The day started with Women’s Class, once again taught by Abhi (link to full sequence below). Today she taught jumpings – from Adho Mukha Svanasana to the standing poses and all in the inversions repeatedly one leg up, one leg down – lots of fast, light sequences – which gave the opposite effect to that we had in Raya’s class. So she struggled to control the class as everyone got stimulated and talkative. After sarvangasana and variations, she brought us all down to earth again with a seated forward bend sequence. We had to imagine there were wheels on the bottom ribs and she used her now familiar technique of counting us in each time, rolling those bottom rib wheels forward “One, ROLL! Two ROLL, Three ROLL!” getting us to really progress and lengthen beyond our normal limits. It was a great class and although everyone hopes for Geeta, Abi’s teaching is fantastic too.
There is a softer side to Abhi – both Geetaji and Guruji pushed us much harder. For me this visit is very different from my previous two visits, where I was getting to work in the medical class with Stephanie Quirk and later Guruji himself, directly on the poses that are most effective for me personally. I enjoy the classes here, but I am missing that really profound work that I was so privileged to have been taught. I guess it’s up to me now to find my way back to that level of depth and focus and carry on with the task I have been set and I hope one day I can manage to hook up with Stephanie Quirk to work intensively on my Diabetes again.Abhi often mentions that she has compassion – she says sometimes “enough is enough” and she is compassionate – often holding back when she perceives we are tired. But I do think that ultimately the most ‘compassionate’ teacher is the one that is strong enough to take you through your fatigue and reluctance to another level of possibility. Those are the classes that are completely transformative. My experience of working with Guruji was utterly gruelling and terrifying but something extremely valuable was passed to me during that intense exchange.I later came across this quote from Guruji which summed up my experience completely:‘My compassion is merciless, I fight with the affliction not with the person. Therefore I am merciless with my mercy”.
Veg Barrow outside the institute.
After class we hosted a visit from Vasant, a local man who sells pune pants, t shirts, mat bags and yoga props and also offers a packing service to parcel up your goods and send them home. He’s very friendly, not at all pushy and his prices are very competitive.
Vasant
I opted for practice session at the institute while Jenny headed off in a rickshaw for a ‘bat walk’ led by a bat expert who gave all sorts of interesting batty facts, such as bats fly around with their young attached and they have an extra nipple just for the little one to hold onto. Day off tomorrow, planning to head for an afternoon at the ice cold swimming pool at the Mariott Hotel.
Bats!
Women’s Class – 6th Feb – Abijhata
AMV – do what you have to do to prepare for the class. Open the body AMS
Virasana – Knees should not roll inward, come up use the palm on the outer calf. Do not tolerate at all the rolling in of the knee or later knee problem will develop. Now lift up slightly and lengthen from the buttock bone the back thigh toward the knee. Now see how the thigh is longer.
Parsva Virasana – Don’t use the back hand like a walking stick to lean on, use it to lift up. Sides of the ribs even, not one puffing one disappearing, become even there and turn from the waist, not just the chest.
Bharadvajasana 1
Prasarita Paddottonasna
Jumpings:
Urdhva Hastana / uttanasana / AMS / UMS
AMS / TRIK x 3 each side hand on inside of foot
AMS / PARSVAK x 3 each side hand on inside of foot
AMS / ARD CHAN – kick back leg higher to jump back
Urdhva Hastasana / urd pras eka pad swinging up and down x 6 each side
Full arm balance – each variation between 3 and 6 times according to possibility
right leg up, left leg down
left leg up, right leg down
right leg up, right leg down
left leg up, left leg down
Waiting groups: Parsvottonasana / paschima namaskarasana / AMS
Sirsasana – senior students had to observe how the weight shifted – if you cut your wrist down, what happened?
right leg up, left leg down
left leg up, right leg down
right leg up, right leg down
left leg up, left leg down
bent legs to abdomen / virasana/ sirsasana / virasana/ bent legs to abdomen -3 to 12 times according to capacity.
Straight legs up, straight legs down
Rope 1 – 6 breaths to recover from sirsasana
Bharadvajasana 2
Paschimotttonasana / urd pras pad / navasana / ubhaya padangusthasana / urdhva mukha pasch 1 / urdhva mukha pasch 2 / AMS to vasthishasana
Sarvangasana
Chatushpadasana
Eka pada only half way first of all
parsva eka pada
Remove hands couple of inches from the back and make area between thumb and first finger like the blade of a knife. Now CUT that area deep into the side rib CUT (wait) now staying close to the body like that cutting, wrap the palm deep into the back rib. This gave a much more secure hold.
Halasana / supta konasana / parsva halasana
Sarvangasana (improved?)
2 legs together down
Karnapidaasana, parsva karnapidasana
Sarvangasana
In the forward bends we had to imagine there were wheels on the floating ribs and 1,2,3 times move those wheels forward.
Paschimottonasana
Janu Sirsasana
Trianga Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottonasana
Mari 1 – lift the foot off the ground and press the outer hip into the floor, then keeping outer hip down, lengthen the inner groin to the inner heel to take that down.
Paschimottonasna
SBKonasana
Guruji said he was neither a slave to the mind or the body. Sometimes the body stops us and sometimes the mind and we have to tell the mind to be quiet and let me get on with what I have to do.
Guruji said he never taught anything that he did not directly experience.
Comments