaning up and ready to leave.

The upshot to all this is that I really got a chance to feel each pose as we were doing them.  A couple things came up that I’m finding really help.

• Squeezing shoulder blades together in crescent twist, upward facing dog, parsvakonasana and triangle really help open my chest up.  After yesterday’s anatomy lesson I try to picture the little muscles that control scapular movement drawing together.  That visual gives me the extra oomph I need to open my shoulders and chest.  This is an ongoing challenge for me as I have a tendency to hunch forward.

• Connecting to the lower abs in the transition from chaturanga – up dog – down dog is so key.  Especially in updog to down dog.  Otherwise the weight ends up in my wrists and shoulders and jeez that hurts!  Dropping my knees and really focusing on engaging my lower abs makes the transition much smoother and less painful.

Those were my two big revelations.  They’re also things I want to remember to cue.  If I’m struggling with it, there must be other people out there who are also struggling.

Today also marks the half way point of  teacher training.  While it will be nice to have my weekends back, I’m really going to miss the training.  It’s challenging, exciting and educational.  I love having the luxury to do something wholly for myself.  The icing on the cake is that I’m sharing that experience with 40 other like-minded people.  It’s incredible and I am so grateful for the experience.

Sleep tight, fellow yogis!!

Cross-Blog Promotion

Another fellow yogi is also blogging about the teacher training experience over at Hopefully A Yoga Teacher.  Check it out!  Her posts are inspiring and insightful.

See you tomorrow, J! 

ALSO – check out the right-side nav of Perusals for a new section on yoga teacher training.  I’m grouping the teacher training links together for easier access for anyone looking just for those posts.