No Friday advanced practice this week, but next week we are on

The Friday Advanced Practice was tons of fun.

Lots of people from a variety of yoga traditions showed up for the fun filled backward bending sequence.

Anne, Gillian, Rachel, and Devon from Iyengar Land, Terry and Mike and Gigi from Ashtanga land, and Pam, Jeremiah, Jeff from Anusara land. It was really great fun! Just what an advanced practice should be.

No practice this Friday due to Thanksgiving Holidays, but we'll resume the following friday with a backward bending practice largely a Patricia Walden sequence from feathered pipe with a few additional arm balances added in.

I usually am there by 2:45 hanging on the rope wall if you want to come a bit early to "warm up/ prepare yourself as Prashant would say," but the sequence itself will start right at 3:30.

Here it is Patricia sequence from Feathered Pipe aug 1, 2008
AMS
Uttanasana
Ams
cataranga dandasana
urdhva mukha
repeat 2x
ams w/ heels on blocks at wall
vira 1
supta padangustasana
ams middle palm on edge of blocks at wall
vira 1 to 3 w/ pams together
abdomen balanced and up, armpits down, leg up
sirsasana
virasana
eka pada virasana reaching leg back
parivritta eka pada
AMV working w legs together and straight
pinca mayurasana- balance
+++Add in some scorpion poses here and other assorted arm balances
lunge w/ 1 leg in virasana (eka pada raja prep)
resist virasana leg back
viparita dandasana on chair, feet flat on floor, arms over head, legs
straight
ekapada viparita dandasana chair
Urdhva dhanurasana 3x from chair
ekapada u. dhanurasana 2x
down leg hip lifts up and up leg hip draws down
ustrasana drop backs to wall
arms coming to shoulder blade level
ekapada viparita dandasana
sirsasana drop backs and coming up w/ wall
ustrasana drop backs to floor
hanumanasana
ekapada rajakapotasana w/ back leg at wall
ekapada raja II
hanumanasana
sarvangasana
eka pada
parsva eka pada
badda k
padmasana
savasana

Changes at Castle Hill

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, Heide Grace is moving back to New Orleans. We'll all miss her greatly. She's a great teacher, great student, great person to practice with, and super fun to boot.

Gillian is taking over most of her classes at Castle Hill. I went to Gillian's class for the first time yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Gillian has a very warm teaching presence and uses great imagery, like making yourself into a wine bottle opener to pop up the cork of your chest. I also enjoyed her sequence. She interpersed various standing poses with a return to Adho Mukhasvanasana and Uttanasana and it was a good practice to see how the standing poses influence those poses.

Sequence for Practice on Friday

Hi Everyone, We are practicing this Friday at 3:30.

Here's the sequence we'll be working with.


Adho mukha svanasana 5min
Adho mukha vrksasana
one legged
two bent legs
two straight legs
pincha mayurasana wall and free balancing
prep only for vrschikasana I
vrschikasana II
salamba sirsasana 5 min
variations 5 min
vrschikasana I, full pose, 5-10x
urdhva dhanurasana over chair backs at wall 5x
drop over preparation on chairs at wall 5-10x
urdhva dhanurasana 5-10x
dropping over to urdhva dhanurasana from tadasana 5-10x
dropping over to urdhva dhanurasana from adho mukha vrksasana 5-10x
supta virasana on blocks, going toward kapotasana
kapotasana 5x
eka pada rajakapotasana preparation or full pose with chairs and belted foot and walls 2-3x each side
natarajasana on stools or with help 3x each side
hanumanasana 2-3x each side
upright
forward bending
parsva uttanasana, cooling down
bharadvajasana I
pasasana

supported halasana

Sequence for Practice on Friday

Joan White’s class, Austin, 2005

NB: poses in brackets are not in the original sequence Joan offered us.]

Supta padangusthasana I, 2x

SPG II

First , side leg at 90 deg angle, then up toward ear, foot level with floor

SPG III, 3x each side

SPG II, now leg even higher to ear level

AMS

Upavistha konasana

Move toward samakonasana

Baddha konasana

Bharadvajasana I, 2x

[Bharadvajasana II]

Upright eka pada virasana at wall

Ardha baddha padmottanasana, by stages:

Bring foot up and hold; press padma foot on standing thigh; then facing wall, ardha uttanasana concave back; then going down to full pose facing wall; then full pose facing into room . Standing leg straight always, always.

AMVrks 2x

Sirsasana I and any variations we want

Supine prep for Akarna dhanurasana I

Eka pada sirsasana

Akarna dhanurasana I

Akarna dhanurasana II

Janu sirsasana, urdhva mukha and adhomukha, 2x each

Upavistha konasana to all sides: r, l, center

Parivrtta upavistha konasana

Prvt. Janu Sirsasana variant: from upavistha konasana, bend torso straight forward into the angle between thighs and then walk it around to bent leg side; then roll the chest open as you move to the straight leg side: Parivrtta janu sirsasana.

Parivrtta janu sirsasana classical

Kurmasana and variations

[Marichyasana I and III, Ardha Matsyendrasana I and II, Bharadvajasana II, Pasasana, any and all of these we like]

[Urdhva dhanurasana, 5 x, to clear the spine]

[Sarvangasana and variations]

New Iyengar Class Saturdays 12:30 Starts Nov 8

Yoga Yoga is opening a new location. Actually, they are taking over where Joy Moves is. It will be called YogaYoga 360.

I'll be teaching an all levels Hatha class there Saturdays at 12:30.


Very Exciting.

Advanced Practice Session Starting Friday Oct 31 3:30

Starting on Friday Oct 31 3:30 to 5:45 Devon and Anne will be co- hosting an advanced practice at Clear Spring Studio. This Advanced Practice is open to advanced students of any tradition, though the sequences we will practice are from the Iyengar tradition.

This is not a class or an open practice in the sense that you just come and do what you want in the studio. It is open in the sense that everyone is welcome and no registration or reservation is necessary. Just show up and do yoga every Friday afternoon.

How does the advanced practice work? Each week, Devon or Anne or another regular participant, will select a sequence from Pune or from a recent workshop or make a sequence and we will all do the sequence together. We are there to help each other and to motivate each other to work hard and to keep a sense of humor while working on difficult poses. We'll post the sequences here.


What does advanced mean? You should have a regular inversion practice, be able to do padmasana or be working toward it and be able to do Urdhva Dharusana and other unsupported backbends, and be interested in working on arm balances.

There is no cost for the practice, though Devon would gratefully accept any donation you cared to make to defray the cost of reserving the studio space.

Some Upcoming Events at the Austin Yoga School

October 25-27, Iyengar Yoga Assessment at Austin Yoga Institute

We need volunteers! Our National Iyengar Association conducts assessments at centers like ours during assessment season, approximately August through November. We are the lucky ones in Austin this year. As a volunteer in 40 minute classes, you will receive excellent instruction from teachers from far and near who have been teaching for at least 3 years. They have been preparing diligently for a long time for this test. Also, you will have an opportunity to snack on organic fruit, nuts and juice. We like for volunteers to do TWO of the forty minute classes, and not to do two SESSIONS in a row, so you are fresh for the teachers. You may, however, volunteer for Saturday morning AND afternoon, or for a session Saturday and Sunday both. Please contact Peggy to sign up:
info@austinyoga.org or 512-440-1269.

November 8, Texas Yoga Retreat at Barsana Dham

Peggy will teach on Sunday, two sessions
Early?10:30 to noon, Applying Ayurveda and Ecology to Yoga Practice, a combination of lecture, demonstration and practice (Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation), open to all levels.
Later?2-4 pm, Advanced arm balances and back bends. Experienced students only. No wrist, elbow, shoulder or low back problems, please!
For more information, see http://www.texasyoga.com

Saturday, December 13?Iyengar?s Birthday and
Austin Yoga Institute Re-naming Party

Come celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar?s birthday a day early, but not early according to international time! He will be 90, a very auspicious year for yogis. Most importantly, he is still practicing yoga! We will do 108 sun salutations in his honor and view the film ?Ultimate Freedom?.
Also, we will be re-naming our Institute the Austin Iyengar Yoga Institute. For decades our teachers have been devoted to his teaching, and it is time to let our name reflect that devotion. Please join us anytime between 3 and 7 pm. Sun salutations at 4.

Ongoing Events:

Two Beginners Series in November!

Patti Gagne on Saturdays 10:15-11:45. November 1 through December 13, no class on Thanksgiving weekend.
If you are new to yoga, this is a perfect series for you, and if you have let your practice lapse, please bring a friend and you BOTH get 10% off the fee.
Call Patti for more information?415-0743.

Beth Heffernan on Mondays, 6 ? 7:30 pm, November 3 through December 8.
If you are new to yoga, this is a perfect series for you, and if you have let your practice lapse, please bring a friend and you BOTH get 10% off the fee.
Call Beth for more information?563-4439.

Restorative Yoga on Thursdays from 4 to 5:30 pm by donation

Peggy has re-dedicated herself to a weekly restorative class on Thursdays. Pay is by donation. Restorative yoga is essential to a balanced practice, especially at this time of year, when life can become so frenzied!