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)
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.
