Sweet Vinyasa: Intimacy with what is. 10.22.12

Inspired by our upcoming Crib event, the theme today was intimacy. We nourished ourselves with the feeling tones of willingness and wonder, and tried to loosen our grip on what we "know".

We endeavored to touch Freedom as taught by Ravi Ravindra "freedom not for ourselves, but freedom from ourselves", and playing to find our centers as THE center.

windshield wiper

supine side waist stretch

eye of the needle with hip rotation play
twisted root
other side

supine gratitude meditation
OM for abundance

supported reclining Buddha over bolster

sukasana

malasana
cowboy negociation with heart opener

uttanasana with hamstring stretch
tadasana

shoulder shrugs and rolls
uttansana variation

lunge salutes with blanket support

downdog
plank
baby cobra
locust locust variation

downdog
lunge
warrior I
pyramid
warrior III
pigeon
three leg dog
other side

balasana

windshield wiper

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Holy Waters Within. 10.15.2012

We've been playing in the manipura and using practices to notice, feel, and connect to the jewels within. Riffing off this, there is a particularly striking example of tuning to the magnificence within in the Darshana Upanishad 4.53 (as brought to me by Ravi in his book 'the Spiritual Roots of Yoga', p. 55). We used this verse as the inspiration for the class today and used the swadisthana as our main area of focus:

"the tirthas of your body
infinitely surpass those of the world,
and the tirtha-of-the-soul is the greatest of them:
the others are nothing beside it."

windshield wiper
supine pada gustasana and twist with strap

easy side plank

cat/cow
balasana

balasana variation

plank
downdog play
uttanasana
uttithatadasana
tadasana
VAM

lunge
twisted lunge
hammock
low crescent
other side
vinyasa with baby cobra, locust, and locust variation

crocodile

all fours pelvis rotation

plank
downdog

lunge
hammock
exhalted warrior
warrior II
trikonasana
pigeon
three leg dog with revolved dog option
other side

vinyasa with locust and locust varation

supine windshield wiper

bridge
heart meditation

twisted root

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Practicing Surrender: 10.8.12

In my recent practice of surrender and closer looking I have come to love Ojai and Lulu Bandhas more than ever. And I'm learning to enjoy my life for real.

windshield wiper

cosmic rest with gratitude meditation

eye of the needle with internal and external rotation

happy baby
supine wide angle stretch

cat/cow

easy side plank

balasana with earth offering
OM

plank

downdog play

uttanasana
uttithatadasana
tadasana

YAM

lunge
warrior I
pyramid
lunge
three leg dog
plank
sphinx
downdog
other side with baby cobra and locust

downdog
uttanasana
gorilla
uttithatadasana

shoulder shrugs
shoulder rotation
standing neck stretches

tadasana
LAM

lunge
warrior I
eagle arms
eagle
warrior III
standing splits
pigeon
vinyasa with locust variation
other side

supine
happy baby

twisted root

savasana

sit
OM
namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Let your Light Shine: 9.26.12

We used attachments to guide us towards freedom.

windshield wiper

janushirsasana with twist using strap at wall

cat/cow freeform

easy side plank with flying dog

plank
downdog
uttanasana with twist

uttithatadasana
tadasana
RAM

shoulder rotations
uttanasana variation

standing neck stretches

tadasana
YAM

lunge
low crescent
twisted lunge
hammock
trikonasana
extended trikonasana
side angle
lunge
uttanasana
tadasana
standing ganesha

downdog
plank
baby cobra
downdog
other side with skandasana

vinyasa (out of order but I think it was OK)
standing ganesha

vinysasa with locust variation

eye of the needle
twisted root

other side

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Asmita, Attachments, and Freedom: 9.24.12

Attachments get a bad wrap. As Ravi Ravindra has said, Asmita is a good servant, but a terrible master. We played in the realm of feeling asmita and used movement, breath, and mantra to make our way to freedom, just on the other side!

Some of the physical landmarks were the feet (motor organ of the will), the hands (motor organ of the heart), the manipura, and the anahata.

windshield wiper
at wall janushirsasana and twist using strap

easy side plank with flying dog

balasana
sphinx

balasana variation

plank
downdog

downdog play

uttanasana
uttanasana w twist

uttithatadasana
tadasaana

shoulder shrugs
shoulder openers with strap

tadasana
angeli mudra
YAM

lunge
twisted lunge
hammock
triangle
extended triangle
extended side angle
lunge
low crescent
lunge
uttanasana
tadasana

standing balance pose
tadasana
uttanasana
downdog
plank
baby cobra
locust variation
all fours
other side

from vinyasa

downdog
curling dog landing in pigeon
seated twist
cow face with tilt
 
other side

paschimotadasana

supported heart opener over bolster

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Sweet Vinyasa: Jewels Within: 9.19.12

The manipura translates as "city filled with jewels". We used the practice of breath, movement, and mantra to connect to our internal jewels.

chair at wall
Patricia Sullivan brahmari pranayama
manipura meditation
RAM

cat
cow
balasana
sphinx

easy side plank with flying dog

downdog with heels play

uttanasana
utttithatadasana
tadasana
OM

shoulder shrugs
shoulder rolls
swamp monster/halleluja

standing neck stretches

tadasana
YAM

lunge
hammock
triangle
extended trikonasana
side angle
lunge
low crescent
lunge
uttanasana
tadasana
other side with squirt pose from hammock

downdog
plank
baby cobra
locust
locust variation
balasana

navasana play

pea pod

eye of the needle
twist
other side

savasana

sit
OM
Namaste

Prototypes Women's Center: Please breathe. 9.17.12

True or False?

“The process of breathing is the most accurate metaphor we have for the way that we personally approach life, how we live our lives, and how we react to the inevitable changes that life brings us.”

-------- Donna Farhi “The Breathing Book”

Discussion of Farhi's quote and review of 'homework' (next time you are in a state of 'crisis' or 'tight spot')

Some popular references to the breath:

“A breath of fresh air”

“You take my breath away”

“I couldn’t catch my breath”

“Simply breathtaking!”

“She was breathing down my neck”

“I need some breathing room”

“I breathed a sign of relief”

“’I’m taking a breather”

Breath as Spirit/Soul and some examples from other cultures:

Greek – psychie pneuma = breath/spirit/soul

Latin – anima spiritus = breath/soul

Japanese – ki = air/spirit

Sanscrit – prana = vital life force

Chinese – “of the conscious self or heart”

Breathing Exercise at Wall - finding more breathing room. What it actually feels like. We also touched on the primary and secondary muscles of respiration.

 

Breathing meditation - notice the breath, the length of the inhale and exhale, the texture of the breath, the qualites of your breath.

 

“Since it is naturally inside you, you do not have to seek outside for it”

----Master Great Nothing of Sung-Shan, Taoist Canon on Breathing