Almost done
Many congratulations to everyone who participated in YoMo. It’s great if you actually practiced every single day, but even if you didn’t, having your intentions focuse on practice is also great. If you didn’t already have a home practice, I hope this month gave you some ideas of how to keep it going. And if you did have a home practice, I hope the month gave you ways to deepen what you do, on and off the mat.
YoMo gathering reminder
We’ll meet at Mirth at 1:00 on Sunday, January 31. Anyone can come, not just YoMo participants. If you signed up and didn’t practice daily, so what? Come anyway. There’s no formal ceremony, but we’ll just get together, order food if we want, and blab about how wonderful our yoga practices have become (hehehehe).
If you know you’re coming, it would be helpful if you’d RSVP on the blog.
Very short sequence
This sequence hits a variety of kinds of poses quickly. It’s also a sequence that lends itself to inserting other related poses into it. Don’t forget that last one!
- Seated: Virasana (hero)
- Balancing: Vrksasana (tree)
- Standing: Parsvottanasana (intense stretch to the side)
- Extra standing: Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog)
- Shoulderstand, more or less: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge in shoulderstand)
- Prone: Savasana (corpse)
Stilling the mind
The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.
—B.K.S. Iyengar, from Guruji Uwach:
Resources
- YoMo progress chart. Send Mary an email if you want this as an editable Word document.
- Yoga information on the YCL website
- Yoga Center blog
- YoMo forum – Read the message at the top of the YoMo forum for instructions on how to join.
- Mary’s yoga blog
Almost done!
Are you making plans to continue your practice, daily or otherwise? If you’ve made it this far, you can certainly keep the momentum going. And don’t forget, Mary Obendorfer will be here March 5-7. If you practice daily until then you will be in great shape for the workshop.
Abs
Jill wrote this for the June YoMo, and I thought it would be useful again.
The main Iyengar poses for abs, as you know, are Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (leg lift), Jathara Parivartanasana (reclining twist, or turning the belly), Paripurna Navasana (complete boat), and Ardha Navasana (half boat). Lolasana (pendant) and other arm balances that draw the legs toward the arms are equal in importance, but don’t seem to be taught as much. Mary O. emphasizes Lolasana. Most of the standing poses are core strengtheners, but the practitioner has to consciously use the core appropriately to get the benefits. In the other poses I mentioned, it’s harder to blow by the core muscles—you have to use them in order to do the poses.
YoMo gathering reminder
We’ll meet at Mirth at 1:00 on Sunday, January 31. Anyone can come, not just YoMo participants. If you signed up and didn’t practice daily, so what? Come anyway. And that leads me to . . .
Survey: How many people are coming on Sunday?
Can you come? Answer the survey on the blog.
Benefit of YoMo and beyond
Regular practise of yoga can help you face the turmoil of life with steadiness and stability.
—B.K.S. Iyengar, from Guruji Uwach:
Resources
- YoMo progress chart. Send Mary an email if you want this as an editable Word document.
- Yoga information on the YCL website
- Yoga Center blog
- YoMo forum – Read the message at the top of the YoMo forum for instructions on how to join.
- Mary’s yoga blog
Feel free to add comments if you’re, say, bringing 12 extra people or something.
Quite a few people have commented to me that doing yoga every day has helped their practice considerably. It’s certainly true for me. Some difficult poses are much easier. An even greater benefit is that I am willing to incorporate those hard poses into my home practice where I used to avoid them. Today I did Virabhadrasana III, no hands, no falling over. Miraculous!
Even people who haven’t practiced every day are at least thinking about it much more often, which is excellent.
Celebration
The last two YoMos have ended with a potluck, but alas, these were not as well-attended as we might have wished. So this time we’re going to get together at Mirth Cafe, 745 New Hampshire Street, on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 1:00. You can get lunch or coffee, or not, and we’ll just hang around and pat each other on the back. Please come!
Survey: What’s your focus pose?
This survey is not a multiple choice like the earlier surveys. Instead, enter a comment below the survey post saying what your focus pose is. If you don’t have one, you could enter your favorite pose. If you don’t have one, you could enter your bugaboo pose, the one that is most difficult for you. Any other comments are also welcome. There’s no need to sign in to comment.
Thirty-minute practice
The following sequence came from handouts Margaret gave in a home practice class she taught about seven years ago. The text at the top of the handout says:
These sequences are intended as a guide for students just beginning to practice on their own. If your teacher has suggested modifications in any of the poses for your body, incorporate those changes into your practice. If there are poses in the sequence which you have not been taught, do not do them yet. For explanation of how to do the poses, their benefits, etc., consult Light on Yoga, Yoga: a Gem for Women, or Yoga the Iyengar Way.
- Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose)
- Tadasana (mountain pose)
- Uttitha Trikonasana (extended triangle pose)
- Uttitha Parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose)
- Uttanasana (standing forward extension) with hands on a height, i.e., window sill, table, etc.
- Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2 pose)
- Parsvottanasana (intense side stretch) with hands on a height, i.e., window sill, table, etc.
- Viparita Karani (legs up the wall)
- Savasana (corpse pose)
What we’re doing now
Persistent practice alone is the key to yoga.
—B.K.S. Iyengar, from Guruji Uwach:
Resources
- YoMo progress chart
- Yoga information on the YCL website
- Yoga Center blog
- YoMo forum – Read the message at the top of the YoMo forum for instructions on how to join.
- Mary’s yoga blog
- Enter a comment on this post saying what your focus pose is.
- If you don’t have a focus pose, you could enter your favorite pose.
- If you don’t have a favorite pose, you could enter your bugaboo pose, the one that is most difficult for you.
Any other comments are also welcome. There’s no need to sign in to comment.
Woohoo! We’re past the halfway point. Is daily yoga a habit yet? I hope so.
Sources of inspiration and help
You can find all sorts of yoga books and tapes to help you in your practice. You can take a look at Light on Yoga and Yoga in Action: Preliminary Course at the Yoga Center. Light on Yoga is also available at the Lawrence Public Library. Here are a few more:
- How to Use Yoga: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Iyengar Method of Yoga, for Relaxation, Health and Well-Being, by Mira Mehta. A simple and clear book with many photographs. Sequences in the back are shown with thumbnail photos, which makes them quite easy to follow. A new edition will be out in April.
- 30 Essential Yoga Poses, by Judith Lasater. One of the nice things about this book is that the author provides instructions for both students and teachers. As a student, I found the teacher information interesting and helpful.
- Yoga for Wimps and Cool Yoga Tricks, both by Miriam Austin. These books have rather silly names but they’re full of excellent instruction, with lots of variations on the poses we do often.
- Back Care Basics by Mary Pullig Schatz. This one is a bit more therapeutic. The author is an MD who has studied therapeutic yoga with Mr. Iyengar. The book is clearly written and has good photographs. It has helped me considerably when I’ve tweaked my back one way or another.
Obstacles
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras (1.30) there is a list of nine obstacles in yoga. They are sickness, languor, doubt, heedlessness, sloth, dissipation, false vision, nonattanment of yogic stages, and instability in these stages. I think we have all encountered at least some of these. In some respects it’s encouraging to realize we’re not alone in struggling with obstacles, but it can be somewhat dispiriting. However, in The Yoga of Breath Richard Rosen writes about how we can overcome obstacles with the four projections listed by Patanjali – friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity. Thinking about this list lifted my heart after reading the list of obstacles. (He also describes helpers, called pari-karman, which I won’t describe here, but which are even more encouraging. Read the book.)
Sequence from Jill: Standing poses and inversions
- Tadasana (mountain)
- Utthita Trikonasana (triangle)
- Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)
- Virabhadrasana II (warrior II)
- Virabhadrasana I (warrior I)
- *Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
- *Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana in Virasana (upward bound fingers in hero)
- *Uttanasana (standing forward bend)
- *Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand; modified practice: in doorway; or facing wall with soles of feet on wall, hips bent to 90 degrees)
- *Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog)
- Salamba Sirsasana (modified practice: headstand prep at wall with block between wall and top of upper back)
- Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand; modified practice: chair Sarvangasana or Viparita Karani)
- Halasana (plough)
- Savasana (corpse)
*Omit these poses to shorten practice.
Resources
- YoMo progress chart. Send Mary an email if you want this as an editable Word document.
- Yoga information on the YCL website
- YoMo forum – Read the message at the top of the YoMo forum for instructions on how to join.
- Mary’s yoga blog
I hope your daily home practice is going well. If you have ideas for helpful or inspirational things to put in these emails, please let me know. I’d also like to know if anyone has any survey ideas.
Suggested practice from Jill
This sequence will take you 30-90 minutes, depending on how long you hold the poses. Jill says she prefers shorter times so she won’t talk herself out of getting through the sequence daily. For reminders about what the poses look like, go to this page of thumbnails or Yoga Journal’s pose lists.
- Virasana (hero) – Sit quietly for a few breaths; Om, chant to Patanjali, or other chanting if desired.
- Baddhanguliyasana (upward bound fingers), then Paschima Namaskarasana (reverse prayer position) or arms clasped behind back in Virasana. Repeat, using other clasp for Baddhanguliyasana.
- Adho Mukha Virasana (downward facing hero)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog)
- Uttanasana (standing forward bend), wide stance (feet on edges of mat), arms clasped or hands supported on blocks
- Adho Mukha Svanasana, feet together, lifting one leg into alignment with the spine. Repeat on other side.
- Uttanasana
Do these three standing poses 2 to 5 breaths on a side. You can come to standing between poses, or you can do them as a flow using Adho Mukha Svanasana between poses and lunging one foot forward to go into the next standing pose. Don’t forget to come upright and put the arms in Paschima Namaskarasana (or clasped behind back) with the little upper backbend in Parsvottanasana.
- Trikonasana (triangle)
- Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)
- Parsvottanasana (Intense stretch to the side)
- Vajrasana (thunderbolt) with toes tucked to stretch soles of feet
- Parighasana (gate latch)
- Malasana (garland)
- Ardha Supta Virasana (half reclining hero)
- Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend – stretch of the west)
- Savasana (corpse)
Something to think about
Practise asanas by creating space in the muscles and skin, so that the fine network of the body fits into the asana.
—B.K.S. Iyengar, from Guruji Uwach:
Can you tell a difference?
If you’re practicing every day (and you are new to daily practice), you are probably noticing some changes already. Are you getting deeper into poses? Feeling more stable? Observing subtleties? Noticing more calm in your life?
Survey: Pranayama practice
As a result of taking Kim’s Sunday pranayama class, I’ve been working on establishing a daily pranayama practice, which is difficult to incorporate with a regular asana practice. Today’s poll is about whether you practice pranayama at home.
We’re getting at least some people responding to the polls. I’m not closing any of them, so if you missed one you can always go back to it. To find them, go to the Yoga Center blog and scroll down. They’re sprinkled in between the text of these emails. You can take a look at the results by clicking the View Results button at the bottom of the poll.
Forward bend sequence from Jill
- Surya Namaskarasana (sun salutation) – Complete several salutes to warm up the body. They can be performed at the tempo of your choice, but do the first one or two in slo mo. Hold the last Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) in the last salute for five breaths or more before jumping to Uttanasana (standing forward bend).
- Tadasana (mountain)
- Vrksasana (tree)
- Trikonasana (triangle)
- Uttanasana (standing forward bend)
- Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)
- Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-legged standing forward bend)
- Ardha Chandrasana (half moon)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog)
- Supta Padangusthasana I & II (reclining hand to foot – foot straight up, then out to the side)
- Upavistha Konasana (seated wide angle)
- Baddha Konasana (bound angle, or cobbler)
- Janu Sirsasana (head of knee posture)
- Paschimottanasana (intense stretch of the west – seated forward bend)
- Adho Mukha Virasana (downward facing hero)
- Savasana (corpse)
Mantra for daily living from Living Your Yoga, by Judith Lasater
No pain, no pain.
Yoga blogs
A blog is just a website where updates are made frequently. They’re usually, but not always, personal and timely. I follow several yoga blogs (and I’m always looking for more – if you read any good ones, let me know). If you go to my yoga blog you’ll even see a tab across the top telling you how to read blogs using Google Reader. Here are a few good ones:
- Alignment yoga – Written by Scott Anderson, an Iyengar teacher in Wisconsin, this is a very thoughtful and useful site.
- Grounding Through the Sit Bones – Brenda is a yoga teacher who writes about yoga and her life.
- The Yoga Column – Sheila, who writes this column, is much like me – an Iyengar student writing about her home practice. She includes a quote from Mr. Iyengar in every post.
- What’s That Pose? – I love this blog, and wish it were updated more often. Jessica Sutton started it because she was often confused by the many names for asanas. Each post is about one pose, with photos and variants on names.
If there are others that you follow, let me know, or post them in the forum.
Finding time
It seems to be easier to be disciplined if you set aside the same time every day to practice. But if you miss your regular practice time, at least try to work in a few downward facing dogs later in the day, or legs up the wall before you go to bed. Some people are lucky enough to have space and privacy at work so they can practice in the middle of the workday.
Timing
Everyone has his or her own way of timing poses. If you don’t make a point of timing them, you may find yourself holding poses for a shorter time and allowing your mind to wander. Sometimes I set a stopwatch to beep quietly every minute, which gives a little structure to the time, and sometimes I count breaths. For me, 15 breaths is about a minute, although it depends on the difficulty of the pose. Counting breaths also helps you to remember to breathe.
Threesies
We put this list of sets of three asanas together for last June’s YoMo. People liked it, so I’m repeating it.
- What Jim Griffiths referred to as the holy trinity, which I know as Three Poses to Do Every Day for the Rest of Your Life – Supta Padangusthasana (reclining hand to foot), Upavistha Konasana (seated wide angle), Baddha Konasana (bound angle).
- Adho Mukha Virasana (downward facing hero), Adho Mukha Svansana (downward facing dog), and Uttanasana (standing forward bend). I think there’s a name for these three. Does anyone know what it is?
- The Magic Three – This is really the Magic Four, but I don’t have the reference handy and can’t remember the fourth one. The first is seated forward on a chair, knees apart. Lean forward with your elbows on your knees, hands dangling between the knees. Drop your head between your shoulder blades to release your spine.
The second is to fold forward in the chair so that your belly is between your thighs and your hands are draped on the floor, head hanging.
The third is fire log – seated on the floor with ankles on knees. It’s as though you’re in Swastikasana, but your calves are stacked one on the other parallel to the wall in front of you. In cases of extremely stiff hips, do it on the chair with one ankle on the opposite knee at a time. - Standing poses – Utthita Trikonasana (triangle), Virabhadrasana II (warrior II), Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)
- Standing forward bends – Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), Uttanasana (standing forward bend), Prasarita Padottanasana (standing wide angle)
- Seated trio – Virasana (hero), Dandasana (staff), Baddha Konasana (bound angle)
- Arm work – Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana in Tadasana (upward bound hands in mountain pose), Garudasana (eagle), Paschima Namaskarasana (reverse namaste) and then Gomukhasana (cow face) arms in Tadasana (snuck an extra one in)
- Restorative set – Supta Virasana (reclining hero), Supta Baddha Konasana (reclining bound angle), Viparita Karani (legs up the wall, my fave)
Reminder: You can find thumbnails of many poses on my blog, and you can find Jill’s pose list (which includes English translations) on the YCL website Yoga Information page.
Something to think about
Your body exists in the past and your mind exists in the future. In yoga, they come together in the present.
—B.K.S. Iyengar, from Guruji Uwach:
Today’s survey
Today on the YCL blog I’ve posted another survey, this time about when you practice. Don’t forget, you can go back and look at the results of previous polls by scrolling down through past posts.
Nuts and bolts
The forums may seem daunting to you if you are not accustomed to online discussion. A lively forum is an excellent way of sharing information. It’s worth the time to learn how it works. Here are a few suggestions that might make it easier.
- You do not need to be a forum member to read the posts. So feel free to root around in the listings. However, if you want to post a new topic, or reply to a topic, you must be a forum member. This requires you to register and log in. The links to do so are at the top of the page. Keep track of your user name and password for later use.
- Once you get to the main forum page, you can look either at the public discussion for the Yoga Center in general, or at the YoMo discussions. Links on these pages are not necessarily underlined in blue. So if you’re not sure what to do on a page, roll the mouse around to see when the pointer changes to a hand. That’s when you’re on a link.
- When you see a title that looks interesting, click it to get down into the actual back and forth discussion.
- If you’re looking at discussion posts for a particular topic, click the “post reply” button to, um, you know, post a reply.
- To start a new topic, click the “new topic” button.
Resources
- YoMo progress chart. Send Mary an email if you want this as an editable Word document.
- Yoga information on the YCL website
- Yoga Center blog
- YoMo forum – Read the message at the top of the YoMo forum for instructions on how to join.
- Mary’s yoga blog
