Kamakura-City: December 6 – 8, 2019

Three day retreat in Kamakura-City.

These three pictures of Fuji San were taken from a moving train. When you see her for real, you understand why she has Goddess status.

Fuji San.

Fuji San.

Baradvajasana with my translator and friend, Kyoko Atsumi. When turning to the right, press the  right side waist in, toward the left side waist.

Jathara Parivatanasana, with knees bent. As you turn to the right, press the left shoulder to the floor. Pull the knees right up inder the right armpit, and at the same time, lengthen the front and inner groins away from you.

Jathara Parivatanasana, this time with a helper pressing the opposite shoulder. Observe, her hand is turned back away from my armpit.

Passasana. This student is moving her left side ribs and her abdomen to her right, while keeping her knees level with each other.

If your heels do not touch the floor, with the feet together, working with a slant board this is a good starting point for either Malasana, or Passasana.

To keep the front spine moving forward, rather than having the back rounding just above the lumbar, train your body, slowly over time, by practicing Janusirsasana with a chair. To bring awareness to the movement of the spine, and to prevent the body from sinking onto the right thigh, practice Janusirsasana with a chair and rolled blanket.

Parivritta Janusirsasana with a Chair. Move your left waist forward and roll your right side waist and ribs up and back.

A much revered healer.

Dessert.

With Kyoko, and on the extreme left and right, two of her students. And let me tell you, the best hair-cutters in the world are Japanese!

© 2020 Bobby Clennell.

Urumqi: November 13 – 16, 2019

Workshop at Iyengar Yogashala, Urumqi, China.

Arriving in Urumqi.

Looking at the midline in Janu Sirsasana with Chair and Block.

Practice Uttanasana with a Blanket Roll to soothe the lower back. Drop this into a post-menstrual sequence.

Women municiple workers, clearing the snow.

They do this running.

…still running !

Snowy view, with the mountain range at the top, from the yoga studio.

© 2020 Bobby Clennell.

Singapore: October 26 – 28, 2019

Workshop at Cocoon Studio Pte Ltd.

Between classes: these two teachers were getting lots of lumbar spine and pelvic traction on the ropes.

Virabadrasana II facing into the wall with block.

Parivritta Paschimottanasana. As you revolve to the left, in order to maintain the feet and knees parellel to each other, pull the right thigh back into it’s hip socket

Pausing in the center before “walking” around to the left, and taking hold of the left foot for Parivritta Janusirsasana.

Slice a mango into three along its length.

This is how you get rid of the stone!

Happy Diwali from Singapore’s oldest Shiva Temple.

 

© 2020 Bobby Clennell.

Bogota: September 27 – 29, 2019

Workshops at Natural Yoga.

Uttanasana with a belt.

The rolled up sticky mat will work for anyone who has a long spine. Working this way gives me tremendous traction in the lower spinal muscles.

Kids Love Yoga!

I taught a classroom full of children up in the mountains.

We began with Mountain Pose, then followed it with Tree Pose.

The wind was blowing the branches around!

Lion Pose. Can you make a horrible face, and roar?

The excitement and danger of running through the snapping jaws of the crocodile! Could they make it through, or would the crocodile eat them up?

I don’t teach children very often but after teaching these two classes, I realized why in the children’s classes in Pune, there are so many strong assistants. They really keep order. In Pune, its fun, to be sure. There is also a lot of disipline. The boys, in particular benefit from a greater sense of order than I managed to keep here.

Okay, okay! One at a time please. When the kids were asked afterward what they remember the most from the class, they say the crocodile. (Just to say, there are no animals or stories in the Pune children’s class. They pack in a tremendous number of poses, and the class moves fast, and they only use the Sanskrit names of the poses).

Finally! Spaghetti Pose.

This kid looks like an angel here.

…but here he is, waiting to see what I would do when I discovered two pieces of spaghetti stuck together.

There is nothing as quiet or still as a room full of prevously rowdy kids being wet spaghetti.

It seems to me that boys and girls display different tendencies – at least at this age.. “I will chant OM. First me. Then you”.

“Om”.

Field study

A passing alpaca.

In a clearing in the jungle we came upon this very old typewriter, and two chairs.

© 2019 Bobby Clennell.

Costa Rica: September 20 – 22, 2019

Workshop at Centro de Yoga Sattwa.

Supta Virasana

Parivritta Trikonasana.

Parivritta Pasvakonasana.

Meanwhile, at the Butterfly Sanctuary

When these butterflies spread thir wings and flew away…

… you could see the other side of their wings were bright blue.

Cacao

Inside cacao pods, there are cacao seeds.

The seeds are roasted,

…and ground.

…until it becomes hocolate powder.

Hot chocolate!

© 2019 Bobby Clennell.

Retreat in Kamakura-City, Japan: December 6 – 9, 2018

Yoga retreat at Amrita Ofuna

To remove rigidity, we need fluid in the joints. The element of water is accessed through movement, which is associated with the element of air.

Fast jumping pranisizes the legs with the element of water. Your legs will not become strong. You will however, sharpen…

…the intelligence, especially if in a class the jumping sequence is not repeated…

…the same each time by the teacher.

When standing poses are practiced from Tadasana, the legs become pranisized with the element of earth and the legs become very strong.

I was much taken by this certified Iyengar Yoga teacher who attended my workshop.

She is over 8o years old.

Here she is in a very light looking Parivritta Sirsasana.

Her name: Naoko Itoh.

The enormous bronze Buddha is located on the grounds of the Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura City. The monument dates all the way back to 1252 and was originally gold-plated. The statue has stood in the open air since the temple building was destroyed in the tsunami of September 20, 1492, and only traces of gold-leaf remain around the ears.

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Urmqi, China: November 14 – 18, 2018

Workshop at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of China, Urmqi

I arrived in a snow storm, which I was told was good luck.

Uttitha Padangustasana 2. In order to maintain the upward movement of the pelvic organs, move your lifted leg buttock forward, and your standing leg thigh back.

Urdhva Dhanurasana from a chair. Straighten the legs to standing.

Recovering from backbends:

Janu Sirsasana with Two Blocks, a Bolster and a Wall….

….and with a chair. To help maintain a quiet abdominal region, extend forward from the sides of the trunk, rather than the center.

Chair Sarvangasana with elbows hooked through the front legs. Here, the chair seat height has been increased to facilitate the extension of the spine.

Urumuqui is close to the Mongolian boarder.

This dancer kept the bowl on her head through her dance. Talk about balance!

Uger musicians.

This was such a happy evening!

 

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Glebe, Australia: October 25, 2018

Workshop at Glebe Iyengar Yoga

The streets in this suburb of Sydney are lined with bottle brush trees.

Fabulous lizards everywhere on this National Park walk.

Preparing for Hanomanasana. This student is not ready to practice Supta Virasana flat on the floor. Therefore, I am not pulling her leg up to a 90% angle from the floor.

Hanomanasana. Have enough support under the hands to lift the torso to an upright position.

Hanomanasana. Level the pelvic bones by rolling the back leg hip forward.

With Tamar Kelly, and Julia Pederson who hosted the workshop in Glebe.

This is the final photo in Julia Pederson’s new book Guruji BKS Iyengar and RIMYI in the 70s. Through the pictures taken at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) taken in the ’70s and the stories of his early students, this book gives an insight into the teaching and inspiration that has led Iyengar Yoga to be the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. Julia is looking for a publisher.

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

St Kilda, Australia: October 12 – 14, 2018

Workshop at St Kilda Iyengar Yoga Studio

Ustrasana with wall, Chair and Bolsters. Roll outer arms in. Move outer elbows to inner elbows. Keep the navel as close to the wall as possible.

The belt which I placed at the upper back provided tremendous length through the entire spine, and a fulcrum for an upper back curve. I asked her to connect her outer/upper arms back into the backs of the shoulder sockets.

This shape is similar to Urdhva Hastasana in Dandasana.There should be an internal rotation of the arms. Locate them back into the sockets.

Holding a belt between wrists and side hips…

…helped us see the midline. Student is being instructed: in order to avoid dropping the lumbar forward, to roll the buttocks down.

The brightly painted roads are a memory of the victory in the Australian courts earlier this year for same-sex marriage.

The St Kilder theme park is the oldest theme park in the world. Visually, the inside is as wonderful as the outside!

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Pietrasanta: April 27 – 29, 2018

Workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, with Vicki Vollmer.

I taught in this wonderful space amongst this privately owned collection. Back left, art by Yehudit Sasportas. The figures on the right are by Robert Longo.

The pose: Viparita Dandasana with Chair. Press the upper thighs down, move the heels toward the wall and extend the legs fully to lengthen the pelvic muscles and alow the pelvic organs to breathe. The wall sculpture is a George Segal.

I didn’t get the name of the artist who created this work. Anyone?

Gilbert and George, of course! Chair Sarvangasana with chair and bolster. Sometimes you just need to hold Sarvangasana quietly, with minimum effort.

To maintain strong abs, and if your back is strong, lift your shoulders and come out of Sirsasana slowely.

Another view of the space. The large wire sphere on the platform is a Mona Hatoum. Sirsasana: back brain to the floor, front brain to the feet: BKS Iyengar.

A closer view of this strong piece by George Segal. In contrast, Viparita Karani. Trust me, this seemingly simple pose calms the nerves and balances hormone levels like no other.

I taught a day of Pancha Vayus which are differentiated from the Pancha (five) Pranas. Sorry, I can’t immediately find the photo of the Pancha Vayus poster used in this workshop.

How to look styish without even trying. Vickie’s dogs.

This is the life!

A close-up of the Yehudit Sasportas piece.

A closer look at the Robert Longo.

Look at the Roig Bernardi!

© 2018 Bobby Clennell.