Advanced Level Practice
Courtesy of:
May 2017
This month’s sequence is from notes taken by Dean Lerner, Advanced Junior I CIYT, during a class taught by Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar December 9, 2006. Dean is the co-director of The Center for Well Being in Lemont, PA. A member of IYASE, Dean frequently teaches workshops in the IYASE region. For more information go to: www.centerforwellbeing.net. Model: Nichole Baker, Intermediate Junior II CIYT, Owner & Director of StudiOm Yoga in Jackson, MS Approximate Time: 2 Hours Props required: sticky mat, 3-4 blankets, strap, Long inversions, a few forward bends, several twists. Geeta began the class with no instructions given. ADHO MUKHA VIRASANA
1
ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA
UTTANASANA
SIRSASANA
10 minutes. First, base… separate corners of shoulders. Dorsal in, come to forearms, come to the wrist side, palm side. Elbows are earth element. Wrist is akesha. Make wrist earth. Back arm to front arm! Repeat all of above. First arms, then legs. Now legs. Calf to inner heels. Legs a little apart, so can release them. Inner heels and calf shrink, so extend! Inner heels sharp. And broaden inner heels out. Toes spread! Feet even. Toes must go in and out like 10 toes on each foot, 20 toes like petals of flower. Ankles long, thin like the stem of a flower. If sags flower sags, so ankles long and 20 toes spread in and out. Then knees – open, don’t bend. Front knee to back. Keep open space there, don’t bend. Sides of waist long, sides of pubic plate lift. Don’t let dead weight on head. Base – flowers / toes, legs, pubis. 2
SIRSASANA VARIATIONS: URDHVA DANDASANA
10 minutes variations.
Keep toes spread!! As legs to 90 degrees, spread toes! And waist up!
PARSVA SIRSASANA
Toes spread, feet spread throughout this pose and all the variations to follow. Repeated often! Not just turn.
PARIVRTTTA SIRSASANA
3
VIRASANA
PARSVA SIRSASANA
Come down with legs straight after variations…
ADHO MUKHA VIRASANA
4
ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA
Shoulder blades in, trapz up, lift up properly. 2 min approx.
CHATOOSH PADASANA
First before Sarvangasana. Hold ankles and open chest. Lift side chest and pelvis. Observe so can do in Sarvangasana.
SARVANGASANA
12 min before variations – 20 min total Upper arms are foundation for Sarvangasana. In Sirsasana – forearms. Inner bicep turn out, and outer tricep turn in. Take outer deltoid in!! This deltoid instruction repeated over and over. Upper arm is earth element. Use that to turn deltoid so sattvic. Elbow – bring earth. Hands closer in to support properly. 20 petals of toes open. In Sirsasana, ankles sharp and inner calf to heel. The same in Sarvangasana, must make outer thighs the stem… in and up!! Like a candle. Sides up, not melting! Knees open. Deltoids outer inward. Don’t be downward, wobbling. Tail bone in. Knees straight, legs in and up, buttocks in. 5
SARVANGASANA VARIATIONS: EKA PADA SARVANGASANA
8 Minutes
Knees straight, legs straight. Don’t wobble! Sides of waist up, chest up, long feet. Change sides. To center, extend legs.
PARSAIKAPADA SARVANGASANA
Legs straight, front thighs, waist, do not wobble. Change sides, again right leg, 2x.
HALASANA
10 seconds.
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PARSVA HALASANA
Walk feet. Legs straight. Front thigh to back thigh. Waist up, chest up. Change sides.
HALASANA
Remove the belt and arms extend back (back side) if front is like forward bend. Then come down…quickly take Paschimottanasana.
PASCHIMOTTANASANA
Bear the neck pain and go forward. Sides of trunk forward. Sternum chest forward, not cave in. Why one side pulled, one side not extended? Both sides evenly extend. Hold outer edge of feet. Concave back now. Head back. Open feet like 20 petals in and out, front, back, inner heel out, spread. This concave position to remove neck pain. Pull feet and move dorsal in and chest upward! Let it pain, all sins in dorsal, so what is a little pain...ha ha. The head holds the ego, the dorsal our sins, the chest is sattva. Vanity and humbleness. Again… dorsal in, tip of shoulder blades in, open the chest. Back ribs ins, then head back, clavicle open. Eyes humble, eyes of chest open, lumbar extend. No one wants to. Again and again do it. Then go forward, with dorsal in and front chest forward. Dorsal in and front chest forward. Dig it. Side ribs extend. Don’t cave chest. First move lower sternum to top. Then extend top sternum. Not top first. Dorsal in. Come up.
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UTTANASANA
Every day clean sins and collect virtues. Not just Sunday, everyday confess. If dorsal gone, back confesses, if side trunk, short confession. Now get a blanket for forward bends and twisting.
DANDASANA
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PARSVA DANDASANA
Begin with left hand on right shin, then extend and hold the foot. Left hand to right foot. Dorsal in and sternum chest up. Turn shoulder, put shoulder back. Waist up, ribs up.
BHARADVAJASANA I
Feet to the left, revolve to the right. Contract with ribs, left ribs and armpit up. Left hip down.
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BHARADVAJASANA II
Left leg to Virasana, right to Padmasana. Adjust if need height. Hold – right hand hold right foot. Don’t go too quick with left hand to knee. Left side of trunk must turn to take right hand to foot. Change sides. Left hand hold left foot. Right hand on right knee first, then to left knee. Turn back shoulder and sternum too. Press right Virasana side, lengthen right side ribs. Alert when release, keep chest up. Karma and Jnana. – karma comes first, not jnana. Just because the mind/brain is educated, body intelligence must be developed.
MARICHYASANA III Sit on a blanket. Bend right leg. Twist. Femurs, thighs, suck in – pincher action, and lift up! Change sides. Nape of neck and trapz release down, top sternum upward and throat passive. Back ribs into body. Don’t hang down. Right outer thigh, buttocks in. Arm and sternum work together.
DANDASANA
Sharpen femurs. Arms back. Trapz down, sternum up.
10
ARDHA MATSYENDRASANA
Sit on left foot, left edge of foot. Sharp, maybe painful. Sit on foot, but stand on the foot so spine goes up. Palms by side, trunk up. Align buttock bones on heel and toe. Even if flesh is more, bones sit on them. Keep this, but use blanket between foot and buttocks if needed. Keep balance even as turn, compactness at hips, clavicle broad, sternum up. Repeat later on your own to learn evenness. Sometimes to get flexibility, ok, but then do not learn. That is saddhana, not just for computer or figure, etc. Even though seated, stand with trunk. Don’t drop sternum. Back ribs in. Pincher action of outer thighs. Compactness. One time then turning, 2 injections on right thigh and left thigh. That is pincher action and chest upward. Release with back up! Then balance. Relaxing is not balancing. Teacher is needed at first to learn, then you need discipline. See what points come, what feelings? Are you grasping it? That is how to learn, not just to do blindly.
PASCHIMOTTANASANA
Legs apart. If now for legs (legs together) then all contracts. As we did twists, give more space for the navel and sternum with legs apart. See what does down, what goes up, what does not. Back thighs spread and dorsal in. But if your mind loses attention, dorsal goes out. Dream good or bad thoughts, dorsal goes up, a wandering mind. So, keep mind in Paschimottanasana. Dorsal in, stay in, otherwise oscillation, not meditation. Not eka grata or nirodahha citta. If mind is in Switzerland, oscillating with even nice thoughts. So be in Paschimottanasana. That is why meditation goes wrong. Dharma and meditation versus vrittis…on an object or inside or out. Must not create vrittis or not meditation. Must see an object as object only. Not relate to it past, present, future. Flowers for example… inner body is best to focus on, so not as much chance to wander with relationship to an object. Or in Asian focus…on the parts.
SAVASANA
Let go evenly. Everywhere. Legs, arms, even face, etc.
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