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Results of the assignment work at the Metzukei Dragot, Israel October 2008 International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

October 2008

International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

October 2008

International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

October 2008

International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

October 2008

Index

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Introduction................................................................................................................... 6 Teaching and Vision Assignment.................................................................................... 7 Presentation Tools for Good Yoga Teaching .................................................................. 8 Surya Namaskar and Standing Poses ............................................................................. 9 Sitting Forward Bends.................................................................................................. 12 Hand-balances ............................................................................................................. 16 Backbends.................................................................................................................... 19 Sitting & Abdominal Postures ...................................................................................... 26 Inverted Poses ............................................................................................................. 33

10. The Team ..................................................................................................................... 37

International Vijnana Yoga Teacher Retreat

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1.

Introduction

We flew in from all over the world to participate in a wonderful opportunity An International Vijnana Teacher Training Retreat. All excited about being in Israel, in the desert, by the Dead Sea, in Metzukei Dragot to do yoga with Orit Sen-Gupta and to be together. As part of our International Vijnana Teacher Training retreat we worked in teams on an assignment to share views on teaching yoga. Each group had to work on a group of asanas and each team was to present their ideas, views and teaching skills to the rest of the group. We put our personalities into our teaching and into our yoga, so even if we are all inspired by Orit and her teachings of Vijnana Yoga we still have smaller or bigger differences. The teamwork and the outcome reflected that. The outcome of the teamwork was presented to the whole group. Each group put lots of love and effort into their presentations and it was joyful to be a part of it. Each presentation was followed by a dialogue within the whole group and with Orit. What was presented has been put in to writing by every group and can be read on the following pages Many thanks to everybody for their contributions and especially to Orit for designing the assignment and making it all happen. Less is more is a key phrase when practicing Vijnana Yoga, but more is more when we work together and are able to share our love for teaching and yoga. Hope you will feel inspired while reading the following.

Namaste

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2. Teaching and Vision Assignment

The Groups of asanas are: 1. Surya Namaskar and Standing Poses 2. Forward Bends 3. Hand-balances 4. Backbends 5. Sitting Positions 6. Inverted Poses

If you teach ten months out of the year it is most likely that you will give about ten classes, which will concentrate on each of the main groups (Standing poses always get more emphasis) 1. Which asanas of the group do you think your students should know after one year of study? Choose at least four asanas out of the group you have chosen 2. Outline a plan of how to deepen your students skills using the yogic means (Cav(e) Puff) 3. How would you build up gradually the ability and understanding of the poses during the ten classes that span through the year? 4. Which key phrases and words would you use to explain the main points of each of the poses, the principles and the other means 5. What are the main obstacles (problems and mistakes and pains) that occur in practice for the specific poses you have chosen? Offer ways to modify and adapt these poses in order to overcome the obstacles you have listed. 6. What ways of directing the students through touch would you use in each of the poses 7. Take one of the poses of the group and show how you would teach it, what points you would emphasize during the year, how it could be modified for obstacles and how you would help students with various difficulties (fear, pain, boredom, lack of concentration, resistance) overcome them. 8. This is a creative assignment Have fun!!!

Orit Sen-Gupta

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3. Presentation Tools for Good Yoga Teaching

Of Just Sitting, Pranayama and Asana

The Yogic Means - CAV(e) PUFF

Centering connecting to the center, the middle of the body Alignment the vertical line Vayus pranic alignment
e

Principles Understanding from inside (inquiry) Forms order of sequence Flow

Teaching Skills C (see) GREAT

Gradually building up gradually the knowledge of the above Repeating not only teaching Explaining Wide vision, deepening with time, the details Adapting and modifying the poses and practices according to the needs of the
individual and the class

Touching when needed (less is more in most cases) Correcting when needed

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October 2008

4. Surya Namaskar and Standing Poses

By: Aaron, Annette, Eveline, Joey and Shirley

Vision
They know the basics of all the standing poses, aside from Parsva konasana, paravritta konasana, vriksasana 2, Hasta padangusthasana They know the cycles of the standing poses They have experienced moments of quiet mind, body/ mind connection in practice

Vision

They have the ability to work at home

They have begun to build up endurance and stamina. They have experienced tapas in practice

They have roots of looking for the perfect pose in a different perspective based on the principles rather than a preconceived notion of what the pose should look like from the outside

Yogic Means
C centering Standing mediation A alignment Standing mediation Vayus pranic alignment Practise the vayus in sitting one by one and then applying them in the standing poses. E effortlessness, ease, empathy, energy. Principles We will emphasize on rooting, relaxing and centering, but we will not ignore the others. Understanding alignment through feeling the placing of the foot and the effect it has on the rest of the body pain in the groin can be result of placing the foot out of the bodys natural alignment Understanding from inside Inquiry Give directions and then have them feel for themselves. Dont look down while placing your foot, feel from the inside where the foot should be placed. Dont look down to see if you are aligned, feel from inside. Form Working with the sequences, making sure that the students understand that the transition between the asanas is just as important as the asana itself. Flow Surya Namaskar is a good place to introduce flow. Slowly introducing flow from one pose to the other.

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Building up Gradually
Discovering the foot. Massage the feet including spreading your toes with your fingers Foot bhakti Feel the feet on the ground, touch of the feet on the ground, feeling the weight shift from toe to heel, from side to side, feel the toes lift off the ground try to move them separately, put them back on the ground by spreading them wide spread your fingers and open up your eyes wide feel the connection, feel the arches of the foot when lifting the toes. Standing meditation. When moving from asana to asana feel weight shifting in to one foot and feel the other foot getting light. Use your thumbs to spread the little toe in Uttanasana. Know the directions of the body in standing poses forward Virabhadrasana 1 or sideways Virabhadrasana 2. All the standing poses are built on that foundation. Belly is the guru and the back leg is the follower that is the relation. Visualize the pose. Gradually building the pose building up strength in the lower body, from the feet to belly, upper body light, only including arms and hands when the base and center are firm. Increasing the length of holding the pose over time. Form + Inquiry = Slow Flow

Key Phrases
Feel your feet on the ground; Feel your feet touching the ground This is not ballet! Hands in Vrksasana Feel your front and your back Feel your two sides Feet to the belly Bellybutton coming towards the spine Groins sweet and soft like honey Think of roots coming out of your feet, deep into the ground at the same time feel your arms coming up like floating on warm clouds, feeling the tip of your fingers like branches reaching for the sun if you sway dont worry its only the wind! Elephant feet Knee over the shin Heel to heel; heel to the middle of the arch Heel to the middle of the arch Feel the ball of the big toe Spread your toes open your eyes 10

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Relax your face; relax your tongue Looking at eyelevel Relax the shoulders Lifting your arms like the wings of a bird Feeling the pendulum movement while you take your hands back Feel the BENGAY melt into your shoulders shoulders relaxed Imagine chocolate- preferably organic German chili chocolate - melting on your tongue, feel the sensations in the body and the eyes dropping into the back of the head Let the breath flow

Obstacles
Problems and mistakes ways to modify

Locked knees bend your knees Tense shoulders relax your shoulders Arched back Samana Vayu, Prana Vayu, work without arms, feet closer to each other Feet not aligned feet parallel Opening the arms too much overstretching work without arms, moderate the stretch Thinking more about what the pose has to look like, rather than the true alignment feel the connection inside the body, stop reading yoga magazines, stay on your own mat - it doesnt matter what your neighbor is doing Wrist pain put more weight on your fingertips, feel your thumb, index and little finger, clean the center Obstacles in general Staying shorter time in each pose!! Problems with foot, knee, hip joint etc. More attention to the feet massage the feet, spreading the toes.

Directions through Touch

Clarity in your touch, be aware of who, where and how you touch. Relaxing the shoulders Touching the shoulders. In dog pose touching on the sacrum soft or firm, the shoulder blades, the heels, the thighs. In uttanasana touching the heels and the thighs. In trikonasana and virabhadrasana touching the sacrum and side of the thighs.

We had fun, sun, chocolate and Bengay ;-)))

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5. Sitting Forward Bends

By Alex, Deborah, Miriam and Stacey

Vision
Our vision for forward bends is to treat them as meditative postures stressing being rather than doing. We will use forward bends as an opportunity to experience the connection between breathing and awareness of different parts of the body in the present. We suggest calling them sitting poses at the start and keep the spine erect and hopefully the pupils who have never met them before will not realize that the next stage is to come forwards. Our presentation is based on teaching forward bends to a group of beginners who have been doing yoga for approximately six months.

Asanas
Dandasana leading into Paschimottanasana Baddha Konasana Upavishta Konasana Twist in cross legged position Marichyasana Janu Sirsasana

We would place the pupils in the sitting poses with the legs as they would do for the full forward bending pose. At first we will let them lean against the wall and then next we will be doing the same postures moving slightly away from the wall. The work against the wall is aimed at giving an external reference point for understanding correct alignment. We feel it important to give the students the opportunity to search for this alone. So after each pose against the wall, we would repeat it further from the wall.

Yogic Means
Our instructions will emphasize Centering and Alignment. Centering between the front and the back, the left and the right, up and down. Also: Centring in time i.e. being in the present. The present is both a gift and now (we don't know if this works in other languages!!). Alignment of the body through a vertical line between the hips, shoulders and ears. Horizontally the hips parallel, the shoulders parallel and the ears parallel.

Of the Principles we would focus on: Breathing: Breathing out and feeling the front of the body move inwards, breathing in and feeling the back of the body filling in the kidney area. We will use prana and samana vayu here without using their names at this stage. We will emphasize Rooting through the sitting bones and feeling heaviness in the seat bones, the elbows and heels.

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The teacher will lead the class with a guided meditation creating Awareness of all parts of the body especially sitting bones, heels and elbows, spine including the head, and the breath.

Building up Gradually
We will gradually build up the exposure to sitting forward bends so that each time the class learns new postures and sits for longer timing in each one of the poses. We recommend introducing these postures after about six months of yoga when the students have learned basic alignment in standing poses and after learning leg stretches against the wall and with a belt. We think that it is only advisable to work on forward bends when the students have some basic understanding of correct alignment, have worked on loosening up the body and creating a certain amount of flexibility. Also the need to have some experience of mental stillness is needed for sitting poses. At first, as stated above, we would teach sitting erect with different leg positions and later introduce the idea of leaning forward. The stages will be as follows with each stage taking one or more classes depending on the students' understanding. Dandasana, Upavishtakonasana. Dandasana, Upavishtakonasana, Baddhakonasana, Maricyasana without the twist. Twisting in crossed legged pose teach how the keep the back parallel and to twist from the belly rather than pull with the arms and hands, Marichyasana with the twist. Janu Sirsasana sitting erect and twisting Legs as above teach rocking on the sitting bones and rooting heels. Start with bent knees. Forward bends emphasizing heaviness and elongation. Letting the breath carry us towards the posture.

At the end we would use this work to introduce sitting at the beginning of the class and from this stage onwards would start each class with a short time of sitting quietly. The plan of a lesson lasting one and a half hours would be as follows: Breathing or relaxation as a form of transition from the outside world to yoga. Sun salutations and standing poses to warm up and get rid of excess energy and tension. Forward bends as described above Counterposes this could be twists lying on the back, Setubanda lying on the floor or with legs on the wall, hugging the knees and rocking etc. Relaxation.

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At first we envisage that the sitting part of the class would be no more than ten minutes in length. As time goes on and the students get more used to this type of presence it could be extended to as long as 45 minutes.

Key Phrases
For stressing the present: Watch Be aware of Pay attention to See what happens Notice Be Present

The parts of the body: (rotate over the) Sitting bones (connect to the) Belly (root the) Centre of the heels (heavy) Elbows (visualize the) Spine including feeling the head as a continuation of the spine

Breathing: Exhale and feel the front of the body drawn towards the centre, inhale and feel the back of the body filling whilst the sitting bones sink.

Obstacles
Physical Inflexibility Over-flexibility Pain in the back, hips, legs Lower back pain or injuries Neck and shoulder tension / position

Problems of lack of flexibility or pain can often be overcome by using props; for example sitting on one or several blankets, placing a folded blanket under the knees, or leaning against the wall. It is also possible to work with a belt holding it in the hands or tying it around the feet and the lower back. Orit suggested that a wooden slant is ideal for inflexible people. Aaron suggested sitting on a hill outside. Orit pointed out that very stiff people (or those with lower back injuries) might not be able to do sitting poses or forward bends at all, or that this work would have no benefit for them. Instead she recommends leg stretches against the wall with legs straight, Upavishta Konasana and baddhaKonasana. For over-flexible people we would emphasize rooting and connecting to the centre and working with awareness so they don't just flop into the poses. Orit reminded us that one of the

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major problems for flexible people in these poses is an overextended upper back. The teacher should gently correct this. Mental Competitiveness and ambition Boredom Distractions Self judgment Feeling for frustration for less flexible people

We will try to counter these obstacles using an approach of learning to watch the process suspending judgment which would also pave the way for meditation. Also we will build up these poses gradually so that the amount of time spent in the poses increases in accordance with the students' physical and mental state.

Directions through Touch

The teacher will touch the students gently on the back in the kidney area to encourage and stimulate breathing to here. Also gently touch on the middle and upper back would help beginners to develop awareness of this area.

With love, -- Deborah, Miriam, Stacey and Alex.

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6. Hand-balances
By Nira, Liz, Gabriele and Teresa

Vision
Our vision for teaching hand balances to beginners, is that by the end of the first ten classes on these poses they should: understand the position of the hand and be able to feel it going forward and down in dog pose head down be able to take weight on their hands and arms in chaturanga dandasana (including with the knees on the floor, if they cannot do the full pose) be able to do preparatory work for handstand and elbow balance, by shifting the weight forward into the hands and lifting one leg up be able to balance the weight evenly on hand and foot in vasistasana, connecting to the belly

In balancings it is important to show the lightness that comes into the posture. This can only be done by showing it in a light, playful way; maybe even only half of the posture if the students are apprehensive. Beginners mainly need to move a lot during the yoga class. They need to start feeling their bodies and enjoy them moving. So too much explanation is not really useful at this point. In these postures the main factor is the centering of the body with the compactness, strength and simultaneously the lightness they bring. The center is very clearly the belly and therefore the breath has to be well used. The students are well able to feel the power of the exhalation with the center of samana and slight apana vayu.

Asanas
Asana we plan people will learn after a year: down facing dog (adho mukha s'vana), chaturanga down facing dog with one leg (eka pada), vasis'ta 1, preparation for hand and elbow balance

Yogic Means
Deepening the skills: with centering ( ) (prana and samana vayu) moving the weight of a one unit body working on the way the palms root into the earth relaxing the body, relaxing the shoulders in order to feel from inside the weight on the palms visualization, imagining

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Building up Gradually
A gradual plan for hand balance: down facing dog - bending one knee (without lifting the foot from the earth) - to feel the weight passing to one hand eka pada - down facing dog with one leg up - keeping the pelvis as it was with bellybutton facing the earth passing weight back and forth by lifting the heel of the foot on the earth, working from the ankle and keeping the body in one unit legs on the wall - hand balance in diagonal line

A suggestion for teaching the re-bounce quality of the hand on the floor in adho mukha svanasana: how much to press, how to press, how to feel the weight and the consequence of this weight are difficult concepts to bring into practice. sit on the heels on a blanket on the floor, pressing the hands down and forwards until the center (hara) gets pressed back. In the real adho mukha, it is not the blanket sliding backwards but our own body. the hand is big and broad and slightly in a bowl form that sinks down with the pressure of the weight of the body, but always wanting to become round again and re-bouncing up.

Key Phrases and Words

Key Phrases attention to the shoulders, relaxing them and keeping the shoulder blades wide slowing down in passing weight, keeping the elbows straight yet not locked, attention to the foot work in vasistha, emphasizing direction in hand balance going forward and not upward

Key Words Hands: Feet: Centering: Weight: by pressing the hands the belly goes back. by using the feet go to the belly the center is very clearly the belly before you move, feel stable and pleasant

Obstacles
Problems 17 Hands: Shoulders: Upper back: pain in the joints from too much pressure tightness between shoulders and sternum

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October 2008

Lower back: Neck:

hyperlordosis, lack of stability keeping it tense and rigid; lack of alignment

Mistakes Pelvis: Elbows: Neck: pulling too high with the leg in the air and pulling the pelvis out of alignment; losing the center locking or bending the elbows when shifting weight - letting the weight fall on the elbows or shoulders needs to be relaxed, heavy, yet not rounded inward

An example of how to make adaptions for problems

Vasisthasana 1 Preparation in dog pose head down, shifting the weight and practising rooting the hands. Pain in the hand joints o build up slowly, at first holding only a short time o practise rooting the hands and activating the fingertips. Tightness in the back o move the upper leg forwards, with less weight o possibly also practising against the wall. Pelvis sagging o activate the feet and root the hands. Unstable lower back o work with samana and prana vayus, without naming them as such o connecting the belly to the feet Tension in the neck o work with udana vayu, without calling it that

Directions through Touch

Gentle "push" (or even just a suggestive finger) of the lowest rib inwards can help in keeping the center; placing the palms on the widening of the shoulder blades

Preparation for Pincha Mayurasana

In this hand balance, we have a longer hand, stretching from the finger tips to the elbow. The head is consequently much closer to the floor and the hand therefore has to root strongly to keep the shoulders high. Just as we secure the base of a step ladder before going up on it, it is vital to learn how to form a secure base rooting down before we attempt to take the body up into the final balance. Group discussion revealed that members of the team felt the weight in different areas of the hand and arm. Everyone felt weight in the elbows, but some felt the hand and fingers extending forward and rooting; one felt the weight in the forearm sinking down into the ground and one felt more connection through the wrist. Despite these differences of emphasis, all the team were agreed on the importance of rooting or sinking the hand down into the earth as the prerequisite for being able to go up into the final pose. 18

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October 2008

7. Backbends
By Marco, Ute, Flo and Josef

Vision & Asanas

The asanas students should after one year of study know and in a basic way master are the intermediate program simple backbends as mentioned in the Vijnana Yoga Practice Manual: eka pada salabhasana urdhva mukha salabhasana dwi pada salabhasana dhanurasana bhujangasana urdhva mukha svanasana ustrasana setu bandha

Yogic Means
Alignment the vertical line: Make sure your students understand that the aim of backbends is not bending at the most flexible spots of the spine, i.e. the lumbar and cervical spine. Teach them to lengthen the spine before even mentioning bending backwards.

Building up Gradually
When beginning with backbends, the first thing students should learn is how to lengthen the spine. All salabhasanas are great to teach the students to lengthen the spine and make the spine stronger. Lying comfortably on the belly, students should learn to lengthen the spine in a soft way, without hardening the body. Make them understand that the aim is not to raise the legs or arms up high, but to also lengthen the limbs, moving from the center of the body. As a result the limbs will raise slightly from the floor. Talk about millimeters instead of centimeters in the beginning. After some time, introduce dhanurasana and bhujangasana. Make clear that the aim is still to lengthen the back, but introduce opening the chest. You can teach the students how to open the chest passively, using props. For students who have a very collapsed chest, use a bolster or a folded blanket. Place the bolster or blanket under the upper back of the student lying on his back. This could be quite a strong chest opener for some students. If a student can do this without a problem, go further by using 19

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an arch instead of a bolster. Support the head with blankets to make sure the neck is not arching too much backwards - taking the head backwards will immediately stop the opening of the chest. Therefore, teach your students that taking the head back is one of the last steps in the backbend action, after the lengthening of the spine and the opening of the chest is done. When opening the chest on an arch is reasonably comfortable for the student, let him raise the arms and rotate the arms inwards before the student takes the arms over the head, so he experiences a backbend with a broad, soft back. When the students know the concepts of lengthening the spine and opening the chest, move further by introducing ustrasana. In ustrasana, strong legs are important. As beginners will do a lot of standing poses in all classes, their legs will have become stronger already by all the work they have done so far. So incorporate strengthening the legs in backbend classes at this stage. Setu bandha is also a good pose to teach at this later stage. Make your students move slowly into the posture by instructing them to make the feet heavy and the pelvis will lift up by itself rather than saying push your feet into the floor. Setu bandha can also be used as a restorative pose by using a block. Place the block under the sacrum (not in the lower back), so the spine can arch naturally by itself to its heart content. For some students you can place the block short side down; others would feel more comfortable long side down (which is considerably lower). Students will only relax in this pose when the support is not too high for them. Finally, keep the backbend classes playful. Add some humor now and then, and try to create a nice, steady flow in your backbend classes in order to make your students loosen up and not get frustrated. In the beginning, mix the backbend asanas with other poses and end the classes with restorative poses. When the time has come for the students to learn to open the chest, introduce mild, gentle leg stretches at the end of the classes. This will relieve pain in the lower back. Gradually, as time progresses and students slowly grasp the essentials of backbends, add more poses and when you get the feeling people get stuck, loosen them up with the simple movements of going from tadasana to urdhva dhanurasana. This can be as simple as a justout-of-bed stretch.

Key Phrases
In general, make a habit of exaggerating when you verbally instruct students. Asking them to raise the legs a few millimeters will result in legs being raised many centimeters. Try to make your students do less without realizing it themselves by the verbal instructions you give. For opening the chest for example, a wide range of colorful phrases and words are available: wide heart, a broad smile in the chest area, sun coming up and rising in the chest. Do bear in mind, however, that also straight men attend yoga classes: too much girl talk will put them off. While teaching salabhasanas, to make the students lengthen from their centers, suggest they move like a human starfish, connecting from the toes to the center to the tips of the fingers.

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Obstacles
Shalabasanas Squeezing the buttocks and putting pressure on the lower back. Possible corrections: apana and samana vayu, pull hip and shoulder joint closely into sockets, feel like a turtle, bend the elbows slightly, with exhaling in vayus think down into the floor, lift from the center. Working from the periphery instead of from inside/middle/center line/ belly. Moving diagonally and twisting the pelvis. Go back to breathing, rooting, relaxing, thinking down, root right thigh while lifting the left leg, keep the head on the floor, slightly bend the elbows, do not bend knees. Lifting the head and chin up as compensation for a lack of space in the upper back. Lie on the floor lift elbows up, hands flexed, on inhalation and prana vayu lift the chest and extend the arms backwards, hand stay flexed, learning to move the upper back and shoulder girdle, extending the front line. Stretching the arms too far, pulling them out of the shoulder girdle and tensing. Relax arms, keep head down, move elbows slightly out, move one arm at a time with prana vayu. Bending the knees instead of legs stretched Instruct to keep legs straightened, teach the lengthening thru the inner foot, give a demonstration of how the feet work in standing or with legs up in the air, explain rooting the front foot, work in partners moving the shinbone in, while rooting front of big toe/ little toe; teach inner leg to belly connection.

Dhanurasana Working too fast and muscular, wanting to move up too quickly Doing a few virasanas first to learn the inner rotation of the legs and to lengthen the thighs: slide down the wall, sacrum against wall a foot length away, with hands on the wall when down, move into squat en move forward into virasana. Contracting the back and throwing the head backwards Catch feet with hands, before extending the legs up, root pelvis, lengthen thighs in moving upper body up legs backwards, release tension in arms, shoulders and mind, think down, center with vayus in the belly and release sacrum, then stretch legs up. Possible to use blankets under the hipbones, especially for people with short arms. Work in partners on holding the feet and bringing the legs backwards.

Bhujangasana Lifting the hips from the ground teach rooting the front foot and connection to the belly, release sacrum. Start with hand further in the front, root hands and leave elbows close to body, prana vayu, lifting the chest while rooting the hips.

Urdhva mukha Neck and lower back crunch In salabhasanas move arms backwards, prana vayu, fingers interlaced in the back,

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open chest; then place the hands near the chest, root hands and align elbows on top of writs, keeping elbows close to the body, root front feet and hands, keep straight strong legs; root more hands and come up like mermaid with upper body leaving the sacrum quiet, lower body quiet, prana vayu and extend thru the crown. Ustrasana Lower back pain, thru pulling the tailbone up into the lumbar, neck pain Build up rooting feet and shin bones on the floor, leaning backwards without arching yet to develop strong legs no back Partner work, hands on thighs to learn moving legs and groin forward, sacrum quiet learning to lift the chest with prana vayu extending arms backwards, with inhalation leave head/chin towards chest and extend head back at the end. After a few classes reaching the heals.

Setu Bandha Knees hurt; tension in the lower back Learn rooting foot, inner foot, placing knees towards each other at the start to emphasize inner rotation of the legs, possibly lifting toes, think from rooting feet to lifting pelvis back to upper body, talk about the front body, easier in the beginning than speaking about the back, lift chest as practiced before and interlace fingers extending arms, or hold mat, root and think down into the floor, thus gradually coming up without tension and building a strong arch. Keep chin up, do not straighten the neck.

Directions through Touch

Generally we feel that more repetition of the pose and verbal explanation is better than too much touch. Placing the hand/knuckles on the sacrum of the student, to quiet it and give it direction is effective. Correcting the feet as explained above is good. Placing a hand on the back of the head in order to lengthen the spine and keep the neck aligned is possible in salabhasanas. Giving a little pressure on the upper arms in salabhasanas makes upper body movement clearer Giving the thighs resistance in ustransana in order to get the rooting of shins and connection to the belly stronger is very helpful. Putting two fingers on the mid thorax to lift from there helps to keep the arch unbroken in ustrasana. In setu bandha, giving the thighs direction with hands stabilizes the position of the pelvis and keeps the sacrum quiet. 22

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The demonstration
"...Expecting the worst, you look and instead here's the joyful face you've been wanting to see. Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, The two beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings." Rumi

Anatomically the body will bend back favoring the neck and the lumbar spine, as the thoracic spine often find its limitation in the rigidity of the rib cage. While sitting we could start introducing the practice of backbends by "setting the mood" in bringing the intent through visualization of a happy memory placed into the heart center. Observing the body's reaction, allowing for a natural expansion of the chest as we learn to trust and settle in a more comforting ground for exploration. The breath also finds room as the opening of the chest will facilitate its natural flow. Our vision is to help re-establish the fluidity and continuity of the spine bringing its "snake like" quality back to its original state through the simple backbend practice. When looking at a baby lying on his belly, coming up to a backbend we can see that he is not relying on muscles and strength to come up. Gravity and the natural ability of a fluid spine provides the support for this very natural state. We will bring awareness to the thoracic through : 1. passive openings 2. Breath awareness (introduction to vayus as a natural and simple way to create connectedness in the front body ) 3. "Nature's gift" (from standing, morning stretch, yawning...) 4. Partner-assisted salabhasana 1) Have student lie on a rolled up blanket encouraging the lift of the heart center, legs are bent and feet rooting gently into the earth. Bringing hands together in a mudra quality, elbows are bent(shoulder width apart),then slowly bring hands above the head and root the feet down simultaneously to avoid the seesaw action in the body and the loss of the front line connection. Have the back of the head feed into the earth establishing the support for the cervical spine and the "bridge connection" to the sacrum. Repeat a few times. 2) Using the inhalation to feel the fullness of the chest as a unit and the exhalation into samana and prana vayu as a mean to counter the natural tendency for the body to lift the front ribs. 3) Standing with feet hips width apart, interlocking fingers , as you bring you arms above your head pretend you are having a "morning stretch". Noticing the curve of the spine, also maybe 23

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the need to yawn as the center channel of the body opens up, experience the connecting to the belly through the rooting of the feet, the "tucking" of the shoulder blades (as they naturally slide down) and once out of the stretch feel the quality of the skin, its buoyancy noticing the state of mind... Wouldn't you want to do it again ? 4) In this assisted salabhasana we will be using "touch" as a way to suggest and guide the body. Touch is a powerful tool and we need to respect its potential; it can also help tune into our own sensitivity and sense of awareness. Have student lie on the belly with forehead resting and arms by the side with the palms facing up. Feet can be slightly apart at first. Lengthening the legs one by one then relax. The back body is the "unknown territory" and there could be a sense of vulnerability from the student and the unconscious need to protect by tensing. As a partner encouraging to relax any muscular resistance to the downward movement (feeling heavy...). Then coming to the first rooting point, the top of the feet. Establishing the "springboard" quality to the top of the feet by leaning into it either with your knuckles, knees or your own feet: also make sure to connect the little toe to the floor. As the connection is made intentionally you might observe a wave like reaction in the rest of the body like the slight inward rotation of the thighs allowing broadness in the sacrum region. If not, gently guide your partner towards it. Then bring your fingers to your partner's sacrum encouraging the centering down of the base of the spine and "walk up" the spine (index and middle finger) vertebrae by vertebrae ,allowing more time around the thoracic area as you will experience more density there; as he gently responds to the touch of the fingers by slowly lifting the chest encourage your partner to maintain the rooting quality of the feet as well as the top of the hands and relax the buttocks which might clench. "Walk up" all the way to the base of the skull then cupping the back of the head, allow your partner to feed back into you which will create a sense of lengthening through the spine. In case of lower back "pinching " use your other hand to move the sacrum towards the heels. When these two actions are done simultaneously elongation comes at no cost. Note on "feet": As we are constantly searching for expansion and widening in order to create space, feet could also be of interest as they often have lost "space" in which they can wiggle freely... They are after all "foundational" ! In making this attempt we would suggest working at first with a tennis ball. As you step on it notice how tight the transversal arch feels ( especially if you try to cup the ball with your foot) Layers of tight fascia have buried the metatarsal bones and this could be a way to soften it up and bring back the definition of each bone. The broadening of the transversal arch will also allow for a stronger connection to the "springboard" quality of the foot in backbends (e.g. ustrasana , urdhvamukha). As it becomes more aware, the definition of the front line support will show more continuity and clarity. Sometimes working with one small part can affect the functioning of the whole and the unevenness in the arches of the feet as well as tight plantar fascia often correlates with tight hamstrings, lumbar lordosis and even hyperextension in the upper cervical. On a personal note my students wouldn't miss the "foot massage" at the end of a long day ! 24

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What we feel we are up against in backbends are usually the tendencies for the body to protect itself against the unknown and its apprehension to deal with whatever emotions might surface. The heart center might cave in. Clenching the buttocks The head coming up first (for instance in ustrasana) Loss of feet connection Lack of support in the front body & loss of the center

Reflections on Centering and Back side

(preparation for simple back bends) The body as a landscape has different places that have different effects and meanings and represent different emotions and values. Inquiry in language brings up experience and knowledge of what is already there, using metaphors, pictures, associations for understanding feelings that are not easy to grasp and comprehend (e.g. you may think of somebody/something you want to get off of your back or a backbreaking job or fear creeping down your back, etc.). What represents the back-side of the body? It is the unconscious, unknown, invisible (as all senses are directed to the front side) and that means that the back is outside the control of the eyes and thinking and therefore you can sense anything scary and threatening as well as support in a good way. How to approach the unknown, invisible, unconscious? Yoga (and some other traditional eastern ways of practice) emphasize attention on the center, the area of prana-samana-vayu and keeping with the breathing an anchor there while practicing simple back bends.

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8. Sitting & Abdominal Postures

By Vivi, Naama, Michal and Vesna

Vision
Sitting postures are: basic in yoga tradition, beginning and ending every practice. the basis for meditation and pranayama. helpful for sitting in everyday life. Challenging but possible and important to learn in the first year of practicing yoga

Asanas
For Sitting postures we choose to teach our first year students: Suhkasana Vajrasana, including adho mukha vajrasana (childs pose) and sputa vajrasana. Baddha Konasana Ardha Padmasana, according to the students abilities.

By the end of the first year the students will be familiar with the postures and their cycles of variations For Abdominal postures we chose to focus on in the first year on: Eka pada ardha Navasana Paripurna navasana

Yogic Means
Teaching sitting postures we can introduce the following tools and principles: Rooting of the sitting bones Alignment of the back and head above the pelvis Centering in the abdomen Breathing: gentle practicing of prana, samana and apana vayu Looking inwards and quieting of the mind

Teaching abdominal postures we can introduce to our students the following tools and principles: Connecting the feet to the belly. Centering in the abdomen. Strengthening the abdominal muscles, building up stamina, and protecting the back Balancing the body, which also requires quieting of the mind.

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Building up Gradually
Vajrasana
1) First stage is the work of the feet: massage contracting and widening of the toes flexing, pointing and circling the feet putting weight on the top of feet in Adho Mukha Svanasana (one leg at the time) sitting in Vajrasana with the toes tucked under.

This work of the feet is very important for the beginner, and is basic for every asana and for rooting. 2) Supta Vajrasana one leg at the time both legs

3) Adho Mukha Vajrasana (child pose) pull and separate your little toes from the rest with your fingers, simultaneously bringing your inner arches towards each other

4) Standing in cat pose Come to a cat pose, lift your feet and shins up ( knees stay on the ground), bring your inner arches towards each other then take your feet together down to the floor. By using your hands root into the ground - push your sitting bones down towards your ankles. The back is still tilted forward, hands pushing down like in dog pose. Slowly rolling up with straight back using your hands towards the ground sitting with your back straight in full vajrasana.

5) Full and wide back. Hold your hands together on your back. Hands on forearms. Push your back towards your hands, heavy sitting bones.

6) Same thing with Samana Vayu 7) Variations in Vajrasana, resting in dog pose. Keeping the centre.

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Eka Pada Ardhra Navasana

1) Preliminary exercise: lie on your back align your body around the spine from head to toes strong, active feet: flexed, tips of the toes looking up towards the sky strong, active abdominals connect frontal ribs to the frontal hips interlace your fingers support the back of the skull-elbows pointing towards the toes on exhalation bring your head up without creating tension in the neck hold it up for 10-30 seconds exhale, release your head down repeat 2-3 times

2) Eka Pada Ardhra Navasana start like the exercise above proceed: as you inhale raise one leg up (toes at eye level) as you exhale bring the foot down to the ground repeat 4-6 times on each side exhale relax your head down

Hara the abdomen is the center of our body and must be strong.

Paripurna Navasana
Divide this asana into three stages: (1) sit upright (spine absolutely straight) with your knees bent and thighs as close to your chest as possible, lift the feet off the ground and activate them-toes spread, balls of the feet moving towards the ground, find your balance, release (2) start as in no 1 - keep the feet and your abdomen strong and active - if legs are shaky, hold on to the back of your legs - lift your shins up so they are parallel to the ground - keep your face smiling (it helps to relax your face) (3) start as in no1, lift the legs up and straighten them - keep the feet and your abdomen strong and active - elongate your ears away from the shoulders - if legs are shaky, hold on to the back of your legs or strap a belt on the balls of your feet - be aware of strong connection of the pubic bone to the sternum

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Key Phrases
Key words used when teaching sitting and abdominal asanas: yielding of the sitting bones let the sitting bones grow heavy pin your sitting bones down feel the weight of your sitting bones root the sitting bones down connect the sternum to the pubic bone elongate locate the centre (abdomen) gather the abdomen to the centre sense from inside (the alignment) find the balance activate your feet, strong feet push the balls of your feet as if you were pushing into an invisible wall

Key phrases Let all the tension and tiredness melt down from the top of your head and shoulders like the snow melts down from the top of a mountain. Observe your breath with a curiosity of a child who has found a new toy and wants to know everything about it. Imagine you are carrying a heavy bag on your shoulders Experience that feeling of release and feeling of being light in your shoulders once you have dropped the bag down Imagine zipping your trousers up from the pelvic floor up to the diaphragm, as you exhale. Imagine you are a bird and you are lightly holding the egg inside of you Imagine that you are sitting in a bath and you pull the plug out. Feel the weight of your body sinking down as the water goes out of the bath. Imagine that you have a rope coming out of the crown of your head which is tied up to a heavy stone in your pelvis. Imagine you have a pair of suspenders attached to your frontal lower ribs and hips keep the elastic loose (in order to stay connected in the abdomen) Imagine your pelvic floor diaphragm is a shape of a hammock, gather it together, and scoop it up towards the ribs.

Obstacles
Common problems 29 backache - offer alternative asanas for strengthening back and abdominals week psoas muscles Mukunda Stiles psoas strengthening exercises jaw clenched remind the students to relax their facial muscles, unclench the jaw shoulders shrugged - keep the shoulders relaxed tight hamstrings leg stretches must be practiced prior to and along side navasanas

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Abdominal exercises
Lower back pain -over arching of the lower back in abdominal exercises when lying on the back How to help: Work with knees bent. Begin with one leg, then the other until the body gets stronger, then work with two legs at the same time. Raising and lowering legs abdomen to back, lower back gets ironed down Placing hands under upper part of buttocks 4. Placing a support (pillow) under the back

*Pregnant women Do not do abdominal exercises

Sitting Asanas (Sukasana, Ardha Padmasana, Padmasana)

1. Lower back pain large arch of the lower back, chest comes forward, over arching of the upper back How to help: o o o o Placing hand on the students lower back Breathing into lower back Gentle pulling in of the abdomen Think of lower ribs connecting to the ileum crest bones. (they are "friends" they dont want to separate but they mustnt be to close, so they dont "quarrel". Lean against the wall with a pillow behind the back (total beginners) Bounce gently on a large gym ball try to preserve this feeling and remember it when you sit on the mat ( it releases, loosens up lower back) Pair work releases back (see in "touch" paragraph 5) Place hands on the upper chest to release any tension there Place hands on shoulders to release tension

o o o o o

2. Tension/pain in the upper back (in sitting positions) How to help: 1. Massage the back with spiked ball (or a tennis ball) whilst standing against the wall (relaxes and releases back). This will help the following: o o o o Pain on the lower back Shoulder blades Breathing ( opens ) And bending backwards

2. Do some exercises for opening of the shoulder girdle 3. Pain in the hip joints causes: short hamstring muscles 30

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closed/stiff joints How to help: o o o Place some support under the knees ( pillow or block) (if the muscles are not supported, they are not relax) Sit on a block, bolster - elevated sitting position.

Both methods create wide angle of knee joint o o If there is pressure on the hip joint while leaning forward we can put fists into the hip joint in order to create space there Breathe into the joint to create more space there and spread the joint aria

4. Knee pain o Open the knee joints by creating more space behind the knee make sure you dont create any pain. o Breathe into the area of pain and spread the joint area

Vajrasana
1. Outer knee pain (where the patella is touching the ground) put a blanket under the knees 2. Back of the knee pain and pressure insert a thinly rolled up sock or a belt folded into four layers in the space at back of the knee to create opening of the joint. Make sure its not too big. 3. Inner knee pain o lengthen the thigh muscles o breathe into the knee o seat on a bolster or a rolled up blanket between the thighs and lower legs 4. Pain on the top of foot elevating with pillow/ blankets under the back of sole of foot , let the toes rest on the slope at the edge of the pillow/blankets ( in order to make wide angle in the back of the foot) How to exercise while protecting the knees o breathe into the knee area and spread the area o Lengthen thigh muscles gently without reaching the knee o Work with top of the feet o Seek to get close to the pain without reaching it. o Imagine yourself in the students' position o Be here and Now

Directions through Touch

1. The teacher gently pulls upwards a small amount of hair at the crown of head (can also be done by the pupil himself) in order to create sensation of lengthening, elongating. This helps the student to: o 31 Straighten up his spine

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o o o o o o

Lengthen the back of the neck Bring the chin slightly down Fill up the back Pull the stomach in Feel the heaviness of his sitting bones, moving down One finger on Samana Vayu can do the trick as well

2. The teacher places the hand on the back of the students scull This helps the student to: o o o o o o keep the neck long and full root the buttock bones collect the stomach (keep it in) lengthen up from sitting bones keep the back full continue straightening

3. The teacher places one hand on the sacrum student breathes into the hand This helps the student to: o o Fill up the back with the breath Gently pull the stomach in

4. The teacher gently places the hands on shoulders This helps the student to: o o Release the built up tension Relax the shoulders

5. Work in pairs on the lower back put two feet on the to sides of the spinal column near the sacrum and push with your feet softly, one leg at the time, and also both legs together. This releases the lower back and creates heaviness in the lower pelvis and sitting bones.

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9. Inverted Poses
Or Salamba Sirsasana By Jolanda Nitzan, Olivia and Silvia

Vision
Yes we can! We can change! We can go, up side down! We can see things in the world different if we change perspective.

Asanas
baby pose or vajarasana II (neck neutral / wide shoulders / empty mind) Sitting, sukhasana (elongate spine neck towards block/book on the head / wide shoulders) Adho mukha svanasana and elbows down shifting weight (wide shoulders) Tadasana (1 hand on sacrum, 1 hand on back head) Utkatasana (1 hand on sacrum, 1 hand on back head) Salamba sirsasana in the corner

Yogic Means
Centering First center the head to the sacrum/belly in sitting. Feel the top of the head. For example in sitting and in standing. Feel the place around the crown shakra. Put something on that spot, like a block, book or your arms around the world of your head. Feel the weight centering to the belly. Alignment feel the back, the spinal colum in lying down, sitting, tadasana, utkatasana. Sacrum aligned to the back of the head. In lying down: feel sacrum aligned to the back of the head. Blanket / balloon / block / hands under the sacrum (bend the legs and then one by one elongate). A compact tadasana in lying on the ground. In sitting, tadasana utkatasana: hand on your sacrum and hand on the back of your head. Stick against/along the spinal colum. Vayus Use the pranic alignment to go from the front to the back. Practise breathing from the front to the back, from down to up, in sitting, lying down. 33

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Outbreath to anus, inbreath up. Outbreath from navel to sacrum, inbreath up to diaphragm. Outbreath from front-part-diaphragm to back-part-diaphragm, inbreath to shoulderblades. Outbreath to the throat, inbreath up spiral movement in the head. Feel the back, breath up and down along the spinal column no kumbakkas let it flow and connect the inbreath thinking already towards the outbreath. Effortless (relax the mind, relax the body) Principles Rooting, empty mind and connecting is the main-focus in the beginning. Rooting the head (feel the place of the head on the ground) or elongate the head in sitting, standing and lying down while emptying the mind and connect along the spine to the centre/belly. Knowing something has to go down to go up. Understanding from inside People have to focus inward and backwards to find the balance eventually in the spine.

Building up Gradually
1. bringing the awareness backwards 2. wide shoulder blades 3. bringing the body upside down 4. weight into elbows, lower arm. 5. slowly placing the head on the floor We will graduallly bring the awareness backward into the spinal column while sitting, lying down and standing. Maybe in the beginning sitting back to back or against the wall or a corner or placing a stick along the spinal colum. We will graduallly build and work on the wide shoulders and relaxed (when down) or elongated neck (with weight). With a partner whose hands are on the shoulderblades you can move feel and bring the awareness into this area. In standing, sitting and lying down feel the shoulder girdle and the shoulderblades move them up, down and in all directions. Bringing weight into the spine keeping the spine elongated and the shoulders wide. Than elongate the crown of the head up with something on the head (book, block, arms around). Finding the center, connect the crown along the

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elongated spine to the belly. Then bringing the body upside down work in adho mukha svanasana keeping the wide shoulderblades. Then you can go down, one by one placing the elbows down dropping the weight down in hands and elbows keep the wide shoulderblades and elongate the spine. Interlock the fingers. If it is too heavy place the knees on the floor for a moment. Feel the ground, feel the weight and elongate up to the center. Connect to the belly. Elongate the head down out the spinal colum and place it down on the ground while elongating it through the ground and connecting it to the belly. Shift the weight from heel to toes forward and backward connecting to the center. One leg up playing with the movement with the weight. Stepping by shifting the weight from feet to head go up with one leg.

Key Phrases
Relax the head. Empty the mind. Mind in the belly. Breathe into the belly. Breathe to the back. Yogah citta vritti nirodhah. Bring the awareness to the back. Eyes in the back. Dont read yoga magazines (thanks Aaron). Wide shoulders. Shoulderblades as wings of a bird or an aeroplane. Heavy head. Sinking head down. Drop the head. Elongate the head. Deeper deep deep deeper into the earth toward the center of the earth.

Obstacles
Fear of falling, fear of up side down, fear of change, neckpain, no awarenes in the back, tense upper back, shifting weight into the back, rounding it too much instead of elongating the head upwards or downwards. Rolling with the thoraxic spine backwards while lifting one leg up.

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Not knowing avidya the principle connection. Staying a wall flower. Staying attached to the wall or to help. i.e. not being able to do headbalance away from the wall. Not trusting the inner guide/guru.

Directions through Touch

Teaching from inside. Feel if someone wants to be touched. If not, dont touch. Give it time. As a teacher try to feel first your own center when you approach or want to touch someone. Know the direction you want to give. Touch from the back. See the back. Feel your own back. Clarity in the touch, relax and breathe in the touch. Touch the shoulderblades, widen them. Give breath to the areas you touch ask them to breathe. Dogpose shoulderblades widen and towards the sacrum. Hands on the sacrum with firm touch. When the head is on the floor you can help to elongate the back of the head down by touching the skull. The ears pull a little down. Orit suggested the first time going up in the middle of the room with help of the teacher standing behind catching the leg.

Jolanda Om Gan Ganpatye Namah

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10. The Team

Name
Aaron Chankin Annette Tzfanya Eveline Torres Joey Ltke Shirley Woods Alex Loopik Deborah Tobin Miriam Fein Stacey King Beverlie Downie Gabriele Petri Liz Short Nira Halevi Teresa Freire Pereira Caldas Florence Dedame Josef Hartl Marco Overbeek Ute Wohlmuther Jolanda Schoenmaker Nitzan Peri Olivia Mitri Silvia Francesca Sferlazzo Michal Bodenheimer Na'ama Ravid Vesna Lazarevic Vivi Harari Orit Sen-Gupta 37

Team
Standing Standing Standing Standing Standing Forward Forward Forward Forward Handbalance Handbalance Handbalance Handbalance Handbalance Backbend Backbend Backbend Backbend Inverted Inverted Inverted Inverted Sitting Sitting Sitting Sitting Our Teacher

Email
aaron_ch@netvision.net.il atzfanya@yahoo.com info@eltorres.com joey.luetke@gmx.de sw.yoga@planet.nl alex@loopik.nl Deborah@wholefamily.com finemj@hotmail.com kingsimons@gmail.com miss_downie@hotmail.co.uk kangoop@yahoo.de lizjshort@tiscali.co.uk nirom@zahav.net.il teresa@studioasana.com vdedame@telus.net Josef.Hartl@sueddeutsche.de marco.overbeek@hetnet.nl info@yogalite.nl jolanda@yogastudiohaarlem.nl odeliayoga@gmail.com oliviamitri@hotmail.com sferlazzosilvia@gmail.com bodyk@neto.net.il naama.ravid@gmail.com yogawithvesna@yahoo.co.uk vivi.harari@gmail.com omyoga@netvision.net.il

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