Sweet Vinyasa: The Miracle of You: Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I have been particularly inspired lately by Einstein's quote:
"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle". One of the ways to start to see the abundant miracles everywhere is to quiet the mind. Yogis are always encouraging us  to bring the invisible visible, which requires new ways of seeing. The asana practice is a wonderful place to train ourselves in new ways of seeing.



Sit (5 mins)
OM

Cat and cow play
Barrell roll

Buddha foot w downdog

Easy side plank with twist

Downdog

Uttanasana
Malasana
Uttanasana with breath flow

Uttitha tadasana
Shoulder rolls
Uttanasana variation x2

Tadasana
YAM
1/4 sun salutes
1/4 sun salutes freedom style
Tadasana
YAM

Standing sequence:
Lunge
Prayer lunge
Warrior 11 dance
(Forgot triangle which feels awesome here!)
Low crescent
Hamstrung stretch
Three leg dog
Downdog






Repeat standing sequence other side



Rolling Plank
Rolling Updog

supine to reverse windshield wiper
sphinx or seal yin style
crocodile

eye of the needle with half happy baby play

savasana or legs up the wall

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Illumination and the Leaf Blower: August 21, 2013

There was a super loud leaf blower going on during our opening sit together. It was super fun to let the outside situation be a study for our insides.

We came to the discovery that in our center, away from surface and petty tensions there is a quiet that we can slip into. This is the place of wisdom or illumination.

sit
illumination meditation

discuss the leaf blower experience

cat
cow
balasana
downdog

puppy dog
sphinx
all fours with hip circles

downdog
uttanasana
malasana with cowboy negiciation

uttanasana
tadasana
shoulder shrugs and rolls
uttanasana varation x2
tadasana

guitar hero

standing sequence:
tadasana
uttanasana
lunge
trikonasana prep
trikonasna
warrior II dance
downdog

repeat standing sequence

downdog
rolling plank
demo
rolling plank

balasana

floor sequence:
supine windshield wiper
eye of the needle
twist
repeat floor sequence

supported savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Yin Yoga: Hippy Do Da: Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A small class with a request for hips.

Windshield wiper

Eye of the needle with 3 holds
Thread the needle
Half happy baby play
Rest

Half Virasana with 4 stage reclining poses

Half Janushirsasana with twist and side bend

Upavista konasana yin style

Box Yin Style

Upavista konasana at wall
Baddha konasana at wall
Eye of the needle at wall
Upavista konasana at wall

Walkabout

Sit (15 mins)
Namaste

Yoga: Salute to the Sun Within: Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The yogis say true knowledge come from the inside, not the outside and quieting the mind is required to hear illumination.

We let sutra 1.34 and 1.35 and the third chapter if the Chandogya Upanishad help us see our inner illumination more clearly.

Sit
Illumination meditation
OM

Cat
Cow
Balasana
Sphinx
Puppy dog

Plank
Downdog

Easy side plank

Downdog

Uttanasana
Tadasana

Shoulder rolls and shrugs
Uttanasana variation
Tadasana
Yam

1/4 sun salutes
Tadasana

Standing sequence:
Lunge
Triangle prep
Triangle
Warrior 11 dance
Low crescent with sundial pose
Pigeon variation
Three Leg Dog
Downdog








Standing Sequence other side
from Downdog:

Rolling plank
Rolling updog

Demo rolling plank

Rolling updog x2

Balasana

Baddha konasana with sun reach
(Was going to do half cow and forgot)

Eye of the needle
Twisted root
Savasana

Sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Logging time in Self-Trust: Monday, August 19, 2013

We used the hands, as the motor organ of the heart, and the sushumna central channel to feel our alignment with the ultimate Trustworthy.

Sit

Sukasana forward fold with two way side bend
sit

cat
cow
balasana

easy side plank with twist

plank
downdog
uttanasana
malasana with twist
uttanasana

tadasana
shoulder shrugs and rolls
uttanasana variation x2

tadasana
YAM

1/4 sun salutes
1/4 freestyle sun salutes

standing sequence:
tadasana
lunge
hammock
trikonasana
warrior II dance
downdog

rolling plank
rolling updog
(demo)
rolling updog

downdog

repeat standing sequence other side

downdog
rolling updog

floor sequence:
pigeon
rolling pigeon
supine tree
half happy baby play
eye of the needle
twisted root

roll to downdog
repeat floor sequence

savasana

sit
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Illumination: Monday, August 12, 2013

Ravi Ravindra described the feeling tone of stillness and silence as 'illumination'. This description has the same feel as inner knowing, or wisdom as described by Erich Schiffman.
Stillness and silence require a sacrifice of the me-me-me (asmita) and what we think we 'know'. Thinking primarily runs on habit. Reversing the flow of the tendency towards habit takes practice. So we practiced today with an extra effort towards quieting the mind. We used Crow pose as a visible means of turning our will over to the path of the heart.
Sit
Windshield wiper
Side length
Eye with twist and side bend
Downdog
Uttanasana
Tadasana
Shoulder Rolls and shrugs
Guitar hero
Shaking
Uttanasana with lean
Uttanasana with twist
Malassna with 4 mudras (Schiffmann)
Downdog
All 4's heavy hands
Slow
Downdog
All fours
Cat cow and shoulder play
Side bending
Barrel roll
Hip circles
Waltzing Matilda
Balasana
Vriksasana
YAM
Plank
Downdog
Lunge
Side angle prep
Trikonadama
Extended trikonasana with bent arm
Lunge
Low crescent
Vinyasa
Other side
Crow play
Malasana
Uttanasana
Tadasana
Tree with mudra play
Uttanasana
Downdog
Sphinx
Seal
Twisted root
Savasana
Sit
Om
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Sutra 1.3: Wednesday, August 7, 2013

We spent some time in the idea of svarupe as luminosity (Ravi Ravindra on our recent retreat suggested this definition), and drawing from sutra 1.3.

(when the mind is still...then the seer abides in is own True Nature. (Tada Drashruh svarupe avasthanam).

We practiced the Buddha's suggestion of holding mindfulness in the body, observing both the tight spots and the obvious freedom spots.

windshield wipers with side stretch

eye of the needle prep with tilt
eye of the needle
repeat eye of the needle sequence

easy side plank with twist

plank
downdog

uttanasana
malasana with twist
uttanasana
uttithatadasana
tadasana
OM

Simple lunge salute

standing sequence #1
lunge
high lunge
prayer lunge
warrior II dance
peaceful warrior
side angle
lunge
downdog
repeat standing sequence #1

tadasana
finger stretch
prana play
YAM

standing sequence #2
lunge
warrior I
warrior III
standing splits
pigeon
three leg dog with wild thing option
other side standing sequence

downdog
rolling plank
rolling to updog

balasana

happy baby
twisted root

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Alano Club: Expanded View: Monday, August 5, 2013

The first suggestion, according to Patanjali to experience the yoga that already is, is to stop thinking so much. This is harder than it sounds because the mind tends towards dispersion and distraction.

We played in the techiniques of pratyahara and in to sutra 1.36 'experiencing the inner radiance free from joy"

Tranformation is not about becoming a new person, it is getting quiet enough to see the inner radiance that is already there.

sit (10 mins)

sukasana forward fold with two way side bend

eye of the needle with twist

tadasana

guitar hero
uttanasana

low crescent
balasana

reclining Buddha

savasana or sit  (12 mins)
expansion meditation

Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Aligning with internal order: Monday, August 5, 2013

Surrendering the small self is absolutely required in the path of yoga and the aligning with internal peace and quiet. The sanscrit term is vairagya. The yoga sutras talk about a higher vairagia and a lower vairagya-two distinct forces, one of attraction for the more subtle and quiet and bright and one of repulsion away from the dark and tight spots. Our practice today was with the higher vairagia (sutra  1.16). One of the descriptions of this alignment is "luminosity".
Patanjali mentions this in sutra 1. 36 - inner radiance free from sorrow.

This practice was inspired by the idea that transformation is not changing into someone else, but rather an alignment with the deepest parts of self and sacred order. This is a new learning for me about what the sages say about transformation and an interesting way to practice freedom from the known.
on bricks
pranayama with arms extended overhead
OM
sit (3 mins)
cat and cow
balasana
puppy dog
table top balance play
easy side plank
downdog
uttanasana
uttithatadasana
uttanasana variation
repeat
tadasana
YAM
standing sequence #1
lunge
twisted lunge
hammock
warrior II dance with gaze on back foot then over heart
baby cobra and locust
barell roll
other side standing sequence #1
plank play
tadasana
standing neck stretches
standing sequence #2
lunge
side angle prep
trikonasana
half moon
standing splits
pigeon
three leg dog
other side standing sequence #2
downdog
baby cobra to cobra
roll supine
happy baby
bridge
closing sequence:
eye of the needle
twisted root
texas star
repeat closing sequence
savasana or sit
sit
OM
Namaste