When they least expect it, I sneak in some photos of my students. Below, my corporate class (I teach every Tuesday at noon). At times the room is so packed we have to move the conference room table into the building lobby. Here, students are doing Utkatasana (fierce and powerful pose). The corporate class is a really fun one to teach. Mid day, everyone is ready for a break, and a little boot camp! Most of these students work in the (medical office building) Property Management side of the office where tensions get very high.
At home a couple Saturday mornings ago, students in Tadasana (mountain pose). Currently three of the students in the photo below are out of the country … Brazil, Russia and Peru!
Below, those same students preparing to go up into Virabhadrasana 3 (warrior pose). The pose requires the practitioner to extend forward, then finally lift the back leg off the floor. I didn’t take a photo of the final pose so I wouldn’t interfere with their balance (it requires a lot of balance and stability), but in the final pose, the standing leg is perpendicular (& straight) while the back leg, trunk and arms are horizontal (legs and arms moving away from each other).
From last Saturday’s backbend class, below, Savasana (corpse pose). This is the final resting pose at the end of each class. In this Savasana, students have their calves supported on a chair, which releases the low back after doing backbends. I absolutely love teaching backbends – they’re fun and invigorating! Contrary to what most people think, backbends are key to relieving low back pain. It’s the backbend poses that have eased much of my chronic pain due to the three herniated discs in my low back. The key is understanding how backbends work and keeping the sacrum long. I’d hate to think what shape my back would be in right now if I hadn’t found yoga. Sorry the photo is dark, but I turn the lights out and close the blinds so the students can completely relax before heading out to their weekend hustle.
The next two photos are from Tuesday evening’s Pranayama class. Prana = energy, breath; Yama = restraint, control. Pranayama is breath/energy control. The class began with some restorative forward bends (here Supported Uttanasana – forward bend) to calm the mind for withdrawing the senses to prepare for concentration and meditation on the breath. The chairs make a great prop for many of the poses and in so many different ways. I offer one Pranayama class a month. Students leave this class with soft eyes, a calm face and an overall feeling of peace.
It’s the small intimate classes and a great group of dedicated students that make my classes successful.
Blogged on Amma’s iPad with LOVE!
