Florida: January 21 – 22 and 24 – 26, 2020

Workshop at Miami Beach Iyengar Yoga Center

Another workshop, another Pincha Mayurasana, this time with the outer edges of the wrists pressed down into the floor.

Workshop at Community Yoga, Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Adho Mukha Svanasana with a long yoga belt. Abhijata Iyengar in her online workshop in May 2020, extolled the importance of working with props especially during the pandemic we are living through..

Adho Mukha Svanasana. This set up helps the student understand where she is stuck: when she bends forward, her lower back tends to pop out.

Uttitha Trikonasana. Correcting knock knees. It takes seven years!

Uttitha Trikonasana. Do this with a partner, and observe how much the space opens up in the pelvis. This student couldn’t be persuaded to take her legs a little further apart.

Mulabandasana, one leg at a time.

And now for six smiley faces….

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6) Use the slant board to press the heels away from the pubic bone. 

Raising the feet facilitates a greater extension through the inner thigh muscles, and therefore more mobility in the hip joints.

Chair supported Sirsasana.

This is important: Press the shins against the wall, and the toes toward the floor.

Roll the outer elbows in.

© 2020 Bobby Clennell

Lyme Regis, Dorset: May 11 – 12, 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.

Kobe, Japan: November 30 – December 3, 2018

Workshop at Iyengar Yoga Institute of Kobe

Urdhva Hastasana; but even with a block and a belt, the student cannot straighten her arms.

Another belt was added below the the first belt. Now she can extend her arms. This memory will help her straighten her arms without the belts later on.m

This student also has a carrying angle, where the elbow projects forward. By clasping the upper arms, revolving them in and raising them (and at the same time applying a little pressure on the elbow) alignment comes and the arms begin to feel peaceful.

Helping this student to ‘find’ her legs. By tipping the foot up, she will eventually be able to find her thigh muscles and straighten her leg.

To strengthen the mind, strengthen the legs.

To fully straighten the leg, and take the kneecap back into the joint practice Ardha Chandrasana with a block under the sole of the foot.

Diagonal Uttitha Trikonasana. Practicing the pose this way takes the pressure off the front leg so it’s helpful for those with hip problems. It also provides more opportunity to revolve the trunk toward the ceiling.

Raising the pelvis in this version of Viparita Dandasana stimulates the abdominal organs (which can wake up ovarian function).

Sirsasana; The belt gives a visual reference (to the observer) of the mid line. Here the student needs to take her buttocks forward.

Sarvangasana. That which is behind the mid line – move forward; that which is in front, move back.

Parsva Halasana. Keep the torso high. Keep walking the legs around to the side – aim to bring them level with the shoulders.

 

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Beijing, China: November 21 – 24, 2018

Workshop at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of China, Beijing

Practicing Uttanasana with the legs separated allows for more mobility and a deeper forward extension than when the legs are together.

Practicing Uttanasana with the legs together compresses the abdominal area against the thighs (except where the student has tight hamstrings, and the trunk moves away from the thighs). This massages the abdominals, and helps keep the area healthy.

Tadasana. To ensure that the abdominal organs move up, roll the tops of the thighs back and take the tailbone in.

Uttitha Trikonasana. Revolve the tops of the femur bones out at the sockets. This ensures that the thigh bones will move into the sockets in a healthy way.

Rope Sirsasana. To ensure a deep internal alignment of the abdominal organs, make sure the belt is place exactly on the sacral bone.

Parsvakonasana. Similarly to Trikonasana, turn the tops of the thighs out.

Ardha Chandrasana. Turn the trunk and pelvis away from the standing leg. Can you touch the lifted leg shoulder blade and buttock to the wall?

Parsva Upavista Konasana. Turn from the navel toward the front leg. Everything below the navel is influenced by the activation of the left foot — press out through the left foot big toe mound.

Sirsasana. To avoid eye pressure, be exactly on the center of the crown of the head. Press the forearms down. Lift the shoulders.

Chatush Padasana over a chair. Raise the pelvic area off the chair, and placing the trapezius on the front edge of the chair, curve it around the edge of the chair. The upper back/shoulder skin will  get dragged away from the head and area just below the collar-bones will open.

Supta Konasana/Chair Halasana. This gives low back relief. It’s also a better way to go for those with long spines, where it’s not so easy to climb through the chair.

Coming out of Viparita Dandasana over Crossed Bolsters. Allow the lower back to spread.

Bolster Supported Setu Bandasana. Make sure the shoulders just touch the floor (and that you haven’t slid too far off the bolster).

 

© 2019 Bobby Clennell

Kids Love Yoga

Yoga is fun to do all by yourself…

Six-year-old Marley, daughter of certified Iyengar Yoga teacher Vicky Elwell, expresses the sheer joy of tickling her toes with her hair: Rajakapotasana (King of Pigeons). Vicky’s studio, the Yoga Loft, is in Sheffield  Village, Ohio.

Playing on the ropes in the big kids playroom Adho Mukna Svanasana on the Ropes (Downward Facing Dog Pose).

… or with friends

Will these trees sway in the breeze: Vriksanana (Tree Pose)? Or be strong and steady, like a triangle: Uttitha Trikonasana? Helena and Irene Ortiz practicing with me at Natural Yoga, Bogota, Columbia. Photo by by their mother, Ilse Bedolla.

Curl up and around, or stretch up to the sky: Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana (Upward Facing Interlocked Fingers Pose) from Sukhasana (Simple Cross Legs Pose).

Didi Hall’s grandson has an exquisite sense of balance. And his tree (Vriksanana) grows in unusual soil: Kurmasana (Tortoise Pose)! Didi teaches at The Yoga Center Toronto.

Stand tall like a tree, with your roots in the ground and your leaves reaching for the sky.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me photos of their kids who were inspired by my book, Watch Me Do Yoga; please keep sending them in. I try my best to correctly credit all the photos, but if I’ve forgotten your child’s name, please send it to me, and I’ll update the post.

© 2017 Bobby Clennell.

London: May 2

Workshop at The Iyengar Yoga Studio, East Finchley.

Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 1 on The Ropes. We help her roll her outer thigh down while moving her standing leg thigh back to the wall. She presses her standing leg foot down, and raises her spine and chest.

Uttitha Trikonasana on the ropes. Anchoring your back foot to the wall, and holding the rope will help give you the momentum needed to extend your torso away from the wall.

Ardha Chandrasana on the ropes. Turn your head back, move your dorsal spine and tailbone forward.

Rope Sirsasana. Secure the upper arm bones into the sockets — overlap the triceps onto the deltoids, and the deltoids onto the shoulder-blades.

Rope Urdhva Mukha Svanasana. Similarly, maintain the connection of your upper arms and shoulders.

Viparita Dandasana. Firm your shoulder-blades onto your upper back ribs. Walk your hands along the belt toward the wall.

I always enjoy teaching for Patsy Sparksman at her studio in East Finchley, London,

© 2016 Bobby Clennell.