A Yoga Space for All

We stand in the place where opposites come together

Or, as I re-draft this. “We stand in a place where “perceived opposites” come together. We can use our practice today to experience how we feel a presence in our lives in the world and how the world is a presence in our lives.

Whether you have had a heightened experience deeply or remotely during the last weeks to follow the intensity of COVID we were brought back abruptly (back several years perhaps) to the deaths and social unrest stemming from racial violence, retribution and mass frustration.

The principle of Ahisma is the practice of non-violence. The practice is intended to be engaged on and off the “mat”. When our body, emotions or mind are in tremendous resistance, we can use our practice to restructure. That may require modification, removal of expectation or ego parts as we address or change opposite aspects of our pose, belief or lives. Often a muscle might dominate over something. Or, our mind might insist on moving longer or deeper into a stress pattern. Yoga offers another tool in these cases.

Letting Go – non possessiveness helps us to vary our practice and can create a strong relationship with equanimity. It is also mentioned in the yoga Sutra that to release the tendency to grasp or yearn can be brought out in our practice.

In this Yoga set today, I am offering a path and practice to unite and yoke together the moving center, emotional center and the mind. This can bring awareness to these philosophies.

Consider how your body in each pose is a place where aspects of yourself come together. See and feel where the poses might hang you up or push and work through the breath to enhance the union. Try to regain a sense of the balance the pose levels within you following the practice.

Glance through your morning as you approach the Sunday Class.

Link to Class

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85357112117?pwd=VlMvQmNldk0xRUdsbCs2REZzTTV0QT09

Zoom Village Class Pacific Standard Time 9:00 am-10:15 Class ID #853 5711 2117
Password: 031245

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💙   Begin with separation of the inhalation and exhalation.

💙   Lie of your back with a prop under your head and knees bent or resting on a bolster

💙   Our 4 minute breathing practice will lead to deeper and slower breaths. Try to engage in awareness on the moments of pause and shift from one to the other.

💙   Remove any bolster and continue to bend your knees suspending/them above your hips

💙   Allow even gentle rocking of your whole body

💙   From a seated position stretch over one leg, then the other (3 times)

💙   Calm your breathe to a slow and deeper pace as you reach your arms overhead

💙   Now stretch both legs in front of you and both arms up (alt. use a blanket under hips)

💙   Use your hands and knees to come into kneeling dog stretch – release your wrists

💙   Now, engage opposites energies of your back-front core–notice strengths & resistance

💙   Engage in Standing poses

1. · Tadansana
2. · Reaching back leg extension
3. · Warrior 1
4. · Warrior 3 (prep – meaning leaving back leg down)

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 8 sets

💙   Phase into wide leg stances

1. · High lunging
2. · Triangle Pose
3. · Warrior two
4.  End in a revolved pose of choice (revolved triangle, lunge, or half moon) 

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 4 sets

💙   This can be an excellent time to unify elements of your practice.

Consider your stages of awareness, your moving center, your mind (ego) and your heart.

1. · Balance with your feet (toes lifted, calves lifted) and (repeat with arms raised)
2. · Balance on one foot (turning out one knee – tree pose)
3. · Balance with one leg crossed and one bent behind (stability-strength-flexibility) Dancers pose)
4. · Finally open up from a high lunge to Warrior 3 (lifting the back leg this time)

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 2 sets

💙   Return to your seated position with single leg and both arms stretched forward (both sides)

💙   After a Slight Twist engage in comfort of kneeling pose (alt use low blanket under knees)

1. Experience Camel Pose – 3 times

💙   Lie on your back (use a strap if available) press one leg against couch or wall

1. Maneuver the alternate leg in lifted leg series
2. Switch legs

💙   Return to prone position for plank pose on forearms or palms 

💙   Return to kneeling downward dog

💙   Give yourself kindness! Elevate the legs (up the wall or in shoulder stand alt. blanket prop

We can conclude the practice with knees softly resting. Allow your awareness to reflect on the space of the breath – the space between the breaths. Release attachments and explore parigraha as a state of being.

Opening - A Steady Journey with Downward Facing Dog

Opening - A Steady Journey

Let's call it, "Downward Facing Dog Adho Mukha Shvanasana is held by many as a pose that is a joy to perform and affirming to repeat. The variations of the pose also can potentially strengthen our limbs and create stability in our shoulders and pelvis.Variations can also help us readdress any constraints (mental or physical).

May 24th Sunday Morning Yoga for Today Class at EarthTones Center for Healing will address how to bring about a greater range of motion throughout the whole body. In this pose, all of our appendages open up in new ways and achieve the following.

• Unify the connection of legs into the hip space  

•  Draw out the suppleness of wrists, elbows and shoulder joints

• Clear the head and neck to release deeply in the pose 

So, we will begin by identifying what these areas feel like today and where we might address any restrictions. To help, le's call into action your breathing.

1. As many pranayama practices steady and balance the rhythm of your inhalation and exhalation.
2. Consider 5 minutes of controlled breathing at the beginning. Sitting erect is preferred.

Now, lets move your hands around your body and check in with the lines of energy that flow within:

1. draw the hands cupped over your cheeks and eyes, 
2. draw into the back of your occiput,
3. allow the hands to rest crossed at the front base of your neck, and
4. finish by extending out across the room, flexing and extending your wrists. 

For our head! You'll feel great as the energy of the head opens to more movement and liberates it's role in downward facing dog. Allow time to focus on it's full range of motion. The before and after will feel marvelous and it will help in maintaining vital lymph flow.

This pose involves getting in contact with the whole of our arms. So as we condition and build from the wrist up towards the shoulder. Staff pose dandasana with a little support under the pelvis let's us open and circulates synovial fluid. Begin a four part sequence and repeat 3 times;

1. flex elbows and pull away from the center of your body (abduction),
2. hover extended arms over legs with slight tilt (elevation),
3. reach full arms overhead to your comfort (extension), and 
4. return arms, palms down, fingers forward next to hips (depression and lateral rotation).

These poses can also be done using a wall for support.

Relax the wrists so that we can bring the weight onto them to find ideal arm support. Begin in cobra pose so that the upper arms begin to sense outward rotation. Remember we are hoping to open our upper appendages as well as evenly strengthen the following:

1. Shoulders
2. Clavicle
3. Wrists

From a kneeling forward bend, stretch one arm at a time forward bend connect to single arms straight forward, shoulder width apart fully extending the wrist to help initiate the lower arm in medial rotation. 

Two other poses help reenforce the stability we are adopting for the shoulder:

1. Cat and Cow (consider props of padding for knees or wedge for wrist) 
2. Sphinx Pose with neck rotation (consider soft pad or halved blanket under belly or pelvis)

Our standing sequence involves stability of lower limbs: Let's transition into standing poses using:

1. Mountain Pose Tadasana with feet together
2. Forward Bend Uttanasana  with knees bent
3. and leg extension/balance to awaken the ankle positions moving 2-times alternate limbs forward (flexion) and to side (abduction)

In these poses we are trying to employ the benefit of the target pose for flexibility, strengthen and resilience of our:

1. hamstrings
2. hip flexors, and
3. calves

Intrinsic bones and muscles of the feet are essential to enjoy long term benefits of yoga.

A few lymph movements might help as well (calf raises, circulate the ankles with hands on knees and lunges). My favorite creates a movement and compression involving the whole body with breath of fire.

Standing wide and engaging in forward bending at the hip will help sustain the proper alignment of the low back. Try putting your hands on your hips and then fully extending them on your back/hips with clasped hands.

Return to the floor prone and help your body relocate the plantar tendon, the ball of the foot and the spaces between toes. Child's pose and kneeling dog (quarter-dog) are also helpful to fully innervate the feet.

Before your first lift to downward dog, however, extend the arms overhead from Virasna or kneeling.

In my school of yoga. Iyengar Yoga, downward dog and 3-legged dog poses can be entered from a prone position, with the hands beside the chest, setting the distance between hands and feet or cobra bhujangasna.
Downward Dog is a restorative pose for experienced practitioners, but can be hard work for beginners. Let's practice how to approach the poses in various ways:

•  by bending the knees, allowing the heels to lift slightly;
•  by supporting the heels, such as with a rolled-up yoga mat or towel 
• by lowering one forearm to the floor, extending the other hand forward; by placing a block under the forehead 
• and by combinations of these.

We will move into lifting our hips up and expressing length into low back. And, in returning to extended legs we can feel the form of our legs releasing bound muscles form all directions.

Let's move together with variations of downward dog. Enjoy the stretch of the heels down. And, let's look at a variation of hooking the ankle around the opposite side.

And, another effort will help to extend the head (possibly using a block under the brow) and re-engage the shoulder structure: outward upper arm and internal rotation to forearm.

Remember to break from the inverted pose and enjoy alternate movements.

In our final work with the pose is 3-legged dog elevate alternate legs to enjoy the rebalancing of the body. (Kneeling extension is a helpful stage).

Use a ledge, bench or chair and notice the symmetry of your powerful and relaxed upper body. 

The Eagle pose and its variations are calm ways to rehydrate the body, relax the breathing and re-educate the body of the benefits of your practice thus far. Think about it, after flight we can learn the steadiness of our effort as we pull energy back from soaring.

Returning to the floor, we will reflect on the changes using several supine and prone positions:

1. Back lying alternate leg stretch-crossing ankle over knee
2. Full extension of limbe floating on the floor
3. Restful position of reclined tailors (bound angle) pose bhadda konasana
4. Knees relaxed over pelvis to center SI joints
5. Cross knee rotation (including neck)
6. Seated forward bend paschimottanasana.

All the variations of downward dog help to remove fatigue as they help to stimulate the lymphatic system. See from the heels to the calves we have unique opportunity to create lightness, movement and lengthening that is unique to the body. That downward dog strengthen the ankles, counteract stiffness and arthritis in the shoulders, strengthen the abdominal muscles, will help us to embrace life.

Namaste

Footnote: It is my plan to produce a Blog for the Sunday class and Weekly Digital Program to be released on Saturday mornings. You are welcome to view the class on-demand. The Live Class will be held at 9:00 a.m. using Zoom conferencing until the public health guidelines permit meeting live as a group. I am grateful for your understanding as I implement this plan and am appreciative of your Ideas, help, $support, and encouragement.  

California Mid-State Fair Series PART II: Yoga Movement for the Fair - SACRAL CHAKRA

Part II of  SACRAL CHAKRA: Asana

A refresher from last week; our sacral chakra is an energy center located below the naval and is associated with the qualities of creativity, exploring your senses, and play.

A great posture for connecting with this chakra space is Balasana, or "Child's Pose."

We are choosing this asana (posture) for two reasons: 1) while in this posture you can really feel into your sacral space- front, back, and sides.  2) the posture is called "Child's Pose" which is in alignment with the description of the sacral chakra's focus on creativity, exploration and play.

CAUTION: Please be mindful if you have had any knee injury.  If you have pain, you'll have to do some variation that achieves the same effect (give us a call! We have ideas! 805-238-4413).

Mary has a 9am yoga class here at EarthTones every Sunday that would be a wonderful place to practice, play, and ask questions.

Balasana instructions: 

Start on your hands and knees.  

Touch the toes together and open the knees out slightly - you're making room for your torso in this way.

Inhale and let your belly drop toward the floor, feeling the expansion of the low belly and the lower back behind you (sacral chakra).

Exhale, using the palms of your hands on the floor, push yourself back so that your bottom rests on your heels, your chest comes toward the tops of your thighs, and your forehead to the floor (or resting on a block for added height).  Keep the arms (extended now) palms down, pressing down gently to keep your hips back toward your heels.  If this feels too tight on your hips, play with bringing the knees closer together.

Close the eyes.

Each inhale, continue to feel the expansion of the low belly, towards the tops of your thighs now, the lower back, inflating behind you, and the lower side body, expanding left and right. 

Exhale, and that all releases back toward the center of your spine.

Continue breathing in this way, really stretching and expanding the low torso (sacral area) with your breath.

** Knee problems?  While still on Step 1 (hands and knees) place a tall cushion, or block, at your feet.  When you exhale back, sit on this cushion.  The cushion should be a taller height than your heels would be, and will therefore make less stretch in your knee.  

Playful Opportunities at the Fair Today

Kids with you?

Arts and Crafts are at 1pm

at the Frontier Pavilion.

Zoo to You will share their amazing animal friends at 3pm on the Headliner Stage.

Dance to the Mark Adams Band

at the FREE Mission Stage - 7pm.

Fall 2017 Reiki 21-Day Purification Retreat

Day 2 

Use the spark of sunrise to enliven our path ahead

Sunrise can present a spot of hope of joy and a way to not delve into the known or unknown. Sunrise avoids the how to agenda and rigorous path by teaching us to move slowly and celebrate the mystery. It is a pause – one of gratitude and reverence.

At the beginning of the day is the true breath, pushing through slumber. The morning air brings the spirit of the breath and is precious, divine and something that awakens our senses for the day. The morning dawn energy gives us ozone exchanges like no other time and the molecules are energized and excited with the light. Connecting to this time, being outside, observing our senses helps us adapt with intuition throughout the day.

Use Pranayama practice, breathing techniques each morning. Start with five minutes. Allow yourself an upright posture. Breathe the air slowly in and release slowly. Then, connect the inhalation to gratitude for the day and the exhalation celebrate the gift of life. Afterwords conduct a light stretch.

Natural Interval Kinetic Education (3)

Today's message resurfaces the famous 'ol adage, Just Do It - or as Grigg says in The Tao of Relationships (3) Just Doing.

Flowing from the mountain to the sea, the stream touches every stone in its path. Rain wets where it falls, from highest to lowest, from hardest to softest, from driest to wettest.

Indiscriminate water. It moistens and nourishes everything. Beyond accepting and rejecting, it is even beyond choosing. No will. No struggle. Just doing.

So what is NIKI (Natural Interval Kinetic Education). It's my term for the process of Just Doing. To both give and receive in our relationships requires us to keep fluid. Go with what is natural and avoid stresses of a rigid plan or structure. This way we can respond in the moment of conscious activity -- and do effortlessly.  If the mindset of the doer /doers can remain centered or pure there is no struggle. Kinetic action is happening and fulfilling. And, at the same time action produces great nourishment.

We can sync our attitudes and mindset towards a common goal but these will change (dry, wet, high, low), regardless they WILL change. So when that happens consider it an "interval". As with conditioning intervals create momentum and can give fresh perspective of aptitude and outcome. It move us away from stacking up resentments or burnout. This creates more desire to work on the goal.

When we sign up for something or join efforts consider the flow of these dancers. They learned about the flow of elements working alone and together and then trained themselves reaching new skills and honing equanimity. Thus through a process like NIKI they reached that flow when the need arose, the performance or coming together challenged them.