Tag Archive for: teahcer

The first day the process was wonderful. It felt great to wake early and practice asana while the sun rose and began to fill my living room. My sadhana practice was deep and I felt a real joy throughout my body – flush with new adventure. Breakfast was a profound experience of oatmeal and nature. As I sat silently and realized I never taste my food like this and that I hardly ever look outside my house before rushing to my car. I enjoyed the shadows on the tall oak trees and the soft sounds of morning in my neighborhood.

Things went on like that through about day 4. That morning I couldn’t quite make it up before dawn. I felt groggy and tired and my sadhana was heavy with tamasic energy. That energy stayed with me through the day and when I reflected back on habits of the night before I realized that I had eaten quite late and quite heavy. As the days continued on I was faced with an ever increasing number of challenges: from late night work schedules to personal conflicts to travel that prevented access to fresh, healthy food. In each of these cases I observed a dramatic decrease in my ability to connect with my subtle body. I also felt a compounding effect: as these incidents piled up, so did the vritti in my mind both in sadhana and throughout the rest of the day.

When I was thinking about writing this essay I had planned to write and say that my personal experiment was only discovering how asanas can be a direct spiritual practice for me, but something occurred to me. By not being able to find the book I wanted (and so not have the experience I was sure I was going to have) I feel like Shiva stepped into the mix and destroyed my preconditioned sense of ego.  Inadvertently I had a Shiva experience without meaning to.

**Designed for lower back pain, weak knees, stress, anxiety, weight loss**

NOTE

All poses should be done vigorously and held for an extended period of time. Modifications are available if needed for your knees. I’ve provided a longer meditation period for grounding and relaxation.

Dandasana-Staff

Baddhakonasana-Bound Angle

Bhardavajasana I-Bhardavaja’s Twist

Cat/Cow

Suptabadhakonasana -Reclined Bound Angle

Uptavishtakonasana -Open Angle Pose

Trikonasana -Triangle

Vrikshasana -Tree

Trikonasana -Triangle

Garudasana-Eagle

Parvritta Trikonasana -Revolved Triangle

Uttanasana -Standing Forward Fold

Ardha Chandrasana-Half Moon

Ardhabadhapada Uttanasana -Half Lotus Forward Bend (?)

Ardha Matsyandrasana -Half Sage Twist x2

Salambasana +Var. -Locust

Bhujangasana -Cobra

Adhomukasvanasana/Balasana -Dog/Childs

Parvrittajanusirsasana -Revolved Head of the Knee Pose

Janusirsasana -Head of the Knee Pose

Supta Padangusthasana-Reclining Big Toe with a strap

Paschittmotanasana -Seated Forward Fold

Malasana-Garland Pose

Pasasana-Noose Pose

Sarvangasana -Shoulder Stand

Halasana -Plow

Karnipidasana -Womb Pose

Shavasana -Corpse

 Bonus Move: VIPARITA KARANI MUDRA

Meditation: sit quietly in an upright comfortable position and start silently counting backward from 50. As your concentration improves, you can move the starting count higher, to 100, 200 or even 500. This exercise will improve your concentration and help you remember things better.

Jason’s Comments:

I am brand new to yoga. I am studying massage therapy, and that’s making Chelsea and my’s transitions into our new careers much easier, because we are going into similar fields and we are doing it at the same time. We are a great support and source of strength to each other. I never had an interest in yoga, but when I was told to stay strong in my body for massage therapy, I turned to Chelsea and her yoga. She created my sequence, which was similar to hers. It was nice to be able to do it together. I feel stronger, calmer and more confident in yoga and in my body. My back feels much better, too.”