How do you show up?

Thursday Anusara Yoga Class
This class was fun. We worked on engaging the muscles piraticularly the adductor (inner thighs) so inner spiral would widen the back of the pelvis helping us square off in first warrior pose and the outer spiral to create freedom in hip flexor sand extension of spine

Theme: Show up
Antidote: part of the story of Virabhadra
Apex: Virabhadrasana 1/ first warrior pose
Principles of emphasis: using lower body alignment (inner and outer spiral) to adjust the pelvis and support + extend the spine better (open to grace)
Heart quality: steadfast + patience

Lunge
High runners lung twist - w2
Active pigeon
Parivrtta Eka pada raja quad prep
Eka pada raja quad
Ardha hanumanasana
parivrtta ardha hanuman block
Virabhadrasana 3 prep - standing pigeon
Lunge- virabhadrasana 3 prep- lunge
Virabhadrasana 3 wall hands -L 3x
Virabhadrasana 3 wall foot
Handstand L
Handstand kick
Virabhadrasana 1
Virabhadrasana 1
1/2 vira 1/2 pachimo- Krouchasana
Hanumanasana
Matsyandrasana

The Nag

Tuesday. Anusara-inspired Yoga
Stay With Me A While

I lived with her night and day--
the Nag.

I don't mean my wife or mother-in-law,
they are both angels.

I am talking about that voice in me that would not
let me hold each moment
as I did my son when
he was born.

How to slay the Nag?

I am afraid I have become fond of you,
dear student,

if I spoke the answer,
you might
run.

~Kabir

Theme: what is your nag? My Nag is the voice of distraction – anything that pulls me away from the enjoyment of the moment.  It’s my own voice, with its priorities screwed up. plugging into the moment, looking for the good.

Sucasana arm bone plugging
Sucasana inner/ outer spiral
Sucasana twist is/os
Supta arm bone plugging
Supta root femur bone strap
Supta pigeon/fish
Supta pada a- b strap
Tad- lunge 2x
Lunge- anjaneyasana - ardha hanumanasana 2 blocks
Parsvotonasana 2 blocks- standing splits
Funky parsvotonasana - standing splits- 1/2 moon - standing pigeon
Tree
Star:
Mod. Parsvak
Wide leg frwd fold- trik block
Trikonasana- parsva trik block wall
Handstand wall 3x upright, L, kick
Hanumanasana
Supta pigeon - femur rooting
Supta pada a- b- c strap
Supta twisting core
Bridge

Ahismsa: Nonharming

The yamas and niyamas are the first 2 branches of Patanjalis 8 limbed path (ashtanga yoga). They are like the do's and donts of yoga that promote inner and outer peace and bliss. John Friend said, "they create harmony within you, and in relationship to your environment and to others. Where there is harmony, consciousness can expand, they lead us to a natural revelation of insight into the nature of being, and joy naturally arises." They also provide a mirror in which to observer our practice, giving us infinite opportunities to transform our Self. I find when I am in alignment with the yamas and niyamas I experience more peace, truth, abundance, harmony, contentment, self-acceptance, and love.

Ahimsa is the fist yama, This word is usually translated as non-violence or non-harming. If we break down the Sanskrit we learn that "himsa" can be translated as "lion" and "a"  is a negating prefix. So "ahimsa" can be translated as "not like a lion". I love this. It reminds me to come from a place of calmness and the heart instead of the impulse of anger and causing harm.

Violence happens through our words and thoughts as well and can be just as harmful as physical violence. To practice ahimsa is to be so aware with our interactions with ourselves, our thoughts and our interactions with others. To incorporate ahimsa into your life, look at all the attitudes you have that might be keeping you from feeling at peace. Write down your five most negative thoughts, these thoughts themselves are a form of violence.  Just noticing the negativity will help you stop feeding the thoughts and will lead you toward peace.

Ahimsa tells us not to hurt other people, the planet, animals.. The law of karma tells us that when we hurt another that that suffering in which we inflict will inevitably will come back and hurt us. When I think of ahisma I am so reminded of the hurt I can inflict on myself. How often do we physically, emotionally and spirautally beat up on ourselves. I know I can be ruder to myself then I would someone I hate. This yama is a reminder to love thy neighbor and to love thy self.

We will be talking about ahimsa in my Saturday classes this week and will continue to over through the yamas and then the niyamas over the next 8 weeks. Ahmisa fits so beautifully with anusara yoga because we do a lot of harm to our bodies with our habitual posture and we can also do a lot of violence to our self with our yoga practice not practicing alignment. We can practice self love with a good strong alignment based practice.

Sage

It was brought to my attention that after having blogged in detail through out my pregnancy I haven't even posted a picture of Sage let alone an update... Turns out this motherhood thing is time consuming so I don't have much time to write. Sage Steven Hoggan is amazing. I am so beyond in love. Here are som pics of my cute little dude at 6 months

HAPPY BABY

All dressed up for my sisters graduation

Back bending sequence

Saturday anusara-inspired sequene. This class was a lot of fun. We talked about devotion and being a powerful server of love.

here are some pics of me doing this sequence at home

Dharma
be that which nourishes and sustaines ea
Root femurs
Supta pada A
Root femurs
Bend knees lift feet crunching twist, working top of abdomen, exhale lift and twist – bicycle
Bridge- hold shin bones lift up heart
Supta pigeon hamstring stretch grab bottom leg over head
Supta pigeon bridge
Supta pada A
Rock n roll up- navasana
dd-utt
½ moon stretch
½ moon stretch one leg
Utt- vinyasa
Lunge- with ½ moon side stretch both ways- Anjali twist open arms to T rev lunge twist hand on upper back forearm behind head- fingers to floor high runners lunge twist- l.l twist quad on outer edge of front foot, kick foot into hand backbend, then move foot to butt for deeper quad stretch
Shalabasana clasp hands- parsva shalabasana rock over onto one side lift top leg poption grab back foot with hands and kick- back through center switch clasp hand other finger on top rock over to other side- center- cobra lift up hip look toward
belly power in belly then lower hips and open chest
Mod. Parsvak
Bow w2 finger on floor inside- trik
Bound [strap] parsvak- bound trik- parsvak
Anahatasana
Dolphin
Anjaniasana reach hands to side turn palms up grab mat for power
Handstand wall
Pincha up wall
Pincha front knee bent
Hanumanasana fold frwd or to midline to inner spiral hanuman calls on our devotion to love
Bridge hands under hips extend legs out straight feet flat on floor, neck lifted
Urdhva Danurasana heels up
Urdhva or bridge leg lift
urdhva 2 walk or bridge legs out together straight
Root femur bones
Twist both knees bent- gallopers twist
Succasana twist

This to will pass. Thursdays sequence

Thursday:
This to shall pass
Thinking a situation is permanent
Antidote: the flu
Our position specifically the shape of our spine
P.o.e: inner spiral, outer spiral

Lunge- step forward tad knee up2x
Half sun 3x
Standing pigeon
Standing pigeon
Tree
Warrior 2
Warrior 2
Mod. Parsvakonasana
High runners lung twist- w2- mod. Parsvak
Mod. Parsvakonasana - half moon
Scandasana- half moon- standing pigeon
Standing wide leg forward fold
Trikonasana
Handstands
Supta baddha konasana legs up wall
Janusirsasana
Half double pigeon
Double pigeon block
Double pigeon
Wide leg forward fold to side
Wide leg forward fold
Supta baddha konasana

Class Notes for the Week

Having a baby is really affecting the amount and the quality of my blog. I dont want to totally neglect it so here are my ruff notes form the 4 classes I taught this week at Metric Yoga.

 After focusing on shoulders for the past few months we have returned to the lower body focusing on inner and outer spiral to stabilize the back in the back bends.

Tuesday:
Theme: baby grasping from birth our jobs is to learn to soften and open.
Antidote: we grasp in the low back muscles which causes ether a flat back or a hyper lordotic curves back. Both cause back pain
Poe: inner spiral and outer spiral to do backbends without pain

Supta knees bent inner/outer spiral supta tadasana
Table- Dd
Tadasana half moon side stretch
Dd
Lunge - vinyasa big cobra
Lunge - vinyasa Big cobra
On belly pec stretch
Big cobra
Active pigeon
Mod. Parsvak
Warrior 2 clasp- falling warrior
L.l forearms down block
Half moon - standing splits
 trikonasana
Handstand
Handstand partner midline
Pigeon quad block
Anjaneyasana
W1
W1
Dancer
Dancer
Cow face
Supta pada thigh bones
Hands in knees ground femurs

Thursday:
"You must do the things you think you can not do" Eleanor Roosevelt do something that scares you. One physical attribute linked with fear is thigh bones forward. We will root the thigh bones back while creating space in the si joints and strength to hold that space, with inner and outer spiral.

High runners lunge twist
Lunge
Low lunge quad
Anjaneyasana
Anjaneyasana reach arms like handstand prep
Hero blanket
Uttanasana blanket
Virasana
Camel
Camel handstand prep
Handstand backbend wall
Danurasana blanket under belly
Bridge
Urdhva danurasana
Drop back to wall partner blanket
Pigeon root femurs
Janusirasana
Supta baddha konasana 2 blankets

Saturday: open the front body without shortening the back body. Collapsing / hyper lordotic in lumbar and cervical shortens back body inner and outer spiral lengthen it while bringin the apex of the backbend curve in the  kyphotic back.
Poe: inner and outer spiral


We all face difficult times that make us want to shelter our hearts.
When people we love hurt us, it is a natural reaction to want to shield ourselves, and put protection around our hearts, to keep pain from entering.
A shut down heart makes it impossible to open up and allow in happiness, great opportunities, and good people. However, when you open your heart, you have room for growth, forgiveness, and change.
We can't selectively open our heart only letting in the good and keeping out the bad. We either open our heart for all of it or for none of it.

"In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing."
-Antonio Porchia

Lunge
Lunge
Anjaneyasana
Low lunge quad
Pigeon quad - Active pigeon reach arms backbend prep
Ustrasana
Ustrasana backbend prep
Handstand L
Handstand back bend
Forearm L
Forearm backbend
Urdhva danurasana
Drop back prep to wall feet on block or roll
Partner drop back blanket block
Dd
Funky parsvotonasana
Double pigeon
Janusirsasana
Hands on knees ground femur bones twist
Egg

Fundamental Saturday
Theme:Anusara yogis often speak of the “back body” as the dwelling place of grace; the unseen, underfed, and underappreciated side of the body.  When we talk about moving from the front body, we are talking about actions that originate in the ego, that are goal-driven and purposeful.  Moving from the back body is generally slower.  It requires that you pause and listen first, then do.

Supta knees bent
Supta tadasana
Cobra
Dd- vinyasa
Tadasana - half moon
Sun a3x
Tree
Hero blanket
Uttanasana blanket
Active pigeon
Mod. PArsvak
Mod. Parsvak
Supta tree
 Tree
Tree hold hands back bend
Trikonasana
Double pigeon
Supta baddha konasana 2 blankets