Prototypes Women's Center: Safe Touch: 1.28.13

We ventured into uncharted waters today and towards safe touch. We riffed off of the 1:30 class, about looking from the belly, into the a closer look at relationships with ourselves and others.

windshield wiper

eye of the needle

tadasana
hokey pokey

guitar hero

tadasana
forward fold

uttithatadasana with ujjaii breathing
tadasana

safe touch demo

safe touch exercise

discussion:how much it really does matter how we touch, see, talk, communicate, act, are with other people. This opens the door for many discussions about communication, the intelligence of the body,, etc.

easy spine twist

sit
Namaste

Prototypes Women's Center: Looking from the Belly: 1.28.13

The yogic texts talk a lot about quieting the mind. The purpose of this class together was to experiment with what actually takes place when we try to do that. The experiment was set up with some questions and dialog:

Yoga Chitta Vrittis Niradahah Yoga Sutra 1.2 and Hyrdya Chitta Samvrittes (in the 3rd chapter)

What does the heart want? Some of the answers were love, oxygen, blood, breath, relaxation,
What does addiction do? Some of the answers were isolate, disconnect, increase rate, decrease heart rate,

We had a discussion (and buy-in) that yogis suggest the heart wants to connect and saw that one reason addiction is so painful is because it is  a great source of disconnection.

Some movements to prepare the body:

seated cat and cow
shoulder shrugs
neck rolls
coat hanger arms
seated uttithatadasana with ujaii breath

breath in belly
breath in heart

experiment look from belly
experiment look from heart
repeat

write out results: found that from the belly was more tender, softer, less judgemental

discussion about a lot of recovery being 'heady' and 'theory bound' and offering the possiblity of letting the body be a great source. Theory of pulling the prana away from the head and into the body to notice we are already connected. We don't have to go up and out of ourselves: it is already so.

reminder presentation about the ANS

Homework: 1. look from the belly, and 2. breathe.

Sweet Vinyasa: Love is where I am not: 1.23.13

I am particularly inspired by my trip this weekend for the inauguration of President Obama, and listening to many express what it feels like to be 'seen'. Yogis have long suggested that not seeing clearly is the root of all our suffering. I pause to consider the relationship between seeing and being seen, and at least what I can gather from a preliminary investigation is that the two are inextricably interlinked and it seems like a really good thing for the world.

So we honed on seeing more clearly today, using breath, mantra, and movement, and tuned into a feeling tone of love.

Sit
So Hum mantra play

gratitude meditation
OM

cat
cow
barrell roll
balasana
puppy dog

easy side plank with side split play

plank
downdog

uttanasana with twist
tadasana
shoulder shrugs
shoulder rolls morphing to swamp monster and halleluja
uttanasana variation
uttithatadasana
tadasana

YAM

1/4 sun salutes
sun salute variation

downdog
baby cobra
locust

lunge
warrior I
(forgot parvatadasana)
warrior III
standing splits
pigeon
vinyasa with baby cobra and locust variation
other side

roll supine
knees to chest
bridge
meditation
bridge or wheel
twisted root with Texas Star

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: the view from within: 1.16.13

We played today to cultivate a view from within. Yogis are suggesting that seeing more clearly is the medicine for our suffering. Seeing more clearly takes practice.

We're moving towards the great annuniciation of Aham Brahman, Atman is Brahman, and towards 

windshield wiper
apanasana
twist
supine half frog
eye of the needle
rest
other side

cat/cow/barrel roll freestyle

easy side plank with flying dog

balasana variation

downdog play

uttanasana
uttithatadasana
uttanasana variation
tadasana
YAM

lunge
twisted lunge
hammock
horse
triangle
extended side angle
lunge
downdog
plank
sphinx
baby cobra
reverse windshield wiper
other side with matching heart play and hindu pushup play

downdog
pigeon
janushirsasana with side bend
downdog
other side

balasana

bridge
twisted root

savasana
sit
OM
namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Now. 1.14.13

ages from many spiritual traditions emphasize the now. We discussed how being the past or future is a limited vision (avidya), and that it gives the illusion of being in control (a product of asmita). We did our best to practice staying in the now, and noticing spaciousness within and that it feels like love.

Our primary tool was willingness, and we drew inspiration from Erich Schiffman's definition of Love, and Ravi's comment that 'seeing clearly is the key ingredient in Love'.

windshield wiper
right hip opener
twist
supine frog
eye of needle
rest
other side

sukasana side bending

cat/cow/barell roll
balasana variation

plank
downdog play (heels right and left and wide leg)

uttanasana with hamstring stretch and adrenal gland breathing
uttithatadasna with side stretch
uttanasna variation
tadasana
YAM

lunge
twisted lunge
hammock
horse with hand stretches
trikonasana
extended triangle
extended side angle
three leg dog

downdog
plank
baby cobra
locust
crocodile

all fours
three leg dog
other side standing sequence with heart match and hindu pushup in hammock

vinyasa with baby cobra, locust, swimming locust
balasana with Schiffman pause

navasana play x3

bridge
twisted root
OM

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste