Tuning Workshop

4 Peeps

Emphasis on creating tension points within the alignment to create specific areas in which to breathe.  Used Bija Chanting to help breath awareness.  Was super fun.  Sometimes when the class is small, you can end up expending a lot of energy to carry it.  Today was not like that.  The experimentation and specifics were able to get really dialled in and the bija meditation at the end was super.

Sit.

Yin Baddha Konasana (5 Mintues)

Supported Heart Opener ob 2 Bricks (5 minutes)

Sukhasana

Sacrum Play

Easy Side Bend

(Switch legs and Repeat Other Side)

Transition to All Fours

Plank

Dog

Lunge Stage 1

Keeping Knee Lifted Emphasis on Alignment through Back Leg and Heart

(Both Sides)

Lunge Stage 2

Keeping Knee Lifted Emphasis on Alignment in Front leg and through Back Leg and Heart

(Both Sides)

Vinyasa 1

Dog

Roll to Cobra

Land, windshield wiper

Rocket Cat

Plank

Dog

Uttanasana

Roll up to Standing

Shoulder Rotation Awareness

Swamp Monster/Cactus

Wise Guy Sequence

Tadasana

YAM

Sequence 1

Sun to

Crescent Moon

Pyramid Variation

Lunge

Vinaysa 1

Repeat Sequence 1 Other Side

Tadasana

RAM

Sequence 2

Sun to 

Crescent Moon with Arms clasped behind back

Hamstring Stretch with Breath in Back

Lunge

Vinaysa 2

Dog

Roll into Updog

Roll into Downdog

Repeat Sequence 2 other Side

Uttanasana

Roll up to Tadasana

VAM

Sequence 3

Sun to

Lunge

Hammock

Horse

Squirt Pose

Low Deep Lunge

Hamstring Play

Lunge

Vinaysa 3

Repeat Sequence Other Side

(Add Side Splits after Squirt and Squat before Low Deep Lunge)

(changed pattern here cuz Vinyasa seemed necessary)

Vinaysa 3

Child's Pose

Thigh Torture Pose @ Wall

(both Sides)

Camel Play at Wall

Pigeon with Geeked out Alignment

(optional vinyasa or childs pose)

LAM

Hanumanasana Play with blocks and blankets

(optional vinyasa or childs pose)

Childs Pose

Vajrasana Meditation sitting up on 2 blocks.

Chanted back up the chakras

LAM - VAM - RAM- YAM - HAM - OM - OM

Sat.

Transition to Legs up the wall with hips on a bolster.

Savasana

Tuning Workshop

9 Peeps

2 Brand New

2 Who do not come very often

I did not prepare for this workshop.  I knew I wanted to focus on grounding in the hips and opening the heart, but I wanted to tune into creating that possibility with intention and not so much doing.   I did think we might move to drop overs.  But I had not created the energetic to allow this to happen and out of the 9 peeps, only 3 or 4 would have been up for it.  I focused more on the energetic of sitting meditation.

Supportive Heart Opener over Bolster

Attention to breath in heart chakra, manipura and lower belly.

Easy Cross Legged Sit

Attention to simply relaxing the Hip Joints

Both Sides

Transition onto Backs and Explore Hip Rotation

Roll back up to sitting

Forward Fold and Side Bend

Transition onto All Fours

Plank

Dog

Vinyasa 1

Dog

Plank

Sphinx with Wise Guy Neck Work

Windshield

Rocket Cat

Plank

Dog

Isometric and Side Lunge Play

Repeat Vinaysa 1

Repeat ISLP other side

Vinaysa 2

Dog

Rounded Plank

Roll into Cobra

Windshield Wiper

Rocket Cat

Plank

Dog

Transition Forward

Uttanasana

Roll up to Standing

Tadasana

Ujayyi

YAM HAM OM

Sequence 1

Sun to 

Lunge

Warrior 1 Dance to Warrior 1

(there were 4 new peeps in class and they did not have the practice finding their own way, so we came back forward to discuss)

Lunge

Uttanasana

Complete Sun to Tadasana

(look at warrior 1 and ideas)

Repeat Sequence 1

Sequence 2

Sun to 

Lunge

Warrior 1 Dance to Warrior 1

Twisting Lunge

Hammock

Deep Low Hip Opener

3 Legged Dog

Repeat Vinyasa 2

Uttanasana

Complete Sun to Tadasana

Repeat Sequence 2

Repeat Vinyasa 2 but Land on Belly and Rest

Reclining Buddha with Thigh Stretch 

3 Bow Poses

(Nick asked a good question about point vs flex foot, we experimented a little bit)

Childs Pose

Dog Pose

Pigeon Drop Over Sequence

3 Legged Dog with Hip Opener

Pigeon with Thigh Stretch Play

Pigeon

3 Legged Dog

Revolved Dog

Repeat Vinyasa 2

Repeat PDOS

Childs Pose

Vajrasana Meditation

Camel Pose from Vajrasana on Block x 3

Rest in Childs Pose

Baddha Konasana Play

Janu Sirsasana Play

Seated Meditation, 15 minutes

Savasana

Sit

Sunday Tuning Workshop in SLO

17 or so Peeps
Half and Half repeats from Saturday and new peeps

Sunday's workshop was way more hilariously fun than Saturday. It always depends on who shows up, including myself and the second day felt much easier, more interactive. I am so grateful to Lisa for engaging during the workshop. My connection with her made it easy.

I came more prepared the second day. I thought we might get towards raja kapotanasana or drop overs from headstand, but the time FLEW by. There was a request to geek out more on the rolling into cobra transition and addressing the mid back, so those requests fit into the plan.



Opening
Calf Torture Thumbing
Arch Torture
Toe Torture

Cat/Cow
Childs
1/2 Dog
Plank
Dog

Passive Lunge with Deliberate Stretch on Both Sides
Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Uddiyana Bandha Play
(Pat says that he finds UB more effective with Dog Tilt than Cat Tuck. )

Swamp Monster/Cactus

Wise Guy Neck Work

Heart and Chest Pounding
Arm Extension Exercise

Ujayyi Breathing Geek Out

1/2 Suns
Sequence 1
Sun to
Twisting Lunge
Warrior 1 Swamp Monster Style

Vinaysa 1
Dog
Plank
Sphinx with Wise Guy
Rocket Cat
Plank
Dog

Transition 1
Lunge
Standing Splits
Uttanasana
Utkatasana
Tadasana

Repeat Sequence 1

Vinaysa 2
Dog
Rounded Plank
Dog
Rounded Plank
Cobra
Rocket Cat
Plank
Dog

Repeat Transition 1

Tadasana
(in tadasana, we spent time sensing the subtle energies more)

Sequence 2
Sun to Warrior 1
Parsvottanasna
Warrior 3
Standing Splits
Pigeon
(i meant to do a revolving head to knee here, but forgot)
Revolved Dog Drop Over (this was in prep for head stand drop overs)
Dog

Vinaysa 3
Dog
Rounded Plank
UpDog
Down Dog

Rest Childs
Demo, discussion
(Pat pointed out that in rolling over the toes is not for everyone and demoed the foot switch technique)

Transition 2
from Dog, float to hands
Roll up to Standing

Check in Cactus to Sirsasana 1 standing

Repeat Sequence 2
Repeat Vinaysa 3

Rest Childs

Sirsasana Play
I shared the 3 block technique which worked really well for a lot of people.
We gave this about 10 to 15 minutes.
One woman noticed that UB in Sirsasna caused pain in her belly. I used to have this too. Possibly it is not for everyone, but my sense was that the initial strain gave way to movement in me.

At this point, there was only 20 minutes left.
The more sophisticated decision would have been to start to wind down the practice.
My head was buzzing a little, and i was guided to move towards a brain cooling restorative...

But I chose to get camel in there.
We played with 1/2 camel with neck work to full camel on each side.

Childs Pose
Slumpy Swami 1 and Cross Legged Forward Fold

Savasana

I ran 10 minutes over to make sure Savasana was long enough.

Saturday Tuning Workshop at SLO

about 20 peeps
in addition to Lisa and Pat, 3 or 4 others who I know from the Crib

I arrived not knowing exactly what we were going to do.
I knew how we were going to start and kind of how we were going to end, but left the middle open.

Opening
Sen Channel Opening
Feet
Outside Lines
(I forgot the inside lines)

Yin Baddha Konasana
(this is such a great way to start cuz you get to see the bodies you are working with)
Chest Press Butterfly
Slumpy Dandasana
Chest Press Dandasana

Easy Cross Legged Side Stretch
Cat/Cow
Childs
1/2 dog
Plank
Dog

Passive Lunge to Deliberate Stretch Both Sides

Uttanasana
Roll up to Standing

Uddiyana Bandha Play
Heart Pounding, Arm Prana Exercise

Ujayyi Breathing Geek Out

The opening took an hour.

1/2 Suns

Pattern 1
Twisting Lunge
Hammock Pose
Horse with Eagle Arms both sides
PP C
Warrior 2

Vinyasa 1
Dog
Plank
Locust
Rocket Cat
Plank
Dog

Transition 1
Lunge
Standing Splits
Malasana
Uttanasana
Utkatasana

Tadasana

Cactus to Sirsasana 2 Set Up Play

Repeat Seqeunce 1
Horse with Cow Face Arms
play with moving towards Sirsasana 2 from PPA in between Horse and Warrrior 2
(this was mildly successful. i was not really planning on doing it, but instead used it as a gage for whether or not we should play with sirsasana 2 and bakasana)

Vinaysa 2
Dog
Rounded Plank (to set up shoulders for bakasana)
Dog
Rounded Plank to Cobra Play
2 x with demo
Rocket Cat
Plank
Dog

Transition 2
Lunge
Standing Splits
Malasana
Baksana
Roll onto Backs
Happy Baby
Bakasana Supine
Supine Bakasana Sirsasana 2 Transition
Roll back up

Tripod Headstand Prep
Tipping from Tripod to Bakasana
Sirsasana 2 to Bakasana Play

Childs Pose

Mayurasana Play
Peacock Pose

Dhanurasana 2x
Rocket Cat
Childs Pose

Vajrasana
Concession Girl Arms

Bridge Pose x 2
Viparitta Karni
Country Plow

Sleeps with the Fishes

Slumpy Swami Sequence
Revolved Head to Knee Pose
Upavishta Konasana

Ajna Chakra Meditation

Savasana

Tuning, Sunday, March 30, 1 to 4pm

15 Peeps
Mix of Regulars and Occasional Peeps.

I had warned everyone that we were going to be geeking out on the bandhas and breath. But I did not know in advance that I was going to be suffering from an allergy attack. I am not sure that the workshop was successful. But I learned a great deal and was able to see where we need to start sprinkling some of the work we did today more throughout the classes. I felt comfortable checking in with peeps to make sure everyone was on track. What was super fun was to not feel the need to produce a "Show". This class was very technical and broke stuff down.


Brief Talk and what we were Doing.
Emphasis on the back and forth between the subtle and the gross to dial in the subtle.
Not enough about Why.
But it seemed like so much Info already that maybe that was okay.


Start Supine.
Hip Rotation Awareness
- Apanasana
- Leg Extended up with Internal and External Rotation
- Eye of the Needle Prep with Int and Ex Awareness
- Dropped Over Eye of the Needle for Side Line Stretch
- Eye of the Needle

Repeat Other Side

Neutral Hip Pose
Strap Around Thighs, Hips on 3xFolded Blanket
The trick with this one is allowing the legs to relax into the strap so hips are relaxed in neutral. We used this shape to start to bring attention to the pelvic floor.

Aswini Mudra (Anal squeezing)
Vajroli Mudra (holding in the need to urinate)
Kegel
Perineum Lift
Perineum Triangle (sit bones, pubis bone and tailbone all drawing towards each other)

Relax and roll up.

Baddha Konasana with Hip Rotation Awarness
Squat

Hammock Pose (Prasarita Padottanasana with Arms Extended and heart dropping)
walk hands over to one side for Low Lunge (Yin Style)
Hammock Pose
Low Lunge Other side
(The thinking here was to open up the nadis/merdians of the Manipura before we did uddiyana bandha)
Horse with hands on legs

Release to standing

Uddiyana Banhda Play
Breath retention, navel lock, and play with coming up to standing with contractions held.
this felt fun and playful. Everyone pulled their shirts up. Everyone totally gets U.B. I keep making sure, but I probably don't need to so much.

Wall Work to get more breathing Room and HRA
Splat
Right Angle
Uttanasana

Standing @ Wall with Butt on Wall
HRA

Tadasana with HRA
Ujjayi Breathing

(The play here was to find the alignment of the breath to feel how the 3 main bandhas are activated with the alignment and no extra attention is needed).

Warrior 2 Dance
Lunge
Dog Pose
Lunge
Half Arch
Forward Fold
Complete Sun to Standing.

Repeat Other Side.

Neck Work.
Wise Guy Stretch and Others.
Tadasana with HRA and Breath and NECK.

(The Plan had been to take the work towards headstand, bridge and supported viparrita karni. But I wanted to leave an hour for the bandha meditation and relaxation afterwards. And at this point we were almost 2 hours into it! Goodness.)

Squat
Sit

Slumpy Swami Spinal Twist
Forward Fold in Sukhasana
Repeat Other side with Other Leg on top

Cowboy Negotitian Variation on Revolving Head to Knee Pose
Yin Baddha Konasana

Set up for sitting.
Showed different ways to get comfortable.
Suggested sitting at wall with block.
Showed lots of support.

Bandha Chakra Meditation

I learned these techniques from Paul Grilley and really like them. I was uncertain about sharing them all at once, but everyone seemed interested in giving it a go. Felt like it was a little much and it might have been better to get the inversion in, the back bend in and just do muladhara, svadhisthana and Ajna...but oh well. We did them all.

Muladhara
Start with awareness on breath.
Add the So Hum Mantra. 'So' on the inhale. 'Hum' on the Exhale.
The Root of the Muladhara is the tailbone, the flower is the pelvic floor.
Bring Awareness to the chakra.
Feel the So hum Mantra in the chakra.

Eventually, exhale and engage mulabandha, holding. Allow it to release and feel the spontaneous inhale and swelling of the belly, allowing throat to stay open. Slowly exhale and repeat. I guided for a few rounds than allowed the group to find on own.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.

Svadhisthana
Root: Sacrum
Flower: Lower belly, between navel and pubic bone.

Same beginning, awareness of breath and then adding of the So Hum mantra.
Eventually, exhale and pull lower belly in, drawing up on mulabandha. Hold with throat open and then release, feeling the spontaneous expansion of the inhale. Hold breath in with belly expanded and with throat open. Then slowly exhale and continue.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.

Manipura
Root: L2
Flower: Between the Navel and the Sternum

Same Beginning.

Eventually, exhale. Inhale and fill the belly up. Keeping throat open and belly expanded, apply uddiyana bandha and hold. Eventually relax and exhale. Take a few easy relaxed breaths and repeat. I guided for 3. Then sent them out on their own.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.

Anahata
Root: T7
Flower: Heart

Same Beginning.

The bandha for the heart is the closing of the throat. Inhale Ujjayi Breath. Hold breath in with throat open and feel the prana circulating. Exhale Ujjayi and hold breath out with throat open. Continue.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.

Vishuddhi
Root: C7
Flower: Front of throat

Awareness of breath. But mantra becomes Ham Sa to pull energy up from base of spine. (I am surprised that the heart chakra is not also Ham Sa and will have to practice a bit with that).

Eventually, Inhale Fully, close throat, relax muscular holding and feel energy rise up into throat. Relax constriction and exhale. Continue. This is difficult cuz the energy tends to get pulled up into the head too.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.


Ajna Chakra
Root: Base of Skull
Flower: Between Eyebrows, Third Eye

Awareness to Breath. Addition of Ham Sa Mantra.

Start to use inhale breath to pull prana up the spine and feel the descent of the prana on the exhale breath. When this is checked in, Inhale breath up to base of skull, hold breath in as you tip the head forward allowing the prana to pool in the 3rd eye. Lift head back up and exhale allow the prana to run back down the spine. (Feels like a waterfall of cooling energy). Continue.

Eventually relax the effort and listen.

I guided them to tether their awareness back to the breath to move onto the next chakra.


Sahasrara
Crown Chakra at the Crown of the head.

Apply Kechari Mudra
As an alternative to swallowing the tongue, we played with pressing the tongue up against the hard and soft pallet of our mouths and imagined the Amrit nectar coming down into our throats.

Relax and Sit.

Suggestion was then to move into either, a restorative backbend or legs up the wall.
After 5 minutes, Savasansa for 10 more minutes.

Sit

Close.

Tuning In, Workshop 4, Sunday, 1 to 4pm

Today I taught a Tuning Workshop.
Rainy Blustery Day.
7 Peeps, mixed levels of practice as well as energy.

Lately I have been trying to share how to connect with the subtle energies, particularly from the heart and up through the neck. So I followed that vein. These feelings are so clear and obvious for me. I have been teaching them for almost a month, and it still doesn't feel like it's time to move on.

I knew all the women there and so the workshop immediately took on a "girlfriend-sharing" quality.

Opening
I shared around the process of becoming whole and opening up to who you really are. Similar ideas that I write about in this blog, but more personal and connected to current events.

I wrapped up the opening discussion as we took the shape of:

Yin Baddha Konasana
- Stimulation of Foot Sen Channels
- Sacrum Rolling
- Long slow hold
- During this I offered a few talking points around nadis and connective tissue.

BK Counter Arch

Squat
Standing Forward Fold

Roll up to standing

Interlaced finger side stretch
Interlaced finger behind back forward fold

Shoulder Rotation Understanding
Wise Guy Neck Stretching

Heart Meridian Opening
Heart Pounding

Arm Extension Prana Sequence

Breath Awareness at Anahata
1/4 Sun Variation

Neck Turning twisting

Sun to
Twisting Lunge
Pasaritta Padotanasana with Arms Extended Forward like Down Dog
Leg Channel Awakening

Lift Up to Standing
Eagle Arm Wrap with Rounding and Wiggling in
Horse with Eagle Arms
(Focus on allowing the intensity to release up and out with Kali Breath and neck work)

Release into Eagle Warrior Dance
Hold Warrior 2 (same idea of relaxing into it, by allowing the intensity to come up and out)
Release back to Down Dog

Plank
Sphinx with Neck Work
Locust
Rocket Cat
Childs

Plank
Dog
Standing Forward Fold
Tadasana

Repeat other side, but with Cobra instead of Sphinx

From Down Dog
Low Lunge with Arm Opening and Neck Awareness
Hamstring Stretch with "Toe Torture"

Down Dog
Roll into Cobra
Rocket Cat
Childs

Repeat on other Side.

Peak:
Moving towards Ustrasana slowly and with Spinal Awareness up through the neck.
1/2 Ustrasana to Ustrasana Both Sides

(This went great. Everyone really dragged it out and sensed each spot and moved like themselves).

Childs, Squat and Dangling Forward Fold in between sides and after last one.

Half Lord of the Fishes
Cow Face Pose
(Both Sides)

Uppavista konasana with Bolster

Savasana

Today I guided the savasana. I rarely do that. Not sure it was a good thing cuz everyone fell asleep.

Quiet Sit with a little guidance towards the spinal awareness.