Archive for the ‘Workshops’ Category
February 14, 2019

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
Tags:back bends, backbend, backbend with a chair, backbends, Luna Park, Melbourne, rainbow street, St Kilda Iyengar Yoga Studio, Ustrasana, Uttitha Trickonasana with back to wall
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February 11, 2019

Adho Mukha Svanasana with arms back and block and belt.

Utana Baddha Konasana. This pose is particularly effective in creating space around lung and breast tissue. This pose features in my book, Yoga For Breast Care: what every woman needs to know.

I am coiling myself around the block, and getting ready….

…to hold onto a handy pair of ankles.

Sarvangasana. Roll your outer shoulders under. Press the outer/upper artms down and extend from outer shoulders to outer elbows. With the palms facing the floor, and the thumbs and forefingers separated, press the hands sharply between two ribs, and lift the back ribs. Clip the outer shoulderblades in.

Halasana. External rotation of the arms at the sockets. Iift from the inner groins.
© 2019 Bobby Clennell
Tags:Halasana, Supta Baddha Konasana, Uttanasana
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February 9, 2019

Adho Mukha Svanasana. Practicing with the forearms on blocks provides better access to armpits, and breast and lung tissue.

Adho Mukha Svanasana with Baddangullyasana, arms behind.

Rope Bhujangasana. Here the feet are one ft. apart. Then learn to practice with the feet together. Rotate the inner thighs back, and move the tailbone forward and up. Raise the ribcage and the entire torso up. Curve up and back.

Rope Purvottasana. In this variation, the ropes are doubled over. To curve further back, open them to their full length. See page 89 of Yoga In Action. Intermediate Course -1, for the best instructions for this, and Rope Bhujangasana.

Uttitha Trikonasana on the Ropes

Virasana with upper body curved back over a chair.

Upper Body Back Bend over a chair.

Urdhva Dhanurasana. Press down through the hands, raise the heels, press the tailbone up, and extend and open the top/front groin skin.

Continue pressing the tailbone up, and maintain the extension of the front groin skin while slowly bringing the heels down (outer knees to inner knees).
© 2019 Bobby Clennell
Tags:Adho Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana with Baddangullyasana, Adho Mukna Svanasana on the Ropes, back bends, backbend, backbend with a chair, backbends, Cocoon Studio Pte Ltd, Parivritta Svastikasana, Rope Bhujangasana, Rope Purvottasana, seated twist, Singapore, suported poses, Supta Virasana, twist, Urdhva Danurasana, using props, Uttitha Trikonasana on the ropes, wall ropes
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January 24, 2019
Workshop at C Studio Jakarta

We began the class with Parvritta Swastikasana.

Uttanasana with Head on Block.

Adho Mukha Svanasana. Stand facing the wall with the rope slipped around your waist. Step over both sides of the rope with one leg, and then turn around to face away from the wall. Slide the knot down onto your sacrum. Bend your knees and fold forward into Adho Mukha Svanasana. Keep your heels at the wall and as close to the floor as you can. Reach your hands forward. The rope extends the lumbar spine toward the wall, while the hands draw the spine forward. These opposing movements extend the lumbar, decrease compression of the disc on the nerves and reduce low back pain. Turn toes in.

Working with a block between her hyper extended elbows helped reduce the pain in her arms that occured whenever she did this pose.

Salabhasana on the ropes.

Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 1, with Back to The Wall and Pully Ropes.

Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 2, with Back to The Wall and Pully Ropes.

Standing Twist to Wall with Pully Ropes.

My host, Rany Fetrix made t-shirts from my drawing.
© 2019 Bobby Clennell
Tags:Adho Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana with wall ropes, C Studio Jakarta, Jakarta, Parvritta Swastikasana, Salabhasana, Standing Twist, suported poses, supported Uttanasana, using props, Uttanasana, Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 1, Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 2, wall ropes
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August 14, 2018
Workshop at Planet Yoga in Montréal.

Pincha Myorasana with block. Lift from the inner body – the inner deltoids/trapezium and spine.

Half Supta Baddha Konasana, combination, half Supta Padangustasana.

Another hip opener: Parsvakonasana with a chair.

This student was a professional socker player. We were all so happy when she began to get the hang of Supta Padangustasana 3. To begin with, she was tipping over toward her head, causing her left leg to lose it’s connection with the floor. A folded blanket under her back remedied the situation.

Padmasana in Setubanda Sarvangasana over a brick.
© 2018 Bobby Clennell.
Tags:Montreal, Planet Yoga, Planet Yoga Iyengar Yoga
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August 11, 2018
Workshop at Solviegasyoga Studio in Almancil.

First drop back from Sirsasana to the wall and learn how to flip over back to the floor from there. Keep your legs together, otherwise you will jam your sacrum!! Next, walk down to the chair back, and flip over from there.

When you are ready, drop straight back onto the chair seat. This student dropped over with control (raise your shoulders and press the shoulder-blades forward)so the photographer was able to capture that moment just before she lightly touched the chair.
© 2018 Bobbly Clennell.
Tags:Almancil, Portugal, Solviegasyoga Studio
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July 30, 2018
Workshop at Studie Yoga in Denmark. Props, and Drop-backs.

Ardha Chandrasana with Chair and Wall. Grip the standing leg buttock onto the pelvic bone and move the upper hip and elbow up and back.

Curving back over an upturned chair. Revolve the upper arm skin in, toward the head. Observe, she is not gripping that slant-board – it’s resting lightly in her open palms.

Dropping back to the wall. Move the tailbone in, raise the back ribs away from the lumbar spine and move the shoulder-blades down. You can walk down the wall, and also onto a chair. To come up, stamp down through the outer edges of the heels and feet and propell your back ribs forward and up.

For those unable to raise the shoulders or press the shoulder-blades in, or who have compromised cervical discs, Sirsasana with two poles.

Delicious Danish hors deurvers. Mine, in the small bowls at the bottom of the picture, was gluten free.
© 2018 Bobby Clennell.
Tags:Ardha Uttanasana, drop back, Drop-backs, Sirsasana
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July 24, 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.
Tags:art gallery, Gilbert & George
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July 22, 2018

Virabhadrasana 1. The outer hips should be parellel to each other: descend the bent leg hip. Move the tailbone in. Compress into the hip sockets.

Here Virabhadrasana I is combined with a deep back bend. This student is not just leaning back to touch the wall behind him. His spine is upright.

Warming up for Hanomanasana in Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana with chair and belt.

In Hanomanasana, the work is similar to that of Virabhadrasana 1.

OH, to be in England now that April’s there
And whoever wakes in England sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now! Robert Browning.

Ustrasana. Keeping the navel against the wall, lift the lumbar and dorsal spine, coil the back ribs, and place the crown of the head on the support. Move the outer elbows to the inner elbows.

Urdhva Dhanurasana from a chair. Lift!

How many Iyengar Yoga teachers does it take to cut Guruji’s birthday cake? ORIYI events secretary, Evelyn Crosskey, who organized the workshop and party, looks on.

On the evening of the last day of the workshop, there was a party to honor the one-hundredeth year since Guruji’s birth. My film Yantra was played on a loop: http://bobbyclennell.com/yantra.html.
© 2018 Bobby Clennell.
Tags:Oxford, Oxford and Region Iyengar Yoga Institute
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July 9, 2018

The plan for this afternoon.

Keep your heels pressed firmly against the chair legs and then lift your pelvis so that it doesn’t drag. This is a chest opener, but while curving over the chair, in order to help maintain a healthy bone density squeeze your tailbone and grip the gluteal muscles onto the pelvis.

When there is no tall stool available, a chair and three bolsters works almost as well. Observe the difference between the two poses: Guruji has supported his chest so that it opens to the maximum.
© 2018 Bobby Clennell.
Tags:B.K.S. Iyengar, back bends, backbends, Hannah Lovegrove, Saddle Street Farm
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