Kicking

Teaching an Anusara- Inspired class tomorrow at Metric Yoga 9-10:15. As requested we will break down kicking up to handstand. This will help you face your fear and learn to kick up or refine and make more graceful your kick up. We will continue to focus on upper body alignment so as we PLAY with this pose (and others) it will still be a restorative experience for the body.

Props: 2 blocks, 2 bolsters, strap
Principles of emphasis: 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th,, shoulder loop Heart Quality: Courage

·         L stand hands on [wall] 3x

·         [strap] Urdhva hastasana –lower hands a little behind back (work on getting elbows straight)

·         L stand handstand [wall]

·         ½ surya namaskar 3x (watch elbows get the joints straight)

·         Down dog. Hands outer shoulder distance apart index fingers facing forward. Melt heat.

·         Table shalabasana straight joints. Front hand into handstand position wrist flexed. Index finger points straight up. Don't bend bottom arm. Press index knuckle down and take weight off outer corner of wrist so weight is even in 4 corners.

·         Dd straight arms and legs. Step foot a foot in and do little kick ups don't bend elbows or top leg 3x don't kick from the  heel kick from hips. Kicking up to handstand requires straight elbows and straight legs. Often people bend the top leg when they kick. If you do this you'll lose your power.

·         Uttanasana- Lunge

·         Uttanasana- Lunge

·         Uttanasana- low lunge quad stretch

·         Uttanasana- anjaneyasana- ardha hanumanasana [2 blocks]

·         Hanumanasana [block]

·         Tadasana - urdhva hadasana look at elbows are the vertical? If you’re in handstand and your elbows aren’t vertical you'll dump in heels of wrists.

·         Cartwheels (Lift arms, plant hands, kick cartwheel)

·         Kick into handstand 5x [at wall] (lift arms, plant hands, kick handstand) I normally am against kicking up like this because you cant focus on arm alignment as well, but sometimes students need this moment to learn to kick up. Are your elbows bending? Bending in arms is loss of will power and often leads to fear.

·         If still can't get up use [2 bolsters] up the wall get a running start and through yourself up the wall with straight arms and top leg.

·         Pec stretch at wall

·         Pigeon

·         Bridge/ urdhva danurasana

·         [Strap] ground femur bone- gallopers twist

·         Shavasana

Shoulder Work + Self Love for Vday

My ruff notes from this mornings class at Metric yoga:

'Tis the week of LOVE. With valentines day being on Friday. This holiday has become very commercialized with all of the focus on your relationship (or lack there of) between you and your significant other. However I like to use valentines day as a reminder to look at all of the relationships you are in. The practice of yoga asana is a great opportunity for you to look at the relationship you have with your body and with your Self. I was talking wrh my husband the other day and we were discussing qualities that make up a good relationship. Some we said were awareness, acceptance and appreciation. Let's apply this to Anusara yoga and the work we do on the mat. First you have to be aware what's going on. Are you in a good relationship or a less then awesome relationship with your self? What is really good and what needs work? Where are your strengths and weaknesses? Based on what your awareness tells you, you implement changes. This could be something like spreading your pinky toes because your knee hurts or drawing your arm bones back because you get headaches a lot. Then you need to appreciate the heck out of yourself because no matter what is going on at your core you are spectacular and nothing can make that not so. However we can enhance our relationship with our rocking self. Lastly accept that we will not ever be perfect. And if we are waiting until the day we are perfect to fully love ourself then that will never come. One thing I dig about Anusara yoga is that there is always refinements. Give me the best yogi in the world and I will give her/him a refinement. This is because we are never perfect.

Principle of emphasis: shoulder loop. Focusing on moving collarbones, arm bones, scapulas back and pressing heart forward (melting heart)

Standing L hands on wall 3x
Strap in hands urdhva hastasana lower strap behind without bending elbows pausing at the sticky parts cone back up shorten hands on strap and lower again.
Wide leg forward fold clasp hands strap
Handstand timed 2x to warm up shoulders
Utt slide to the side (make space ad widen opst direction you slide)
L.l quad stretch
Shalabasana hands behind head
Anjaneyasana clasp hands behind head curl head into hands lift heart then stretch arms
Shalabasana hands behind head
L clasp hands behind head. Curl then stretch -vinyasa
Dolphine (sbl, mh) shoulders vertical
Pincha manyurasana lift head look forward melt heart
Child's fulancy to curve in spine. The capacity to open up the thorastic spine so we can open or heart
Danurasana 2x
Bridge.2x Use head pressing down (collar bones, arm ones, scapulas press down to lift heart)
Urdhva danurasana 2x wall (if you experience pain in low back lift heels inner spiral thighs scope tail bone lower heels back down)
Hanumanasana
Root femur bones

Discipline

Saturday classes ruff notes

Heart quality: discipline
Theme: not doing what is easy in the short term or in the moment but having disicpline to take actions to make life easier in the future
Antidote: sleeping with sage. It would be easiest to let sage sleep on me in the bed we both enjoy it so much (and this more dangerous) however having the disicpline to put him in his bassenit in the long run will make my life easier/ more enjoyable.
Second antidote: eating a warm brownie and ice cream sounds so enjoyable in the moment but won't make me feel very good in the future but havin the discipline to share or opt out on it all together will be harder take more work but in the long run make me feel better.
synonyms: control, training, teaching, instruction, regulation, direction, order, authority, rule, strictness,


Anusara- inspired
Poe:me, os

Table- cat cow
Table- toe touches- abduction
Dd- toe touches- abduction
L outer edge of foot
Active pigeon
Scandasana - 1/2 moon - w3 prep/ abduction
L stand wrist toe touches
Handstand up wall leg raises
Pec stretches at wall (clock)
Trikonasana (me, os)
Twisted trik (os)
Danurasana
Bridge
Urdhva danurasana
Baddha konasana
Janusirsasana
Parvritta janusirsasana

Fundamentals yoga class:
Sucasana- figuer 8 with chin
Sucasana- side stretches
Table- cat/cow
Table- shalabasana
Goddess hero teach chat arms
Chataranga tune up 3x
Cobra
Sphnx- quad
1/2 moon side stretch 2x
Dd-vinyasa
L
L- vinyasa
Anjaneyasana - ardha hanumanasana (2 blocks)
Bridge
Root femur bones
Shavasana on bolster


Theme: begginers mind. Open to suggestions

A better world

I like to think when I practice yoga I make the world a better place. Because after practicing yoga I act that much nicer to those around me and I like to contemplate how that sweetness ripples throughout the world in a positive way. 

 "entering the Heart is like coming into the centre of the sun. There is no more you; there is nothing except the iridescent force of that light. When you are in the centre of the sun, there is no way to block its light. It streams through you and around you. So by entering your own Heart, you make the whole world a better paradise." GURUMAYI CHIDVILASANANDA

So next time you are debating if you should practice yoga think: do I want to make the works a better place. If the answer is yes get yourself to yoga :)

Counseling for your body parts

In my Tuesday and Thursday classes we talked about healthy relationships. Healthy relationships require attention and effort. Any relationship whether it be your marriage, with your dog, your car or your body. Let's use the example of your car if you just use your attention you will just be aware that there is a problem. Let's say your oil light is on or your car is making a awful noise. This awareness tells you there is a problem but if you just have awareness your just annoyed or frustrated. However if you just put in effort like rotating the tires but it's your oil that needs to be changed, that's not going to make the oil light go off. You need a combination of the two awareness to notice what's working really great and what needs some work and then you need to apply intelligent action to address the problem you found with you awareness.

On Tuesday morning we focused on the lower body alignment especially ankle, shin and thigh loop. This was some serious counseling to help the lower body parts to get along and cooperate better. It's amazing when you get these body parts to flow harmoniously together how damn good it feels.

On Thursday we had a counseling session for our upper body, mainly side bodies long (1st principle) arm bones back (2nd principle) and expanding spiral of arms (3rd principle).