The Rest of Jason's Workshop

I totally enjoyed the rest of Jason's weekend workshop. Jason is a deliberate and focused teacher. He keeps your attention fixed for the entire 3 hours. His rhythm and language create an effective and successful learning environment. Since the last time I studied with him, he has weaved more vinyasa into the sequencing.

Saturday we did arm balances and Sunday we worked on the arches and the calves. My computer is toast. When fixed, I will post video.

Saturday Recap
His approach to arm balancing is similar to mine: to discover the arm balance in other postures and from other directions. But his presentation was so brilliantly consistent and effective. And his technical masculine matter of fact style was a great contrast to me. He is continually emphasizing that all arm balances are basically plank or chaturanga with the legs doing different things. He removes the mystery and simultaneously gives very digestible bite size pieces to chew on.

He kept us flowing in the midst of the breakdowns. We did locusts as counter poses.

Alana and I had tried to encourage a lot of the male practitioners at Lulu's to come, thinking that hearing instruction from a man would be helpful. The men that showed up confirmed that yes, the somewhat geeky technical instruction from a similar body type was incredibly effective.

In moving towards Bakasana
- Jason started us in Child's pose, pointing out that except for the arms, the body is in the same shape as crow/crane.
- When we were in plank, he emphasized the firm pressing in rounded plank
- Had us find it supine on our backs
- His instruction of tucking the arms in and pressing and rounding the upper back was really effective for moving towards straight armed bakasana

In moving towards towards Vasisthasana
- He had us do it standing with arms out from our sides
- Then He had us do Tree pose as a precursor to the bent knee variation
- Then He had us do Utthita Hasta Pandangustasana at the Wall. Extended Leg up wall, hand holding foot/toe as prep to do extended leg variation of Vasisthasana

His Parsva Bakasanawas especially brilliant
- We played a lot with the twisting aspect
- In the vinyasa flow we did twisting lunge and revolving side angle pose
- MarichyasanaC Sequence (with dandasana with hands behind you and bent elbows as counter pose)
- The big revelation was to arms out to the side, hands facing forward. The play was to lean over, keeping far arm straight. See Video for clarity.

From Parsva Bakasana, we moved to Eka Pada Koundinyasana 2. We had done triangle pose in the vinyasa sequence as preparation for this shape.

Astavakrasana
- He took us hear from sitting
- We did some seated hip openers
- And played with rocking up and over.

Galvasana
- We prepped with pigeon and then came into from standing

Then we moved towards Scorpian.
We did it standing up by taking dancer's pose with and without a strap.

Moved to wall and used block.
He emphasized the dropping and scooping up up the chest.
We did it on our forearms and on our hands.

Super Fun.

Legs up wall for relief with a bolster under hips (block length away from wall).
Resting Baddha Konasana with legs on the bolster.


Sunday Recap
It was a super hot day and the workshop was from 1 to 4. Jason is such a pro. He managed to lead us through a three hour sequence without giving into our lethargy.

I think I got the most out of this day's work. And it has been the easiest for me to incorporate into the direction I was already heading. I have not pulled the chairs out yet. I need to play more with them on my own before I would feel comfortable trying to share.

We started with Calf Torture Pose.
Placing a tightly rolled up sticky mat behind the knees and sitting on your heals.

Down Dog with emphasis on pressing from the top of the calf muscles towards the heals.
I loved this instruction and have been riffing off it.
Arch Torture Pose
Sitting with the top of one foot pressing into the arch of the bottom foot. Wow!

Down Dog with emphasis on spreading the ball of the foot.
Toe Torture Pose
Sitting on heals with toes tucked under.

From here we moved into his usual lunge pattern.
But he added utkatasana with calf work.

We took Uttanasana with a strap under the feet to wake up the outer arch and external hip rotation connection.

In all the standing postures, the arch and calf were emphasized. Today we did twisting postures. Revolving Side Angle, Revolving Triangle and Revolving Ardha Chandrasana.

I feel like there was a peak pose, but I am not remembering it. In fact the heat, etc really rendered me useless that day.

The work in the calf continued towards sitting postures.

Baddha Konasana with Mat rolled up and placed in between sitbones to encourage mulabandha. We did a variation on kechari mudra. I had never experienced the bitter taste after releasing that mudra before.

Really nice Side Anlgle Pose Instruction.

Long Savasana

Jason Crandell Workshop: Day 1

Jason and Andrea arrived this evening from San Francisco.
Traffic had been horrible and they arrived minutes before he was supposed to teach.
Like a total pro, he arrived and dropped in instantly.

Jason remembers people's names. He immediately acknowledges the space that is Lulu Bandha's and he starts right in. Allowing your body to do the teaching more than him.

I am sharing the sequence from memory, so I might miss a few spots. I filmed a bunch of it and tomorrow we will be recording the entire class.


Opening
Lay over 2 blocks or bolster in a supported backbend.
(he drew attention to the backs usual pattern of resting, and encouraged us to relax into it.)

Seated Posture Sequence
Simple Shin to Shin Cross Legged Forward Fold
Side Bend
(Adjectives like Gluey)
Backwards Press
(Really great instruction on bending the elbows, allowing chest to open and then pressing up.)

Switch Legs and Repeat

Dandasana Legs with backwards press
(prep for back bending starting here. Also drew our awareness to the action of rolling thighs open and reaching thru balls of feet)

Cow Fae Legs with Forward Fold
Easy Half Lord of the Fishes Pose with Armpit Wrap
Dandasana with Chest Press
Repeat Other side

Baddha Konasana
Uppavishta Konasana
Side Stretch with UK Legs
Baddha Konasana

Box pose
Press Foot of Top leg with opposite hand to create Hip Rotation Awareness
Fold Forward
Side Bend

Childs pose

Vajrasana with Fingers Interlaced, Arms Overhead
(Emphasis on allowing back body to open and fill and then reaching from deep within the back).
Side bend to both sides.

Malasana

Downward Facing Dog
Lunge Vinyasa from Dog (2 Rounds)
Bending and straighting the back leg

Uttanasana
Tadasna

Side Bending with Fingers Interlaced and Arms Overhead.
Again, emphasis on keeping the back body full.

Sun Salutation Pattern
Inhale arms overhead
Exhale fold forward
Inhale, half Arch
Exhale, step back lunge, drop knee down
Inhale Arms over head
Exhale hands around foot
Inhale, Lift back leg
Exhale, Dog
Inhale, Plank
Exhale, lower to floor
Inhale, locust (with arms down along sides, emphasis on thumbs pointing down and pinky toes reaching down) for a few breath
Dog
Inhale, Opposite foot forward
Exhale, Drop knee
Inhale Arms up
Exhale, hands to earth
Inhale Lift back leg
Exhale step Forward
Inhale Half Arch
Exhale Fold
Inhale up to Standing
Exhale, Hands to Heart

Several Times.

Handstand Play
Jason has a really great way of knowing how to divide a group.
He asks people who are not comfortable with handstand to set up in one corner and the people who are to set up in rest of room. Then he demonstrates for the "handstand" people. Then he works with the "non-handstand" peeps.

Tonight, he emphasized the play of drawing the chin into chest and then realising it. (See Video)

With the non handstand peeps, he emphasized playing with getting comfortable with kicking up.

He allowed about 3 minutes for play.

Tree Pose with foot on block and toes hanging over the block.
To emphasize that balance is "responsiveness, not rigidity".
Very cool way of teaching the non balance and balance.
Then when he took us back to handstand, he emphasized the "Rooster fingers".

One more tree pose with "handstand arms".

Standing Pose Sequence
All of us faced in one direction with feet wide on the mat.
(My memory is a little fuzzy here, so I might not record it accurately)

Triangle
Gate Pose in Triangle
Emphasis on allowing back body and bottom ribs to do the work.
Both Sides
Uttansna

Warrior 2
Side Angle Pose
Both Sides
Uttanasna
Standing Back bend emphasixing the smoothing Out of the Skin

Traingle
Half Moon POse with Binding
Both Sides
Uttanasna
Standing Back bend emphasixing the smoothing Out of the Skin

Warrior 1 with emphasis on smooth Back
Both Sides
Standing Back bend emphasizing the smoothing Out of the Skin
Utkatasana with emphasis on rooting though the calves.
Very cool instruction. I need to recreate it to remember it.

Revolving Triangle both side
emphasis on twisting from back body.

Chair Play
Scorpion Play
Supported Back bend with rolled mat along spine
Bridge Pose
Urdhva Dhanurasana with Chair under feet
(he showed UD over chair but we did not do it)

These were all super fun and awesome. I have video and will post it.

Some kind of seated release.

Drop Back Play with Partners

something and something else

Upavishta Konasana Twisting Play
Neutral Seat
emphasis on stilling the external body allowing the internal to be free
Janu Sirsasana Botyh Sides

Revolving Head to Knee Pose with Upavishta Konasana Legs
Upavishta Konasana

Legs up wall with bolster and Block Set Up
Release and rest with legs crossed on bolster as Savasana

So much fun.
Time FLEW by.
He did so much and yet I never felt rushed or overwhelmed.
I drove home at 35 miles an hour so I know I was relaxed.