More from Blue Lake Ranch

Here's a version of the day three sequence from the PW workshop this summer at Blue Lake Ranch. Remember no practice next week (Sept 2). but we are back on the next.

Sukasana Invocation.
AMVira relaxed,
AMS long
Utt shift weight toward hands and come up on toes.
AMS hands at wall
AMVrk at wall, then balancing in room with partner if possible, create maximum length
PM at wall and then balancing if possible extend strongly through feet.
Parsva Utt working more with length than turning
Sirsasana
Parsva Sirsasana
AMVira
Supt I with heel raised on block and work with block behind leg, did pavanmuktasana, and bent leg version first.
Tadasana long time. leaf of the foot, observing balance on each side.
Utthasta Padasana working on observing what changes occur to weight in feet
Trikonasana many times for practice show belt on back foot pull up on belt. Bottom hand thumb turns to get the abdomen to turn.
Prasarita Padottanasana to rest brain.
UP many times. Go down keeping back leg strong and descend from groin and abdomen, knee forward but move shin back (putting break on action of the knee). Partner, behind and pressing down on top arm to facilitate turning… extend from top of hip up to fingers and down to leg. Make sure legs are supporting you the whole time.
Prasarita Padottanasana
AC
Supta II bottom leg away from mid line, roll to opposite leg (with blanket roll under buttock then roll back working on turning from the pelvis.
AC take same Supta II actions into AC, hand down first,
Prasarita padottanasana
Parsva Utthita Padangushtansa
Vrk close eyes.
Utt
Salamba sarvangasana brief Halasana before and after.
Slide off to head side savasana.
Savasana


Major points in all these poses was the difference between muscle and skin. Muscle is motor neurons and skin is sensory neurons. The skin has to rest on the muscles the muscles should not protrude up to the sensory level. This is basically muscular energy.

Worked with same lines of the feet working on evenness of inside and outside of the foot and make these adjustments via perineum evenness, increases equanimity of mind. Have to take a class in such a way that it benefits you, not all instructions are for everyone. At least at the non-beginner level. With beginners, your primary job is to teach them how to learn.
 

Backward bends this week.

Here's what's on the docket for friday. Based on Day Two with PW at blue lake ranch

Sukasana invocation, empty the brain and feel fullness in the heart.
AMVira just resting,
AMVira active,
AMS very long hold,
Concave uttanasana,
AMS lift heels up to get height. Working with lifting the toes up and lifting the heels up and bending the knees to take torso back, lift head to move bottom of sternum forward.
Samasthiti, working with four lines of the feet, between big toe and second toe to the heel and between fourth and fifth two to heel then across the top of the arch and the top of the heel (bottom of arch) this awareness helps bring evenness to feet and awareness to levelness of perineum.
Keep that in UH.
Take the foot action into AMS.
Parsvotasana hands on hips and then stop half way then concave really work on bringing back hip around and stay half way to make sure pelvis is level. Then extend all the way down and sleep on the thigh.
Samasthiti again. Here we looked at the relationship between thighs back and thighs forward and the levelness of the perineum, instruct from the perieneum and brings awareness inward. Ie take back of perineum down.
toe scrunching, vajrasana but actually come as much on the tip toes of toes. Much more brutal this way.
Keep heels together, vajarsana, use strap if ankles are not together.
Then see what that foot work gives virasana.
Then parsvotasana full pose. But did paschima baddhangulisasana first to set the shoulder blades correctly. Be sure not to turn the legs at the same time because it shortens the stance, fully turn front leg, then turn the back leg and the eye on that side as well. ROAR reflection, observation, (or perceptive if you can’t actually see) absorption, repose
AMS

Sirsasana sirsasana prep. Do what you need to do to take thorasic in. With head lifed to work on opening the shoulders. Same four lines of foot work, stacking of the rib cage. Level perieneum here as well. Posterior ab toward interior spine.

Samkatasana, come up onto toes in UH and then down to samktasana.. then folded forward. Basically foot action of AMS to UMS. Did two or three times.
Uttansana coming to the very tips of the toes.


AMS.
To UMS
UMS Several times toes turned under working on keeping feet even and turning the back of the thighs out. and coming over toes. Levelize ankles. The legs should be super strong, then come forward onto tops of the feet and open the chest more and take head back.
AMS

Chair Dwi Pada working to get more verticality than coiling, press hands against back of chair. Press to lengthen. Put height on chair as needed to get enough height.
Chair dwi pada working on coiling, hands on back of chair, then underneath on sides, then palms up grabbing back of chair, pull to coil.. then fold elbows about head and work with motion to create more opening.
Chair dwi pada bringing hands first to the floor in Urdhva dhanurasana position, then headstand position.
Urdhva dhanurasana pushing up from chair, you come up more through the arms here, she showed that beginners usually push away from the wall.
Chair dwi pada reaching legs of the chair, showed both doing it with strap on front legs and with strap on back legs. We were supposed to try both but only did first one.
Urdhva dhanursana pushing up from chair (with hands on back of chair or seat of chair. A few times.
Urdhva dhanurasana pushing up from floor a few times..
Prasarita padottanasana, turn thighs out, head supported,
AMS head supported.
Savasana with knees bent observe state of self, heart should feel light and open. mini sam muki mudhra (did this first day too.)
Savasana legs on chair if you benefit from that otherwise flat.

Some forward bends this friday

Hi All, I thought we'd work through some of the sequences from my last study time with Patricia Walden this summer. Here's a nice one from day one. It is supposed to help adjust to altitude, I figure it will help adjust to heat also. It is a very lovely sequence.

See you there.

Sukasana lift from center of armpits


AMVira working on creating length
AMS legs and feet wide
AMVira
AMS normal width, move feet in until heels almost touch then press metatarsals down to move heels back and down.

Concave Uttansana then head down lengthen spine.

AMS heels in support head notice effect of head support.
AMS without head support and then with again.

Paryankasana vertical bolster one or two trifolded blankets depending on height and openness, vertical flat block. Belt thighs
Then removed block and did supta virasana switched cross of arms.

Chair dwi pada sitting on vertical bolster and trifold blanket point is to make the chair be like a backward bender. Stretch arms back, hands should not touch the floor. Belt thighs stretch heels very actively toward the floor.

Chair Bharadvajasana, reach arm around to back of the chair first and then second time reach arm all the way around to grab the side of the chair.
Prasarita padottansana twice,
Classic uttanasana

PP


AMS classic.


Sirsasana make sure skin of small finger is moving forward, be on the the center of the wrists lengthen little finger side. Extend thumbs toward each other, make sure that hands are open enough to accommodate head, lift inner arms and legs to come up, take middle buttock in and to the inner heel, keeping that firm rotate thighs in and bring big toes together. make the rib cage be as vertical/ square box as possible.



Supta Padangustasana I top leg vertical though do bent leg position first and level hips and roll bottom leg in.







BK

Long Janusirsasana series. Around the world JS.

First time just bring bent leg into 90 degrees don’t move hip back at all, first extend up, lift arms keep that height as you extend down over bent leg knee, can let Dandasana leg roll along with you. Work to get evenness in torso and length

Then extend forward between two legs this one is the real teacher for JS in terms of the ability to get evenness and length in both sides of the torso. Then extend torso in the inside of leg then over the leg.

Second round, bent leg in traditional JS position if you can keep the knee down in first position take it back, but not as far back as Parivritta. Same turn to bent leg, then between then inside, but this time rotate over extended leg as much as possible, then full pose.

Dandasana


Dandasana

M3,

Then full janu sirsasana same bent leg and see what M3 gave JS.

We did M3, JS, M3 JS..

Then do best JS and stay

Triangha muka paschimottansana

Supta Padangustasana I bringing leg in this time.
Dandasana, Parsva Dandasana


Parsva Paschimottansana

Paschimottasana legs a little bit apart.

Bharadvajasana I
Paschimottansana feet together.
Hanging uttanasana with eyes closed
*Sarvangasana and cycle
savasana,

Here's the sequence for Friday

This one is from Devon. It is actually a Guruji sequence, not a Geetaji sequence. She'll be leading us this week.

Tadasana
Hasta pada
Parsva hasta pada
Tada
Trikonasana
Parsvakona
Vira II
Ams – uttana
Ams again
Uttana
Vira I
Tada
Ams – uttana
Ams to A. Chandra side 1
Ams
Ams to A. Chandra side 2
Ams – uttana
Vira III stand on L leg
Tada
Ams
Vira III stand on R leg
Ams
Ams to parsvottana
Ams – uttana
Classical Parivrtta trikonasana
Prasarita padottasana
Virasana
Supta virasana
Sirsasana
Sarvangasana
Karna pidasana
Bent legs savasana
Prone savasana
Amvirasana to sitting upright.

Upcoming Iyengar Beginner Series at San Marcos School of Yoga

Hi Everyone,

Please spread the word that Anne will be offering a six week beginner series down in San Marcos at the San Marcos School of Yoga.

Beginning Iyengar Yoga with Anne Schultz
Monday Nights 5:30-6:45
September 12- October 17
6-session course
Beginning level
$60

This course is designed to introduce students to the practices and principles of yoga in a safe and effective way. This class is perfect for new or stiffer students who want to learn the basics, develop and strong foundation and who want to not only work their body but focus their minds as well. Expect step-by-step instructions, introduction to props, repetition and refinement.

Sign up online at San Marcos School of Yoga

Good News. There is practice all of August

So what to do in the dog days of summer? Friday afternoon's Advanced practice is back !!!.

We are on every friday in August.

Sept 9, and 16.

and it looks like most of October as well.


Devon will be providing a geeta sequence for Friday and I've got plenty of sequences from Blue Lake Ranch to work through.

See you friday.

Let's Backbend

We are on this afternoon.

Here's a backbend sequence from Patricia's Intermediate workshop at the Abbey Feb 2011.

Day Four More Backbends with PW

Sukasana
Amvira
Utt concave back.

Jumping from Utt to AMS several times.

Parvatasana in Virasana
Pariankasana with block and blanket on bolster spine wise and belt legs and arms behind occiput, low height and then again with medium height.

AMS to Utt

Used same belt for AMS. Amazing opening.

Eka papd supt virasana, first with leg in Marichyasana I then again into Pavanmuktasana and Supta I third time.

AMS step to

Parsvottansana long stance arms extended head down.
AMS then second side.

Tadasana and bring hands to back of thighs and go to utt.

AMVrk for sirsana prep

Sirsasana,
Parsvaikapada spilt legs and then full pose.

Urdhva D over back of chair facing away from the wall using height as necessary did several times.

Standing back arches in center away from the wall, just one or two.


Stood in front of chair and arched back to wall and walked down as able then come up. Showed belting pelvis and moved pelvis away from the belt to get more opening on a stiff T spine person. Also for some it will be better to bend the knees and take the groin more back to get the T spine opening.


Pushing up to Urdhva D from sitting in front of chair, hands in various positions. Corner, sides , front of chair.

Use the arms to lift the chest up. Thighs come forward but lift with the inner groin. .


Urdhva D from Floor many

First to foot side.
Ams to teach weight in legs.
Then UD to foot side again.

Dwi pada prep arms in sirsasana iI

Dwidpada with sirsasana I arms.

Block behind head.

Kapotasana drop backs to bolster on chair, then chair, then walking down to wall with full pose.

Dropback prep to floor Geeta and BKS teach differently.

Prasarita padottansana head down.

AMS?

Supta Padangustasana II with support under hip of leg going out, diagonal blanket on buttucks.

AMVira experiment with legs together and apart to see which gives best relief.

Prone savasana with blanket under navel band

Savasana legs up on chair if necessary.