Sweet Vinyasa: May All Beings Everywhere Be Happy And Free: Wednesday, June 19, 2014

Deeply  inspired by the retreat in Colorado with Tenzin Palmo and Lama Tsultrim, we explored the feeling tones of the Bodhisattva practice. And as Erich Schiffmann says, "be in the place where Love grows. Its good for others and its good for you".

Sit
Mantra Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

Windshield wiper

Half happy baby play

Cat and cow

Easy side plank

Down dog

Simple lunge salutes w crescent moon

Uttanasana
Tadassna

Tara mudra

Yam

Standing sequence:
Lunge
Twisted lunge
Warrior Ii dance
Triangle
Standing triangle
Peaceful warrior

Three leg DD

Baby cobra
Locust

Other side standing sequence

Puppy dog
Balasana

Rolling bridge
Rolling bridge with uddiyana Bandha

Eye of needle
Twisted root

Savasana
Bodhisattva breath

Sit
Om
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Professional of the Interior Landscape: Monday, June 9, 2014

Tenzin Palmo describes a yogi as "Professional of interior landscape". We cultivated turning our senses inward (pratyahara) with the alignment of wonder and a sense of awe.

Windshield wiper with dude stretch
Eye of the needle with hamstring stretch
Twisted root

Cat and cow

Balasana
Sphinx or seal
Crocodile

Plank
Down dog
uttanasana
tadasana

uttanasana variation

standing sequence pattern #1
easy lunge salutes with low crescent

tadasana
YAM

standing sequence pattern #2
lunge
twisted lunge
warrior II dance
triangle
standing triangle
pigeon variation
downdog

baby cobra
locust

balasana with ajna meditation

other side standing sequence pattern #2

downdog
puppy dog
balasana

navasana play

bridge x2

easy spine twist

SO HAM meditation
Savasana

Sweet Vinyasa: Hey! Lookie Here! Wednesday, June 4, 2014

One of the definitions of yoga from the Bhagavad Gita is "yoga is breaking the bonds of suffering". Suffering is easy to see and is the ordinary attachments of the mind. It takes practice, abhyasa, to reverse the usual ways of seeing to experience deeper Truths. We attempted to cultivate our divine eyes to see the beauty inside that is unchanging, always is and always was.

One of the ways we know we are not seeing clearly, according to the sages, is to take the imperament for the permanent. (I haven't been able to let this last lesson come though in the classroom yet).

windshield wiper

eye of the needle
half happy baby play
rest

seated janushirsasana with twist and side stretch

cat and cow
sphinx/seal

downdog

easy side plank

balasana

tadasana
uttanasana
uttitadasana
uttanasana variation

downdog

standing sequence:
lunge
hammock
warrior I with tippie toe play
pigeon variation

baby cobra
cobra

other side standing sequence

downdog

plank play

barrel roll

balasana

bridge x 2
cosmic rest

twist

heart opener over bolster with pranayama play

savasana

sit
Namaste

Yin Yoga: Slow Down And Enjoy The View: Tuesday, June 3, 2014

We let the slow speed and internal awareness tether us to deeper truths than surface tensions and played with the definition of yoga offered by the Bhagavad Gita as "yoga is breaking the bonds of suffering".

windshield wiper

eye of the needle

butterfly (3.5 mins)

swan (3 mins each side)

balasana
dragon (3.5 mins each side)

sphinx/seal (3 mins)
crocodile

twisted root (3 mins each side)

sit or savasana (12 mins)

namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Yoga Is Breaking The Bonds Of Suffering: Monday, June 2, 2014

Breaking the bonds of suffering is one of the definitions of yoga. The kleshas are a yogic map of how we attach to suffering, and its often easier to see than deeper Truths. One way to begin to see and experience is simply to have a willingness to detach.

Rumi helped us align to the teachings with his poem

Knock, and He'll open the door
Vanish, and He'll make you shine like the sun
Fall, and He'll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, and He'll turn you in to everything.




At wall pada gustasana

Supine pranayama with lung and breath exploration

Downdig

Cat and cow
Balasana with side stretch

Plank
Downdog

Lunge salutes w crescent

Plank
Uttanasana
Downdog

Tadassna
Shoulder rolls and shrugs
Uttanasana


Standing neck stretches

Lunge
Side angle
Trikonasana
Standing trionasana
Lunge

Baby cobra
Locust

Other side standing sequence

Baby cobra
Cobra

Plank
Downdog
Uttanasana

Tadassna

At wall
Foot stretches on half moon
Tree


Tadasana
Uttanasana

Tadasana

Standing pada gustasana play

Rolling bridge with easy breath
Rolling bridge with kumbaka

Eye of the needle
Twisted root

Savasana

Sit
Om
Namaste