Old Moon Yoga

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.