A really enjoyable Saturday in Pune. The day started with a walk through the park to the institute for Sunita's class - there's always so much to see en route. The class was already quite busy as it is filling up now with the arrival of students for next week's intensive and senior teachers from around the globe are popping up in class. During the pandemic I started taking classes with Patricia Walden and continued for about 3 years, so it was lovely to unexpectedly meet her in person at Prashant's class last night.
It was a choice between a space right at the back or directly in front of Sunita's desk in the front row, so I took the risk and hoped for the best. She was in benevolent, even cheery form today and the class was clear and thorough, working from the standing to the seated and inverted parivrttas. I was secretly quite glad about her penchant for a long diatribe as it gave respite where it was needed, particularly after a parsvakonasana that lasted long after the comfort zone had expired. There was no note taker today, so this is the best my post-menopausal memory could manage, with a bit of helpful input from Debbie.
After class I wrote up the notes on the terrace with a cuppa using my Merlin app to identify some of the birdsong around me. There was one bird chirping really loudly that it couldn't identify and it took me a while to realise that was because, it was infact an Indian Grey Squirrel! Today's birdlife included all the usual suspects plus the Common Tailorbird, Red-vented Bulbul and the Pale-billed Flowerpecker.
I wrenched myself away from the peace of the terrace to go and complete registration for the intensive and have to say I was supremely impressed at the organisation! There was a team of 6 or so people to visit for each stage of the process and we each have a commemorative kit bag with our photo in the front pouch to save confusion at the venue, as modelled below by the lovely Sue.
I'm sharing an apartment with Debbie and Myka this year and they took me for a non-dairy cappucino and good old natter at a local coffee bar - a first for me in India. Hopefully off to the Mariott for a swim bright and early tomorrow.
Sunitaji – January 4th 2025 – Standing Poses and Parivrttas
Swastikasana – Whole trunk has to raise up from the base of the spine.
AMVirasana – Top of the thighs has to descend and side trunk reaches forward.
AMSvanasana – The ribs have to spread and then watch the back.
Uttanasana – Same action of spreading the back rib.
Urdhva Hastasana – Look up and see the palms are facing each other. Spread the palms and fingers and then maintain the spreading of the palm but close the fingers and thumbs so that there are no gaps, so that there is union – you can see this in some of Guruji’s pictures, so find out why he did this.
Trikonasana – In Parsva Utthita Hasta Padasana take hand to thigh to rotate it fully and cut the buttock in. What is the difference between the top and bottom rib? Student commented that the bottom rib tends to shrink so we repeated.
Trikonasana - Maintain the trunk on one plane as you extend down – armpit in line with hip, head and buttock in one line.
Parsvakonasana – Arms up to get the lift, rotate the trunk, whole side trunk lengthening along the thigh and then it has to rest down on the thigh. Bring the hand in front and place it against the inside centre thigh (not inside the knee as we have more commonly done) it is the thigh that has to go back. And then rotate, rotate, rotate. Full contact of the lower side trunk with the leg. Bring top hand down and from lower spine stretch to the back heel and the rest of the spine, extend, extend, extend the rest towards the head side.
Ardha Chandrasana – underside of the up leg has to extend. It’s hard to know whether the body is aligned in the centre of the room, so the wall is there to learn the alignment in your own practice.
Pariv Trik x 2 attempts – After observing our first attempt we repeated with these instructions. Turn the legs and lift the navel, Raise the arm to lift the side trunk / navel and keep LIFT and space around the navel as you go. LIFT IT! Let the back heel lift to rotate further always keeping lift of navel. Did you get a better rotation?
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Marichyasana 1 clasping – turn the Marichyasana toes a little inward towards the thigh and watch the navel. What happened? Did you detect a change there? People mentioned they felt more space, I felt the area to the right side of the navel became a little more hollow and this gave the space to turn more. Guruji never wrote in LOY to turn the foot in, but it can be seen in the picture. Here she spoke at length about how the whole foot has to have something solid to press into, so the therapy teachers must never take standing marichyasana on the trestle or grille ledge with the foot on the bar – it must always be taken as shown by Guruji with the Marichyasana foot on the stool, so the inner edge can press.
Malasana – 1) From seated marichyasana - Spread the knees and extend forwards,
forwards, FORWARDS! between the legs arms like Urdhva Hastasana palms facing, then rotate the palms back so thumb is towards the floor and reach back to clasp the heels, head to floor or bolster can be taken. 2) From Tadasana same actions.
Here we discussed how some people suffer from ankle stiffness and cannot go in from a seated position. How do we address this ankle stiffness? Here she asked someone to demonstrate how they rock backwards and forwards on their toes when they are worshipping, from squatting with the toes tucked under hands in namaskarasana, rocking forwards to forehead on the floor repeatedly. A bit like the work in Sankatasana.
Marichyasana 3 – Marichyasana foot turned a little inward towards the thigh. Extending forward, MOVE FORWARDS! GO! GO! MOVE! with the hand in Urdhva Hastasana position and then catching the calf / shin and finally rotating the palm to face backwards to wrap the arm around. Throwing the back arm to clasp. THROW! THROW! Once we had clasped cutting the back rib in and rotating futher.
Parivrtta Upavistha Konasana 1) Preliminary attempt 2)) From Urdhva Hastasana turning the body in the upright position with the arms raised and laying the back body down along the extended leg. Take the bottom rib down, it has to rest on the thigh like Parsvakonasana. Don’t immediately catch the foot, extend beyond, go further!! Same arm work as the marichyasana claspings and THEN catch the foot and rotate. The leg has to be a bed for the spine to rest on. 2) From AM Upavistha Konasana 3) From Parsva Upavistha Konasana extending over the leg and then keeping the body low to turn – how that left ribs has to roll down for Parsva Upavistha extending forward along the right leg. Take the left rib down! TAKE IT! TAKE IT! And now keep it down and go to Parivritta Upavistha Konasana on the left leg, rib is already down.
Paschimottanasana – Urdhva Mukha holding the outer edges of the feet, cut the back ribs IN! and lift the body up, lift the naval up and then extend forwards head down
Sirsasana
Parsva Sirsasana – Tuck the buttock in to turn, do not bring the legs forward, better even to take them slightly back to tuck the buttock and rotate.
Parivrtta Eka Pada Sirsasana
Sarvangasana
Halasana
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