The penultimate day of the intensive today and Abhi opted to start with an hour of Pranayama and some restful poses, which was perfect after yesterday's exhaustion. After lunch we had a session with Raya, which appeared as though it was going to be a discussion group and then quite suddently morphed into an intense class where we went for Urdhva Kukkutasana and Mandalasana!
We had a photo shoot where we were asked to join the photo in cohorts - the first one being the seniors who had first visited RIMYI in the 70's and 80's. See how many you can recognise in the video! (Thanks to Lisa Morris for the vide0).
Anyone who knows me well, will know I am quite particular about my tea. I left for India immediately from my family Christmas celebration, which this year was held in a mansion near Ross on Wye (I have got a VERY big family) which meant packing for India got mixed up in packing for Christmas and I did not have enough of my precious tea bags to last the whole month. So my lovely partner Louis packaged some up in a jiffy bag and sent them to me earlier in the month. The postal service in India can be a bit hit or miss and he hadn't managed to get a tracking number, so I wasn't feeling terribly hopeful (particularly when a quick Google told me that unless you send special delivery, post from UK to India 'aimed' to arrive within 56 days) and mornfully I told him yesterday that I was down to my last one. He confidentally told me that they would arrive today and would you believe it, I got a message from Dheeraj to say they had tried to deliver. My brief moment of delight was soon deflated though when he told me there was a customs charge of almost £100!
January 17th – Day 11 – Session 1 – 50th Birthday Celebrations – Abhijata
Sit tall and raise the inner contents of the chest up. Open your mouth to release the tension there, so that when you close it the tension has gone. Release the brain cells downwards – the brain has to bow to the heart.
Setubandha – Legs tied mid-thigh and mid-shin. Exhale to stretch the backs of the thighs to the heels, so that the thighs don’t bulge. Inhale roll the extreme outer corners of the shoulders down towards the floor and back towards the bolster.
Sitting in Dandasana to learn the correct actions for Maha Mudra. Inner leg extend, outer leg receive back into the socket. Lift the side chest and coil the armpit from the back to the front. Upper back descend. Lower back, lift upward – here we took the brick on it’s narrow edge and sat with the buttock bones on the front edge to propel the lower back upwards. Sides of the navel, like two columns, lift up.
Maha Mudra first without the extra props to compare:
1. Sit on folded blanket and fold the right leg. Not as far back as Janu Sirsasana and sole of right foot, flat against the left inner thigh (not rolled up a little as we do for Janu).
2. Catch the big toe, propel the lower back upwards and squeeze the upper back in. Widen the chest and make the back longer. The flexible group, widen the floating ribs to the sides. The less flexible group, chest UP! UP! UP! Outer foot to outer hip, cut in.
3. Head down to Jalandhara Bandha.
4. Inhale
5. Take the sides of the abdomen BACK towards the spine and UP towards the diaphragm.
6. Hold the breath and keep the abdomen in position, without squeezing or tightening the face.
7. Relax Abdomen.
8. Exhale.
Repeat Maha Mudra steps with rolled blanket on the lower shin / front ankle and a belt looped around the foot, closer to the heel. The belt enables the hands to be slightly wider, which gives more space to lift and widen the chest. The hands rest on the blanket so they become less fatigued. Use the arms to actively cut the back ribs in and up. The neck pains when the dorsal and chest are not participating.
Supported Savasana – 3- folded blanket lengthways for the spine and folded blanket to support the head and neck. Involuntary breathing for a while to settle. Abdomen becoming like a completely still pool. The ripples radiating from the centre to the sides and fading out. Teachers, be careful with the instruction to take the eyes inwards. If the chest is dropped and you instruct them to take the eyes inward, they can feel very heavy and depressed. Where there is depression/ anxiety, first priority is the lift of the chest – they can hold the outer edges of the mat and lift the chest without taking the eyes inward.
Break here for 20 minutes or so.
AMVirasana – AMSvanasana – AMvirasana and lift the chest slightly up to release the thighs downward and walk the arms more forward to bring the sides of the waist and chest forwards – AMSvanasana maintaining that length – Uttanasana Concave Back – Uttanasana descend down with folded elbows – Prasarita Paddotanasana head down – Prasarita Padottanasana concave back whole palm on the floor, press the wrists.
Each of the following done on the right, then the left without jumping the legs together inbetween.
Trikonasana Outer edge of the thigh, take it back! You have to press the back heel to take that outer thigh back! – Virabhadrasana 2 Outer edge of the thigh, back heel, press back! STAMP the back heel to take the outer thigh back! – Parsvakonasana – Ardha Chandrasana Heel dense, lengthen lower waist and bring the chest forwards. Heel! Chest! Heel! Chest!– Hands in Namaskar Parsvottonasana coiling up, extending forwards parallel to the floor and then head down – Virabhadrasana 1 – Virabhadrasana 3 Reach the back leg backwards, reach the sides of the waist forwards– Parivrrta Trikonasana – Parivrtta Parsvakonasana – Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana.
Uttanasana – Pada Hastasana – Gulphasana
AMSvanasana
Upavistha Konasana
Baddha Konasana
Sirsasana – We think so much of beautifying our faces, but why don’t we beautify our feet? Stretching the inner legs up, circularise from the outer to the inner thigh, so that the two groins are like mirrors that have to face each other square on. At this level we have to start to sense where the legs are – are they too much forward? You have to sense that and cut the buttock in to take the legs back.
Here she spoke about the differing levels of certification (whether you are a global student with the new certification levels or a local student moving up between the different class levels). It cannot be based on which poses you can attain. No! It cannot just be about how long you have been doing, your age etc. Who in your family do you go to for advice when there is a crisis? Who would you not go to? Would that change just because they are older?
Level 1 – Action – straighten the legs, lock the knees etc.
Level 2 – Perception
Level 3 – Sensitivity
Level 4 – Reflection – Who back home has made the sacrifice that has enable me to be here?
Level 5 – Wisdom
Utthita Hasta Pandangusthasana holding the big toe (or belt) – 1st attempt without instruction.
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana 1- 2nd attempt – From bent leg Akunchanasana – In the bent leg phase can you feel how from the buttock to the back of the knee you can lift up? Now maintain that lift and extend the leg straight , lifting the sacrum (it was much higher).
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana 2 holding the big toe (or belt).
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana 3 – 1) Go to UHP1 2) Hold outer edge of foot 3) Turn torso 4) Extend arm.
Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana – Beginners method – Learn to take the body weight on the hands and 6 x raise and release leg rapidly each side. Lengthen to lift! 1!! 2!! 3!! 4!! 5!! 6!!
Repeat UPEkaP – This time with the understanding that the more the torso goes down, the more the leg rises up – you have to work on the Uttanasana descent to improve. Fingertips to the floor acts as a break, palms down to descend.
Repeat UPEkaP – This time holding onto the heel to further draw downward.
Prasarita Padottanasana 2 – Hands on waist. The hands are a force which helps you to draw downwards, so this version with the hands on the waist is the next level where you have to descend the torso without the assistance from the hands.
Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana – One step at a time! Full pose holding the foot from behind or any of the intermediary stages as per your level. She demonstrated how the holding of the lifted leg causes that shoulder and rib to resist the downward bend - your abdominal muscles have to do something quite unique to overcome that speedbump.
Paschimottanasana
Upavistha Konasana
Parsva Upavistha Konasana
Parivrtta Upavistha Konasana – In stages 1) Just holding the foot without putting the elbow on the floor and extending the spine / turning the chest 2) Then take the elbow down, reverse the palm, hold the heel and regain the concave back. 3) Complete the pose.
Parivrtta Paschimottanasana (or go for wall Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana).
Paschimottanasana
Ubhaya Padangusthasana – Can your sacrum climb up?
Kurmasana – You are not trying to make a flat back!
AMSvanasana
Sarvangasana – Urdhva Padmasana, Pindasana, Eka Pada, Parsva Eka Pada.
Nirlambe Sarvangasana – Fingers interlocked and stretching back.
Mini Setubandha over the Sarvangasana supports.
Savasana
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