Power Yoga – 12/2/09

Got called in last minute to sub the Power Yoga class at HBS yesterday. Here’s what I taught …. or at least as close as I can remember.

Power Yoga
12/2/09
75 minutes
10 peeps
Music: Love Song, Sara Barrilles and Boom Boom, by Will Dailey

child’s pose
down dog
runner’s lunge with gentle twist
rag doll
tadasana
3 sun As
3 sun Bs
crescent lunge with twist
warrior II
side angle lunge
extended side angle lunge
triangle
prasritta A/horse
pivot to front and into warrior III/airplane
standing leg split
roll up into tadasana
tree
::repeat from final Sun B/crescent lunge to tree on left side::
right side vastistasana on forearm with threading
roll onto belly for 2 locusts
2 bows
left side vastistasana on forearm with threading
roll on to back for 2 bridges
2 7-count wheels
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
abs with block between thighs
half pigeon
inversion
spinal twist
savasana

Great group last night!  Very mixed bunch, representing a lot of levels and ages.  It kept me on my toes and made for an exciting class (though exhausting!)

I love my 60 minute Vinyasa Flow class, but I’d give just about anything for an extra 15 minutes.  It’s amazing how much more time we can spend on alignment and doing fun stuff!  If I get a chance to sub again, I’d like to get everyone into a squat to play around with crow/tripod!!

Wring It All Out: Post-Turkey Detox

twist & shout!

Vinyasa Flow
60 minutes
20 peeps
Music: Waiting on the World to Change, John Mayer and Right to be Wrong, Joss Stone

rag doll
downward facing dog
runner’s lunge with gentle twist
tadasana
3 Sun As
3 Sun Bs
utkatasana – vinyasa – warrior I – humble warrior
crescent lunge twist
windmill up to warrior II
side angle lunge
half moon
revolved half moon
standing leg split
utkatasana twist right
padagustasana
::repeat from last Sun B on left, ending with padahastasana::
vastistasana
table top for some cat/cow tilts
opposite hand/opposite leg core work
half bow
spider
::repeat opposite side::
1 bridge
1 7-count bridge or wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
half pigeon with three-legged dog core work before landing in pigeon
(I know, I’m so mean)
spinal twist
savasana

More of an hour of power than a flow class, I wanted to focus on twists and bringing energy and breath into the belly following such a heavy food holiday.

Hope you all had a great holiday!  Did anyone go to a post-holiday detox class or do their own home practice?

For the teachers out there, any special plans for your classes leading up to the holidays?  Special poses you’ll be teaching or themes you’ll be working with?

The Grateful Core: Part II

Vinyasa Flow
60 minutes
17 peeps
Music: Drum Trip and Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root

child’s pose
down dog
down dog to high plank
runners lunge to gentle twist
rag doll
tadasana
3 Sun As
Sun B 1 into crescent lunge
sun B 2 with ab work into crescent lunge
open to warrior II
reverse warrior
side angle (hovering elbow over knee for core strength)
reverse warrior
reverse triangle
triangle (with core-supported option)
pivot into parsvatonasana (gratitude pose)
repeat from Sun B with ab work through gratitude on left side
table top
core work with opposite arm/leg extension
half bow
spider (YOWIE!)
repeat on left
2 bridges
1 wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
half-pigeon (modified if needed)
wide-legged baddha konasana
inversion (a lot of handstands/headstands today)
spinal twist
savasana

Another well received flow.  The core work seems to be going over well — no one likes doing it, but there’s always a lot of thanks when it’s all done and over with.

One student had concerns about her wheel and feeling panicky and short of breath.  The issue seems to be really arching her spine and neck to get lift, rather than pressing down through the feet and hands equally.  Anyone else dealt with this before?  What did you recommend for the student or have others recommend for you?

In a 60 minute flow, how do you get in the core work?

The Grateful Core: Part I – Vinyasa Flow 11/17/09

Heading into the holidays I wanted to start ramping up the core work in my Tuesday Vinyasa Flow class.  Having a strong core is good in so many ways, but especially through the holidays — and not just for aesthetic reasons either!  Having a strong core and staying core focused keeps you focused on the core of the holidays: gratitude and being with friends and family.  With that intention in mind, I bring you…

The Grateful Core: Part I
Vinyasa Flow
11/17/09
60 minutes
10 peeps
Music: Life Less Ordinary, Carbon Leaf and Into Dust, Mazzy Star

child’s pose
downward facing dog
down dog to high plank x3
tadasana, paying attention to core and grounding down through feet
3 Sun As
Sun B
three legged dog
knee to nose and back to three legged dog
knee to right elbow and back to three legged dog
knee to left elbow and back to three legged dog
crescent lunge
vinyasa through to other side and repeat ab work and crescent lunge on left
Sun B into crescent lunge with high twist
open to warrior II
reverse warrior
side angle
reverse warrior
half moon
warrior II
reverse warrior
windmill down to runners lunge
low lunge with hip opener
back into three legged dog
walk hands back to standing leg split
airplane
tree
repeat from second Sun B to tree on the other side
child’s pose (HA!)
inch worm
2 locust
1 bow
1 bridge
2 7-count bridges or wheels
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
modified half pigeon
inversion
spinal twist
savasana

Yoga teachers — what do you do for core work in your classes?  How do you fit it in to a 60 minute flow?  Yoga students — what kind of core work do you like in a class?  (If “like” is the right word. LOL!)

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?