Lotus
Been teaching about the Guru (since Guru Purnima is coming up) and how the word literally means "weighty" but it also breaks into tow words: gu "darkness" and ru "light". I've been contemplating how in my darkest hours, I've also later realized how much I learned from those moments. How the moments where I felt at my most powerless, dark, stuck, later I realized that they were fertile moments of profound growth, and that I wouldn't be the same where it not for them.
So all in all, been teaching about having the courage to go through those dark times and trusting that they will take us into a place of a deeper radiance. This discussion also brings to mind the lotus flower, since it's a plant that can only grow from the dark, from the mud, from the muck and out of all that it rises, floating radiantly atop the water.
Theme: Guru
Virtue: having the courage to move through those dark times, which can be our greatest teachers
Focus: we were heading towards the hips, towards lotus pose so I focused on Inner Spiral
Child's Pose, Down Dog, Uttanasana (love starting like this- thanks Christina S.!) These poses are very internal, I reminded the students to turn inside and see all that they have inside... When we close our eyes, for instance, in meditation, the outer world momentarily disappears and everything seems to go dark. But slowly the inner world becomes more prevalent. The darkness is something alive, and illuminated.
Warm ups.
Some standing poses
Sirsasana 1 (Been teaching it in all my classes early on and it does make a difference in the room)
Parsvakonasana
Trikonasana
Vasisthasana
Pinca Mayurasana
Pigeon 1 thigh stretch
Agni Stambhasana
Baddha Konasana using a block with the three levels
Ardha padmasana into Simhasana
Lotus
Ubhaya Padangusthasana
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana
Sitali pranayama (if there is time)
Supta Padangusthasana variations
Savasana
Anusara Poster Project Pose: Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana- crazy pose which I still cannot do and so many students can. My friend Joy S. did a beautiful and inspiring demo of it last night.
Had two great classes yesterday at Black Dog.
Highlights for me included:
Seeing my friend Debbie stop by for my 10:30 class
Barbara Kuhl visiting!
Natalie doing yoga nidrasana
Joy's demo.
Seeing so many students doing Pinca and balancing
Seeing so many students doing Headstand and balancing
All the moans that were coming from the 6PM class!
All the laughter from the 10:30 class.
Oh- my inner mean person came out when a student asked for the A/C in the evening class and I said no. I did open both doors and turned the fan on but I didn't want to have the A/C on, especially as we were heading towards lots of hips.
I felt a bit mean but oh well!
Maybe what feels mean for me, and dark, is what's normal for most people.
Maybe I need to go a little more into my darkness.
More later...
firelog was the peak pose i led for class today... lots of hip work!
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