c l a s a number TWO~ and some shoulder opening tips!

hello ladies!

thank you for another blast of a class this sunday! it was a true treat to see so many familiar faces!

i hope that you got whatever you wished to order up from the yoga menu at class...whether it was the stretching of shoulders or the releasing of the low back...

i'm including below some of the sequence that targets those nasty shoulders that piper was complaining about...such a common area of tightness!

~~~~~~~~~~

integrated into a sun B flow:

start in chair pose (three breaths)
forward fold (exhale)
half-lift (inhale)
step or jump to plank/low push up (exhale)
cobra/up dog (inhale)
down dog (exhale)
right leg lifts (inhale)
low lunge (exhale)
warrior I (inhale)-- remember; back heel DOWN in this pose; hips in line, square to
the front of the mat
warrior II (exhale)
peaceful warrior (inhale)-- tip backward
extended side angle (exhale) elbow to knee @90 degrees
warrior I (inhale)
devotional warrior (exhale) clasp hands behind the back, inhale up first, then bow
head to the inside of the front foot, lifting arms back and up,
trying to keep the palms together; hold for several breaths
warrior I (inhale)
transition to high to low push-up (exhale)
up dog (inhale)
down dog (exhale)

REPEAT ON OPPOSITE SIDE

From final down dog, transition into

STANDING STRADDLE (prasarita)

feet wide and paralleled to one another, toes toward the long side of the mat; legs straight; start standing upright; interlace fingers behind the back; stretch up with an inhale, and then fold forward slowly with an exhale; bring the clasped hands as high over the head as possible; try to keep palms together; take several breaths here before inhaling up slowly and releasing the hands....

these interlaced hand positions will open up tight areas in the NECK and SHOULDERS as well as the upper back!be sure to use your BREATH to take you into these with more depth!

~~~~~

have a beautiful week, amazing ladies! looking forward to our next practice!

xoxo

BREATHE eAsy......

here's a great pose if you're suffering, as i am, from respiratory ickiness!

open up your chest and nasal passages with

RECLINING HERO'S POSE: Supta Virasana

note: DO NOT try this pose if you can not comfortably sit your tush on the ground between your heels. widen your knees as much as needed and go back CAREFULLY-- only as far as feels comfortable!


step ONE: take Virasana by kneeling, then bring your kness closer together, opening your heels apart from one another; sit bottom between heels on the floor

step TWO: exhale and lower your back toward the floor. first place your hands behind you and lean onto your hands, then your forearms and elbows. Once you are on your elbows, place your hands on the back of the pelvis and release your lower back and upper butt by spreading the flesh down toward the tailbone. Then finish reclining, either onto the floor or a support, like a folded blanket.

remember!: you can also allow a little bit of space between your knees as long as your thighs remain parallel to each other. do not, however, allow the knees to splay apart wider than your hips – this will cause strain on the hips and lower back.

try to stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gradually extend your stay to 5 minutes. To come out, press your forearms against the floor and come onto your hands. Then use your hands to lift your torso into Virasana. As you come up, lead with your sternum, not your head or chin.

this pose opens up all of the areas that get clogged up due to allergies and cold symptoms...

enjoy reaping the benefits! you know i'll be doing this one! ;)

LoTus LeSsOns...

my dearest yoginis!

i hope that you're having a glowing, glorious week! i know personally i have been clouded in a hazy head cold, and though i defiantly have refused to let it interfere with the normal patterns and rhythms of my life-- school, writing, reading, running, swimming, dance, yoga-- it does wear on me a bit and i'm ready to be rid of it!

this darkness hanging over me has gotten me to thinking about the LOTUS flower, though, which is a powerfully symbolic plant in the yogic tradition-- ironically enough, my dear friend laura-- a fellow yoga teacher in new york and new jersey, posted a lovely bit of inspiration the other day that fit my needs exactly, and i want to share it with you...

Note: the accompanying photo was taken by me at longwood gardens in pennsylvania two summers ago-- it is part of a gorgeous exhibit of exotic water-growers...i am enchanted by its delicate elegance and radiant iridescence...

In the darkest depths of the deepest water, the lotus flower finds its roots and grows to the top of the pond, blossoming into a beautiful flower. No matter how dark life gets, with roots firmly planted, we too will blossom.

There is a lesson to be learned from every event, good or bad. Remember those lost and be grateful for everything you have.

We have one life to live; appreciate every moment, every person.


♥

big love.

S O L A R E N E R G Y!

sun A


stand in mountain pose (inhale)
forward fold (exhale)
half-way lift (inhale)
step/jump to down dog (exhale)
right leg lifts (inhale)
low lunge (exhale)
ground palms; right arm to the sky/twist (inhale)
release (exhale)
plank (inhale)
down dog (exhale)
left leg high (inhale)
step through to low lunge (exhale)
ground palms; left arm up/twist (inhale)
release (exhale)
plank (inhale)
low push-up (exhale)
cobra/upward dog (inhale)
down dog (exhale)
hop feet forward
half way lift (inhale)
forward fold (exhale)
mountain pose/rise up (inhale)
hands to heart/standing at attention (exhale)

REPEAT THREE TIMES for super sunny energy any time :)

first day of g i r l P O W E R y o g a- ness!

so i went to gospel yoga this afternoon at BODY and told myself that, "well, at least if no one shows up to my class at 2, i will have still gotten my own practice in and made the trip worthwhile." people keep telling me that building a base group of students for a new class takes quite a bit of time...like, months...and not being a naturally patient person, i have been working all week to try very seriously to accept this as a fact when dreaming up what i imagined would be pretty much the greatest class in the universe. :)

so you can imagine my delighted surprise when, at about 1:50, as i was setting up my ghetto altar at the front of the gym space set aside for my little community class-- lighting lavender incense and arranging my little floral situation-- a string of fabulous chicas found their way in! eight strong-- some familiar faces and some fresh ones-- each of them radiant. i couldn't have asked for a better group!

we talked a little at first-- introductions, and hopes for the class expressed: more flexibility, more muscular strength, more CALMNESS, curiosity about what the heck yoga is, a desire to LIKE yoga...all very real and valid aspirations...

then we worked, with humor and grace, through some sun salutations, A and B, through some core strengthening and balancing; we played with crow and opened our hips with pigeon and our hearts with wheel, all to a rockin' playlist in the background.

it was amazing to me how an hour and a half flew by, and i hope it did for these girls too. for all of you, my gift this week is a little energetic flow-- see below. try this at home, at school, in theater ;)-- whenever you need a boost!

so looking forward to seeing you all next week-- bring ideas, suggestions, requests: i want them all!

LOVE

g.n.