Homework

Categories of Poses for  Mar- Ap HW, taken from Quiz:

1. Asymmetrical Backbends
2. Symmetrical Backbends
3. Asymmetrical Forward Bends
4. Symmetrical Forward Bends
5. OpenTwists
6. Closed Twists
7. Inversions
8. Hip Openers

 for March-April

Please complete the following assignments before our next weekend together, April 17-19.

1. Bob Dylan Spiritual Teaching.   Please post your teaching to the blog, since we didn’t have time to share them all last weekend.

2.  SEQUENCING
a.  Restorative Sequences.  For each category of poses below, please create a short sequence of three poses each (assume you will hold each pose for 5 minutes).

Restorative backbends
Restorative forward bends
Side bends
Twists
Shavasana-oriented poses

b.  All Around Restorative Class:  Using the categories of poses from the pop quiz last weekend, create an all-around restorative class, with one restorative pose per category.  Pick three alignment points per pose.

c.  Chair sequence:   Create an all-around Chair sequence that uses all the categories.  You may want to refer to the following:
Smart Start Yoga DVD (with Colleen and Rodney, includes 30-min chair sequence)
A Chair for Yoga  (book)

3.  CNN Interview.    Watch the CNN interview with Madison Police Chief Michael Koval and come up with a spiritual teaching that you could apply to a yoga class.    
The spiritual teaching doesn’t have to be one of the yamas (e.g., ahimsa or satya).  Describe how your chosen teaching relates to asana and yoga practice.  

4.  Identifying Common Mistakes.  For each of the following seven poses, identify the common mistakes you might encounter among students in a public yoga class:
Warrior 2
Ardha chandrasana
Ardha matsyendrasana
Ustrasana
Lotus
Shoulderstand
Shavasana

HOMEWORK for Feb-Mar:

Refine your twist sequence leading up to the maha pose, total of 12-13 poses (you can repeat poses in your sequence).    Send this to your Mentor and copy Lisa by next Weds, Feb 18th.

kinneyleah@gmail.com

kariharendorf@gmail.com

lisas@yeeyoga.com

SEQUENCING:

Play with the following groups of poses. Design a Yoga Shanti-style sequence for each group, using every pose.

GROUP 1:

eka pada rajakapotasana

marichyasana 1

hanumanasana

parivrtta trikonasana

shavasana

salamba sarvangasana

shirshasana

supta padangushthasana

supta virasana

urdvha dhanurasana

GROUP 2:

adho mukha vrkshasana

ardha chandrasana

balasana

constructive rest

janu shirshasana

marichyasana 3

marichyasana 2

pashasana

raja kapotasana

shalabhasana

shirshasana

supported shavasana

triang mukhaikapada pashchimottanasana

trikonsana

upavishtha konasana

urdhva hastasana

ushtrasana

virabhadrasana 1

GROUP 3:

adho mukha shvanasana

baddha konasana with forward bend

bhujapidasana 

dhanurasana

dvi pada viparita dandasana

eka pada galavasana

eka pada shirshasana

hanumanasana

happy baby

hasta vakrasana

kurmasana

matsyasana (restorative)

parivrtta surya yantrasana (compass pose)

prasarita padottanasana

shirshasana 2

setu bandhasana

tittibhasana

vasishthasana

visvamitrasana 

NOTE:  Some of the spellings of pose names above may not look like what you are used to.  Per consultation with Richard Rosen, the above spellings are the proper transliterations when the Sanskrit diacritical marks are unavailable. Here’s a brief explanation-- Where the English language has one sibilant (“s” sound), the Sanskrit has three.  The sibilants are know by where the tongue touches the roof of the mouth or the teeth when being pronounced.  The first sibilant is called a palatal s because in pronunciation the tongue touches the back of the throat at the soft palate.  This s sounds like an sh.   The second is called a retroflex s.   This means that the tongue in pronunciation is turned back in the mouth and flipped off the roof of the mouth.  Nowadays, there is really no difference between the pronunciation of the first s and the second, they both sound like an sh.  So for example, in the word shirsha (head), the first s is palatal and the second is retroflex.  Another common example is the word shava (corpse), the s is palatal here.  The third s is called a dental, and that s sounds just like the s in the english language.  So we have surya, which means sun.   

READING:  Read the transcription of Bob Dylan’s talk for MusiCares here:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2015-transcript-of-bob-dylans-musicares-person-of-year-speech-20150207-story.html#page=4

and pull out a spiritual teaching that you could incorporate into a class.

Practice, practice, practice!   (attributed to Pattabhi Jois)

 for Jan-Feb:

1. Daily Pranayama Practice:  Practice either sama vritti or inhalation/exhalation retentions.  Practice sitting pranayama if you have had a long standing pranayama practice.   Be sure to end with Savasana (at least 5 minutes).

2. SEQUENCE  ** note this assignment has been updated!
Write a sequence for a class incorporating open twists, closed twists, forward bends, and backbends, with one of the below twists as the peak pose.   Make it a complete class, finishing with a neutral pose to reset the sacrum.   Make every pose count, remove the “fluff!”

• Matsyendrasana III
• Marichyasana IV
• Parsva Kukkutasana
• Mandalasana
• Parsva Sarvangasana
• Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana
• Parivrittaikapada Sirsasana
• Yogadandasana

3. Write a sequence for the partner that you diagnosed at the end of last weekend.

4. Continue to explore all the standing poses, specifically:  identify the common difficulties of each pose.

5. Continue to identify sets of three alignment points, utilizing grounding (apanavayu), extension/lift (pranavayu), and action/expansion (samanavayu).