Sunday, July 27, 2014

Temple Road Yoga: Teaching Yoga to Addicts: I Think Jesus Just Walked In The Door: Sunday, July 27, 2014

The sutras say the 8 limb path is the path of viveka. We reviewed how the eight limbs have touch our hearts this weekend, and put emphasis on ahimsa to assist us deepening our relationship with inner guidance.

Kosha chanting and Prayers

8 Limb Path Discussion

Practice:
Impressing the Heart at the wall
supine pada gustasana at teh wall

OMG with flying dog

plank
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana
guitar hero
shoulder opener with strap

uttanasana
malasana with cowboy negociation

tadasana

at wall
side stretch with breath and jyotir aham breath

wall dog
tadasana

partner work with:
breath with loved one and prayer for peace
breath with difficult one and prayer for peace
jyotir aman breathing

partner work with standing backbends at wall

assisted drop backs

freeform

savasana

BREAK

Natural "planning" model by the Cosmos
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

OM
Namaste


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Teaching Yoga to Addicts: Temple Road Yoga: Kosha and Connection: Saturday, July 26, 2014


According to Patanjali (Sutra 2.2), the purpose of yoga is to relax the grip on what is keeping us small and disconnected. The koshas are a model that can help us see more clearly in the many layers of the self so we can see the deeper Truth. To be in the place of Truth is good for us, and its good for others.

We endeavored to align with the deepest part of ourself and discovered how suffering happens as a result of not seeing clearly.

Legs up wall
Eye at wall
Upavista at wall

Sit
Ananda breath

Easy side plank with rounding

Plank
Downdog

Uttansana

Shoulder rolls and shrugs
Standing neck stretches
OM

Downdog

Supported downdog demo

Partner downdog

Downdog

Low lunge with hamstring stretch

Seated meditations
Experiment #1 "May you be happy, May you be Free" with loved one.
Experiment #2 "May you be happy, May you be Free" with difficult being
Experiment #3 "May you not be happy, free, or anything good for you" with difficult being.

Twist

Savasana

Break

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu chanting
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu kirtan bath
M led us out with an OM

Namaste

Friday, July 25, 2014

Teaching Yoga to Addicts: Temple Road Yoga: Practice, Peace, and Clarity: Friday, July 25, 2014



Welcome Yogis
Prayer for Peace and Clarity

Some talking points:
Relationship
Shiva and Parvati
"No learning can happen without Love"
Compassion

Practice:
Windshield wiper w holds

Eye if the needle
Sutra 1.2 to 1.4 meditation

Cat and cow
Barrel roll

Puppy dog with lung meditation

Sphinx and seal

Plank
Downdog

Uttanasana
Tadasana

1/4 Sun Salutations

Downdog

Low crescent lunge salutes

Seated meditation sharing yoga with loved one.

Bridge

Easy twist or twisted root

Savasana

Break

Circle
Planning model and journal

Sharing

T's Question regarding triggering poses

A lead us out with an OM
Namaste

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Sweet Vinyasa: Green Tara and Touching Others: Wednesday, July 23, 2014



We let the image of Green Tara hold us as we found ourselves grounded and connected to source while simulaneously offering ourselves to another. We endeavored to, as Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, "see the self in other, and others in the self".

Heart opener over bolster

Sukasana side bending
Sit

Cat and cow
Plank
Downdog

Lunge salutes with low crescent

Downdog
Uttanasana
Tadasana

Shoulder rolls and shrugs

Standing neck stretches

At wall
Side stretches lung awareness
Side stretches low back awareness

Tadasana
Yam

Lunge
Warrior I
Parsvatadasana
Warrior iII
Pigeon

Three leg dog

Baby cobra
Locust

Others side

Downdog

Baby cobra
Swimming locust

Balasana

Green Tara mudra offering

Supine pada gustasana with twist

Bodhisattva meditation

Savasana

Sit
Om
Namaste

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Yin Yoga: The Miracle of Everything: Tuesday, July 22, 2014

We let the practice of yoga soften the grip (sutra 2.2) so we could better see the miracle of everything.

windshield wiper

eye of the needle

butterfly (5 mins)

swan (3.5 mins each side)

balasana (2 mins)
Dragon (3 mins each side)

reverse windshield wiper

Sphinx or Seal (4 mins)

Twisted root (3.5 mins each side)

Sit or Savasana (10 mins)

Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Sutra 2.42: Monday, July 21, 2014

Sutra 2.42

Ease with the way things are leads to unsurpassed joy. Seeing more clearly is the path to ease.

Ease is easier to see with practice

Windshield wiper
Wrist twirls
Full body stretch

Supine neck stretches

Supine pada gustasana with twist

Cat and cow

Easy side plank

Plank
Down dog

Uttanasana
Tadasana

Yam

Lunge
Side angle prep
Trikonassna
Pigeon variation

Three leg dog

Sphinx
Seal
Crocodile

Other side

Down dog
Side plank play

Down dog
Puppy dog with lung meditation
Balasana

Plank
Downdog

Standing pada gustasana

Uttanasana
Malasana

Bridge
Reclining goddess
Bridge or wheel
Cosmic rest

Spine twist

Savasana

Sit
Om
Namaste

Monday, July 14, 2014

Sweet Vinyasa: Reversing the Habitual Flow of Me Me Me: July 14, 2013

Sutra 2.2 says the practices of yoga are to loosen the grip. The grip is holding us back from seeing more clearly to joy that is. Yogis for a long time have been trying to help us see that. But as humans we are often stuck in our habitual patterns that keep us small.

The practices of a Bodhisattva ask us to not only loosen the grip on our selves, but do it so that we can benefit others which is harder to do than it seems because it requires we break our patterns of me me me.

windshield wiper

supine hip rotation
supine twist
eye of the needle with hamstring option
half happy baby

cat and cow
sphinx seal

balasana

plank
downdog play
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana
uttithatadasana
uttanasana variation
tadasana

guitar hero

tadasana

standing sequence:
lunge
hammock
warrior II with tippe toe
downdog

baby cobra
locust

tadasana
bodhisattva prayer
YAM

other side standing sequence

boat play

bridge x2
bobhisattva prayer

twisted root with Texas star

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste






Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Sweet Vinyasa: Breathing Like a Bodhisattva: Wednesday, July 9, 2014

A bodhisattva is one who seeks enlightenment, freedom, love not for oneself, but for the benefit of others as a way to find freedom (as Ravi says) not for oneself, but from oneself.

We played with the alignment of sending loving breaths and thoughts to another as a way to find a release from asmita.

at wall
windshield wiper
long stretch
supine pada gustasana with strap

easy side plank at wall

cat and cow
sphinx/seal

plank
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana
uttithatadasana
uttanasana variation

easy lunge salutes with low crescent

tadasana
bodhisattva breath
YAM

standing sequence:
lunge
side angle
trikonasana
peaceful warrior
pigeon variation
three leg dog

baby cobra
locust
balasana

other side standing seqeuence

bridge x2
reclining goddess with bodhisattva breath

twisted root

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Yin Yoga: May You Be Happy, May You Be Free: Tuesday, July 8, 2014

We used the mantra "May You Be Happy, May You Be Free" as a way to soften our internal and external tight spots in a study of relationship and into the wisdom of Ramana Maharishi who is rumored to have said "there are no others".

Windshield wipers
Half Happy Baby Play

Butterfly (5 mins)

Swan (4 mins each side)

Half Saddle (3.5 mins each side)

Sphinx or Seal (5 mins)

Twisted Root (3.5 mins each side)

Supine Bodhisattva Prayer

Savasana

Namaste

Monday, July 7, 2014

Sweet Vinyasa: Soften the Resistance To Love: Monday, July 7, 2014

The alignment of Love is, we resist it. Which causes great suffering. One of the definitions of yoga is "breaking the bonds of suffering". The techiniques of yoga help us do that. We also leaned in on the teachings from the 37 Practices of A Bodhisattva to help us.

at Wall
windshield wiper
supine pada gustasana using strap and wall

loving kindness meditation

cat and cow
balasana
sphinx/seal
crocodile

plank
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana

shoulder shrugs and rolls
tadasana
downdog

low crecents pose with side dips

downdog
uttanasana
tadasana
bodhisattva prayer
YAM

standing sequence:
lunge
side angle
trikonasana
prayer warrior
downdog

baby cobra
locust

other side standing sequence

downdog

pigeon
side stretch

downdog
locust variation

balasana

supported heart opener
gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi swaha

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Yoga: Willingness to be surprised: Thursday, July 3, 2014

Subbed a last minute class here for this one and instead of panicking, I fell into alignment with a suggestion by Ravi Ravinda ..a willingness to be surprised.

A willingness to be suprised is a willingness to let go of thinking that I know the best alignment and a willingness to show up fresh and follow along with a bigger, higher, less obvious perhaps action. Yogis are always asking us to bring more visible to the invisible, more consciousness to the unconscious, more sacredness to the unseen.

During our sit, loud ambulance sirens rang out. Erich Schiffmann suggests when we hear this unexpected noise we send love out to the person that the sirens are going to see. This is a practice of a bobhisattva..one who seeks enlightenment not for one's own sake, but for that of another being...and all beings.

This whole practice was spontaneous and fresh, and a lot of fun to share. It helped me see what the yogis talk say about being in the fresh and unknown and unplanned, dropping the "I", and experiencing directly the joy and beauty that simply is.

Sit
Siren meditation
YAM

eye of the needle
half happy baby play

cat and cow
balasana
sphinx/seal
crocodile

plank
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana

shoulder rolls and shrugs

uttanasana

standing sequence:
lunge
hammock
side angle prep
trikonasanana
extended trikonasana
lunge
twisted lunge

downdog
baby cobra
locust

other side standing sequence

easy side plank

downdog
puppy dog


reclining Buddha

bridge x 2

twisted root
bodhisattva meditation

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Sweet Vinyasa: A Thousand Arms and A Thousand Eyes: Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Avalokiteshvara is compassion appearing as a deity. 1000 arms to help others and a thousand eyes to see clearly. We used her to align our hearts and minds today.

Sit

Seated forward fold with two way side bend

Cat and cow
Balasana
Sphinx or seal

Downdog

Low crescent pose

Down dog
Uttanasana

Tadassna

Uttanasana variation x2

Tadassna
Heart tapping

Tadasana
Gratitude meditation
YAM

Standing sequence:
Lunge
Twisted lunge
Warrior II dance
Pigeon
Mermaid


Downdog
repeat standing sequence

Tadasana
Malasana with bodhisattva prayer

Tadasana

Dancing Avalokiteshvara pose

Malasana

Eye of the needle
Half happy baby play

Twisted root

Savasana

Sit
OM
Bodhisattva prayer
Namaste



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Yin Yoga: Meeting Avalokiteshvara: Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Avalokiteshvara is the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. We used her as our guide in our practice this evening.

Sit (5 mins)

Butterfly (5 mins)

Balasana
Dragon (3.5 mins)
Swan (3 mins)

Sphinx/Seal (4 mins)

Twisted Root (3.5 mins each side)

Sit (15 mins)

Namaste