Prototypes Women's Center. It is true? 4.11.11

During check in, most women reported being in a state of agitation. We've talked a lot about the breath (and 'taking a deep breath' is found in many of the coping skills workshops offered here), but today we checked out, for real.

Sutra 1.34 prachchhardana vidharanabhyam va pranayama
The mind is also calmed by regulating the breath, particularly attending to exhalation and the natural stilling of breath that comes from such practice.

We OM'ed for the first time! The women were fascinated on how much longer they could exhale with OM. Would have like to have offered a bridge, but we didn't have enough time.

We worked in a balance of playfulness and introspection, and connected deeply with the value of sutra's 1.34's suggestion.

Check in

Supine
3 part breath
Discussion

Sukasana side bending

Malasana
Uttanasana w hamstring stretch
Uttithatadasana
Tadasana

Shiffman Hokey Pokey

Grounding Tadasana
OM to lengthen the breath

Lunge salutes with crescent

Tree

Malasana

Navasana play (per request)

Easy spine twist

Guided relaxation meditation
Savasana

Sit
Namaste!

Yoga Blue: A practice of looking. 4.9.11

Sutra 2.4 states the root cause of suffering is avidya. We practiced 'seeing' , not with the eyes, but with our feeling tones, noticing things as they are. We incorporated a short meditation at the end to take our looking practice deeper than the body.

Uttanasana
tadasana
uttithatadasana
tadasana
OM

uttanasana
malasana with cowboy negociation

paschimotadasana

seated twist w/one leg extended
seated side stretch

cat
cow
balasana
puppy dog

plank
downdog

uttanasana
tadasana
OM

lunge
hammock
low crescent
low crescent with quad stretch
hamstring stretch
downdog

sphinx
balasana
downdog
other side

uttanasanaa
utkatasana
tadasana
RAM

walkabout

tadasana
OM
uttanasana
lunge
warrior I dance
parsvotadasana
warrior III
standing splits
lunge
pigeon

three leg dog
downdog
plank
low cobra
locust
locust variation
cat
balasana

plank
downdog
other side

from locust

bridge x2

seated meditation (5 mins)

twisted root

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste!

Prototypes Women's Center. At the speed of Yin. 4.7.11

1st time to offer a yin practice at Prototypes. It was a late afternoon session so the energy was more receptive than our early afternoon classes, and all who attended were willing to try a new style of practice. There were only 6 today, and all have attended my groups before. Having a history together and a relationship helped, I think.

When I first mentioned we were to practice yin, immediately one woman said "yin? Like yang?". This question came from something she had heard of more than had expereince or knowledge about, but it was a useful starting point to talk about the elements of yin, in comparison with our more active practice. However, their eyes began to soon glaze over with that look of "what is this woman taking about", so I quit talking, and put them into their first pose. Spent talking points on just the physical and breath. Towards the end of practice I spoke about the elements of surrender and grace.

I asked a lot of questions between sets and sides and the women used words like "felt my hip, my ankles ached, it feels tingly on my right side". In general the women described feeling into their physical bodies, until the end were there more emotional words like lighter, calmer, more awake, comfortable, heavier (grounded). At the end of class nobody moved and continued to try to put words to this experience of 'not doing very much and feeling different'. The general consensus was the practice was "Rad", which I think is a positive term (?), and they said they would like to practice yin again.

Butterfly
rest

Swan (they loved this name!) or eye of the needle at wall
rest
other side
rest

sphinx/seal
rest
balasana

twisted root
rest
other side
rest

sit/check in

Namaste

11th Step Meditation. 12 Steps as Posture. 4.7.11

The reading of Ravi Ravindra's translation and commentary on Sutra 2.26-2.48 (The Wisdom of Patajali's Yoga Sutras, pp.103-105) lead us in an interesting discussion of the similar process of asana (physical posture) and working the 12 steps. Some similarites are ongoing practice, more will be revealed, effort and ease, attitude in alignment, connecting to higher source, and feeling more comfortable in our own skin.

windshield wiper

eye of the needle
twist

sukasana side bending

downdog
uttanasana

tadasana
shimmy

sit (20 min)

Read

share

sit (3 mins)
Namaste

Vinyasa Basics: Alignment and Attitude. 4.7.11

Inspired by Ravi Ravindras writings about Sutra 2.46. Sthira-sikham asanam, particularly that right posture and alignment is not to be taken only in the physical sense. The suggestions of 1.33 can be useful when finding tight spots. Although asanas, the third limb of the eight limb path, refer to physical posture, the mental and emotional postures are also important in the ongoing search for right aligment.

We spent some time feeling into earth energy and the muladhara chakra to ground in our asanas in an effort to deeply feel emotions rising from the heart. We played with the air element of the heart as spaciousness.

sit

sukasana side bending
paschimotadasana
other side

malasana
uttanasana
uttithatadasana

tadasana
LAM
lunge
hammock
tiger

downdog
sphinx
cat
balasana

other side
uttanasana
utkatasana
tadasana
YAM

lunge
warrior I dance
three leg dog
revolved dog

baby cobra
locust
balasana
other side

downdog

plank play both sides

vinyasa

pigeon

ardha matsendrasana
paschimotadasana
other side
supine prasarita padottadasana

bridge
supine baddha konasana
bridge
sacrum and heart gratitude meditation

twisted root

supported savasana

sit
OM
Namaste!

Vinyasa Basics: Hanging out beneath the breath. 4.5.11

Heart opener over bolster
YAM
windshield wiper

supine rest

eye of the needle

cat
cow
balasana
puppy dog

plank
downdog

uttanasana with hamstring stretch

uttithatadasana
tadasana

lunge
twist
low crescent
downdog
plank
baby cobra
locust
cat
balasana
three leg dog
lunge
other side

uttanasana
utkatasana

tadasana
RAM

lunge
hammock
warrior II dance
vinyasa
other side with OMing W2 release

pigeon
mermaid prep
supine tree
bridge

vinyasa
other side pigeon seqeunce

gratitude meditation

twisted root
rest
other side

supported savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Prototypes Women's Center. Addiction and the Brain: Disease OF Choice. 4.4.11

Watched Dr. Kevin McCauly's film "Pleasure Unwoven" with comments and
questions afterwards. Some of the points of interest were

Places of the brain: particularly mid brain (reptilian) and frontal
cortex.

Is addiction disease or choice? Is it a disease OF choice?

Episode of the Madeline and pleasure system gone a rye.

Hypofrontality and loss of insight.

Genuine suffering of craving.

Recovery happens!
Stop dopamine surges (abstinence)
Manage craving
Stress management
Frontal cortex recover
Hedonic system resets