Stiff White Guys 8.8.09

I love the opportunity to substitute teach. Its always like a huge gift that flies out of nowhere. Although its a little scary and sometimes intimidating, I always find that gratitude melts that negative energy away. I took the early class which was subbed by Alana and it was lovely, so I was in a really great place, personally speaking, to share with the SWG class. 

Heart opener with breath on bolster

breath awareness

windshield wiper

supine rest

cat

dog

balasana with side stretch

1/4 dog

plank

downward facing dog

tadasana (totally forget uttitatadasana with side stretch)

lunge salutes

from second side

sphinx

cobra

locust

downdog

tadasana

at wall (Alana and I talked before class about these stretches so I used them for the first time, always scary, and it wasn't the smoothest thing I've ever done but I love this work at the wall and think its a great technique that I want to explore more. Thanks for the nudge Alana!)

right angle pose with breath

Warrior III left side

forward fold

malasana

other side

Warrior I at wall

other side

Tadasana at front of mat

step back to Warrior I

dandayama bipaktapada forward fold straight back 

WarriorIII

tadasana

forward fold to release

other side

malasana

eye of the needle both sides

easy spine twist

soothing heart meditation with breath

supported savasana

sit

Namaste!

Strong Vinyasa 8.07.09

Some demos are better than others. I wished I'd slowed down in extended plank demo to explain in a bit more detail. Totally forgot the useful detail of coming to the sole of the bottom foot, for example.

This sequence was what came out in my private pre-class play.

Sitting heart opener

3 OMS

windshield wiper

3 part leg stretch breath awareness

easy camel

toe torture

toe stand

tadasana/uttitatadasana

standing side bend

forward fold

other side side bend

hammock stretch

lunge

tiger pose

other side

lower to sphinx/seal

cat/cow

barrell roll

downward facing dog

plank play

dowward facing dog

tadasana

YAM

lunge

side angle with shoulder opener

half bound side angle

ardha chandrasana

standing splits

lunge

twisted lunge

plank

rolling plank play

slow vinysasa

dowward dog/balasana/headstand (all opted for headstand..it was a 'strong' strong class!)

met in balasana

hamstring stretch/hanamunasana play with breath (all opted for hanamunasana!)

three legged dog

revolved dog with urdha dhanurasana option

other side

balasana

demo extended plank for option in plank second set

tadasana

YAM

lunge 

side angle with shoulder opener

bound side angle

ardha chandrasana with natarajasana play

standing splits

lunge

twisted lunge

plank play to extended plank

downdog 

slow vinysasa

other side 

after vinyasa

balasana/headstand/downdog option focused on breath

meet in balasana/3rd eye rest

pigeon

mermaid play

supine tree

other side

twisted root both sides

supported savasana

sit 

Namaste!

Yoga for Recovery 8.6.09

Breath! Breath! Breath! Tapping into internal intelligence and internal energy source. Moving very slowly, very deliberately. 

Heart opener on bolster with breath awareness

OM

windshield wiper

3 part supine leg stretch

lotus foot opener

easy camel with breath

toe torture

toe stand

tadasana

side stretch with forward bend

hammock

lunge salutes

lower to sphinx/seal

cat/cow with breath

barrell roll

downward facing dog

uttanasana

gorilla pose

tadasana

warrior I

eagle arms

eagle

warrior III

standing splits

other side

releasing to slow vinyasa

balasana

camel play

dancer's pose

pigeon

supine tree

other side

spine  twist

savasana

sit

Namaste

I found this quote posted on the studio wall of Yoga Soup in Santa Barbara. 

"It is not necessary to teach others, to cure them or improve them, it is only necessary to live among them, sharing the human condition and being present to them in love."  Charles de Foucould

Yoga for Recovery 8.4.09

There is a bouquet of roses and tubarose in the studio that smells SO good! 

I've been wanting to play with Dancer's pose for a while but kept running out of time. Natarajasana is such a sweet backbend and heart opener that I wanted to make sure there was some backbending and thigh lengthening before we played with the pose. All that and balancing on one leg!

I used to practice this pose all the time when I was practicing a lot of Bikram. It was always a challenge for me...I was always chasing the full expression of the pose, trying to straighten my back leg to full splits. I looks so beautiful. It was so impossible.

It was fun to teach this rather relaxed version. Today I'm OK that my  'full expression' has my back knee bent. I like to literally 'dance' with this pose and I tried to create the space for that idea in class today. I didn't really have a standing sequence pattern; this is the sequence that came out for me when I was playing on the mat before class and building towards Dancers pose. Think this needs some work still, but it turned out OK for today.

Heart opener on bolster

windshield wiper on bolster

supine awareness

supine spine curls

eye of needle

eye of needle twist

other side

sukasana side waist stretch

forward fold

other side

table top

easy camel with breath

toe stand

tadasana

standing side stretch both sides

forward fold

half arch

lunge salutes

from second side salute

sphinx/seal with lots of breath

cat/dog spine focus with breath

downward facing dog

tadasana

lunge

warrior I with swimming arms

eagle

slow step back to warrior i

peaceful warrior

slow yinyasa

other side

balasana

Camel play

lunge 

twisted lunge

hammock

lunge other side

twisted lunge

hammock

tadasana

Natarajasana play

Downward facing dog

balasana

windshield wiper

supine plow

viparita karni

plow

karni pedasana

one leg spine twist with reverse hip

other side

savasana

sit

Namaste!

Strong Vinyasa 8.02.09

I've been playing around in my own practice in this base sequence. I end up at the wall in drop backs/walkups in the backbending portion of the sequence but don't feel I'm ready to share it in a teaching capacity yet. Would have liked to have done the soothing heart meditation/breath at the end before savasana but ran out of time. 

Sunday mornings have always been my most favorite time of the week. Always, like since I was a kid. (Well there were a few years when Friday nights were right up there....). For me its like this cool energetic mix where one week ends, and another begins. Sundays taste and feel like freedom.

Sit

Heart Centering

Om Namo Gurudev Namo

heart opener on bolster

breath awareness

windshield wiper

supine rest and awareness

Half boat stretch left side

seated wide hip opener

rock the baby

sukasana/half lotus

forward fold

table top

other side

easy backbend from kneeling-breath

toe torture

toe stand

tadasana

side bending 

open heart forward fold

Hammock

twisted lunge

low lunge

tiger

low lunge with quad stretch option

slow vinyasa

leg lifts with hip opener

other side lunge sequence

tadasana

Warrior I swimming arms

Peaceful warrior

side angle

slow vinyasa

other side

tree

Warrior I

Warrior II

side angle

half moon

standing splits

float to tree

other side

from tree, tadasana standing in the light

uttanasana

downward facing dog 3 deep breaths

balasana with 3rd eye rest

bridge x2 with Urdhva Dhanurasana option

Half happy baby

3 part leg stretch with twist

shining star rest

savasana

sit

Namaste!

One Breath at a Time 8.01.09

Great energy in the room tonight! Was heading for vastistasana but it was too mellow and we never got there. It was more about really relaxing and breathing on a lovely summer Saturday evening. The class was like an energetic satsang and was very peaceful. 

Legs up the wall

Breath awareness

OM

eye of the needle at the wall

wide leg stretch at the wall

eye other side

baddha konasana at the wall

stretch out on back

windshield wiper

supine uttita tadasana

all fours

cat cow

barrell roll

plank 

downdog

easy side angle pose

tadasana

uttitatadasana

uttitatadasana with extended arms

YAM

easy lunge salutes

tadasana

lunge

side angle with shoulder opener

up to warrior II dance

trikonasana

forward fold

other side (forgot side angle yikes!)

from forward fold

tree 

other side tree

bridge with breath

viparita carne

plow

roll down to corpse

bridge

soothing heart breath and meditation

(planned to do a spine twist but everybody seemed very 'in the zone')

supported savasana

sit

3rd step prayer

Namaste!