The Student Will Guide You

I have a client who came looking for stress relief. So we began our sessions with simple and gentle postures and breathing.

But in the third lesson I was moved to have him explore standing poses and in the fourth lesson, we started to flow. He is now totally hooked. The stronger vinyasa practice has met and grabbed him. And what more can a teacher do but set up the conditions for her student to get excited and be drawn in.

Sweat pours off of him as he struggles to step his foot forward from down dog and he loves it! I laugh at myself cuz my mind would never have lead us here. I am so lucky to have him as my teacher.

Teaching at Krotona Day 3

I had my 3rd class at Krotona on Tuesday. It is a funny thing to be the "visiting hatha yoga teacher". My classes at Lulu's tend to be such a blend of philosophy and asana and stroy but when there is only an hour and our hearts and heads are full from the morning lectures, it seems best to humble myself and simply offer movements for the breath and body.

Uma mentioned Sutra 1.34 in class today, so I took that as my cue.

We started supine with the suggestion to allow the attention to come to the exhale to help it lengthen simply by drawing your awareness there.

Eventually we did a little windshield wiper, pelvis rocking and shimmy.

We rolled up to sitting.
Sukhasana with Pelvis Play, Foreword Fold and Chest Press.

Transition to All Fours
Cat/Cow to Childs Pose

Lunges x 2
Sphinx Pose x 2
Roll over onto Backs

Bridge Pose x 2
Cosmic Rest

Easy Spinal Twist

Savasana

Sweet Vinyasa Wednesday 8:30am

10 Peeps

Similar play as Monday but with more time to play with headstand. Connection with the spine (tailbone, back of heart and neck) towards headstand. This sequence is very full and yet we hardly do anything and class seems to go so fast.

Heart Opener on Bricks

Pelvis Rocking

The Shimmy

Sukhasana with Pelvis Awareness
Forward Fold and Chest Press
(Switch Legs and Repeat)

Transition All Fours

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Childs Pose

Plank
Dog

Lunge Seqeunce
Lunge with Pelvis Awareness towards Crescent Moon
Hamstring Stretch with Pelvis Play
Lunge
Dog

Repeat Lunge Sequence

Sphinx Vinyasa with 2 Sphinxs
Dog

Uttanasana
ROll up to Standing

Tadasana with Shoulder Opening and Breath Awareness (Front and Back of Body)

Standing Headstand
Shoulder Opening with Bricks
Headstand Prep
Headstand Play

(Several firsts today, I LOVE this)

Rest Childs Pose

Bridge with 2 Bricks
Rest

Savasana

Sweet Vinyasa Monday 8:30am

10 Peeps
1 Drop In

Intimate group. Continued the geeky technical play of tailbone to heart to neck. This is making it's way towards alignment for sitting.

Opening of Heart over 2 Bricks
Pelvis Rocking
Breath into Belly
The Shimmy

Rock up to Sitting

Sukhasana with Tailbone and Pelvis Awareness to Forward Fold
Chest Press
(Change Legs and Repeat)

Roll onto All Fours

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Childs Pose

Plank
Dog

Sequence 1
from Dog
Lunge to Crescent Moon (geeky)
Hamstring Stretching
Lunge
Dog

Repeat Sequence 1

Dog
Plank
Sphinx with Rounding and Traction Play
Rest. Windshield Wiper.
Cobra with Rounding and Traction Play
Rest. Windshield Wiper.

Cobra Locust Vinyasa Demo

Cobra Locust Vinyasa

Childs Pose
Squat
Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Tadasana with Alignment Play and Shoulder Opening x 2

Standing Sirsasana
Transition to Kneeling

Headstand Prep
Headstand Play with Tailbone and Heart Awareness
Rest in Childs
Vajrasana sit
(there was only 10 minutes left here! i have no idea how class went by so quickly.)

So all we had time for was to get supine, do a spinal twist and find savasana

(ideally we would have sat a lot longer in vajrasana and then maybe moved to a seated spinal twist and hip opener or a bridge pose... oh well).

Abhyasa: Rooting the Tailbone to Blossom the Heart

Today I practiced and filmed finding cues to explore the relationship between the tailbone and the heart.

The sequence was something like this:

Heart Opener over a Brick
Pelvis Rocking
Breathing into Belly
The Shimmy

Sukhasana Forward Fold and Chest Pressing

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Childs Pose

Sequence 1
Plank
Dog
Crescent Moon
Hamstring Play
Childs Pose

Repeat Sequence 1

Sphinx Play
Cobra Play
Ustrasana Play

Childs Pose
Seated Vajrasana
LAM
YAM
OM

Transition to Half Lord of the Fishes
Cow Face
(Repeat Other Side)

Seated Meditation

SWG Sunday 10:00am

10 peeps
2 Drop Ins

Played with similar actions as yesterday SWG. Focus on tailbone, sacrum, pelvis and heart relationship in supine, sitting, standing, lunging and backbending.

Heart Opener over Brick

Pelvis Rocking
The Shimmy

Hamstring Stretching with a Strap and Pelvis Work

Transition to Sitting
Sacrum Awareness
Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.

Transition to Standing Forward Fold
Roll up to Standing
Tadasana Bound with Shoulder Opening. See the Yoga Video.

Tadasana san equipment

2 Rounds Lunge Salutes
Childs Pose

Sphinx
Cobra
Roll onto Backs

Windshield Wiper
Bridge Pose x 2
Cosmic Rest Pose

Eye of the Needle Both Sides
Easy Spinal Twist

Savasana

Sit

SWG Saturday 10:45am

16 Peeps
1 Drop In

Blending the cues we have been doing with a few new ones that I have been playing with this week in the Help of Ojai Class and up at Krotona. Focus on the low back, sacrum and pelvis. Wide Range of peeps.

Heart Opener over Brick

Pelvis Rocking
The Shimmy

Hamstring Stretching with a Strap

Transition to a Seat

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.
Tuning Navel and Sacrum. See the Yoga Video.

Transition to Standing
Forward Fold
Roll to Standing

Tadasana Bound with Shoulder Opening. See the Yoga Video.

Tadasana

2 Rounds Easy Lunge Salutes incorporating the alignment information.

After Second Round, transition to Childs Pose

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Chidls Pose

Transition to Belly

Sphinx with Navel to Heart Awareness
Rest, windsheild Wiper

Cobra with Navel to Heart Awareness
Rest, Windshield Wiper

Transition onto Backs
Knees to Chest

Bridge Pose x 2

Eye of the Needle Both Sides
Windshield Wiper

Savasana

Soft Vinyasa Saturday 9am

16 Peeps
1 Drop in

(Almost a second drop in but seemed to not be a match and he left. Might write a blog about it cuz it was such a mind spin for me).

Played with some of the work that I found myself doing with Help of Ojai and Krotona. So a little slower and groovier. Emphasis on understanding the simultaneous actions in the opening of the heart and the descent of the tailbone.

Heart Opener
Supine over a Brick

Pelvis Rocking Forward and Back
Breath in Belly Awareness and Connection to the Pelvis

The Shimmy

Roll to Sitting

Sukhasana with Action of Heart and Tailbone
Forward Fold to head on Brick
Chest Pressing
(Switch Legs and Repeat Other Side)

Transition onto All Fours

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Childs Pose
1/2 Dog
Rounded Body
Plank
Dog

Sequence 1
Lunge
Twisting Lunge
Hammock
Crescent Moon with Pelvis and Heart Attention
Hamstring Stretch
Dog

Repeat Sequence 1 Other Side

Dog
Plank
Sphinx with Tailbone and Heart Tractioning
Rest, Windshield Wiper
Cobra with Tailbone and Heart Tractioning
Rest, Windshield Wiper
Rocket Cat
Childs Pose
Vajarasana

Demo of the Cobra Locust Vinyasa
(Calling out the actions of the Tailbone and Heart)

Cobra Locust Vinyasa

Dog
Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Tadasana with Alignment Cues
Ujayyi Pranayama

(awareness of breathing down the fronts and backs of the body)

LAM

Sequence 2
Sun to Lunge
Side Angle Blueprint
Triangle
Side Angle Pose
Lunge
3 Legged Dog

Cobra Locust Vinyasa

Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Tadasana
LAM

Repeat Sequence 2 Other Side

Cobra Locust Vinaysa

Rest Childs Pose
Vajrasana Sit

Shoulder Work in Vajrasana

Shoulder Work with Bricks

Headstand Prep
A little suggestion to put some of the navel and tailbone and heart work towards headstand
There was not really enough time to do this. But there is always a first suggestion.

Childs Pose
Vajrasana Sit
OM

Transition towards earth

Savasana Prep

Savasana

Uma and Amit Goswami at Krotona: April 23

These are a collection of notes from the Goswami's Course at Krotona, "Nurturing the Soul. We gather from 10 to 12:30 from Tuesday through Friday. Amit speaks first, then Uma.

Amit

"What are the questions and problems of Mind and How do we solve them?"
"When things happen, they happen very quickly"

"Consciousness contains 4 components of possibilities With Quantum Collapse, the possibilities manifest as the material body, the vital body, the mind and the supra mental intellect."

"How can we be so careless about our own experience that we 'give in' to the materialist belief."

"Meaning is something that cannot be computed...and there is mathematical proof."

"No digital representation of feeling."

[self note: what about a beautiful piece of music or art that creates feeling? is this measured differently?]

Today's Problems:
"We need to value our Archetypes."
"Quantum helps by eliminating argument of dualism."

Chinese Medicine Example:
Two types of complementary chi: yin and yang
the shadow and the light

complimentary is different than dualistic
complimentary is 2 different aspects of the same thing. dualistic is two different things.

Nelda:
Who is the we that makes the choice?
"We" arises simultaneously with the object we perceive from the Tangled Hierarchy of Quantum Measurement.
"We have identified with the brain"...and "I am separate from you."

yang is movement
yin is stability

[note: this was a new place for me. i had never thought of yin as stable before in comparison to yang as movement. in thinking about the bones vs the blood, this was a very useful understanding to me]

David Boehm the physicist:
he was looking for/giving an example of the uncertainty principle and discovered an example in thought.
the maximum difficult of the "straitjacket of the materialist" is whether or not the world is deterministic.
Can we determine the world based on measurements?
They wish yes cuz control and predictability are so nice.
"But complete prediction becomes so boring."
DB "We can never measure momentum and location with complete accuracy."

"Classical physics is deterministic...no creativity in the world."
"In Quantum world there is uncertainty"

DB: "We can never measure the content and direction of thought. "
In free association, you have no memory of content just the direction. In concentration meditation techniques, you stick to the content and allow for no direction.

"Intuition is the quality that is the most rarefied." So have to be careful about talking about it. Cannot do it on command, like thinking or feeling.

Maria:
Can you see content and direction from a higher perspective of consciousness? As consciousness expands, can you see these things simultaneously?
Amit: When You become Whole with Consciousness then there is no separation. Everything is known.

"everything known in possibility."

So "evolution" is only a possibility?

eternity is not infinity.
in eternity, nothing happens, permanent, the Godhead
infinity is a long time from now, extent of time

Aurobindo was the first mystic to focus on evolution.
The Soul is the highest ideal.

[eric: is there a natural selection of possibilities?]

"What is this reality? At once nothing happens and something changes." Krishnamurti

Both Stationary and in Movement.
"it moves, it moves not"

Amit says that it was a mistake of the mystics to not recognize evolution earlier.

"Ideas of Evolution" Come slow to us.
"Transformation is fundamental."
"Evolution is a species level."
we are moving towards "godliness on earth."

Why is it so hard to make progress?
Our negative emotional Brain Circuits

Amit showed a slide detailing the "blueprint" of how we get mental and physical representations from collapse.

"How Biological Functions Come Down From Heaven"
"Why do Chakras Work?"

What are chakras? and Why do we feel feelings here specially?
Chakras are the places Quantum Collapse the blueprint.
It is not the physical organ that creates the feeling.
The feeling is a feeling of vital movement.
A change in the vital energy.

Heart and Thymus Gland
Thymus Gland governs the immune system and the Heart is the most important to us relative to the spiritual.

Thymus: distinguishes me from not me.
"This cell is not me, so eliminate it"
"When we cannot do that, we get cancer."

"Romantic Love is a possessive idea...You are mine...This is part of the drive of physical union and sexual desire. The desire to merge comes from the heart chakra and feels like love....we feel 'expanded consciousness' in heart chakra..."
"The mind as meaning giver interprets the feeling."

Amit nodded to the 'emotional body' that was recognized early on by the T.S. as the place where the mind givens meaning to vital feelings.

When the person we are in love with steps out, we feel jealousy because of the possessiveness.

The idea of marriage/monogamy to prevent sex without love.


Nelda asked the question of how we achieve a balance?
How do we maintain a strong and healthy thymus gland while including other people in our hearts?
She also made the point of many mystics dying of cancer. Was it a loss of the distinction of me?

"Mother is the only one who has conquered the barrier of locality."

Maria pointed out that people with heart disease suffer from hostility, cynicism and the inability to share emotions. And that they do really well with group sharing, realizing and breathing techniques.

Lower Chakras
Amit gets a little old skool when talking about the lower chakras.
"These lower chakras are brain centers of negative emotions."

"We are in a rational age...an age of the rational mind."

"If we are producing separateness, it is not good for us."
"Evolution is trying to take us towards unity."
"Rational mind allows us to justify everything."
"Feeling and intuition and not rational"

"We are making better and better representations of the subtle."
"Mind is a barrier to giving meaning to feelings and intuition."

"How do we overcome this?"
"How can meaning and feelings be included?:
"We don;t have to do what we are doing."

"During Regan's presidency, Women became corrupted"
Women's values were negated, women were 'empowered' and they became 'rational'

"We need the women to lead us out of this."
"Anima integration"
"There I have made my pitch."

UMA

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

In any teaching of yoga m there are 3 processes:
1. Shravana
Listen to the teachings with entire being. Absorb it. Be open minded. Non-judgemental. Learning depends on both teacher and student being in a harmonious field.

2. Manana
Reflect on it. Use the mind to reflect.

3. Nidhidhyana
Only then will the fruits of the learning be born.

She said the BHAVAN mantra

"We all make sacrifices to be here"
"We have to collectively create the energy to allow the teachings to flow."

"Shiva is the cosmic force of transformation...the one who is fearless, all auspicious, sacred and who will help us dissolve the negative emotions."

NA - Earth
Ma - Water
Shi - Fire
VA - Air
YA - Ether

"The Lord fo the 5 Cosmic elements"
"Mudras help harmonize the elements"

"Human effort has to be accompanied by divine grace.

Transform awareness to reconnect.

Pranas Myth
Told Narada Story of claiming to be the greatest devotee of Maha Vishnu and Maha Vishnu showing him the farmer. Narada asked to carry the pail of oil around the world without spilling one drop during which he never thought of Mahu Vishnu once while the hard working farmer is able to pray 6x a day.

"We become proud of our spiritual sadahana.. Our ego does this."

"The best sadhana is to constantly be aware of the divine undercurrent that is animating all your activities."

Can we become aware of this animating power?

Be aware of the unmanifest in the manifest.

Mandyuka Upanishad

A: pain of separating in the waking state.
Viswa (individual ego) is connected to Urat (virat?)
we are part of the whole nature
told the RK whip mark story.
Bhakti yoga is intimacy with God. Talk to God all the time.
RK to Vivekanadna: make every effort directed to the divine.
Nature can heal you.
Pay attention to the the peaceful ease in which the cows graze the grass.

Lord Laughs 2 times
- when the doctor says he has healed you and when people are fighting over property.
"never feel alone"
"everything in nature is a live"
"the divine is in everything"

in waking state, there is an observer, observed and observation

U
taijasa, the individual ego connects to hiranya sardha, the cosmic womb
dreaming state
psychological state
what is dreaming?
Dreamer
object of dream
process of dream

What is difference between dreaming and waking state?
There is no external stimuli in dreaming.

Memories are the stimulus of dreams, regurgitation.
Dream is better than waking.
More refinement.
We have access to memories of the collective in dreams.
We are connected to universal connected mind.

How does this help us psychologically?
"dump your problems into universal mind."
if most of time in tune with nature, not so much suffering.
if connected to collective mind, not so much suffering.

M
pragnya
deep sleep
ego is quiet
our suffering is the lease
"even physical pain disappears in deep sleep"
"everybody is equalized in deep sleep"

wake up and the same problems appear.
Ishwara
grace works
"never underestimate the power of prayer and grace"

story of Uma heading to temple of Shiva in Rishikesh as a teenager.

if you surrender to God, it is easiest.

"Who Am I" traces the ego to its end.
"Root of I"

Indian Wedding and Guest Story.

Do not get involved in the content of the mind, observe the source of thought.
Be vigilant.
Ego merges back to the source.
Challenge it.
Trace it.
"I am not this"
"I am awareness, intelligence and bliss"

Food prepared with LOVE touches your heart.

yoga = union
viyoga = disconnection
upayoga = practice of yoga in daily life

"to discover that blissful aspect and once we discover it, we have to transfer it."
"if u r not juicy, nothing flows"
"as long as suffering exists in us, it exists outside us."

"macrocosm is reflection of microcosm"

Then she "came to today's topic, Raga Yoga"

She began to go through the Yamas and I had to go.

Ahimsa, not just non-cruelty, but active kindness
Satya, there is an inner truth in each of us. what is the truth about yourself. contact it. manifest it.

Teaching at Krotona Day 1 and 2

I have the opportunity to teach yoga during some of the afternoons during Amit and Uma's visit. This is super fun. I have been surprised by what I actually end up teaching. The class is an hour.

Day 1
Hot day and room was cooled down.

Supine
Pelvis Rocking
Shimmy
Hamstrings with Strap

Transition to All Fours
Cat/Cow
2 Rounds of Lunges with Childs Pose

Sphinx Pose x 2

Roll onto Backs
Windshield Wiper

Cosmic Rest
Easy Spinal Twist
Knees to Chest
Savasana


Day 2
Cold day and the room was cold.
Began Sitting

Sukhasana with Forward Fold, Side Bending and Back bending switching cross of legs.

A-U-M Chanting Breakdown
(Uma had broke down AUM today so I followed)

Transition to Earth
Windshield Wiper
Pelvis Rocking
The Shimmy 2x
Hamstring Stretching with Strap
Bridge x 2
Cosmic Rest
Eye of the Needle
Easy Spinal Twist

Savasana

Help of Ojai Class

I subbed for Tucker today.

Alana was originally going to teach but was feeling out of sorts, so she stayed to assist, thank goodness.

Several "old timers", but it was the 2nd class of a new session and there were 2 brand spanking newbies and two that had not been in the class for a long time. One of them with an oxygen tank. One with such bad anxiety that she is shaking.

During this class, 2 women expressed the desire to die. One woman said she missed her husband. It was emotionally full and expressive.

Opening
Alana helped the woman with the O2 tank get comfortable and the rest seemed to know how to make themselves comfortable on a bolster and lie down. I waited. I did not try to rush. I just allowed the room to feel like it was settled and that everyone was present. And I prayed inside for help.

Eventually I guided the group to bring a wee bit of attention to the breath and the 4 parts, but my instruction was minimal.

Pelvis Work and The Shimmy
Eventually we removed the support and lay flat.
We dig Pelvis tipping and tucking.
Belly Breath Awareness towards the pelvis.
And "The Shimmy"
They all totally caught the resulting euphoria from this movement. This is when the class sorta became unhinged and all sorts of comments and emotions began flying. We were all laughing hard.

Supine Brick Behind Heart
San Brick Behind Heart

Seated Toe Strap Work
Ankle Strap and Thigh Brick
(This is what I have been teaching in my "regular" classes and it seemed okay, but it was asking a lot.)

Transition to Standing
We tried Tadasana all bound up, but it was asking too much. The balance was too difficult for many so we stuck with block between thighs for most of them. Some could do the ankle strap and block.

Tadasana san equipment but with memories of tension.

(this was really my peak pose)

Wall Work
Shoulder and Chest Opener

Splat
Right Angle Pose
(Demo and Repeat)

Tadasana one more time.

Transition back to floor for Restorative Savasana with Bolster under head and strap around knees for Watering the Sacrum Pose.

Sit

Uma and Amit Goswami at Krotona April 22

April 22, 2009

The main theme today between Amit and Uma was the idea of "living lightly". Allow ourselves to be less dense of collapsed memories and ways of doing things and operate in the waves of possibility, allowing for insight. Relaxed Awareness.

AMIT

We arrived 30 minutes late cuz of Class.

As long as the world is "scientific", nobody is going to "let there be light."
the law of science does not believe in miracles.
miracles are "local-exceptions."

Amit presented why Quantum is micro, and not macro.
The unchanging nature of the physical world, gives us a common ground of experience

"When we are not looking, there are waves of possibilities."
[self note: how dies this relate to awareness?]

How do we learn to make a better representation of the subtle?
How as children do we learn to make a better picture?
We learn by making representation first.
Need better representation to make better representations.
[self note: don't we just learn to look more closely]

Do not need to rediscover the wheel over and over.
"to make representations of the subtle" we collapse the subtle?

"I an collapse the same thought over and over again OR I can rethink it"

continuous thought and discontinuous thought are both allowed.
continuous thought is easier, memorized. easier to recall the memory than respond to the new circumstance.

dis continually dominates as we become more refined. so we feel more spontaneous and fresh and new in the supra mental.

5 Archetypes
Love Beauty Justice Truth and Good

basic concept of fundamental thought that it matches our soul.
discontinuity dominates

example mental representation of Love
if we learn about love from our mother, it will be natural for us to repeat that mental memory of love. "imagine the disaster."

"Our difficulty comes cuz we do not look."
recognize that this is not working
"suffering/pain" is the clue
our sense of separation from unity.

"How do we take the Quantum Leap?"

Say NO to the conditioning that is creating the suffering and separateness.

Proof of change is that it does take place.
The belief in electricity example.

I asked question about looking as necessary to see the conditioning and how that relates to "collapsing the possibilities".

Amit pointed towards the idea in yoga of "relaxed awareness."
"focus with ease"
Relax and allow for the insight.

Maria asked: What is calling forth the insight? What is this quality of dhyana? It IS a collapse because there is an insight, but what is happening there?

"It is beyond all this."
Must be a BURNING QUESTION
pursuing it even when relaxing.

Collapse of a WAVEFORM.
"We" is the conscious observer
Omar Quam Love Poems, "The Longing for God is a Romantic Love."

You have to have the answer.
You grow a longing for the answer.
Either Suffering is so great that you have to get out.
Or you can simply seek Joy. You become so intrigued by the Joy, that you want more, you want to find the source itself.

The Bride and the Mother in Law Slide.

"I am creating the world that I am."

Psychophysical Parallelism
people still talk of the "mind/body" problem"
how can both exist without needing a dual argument
"both mind and mater are possibilities of consciousness, there not dual."


There is a Discontinuous Local Collapse in the 5 bodies from both the Consciousness and Supra- mental Intellect and the Mental, Vital and Physical Properties.

"We choose our possibilities from these places."

Amit presented that he solved this problem 8 years ago in his books:
"Visionary Window" and "Physics of the Soul"

"Quantum" is a scary word to philosophers.


UMA

AUM

Om
Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya
Purnameva Vashishyate
Om shanti, shanti, shanti

Essentially, meaning:

Om.
That is the whole, this is the whole;
from the whole, the whole becomes manifest;
taking away the whole from the whole,
the whole remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Ghandi said, "if the entire knowledge of the Upanishads were destroyed and this one stanza were to remain, we would still have the entire wisdom of the Upanishads." (or something like that)

the whole gives birth to the whole and is continuous to the whole.

there are no authors of the Upanishads.
"Rishis did not dare put their name on it."
Shruti = wisdom that was revealed to them
Uma mentioned that we owe the study of Vedenta to Shankaracharya.
That up until he recorded it it was an oral history for 2000 years.


She told the story of being sad that she was not born 50 years earlier.
"never doubt the existence of living masters."
"it is thrilling to be contemplating these ancient teachings"

"If we can transform our perception, no other yoga is required."

"in ever manifest creation is the abode of God"
Who's fault is it that we cannot discover it?
The qualities of Divine are Awaress, Intelligence, Blissfullness

"There is Something wrong in your perception."
Avidya
Agnyana
Maya

How do we correct this?

Our suffering comes from ego."ego is the mental construct/creation of the mind"

BG defintion of the Ego:
chit jada granthi
chit: consciousness (chitta/mind comes from chit)
jada: body
granthi: knot

ego makes the unlimited consciousness feel as if it is tied to the body

"when thoughts become silent, consciousness shines through."
"mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts"

in an enlightened man: mind hardly gives rise to thought
ignorance: continuous flow of thoughts, helplessly thinking

meditation: create space between thoughts
not emptiness: FULLNESS

"as long as we do no see divine in another person, we will interact superficially"

our psychological suffering comes from comparison and competition
we suffer when we feel superior or inferior
[story of the boy who would not talk]

"so easy to destroy, so hard to heal."
"so easy to rupture some body's dignity."
"so difficult to return it back."

[story of the Sanskrit pHd woman]

"Find out what is good in yourself"
our society is expert in showing the negative.

parents criticize children 80% of the time
"Let aspects of your soul that you want to be expressed to be nurtured."

"What are the positive attribute that each one of us has?"

"Yoga Therapy"

"Weaknesses will be there in your personality, ignore them. dwell on the positive aspects." RK

Our positive attributes are hard to know.
Easier to Narrate the weaknesses.
Very few people know their good qualities
Swadharma
swa - self
dharma - properties/Laws of Being

MASLOW
people with positive mental health
All happy and successful people have 16 qualities in common.

Healing
"offer a loving observation"

Betsy asked the question of how as a parent to approach the 20%
everything can be clothed in dignity. so many children have shattered diginity. hurting the dignity is an act of violence.

What makes us Violent?
negative emotions are subtle shades of violence. none of us want to be violnet.
Root out the seed of violence.
Root out seed of violence in competitive instinct.

"Competitive instincts is what makes us undignifed human beings."

"Human Beings have to OVERCOME competitive instincts. Part of the Animal Kingdom.

Discussion of the Brain, and the 3 parts.

We need to learn to cooperate.
As long as feel separate, will compete.

How to criticize without being negative?
Do it in dignified language.

The story of Sage Meditating with the Snake.
"I told you not to bite, but I did not tell you not to hiss."

"the bite comes from our own emotions."
"how do we prevent biting"
"don't say anything in anger mood. cool down and then express it."


emotions have births, peaks and deaths.

"don't allow yourself to be exploited."
"we get karma as exploited and exploiter."

the War in Mahabarata
Krishna does not allow for exploitation.

Sometimes we have to fight against injustice.

Purification and Refinement
Chitta Shuddhi
Mind Lightness

"The more light we are, the more divine consciousness can come through."

"Learn to live lightly in your body and mind as a quest."

"We suffer when we assume too much responsibility."

the traveling life is more of a quest.
"don't stick to too many memories, let them go"
"the lighter we are, the more we can be happy."
"the masters liver very lightly."

4 Main Branches of Yoga
- Jnana
discover the divine in others. give up habit of criticism, judgement
cultivate habit iof loving observation
be in tune with your own divinity and tune to their divinity, healing happened

"lecture creates problems, better to sit in holy silence"

"the more centered we are, the more healing can come through us."

"doing the greatest service in perception."
"when we observe, can we bring in the aspect of Love."

Bliss Body has 5 properties
Priya: that which is lovable
"if we want to discover happiness in wold, it is possible."

"don't covet another's property."

Viveka: emotional maturity
Who are you?
what kind of life do you want?
internally honest
be ruthless in honesty

[story of the housekeeper]

[salt and water story]

Raga Yoga
to train our concentration

Bhakti
to purify our emotions

Karma
to purify our actions


Homework: Read these 3 upanishads

1. Taittirīya (KYV)
2. Īṣa (ŚYV)
3. Māṇḍūkya (AV)

Raga Yoga
Pantajali's Yoga Sutras
using the Mind to turn the mind
Weak Concentration is one of the causes of suffering.

8 Limbs

samadhi
sama: same
dhi: intelligence of the heart

Uma and Amit Goswami at Krotona April 21

These are a collection of notes from the Goswami's Course at Krotona, "Nurturing the Soul. We gather from 10 to 12:30 from Tuesday through Friday. Amit speaks first, then Uma. I am writing these notes the day after, which is never quiet as good as the scribbles are less decipherable.

April 21, 2009
Amit

'God is not Dead'
this "opportunistic world view is a problem"

Terminology
Godhead vs. God
Godhead as the conscious ground of all being. Nothing happens here.
God is creative action of the Godhead.
"This is all the dream of the Godhead"

"We have an outside experience, and we have an inside experience. So our inclination is to split it."

"I can with some effort, stop my thinking and feeling."
"Dualism has been criticized since the beginning."

Amit had an Upward Causation Model Slide up on Screen.

particles leading to atoms leading to molecules to cells to brain to consciousness

Amit asked what is wrong with the model.
It is the correct model for the mater, but wrong to claim that the brain creates consciousness.
Darkashan pointed out that everything except consciousness is quantifiable.

"Idea of Materialism is also old."
External = matter
Internal = not matter

The Goals of This Workshop:

1. Get a sense of the way the world works.
2. What is the meaning of the World? (if causation model was true, there could be no meaning.)
3. What is the meaning that you bring ? (What is the meaning of my life?)
4. What is the Meaning that you Want? (hard to be Friends with people that have a different sense of meaning, there is disharmony)
5. What can you do about it?

Brain and consciousness are always together but not the same.

Amit continually gives word and nod to HPV Blavatsky as being an early seer of all this.

Darwin said that meaning gives us a survival advantage, increases are value.

"How do love, truth and beauty come about?"

No body checked out if matter can process meaning.

Pendrose: "Matter cannot process meaning."

[note to self: want to find the quote from Marion woodman about mater coming from the same root as mother.]

We define matter through its characteristics
Definition of consciousness is impossible since it is the GROUND oF ALL BEING.

Maria pointed out that the model still prevails in medicine....that our body is simply chemicals and by correcting the structure of the chemicals we can heal and cure.

Meaning is central to our existence.

"Indians cannot keep a straight forward discussion."

Look for a book called, "Disturbing the Universe."

"Can our intentions disturb the universe?"

"yes we can."

"If we can do something, then we must. "
"Quantum Activism -- let your intention become a force of change in your own life and world."

what is necessary and unnecessary?

Causation Model is WRONG.
There was some discussion about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts but i spaced out a little.

David Summer, "Objects always give us objects."

Consciousness is a SUBJECT.
There is a LOOKER.
Subjectivity.

"Does not explain 'mind over mater.'"
Point about telepathy raised by Marjorie.

Telepathy is direct communication.

Three Common Characteristics in Quantum Physics
1. Non-Locality (signals communication)
2. Dis-Continuity (electrons jump from one orbit to the other with no intermediate step)
3. Tangled Hierarchy

Amit discussed the effects of QP 'internally' and 'externally.'
"In the internal feeling world, quantum goes on unabated."

"quantum effects are never subdued internally, in fact they dominate, which is what makes the experience of them mostly internal."
"But we do not need a 'dual' argument in external world cuz quantum effects are simply abated, that is why there seems to be an external."

To understand Q.P., need a concept of tangled hierarchy.

"Upper levels of cause and effect on lower levels"

"material interactions cannot produce:
- non- locality
- dis continuation
- tangled hierarchy, only simple hierarchy."

"What are the qualities of a cell?"

"dna makes protein and a dna needs protein to be made"

wholeism is one of the mysteries of life.

"There is a way of discerning God."

"All religions ascribe God some Power."
"'Be Good' is the main message of religions."
"Intuition helps make it an active principle."

Our brain is wried with negative emotions like competition. We have to transcend these. This is a correct idea of religions.

"Every time you succumb to negative brain emotions, you feel separate from the whole."
"Bad always happens"
"But if you do not succumb, if you can listen to the intuition and be proactive and be good, what we do makes us feel united."
"if we give to someone, i feel wonderful cuz i am united and feel happy."
"heaven is the name of place where we are whole."
"hell is where we feel separate to the extreme"

"relaxation is being whole and happy."


UMA

"What does evolution imply psychologically?"
"What do we mean by evolution"

"The Atman, the essential consciousness is already divine, perfect."

She recited the first stanza of Isha Upanishad.

Om
Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya
Purnameva Vashishyate
Om shanti, shanti, shanti

Essentially, meaning:

Om.
That is the whole, this is the whole;
from the whole, the whole becomes manifest;
taking away the whole from the whole,
the whole remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

So where lies the imperfections? The inadequacies?
Why do we suffer?

Is suffering necessary for us to change? grow? transform?
Where does change/evolution eventually apply?

To the instruments of Consciousness.
Atman does not work, it radiates through the 5 bodies of consciousness.

The Koshas.

"Our Soul needs to express itself."
"We come into this incarnation with specific properties."
SwaDharma
"Do your own duty, not someone else's duty"

"We are supposed to manifest"
Dharma is the property of our own soul.

"But there is a block which is preventing us from full expression of soul. The purpose of evolution is a realignment/refinement of our bodies to Vibrate with our Soul."

"I am thinking along with you...don't think I have the answer" Uma

"Yoga is to Consciously Cooperate with Nature in the Direction of her Design." Aurobindo
"Understanding is key to cooperation"
"Communication is when 2 peeps are interacting with each other at the same intensity at the same time." Krishnamurtiu
"Even the instruments of seriousness can be divinizied if we can bring the super consciousness, we can, " - aurobindo

PURIFICATION
REFINEMENT

"we waste away our life"
Why do we suffer?
3 fundamental problems of the ego:
We feel:
- inferior
- inadequate, or limited
- incomplete

yoga is designed to help build up stamina/stability.
for physical connection: need to be able to sit
and for emotional devotion: hard to be deliberate in state of bhakti for a long time

"we usually pray to god when we are in crisis"
"this is not bhakti, this is a cry for help."

She told the story of Kunti praying to Krishna for suffering because only when she suffers is her mind turned to him.

"Oh god, come to me in the summer of my life, not just the winter" - Kabir

"Suffering helps us change."

"Challenge your suffering producing concepts" - RM
"Why do you analyze the snake that has fallen on your body?"


"As long as we cling to the pain, something needs to be corrected."
"Why do we cling to unhappiness?"
"What is it in me that clings to pain?"

3 Gunas
Satvic - throws the neg. emotions out (force of purity)
Rajastic - explodes with the emotions (force of passion)
Tamasaic - clings to them (force of inertia)

"Go beyond the Gunas"
"go beyond nature itself"
"evolution/change happens in space and time"
[note to self: is this why we incarnate?]

it is changeless beyond space and time.

"yoga begins at samadhi" - aurobindo
even if you are enlightened, you come back and work for the welfare of society

"refinement/purification can happen when we touch the sorrowlessness in our self"

"we indulge in the negative emotions"

the story of her housekeeper wanting to maintain the social gap

with our negative emotions: "we get a positive reinforcement of our individuality"

a master has "flung his individuality to the the universe."

small identification
how to dissolve the ego?
how to open the connection to the soul?
(homework: spend 15 minutes contemplating your noblest aspect of self)
" A Rishi can see. He is a seer. He penetrates name and form."

has to be an urgency.

Aurobindo's 4 Aids for Evolution

Shastra
Study of the Scriptures.
To go beyond the word, to the Spirit
Not a mechanical study of the texts.
Swadya means study of yourself.

Utsaha
enthusiasm for God
to recruit the highest truth when we study the highest truths
you feel humble and like you do not know enough
feeling "i know nothing" has to come
without humility, the higher knowledge cannot be found

Guru
when their is a humility, the guru will come
"friend, philosopher, and guide," - aurobindo
Can be a mountain, a river, force of awakening
force of transformation
absolutely necessary
anything that brings you to himself

Kala
time
"don't fight with time, flow with it"
to see eternity in the moment
"to bring you in contact with one self."
time not to be squeezed as a moment

Maslow
"the aim is life is re-sacrad-a-lization"

How do we not give ourselves over to others?
we allow powers of others over our mind?

"Don't internalize events."

How stop Brooding?
1. Get up and do something else.

Sweet Vinyasa Monday 8:30am

I did not write this out on Monday, April 20. So I am writing it on Wednesday the 22nd from Memory. So it's a little fuzzy.

20 Peeps

Similar theme, using the props to create some memories to help establish some alignment ideas as well as talk about the mechanism of memory.

Block behind heart.

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.
Tuning Navel and Sacrum. See the Yoga Video.


Malasana
Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Tadasana Bound with Shoulder Opening. See the Yoga Video.

Tadasana san Binding.
Attention to Tailbone.
LAM


Sequence 1
Sun to Twisting Lunge
Hammock
Twisting Wide Leg Stance
Warrior 2 Dance
Lunge
3 Legged Dog
Dog

Repeat Sequence 1 from Dog

Sphinx to Cobra Vinyasa
Dog
Plank
Lower to Earth
Sphinx
Windsheild Wiper
Rocket Cat
All Fours

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Dog

Uttanasana
Utkatasana
Tadsana

Awareness to Sacrum
VAM

Sequence 2
Sun to Lunge
Twisting Triangle Variation
Prasarita Padottanasana A
Twisting Horse
Squirt Pose
Prasarita Padottanasana A
Lunge
3 Legged Dog

Locust Cobra Vinaysa

Repeat Sequence 2 From Dog
Adding Side Splits after the squirts

Locust Cobra Vinyasa

Rest Childs Pose
Vajrasana

Camel from Brick x 2

Childs Pose

Janu Sirsasana with a Twist Both Sides
Wide Yin Like Baddha Konasana
Transition to Supine

Hip Neturalizer

Savasana

Sit

Sweet Vinyasa Wednesday 8:30

14 Peeps
Core Peeps

Similar theme, using the props to create some memories to help establish some alignment ideas as well as talk about the mechanism of memory.

Block behind heart.

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.

Everyone in the group is familiar with the navel to sacrum action, so we did not review it.

Malasana
Cowboy Negotiation
Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Tadasana Bound with Shoulder Opening. See the Yoga Video.

Tadasana san Binding.
Attention to Tailbone.
LAM


Sequence 1
Sun to Twisting Lunge
Hammock
Twisting Wide Leg Stance
Warrior 2 Dance
Lunge
3 Legged Dog
Dog

Sphinx Vinyasa with awareness in the tailbone
Dog
Plank
Lower to Earth
Sphinx
Windsheild Wiper
Rocket Cat
All Fours

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Dog

Repeat Sequence 1 from Dog

Sphinx to Cobra Vinyasa with Navel to Spine Awareness

Side Plank Both Sides

Dog
Uttanasana
Utkatasana
Tadsana

Awareness to Sacrum
VAM

Sequence 2
Sun to Lunge
Twisting Triangle Variation
Hammock
Twisting Horse
Squirt Pose
Prasarita Padottanasana A
Lunge
3 Legged Dog

Locust Cobra Vinaysa

Repeat Sequence 2 From Dog
Adding Side Splits after the squirts

Locust Cobra Vinyasa

Rest Childs Pose
Vajrasana

Camel from Brick x 2

Childs Pose

Janu Sirsasana with a Twist Both Sides
Baddha Konasana
Transition to Supine

Happy Baby to Supine BK Sequence

Savasana

Sit

Uma Goswami Dance

Uma danced last night. It is her spiritual practice.

She spoke of Dance as collective spiritual practice. That it only happens in sacred space and you can never plan, it has a plan of its own.

With Uschi, Uma demonstrated the similar forms of the dance and hatha yoga. This was so beautiful. I wished that she allowed photos and that I had a camera.

She danced a dance to Shiva.
(I feel like she danced another one here)
She danced the story of Krishna's Birth.
And she danced to the Divine Mother.

She spoke a great deal about bhakti yoga. Bhakti Yoga is the longing to be with God. Wanting with all your heart to be united with God. Her words allowed me to understand that I do not know what it feels like to want something with all my heart.

Krishna's Birth as told by Uma
Krishna was born in prison. The evil king had been told that he would be killed by the 8th child of his sister?, so he locked her and her husband up. When Krishna was born, his father prayed to God and his shackles were broken and the jail opened up. He was able to sneak out and head to the neighboring village. With the help of God, the flooding river parted and a snake became his umbrella in the rain to protect the child. He exchanged Krishna for his brother's daughter? This part was confusing. Uma said something about the young gir being the Divine Mother, but why did he need a child unless she was going to be a stand in for being killed? So I looked it up and this Version of the Story matches her but tells the conclusion.

Dance to the Divine Mother
Uma was going to do a dance to Krishna and his 16,000 wives, but the music was not working. So she danced to the Divine Mother. She spoke of the energies of the mother. And of White Tara who was on the altar.

And we all danced together.

After the Performance
At the end, Uma spoke of dance being an important part of yoga teacher training. That hatha yoga has no eyes, head or hand movements and the bhakti element of dance would enrich hatha yoga. She spoke of it needing to be part of the the training.

SWG Sunday 10:00am

18 Peeps
2 Drop Ins

Soft and warm relaxed group. Sunday mornings are usually pretty easy. Similar cues as Saturday's Soft Vinyasa but easier.

Opening Actions
Supine Heart Opener over the Brick

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.
Tuning Navel and Sacrum. See the Yoga Video.
(With extra awareness on the Sacrum)

Malasana
Standing Forward Fold
Roll up to Standing

Bound Tadasana with Shoulder Opening.
Similar to this Yoga Video.

Tadasana

Standing Poses

Wide Leg Stance with Pelvis and Tailbone Awareness with Circles
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Round up
Tadasana

Warrior 2 Dance Both Sides
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Round Up
Tadasana

Repeat Warrior 2 Dance Both Sides with Hold
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Malasana
Uttanasana
Round Up
Tadasana

Side Triangle Both Sides
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Malasana
Uttanasana
Round Up
Tadasana

Side Angle Pose Both Sides
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Malasana
Uttanasana
Round Up
Tadasana

Little Tree Pose Both Sides
Uttanasana

Tree Pose Both Sides
Uttanasana
Malasana
Transition to Earth

Windshield Wiper
Bridge Pose x 2

Easy Spinal Twist Both Sides
Knees to Chest
Savasana

Uma and Amit Goswami at Krotona Day 2

I missed the morning 10 to 12 Session. Maybe Alana is blogging about it.
I took notes on Amit, not on Uma. Usually I am napping on Saturday afternoon and so I allowed myself to just kind of soak her up without trying to keep up.


Amit
"What is the conditioning we bring to this life?"
"We do reincarnate...there is a tremendous amount of data."

This was a funny moment cuz he kind of checked in with the group to make sure we all accepted the idea of reincarnation.

"Where do we experience the nurturing of the soul?"
This lead to a discussion of the 5 bodies/koshas in the Upanishads, the 5 bodies in Christian Tradition and the 7 bodies in the Theosophical Tradition.

Physical: Most Obvious
Thinking
Feeling
Supramental: Intuitive

"What you cannot explain, you deny"
And so the body is the most obvious and we are so in the mind, that if things cannot be explained, we deny their existence.

"Mind is step by step. Feelings do not make sense to the Mind."

Amit dipped into dangerous territory cuz he started talking about women and men
"Without feeling there is no sense of being a woman."
The instinctual Feeling is Maternity
The motherly feeling is strong even if you never have children

"The Mind denies intuition."
"Intuition is how we look at the soul"

"Creative and Feeling People have been persecuted in this mind dominated phase of evolution."

"How did this "MIND" View grow so fast and dominate so quickly?"
Cuz it makes sense.

"What is the Way out of this?"

Waves of possibility continually expand if not looking.
Once we look, there is a decision/choice and everything collapses.
So practice allowing the waves of possibility to open and expand for as long as possible.

He began to discuss macro and micro bodies which must have been left over from this morning.

"Macro Bodies are Waves."
"Waves of possibility becomes so sluggish that they hardly expand...and yet the center of mass moves..but hard to tell."

Example of a Chair.

"Illusion of Solidness."
So look into the realm where the illusion of solidly is much less.
Look into the realms that are not physical.

"We think our thoughts are private."
"The illusion that our thoughts are inside."
"the illusion of inside and outside."

"Why did God make it this way?"

"Without the physical body, you could not nourish the soul. The physical body makes representation of what is subtle."

"The physical is essential, but not the essence...it is a representational model"

Like a Canvas to an Artist.
The canvas is essential, you want a good canvas, but you do not need to spend all your time on that. "In materialist society, we are busy improving the canvas and ignoring the other part."

Conditioning is Made 3 Ways
- Genetic
- Environment
- Reincarnation

Amit moved into a discussion about the 3 ways change can come about. He used the Gunas to describe the types of change. This was confusing to me.

Tamastic Change - Forced Change due to a change in the conditions
Rajastic Change -- Using Aspects of the Known for creative Effort

In Western Society, we have empire building capacity and we are fickle. No ability to Sit.
In Eastern Society, we simply sit and do not do anything.

In Western, we value famous people, cuz it is a measurable aspect of creativity. We rely on the collective to tell us what is good.

Truth (for scientists)
Beauty (for artists)
Love (for everyone)
Justice (for activist, judges, lawyers)
Good (ethics)


Amit spoke along time of how we starve our soul by manifesting and then sticking to it. Wiring romance novels for our entire life cuz it makes us famous and pays the bills. This is not soul nourishing.

He suggested that most poets and novelists are not actually happy.

"Accomplishment is a distraction."

Used the 9 dot example with straight line connection diagram to illustrate
"How many unspoken prejudices have you picked up to solve your problem."

"Particularly with LOVE, working with a lot of unspoken prejudices."

Stages of Creative Process
1. Preparation
2. Incubation
3. Sudden Insight
4. Manifestation

if we wait, the possibility of meaning will expand, more chances to discover new meaning.

do-be-do-be-do-be-do-be
"we need direction in our meaning process"
"focused in a relaxed way"

"In a relaxed life, creativity can come."
"What is the proof that it is sudden?"
"insights always come with a surprise."

Ah -HAH

"i never knew this."

"Quantum leap of love."
"I never knew that it could feel like this."

Jesus had only 12 disciples.
He was just a local rabbi

Buddha was an exception cuz he was supported by Kings
But most of these great saints were ignored during their lifetime.
They became known through the years.

Now, "enlightenment is an accomplishment."
We claim to be an enlightened master, we set up a website and go into business.

We hurry in the West to the Manifestation Stage "before the brain circuit has been made."

The "Love Guru" Example and when a Guru falls like anyone else, it disables his/her ability to teach.

Insight needs to become more ordinary, not so special.
"There is nothing to glamorize about enlightenment."
"Nurture the Soul, without misleading others."

"Just as a rose is recognized by its fragrance, so you will be seen if you are steeped in it."

"Walk your Talk"

And we must use this Creativity to Look at SOCIAL SYSTEMS, cuz we need to change collectively.


UMA

I did not take notes.
Her talk was one I had heard before.
And I just felt like listening

She spoke of the four paths of yoga:
Jnana
Bhakti
Karma
Raga

And how the correspond to the Jung Temperments:
Thinking
Feeling
Action
Will powered

(or something like that)

She emphasized that while we are naturally drawn to one, we must do them all.



She spoke of Sutra 1.33 (without mentioning sutra 1.33)
Maitri
Karuna
Mudita (she particually emphasized this one, purifying ourselves of jeaously. being able to truely be happy for others)
Upekshanam
and added a 5th: Cheerfullness

Mantra
man- mind
tra - protection

We must be given a mantra by someone who is steeped in it.
She told the stroy of the son of the master giving out a mantra, "Krishna, Krishna, Krishna" to a client. The master saying, "Do you think God is deaf? If said with heart you only need to call out once."

This lead to the story of Mahabahrata Gambling match and the attempted humilation of Arjuna's wife. First she told how Draupadi became the Wife to All 5 brothers.
When Arjuna brought her home to his mother, he said, "Mother I have a gift for you!" She replied from the bath, "Whatever it is, you must share it with all your brothers" The word of mother is sacred, so that is how it happened.

Then, when the Kauravas were trying to strip Draupadi to humilate her and the brothers, she called out to Krishna and her sari was endless in length and she was spared.


We chanted to Ganesha
We chanted OM

SWG Saturday 10:45am

10 Peeps

Tough group. Huge range of peeps. From the young married hassled couple to the couple in their 70s who came 10 mintues late to the woman who asked that I watch her back the whole time cuz she was afriad she might injure herself and everything in between. These moments make me slow WAY down almost in an effort to calm myself. But when the elder man walked back of the path and said, "Something feels different, and it feels good," I was reminded of the purpose.


Supine Heart Opener over the Brick

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.

Standing Forward Fold
Roll up to Standing

Bound Tadasana with Shoulder Opening.
Similar to this Yoga Video.

Tadasana

Transition to the Wall
Chest Opening for Breathing
Similar to this Yoga Video.

Splat and Right Angle Pose Sequence at Wall.

2 Rounds Lunge Salutes with Hamstring Stretching.

Transition to Belly.
Spinx Pose x 2 with Navel Sacrum Awareness for the Low Back
Childs Pose

Transition onto Backs
Windshield Wiper
Bridge Pose x 2

Eye of the Needle Both Sides
Easy Spinal Twist Both Sides
Knees to Chest

Savasana

Soft Vinyasa Saturday 9am

14 peeps
2 Drop Ins

Similar theme of creating a memory and then using it for structural purposes. I thought we were gonna move towards horse and squirt poses but we didn't. There was no real peak today. More a collection of sets, putting all the actions together in Janu Sirsasana. Talking points on the structure of memories and knowing when to relax them.

Supine over a block with support under head. Block located under the shoulder blades. This is a difficult one for peeps to get at first. The placement of the block seems difficult to access. So teaching it means a lot of individual tweaking.

Supine San Block to access the Void

Widening the Base. See the Yoga Video.
Simultaneous Opposites. See the Yoga Video.
Tuning Navel and Sacrum. See the Yoga Video.

Malasana
Uttanasana

Tadasana Bound with Shoulder Opening. See the Yoga Video.
With Additional Bound Utkatasana

Tadasana san Binding.
Attention to Tailbone.
LAM

Sequence 1
Sun to Twisting Lunge
Hammock
Hammock with Twisting
Lunge
Dog

Repeat Sequence 1 Other Side from Dog

Sphinx Vinaysa

Easy Side Plank Both Sides
Childs Pose
Plank
Dog

Uttanasana
Utkatasana
Tadasana

Awareness to Sacrum
VAM
Sequence 2
(Similar to this yoga video)
Sun to Lunge
Side Angle Prep
Triangle
Side Triangle
Side Angle Pose
Twisting Triangle Variation
Lunge
3 Legged Dog
Dog

Cobra Locust Vinyasa

Rocket Cat
Plank
Dog

Repeat Sequence 2 Other Side

Repeat Cobra Locust Vinaysa

Childs Pose
(Demo)
Vashitasana Both Sides Using Belly

Cobra Locust Vinyasa
Childs
Vajrasana

Transition to Seat

(G asked me to demo the cobra locust vinaysa.)

Janu Sirsasana 2 x each side with demo
Emphasis on moving from the inside
(We work on this a lot in this abhyasa video).

Supported Heart Opener
Savasana