Pigeon

This week marked my 500^th hour of teaching since being let loose on an unsuspected public by the Yoga Alliance. It was about 18 months ago they deemed me certified Like the true Silicon Valley nerd that I have become, I have every statistic you could possibly imagine to go along with this 500 hour fact, including total number of yogis taught, average class size and even seasonal trends. It has been an exciting and eventful 18 months, culminating in my recent opportunity to teach a prime Saturday morning slot at Nandi Yoga.

Nothing magical happens at 500 hours. I don’t suddenly become competent, acquire the ability to chat or even sing ‘Om”. At 500 hours Yoga teachers are eligible to take an additional certification. Presumably the theory is that you have learned enough about teaching, and that you are ready for the next level. I don’t have any plans to do this. I am still learning from my current classes. This week I discovered a new technique for “Bird of Paradise” which it makes it so easy, so much more enjoyable if you struggle with that pose. It was so obvious too; I don’t know why I had not thought of it myself.

Last week, I learned to never leave pigeon out of a class. This rule stood me in good stead this week. Not a riot in sight. So here is

Old Moon Yoga’s guide to pigeon.

• Get ready. I like to come into pigeon from down dog splits. That’s down dog with one leg in the air. Take the right leg up behind and swing the leg through and across the midline. The right heel ending up somewhere close to the left hip. The right knee still on the right side of the body thigh facing forwards. I have noticed that all but the very stiff can achieve this pretty easily.
• 

  Breathe deep here

  Get Set. Ok here is where the challenge comes in. For a lot of people their hip is not on the ground. So their butt is floating around in mid air. “Get something under your butt” I repeat for the umpteenth time. With nothing under the butt the knee is under strain, the body is tensed up and therefore won’t stretch. So any Yogi is this position is in danger of blowing their knee out and in no danger of improving the stretch any time soon. I explain all this and implore people to get a blanket, a block, two blocks, a bolster what ever your need. “You body will release and you will stretch quicker” I suggest to try to counter the ego or stigma that seems to surround the use of any props in a vinyasa class. I scan the room, there are right butts as high as 6 inches off of the floor. With rising doubts as to my communication skills or my ability to finish class on time, I move on to the second phase.

• Get Set (and I do mean it this time ) “Everyone pick your hands up off of the floor. “ I suggest in the next phase of my cunning plan to get people safe for pigeon. “If you tip over like this…..”, I demonstrate how unstable the pose is if that butt is not on the floor. “…. you need something under your butt”. People smile and stare but try desperately to stay balanced while their right butt hovers, the floor tantalizingly close, about a blocks distance actually.
• Get Set (moving on) If your butt is on the floor and you want more, inch worm your back (left) foot way from you. This gradually brings the front (right) shin parallel to the front of the mat. This approach is far easier, and safer, than the technique most Yogis adopt, which is to yank on the front foot trying to pull it forwards as they jerk their body up and back.
• Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose) Come upright and try to tuck the butt under. This tucking is more of a feeling than a movement. This lets you get the back straighter, more upright. If you are very upright you may even be able to interlock the hands behind the back and reach for the floor behind you in a little back bend. This is a great place to take a couple of long slow deep breaths before …
• 

  A Twisted Pigeon Variation

  Coming forward. Releasing the hands now just come straight forward with a flat back. I like palms up, Yin style, as it offers even more release. Try to sink down into the hip. This should be all about the hip and not the knee. The hips coming down to the ground parallel and even. All those Yogis whose butts were floating on mid air have now come forward with hips leaning over to one side. The body preferring to move away from the stretch of course. From my vantage point I can see them all loosing out on the benefits of the pose.

• Adjustments. Adjusting in pigeon is a very delicate affair. It is too easy to put pressure on someone’s knee. As always the first task is to find the right Yogi. The one in a good position for adjustment. Sorry all of you yogis with floating butts, no adjustment for you. Finding someone with parallel hips, I offer just a small adjustment here with one hand on the sacrum the other on spine between the shoulders. It is more of a lengthening of the spine than a push down into the hips. The yogi usually does the deepening themselves.
• Want more? After stretching for a while lift up the chest and place in on the thigh. Reach the left arm forward and across stretching all down the left side of the body.
• Still want more? Taking this a little further lift your left elbow and place it outside of the right thigh. Bring both hands to prayer position at the heart and push them towards the center of the breast bone in a twisted variation of pigeon.
• Still want more? Bring the left arm across the front of the mat, the right hand to the right knee opening up a twisted pigeon.
• Still want more? (Are you one of those “Type A” people?) Take the right hand behind your back and reach for the big toes of the front (right) foot. Finding a full twisted pigeon
• Still want more? You are in luck, we have to do the other side now.

King Pigeon

Butt off of the ground is correct in this pose

Every wondered why it’s called “one legged king pigeon pose”? Actually there is a “one legged pigeon pose II” leading up to the final pose King Pigeon. Ironically this pose is done kneeling so the butt is way in the air. I have included pictures so you can see where we are headed. King Pigeon is a humbling pose that certainly puts the floating butt into perspective, there’s no rushing Yoga. I can’t see me achieving King Pigeon unless reincarnation really happens

Reincarnation is my only hope

One last loose end, that wonderful new technique for Bird of Paradise, darn I am out of time. Here I go starting on my next 500 hours, sometime during that period I will share this insight, for sure.

Is that spinach?

• Hair trimmed – check
• Head shaved and polished – check
• Special tee shirt – check
• Spinach free teeth — check
• Music — check
• Camera – check
• Plan for the class – Doh!

This was it, the day had finally arrived. I am not sure why this class was so important or me. I had been teaching my YMCA class for longer and the final class there was also this week. This Saturday morning class was not even mine, I was just a sub. But we had been attending this class for a little over two years now and during that time missed only a handful of classes. Made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun. Today was to be my last class at Devi on a Saturday morning. I have been given the opportunity of my own Saturday morning class at Nandi. This is a pretty rare and special opportunity in the Bay Area where there are almost as many Yoga instructors out there as there are software engineers.

My preparation started at the beginning of the previous week. I had decided on my playlist early on, though that did not stop me tweaking and tuning it right up until the last minute. Those final few tracks are critically important to bring the class to a comfortable spot for Savasana. Or so I lead myself to believe. Talking with someone afterwards they had no idea what tracks were playing.

Shark pose, we don't do it that often

The sequencing was going to be interesting. I like to choreograph the class to the music as much as possible. So a little practice during the week should lead to the perfect class on Saturday, right? The chosen theme at the start of the week was Africa. Well more specifically it was Jacques Cousteau visits Africa. I have talked about the themes idea before. It’s really just an excuse for me to pull out some less familiar poses like “Crocodile”, “Shark”, “Compass”, “Lion”, “Tiger” and “Turtle in shell”. Most of which get a laugh even if a few lack the full class participation

With the temperature at 100 degrees in the shade, only the very dedicated turned up to practice Yoga in traditional Indian style, hot, on Tuesday. The four of us had a little “side crow” focus. Thinking about it now I should have blasted on with Africa theme, I had the weather element on my side too.

So Wednesday was my first big outing for the sequence. There are only a couple of problems with Wednesday, the class is 15 minutes shorter and, it’s a 1-2 class not a 2-3. Now if you are teaching a whole new set of poses in the same amount of time, something has to give. As we near the end of the class I have to avoid a near mass revolt as the class realizes pigeon is not part of the sequence. Note to self “All classes, always have pigeon. No exceptions, ever.”

Thursday was my last class at the YMCA. Just to add to interest, someone on Wednesday night suggested I should add some of my favorite things for this final class. A sort of Mary Poppins (or is that “The Sound of Music”?) twist.  This is also a 75 minute level 1-2 class. The same was true for the rest of my classes this week. Learning my lesson from Wednesday and chanting my new mantra “…pigeon….. pigeon…..pigeon” I say my final goodbye to my friends at the YMCA with a  diluted version of “Mary Poppins meets Jacques Cousteau in Africa”. Oh wait pigeons, that is classic Mary Poppins. It’s like I planned.

A class for of Yogis Oldmooning

On Friday someone suggested they would like more arm balances. I immediately thought of a new theme of course “Would you like an arm balance with that?” Through my facebook announcement a friend also suggest we do a little Michael Jackson. I did a tribute class to him a while back. I am sure you can guess when.

So as I walk into the class on Saturday morning everything is planned and prepped, with the exception of the sequence. Unable to keep my big mouth shut I ask a regular  ”what do you want to do today?”  ”Party poses” is the reply.

So there we have it. The theme is “Mary poppins visits Jacques Cousteau in Africa, while listening to Julie Andrews and Michael Jackson. All poses to be done balancing on the arms of course”. Oh look there’s my favorite pregnant Yogi just setting up her mat too. This is going to be interesting, here we go, deep breath.

The class was amazing, just how I like it. Enough people showed up to make the room welcoming without being too full. A lively crowd  ensuring a little banter and feedback. It was a great way to end a two years of Saturday morning yoga at Devi.

My colleagues created this shirt for me

No plan would have worked better, I think it’s time I gave up the themes

A little premature for the theme of this blog but the picture was too cool to leave out

I had it all planned for this mornings 2-3 class. During the week I had plenty of time to perfect a new sequence. This morning’s 2-3 class was going to be the pinnacle of execution. My penultimate class before I switch to another studio. The class gets underway, 5 minutes late, which is about par for the course on Saturday mornings. This was going to be good; plenty of abs/core work in a long sequence on the stomach. Wow where did that pregnant Yogi spring from and not just a little bit pregnant either. She is “I may have to don my midwife outfit mid class” kind of pregnant. We are going to need a change of plan here.

I have had heavily pregnant women in my classes before. They always say “I will do what I can and watch the rest.” But I like the class, even a 2-3 class to be for everyone. She is 6 months pregnant. I know how can I be sure? Perhaps it’s my secret midwifery skills coming forward. Maybe is the fact that Dawn has had 4 babies. During that time I used to pride myself on being able to spot how pregnant a woman was. But like Crocodile Dundee, checking a watch before gazing at the sun and proclaiming “its about 2:30”, my secret today was simple, I asked her.

At 6 months the body changes and starts to become much more flexible preparing itself for the big day. This is a great, but dangerous time for pregnant Yogis because now they can stretch deeper than ever before. Though not all poses are easier, try a simple forward fold with a medicine ball stuffed up your shirt and you will see what I mean.

I need not have worried. She was an experienced Yoga and well able to find her own modifications for those poses not designed for couples yoga. All the same, I wanted to minimize the set of poses that might cause me to become an unwitting doula. Maybe just stick to the deep breathing part for today.

Here is a list of things I have heard that pregnant women should not do whilst practicing Yoga.

• Any kind of twist
• Any core work (abs)
• Any core work (back)
• Anything involving lying on the front
• Inversions
• Straining in any way
• Getting too hot
• Getting too cold
• Over stretching already flexible ligaments

Gate Pose, beautifully executed by a Yogi in my class this week

Ok so that leaves about 5 standing poses and a “wide legged” forward fold I think. Why don’t we just wrap the up in a protective air tight bubble with plenty padding and feed them through a tube. Oh wait a second isn’t that what the womb is for? Driven by a fear of lawsuits, I am sure, we are forced to treat pregnancy more like an illness than a natural event. The reality, of course, is that each woman is unique, every body a little different and I believe women know when and how much to push (ooh no foreshadowing intended there ) themselves. Dawn played squash until she was 6 months pregnant. Of course then she ruptured her Achilles tendon and was in plaster for 9 months. Ok bad example, I take it back. If you are pregnant be very careful and listen to your body.

The focus of the class was switched to focus more on side bends/stretches and less on twist. As a strategy I tried to make sure we covered all parts of the body specifically doing shoulder openers like Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) rather than blending them in to other poses.

Parighasana (Gate Pose) was my surprise pose today. I had not taught that in anything other than my beginner class but it worked great today in between variations of Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend) It dropped into the flow so well that I included it in my evening class too. Check out this beautiful interpretation of the pose in this picture of one of my students in gate pose. I had heard, and even taught, that both hands meet at the foot eventually, but never seen it before.

Good for menstrual cramps I am told

Here is another unusual and useful pose; apparently it’s good for menstrual cramps. I have no first hand experience of course, one of my students told me. Start in high crescent lunge left foot forward. Now bring your left arm straight and down inside of the thigh; keeping the shoulders square to the short end of the mat take a side stretch by reaching the right hand up and over. I have no idea what this pose is called. Check out the picture, I would love to know.

Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angled Seated Forward fold) was also part of the sequence, using, again, the side stretches reaching out to the foot.

No idea who this lady is, so I hope she does not mind for gracing my blog

My evening class that day became my opportunity to try out my original sequence for the class. Plus I threw in these little additions like gate pose. Clearly unexpected pregnancies have their benefits and a strong Yogi, with a strong practice can, with care, enjoy even a 2-3 Yoga class.

"Spidey senses" are a must when teaching

“There is no groaning in Yoga” I demand playfully as we push on with the particularly long sequence. The truth is, I love to get the feedback, feedback of any sort. Yogis are so hard to read most of the time. Of course, the yogi led flat on her back staring at the ceiling while we attempt an arm balance is a good clue, at least to her particular view of proceedings. Rolling up the mat and making a swift exit is also another indicator my “spidey senses” have learned to pounce on. This one is a big deal because it takes a lot of guts to walk out of a class. I know, having personally endured hours of excruciating workshops taught by a so called, or was that self professed, expert. I have even allowed myself to get injured at the hands of someone whose class, I knew after 5 minutes, I should have left.

Voting with their feet is, of course, what all Yogis do over time. They just don’t come back to the classes they don’t like and the teachers they don’t resonate with. Does one bad class loose them forever? If it’s their first time in your class then absolutely they are lost. We can’t make people like us but how do we spot the tale-tale signs? The body language, no pun intended, that says things are going well.

Eye contact

I took a class one from a teacher that did not make eye contact with me, or anyone else as far as I could tell, for the whole class. It was a weird, impersonal, experience like yoga in the 3^rd person or a live version of one of those Yoga videos, only without the Hawaii beach location, sun, cheesy smiles and snail’s pace progression. I wanted to say something to her “I am here, look at me, and acknowledge I am in your class.” But I didn’t, I let my feet do the talking, after class.

I try hard to make eye contact with my students. They don’t always return the favor.

The quick glance that seems to say “don’t look, leave me alone, I know I am not doing it right.” Or perhaps it’s like that look after a big argument “Don’t make me smile. I am still mad at you.” Or “can’t look for long or I will fall over” Or does it mean “help, notice me, and acknowledge I am in your class.” The quick glance means “leave me alone” …. I think.

Then there is the serious stare, little eye contact coming back with this one. What is behind that frozen face? Maybe it’s “Ommmmm” lost in the moment or “When will this class be over, will he ever pick a pose I can do?” or perhaps “did I leave the gas on? What shall we have for dinner later? Wait what was that last pose he called out?” They are either having a great time or can’t wait to leave and I will only know at the end of class, unless they leave early of course.

The smile, this one is always good to see. Sometimes people smile all through class, I tried it once, it’s really hard to do. Try it in your next class it is easily as hard and maintaining Uddiyan Bandha (The stomach lock) for the entire class.

“Locate the two muscles either side of the mouth and pull them back towards you ears” There now they are smiling, or if they are not, there’s the clue as to who will not be back next week.

I love Yoga! What a class

The sounds

Sounds are my favorite feedback mechanism, a little hard to interpret sometimes but always fun. A lot of teachers ask to hear the class breathe, we are even taught this in teacher training. “You can understand and control the class by listening to the breathing”. Yes sure in an advanced vinyasa class perhaps, what about the slow classes or the beginner class. Here are some other indicators I have heard, that they don’t tell you about at teacher training.

• The groan of pleasure, not the “x” rated kind, more a pleasant “ah feels good to get the leg behind the head at last” kind of moan.
• The groan of dis-pleasure. “Yikes! Better make sure there is a child’s pose ahead”
• The groan of pleasure, the “x” rated kind. It’s like that deli scene from “When Harry met Sally.” Not sure if I should slowdown or speed up. Enough said I think, at least they seemed to be enjoying it.
• The “Uhh” Michael Jackson like, and like Michael in his songs, I am never sure how to interpret the sound.
• The “Ahh” – in a good way, always nice to hear, must be doing something right.
• The “Ahhh” – the face plant, not so good to hear. Come to think of it I have only ever heard a face plant, I have never actually seen one. This always happens just as I am looking the other way.
• 

  Uhh!

  The “Ahhhhhhhh” – this one happened in class today, it was a good thing!

• The “Mmmmm” this one I hear mostly as I do shoulder adjustments in Savasana.
• The cheer “yeah.” I love this one. There is a cheer leader in my morning class. She always cheers when we get to pigeon. So we always do pigeon when she is in class. See feedback works to feed this fragile ego

The physical

I have never found listening to the breath very helpful. Giving additional options works better for me. Making chataranga optional once the class gets going. If people are still doing chataranga I need to throw some harder stuff in.

Rest in downdog, if you want more, take dolphin, want more take one leg in the air, still want more, take both legs in the air.

The announcement

Nandi Yoga is where I will teach my new Saturday morning class

This morning I had to announce to the class I have been subbing off an on for nearly a year, that I will be stopping. I have been offered my own prime time Saturday morning slot at another studio. I am going to miss them, I think some of them might even miss me too. Can’t be sure though, because there was no groaning, “there’s no groaning in yoga.”

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand)

He felt that sharp twinge in his left shoulder again. “Too many chatarangas this week?” he thought to himself as he came out of Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand). “Perhaps I should teach a class where there are no chatarangas.” He immediately dismissed the thought. After so long, the Yogis that came to class would surely find it strange to be in a class with no flow.

He felt that twinge of pain in his shoulder again. “Too many chatarangas this week?” he thought to himself as he slid into Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose)

“Perhaps I should just teach it correctly” He immediately dismissed that thought too. It was only a week or so ago that they had focused on just that.

He felt that bite of pain in his left shoulder again. “Too many chatarangas this week?” he thought to himself as he threaded his way into Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II). “Perhaps I should just stop teaching for a week, let it recover.” He immediately dismissed the thought. He was subbing for someone else this week and for the foreseeable future. This double duty would be complicated to give up.

Is that Radiohead on the sound system? “This isn’t me, this isn’t happening.” How can I teach my 8 yoga classes this week if I am injured? Perhaps I should stop this crazy morning warm up routine.

There is only a short amount of time for me get warm for my 7:00am classes. By the time I get there, typically, 10 minutes is all I have to get warmed up and focused. I need something to get me there quickly and have got into the routine of warming up for my early morning classes like this:-

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) - Hold it for a good while; feel the stretch as the back begrudgingly agrees to participate.

Astavakrasana

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) – Now, with the hands on the ground I spring up into handstand, trying to get as upright in the handstand as possible. My preferred method of getting into handstand is to spring with both feet together rather than kick one leg up first. Now you might think handstand as the second pose on a morning is even crazier than getting up 6:00am to teach. Handstand, though, is great for clearing the mind and getting concentration, in fact any of the inverted balances are. It’s hard to think about anything else when you are balancing upside down. So I recommend handstand or some inversion before any class.

Astavakrasana Prep 2

Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose) – For this I start seated. Bend the leg and put it on my bent arm. First I lift my butt and both legs off of the floor, then leaning the body forward and pushing the legs sideways into the full pose. I check my posture and like the mandatory picture on any new yoga teacher’s class flier, I smile and try to make it look effortless for the man in the mirror.

Astavakrasana prep 3

Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II). From Eight Angle Pose uncross the feet, and bring the underneath leg back through the hands and extend it out behind you. The challenge in this transition is to get all the way back into the pose without putting either foot on the floor.

Still need more? Try coming back into Eight Angle Pose again without the feet touching the ground. This usually

Astavakrasana

has me rolling around on my back breathing very hard so I typically vinyasa at this point before tackling the other side.

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend) – Now it’s over to the wall for this wide legged fold. With no one to adjust me, I forward fold towards the wall and inch worm my back down the wall to get deeper into the pose. The wall is a great partner. Hands can go either on the floor or on the wall behind you.

This mild inversion should act as a little slow down after all those party poses. However it’s usually at this point the first Yogi steps into the studio. Circling upright, hot, still panting and red faced, I greet them. You can see the look of confusion on their face, “wow this guy is worn out just doing forward folds.”

I taught a later class this morning, 10:30am, so Yogis were already filtering in when I started to warm up. Even though it was a 2-3 class all that crazy balance stuff seemed inappropriate, even off-putting for people as they came into class.

Best keep my morning warm up a secret, along with my shoulder injury. Actually the shoulder was fine in class today. I think it was actually our recent office move and it just needed a day off. It will be headstands at the crack of dawn next week, as usual.

Shoot the Moon

“What is this morning’s theme going to be?” Dawn asked me as I was getting ready to sub John’s Saturday morning class. When I was subbing this class on a regular basis I would go all out. As if preparing for some small Broadway play I would pick the theme the week before, research appropriate music, even create a special set of intro music to tease the class into guessing. It was a busy week at work, no time to prepare. I looked down at my new Yoga shirt. “The moon” I replied and just as Andrew Lloyd Webber didn’t for Phantom of the Opera, I made the rest up as I went along. In doing so I found some interesting transitions to a couple of the harder half moon variations.

Half Moon

Not surprisingly there are lots of poses associated with the moon. It is Hatha Yoga after (Ha = sun, Tha = moon). Usually we start the class with sun salutations. Today it was moon salutations. They are very similar just a little gentler.

• From the forward fold step back into a low crescent moon lunge with the knee down.
• Reach the hands up and look up. Want more? Curl the back toes under and straighten the back leg by pushing the heel away. Try to keep the hips low.
• Step back down dog
• Step forward to forward fold and come all the way up to standing.

That is pretty much the sequence for my moon salutations. Variations include:- Twisted crescent lunge, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, binding this twist or even the arm balance Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II). Which means you can vary the class and make it possible to do the sequence for all levels.

During the standing sequences of course there was plenty of chance to throw in Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) half moon. First in the warm up, twisted half moon arrived at from standing splits, not an easy transition. Then bound half moon, arrived at from bound triangle. It was noticeable how much easier yogis found it to release the bottom hand and bring it to heart’s center when in bound half moon using this transition.

Twisted Triangle first then ...

A better sequence to get to twisted half moon, which we also did, is this, :-

• Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose/ Intense Stretch Pose )
• Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)
• Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose)

Revolved half moon is a real “crowd pleaser” of course because it is quite a challenging pose. But this way in, through revolved triangle results in far less groans from the participants. I usually take that as a good sign The difference in everyone’s pose is clear when we enter via triangle rather than standing splits too.

.. Twisted Half Moon is just a matter of lifting the back leg

Finally a balancing vinyasa which is a great doorway into the variation of half moon where you hold the back foot. There is a sanskrit name for this pose of course, and someone told me what it was this week too, but it escapes me now. Usually there is flailing around on one leg in half moon whilst trying to grab the back foot which insists on flapping inches from the outstretched fingers, not so with entrance. You might even call it graceful. Here is the balancing sequence.

• Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance pose)
• Forward fold to this variation of half moon holding the foot (insert your sanskrit of choice here, just hope the studio is not full of experts when you teach)
• Release the foot to half moon
• Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Pose)

Don’t be put off if everyone complains doing this sequence on the first side. This happened to me in class on Wednesday. But like the good drill sergeant I am we carried on and did the other side. Suddenly everyone could do it.

Maybe I should be planning next week’s Saturday class already, if I thought of the moon idea in advance I could have lined up music to match, maybe even made the intro tunes for the Norah Jones album. There is no excuse this week,I have plenty of time to make Andrew proud, alternatively I may just pull on a different tee shirt Saturday morning and see what happens.

Oldmooning at Venice Beach

Last week’s blog produced a record number of comments. It’s official, I have now amassed 3 readers. I have been on vacation this week, no yoga teaching at all. Like a the readers of this blog I have way too much spare time on my hands. I figured this would be a chance to catch up on my Yoga practice. No didn’t happen I seemed to get very little practice in. A belly Iyenga would be proud is all I have to show so far.

Time is now passing so fast on this vacation. Rather like a really good Yoga class, it starts slowly you savor every moment. At first you remember every pose, savor every minute as you get deeper and move towards the warm up.

My vacation warm up was helping my daughter move house, during the two hottest days LA has seen this so far this year. Rather like a vinyassa warm up there is no time to think, just do as you are told, keep it going, like a moving meditation.

Oldmooning at Venice Beach

After the warm up of course follows the stretching. The vacation equivalent, Yoga on the beach. In stark contrast to the kick boxers 20 yards away, we attempted the kind of graceful flowing poses you expect to see in a Yoga video filmed in Hawaii. I am sure they are all filmed in Hawaii.

Suddenly you glance up at the clock. “What only 15 minutes left. Surely it is not time to cool down already”. The class is nearly over, the vacation nearly over. Just enough time for a few of my favorite things. Well one actually motorcycle racing. MotoGP at Laguna Seca.

Been riding a motorcycle since I was 16 and I have heard several people liken riding a bike to meditation. A moving meditation clearly, and one where you have to totally keep your wits about you, oh and you can’t close your eyes. But hey in a helmet no one can hear you “OM”.

The end of the vacation though will be like a final savasana in my classes. Rather than imagine breath synchronized to an ocean wave, I can walk the beach and breath in time with the sea.

The sea

The vacation, like many Yoga classes, is just to short, but I am back with a vengeance next week teaching all my usual classes and subbing two additional ones. Should sort of that Iyenga belly in no time.

Neo

“You have nice butt” no it was not comment directed at me, but at one of the other students in class. As we sat there, if pigeon Eka Pada Rajakapotasana counts as sitting, in an interesting silence, they all look at me to comment. Usually quick with the mickey take or leg pull my reply is really PC. “No I am not going there” I said. Then one of my regular Yogi says “This sounds like a topic for your next blog.” It certainly could be but what direction should I take.

• A commentary on the things people say whilst in pigeon. You would be surprised. It’s a pose people like to vocalize in, for some reason.
• An exploration of appropriateness of comments, between Yogis and how much a teacher should get involved.

Like Neo in the Matrix, I am faced with a decision this morning. The blue pill says play it safe, stay in my current blog world, talk about the comments, and even cheers people express in pigeon. The red pill means potentially opening up Pandora’s box.

Of course there is yet another option. “Old Moon’s Guide to pigeon” but then that would ruin my Matrix analogy that I clearly worked so hard to seamlessly slide into this opening section. There was no yellow pill in The Matrix.

Down the rabbit hole we go

So rather than be pigeon holed (ouch sorry, I am on vacation its tiring), it’s down the rabbit hole we go, because well, “one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.”

In the office situation comments about one another’s body parts forbidden by law. “You have a nice butt” directed at a young intern from the boss would cause the skies tn implode I am sure. What about the Yoga studio though? I don’t go around telling people they have a nice butt, but I tell people they look beautiful, in poses, all the time. Some how that is ok.

So a little quiz, What kind of Yogi are you?

Q1 Your in a Yoga class, really enjoying the class. Kim a young attractive yogi behind remarks so the whole class can hear. “You have a nice butt”. Do you

1. Try to look embarrassed, but quietly enjoy the complement
2. Complement back
3. Check your alignment in the mirror

Q2. Your in a Yoga class, really enjoying the class. Jamie, the middle aged but pretty flexible yogi, behind remarks so the whole class can hear. “You have a nice butt”. Do you

1. Try to look embarrassed, whist checking their alignment in the mirror
2. Turn the other cheek (Still tired )
3. Desperately try to think of that witty thing that will only come to you minutes after class

Q3. Your in a Yoga class, really enjoying the class. Lesley, a little out of shape and pretty new to yoga gasps between breaths “You have a nice butt”. Do you

1. Turn red look embarrassed and try to shrink from view
2. Return the complement.
3. Reach for your cell phone and a lawyer’s number

Go ahead, make my day

Now imagine you are a member of the opposite sex and take the test again.

Now imagine they are the opposite gender to whatever you assumed they were.

The scenarios are endless. What if the comment was expressed with sarcasm. What if the comment was about other body parts? What if there is ulterior motive, beyond a simple complement? What if this happens repeatedly the “advances”, appreciated or not, don’t really need to be shared with the whole class.

Now imagine you are the teacher.

Is there one rule for the teacher and another for the class too? Clearly. Students come and go as they please. The teacher is the leader of the class and the person the class looks to to set the tone and atmosphere.

I encourage my classes to talk, to interact, I like the feedback. The teacher cannot get involved though, even if it appears light hearted and said in fun. “I’m not going there” Was my only comment as the rest of the class starts to join in the fun. Harder still, how does one control such a situation if it starts to get out of hand. I have no idea, butt (very tired) will be sure to let you know if it happens.

James, my son, in pigeon, no comments on the butt please

Why did this come up at all? I was teaching pigeon and, as usual trying to make sure everyone had something under their floating hip. Something to release into. So maybe this blog should have been “old moon’s guide to pigeon.” There is always next week.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. With the exception of Neo of course.

No Warriors in this class

“No Warriors” was her reply. Occasionally I like to start a class by finding everyone’s favorite pose and then build a class incorporating them all. “wow that’s clever” I hear my reader saying to themselves, or may be it’s “that’s lazy why doesn’t he plan the class ahead of time.” Building a class around people’s favorite poses has lots of advantages.

As everyone arrives and gets settled I greet them and ask them their favorite pose. Not challenged enough just trying to put a name to each face, something I am really bad at, I like to compound the problem by adding a favorite pose to each Yogi too. Like bad variety act stage show, I “work the crowd” accumulating names and poses as I go down the line.

If I can’t remember names why make the problem worse by adding poses too? It turns out that it actually makes it easier to remember people’s names. The stage performer does something very similar when “working” his crowd. It is a well known trick for remembering a list of items of course, to associate a picture with each object you are trying to remember.

30 names and poses to remember!

There are other advantages too. I get to say more than hi to everyone in the class. I get to learn what people like, and more often than not, what they don’t like. These are both great pieces of information to have. People usually don’t like the poses they most need. Poses they like are usually ones they have been working on or are trying to perfect, or poses that just make them feel good.

Asking everyone hopefully makes it seems like a class more tailored to them, rather than something pre-canned class and driven from a cheat sheet, with no consideration for the Yogis who turn up. After all they have no idea that all the classes we teach are modified to suit the group.

Indirectly I learn whether people think in terms of Sanskrit or English for the pose names. Also hidden in there are clues to what they like about the class.

So hopefully everyone feels wanted, unless of course I forget to do one of the favorite requests:) It turns out it is not that hard to teach a class this way. Most request are for popular poses that one of my regular sequences would bring out anyway. If someone comes up with something unusual – “I want to do compass pose today” she announced as she was setting up her mat. Good job she did not use the sanskrit to describe that pose, I have no idea what it is – It is easy to remember the one that stands out, you can even build a sequence that leads to it.

I have tried this on groups as large as 20+ it still works. Many people have the same favorites. The fun starts when one person asks for a pose, and another asks not to do that pose. For some reason when you ask people for any special request they are just as likely to tell you what they don’t want. There is probably some deep psychological meaning here. “I am replying with what I don’t like it because my subconscious thinks my body needs it.” or “I come to this class for the torture, I might as well go all in.” Yes this is why I did not take up psychiatry.

Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana (Compass Pose)

So just remember, be careful what you ask for. “What is your favorite pose? “ and not “Any special requests today?” Unless you want the challenge of teaching class with “No warriors” but with Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana thrown in there somewhere.

Keeping an eye on the bookends

They were both new to my class, they came together, both relatively new to Yoga. I think mine was their first venture beyond beginner classes. No problem, I will keep my eye on them and give extra assistance and options. For some reason they take up positions at either end of the studio. They could not have been further apart, unless I opened the back door and let one practice in the car park. Like two bookends they are positioned as far from me as possible. So doing my best Marty Feldman impersonation we begin class.

I love to have new people in class, of course, and try to make the class as “all levels” as possible but a little “remote teaching” was needed here. This should be a doddle (sorry, I think it’s an English expression) as earlier this week I was able to share some yoga moves with someone as far away as the east coast.

Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose) or more specifically Vrschikasana (Scorpion Pose). Vrschikasana a pose almost as hard to do as it is to pronounce, is very similar to pincha – you just let your legs drop over until your feet are on your head. Yeh right! After extensive research (a Google search), I have determined that this pose is only possible if you are young (I fail), slim (I fail), and female (mmm don’t even know how to qualify). If you don’t possess these three key attributes, join us mortals for which scorpion is pincha with back arched, the knees bent, and the feet waving around like divining rods in search of underground water.

The secret to success with both of these poses, like all balances, is getting a stable base. Once you have that stable base you can begin to learn the secrets of the balance and acquire the muscle memory necessary to stay in the balance. As we are on our arms in this pose, the arm position is critically important. The traditional position for the arms is in line with the shoulders and parallel to each other. The correct position, though, is the one let’s you balance upside down, after all you probably won’t have your feet on your head either.

When I was learning, we were shown a couple of positions designed to get those arms in the traditional parallel position. A block between the hands, palms up. A block between the hands with the hands flat and thumbs wrapping the block. Both of these get the shoulder parallel but do nothing to help stabilize the balance. A year or so ago a teacher showed me the following arm position. It feels a little odd at first, but it ready does help stabilize things

Old Moon Yoga’s guide to Pincha Mayurasana and Vrschikasana

• Start with the arms out in front parallel like usual.
  

  Arms parallel

• Then turn the hands over so they are facing up, still parallel.
  

  Turn palms up first

• Now turn the hands over so that the thumb and forefinger meet. The wrists can be a little bit raised. It feels a little weird, you can even take your elbows a little wider too (not too much though)
  

  Turn hand over, thumb and fore finger touch

• This should give you a much more stable base when you kick up. It is very similar to clasping the hands together but allows you to spread the hands for control over the stability.

My remote Yogi said this helped her. Mind you, I also learned she was able to walk her feet down the wall to her head for scorpion. Clearly she possesses those 3 attributes blocking me from a perfect scorpion

Coincidentally I came across this video from a Yoga teacher and friend of mine, Cora Wen. She demonstrates how to use the wall and a chair to improve your scorpion. http://www.youtube.com/user/CoraYoga#p/a/u/1/YnLMkPelHP4

YouTube, another form of remote teaching for yoga. Makes my two bookends challenge seem like a walk in the park.