One of my friends recently posted a quote on my Facebook page by Dr. Nils Bergman: “The mother is the baby’s habitat.” That, dear readers, has encouraged quite the pause in my life.
Imagine this with me: unmasked adoration on my baby’s chubster face when he sees me (especially when he’s hungry); seriously sweet hugs when I pick him up and he buries his precious, Burt’s Bees-scented fuzzy head into my neck; terribly loud toots when he pulls his feet toward his slobbery mouth; quiet little sighs as he nurses during those dark and tender midnight hours. I smell of a mixture of milk, lavender soap, buttermilk lotion, and you-don’t-want-to-know-what-else.
Check out this groovy new mat. May not do the trick in a packed studio, but I’m thinking I could totally learn to press up into a handstand on one of these…
Tonight’s focus was on the power of three. Notice your points of balance in each pose through grounding your feet to root down and using the power in your heart to rise up to your full expression! Follow this class sequence for a great hip opening and shoulder opening practice:
Sukhasana (cross-legged pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana w/ twist
Samasthiti (equal standing pose)
Vrksasana (tree pose)
Vrksasana w/ eyes closed to find balance
Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) w/ Virabhadrasana I
Crescent pose w/ twist
Parsvottanasana (standing head-to-knee pose) w/ hands on floor
Parsvottanasana w/ hands in reverse namaste
Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
Utthita Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Balasana
Fire Log
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep (pigeon pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Gomukhasana (cow-faced pose)
Balasana
Intense Eastern Stretch
Bharadvajasana (twist)
Knees to chest
Savasana
Well, that sounds a little Oprah-ish, don’t you think? Although I’m not able to give these to you just for reading… 
Upon requests from students/fellow yogis, below is a list of DVDs for home practice, CDs for inspiration, and a wonderful new website for yoga gear and clothing:
Anusara DVDs
Yoga Foundations with Hillary Rubin
Yoga to the Rescue with Desiree Rumbaugh
Vinyasa DVDs
Shiva Rea’s DVDs
Beginner DVDs
Rodney Yee’s DVDs
New CDs that are rockin’ my world!
Jai Uttal, Dial M for Mantra
Cheb i Sabbah, Devotion
Yoga Gear/Clothing:
www.theycatalog.com
This week has been…a little crazy. I have neglected posting class sequences! I’ve been having a few “vatta” moments, as one of my friends likes to call it 
, which has resulted in poor time management and feelings of being a bit ungrounded. Argh.
I would like to take a moment here to encourage you to comment on these posts or talk to me about how your practice is going (either in class or at home). Is there a pose you find yourself resisting? Does the breath elude you? How about your favorite pose(s) – is it/are they being included and explored in class? Are your hamstrings screaming so loudly that you can’t begin to find a place of balance somewhere? From the depths of my heart, I can personally answer “yes” to each of these questions!
Revealing your perfection!
Samasthiti (equal standing pose), chanting
Surya Namaskar A, x3
Utkatasana (awkward chair, arms forward, legs 90 degree)
Surya Namaskar B, right side. Add the following standing poses, one vinyasa at a time:
- Warrior I
- Warrior II
- Extended Side Angle
- Reverse Warrior
- Triangle
Balasana (child’s pose)
Repeat all on left side.
Vinyasa (plank, chaturanga, up dog, down dog)
Vashistasana (side arm balance), x2
Vinyasa
Pigeon prep
Wide Angle Forward Bend
Wide Angle Forward Bend, upward balance, then to floor
Tortoise pose
Twist
Bridge, x2
Savasana
“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” EB White
Class sequence:
Sukhasana (easy pose/cross-legged sitting pose)
Down Dog (focus on shoulder work)
Lunge, then straighten front leg (each side)
Vinyasa (Plank, Chaturanga, Cobra)
Lunge, then take the ear to the front ankle by bowing
Triangle, bound
Other side
Vinyasa
Dolphin in Down Dog, then move to
Dolphin in Chaturanga, then move back to
Dolphin in Down Dog
Rest: Child’s pose, arms extended
Engaging the core from the back body, class sequence (see Hillary Rubin’s Podcast #51 for more of this theme):
Sukhasana – prep for practice and chanting
Sun Salutations A – 3x; on third refine Down Dog
Forward Bend work with blocks to find Mulabandha
Vinyasa to Crescent, arms scissored, both sides
Vinyasa to Forward Bend, then Warrior III w/ hands on blocks
Chaturanga work, dolphin hands and lift hips from floor
Vinyasa to Chair pose, scissor arms
Vinyasa to Warrior II, then Extended Side Angle
Vinyasa to Chair pose with twist
Up Dog work
Jump to sit
Boat pose, with lift, 3x
Boat pose to half boat, 3x
Bridge pose
Upward-facing Bow
Knees to chest
Reclined twist, knees together
Core work: extend one leg up and lower other to 6 inches from floor, both sides
Knees to chest
Reclined twist, knees crossed
Knees to chest
Supported savasana
Check out http://hillarysyogapractice.wordpress.com/, Podcast #59, for the full practice and thumbnails of poses. In our class, we did the following:
Sukhasana
Table
Down Dog
Straight Leg Lunge with twist
Vinyasa (Plank, Chatarunga, Cobra)
Crescent with right foot forward, press clasped hands to ceiling with palms facing up
Vinyasa
Crescent with left foot forward, hands clasped behind the back
One legged Down Dog
Forward Bend
L-Pose at the wall
Uttanasana
L-Pose at the wall, lift one leg at a time
Uttanasana
Down Dog
Tree w/ cactus arms, left leg standing
Warrior III, right foot back, press into wall
Vinyasa
Warrior III, right foot forward
Tree w/ cactus arms, right leg standing
Handstand at the wall, butt to wall, scoop tailbone
Handstand with tree legs, each side
Child’s pose
Bharadvajasana (seated twist), each side
Supported Bridge
Knees to chest
Savasana
Below is the Power Yoga class sequence from 4/10/08 (a modified level 2 practice). The sequencing in this class is credited to Elsie Escobar, an Anusara teacher in AZ who publishes “live and unplugged” classes via podcasts. I will be posting thumbnail pictures of poses in future sequences for your reference. Enjoy!
Sukhasana: prepare for practice and chanting
Surya Namaskar A: 5x
Vinyasa to Virabhadrasana I, alternate bowing with hands clasped behind back: 3x each side
Vinyasa to Utthita Parsvokonasana, alternate with Virabhadrasana II: 3x each side
Vinyasa to extended runner’s lunge with forearms to floor
Vinyasa to crescent, then revolved crescent twist
Vinyasa to Utthita Trikonasana, then Ardha Chandrasana, then extended runner’s lunge with open twist