Thank you fine friends for weathering the snowy cold for our Sunday evening class!
Our focus was on Balance: The balance in Yoga between effort and ease, between strength and surrender, between grounding and reaching.
We began with some centering, neck stretches, seated quarter-moon… And then moved on to the Cat/Cow (or Cat/Dog), and focused on the “Dog-Tilt” of the tailbone: The scooping-up action of the tailbone when in the Cow position. This scooping and pelvic tilt is the same action you apply over time to the Downward-Facing Dog: Tilting the tailbone toward the sky as the heart sinks low between the arms.
After Puppy Pose (the modified version of Down-Dog, where we rest on our elbows) and Child’s, we moved on to Table Balance: From all fours, the right arm and left leg reach out from the torso in a straight line (then repeated on the other side). Table Balance helps to engage the core so that there’s more stability… It’s a great balancing posture (obviously), and a great way to pay some attention to the abdominals.
We moved on to Downward-Facing Dog, trying it with that dog-tilt, bending knees and coming up on the toes to see if the spine could scoop in just a bit more. Then we found Modified Warrior 1 again (on one knee), and then up to standing poses, beginning with Mountain. We emphasized grounding down through the feet: Understanding that the more grounded we are, the further we can reach out. (Note how true this is of life in general!)
We practiced the standing Quarter-Moon (leaning to each side), the shoulder-opener with straps, a standing backbend (paying careful attention to our individual bodies and surrendering to where we are now — Rather than trying to force into a pose). We found a few Rag Dolls throughout the course of the class: Always great for releasing tension along the spine and shoulders/neck, and for complementing any backbends.
We did some modified Yoga push-ups, (modified Chaturanga), spaced between Child’s Pose — The two of which comprise a great balance between effort and ease. We were able to do several more push-ups when we had that rest in between them… A lesson that can also translate into life. 🙂
We found Warrior 1 for the first time in this series; thank you guys for going for it! It’s a truly beautiful posture and a great teacher… It emphasizes the strength you have in you right now, regardless of how deeply into the posture you’re able to go at this point. It teaches that you can feel strong in any circumstance: Your body can reach out in all directions at once. You can breathe through challenges. You will find rest afterwards. All of this comprises a great life-lesson…
We also did the Tree Pose for the first time in our series… A beautiful balancing posture that illustrates strength and groundedness, regardless of your level of practice. It’s a beautiful balance between grounding through the standing foot and lifting up through the crown of the head, through the fingertips if they’re overhead… feeling the body light as air with the grounded stability of that standing leg.
We found Child’s Pose again, and then Bridge Pose (lying on back with soles of feet near buttocks; lifting hips with arms at side or underneath torso). This was another first for our series, and we’ll definitely do it again in coming classes… Like all Yoga poses, it’s a brilliant teacher. If you’re breathing steadily, you can lift yourself much longer than you may originally believe that you can. In addition, by bringing awareness to that same steady breath, you will notice when it becomes too labored, shallow, and/or rugged. At this point, you can lower down and offer your body the rest it needs.
The goal in Yoga is to find your edge and to see if your body is ready to go just beyond it. The goal is never to simply ‘endure’ — Any pose should be held with full breaths — though some may be shorter than others!
We finished with some supine poses using the strap: Leg circles (drawing circles on the ceiling/wall with your foot), and a side leg stretch to open up the groins. Great opportunities to listen to your body and determine who you are on the mat today. You may want to stretch further, stretch differently, look differently in the posture. But the mat is a place to surrender those wants, and to bring awareness to who it is that showed up on the mat. This body, this moment — is just as it should be. You’re exploring it, pushing it, accepting it, awakening it, putting it to rest. That’s what Yoga is all about.
Tashayoga's Blog 
Susy Said:
on December 10, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hey Tasha,
Brian just told me about your blog. I’ll keep checking back! I’m a big yoga fan, although I don’t do classes, just Inhale from the Oxygen network.
Happy Blogging!