Monthly Archives: March 2010

Stong backs, strong legs, happy sacrums Tues

Core Work, Standing Strength

Centering Pranayama  Found a new poet that I love will offer 2 of her readings tonight.

Cat rolls opening the spine. Allowing the movement to flow into circles perhaps to updog.

Dogs peeing on fire-hydrant to circle here (I know it sounds strange but you know what I mean when I say it) Opposite arm and leg balance.  Toe stretch with shoulder/arm openers.

Upper body work with Dolphin and moving into more advanced forearm dog.

Instead of Sun Salute tonight will be part of a Mandala Namaskara to open the hips and legs.

Standing postures tonight Triangle, 1/2 moon, revolved Triangle, revolved 1/2 moon, Pyramid.

Hand balances with blocks Tolasana or Lolasana

Few twists, pelvis leveler then Savasana.

Aromatherapy tonight Dharma by Yoga Flow Oils thanks Susan.

Found a great website for reflexology and a good free print out for foot reflexology I will be bringing copies soon.  Enjoy the full moon it was beautiful this morning around 5am I was on the Skyway bridge and it was so wonderful seeing the moon beams kissing the water below.  Above and below we are all connected.

3 leg dog, double pigeon, swan is this a zoo? No LFF Sem Tues

Yoga Moves

The new release is fun and it does have lots of “animal” postures in it.

3 Leg dog with alignment detail on keeping shoulder square. Lifted legs armpit is aiming toward the floor, both arms elbows are straight.  Hips are what is moving and opening.

Swan to double pigeon or fire-log stack. Keeping the feet flexed and folding forward leading with the chest.

Single leg stretch.  Knee to shoulder other leg long but not on the floor

Plank feet walk out and in and also walk in place.  The position of the back is more important than the leg movement..  No plank hammocks here please.

Prone back work.  Physical Therapist new study reports the importance of these types of movements to prevent, stop and reverse the rounding of the shoulders that is brought on by our sedentary culture. The study shows that women in particular are prone to this kyphosis of the upper body. The onset is highest between ages 50&60, however younger women are showing up with this due to the fact of using the computer starting at a young age. So we should do these  prone alternate arm and leg lifts, cobras and others of this movement daily.

Working toward headstand Mon assist Wanda

Upper Body Strength, Yoga Moves

Wanda is back to working on headstand or working toward headstand on Mondays through April. So if you have wanted to learn how to do a safe headstand or what needs to be done to work towards headstand then don’t miss these Mondays.

After a few postures Wanda noticed many tight shoulders in the class so she went through some shoulder openers as well as Anatasana warm up that she loves, it does work well.

There were choices tonight between headstand work standing on the feet and using the wall for the shoulder/upper arm work and working the legs or L shape on the wall either in handstand hands or headstand hands feet on the wall.  For those that practice headstand they went up. Some worked on moving away from the wall and moving more into a free headstand away from the comfort zone of the wall.

Twists using the wall then Savasana.  Well done everyone.

Kaliji prep for the workshop

Yoga Moves

Sandi continued to work on the basics that will be seen throughout the weekend with Kaliji.

Bridge rolls, partial reclines, roll down  and back up, hip side stretch on to gentle flow from standing taking us through the flow  to runner, mountain, extended child, cat bows 1 & 2, mountain, runner, standing.  We also worked on monkey and the jump back to mountain.

Sandi’s classes the next two Thursdays as well as next Monday will be the last ones to practice before Kali. If you have any requests or questions email me or Sandi and we will cover them in class.

Next week standing flow as well as 1/4 turn cat and cross squat to cat and anything Chandra thinks we need to cover.

Aromatherapy Vata blend from Yoga Flow oils thanks Susan.

Bridge over peaceful waters, swan Fri

Core Work, Heart Openers, Hip Openers

Back from Teachers training and looking forward to seeing everyone.

Checking in on those lovely feet & toes are they opened and stretched?  We shall see….

On  to the core  Navasana flow that we haven’t done for a bit.

Sun Salutations with some hip openers. Finding the Goddess in all of us (Deviasana)

Bridge over peaceful waters .. finding a stable peaceful bridge using blocks as an alignment tool as well as a support.  Low Back bliss

Aromatherapy today Energizing Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan

Susan is giving a workshop in Tampa Sunday check out the link.  I will be there too.  http://tinyurl.com/yauolcp

Getting Hippy tonight at Tyrone Thurs

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Toe Stretch

Subbing for Tee tonight at LFF Tyrone.

Breath work to bring everyone into center  Dirgha, Nadi Shodhana

Toe stretch to remember our feet and be grateful to them for all they do. On to the core work.

Reverse table to open the shoulder find strength in the core. Navasana flow core and balance. Waterwheel to polish off the core.

Leg stretches, hip rotations, spinal rolls. 

Lets get hippy.  Swan outer leg, Penguin and Frog opens the inner leg, Cobbler and Firelog for inner & outer leg. Bridge work with a block for alignment between the legs. Block under the sacrum in bridge for more leg work and a quad opener.  Rock the clock, hip side stretch other twist and folds seeing what needs to be worked on.

Aromatherapy tonight will be Relaxation Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thanks Susan

Working the Dog & Spine assist Wanda WEd

Hamstrings

Wanda started with everyone in three different seated postures. Using these three to access the hips, spine, hamstrings for the work this evening.

Working with Downward Facing Dog  moving into the posture mindfully and with the intention of using the legs for finding length in the spine.

Triangle, 1/2 moon, Revolved Triangle and Revolved 1/2 moon.  Finding the legs (this work is needed for all inversions) and finding the twists in the revolved postures making sure the spine is open and long. The twists starting at the base of the spine and moving upward, trying not to skip over any parts of the spine.

Cool down was the ever popular bridge & leg up with the sacrum resting on a block.

Everyone got homework to get back into inversions, arm balances, and backbends.

Wild Things, Crows, Happy Baby ?? Tues

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Standing Strength, Upper Body Strength

What is going on tonight in class…. wild things, crows, happy babies.  Yes its is a night of legs, hips and arms.. something for everyone.

Pranayama tonight Dirgha and Box Breath.

Moving right up to standing. Legs, legs, legs will be found tonight.  Lunge a deep lunge both knees bent at 90 degrees pulsing this to feel the heat build slowly in the large muscles of the legs.  Chair ~~ rising knee to chest balance~~ Warrior III~~ Knee to Chest Balance ~~ Warrior II ~~ sets of 3 work for me.  Chair coming up on toes hold and breathe.  That famous other side……. 

Sun Salutes with Down Dog, Wild Thing and Belly of the Dragon,  Dolphin, Dolphin walking the plank, Jumping to Crow, Crow Balance.  As always there is the Cobra’s, Upward Facing Dogs to add to our animal pack tonight.

Reclined Trees, Cobblers (not the fruit kind), Butterflies, Spiders, Happy Babies will close out the class tonight.

Aromatherapy tonight  Relaxing Blend from Yoga Flow Oils  thank you Susan.

Sandi’s flows for Kaliji Mon

Spinal Flows, Yoga Moves

With Kaliji coming to Yoga 4All before we know it(Check Yoga4All website under workshops) Sandi continued to work on the flows that are a common thread in the TriYoga practice.

Pranayama with some fire wash variation to warm up and get started.

Cat rolls, Cat to Runner using blocks this one just can’t be done enough it is a main flow movement that so many other forms of yoga forget to detail. This causes many to just fling the leg forward missing the beauty of the movement. When all of the core muscles are used to lightly land the foot between the hands like a dragonfly landing on a leaf so softly that the leaf barely knows it is there it becomes poetry in motion.

Working on Gentle Wave:  Natural seat~~ Cat~~Facedown~~ Cobra 2 Lift~~Child 2 this flow is one of my favorites. Adding on we went to Mountain ~~Cat~~Facedown~~Cobra 2 Lift~~ Mountain. Remembering to keep pressing into the heels as we move the torso forward from Mountain to lightly land the knees into Cat. In doing this it keep the shoulders over the wrists. If you allow the heels to lift over the ball mound of the foot when you land the knees this is when the shoulders are past the wrists and when you lower to facedown the alignment is off so much that it can stress the rotator cuff muscles.  This is a common mistake Continue reading Sandi’s flows for Kaliji Mon →

Wanda’s Finding Stable Center Wed

Yoga Moves

Wanda’s class tonight focused on finding the mid-line of the body and working from there.  This working from the center is necessary for all postures but become more so when moving into inversions.

Starting with a strap tight around  the thighs at the top of the femur bone.  Using this stable base for the legs arms overhead for reed posture. Chair posture again using the stable base of the legs.  Moving the strap from the legs to below the elbow in preparation of Parsvottanasana.

Standing postures without any strap Prasarita Padattanasana, Virabhadrasana II, Parsvakonasana.  Then putting the strap around the torso with it around the diaphragm area then moving into Parsvakonasana and feeling the opening of the chest and the turning upward.

Adho Mukha Svanasana with a partner using the strap around the top of the femor again to find more length in the spine.

Lunge work to open the hip flexors, hamstrings, quads the whole leg.

Twists, forward folds and a few other things I just can’t bring to my immediate memory.