Winter Solstive Class

Apex Pose: hanumanasana (half forward fold to honor the darkness, half back bend to honor the light)
Principle of Emphasis: muscle energy (steadfastness on your path) inner spiral (introspection from turning within) outer spiral (cultivating strength to move forward while holding the intention you gained from reflection) organic energy
Heart quality: Reflection + Commitment
Theme: Winter Solstice. Introspection to gain inspiration as we move into more light and the new year. Winter stolice marks the end of earths exhale with the longest night of darkness as we move into earth inhale (inspiration) and the light begins to grow more and more.

The Sequence:
Child's (honor the darkness)
Table- shalabasana (teach that in asymmetrical poses back leg has more inner spiral front leg has more outer spiral)
DD (teach hope inner spiral and outer spiral happens evenly in symmetrical poses)
high runners Lunge-Lunge
L.L prep - anjaneyasana
L.L quad twist- Parsvotonasana - standing figure 4
Pigeon
Wide leg frwd fold right hand to front of left shin left hand to outer left shin draw torso to left while keeping legs energized, draw inner right thigh in back and wide so the pelvis stays squared and pull left sit bone down and under, sit bone moves toward tail bone getting the left waistline to lift
Parsvakonasana
Trikonasana
At wall:
L at wall (being able to turn momentum from horizontal to vertical with organic energy)
Torture asana
Walloasana
Hanumanasana foot on baseboard
Urdhva danurasana hands on base board
Root femur bones
Partner root femur bones


Some things to remember :
There are Golgi Tendons with in the muscle that monitor “danger” and when they feel the body is not protected they contract and seize up to protect the body. We can turn off the “danger alarms” and the resulting contraction by strong muscle work. If you engage you muscle (Called muscle energy in Anusara) for at least 30 seconds the Golgi tendons feel protected and sense the muscles are no longer in danger. As a result they soften and you can move deeper in the pose while keeping the body protected from injury. To be passive muscularly isn’t a good strategy for letting the muscles open.