Gomukhasana- Cow Face Pose
A seated pose in the Virasana family, with legs crossed, one arm up and one arm down, hands clasped behind the back.
When teaching, allot 2 minutes to demo the pose, and 3 minutes for the students to be in the pose.
Poses to help us learn Gomukhasana:
Urdhva Baddangullyasana
Namaskarasana
Gomukhasana Hasta Mudra in Tadasana
Paschima Namaskarasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Bharadvajasana
Virasana
Vajrasana
Simhasana
Instructions for Gomukhasana:
Kneel on both knees. Keep your toes pointing straight back, ankles straight not sickled, and tuck your Left knee well behind your Right knee. (R leg is on top first)
Bring your ankles and your heels together, and sit on the ankles, keeping the toes pointing back.
Press the shins down to stabilize the legs, and lengthen your waist up.
Raise your Left arm overhead, and keeping your tricep rolling from the outside in, bend your arm at the elbow. Place your Left palm at the base of the neck between your upper shoulder blades. (Left arm is on top first)
Suck your shoulder blades into the ribs to lift and open the chest. Broaden through your collarbones, and keep the chest open as you lower the Right arm, bend it at the elbow and raise the right forearm up behind the back.
Clasp your hands together behind your back.
Press your shins down as you take the front waist to the back waist to lengthen the side-waist, suck the shoulder blades in to lift the chest, and open your armpits. Make the torso erect.
With the Right leg on top first, the Right hip and sit bone will be up. Rather than try to descend the Right hip, ascend the Left sit bone, as though you could suck it up inside your body. Make the hips more level.
Release the arms, then bring the hands to floor in front of you to untuck your Left knee from behind your right.
Repeat with the opposite crossing of the legs, and opposite placement of the arms.
Modifications:
If the hands do not yet reach each other, hold a strap between the two hands.
If the knees pain you, place a folded blanket between the heels and the hips to lessen the degree of flexion in the knee joint.
If the knees are in pain, put a rope behind the knees to create space.
Sirsasana, away from the wall - Headstand, away from the wall.
This pose is an inversion.
When teaching Sirsasana, allot 1 minute to demo the pose, and 2 minutes to get your students into the pose. When teaching, set your mat down 1 foot from wall, and then tell your students to line their mats up with yours.
Poses to help us learn Sirsasana:
Prasarita Padottanasa
Keeping the legs firm, place the crown of the head on the floor.
Lengthen the torso up away from the head.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Press your hands down and lift your chest towards the thighs.
Lenghten the anterior spine.
Snug the shoulder blades tightly into the ribs to lengthen and open the chest. Keep the top shoulder blades broad as you draw the lower tips of the shoulder blades in towards the spine to support and maintain the chest opening.
Instructions for getting into Sirsasana
Fold your mat in half, or if it is a thin mat, fold it half and then in half again.
Place widest part of your folded mat about a foot from the wall.
Interweave your fingers all the way up to the webbing, and keep the thumb side of the wrist vertical over the pinkie side of the wrist as you place your knuckles very close to the edge of your mat (the edge closest to the wall). Place your elbows as wide as your armpits are wide.
Place the crown of your head on the floor in the space made by your hands.
Press the forearms down and lift the shoulders up away from the ears.
Lift your knees and straighten your legs, walk your feet in towards your face.
Snug the shoulder blades tightly into the ribs to lengthen and open the chest. Keep the top shoulder blades broad as you draw the lower tips of the shoulder blades in towards the spine to support and maintain the chest opening as you gently hop your feet off the floor with bent knees.
Continue to press your forearms down to lift your shoulders up. Lift your knees and bring your feet, knees bent, to the wall behind you.
Use your feet on the wall to get your shoulder blades firm, and the tailbone in.
Straighten one leg to bring your foot of the wall. Lengthen one leg, and connect the all the way from the forearms, up through the side body to the mound of the big toe, then replace that foot on the wall. Repeat with the other leg.
Straighten both knees and lengthen both legs as you press the forearms down, suck the shoulder blades into the ribs, and lengthen the side body.
Take your thighs back, then your tailbone in to firm the hips, lengthen the lumbar spine, and then reach the legs up.
Keep the forearms pressing down and the shoulders lifting as you bring your feet back to the wall, then bring your knees down, then your feet down to the floor.
Rest in forward virasana.
When teaching Sirsasana, be sure to get down and look at everyone's face in this pose. Look for color of face, sense of ease or lack thereof, and even-ness of head placement.
Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana - Upright Extended One Foot Pose
A standing pose standing on one leg, bending forward, lifting the other leg extended upwards.
When teaching, allot 1 minute to demo, and 2 min to get the students into the pose.
Poses to help us learn Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana:
Uttanasana
Lengthen the torso forward and down, climb your torso down your leg
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Learn to lengthen and firm both legs.
Keep your torso long and lifted as your press your standing heel firmly into the floor.
Parsvottanasana, hands on blocks.
Keep the hips square and even as you climb your torso down the front leg.
Keeping both hips square stabilize the front leg as you re-charge and firm the back leg.
Climb your torso down your leg.
Instructions for getting into Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana:
From Tadasana, lengthen your chest forward and down into Uttanasana.
Press your heels down, roll your thighs from the outside to the inside.
Catch the back of the right ankle with your left hand. Place your right hand on the floor by the side of your right foot.
Keeping your hips square while you roll your thighs in and press your thighs back to sake your belly down.
Keep both legs firm and straight, and lift the left leg back and up.
Extend your legs.
Lengthen torso forward and down while you extend your leg up.
Keep your torso moving towards your arms while you bring your leg down.
Change sides.
After you do both sides, press into your heels, send your sit bones towards your heels as you lift your torso up. Return to Tadasana.
Adho Mukha Vrksasana, palms turned outward; against wall.
Full Arm Balance a.k.a. Downward Facing Tree
Take 30 seconds to demo the pose, count on 1 minute to get students into the pose.
Poses to help us learn Adho Mukha Vrksasana:
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Press your hands down to lenthen your torso towards your hips.
Firm the back shoulder blades into the ribs to support lengthening and opening the chest.
Firm the thigh muscles to the bone, lengthen from heel to buttocks
Purvottanasana
Press the hands down while you firm the shoulder blades and lift the chest up.
Keep the tailbone well in while you firm and lengthen the legs.
Sirsasana
Take the thighs back, then the tailbone in, to firm the hips. Always take the thighs back first, then the tailbone in second.
Use the thigh action to lift the legs up off the torso
Press the forearms down to lift the shoulders up away from the ears.
Snug the shoulder blades tightly into the ribs to lengthen and open the chest. Keep the top shoulder blades broad as you draw the lower tips of the shoulder blades in towards the spine to support and maintain the chest opening.
Instructions for getting into Adho Mukha Vrksasana:
Place your hands about a foot away from the wall, with your hands turned out. Your middle finger is parallel to the wall.
Press circle of the palm down as you suck the triceps to the bone to straighten your arms completely.
Keep your arms impeccably straight, exhale, kick ,and swing the legs against the wall.
Press your hands down, firm the shoulders into the ribs just like in Down Dog; suck the shoulder blades tightly into the ribs to lengthen and open the chest. Keep the top shoulder blades broad as you draw the lower tips of the shoulder blades in towards the spine to support and maintain the chest opening, and lengthen the torso up towards the ceiling. Take your shoulders back, and your shoulder blades in to lengthen your chest.
Firm your outer thighs to your inner thighs as you take the tailbone well in to compact the hips.
Move your thighs back, and lengthen your inner hells up to lengthen your inner legs up away from the torso. Take your thighs back, and your tailbone in as you push your heels up.
Spread the ball of your foot.
In a nut shell:
Turn your hands out, and set your hands about a foot from the wall.
Straighten and lengthen your arms.
Kick your feet up to the wall.
Lift the buttocks up towards the heels.
Firm and lengthen the legs.
Keep the arms long and straight as you lift your buttocks to lengthen your torso.
Modifications:
Menstruating ladies do not practice this pose. They can do 1/2 Uttanasana at the horse, or Adho Mukha Svanasana.
If someone cannot kick up, they can place their hands one leg length away from the wall, do Down Dog with heels at the wall, and walk their feet up the wall until their legs are parallel to floor; Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana. They also can walk up braced in a doorway, or with their back to the wall and their feet on the horse.
Assistance from the teacher may be all that is needed by a student who cannot yet do this pose confidently or capably.
Prasarita Padottanasana II - Extendend Wide Footed Pose or Expanded Leg Intense Stretch
Plan on allotting 30 seconds to demo this pose, and 1 minute to get your students into this pose.
Practice Sequence to learn Prasarita Padottanasana II
Pashimanamaskar in Tadasana
Learn to broaden through the collarbones while keeping the shoulders back.
Utthita Hasta Padasana
Jump the feet 4' apart. Learn to spread the feet the full distance.
Keep the legs firm by lifting and engaging the thighs.
Align your hips and trunk in line with your heels.
Lift the chest to lengthen the trunk.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Lengthen the side body as you lift the crown of the buttocks.
Learn to stretch from heels to the buttocks
Uttanasana
Extend the torso forward and down without disturbing the feet.
Learn to fold forward and down from the hips while sending the buttock to the heels.
Keep the hips in line with the heels
Parsvottanasana- classic pose
Lengthen the torso away from the hips while keeping the thighs pinned back.
In the final expression of the pose, bring the head down without collapsing the front spine. Learn to keep the anterior spine long by lenthening the side body and chest forward and down.
Prasarita Padottanasana I
Instructions for getting into Prasarita Padottananasana II
From Tadasana, jump the feet 4' apart, then step the feet a bit wider. Keep your outer feet parallel to the short side of your mat.
Keeping your hips aligned with your ankles, press into your heels.
Bring your hands to your hips.
Lengthen your torso forward and down, pause at 90 degrees. With the tailbone in, anchor the thighs back while you lengthen the spine forward.
Continue to lengthen the torso forward and down. Set the crown of your head on the floor or a block.
Keeping the thighs well lifted, align your hips vertically in line with your ankles.
Take the front waist to the back waist, and lengthen the side waist to the ceiling.
Bring your palms together behind your back in Paschim Namaskara
Keep firm pressure and weight in your feet as you press your elbows towards your wrists and move your shoulders away from your ears to broaden your collarbones.
Press the heels of your hands together as you suck your thighs to the bones, keep weight in your feet, and send your sit-bones to your heels to lift the chest and come up.
Step the feet in slightly, then jump the feet together.
Release your hands when your return to Tadasana.
Repeat the pose, starting with the hands in Paschim Namaskara.
In a nut-shell:
Jump your feet wide.
Extend your chest forward, pause at 90 degrees.
Extend your chest and torso all the way forward, set your head on the floor.
Bring your hands to Paschim Namaskara.
Lengthen your torso up away from the floor.
Broaden your collar bones.
Keep spine long, come up.
Jump feet togehter.
Modifications:
Place a block under the head if the floor and the head do not meet.
If Paschim Namaskara is not yet a reasonable option, hold hands on hips.
09 Parsvottanasana (trunk, leg, foot facing to the side, hands on hips then reach arms up, palms facing forward, extend forward touch floor 3 times flow like, trunk parallel to floor, release/relax head)
10 Prasarita Padottanasana (extend trunk forward, hands to floor under shoulders)
11 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (legs up wall)
12 Swastikasana
13 Parvatanasana in Swastikasana
14 Twist in Swastikasana
15 Vajrasana
16 Forward Vajrasana
17 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana
18 Eka Pada Pavan Muktasana
19 Jathara Parivartanasana (legs bent resting on floor at right angle to hips)
20 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana (Supta Pavan Muktasana)
21 Savasana
Week 9
01 Swastikasana
02 Tadasana
03 Urdhva Baddhangullyasana
04 Tadasana with hands interlocked behind back
05 Utthita Trikonasana
06 Utthita Parsvakonasana
07 Virbhadrasana II
08 ½ Uttanasana
09 ½ Parsvottanasana
10 Parsvottanasana (trunk, leg, foot facing to the side, hands on hips then reach arms up, palms facing forward, extend forward touch floor 3 times flow like, trunk parallel to floor, release/relax head)
11 Prasarita Padottanasana (extend trunk forward, hands to floor under shoulders)
12 Vajrasana
13 Parvatasana in Vajrasana
14 Forward Vajrasana
15 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana
16 Eka Pada Pavan Muktasana
17 Supta Tadasana
18 Jathara Parivartanasana (legs bent resting on floor at right angle to hips)
19 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (legs up wall)
20 Savasana
Week 10
01 Swastikasana
02 Tadasana
03 Urdhva Baddhangullyasana
04 Utthita Trikonasana
05 Utthita Parsvakonasana
06 Virbhadrasana II
07 ½ Uttanasana
08 ½ Parsvottanasana
09 Parsvottanasana (trunk, leg, foot facing to the side, hands on hips then reach arms up, palms facing forward, extend forward touch floor 3 times flow like, trunk parallel to floor, release/relax head
10 Prasarita Padottanasana (extend trunk forward, hands to floor under shoulders)
11 Vajrasana
12 Parvatasana in Vajrasana
13 Forward Vajrasana
14 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana
15 Eka Pada Pavan Muktasana
16 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana (with arms overhead)
17 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (center of room)
18 Jathara Parivartanasana (legs bent resting on floor at right angle to hips)
19 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (legs up the wall)
20 Savasana
Week 11
C. Belko did not teach
Week 12
01 Swastikasana
02 Tadasana
03 Urdhva Baddhangullyasana
04 Utthita Trikonasana (looking forward)
05 Gomukhasana in Tadasana (top arm only)
06 Utthita Parsvakonasana (arm over ear, looking forward)
07 Tadasana
08 Gomukhasana in Tadasana (top arm only)
09 Virbhadrasana II
10 Parsvottanasana (trunk, leg, foot facing to the side, hands on hips then reach arms up, palms facing forward, extend forward touch floor 3 times flow like, trunk parallel to floor, release/relax head.
11 Prasarita Padottanasana (extend trunk forward, hands to floor under shoulders)
12 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (legs up the wall)
13 Supta Tadasana
14 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana (with arms overhead)
15 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (center of room)
16 Jathara Parivartanasana (legs bent resting on floor at right angle to hips)
17 Vajrasana
18 Parvatasana in Vajrasana
19 Forward Vajrasana
20 Savasana
Week 13
C. Belko did not teach
Week 14
01 Swastikasana
02 Urdhva Baddhangullyasana
03 Utthita Trikonasana
04 Utthita Parsvakonasana
05 Prep Virbhadrasana I (from Utthita Hasta Padasana, turn arms to face palms up to ceiling, bring arms up as in Urdhva Hastasana and/or hands together.
06 Virbhadrasana II
07 Parsvottanasana
08 Dvi Pada Pavan Muktasana
09 Eka Pada Pavan Muktasana
10 Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (center of room)
11 Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (on block at lowest height and block horizontal at tailbone buttocks and beyond)
When teaching backbends, the objective of the class is dependent on the level and capacity of the student. The capacity and ability of the student should grow over time in a methodical and reasonable way. Just as it is ridiculous to hang pictures on a wall that doesn't have drywall up, much less plaster and paint, it would be ridiculous to teach a student Viparita Dandasana before they have sound shoulder strength paired with proper mobility learned in Chatooshpadasana.
Here are the sequenced objectives for teaching backbends from the Intro I and Intro II syllabi. Only once an objective is mastered by your students should you introduce the next objective. Each objective may may take weeks, months, or years to master. Not all students will master objectives in the same amount of time; some objectives may take longer than others and it is your job, as a teacher, to challenge your students reasonably, keep their practice safe, and teach your students how to practice safely and productively on their own at home.
Objective I: Shoulder Opening in Standing Poses
For pure beginners who do not know Shoulder Stand/ Salamba Sarvangasana. Learn shoulder opening and strong legs. Introduce keeping the tailbone in.
To see the backbends sequencing for Objective I, click here.
Objective II: Add Parigasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana at Wall, Learn Shoulder Stand
Objective II is for students who have gotten a grasp of standing poses and how to engage their legs, now with the tailbone well in. They should now learn Parigasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana/ Down Dog at the wall, and should now learn Shoulder Stand/ Salamba Sarvangasana at the wall.
Objective III: Learn and master Chatoosh Padasana, first introduce after Salamba Sarvangasana (IIIa), then use to prepare for Salamba Sarvangasana (IIIb).
Objective III continues to build on the themes of opening the shoulders with the tailbone in and the thighs back, now translating into and linking directly to our first inversion. Learn to take the armpit-chest and ribs up away from the floor while your press your arms down into the floor. Students should learn to separate those two actions, while keeping the tailbone in. Refine all previous actions.
To see the flow chart for backbends sequencing, Objective IIIa, please click here: backbends objective IIIa
To see the flow chart for backbends sequencing, Objective IIIb, please click here: backbends objective IIIb
Objective IV: Refine previous actions and objectives, now add abdominal work and more true back bends, and parivrttas.
Objective IV acts as the bridge from the Intro I (aka Teacher in Training) syllabus and the Intro II (aka Certified Teacher) syllabus. Students should have a good practice of Chattush Padasana, Shoulder Stand/ Salamba Sarvangasana, and Setu Bhandasana before progressing to Objective IV.Objective IV adds abdominal work poses to the mix. Now that students have a good handle on how to work their legs, we can start playing with the abdominal poses like the boats. All the length and openness created thus far should be maintained, even in the abdominal poses.
While twisting standing poses were introduced early, it is here that the twists are more deeply explored as a tool to prepare for and recover from backbends.
It is also here, in Objective IV, that we carry the basic foundation for backbends (thighs rolling from outside to in/inner spiral/inner rotation, tailbone in, lumbar long) into more obvious backbending poses. We can introduce Urdvha Mukha Svanasana here.
To see the chart for sequencing of backbends, Objective IV, please click here: backbends objective IV
Objective V: Learn Urdvha Mukha Svanasana
Once students have mastered the previous objectives, now they can really work on learning Up Dog.
To see the chart for sequencing backbends, Objective V, please click here: backbends objective V
Objective VI: Learn more intense backbends, prepare for Sirsasana.
Objective IIX: Learn Rope I
Objective IIX is to learn Rope I, and really do it. Students can now learn the dynamic Rope I practice.
At first, Rope I should be after abdominals and before backbends, then after the students get a hang of Rope I, it should go before Salamba Sarvangasana (particularly in forward bend week), then once the students really get a hang of it, Rope I should be practiced before Sirsasana.
Objective IX: Add Salamba Sarvangasana variations
Objective IX is to learn Eka Pada variations in Shoulder Stand. These variations come after Halasana.
Objective X: Take out simple backbends, learn Urdvha Dhanurasana in the chair.
This objective removes simple backbends from the sequence, introduces Urdhva Dhanurasana in the chair, and focuses more fully on Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana.
To see the sequence chart for Objective X, please click here: backbends objective X
This pose gives steadiness and poise.
When teaching, allot 2 minutes to demo this pose and 3 minutes for students to do the pose.
Little practice sequence and specific practice points to learn UPHP/ poses to teach us UPHP:
Supta Padangusthasana I
Firm the thighs enthusiastically by pressing the feet down and pull the thighs up to straighten both legs completely.
Lengthen through the inner leg/inseam of the leg all the way to the big toe to firm the legs and make the hips compact.
Keep the thighs firm, take the thighs back.
Lengthen the buttocks away from the waist and take the tailbone in and lengthen the lumbar spine. (always firm the thghts and take them back first, then take the tailbone in second)
Keeping the shoulders back, broaden from the sternum through the collarbones to broaden the chest.
Supta Padangusthasana II
Keep the both legs completely straight by firming the thighs and lengthening the inner leg.
Keeping the L side of the trunk and the L buttock on the floor by turning the belly from the R to the L, exhale and bring the R sideways to the R with the foot at the level of the shoulder.
Use the work in your legs to level the hips and roll the R buttock away from the waist and towards the L heel.
Vrksasana
Press your L heel down to firm the L thigh up and stabilize your standing leg.
Keep both hips level by rolling the R buttock away from the waist.
Take the tailbone in as the L thigh comes back to compact the hips. From this stability, lengthen up.
Lengthen the inner thigh from groin to knee.
Ardha Chandrasana
Press down in the heel and the mound/ball of big toe of the R foot as you strongly take the thigh back.
Lengthen the R side waist toward the shoulder by moving the thigh back and move your buttocks away from the lumbar spine to take the tailbone in. Do this as you take the R hip toward the L heel. to keep the lumbar long and spacious.
Padangustasana
WIth both legs firm, grasp your big toes. From the grasp of the big toe and the resistance of the big toe back into the grasp, lengthen the inner thighs and firm the legs.
Extend your trunk.
Utthita Hasta Padangustansana
Instructions for getting into Utthita Parsva Hasta Padangusthasana
From Tadasana, stand firmly into the heel of your L foot. Lift the kneecap to keep the thigh up and back.
Keeping the L leg firm, grasp your R big toe with your R first two fingers (the foot resists into the fingers as the fingers grasp the foot), and extend your R leg straight out to the R at a 90 degree angle.
Straighten both legs. Lengthen both inner thighs to the mound of the big toe, and take the thighbone towards the hamstring.
Keeping your legs firm, square your hips by lengthening the R buttock down away from the waist while you keep the L thigh moving back. Through the action of the legs, become compact and stable in the back of the hips. Descend the flesh of the outer hip as you ascend the entire pelvic frame.
Keeping the legs firm, and the hips square, lengthen throughout side-body by lifting the side body up away from the legs. Work your legs and draw the pelvic floor in up so that low back is broad and breath can deepen.
Keeping your torso erect, lift and broaden your breastbone and collarbones to lift your entire front body. Suck the shoulder blades tightly into the ribs to lengthen and open the chest. Keep the top shoulder blades broad as you draw the lower tips of the shoulder blades in towards the spine to support and maintain the chest opening.
Keeping both legs firm and straight, lift the side body from the hips to the thoracic spine. Lengthen the torso.
Exhale and bend the R leg to bring the R leg down.
Repeat on the other side.
In a nut shell:
Stand in Tadasana
Pick your R leg up to the side.
Firm and lengthen both legs all the way to the big toe mound
Look the pose up in _Light on Yoga_, _Gem for Women_ and other books.
Pracice
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Practice
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Find which 3 prior poses, from prior syllabi, teach the actions to do your current pose. What poses give us the knowledge to practice the pose. Which poses teach us the compenant parts of our pose?
Do the pose and study the effects and results from practicing this pose. What does this pose do?
Draw a cartoon with the arrows showing direction of intent.
Write down the 10 points of motions and actions in the pose.
Determine what pose(s) may need to come after this pose. Does this pose require a follow-up?
Compare the pose with similar poses. How are they similar? How are they different?
What are the props required for this pose? What are common modifications for this pose?
Sequence your pose into your practice. In what week should you practice this pose? Standing pose week? Forward bend week?
Purvottanasana - Intense pose of the East (or front-body), aka Upward Facing Plank
When teaching, allot 1 minute for demo, 2 minutes to get your students into the pose.
Little practice sequence to learn Purvottanasana:
Down Dog -Straighten both arms, straighten both legs. Press the roots of the fingers and thumbs down well as you straighten your arms completely. Draw the triceps in to the back corner of the armpit. Reach your heels back and down as you take the thighs back. Firm the knees and draw the quads up to straighten the legs completely.
Up Dog - Keep you legs working as you did in the previous 2 poses. Press your hands down to lift your breastbone up. Roll your shoulders back and draw you rlower shoulderblades close to the spine and deep into the body to roll the armpit chest open and up.
Ustrasana
Chatoosh Padasana - Lenghthen your buttocks to your knees, learn to keep the lumbar spine long!
Urdhva Dhanurasana, pushing up from a chair
Dandasana
Dandasana to Purvottanasana
Instructions for getting into Purvottanasana
From Dandasana, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor
Press your hands down with straight arms and pull your triceps up and into the bone
Exhale, press your feet down to swing your hips forward toward your feet then scoop up and lift your hips. Continue pressing your hands down.
Take your tailbone in to your body as you roll your buttocks towards your knees to elongate your lumbar spine. Keep your tailbone well higher than your lumbar spine.
Keeping your tailbone higher than your lumber, keeping your lumbar long, keeping your buttocks lengthening towards your knees, straighten one leg at a time. Draw your hamstrings towards your buttocks.
Press your heels down to firm your legs, sharpen your knees, and lift your hips up. Keep your tailbone moving towards your pubis.
Press your hands down as you draw your shoulder blades in towards your spine to lift the armpit chest up and towards your head. Keep your shoulders plumb vertical over your wrists as you puff your armpit chest up towards the ceiling.
Keep your armpit chest puffed up as you lengthen your neck and head back.
Without losing the lift and length of the chest, point the toes to the floor. Do not let the chest move towards the hips at all!
To come out of the pose, bend your elbows and knees and lower your buttocks to the floor.
Practice Purvottanasana with Backbends. If you practice this pose sloppily with forward bends, it could potentially put you at a higher risk for slipped discs. Make sure your tailbone is well higher than your lumbar!
Each of the brothers symbolizes something. Nakula, twin brother of Sahadeva, symbolizes Svadhistana, the second chakra. Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Madri using Kunti's mantra to invoke the Asvins. Madri is Pandu's second wife. Kunti is Pandu's first wife. Both were directly affected by the terrible curse on Pandu that prevented him from having children. In the perfect work-around, Kunti had a magical mantra to invoke one god (not two, not many) and bear children from the seed of the god. Kunti shared the magical mantra with Madri who then called down the Ashvins, the two divine horsemen who symbolize sunrise and sunset (somewhat analogous to Pollux and Castor). Madri had twins, one of whom is Nakula.
Nakula symbolizes the 2nd Chakra, Svadhistana. The root word "sva" means own, of self, and "adhistana" is a base, or self control. Nakula is the brother who has self control.
Some factoids about Nakula and Svadhistana:
Svadhistana is situated in the lower abdomen.
Svadhistana is associated with the genitals, water element, sound, touch, taste, form, and the hands.
Nakula is not associated with the sense of smell (although chakra below is associated with smell. Each progressive chackra loses one of the bindings of sense perception.)
The bija mantra for Svadhistana is "vam" or "fvam".
The positive qualities of an in balance Svadhistana chackra, symbolized by the Pandava brother Nakula are control over the senses and self control. He is rooted in control moore than calmness. Nakula has taken the task of trining the horses during the incognito period, a task that requires control and skill.
Training horses requires more skill than caring for cows. Horses, like our senses, tend to run wild and plunge into activity.
The term in Gyan yoga for self control and steadiness of the senses is "dama".
The negative qualities of Svadhistana out of balance, symbolized by the Kaurava brother Duhshasana, is anger and hot-headedness, credulity, and disdain.
The Kaurava brother Jayadratha represents fear of death, and is also a counterpoint to Nakula. Fear is always intermngled with anger; they stay together in the most subtle and intricate ways and are never without the other.
Arjuna is the star of the Gita, and is sybolic of the 3rd chakra, Manipura, or the "jewel city". Arjuna is the brother who symbolizes the individual self, the warrior, the austere and disciplined soul.
Some factoids about Arjuna and Manipura:
Manipura is situatued at the navel, and associated with digestion both of food and with assimilation of ideas.
Manipurna is associated with the fire element, the visua sense, and the anus.
"Ram" is the bija mantra of the Manipura chakra.
This chakra, in balance, promotes austerity, tapas, self discipline, personal growth, and forbearance, or Titikisha.
In the Mahabarata, Arjuna, the emobodiment of Manipura, hid out as a palace eunich among all the court ladies. His austere nature never wavered.
This chackra, out of balance, symbolizes the kleshas is the propogator of fear, anxiety, negative actions rooted in ignorance, greed, and misplaced loyalty.
Karna, the Kaurava brother, is the character who symbolizes the negative counterpart of Arjuna and the embodiment of imbalanced Manipura.
This blog is intended, first off, as my small tribute to my esteemed guru and teacher, Yogacharya BKS Iyengar, and as a thank you to all the additional generous and gifted teachers who have invested in cultivating me as a teacher and as a student. Anything correct or of value in this blog comes from them. The errors, however, are all mine.
Secondly, this is a place for me simultaneously commemorate my 20th year of practice while consolidating all my notes on what I have learned about yoga in these 20 years.
It is purely for my own reflection and review, and not intended as a teaching tool, a diagnostic or prescriptive for anyone else's practice or therapeutic needs, and it especially is not intended as a compendium of Iyengar Yoga. It is a compendium of my one small teensy sliver of understanding of a much much larger art and practice.
Shout Outs
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Yogacharya BKS Iyengar
Geeta Iyengar
My mother -for bringing me into this world, and taking me to my first yoga class
Susan - my first Yoga teacher
Laura Allard - my second yoga teacher and guide who got me walking well again post-injury
The Austin Posse who guided me through Certification- Peggy Kelly, Devon Dederich, and Karuna.
The San Francisco Posse who tirelessly cultivated a whole herd of us from gray shapeless lumps into burgeoning teachers - Jaki Nett, Nora Burnett, Janet Macleod, Mandira Haynes, Kathy Alef, and all the IYISF faculty and staff.
The San Diego Posse - Carolyn Belko, Mary and Eddy.
Stephanie Popiel - for giving me a loan to stay in school.
