Asteya: Yoga Class Plan

This week in my weekend for InBody Yoga Teacher Training we are continuing our exploration of the yamas, from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. This week we are on the third yama which is non-stealing. I show the students how I link a theme to an anecdote, universal principle of alignment, apex pose, heart quality and a therapeutically designed sequenced. It is my hope that this will open the teacher trainees minds to see how they can come up with a cohesive therapeutic class plan that let their students connect deeper with their heart while aligning their body with health biomechanical actions. I always remind the students that this way a planning a class is not the only way. Take what you want and leave the rest. Here is a video I made to prepare the class for this weekend:

Basic Elements that are in every class of mine:

•Heart Quality: What do you want the students to feel?

•Alignment Focus: What alignment element will you tie in through all of the poses? That plays a key role in the peak pose? That connects to the theme/ and heart quality?

•Theme:  What insight or teaching do you want to weave through the class that is life affirming and can be taken off of the mat? That connects with the heart quality/ apex?

•Anecdote: How will you personalize the teaching with connection to your own experience and make it relevant to your students?

•Apex: What pose are you building too?

•Sequence: How will you intelligently guide students through the postures?

HEAL! DON’T STEAL! Theme: Asteya 

•“To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes.” —Yoga Sutra 2.37

•Do not steal from others

•Do not steal the moment from yourself (distraction), experiencing life as it is. (avoiding messy)

•Do not steal others reputation by gossiping.

•Do not steal health from yourself.

•Do not steal from future generations/ Use only what you need. (plastic bags 10x out)

Gandhi also saw how important the practice of ‘non-stealing’ was and considered it one of his '11 Vows', in which he expanded beyond the physical act of stealing – importantly – that ‘mankind’s greed and craving for artificial needs are also stealing’.

Asteya on the yoga mat

Do you push yourself beyond healthy boundaries because:

A.You will hurt your body, stealing health from yourself.

B.You think you are not “good enough”. You intrinsically good enough no posture decides that. Remember action over form. Let how you treat yourself and others (ahimsa/ satya) give you the experience of enough.

C.Experience yourself open and accepting of exactly what is unfolding in that moment. Taking actions to keep yourself safe and present.  Do not rob yourself of experiencing life as it is

Having strong desires brings ‘dukkha’…In each moment, we have the opportunity to experience a vast array of emotions and sensations – yet we tend to cling only to those which seem pleasant and enjoyable. This aspect of clinging a little too tightly to pleasurable experiences is known as ‘raga’, and although the experience itself may be one of joy of happiness, the action of trying to hold onto it out of desire ultimately creates more suffering or ‘dukha’.

Heart Quality: Self worth/ non-stealing

‘desire or want is the cause for stealing’ Swami Sivananda

The root cause of Asteya = “I’m not good enough….”

The need to steal essentially arises because of a lack of faith in ourselves to be able to create what we need by ourselves

Exercise: Practice Abundance

Practicing knowing that we have enough, and we are enough, is the key to wanting and desiring less, and therefore feeling a lot more whole and happy within ourselves.

Anecdote

•Missing the experience of life because I am distracted.

For example: being on my phone instead of being present with my kids. Being so in my head biking I miss the beauty of nature.

•Missing the experience of life because I want to avoid the messy parts

For example avoiding the feelings of life that are not enjoyable like grief and loss. 
Alignment focus

•Foundation of  feet:

•Root down through four corners of feat evenly and toe pads while lifting inner/ outer arch of feet.

•Related to theme: Getting present. How are we stealing from our self and others?

•Muscle Energy

•Using the muscles to draw into our self creating stability and setting up for inner and outer spiral.

•Related to theme: Getting stable. How can we heal instead of steal?

•Inner Spiral

•Starting at the big toe mound draws an energetic EXPANDING spiral up the leg moving the inner heels, inner knees, inner thighs and pelvis IN + BACK + WIDE

•Related to theme: Turning deeply in. Where and how can we take action? How can  we cultivate self worth?

•Outer Spiral

•Starting at the top waistline engages the power of the hips drawing an energetic CONTRATING spiral down the leg lengthening the tailbone, narrowing the sit bones, pressing the thighs forward, widening the knee and ending in the outer edge of foot.

•Related to theme: Powerfully extend out. How can we act to others to up level healing vs. stealing?

Sequence
(IS= Inner Spiral OS= Outer Spiral  AMS= Adho Mukha Svanasana EPRK= Eka Pada Rajakapotasana )

Mediation/ Chanting

•Inhale- how can I heal myself? Exhale- how can I heal with others/ the world?

Warm up 

•Surya Namaskar A 3x

Basic

•Tadasana extend leg backwards notice natural tendency to outer spiral instead IS

•Tadasana ""- Lunge IS- tadasana balance 3x standing pigeon manual IS 

•Table IS/OS - cat/cow- neutral

•Table shalabasana 

•AMS leg lift 

•High runners lunge IS- high runners lunge twist [block]

•Virabhadrasana 2 

Harder 

•Hero [blanket] 

•Virasana 

•Parsvottanasana [blocks] manual IS turn foot to pinky edge- plant foot IS 

•Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana - natarajasana

•Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana - Garudasana

•Dolphin

•Active EPRK prep

Apex: 

•Straight leg Virabhadrasana 1 prep- bend knee Virabhadrasana 1

•Virabhadrasana 1

Cool down 

•Janusirsasana 

•Janusirsasana twist 

•Upavistha Konasana root femurs 

•Baddha konasana 

Shavasana/ meditation

Apex: Virabhadrasana 1

Action over form!

•Open hips

•Asymmetrical standing poses, pigeon, Virasana

•Open shoulders

•Cobra, eagle, AMS

•An understanding of how to use MUSCLE ENERGY to protect the knees and allow the actions of inner/ outer spiral

•Standing poses

•An understanding of how to use INNER SPIRAL to square up the hips

•Standing tadasana leg extensions, asymmetrical standing poses, cobra

•An understanding of how to use OUTER SPIRAL to protect low back, root down and drive spine up.

•Asymmetrical standing poses, cobra, pigeon

Satya: Yoga Class Plan for InBody Academy Yoga Teacher Training 200 hr GE

Theme (What insight or teaching do you want to weave through the class that is life affirming and can be taken off of the mat? That connects with the heart quality/ apex?)

Sat= truth ya= to be, to activate

•       Dishonesty=lying, gossiping, expectations? stories, manipulation, cheating, making assumptions

•       “To be established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient…“the state of fearlessness comes. One need not be afraid of anybody and can always lead an open life.” Sri Swami Satchidananda’s

•       “Whenever we are not telling the truth, we deepen our separation from this inner self. In this gap, shadow grows. The larger we make the gap through living falsehoods, the more the shadow takes over our life, and this shadow shows up psychologically (negative, hostile or destructive thoughts, hypocrisy and pretension), emotionally (non-positive states such as fear, depression, anger, etc.), and physically (pain, illness, and even accidents).” Brad Waites,

•       Is telling the truth always the best?

•       remember to think about satya in context with the other yamas: Though each stands alone individually, there is indeed a hierarchy of sorts. If telling the truth has the possibility of causing harm to anyone, it’s no longer truth, as it is unable to uphold ahimsa – non-violence. there is a dynamic interplay between them… In a sense, they incorporate a system of checks and balances.

•       Can we be honest with our self? In a lot of ways, it’s simpler to live truthfully by others; but being honest with ourselves is often trickier, and less pleasant. Satya asks us to look at the shadow with our self even when it’s not easy. One of the goals of yoga is freedom from the “sufferings” in our lives – and to be free from them, we first be aware of them. Satya means being truthful and real about our shortcomings, our messes, and the places where we can grow and transform. Yoga is about transformation. Some people might think yoga is leading to some ecstatic blissful state, more likely, union is about waking up into your mess and connecting to the divinity within that! Looking honestly at parts of ourselves without self-judgment, it’s easier to address the internal issues (the “mess”) that we may have ignored in the past.

Anecdote (How will you personalize the teaching with connection to your own experience and make it relevant to your students? )

•       Personal story I tell myself:

•       I am always tired. I never get to rest.

•       I am not smart.

•       Gossiping

•       Making assumptions (3^rd agreement)

•       Lying -> calling myself out

Alignment focus (What alignment element will you tie in through all of the poses? That plays a key role in the peak pose? That connects to the theme/ and heart quality?)

•       Foundation of hands:

•       Creases of the wrist are parallel to the front of the yoga mat, with the fingers spread, second and third finger should line up with the center of the wrist, center of the elbow and up to the center of the shoulder. Root down through the four corners of the hand and create an arch under the heel of the hand.

•       Foundation of feet:

•       Feet hip distance apart, second and third toe line up with ankle, knee, hip. Root down through four corners of feat and top pads lift inner/ outer arch of foot.

•       Muscle Energy

•       Using the muscles to draw into our self creating stability

•       Shoulder Loop

•       Side bodies long

•       Inner body bright

•       Arm bones back

•       Tips of shoulder blades lift heard up

•       Kidney Loop

•       Draws the lower ribs in, lengthens the side bodies and expands into the back of the kidneys

•       Organic Energy

•       From a place of stability reaching out through the limbs

Heart Quality (What do you want the students to feel?)

•       Truthfulness

•       How  theme relates to heart quality truthfulness

•       Foundation of hands and feet

•       Are the hands and feet places in good alignment? Is that true?

•       Muscle Energy

•       Drawing in. How to I tell the truth to myself?

•       Shoulder Loop

•       Getting clarity in my heart, what is my truth? (anahata chakra)

•       Kidney Loop

•       Connect to my personal power (manipura chakra) as I speak and act from my truth honestly

•       Organic Energy

•       Extending out. How do I live and speak truthfully with others?

Apex (What pose are you building too?)

Pincha Mayurasana Modification Dolphin

•       Intelligent therapeutic sequencing building to apex

•       Open and integrated shoulders with shoulder loop

•       Opened back of the legs (hamstring and calves)

•       Connected core with kidney loop and bridges cross

•       Cooled down with opening the chest/ lengthening the core, rooting femurs, twist and asymmetrical pose

•       What's more important? Doing final expression of the pose or performing the actions in a modified version of the pose?

Sequence (How will you intelligently guide students through the postures?)

Mediation/ Chanting

•       Inhale- how am I honest with myself? Exhale- how am I honest with others

Warm up 

•       Sun A 3x

Basic

•       Table (shoulder loop and kidney loop)

•       Lunge (isometrically press hands forward then engage core)

•       Virabhadrasana 2

•       Forearm Plank – Dolphin (shoulder loop + kidney loop)

•       Supta twisting core (shoulder loop + kidney loop)

•       Prone Pec Stretch Prep

Harder 

•       Prone Pec Stretch- Sphinx with Quad Stretch- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana 3x

•       High Runners Lunge Twist (with hand down)

•       Modified Parsvakonasana

•       Chataranga 3x - Drunken Bhujangasana

•       Bridget’s Cross

•       Block behind shoulder blades reach arms up and over grab sticky mat

Apex: 

•       Pincha Mayurasana (Modification Dolphin) 

Cool down 

•       Meditation

•       Setu Bandha Sarvangasana 3x  (maybe Urdhva Dhanurasana)

•       Supta asymmetrical root femur - twist

•       Symmetrical root femur

Shavasana/ meditation

Youtube video of me explaining how I plan a yoga class a summary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVTd9zv6-8U

Youtube video of my home practice of this sequence with narration

https://youtu.be/8OYTXqpRTis

Teacher Training Course: How to plan a yoga class so it is theraputic and carries the teachings of yoga off the mat.

Here is some notes from a teacher training weekend I taught for InBody Yoga Academy. I taught a public class the immersion students took and then we meet and discussed the way I plan my classes. The 6 elements in every class and how I intelligently sequence for a therapeutic experience. When I was coming up with the format of my time with the teacher trainees these round I thought of what I wish I got in some of my teacher trainings and I would have loved to get into my teachers brains and found out how and why they prepare their class.  

Yoga Class Plan

By Kimberly Achelis Hoggan

Anusara® Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500, LMT

Basic class elements

Heart Quality: What do you want the students to feel?

Alignment Focus: What alignment element will you tie in through all of the poses? That plays a key role in the peak pose? That connects to the theme/ and heart quality?

Theme:  What insight or teaching do you want to weave through the class that is life affirming and can be taken off of the mat? That connects with the heart quality/ apex?

Anecdote: How will you personalize the teaching with connection to your own experience and make it relevant to your students?

Apex: What pose are you building too?

Sequence: How will you intelligently guide students through the postures?

Basic Class Outline

Intro: Introduce the class theme and alignment principles that will be used
to augment it and weave them throughout the class

Meditation/ Chanting

Warm Up: Easy, dynamic, not held long, and opens the body.  Use few instructions and bigger movements.  Connected to heart quality in initial warm-up poses.

Basic: More dynamic warming up muscles. Easier to practice the alignment emphasis.

Harder: More challenging requires, more strength and flexibility. Harder to practice the alignment emphasis.

Apex: Build the sequence into one peek focus pose

Cool Down: a warn-down sequence with gentle twists and forward bends

Shavasana/ Mediation

Conclusion: Wrap it up with a brief summery of the theme, its relevance and how it can be applied off the mat

Theme

Linking a teaching or insight throughout the whole class

Ahimsa- Cultivating kindness in our thought, words and actions toward our self and others on and off the mat.

"Who will be the happiest person? The one who brings happiness to others." -Swami Satchidananda

"If you seek enlightenment, or even if you seek happiness, go to the cause. Nothing exists without a cause. The root cause of happiness is compassion." -H.H. Dalai Lama

"Vocal injury is more serious than physical, and mental injury is most serious. By physical injury one can destroy only physical forms. By vocal injury one can destroy both physical and mental forms. By mental injury one can destroy even the form of spirit." -Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, The Textbook of Yoga Psychology

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing? (136-137)”
― Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras

ahimsa pratisthayam tat sannidhau vaira tyagah II:35
For the one who is firmly established in non-violence all hostility ceases in the presence of that one.

Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term meaning non-violence. The opposite of ahimsa is himsa, which means harm or violence. There are three classes of himsa, or ways to cause harm:

1. Physical, by hurting someone's physical body.
2. Vocal, by speaking against others, hurting their feelings.
3. Mental, by thinking negatively about others

Physical harming is only one way to harm, and it may not do the most serious harm.

Anecdote

Personalize the teaching with some connection to your own experience or insight making it relevant to your students

Choosing depth of pose over alignment, I view as a form of self violence.  

How can I practice non violence to my children? Not snapping,.

How can I practice non violence to my husband? No negative self talk.

How can I practice non violence to myself? No negative self talk, positive affirmations, nourishing food, alignment based yoga.

How can I practice non violence to others? No negative talk, criticizing, gossiping,  

Alignment focus

alignment element tied IN THROUGH all of the poses

Foundation of Hands 

Foundation of Feet

Muscle Energy (shin loop)

Outer Spiral (knee over ankle) 

How it relates to theme/ heart quality

Violence= Poor alignment in the hands and the feet when they are weight bearing can lead to injuries. Non-Violence/ Kindness= Intentional alignment of foundation.

Violence= practicing without integration and hyperextending knee. Non-Violence/ Kindness= supporting yourself with your muscles and using your muscles to keep your knee in a safe ROM.

Violence= when the knee twists it is very damaging to the joint. Non- Violence/ Kindness= using your muscles especially the glutes to widen the knee over the second toe.

Heart quality (list of possible heart qualities)

Steadfastness
Right effort
Integrity
Boldness
Vitality
Stillness
Patience
Steadiness
Truthfulness
Purity
Confidence
Fortitude
Silence
Forbearance
Resolution
Faith
Courage
Aspiration
Vigor Quiet
Simplicity
Willpower
Trust
Fearlessness
Intention
Equipoise
Tolerance
Self-harmony
Joy
Celebration
Acceptance
Non-harming
Non-stealing
Devotion
Discrimination
Creativity
Generosity
Happiness
Surrender
Love
Compassion
Contentment
Reverence
Gentleness
 Playfulness
Prudence
Enthusiasm
Renunciation
Kindness
Sensitivity
Mindfulness
Gratitude
Humility
Softness
Opening
Yielding
Friendliness
Non-clinging
Wisdom
Freedom
Modesty
Willingness to serve

Heart quality: Kindness

How it showed up in class

Physical body= using alignment as a form of self care and practicing kindness to self.

Mental = bringing awareness to violent self talk and cultivating kind positive self talk

Vocal= noticing negative talk about self and about others and practicing talking kindly about others and self. Positive affirmations.

Apex:

Intelligent therapeutic sequencing building to apex

Trikonasana

Opened Hips

Lengthened Spine

Opened& Strengthened hamstrings, calves and quads to avoid hyper extension and twisting of knee.

Strengthen quads

Strengthen foundation of feet

 

How it showed up in class:

Avoiding hyper extension & knee twisting is a form of self kindness.

Being awareness of mental chatter is it negative or positive.

Practicing Ahimsa.

Using muscles to give a self hug.

 

sequence

Mediation/ Chanting

Self Love Meditation inhale compassion for self, exhale kindness for others

Warm up 

Tadasana foundation of feet (muscle energy to activate shin loop) 

Table foundation of hands 

Table- Shalabhasana- Airplane- Gomukhasana teach about muscle energy to protect wrists/ knees 

*AMS- 3 leg AMS - Airplane 

Basic

Lunge- Standing Balance 3x- Garudasana

 Virabhadrasana 2 knee over ankle

Modified Parsvakonasana - Ardha Chandrasana -Standing Pigeon with Mod. Parsvakonasana Arms can you practice kind alignment actions in a more challenging posture?

Parsvakonasana 

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana active

Harder 

Anjaneyasana with Quad Stretch  

Ardha Chandrasana - Reverse Virabhadrasana 2 

Ardha Chandra Chapasana

Parivrtta Lunge twist- Parivrtta  High Lunge – Parivrtta Anjaneyasana with Quad Stretch 

Ardha Hanumanasana 3 ways

Utkata Konasan with Side Stretch - Spine Circles

Prasarita padottanasana - Trikonasana 

Apex: 

Trikonasana 

Cool down 

Glute Massage 

Agnistambhasana - Baby Cradle - extend leg twist 

Upavistha Konasana root femur 

Shavasana/ meditation

namaste

For more examples of class outline visit:

Authenticselfyoga.Blogspot.com

Youtube video of me explaining how I plan a yoga class a summary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVTd9zv6-8U

kachelis@Hotmail.com

Handstand Class, tips for pushing your boundaries and using fear to empower you

Apex: handstand 

Principles of emphasis: open to grace (foundation, breath), muscle energy (stability), shoulder loop (shoulder integration), kidney loop (core integration), organic energy 

Heart quality: playful, courageous 

Theme: lila having fun while pushing the boundaries of our comfort. Using fear to empower us but not make us reckless. 

We have to know boundaries going to far and not going far enough. If you don't practice going to far you'll be afraid. We don't want fear to scare us but to empower us! It's not the absence of fear but courage in the face of fear. But It's not wrecklessness. 

Anecdote: learning a handstand. I had to learn what wasn't enough of a hop and what was to big it a hop. I had to be curious and courageous to find the just right spot with stability. I had to confront my fear instead of reimagining to scared to try but I also had to honor my fear so I didn't get hurt. 

Having fun (lila). Having to much fun getting into trouble. I definitely pushed this when I was little. Vs. Not having enough fun.... which is not fun. 

Disciplining my children. I am constantly in this process of what is to little discipline and get walked all over and having utter chaos in the house and what to much discipline is that also doesn't serve our family. I have to be in touch with my deep compassion and remain courage on this parenting journey of raising loving, kind, useful humans. I need to have the fear knowing there are some things I can never do like spank or something that will damage them but there is also fear that if I don't do any discipline they won't know how to cooperate with this world. Just like handstands I need to find that sweet balance of discipline with compassion. 

Handstand Tips:

Arms straight for power (muscle energy, organic energy)

Integrate shoulders press from core engage upper ab muscles (shoulder loop and kidney loop) 

Leg straight for power (muscle energy, organic energy)

Kick from hip not heal (thigh loop)

Bending in arms is loss of will power and often leads 

Dd lift armpits lift more weight at front of hands so you get lighter on heals of hands 

Sequence:

-Hand theraputic work (flex wrist back see budge (flexor retinaculum) compress around wrist and retinaculum while moving hand. Engaging the muscles with good foundation in hand weight baring poses will prevent wrist/elbow/shoulder injuries and keep the retinaculum hugging in

-Table foundation of hands (hands outer shoulder distand apart index fingers facing forward. Melt heat to integrate shoulders)

-Table shalabasana keeping straight joints. Flex front wrist like a handstand index finger facing up. Don't bend bottom arm repeat. Focus on arms legs straight 

-Sit ups with lordotic curve activating upper core (kidney loop)

-Cat/cow (alternating between shoulder integration/ shoulder loop and core integration/ kidney loop)

-Table shalabasana again same as first time but add the support of the core muscles

-Uttanasana- ardha uttanasana 3x

-Tadasana - urdhva hastasana interlace hands palms up, integrate shoulders, integrate core. Look up straighten elbows arms vertical. If your elbows bend in handstand you'll dump weight into heals of hands. 

-Optional jumping butt to wall 3x in pike

-Sun A 3x 3x with like jumps and string foundation in hands 

-Tree- w3 prep- lunge- sanding splits- uttanasana

-Eagle- w3 prep- lunge- standing splits - uttanasana 

-Standing pigeon- w3 prep- w3- lunge- half moon 

-cartwheel middle of room (deliberately  let the momentum carry you past midline and over. Go both ways. Swing through vertical midline. Not like downdog. This teaches us how to eat out of handstand. Shift weight pivot and turn out of it. Learn to fall out like that comfortably. We want to get comfortable falling out of handstand in the middle of the room. When we get it comfortable we can balance and remove the fear.)

-Hero blanket rolled up between calf and hamstring start and knee join and move back towards sit bones and heels)

-anjaneyasana quad- standing splits- handstand hops 

-Torture pose anjaneyasana knee in floor shin up wall (kidney loop)

-Supta handstand feet on wall, thighs down, ribs in, shoulders integrated, extend

-Kick up handstand at wall. Practice kicking up with both legs. 

(If still can't get up put 2 bolsters stacked on top of each other at wall get a running start and through yourself up wall straight arms and top leg. Takes intense amount if courage and energy once you get up you can start taking some if the power out.)

-Cow face wrist massage, bind with strap keep working shoulder and core integration

-Double pigeon 

-Shavasana on 2 blankets zilophone folded with blanket used to support cervical curve

Alignment Theme for July

This month we will focus on the upper body. Due to the way we habitually live our life, the upper body tends to have certain areas that are chronically tight, which can be called "locked short" and corresponding areas that are chronically stretched and weak, which can be called "locked long".

• locked short muscles: pectoral muscles, anterior deltiod, upper trapezius and levator scapula.
• locked long muscles: rhomboids, serratus anterior, posterior deltiod, neck flexors. 

To bring balance to the upper body we need to strengthen what is weak/ "locked long" and lengthen what is tight/ "locked short". 'Tis the month of freedom, so I remind us: this is our choose! We are free to choose to stay stuck in our habits that bring us dis-ease, injuries, stress... or we can choice with our freedom to co-participate with life by mindfully aligning our body, mind and heart.