78: The Embodied Elements, A practice in Studentship (Adhikara) A Level 1.5 75 min Yoga Class

I felt this beautiful piece of art depicted perfectly the theme for this episode’s class. The piece is by Artist Christopher Beikmann. The art is available as a giclee on hand stretched canvas 48″w x 24″H a limited edition of 5 . You find out more about Chris and his artwork (and SHOP!) at www.AncientArtiZen.com.

Yoga Lesson: How do we tune into nature and allow it to deepen our life?

Every day I am brought to back to the application of yoga lessons in my life. Yoga or life as I choose to see it now, becomes a pulsating beneficent opportunity, a gift really, for me to become a better human being. This past week I was given the task of preparing one of my current students to step into an Anusara Immersion with my beloved teachers that has already started. She missed the first weekend, or half of Part 1. My job is to catch her up *gulp*.

Out have come all of my notes and of course the Immersion Lesson plans and the like.

Succinctly explaining the Anusara Philosophy, the 3 As and the UPAs (Universal Principles of Alignment ™) is not the easiest thing when you have crazy time constraints. Arghhh!!!…goodness gracious!

So given that, studentship has been on my mind. I am stepping into the seat of the student as I pour over how to convey all this knowledge in a way that will be optimally soaked in by her. I adore the way that I heard John explain studentship using the Elements. I remember how he shared that using the elements as teaching tools is wonderful because they are understood and experienced by all, so we have a common ground from which to step into the teachings and also deepen the understanding of the UPAs within the yoga postures. Since I’d been meditating on this theme, lo and behold, I taught all about it!

This episode’s online yoga class is a Level 1.5 class (in other words strong).

It’s slow, meditative and we take time to get into things. I hope you enjoy stepping into it!

By the way, let me know which elements you resonate with the most 😀

In my intro I told you that I recorded 2 other classes that I was unable to use for the podcast, but I’m making them available to you, if you would like to download them. Both of them are level 2 yoga classes. One of them is a full 80 minute class with less than optimal audio, and the other one was a TOTALLY awesome class, but I ran out of batteries half way through the class! Ugh!

EXTRA Level 2 80 min Class with the theme of Dreaming and Community

EXTRA Level 2 Unfinished Class with the them of “Let Your Smallness Dissolve” and the Pareto Principle

★I want yoga gear reviews from you!★

If you have any yoga gear, or yoga clothing, or any yoga related accesory that you would like to review either because you LOVE it, or HATE it, or perhaps are simply indifferent. Let me know! Fill out this online yoga product submission form 🙂 I would love to have you be part of the online yoga community 😀

The series of Yoga Poses for this online yoga class:

Adho Mukha Svanasana

High Lunge/Straightening front leg/lunge twist

Uttanasana

Uttanasana/Ardha uttanasana x 3

hands on hips, shoulders up rise up

Parsvatasana arms

Half sun salute

plank

cobra

Down Dog

Surya Namaskar with salabasana arms interlaced behind the back, instead of Cobra

Downward Facing Dog

Parsvakonasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Plank Chattarunga x 2

Vira II

Vinyasa

Uttanasana wide legs arms interlaced behind the back

Trikonasana

Uttanasana/Artha Uttanasana

Utkatasana with a twist

Pigeon with a twist

Parsva Bakasana

Twitsting Pigeon with thigh stretch

Setubandha

Eka Pada Setubandha

Supta Padangustasana

Supine Twist

Savasana

Episode 71: Agni in Body, Mind, and Breath A Level 1-2 75 min Yoga Class

Fire in the neighborhood

The Power of Fire

Hunter and I got the opportunity to see fire at it’s most powerful, as it blazed across the street from our home. I was in awe of watching it burn. I had a visceral reaction to the flames, as I felt it’s strength and felt it’s power of destruction deep into my bones. As much as this fire was destroying the building across the street, I also new that it was transforming not only the building, but the entire neighborhood.

In Ayurveda, fire or Agni, is incredibly important. It is this fire that maintains and sustains optimal vibrant health…when it’s in alignment 🙂 Listen to this week’s yoga podcast and practice along to connect with your inner fire in body, mind and breath 🙂

Love the Feedback!

• email me- eyogaclass (at) gmail (dot) com

• leave me a message- 310 651 6238 (I’d love to play you guys on the episodes! Plus you can promote your stuff that way!)

• or comment on this blog!

Other ways to connect with me:

This week’s Yoga Class Online is a level 1-2 75 min class

The Sequence of Yoga Poses in this week’s Yoga Podcast Episode are:

Balasana

Downward Facing Dog

Straight Legged Lunge into a Straight Front Leg x 3

Plank

Salabasana

Lunge sequence on second side

Plank

Chattarunga

Cobra

Downward Facing Dog

Uttanasana

Uttanasana/Ardha Uttanasana x 3

Tadasana

Surya Namaskar

Lunge/Crescent Pose (with airplane arms into the full pose)

Plank/Chattarunga/Plank

Downward Facing Dog

Plank/Chattarunga/Plank

Downward Facing Dog

Parsvakonasana

Virabhidrasana II

Modified Parsvotanasana into Trikonasana

Standing Hip Opener

Skiers Pose into Uttanasana

Deep Lunge on Forearms/Pigeon

Setubandha x2

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Modified Supta Padangustasana

Easy Supine Twist

Episode 70: Does Your Yoga Help You Be A Better Person? A Level 1-2 75 min Yoga Class

A Yogic Conversation?

The Path of the Yogi Within Social Networks

I’ve been on Twitter since the Spring of 2007, way before it became so CRAZY mainstream. When I first got on Twitter, there were only a handful of people that I had actually met face to face. In fact, the people on twitter that I interacted with were basically all from the podcasting/new media community and 90% of them where out of state or out of the country. There was not one person from my yoga community.

That has now all changed.

I would say in 2009 the yoga community on Twitter has skyrocketed. I’m in awe of the amazing amount of tweets about yoga, from yoga practitioners, teachers and studios. It’s yoga yoga yoga all the time now! I love it because now I can literally feel my yoga kula around me here in Pittsburgh because many of my Anusara yoga friends in LA and from other parts of the country are now on Twitter, including John Friend (the founder of Anusara Yoga)! Needless to say, that’s some serious growth!

In the past 2.5 yrs that I’ve been on Twitter, I have not ONCE had a negative experience with anyone I followed or followed me. In fact I’ve developed some pretty special friendships with some folks on Twitter that I would have never come in contact with otherwise. I’m a bit saddened to say that I’ve had my first ‘negative’ experience on Twitter, and it was with a fellow yogi.

This episode’s artwork is a snapshot of the initial dialogue.

I think all of us have every right to have our own preferences and opinions about yoga and about what yoga system or philosophy we align with. In fact that goes for your spiritual and religious life. One of my fellow Anusara teachers referred to yoga philosophy as ‘resonant energy’.

resonance |ˈrezənəns|

noun

the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating : the resonance of his voice.

• figurative the ability to evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions : the concepts lose their emotional resonance.

• Physics the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.

• Mechanics the condition in which an object or system is subjected to an oscillating force having a frequency close to its own natural frequency.

• Physics the condition in which an electric circuit or device produces the largest possible response to an applied oscillating signal, esp. when its inductive and its capacitative reactances are balanced.

• Physics a short-lived subatomic particle that is an excited state of a more stable particle.

• Astronomy the occurrence of a simple ratio between the periods of revolution of two bodies about a single primary.

• Chemistry the state attributed to certain molecules of having a structure that cannot adequately be represented by a single structural formula but is a composite of two or more structures of higher energy.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French, from Latin resonantia ‘echo,’ from resonare ‘resound’ (see resonant ).

Which Yoga Philosophy Is Right? Which Yoga Philosophy is the Best?

If a philosophy resonates with you, you will be more harmonious, more sensitive, more open both with yourself and with others around you. You will in fact be able to add more beauty, goodness, auspiciousness to the world through your thoughts, actions and unique presence. You will embed the philosophy so deeply inside of yourself that you will be able to serve those around you and yourself in ever deepening and refined ways. If whatever you choose opens you to recognize the blessing of your life, your wisdom, your auspiciousness, and in turn shows you that you are part of something much Greater, and of the Intrinsic Goodness of life, than you are in optimal alignment. It’s not about which yoga is the best: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Power, Viniyoga, etc, nor what philosophy, Tantra, Advaita Vedanta, Classical, etc. but how do your actions, your thoughts, your words offer the most auspicious part of yourself AT EVERY MOMENT. How do you feel in your own authentic heart, and how well are you able to serve and uplift those around you?

If you lock your fulfillment into how other people receive it you will never be fulfilled.

We always have a choice. If we do disagree with a particular style of yoga’s philosophy, or teacher, or practice, in what way are you going to communicate that with those around you so that you show through your actions, interactions and WORDS the highest integrity, always aligning to the Highest most Auspicious part of ourselves? Bottom line, do the actions you take make you a better person. Are you being authentic? It’s not easy, especially when confronted by someone that happens to get under your skin 😉

Be very mindful of what you put out into the world, especially when it is written down and sent out into the world. It holds power, and it speaks loudly.

Love the Feedback!

• email me- eyogaclass (at) gmail (dot) com

• leave me a message- 310 651 6238 (I’d love to play you guys on the episodes! Plus you can promote your stuff that way!)

• or comment on this blog!

Other ways to connect with me:

This week’s class is a grounding Level 1-2 Yoga Class.

The class can be modified to be more basic or more advanced by choosing to do the full poses instead of the modification.

You are more than welcome to use as many yoga props as necessary to offer you the optimal alignment of your poses. Have your props near you so you can grab them as needed.

Or you can click onto the player and listen straight from this post 🙂

The Asana Sequence:

Seated with Arms Overhead

Easy forward bend in Siddhasana

Hands and Knees

Downward Facing Dog/High Lunge/Lunge Twist

Plank/Chattarunga

Salabhasana

Downward Facing Dog

Uttanasana with Arms Interlaced behind the back

1/2 Sun Salutes x 2

Surya Namaskar C x 3

Crescent Pose (jump switch)

Parsvakonasana

Vira II/Humble Warrior/Deep Lunge with forearms on the ground

Vashistasana Prep

Balasana

Downward Facing Dog

Uttanasana/Ardha Chandrasana

Standing Hip Stretch

Pigeon

Deep Funky Pigeon

Uttanasana

Supine Twist

Savasana

Episode 69: Take a Moment To Stay Steady Level 1-2 70 min Yoga Class

Steady....I'm trying!

Always doing SO many things at once.

I know for myself it is very rare that I do just ONE thing at a time. Now being a Mom, it becomes even harder. The mind races from one place to the next, things become so cluttered and often times takes us away from our center. Practicing some asana and taking even just a few moments to pause quietly and feel can give us so much access to the vast wealth of steadiness that we all posses. When we see that steadiness, when we find the Center, we can make better and better choices regarding our lives, our health, our relationships and how we choose to step into the world. Let’s practice together!

The ‘I Forgot To Teach My Yoga Class’ post.

Love the Feedback!

• email me- eyogaclass (at) gmail (dot) com

• leave me a message- 310 651 6238 (I’d love to play you guys on the episodes! Plus you can promote your stuff that way!)

• or comment on this blog!

Other ways to connect with me:

By Free Marketing Directory

This week’s class is an uptempo Level 1-2 Yoga Class.

You are more than welcome to use props, especially blocks for poses like Trikonasana. I also really love to have a blanket by so I can sit on it during the centering at the beginning of class 🙂

Try out this fancy little player and listen and practice 😀

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/scy/69_Episode_69__Take_a_Moment_To_Stay_Steady_Level_1-2_70_min_yoga_class.mp3?nvb=20090518031042&nva=20090519031042&t=0dd4ed18151656abc5e93

The Asana Sequence:

Hands and Knees

Downward Facing Dog/Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana

Twisting Lunge

Plank

Cobra

Uttanasana

Uttanasana/Ardha Uttanasana x 2

Tadasana/Urdhva Hastasana

Surya Namaskar x 2

Crescent Pose (jump switch)

Parsvakonasana

Parsvotanasana

Trikonasana

Tree Pose

Malasana

Ardha Chandrasana

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Ardha Bhekasana

Lunge Twisting Thigh Stretch

Dhanurasana x 3

Knees to Chest

Supine Twist with Legs Crossed

Savasana