April 16

What to say (do or feel) when our students believe that they lack the ‘appropriate’ range of motion and say that they’ll never be able to do the pose fully.

– Think of yoga as a process.
– Work with inner dynamics in the present moment.
– Work on the mechanics.
– “I have seen that and felt it in myself”.
– Break down the pose into steps so that the student can feel successful in part of it.
– Work intelligently with what you have.
– Offer compassion and your presence.

Supine Calisthenics:
Shoulder flexion
Hip flexion – Bicycles
Inner thigh adduction, starting parallel and moving open with turned out legs. Closing legs back to parallel.
Twist with Shoulder circle

Sukhasana Warm Up:
Bow head to shine crown chakra forward. Continue to fold forward, third eye chakra turns in and down. Soften throat, then heart center beginning to walk hands forward. Release solar plexus, navel and pubis. Breathe.
Lift crown up like a turtle coming out of its shell. Lift third eye, throat. The lift of the heart chakra begins to lift us upright. Lift solar plexus, navel and pubis. Sitting in Sukhasana in a slight back bend.
1/4 turn crown chakra to side bend to right. Right hand on top of left hear for neck stretch. Continue to side bend, right hand releasing to floor and left arm overhead.
Return to vertical.
Left hand across body to right knee for twist to right.
Return to center for 2nd side, changing crossing of legs.

Bird Dog:
Extend right leg back
Bend back knee up, circle right ankle
Extend right leg back
Extend left arm forward
Bend back knee up again, circle ankle
Lower knee & hand
Circle right arm back, then up to twist, preparing for
Thread the Needle

Lunges:
Deep lunge
Parsvottanasana

Down Dog:
Here we took a look at the places that we tend to sink/sit in our pose.

Urdhva Hastasana Arm Swings to Forward Bend, with bent knees 3X

Standing Balance:
Right knee to chest
Ankle circles
Extend right leg
Turn out right leg
Tree Pose
Kickstand Tree Pose
Roll forward through sequencing as in Sukhasana Warm Up. First crown, then 3rd eye, throat, heart center, begin to reach hands to floor or blocks, solar plexus etc.
Standing Hip sink and lift
Reverse: lifting crown first. Though we came up to a slight backbend in the Sukhasana Warm Up, here we want to return to neutral

Standing Poses:
Vira 1
Swing arms into Parsvottanasana
Vira 2, with body hug around and imaginary stability ball in front of belly/chest
Trik

Standing Quad Stretch

Toe Stretch with belt around heels:
Flexed feet

Pinca Mayurasana

Toe Stretch with belt around heels:
Toes pointed

Pinca Mayurasana

Ustrasana a la Angela Farmer:
Begin in Child’s pose
Lift crown, 3rd eye, throat (shoulders begin to retreat), heart center (body begins to lift), solar plexus (hands reach back towards heels or blocks), navel & pubis.
nbsp;  Reverse, lowering pubis first (pelvis lowers), then navel, solar plexus, heart folds forward, throat soften & closes,3rd eye and finally crown lowers.

Choose your neutralizing pose before

Savasana