What makes an advanced yogi

I'm back from North Carolina and San Diego, and happily resuming my blog on this week's yoga class.

Most students initially come to yoga for the physical practice.  We come to get strong and flexible, to overcome injuries and to reduce aches and pains from sports and daily living.  We soon learn that the practice is much more than the asanas. No one needs to tell you.  You discover the impact of yoga as you wake up to the present moment and all it's power.  And then the more you attend yoga classes, the more you see that it's the advanced yogis, its the teachers and the seasoned practitioners that are taking childs pose, resting, and not taking every option.  Whereas it's usually the new students that are huffing and puffing their way through flows and options their bodies may not be ready for.  

One of the big things about a yoga practice is that it's a place to listen to your body and to get curious about what your body needs AS YOU GO.  So if you want to do a strong practice, you will, but if you need a slow practice you can embrace that, too.  Every day is not "handstand day"  :)

The performance of an asana should be nourishing and illuminative... shedding light on what your body and mind need today.  We concluded this week's asana practice with this guided meditation that focused on helping you feel like you're supported so you can open your heart:  I encouraged students to find a posture in which their back felt fully supported ( legs up the walk, or sitting against a wall). I asked them to pay attention to their breath. To notice their body.  I asked, "where is there spaciousness"? .... "where is there tension"?

I then asked students to move their attention to their back and allow themselves to feel supported.  Holding this support in their body, I guided them to turn their breath and attention to their heart space.  Asking, "is there fear"?.... "is there hope"? ....  "is there both"?  Just notice; just observe.  Closing the meditation with guidance to release into the support against your back as deeply as you are able.  Asking students ... "Is there room to relax and soften your heart space"?  

From meditation we headed right into savasana.  Namaste, Lynn

Trust

This week's class theme was "trust".  It's a theme I love to teach once or twice a year.  Trust is a big word, a big concept.   It's layered, powerful, beautiful and complex.  I asked students to contemplate during class areas of their life where they are experiencing trust and then an area of their life that they'd like to build more trust... maybe in themselves or in a friendship/relationship or a job setting.  

When I teach this class, I do not plan a sequence.  I love to choreograph a sequence and theme, but part of the "trust" on my part is to trust that everyone will get their needs met :)  And students need to trust that, too.  

Once we connect with our breath and ujjayi pranayama,  I open the floor to requests. It's a nice chance for students to tune into what they want most out of class.  They can ask for a specific pose or a category of poses or an area of the body like hips or shoulders.  Each class is very different throughout the week and it's always playful and interactive.  Some classes emphasized hips, other classes wanted more twists.  I had requests for abs, crow pose, parsva konasana, ardha chandrasana, low back and heart openers.  Thanks everyone for trusting yourself and me and creating some great classes this week.  Namaste, Lynn

Goodness

The theme this week was Goodness.  Getting back to a classic style flow with poses that never go out of style and always feel good.  Turning to ujjayi pranayama as a form of support and a natural way of creating connection.  Going back to a classic, simple, good place.  Like your favorite noodle casserole :)  

Often all we need to do is come back to what drew us to the practice in the first place.  What basic goodness do you want to get back to?  The flow included familiar poses, nothing too tricky or unusual.  

I did spice up the surya namaskars with a longer flow of half salutations in which students could go at their own pace.  We moved into surya namaskar A, and students again were given a couple minutes to flow through several rounds on their own.  I added big arm circles with steeple mudra to 4 or 5 poses to help students open their thoracic spine.  Students could choose smaller circles concentrating on shoulders and upper back or bigger circles getting deeper into the hips, legs and lower back.  Thanks for joining me,  Lynn

The Pause

This week we honored the pause, the sacred pause.  I invited students to find that extra bit of quiet and pause each time they returned to downward facing dog.  Bringing balance to the practice by being still and listening to yourself.  Finding the stillness in the pause... meeting yourself there.  

To be present in this moment of pause so you can harness your energy on what it is you want to create or connect with or make space for.    We focused on forward folding poses today.   Deep hamstring work.  And a chance to have a more introspective energy to the practice.  (Additionally, students were encouraged to find the pause at the bottom of the exhale.  That split second to linger before the new breath arises).

Our apex pose was parsvottanasana.  In parsvottanasana, I oriented students to shoulder principles.  This let the deep leg work be supported by a touch of a backbend to make it that much more delicious & balanced.  Tips included:  extend your sternum away from your navel, spread your collarbones (like cobra pose), draw your shoulders back to align with your side body, and soften your shoulders to release them down towards your hips to prevent tension in the upper back.  Thanks for practicing, Lynn

Springtime

Springtime was the theme this week.  This practice was all about the celebration of spring.  And after a couple weeks of rain, we got our gorgeous spring weather this week.  The focus was tapping into the newness that spring brings with uplifting, energizing poses  ... aka, arm balances :)  

This practice inspired what's possible and what's thrilling as we practiced crow, side crow, a unique variation of pigeon into jump switches, and breath of joy brought more effervescence!  We smiled, we balanced, we tried new things.  Intentions were set either around the springtime theme or anything else students wanted to bring to the forefront.  

Savasana brought in gratitude for the colors and vibrancy around us and within us.  Thanks for practicing with me,  Lynn