Archive for July, 2019

Notes from Pune: Yogadandasana. February 2019

July 30, 2019

Yogadandasana. Drawings made from a class taught by Rajlaxmi at RIMYI, Pune.

Adho Mukha Sukhasana. Some students reached forward to the grill.

Sit in Upavista Konasana: extend your ankles toward your heels. Sit on a narrow fold blanket. Fold your legs into Baddha Konasana. Place a narrow brick between the feet.

If necessary, go to the wall and hold the ropes. Turn the brick, first onto its flat side, and then turn it to horizontal. Descend the knees.

Place your feet on top of the brick. Now place a folded mat under the brick.

Now sit on the brick. Remaining on the brick, extend your right leg out to the side. Press the Baddha Konasana knee down and turn that heel up.

Change legs. (If the brick is hard, sit on a vertical bolster). Extend both legs out and return to Upavistha Konasana.

Bend your left leg to Marichyasana position. Turn left toes back. Press arm against bent leg. Change sides. Now move back to Baddha Konasana. Now bend your left leg to Baddha Konasana, right leg to Upavista Konasana. Lift your pelvis, raise your heel and push it forward so you sit on the inner side of the big toe.

Change sides. The students are now on a four-fold sticky mat or vertical bolster or a block. Wedge a brick between heel and pubic bone.

You can come into the pose by sliding down the ropes. To bring your weight to the inner edges of the folded leg big toe, roll forward…

…and now roll forward on both legs. Rajlaxmi came right to the edge of the platform to roll forward even more. 

Place the feet on a flat block. Then turn the block onto its tall end. Press the knees down.

Paschimottanasana: if you are stiff separate your legs.

“Yogadandasana means the staff of a Yogin. In this pose, the yogi sits using one leg as a crutch under the armpit, hence the name” BKS Iyengar: Light On Yoga. Bend your right leg back into Virasana. Push your left foot back (see more complete instructions in Light on Yoga).

The pillar was used to support the lifted leg, while the students turned toward the Virasana leg.

The knee of the Baddha Konasana leg has to turn.

Change sides. Forward bends: Janu Sirsasana; Ardha Baddha Paschimottanasana;

Triang Mukha Aika Pada Paschimottanasana; Marichyasana 1.

Paschimottanasana; Malasana; Uttanasana; Adho Mukha Svanasana; Parsvottanasana; Setu Banda Sarvangasana with a Brick and Tadasana legs. Some students used bolsters for Setu Banda. Move the shoulder blades deeper inside the back. Push the shins toward the shoulders, but at the same time, walk out with your legs.

Savasana.

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Lyme Regis, Dorset: May 11 – 12, 2019

July 23, 2019

Workshop with Hannah Lovegrove

In this standing twist, to avoid the pelvic organs from sinking, press the standing leg thigh back.

Uttitha Trikonasana. Move the entire pelvis back away from the head. Revolve from the right kidney to the left.

Cut the inner right thigh back. Move the breast bone away from the pelvis so that the entire torso extends toward the head.

As you curve around the block, create some resistance by extending your inner legs, ankles and heels away.

Stamp your heels down and raise your tailbone and with it, your entire pelvis. Move your back ribs up away from the floor and forward toward your breast bone.

Press your heels to the floor (toes turned in) move your upper body and chest toward the wall.

Urdhva Dhanurasana. It take several yearts of practice in this and other poses to build the strength needed to practice this with the arms straight.

No wall ropes? Not a problem!

Forward extension with chair, bolster and wall. Here we are looking to get the front body the same length as the back body.

More recovery: Uttanasana with a blanket roll.

We are in rural England. This working sheep dog waited patiently outside the asana room for his human (a sheep farmer) to finish her yoga.

© 2019 Bobby Clennell.

Cornwall: May 5 – 6, 2019

July 2, 2019

Workshop at South West Iyengar Yoga Institute

Abhijata Iyengar says we should widen the difference between hands and feet in this pose. Here the length from Hip to hands is much longer than from hip to feet.

Walk the feet back, and now the the length in either direction from the hips is the same.

But how to get those shoulders in?

Supta Padangustasana.

A forward extension.

The wonderful charm of Cornwall and especially the little town where this Iyengar Yoga Association is located blew me away!

© 2019 Bobby Clennell.