Kobe: November 30 – December 2, 2020

Workshop at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Kobe, Japan.

 

I’m helping this student realign her elbows. Her carrying angle will hamper her efforts to lift all the way up through her shoulders and hips. When I remove my feet from her elbows, she has to move them back toward the wall herself. She also has to move her shoulders forward.

Gripping her hips firmly between my feet, I am rolling this student’s shoulders back.

Amit Pawar,  Prana Homoeopathy Yoga Center, Pune, shows us how its done! He instructs one of his teachers how to make a similar adjustment, but here he draws the upper torso forward as he moves the student’s shoulders back. She is less likely to jam her lumbar spine this way.

Roll your upper arms in and pull your arms back into the shoulder sockets as you allow your pelvis to slide down the wall.

Maintain the entire backs of the legs from pelvis to heels, parallel to the ceiling.

You get more leverage when your feet are against the wall, and you can hold onto some ropes. Press your feet into the wall and move your inner groins back.

Krounchasana. Stay toward the middle of the sit bones and raise the anterior spine.

Eka Pada Sirsasana. Keep your hips level with each other as you bring one of your legs forward and down.

Sarvangasana. To get a better, sharper grip, spread your fingers and thumbs, palms facing the floor, place them between two ribs, and lift!

In addition, clip the outer shoulderblades in and roll the outer, upper arms down.

 

© 2020 Bobby Clennell.

Beijing: November 21 – 24, 2019

Workshop at Iyengar Yogashala, Beijing, China.

Adho Mukha Svanasana. Work this way to roll the tops of the inner thighs back, draw the anterior lumbar spine back and up, and release the posterior lumbar spine down. This is extremely helpful for those with low back compression or pain.

Adho Mukha Baddha Konasana with Three Blocks. This is the biggest hip opener ever!

The wide leg poses access space in the pelvic region, facilitate mobility in the hip joints, and supports health for women’s reproductive systems.

Half Padmasana with a figure of eight belt holding it all together.

Nirlamba Sarvangasana is particularly helpful for women. It reduces hot flashes, helps relax a tense throat and stimulates the thyroid.

The Chinese Translation of Watch Me Do Yoga! The English text is retained along side of the Mandarin.

Ming’s nieces practicing their version of Padmasana.

Tadasana with attitude – practicing along with my book.

Kids the world over love Lion Pose!

Yoga for Breast Care – Chinese translation!.

The Chinese students are enthusiastic about selfies, and will stop at nothing to get their picture taken with the teacher.

This Chinese “mudra” means love, I think.

My favorite pic of all time. This young student took my entire workshop in that outfit.

 

© 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.

Jakarta: November 1 – 3, 2019

Workshop at C Studio Jakarta.

Stage one of Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana. Allow the knee to decend, so that eventually, it aligns with the hip.

Parsva Hasta Padasana with belt and block.

Uthita Trikonasana with a belt and block. Resting the foot up on the block like this helps awaken the arch. Curl the toes toward you. Press the outer edge of the back foot firmly into the floor. Move the inner back leg knee toward the outer back leg knee.

Supported Paripurna Navasana with a Chair and a Wall.

Chair Kapotasana. Use all the support you need so that you get the most out of this pose.

The best way to recover from Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana through a Chair..

Recovery Prasaritta Padottanasana with a chair.

Roll forward into Halasana.

Halasana with bolster and blanket.

 

© 2020 Bobby Clennell.

Hangzhou: November 7 – 10, 2019

Workshop at Iyengar Yogashala, Hangzhou.

Post menopause. Time to sharpen up your practice.

Ardha Chandrasna is the quintessential woman’s pose. Practice it (and the other lateral standing poses) with the back to the wall to reduce pelvic rigidity. It gives freedom in the pelvis and spine; spreads the torso and pelvis horizontally and therefore cools. Practicing it facing the wall with a chair is helpful for women with fibroids because you can soften the abdomen. It also helps those with low back issues. To elongate the lumbar spine and to prevent it from falling forward (and therefore compressing), move the standing leg buttock toward the wall. Turn the hips up, and lengthen the tailbone away from the head.

 

Urdhva Dhanurasana from a chair. To develop enough strength to push up into the pose, start on a chair. You are already half way there – all you have to do is push the reast of the way up. The chair also helps keep you orientated. To avoid swinging backward or forward, keep your pelvis centered above the chair seat as you come up.

Cool down with Supported Halasana. Place enough support between the thighs and chair seat to maintain an upright spine.

 

© 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.

Panama: October 4 – 5, 2019

Workshop in Panama

Ardha Chandrasana with a chair. Move the standing leg buttock forward and revolve the torso up to the ceiling.

”Focus on keeping the spine straight. It is the job of the spine to keep the brain alert”. BKS Iyengar.

Working with a long belt – tugging it down –  to re-educate tight trapezeum muscles. Counteract this action by moving your tailbone in and rolling your inner thighs back.

 

© 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.

New York: July 27 – 28, 2019

Workshop at Samamkāya

Coming into Supta Tadasana: with the knees bent and the toes braced against the wall, move back away from the wall by scraping the torso and pelvis back along the mat.

By the time your legs are straight, the movement and the friction of the movement of the body against the mat moves the sacrum directly under the pubic bone. This elongates the lumbar spine and softens the abdominal region. (An old mat with not too much grip left is best for this manoever).

Vriksasana (Tree Pose) facing the wall with block. Wedge the block between the inner knee and the wall.

To open up the right inner groin, press the right buttock toward the wall.

Vasisthasana action: grip the rope and lean away from the wall. Move your tailbone in to align it with your feet and the crown of your head.

Curving back over a tall block placed between the shoulderblades and directly under the breast bone. To maintain length through the lumbar spine, keep the tailbone lifted.

 

© 2020 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.