Restorative, Thursday at 5:15

watering the heart

tailbone awareness/pelvic tilt
baby bridge
bridge with arms overhead x6
knees into chest and rock

supported baddha konasana

sukasana
side bending

elevated spinal twist over bolster

release into supta baddha konasana (with soles of feet on bolster)

hamstring sequence with strap

legs up the wall

savasana

Help of Ojai, Level 2 class, Thursday at 11am

i had such a good time teaching. ashley was there to assist.

impressing the heart
lengthening the spine (with arms overhead) x4

release onto back
tailbone/pelvis awareness
block under sacrum
knee into chest, extended other leg
hamstring stretch with strap
open to the side, back to center & release.

repeat pattern on second side

knees into chest and rock

locust variations
right arm lift x3
left arm lift x3
right left left x3
left leg lift x3

full body locust (with fingers reaching towards toes) x2
windshield wipers

all fours
cat/cow
childs

transition to standing

shoulder rolls
tadasana
1/4 sun salutations x6
prana ping pong

bow and arrow arms
shoulder shrugs

repeat pattern on second side

shoulder rotation
swamp monster vs cactus

arms overhead
forward fold
roll up to standing

pyramid pose (with arms overhead)
warrior 1 stance
warrior 1 dance (with arms in prayer and cactus)

(repeat pattern on second side)

forward fold
roll up to standing

foot/balance play
tree pose

tadasana

virasana on 2 blocks

demo

hitch-hiking dolphin PREP

hitch-hiking dolphin for real (in stages) x2

rest in childs (in between each round)

transition to backs

knees into chest and rock
spinal twist

savasana

Restorative, Tuesday at 5:15

packed class. all regulars and 1 newbie. it felt like a giant slumber party with blankets, bolsters, balls and blocks everywhere. amber observed the class.

restorative version of "watering the heart"
(or impressing the heart with 2 blocks)

breath awareness

transition onto back
tailbone/pelvis awareness
pelvic tilt (arching and curling)
shimmy x2
pause and notice
knees into chest
transition to seat

supported uppavista konasana (wide leg forward fold)

sukasana
side bending

supta baddha konasana (heart opener over bolster)

side lying rest pose

legs up the wall

savasana

Intro to Yoga Course: Class 3 of 6

i am really enjoying teaching this intro series. the opening discussion was on the word "namaste" which essentially translates to "i see or honor the light in you". i related this to Avatar's version of "i see you". surprisingly, no one had seen the movie, so that became homework.

throughout class i took the time to demo poses and transitions so that peeps could get a visual, and then try it for themselves. this seemed to be effective. tonight i was so enthusiastic about introducing "hitch-hiking dolphin" and warrior 1 & 3 that i lost track of time towards the end.

long heart opening over bolster
4 part breath awareness
talk on diaphragmatic breathing, stress & PSNS

release on back
pause and notice

tailbone awareness
pelvic tilt (arching and curling)
baby bridge pose
release

bridge with block under sacrum
knee into chest
hamstring stretch with hip opener

repeat pattern on second side

remove block
knees into chest and rock
knees circles

all fours
cat/cow
childs

virasana on 2 blocks
tailbone/pelvis awareness
shoulder rotation

demo

hitch-hiking dolphin x3 (moving in stages)
rest in childs in between

plank
dog
plank
childs

demo

plank
dog
uttanasana
roll up to standing

shoulder shrugs
utthita tadasana with block in between thighs

right angle at wall
warrior 3 (both sides)
right angle
uttanasana
roll up to standing

tadasana

lounge salute with 2 blocks
crescent moon
lounge
step forward
roll up to standing

repeat pattern on second side

shoulder rotation
swamp monster vs cactus arms

introduce warrior 1 stance

warrior 1 with arms overhead (or in cactus)
moving towards warrior 3 (in stages)
warrior 3 play

tadasana
lounge salute
dog
plank
lower to belly
locust x2 (with demo in between)
childs

release onto back
knees into chest and rock

spinal twist

savasana

Help of Ojai, Level 2 class, Thursday at 11am

interesting class. cold and rainy. the heater was not working for the first half of the class, so the room was chilly. i taught solo. tucker came to class and practiced. tucker is one of my primary teachers and mentors, so i couldn't help but feel a little timid...like i don't know "enough" to be teaching seniors. this is not true, but the insecurity ran deep.

i wrote out a sequence beforehand with the intention of building off of what kira had taught last week. i was committed to teaching something new and introducing the chairs. not sure how well it worked, but the effort helped to clarify some things.

here's what i actually taught:

impressing the heart with 2 blocks (feet at the wall)
tailbone awareness (arching and curling)
shimmy x2
pause, notice and feel

hip rotation play
hip opening spinal twist
supine tadasana (3 rounds with arms overhead)
knees into chest and rock

transition to standing

shoulder rolls
bow and arrow arms (both sides)
shoulder shrugs

chairs

wide leg forward fold
chair dog

demo

chair dog
lounge pattern sequence x3
uttanasana
roll up to standing

extended side angle with chair x2
triangle with chair x2

side angle prep towards half moon

(my instructions here were a little muffled...next i will approach half moon with the chair in a different position to give peeps the room to lift off)

tadasana (to gather and ground the energy)

1/4 sun salutes x6

transition to earth
knees into chest and rock

bridge pose x2
windshield wipers
easy abdominal curl

savasana with legs on chair

Restorative, Tuesday at 5:15

heart opener over blanket
breath awareness

remove blanket
tailbone/pelvis awareness
knees into chest and rock
easy spinal twist (both sides)

wide leg forward fold

sukasana
side bend (both sides)

supta baddha konasana

side lying rest pose

legs up the wall

savasana

restorative

supta baddha konasana

side lying rest pose

supported childs pose

cat/cow

transition to back
knees into chest and rock

hamstring sequence with strap (both sides)

"mini savasana"

elevated twist (both sides)

option of legs of the wall

savasana