Old Moon Yoga

A special prop

The final week came faster than anticipated. It was a bit like waiting for Christmas. It seems so far away for so long. Then suddenly, it’s upon you and before you know it, it’s over. It is over now, no I am not talking about Christmas. Devi Yoga has seen it’s last class.

I taught both my classes this final week. Technically I was just a sub for one of the classes but I have probably taught it 80% of  time this year so the yogis tended to think of it as my class. What should I do for these final classes? I had promised, on Facebook, something special for the final class.

With my usual massive forward planning, I arrived at the studio on Tuesday evening with an idea starting to form in my mind. “Tuesday is the 2-3 class so let’s go out with a bang, not a whimper.” After all it’s not like they won’t come back next week Of course, as will all the best thought out plans, something went wrong. A good friend and colleague from my teaching training turned up. She was just getting into Yoga a couple of years ago and her practice then was not at the level of the folks in this class.

“Hi Clive, this will be my first Vinyasa class ever” She announced as we shook hands. Yikes! Pressure, should I teach as planned and potentially put a student off of vinyasa for life? Remembering back to those teacher training days a voice in my head said “Teach your class not someone else’s” Good advice, of course there were other voice saying “plan ahead”, “Start with three oms”, “don’t make fun of people” …  etc

I plow ahead as planned. We do some of the more unusual poses like Warrior IV and “Tea with the Queen.” It feels like a good class to me, but it is always so hard to tell. After class the yogis all clap, loudly, for a long time. That was really nice, really appreciated. It is cool being a teacher sometimes  My colleague told me afterwards she felt super relaxed and enjoyed the class.

Wednesday’s class was my last one. The class that I have started from scratch. We took the freestyle rug and brought grapes and berries to eat after class. We lit the room with candles.

Tea with the Queen

For this class my master plan struck part way through the day. I would teach a pose that had only ever been taught once before. It had only ever been taught at Devi, by me, last February. A special pose I created for Valentines day. First I had to get everyone a rose. This pose needs this special prop. This rose sits at the end of your mat for most of the class. So the scent of roses wafts around and intensifies with each sun salutation. It also means that everyone leaves with a little gift, a rose. Something to remember Devi and this last class by.

We are part way though the class when someone announces “OMG it’s 8:45pm already.” Now usually people are a little more subtle when glancing at the clock. And usually the comments, under the breath, are more like “OMG is it only 8:45pm”. But tonight was special. “Can we go until 10:00pm instead” Ordinarily a Yoga teacher might be feeling pretty good at this point, ego building comments always welcome. It is my wife Dawn who is doing all the talking though, and the other Yogis shoot me a terrified glance that says “please NO”.

After savasana we say the final Namaste with a bow. 5 yogis remain face down on the floor, not wanting to come back up to a seated position. I leave them there, and the class in silence for what seems like 10 minutes, but is probably closer to 2. It is like no one wants it to end. When you come back up to seated it is all over.

Eventually I suggest we take advantage of the supper in front of us to conclude this final class.

Devi Yoga

Devi was a smelly old building with a leaky roof, noisy heaters and floor boards that were giving way. It was sandwiched between a dry cleaners and a pizza shop. The parking was awful. The guy in the apartment over the pizza place knew just when to turn his music up for maximum effect on savasana. Devi was more than bricks and mortar though. Devi was a community, a people and an energy and it changed lives. Devi and the people who went there have been so much a part of my life for so long. It would not be an exaggeration to say it had changed my life, in more ways than one. I don’t think I will ever forget Devi Yoga, or the silence that followed my final class.

Lululemon

I had never taught in a shop before and had no idea what to expect. To be honest I thought it sounded a little weird. Beside, what if they are all new to yoga? What if the mix of levels is just too broad? What if no one turned up? Would there be a sound system? These were just a few of my thoughts after volunteering to teach a class at Lululemon on Sunday morning. It was like preparing to teach for the first time again. Out of my, unrealized, comfort zone of the yoga studio it was all unexplored territory.

The store

When I arrived it all becomes a little clearer.  Lululemon gets a great turn out for their morning classes. 19 yogis were in class this morning and the manager was disappointed with the turnout. It worked for me, that was the biggest class I have taught in a while. The price is right at Lululemon of course which helps but they were great Yogis. The abilities of the class meant that one of my 2-1 classes was a great fit.

Store with Yogis

There were only two complications with class. There was no clock. No big deal perhaps except that I was teaching another class 15 minutes after this one back at Nandi. That’s about a 15 minute drive. The manager had showed me how to work the till’s computer to get the time. Some how walking back behind the register and pressing buttons did not seem like such a great move. What if, during Savasana, I accidentally cause the till door to fly open ringing out its familiar tune.  Luckily my current play list de jour is  exactly 75 minutes long, so I let that be my guide.

Nice Logo Lululemon

When we were done the staff provided fresh fruit for us to eat. Wonderful, just what I needed before my next class. Collapsing in a faint in front of a class for of beginner Yogis is not that impressive either.

I really enjoyed teaching at Lululemon this morning. It is a wpnderful way to bring Yoga to so many people, and at a great price. Well done Lululemon.

There was a final surprise for me too. I got paid. Any item in the store (up to a certain limit of course), cool, you can never have enough tee shirts. So Lululemon is pretty good for teachers too. A Lululemon tee shirt cost more than I usual make teaching a class, I hope they invite me back some time soon.

Thank you Lululemon.

Ok not trying this is class any time soon

Two more classes and then it will be over. As I closed the doors on the studio at the end of my Wednesday evening class I looked back into the empty studio. For me, like so many others, there were a lot of memories locked up in this place.

My first real yoga class was taken at Devi. Up until that point I have only practiced Yoga at sport centers. Its just not the same. I had taught my first sun salutation, a cameo to someone else’s class. I found my teaching feet, my style here and made a lot of friends in the process. The Saturday morning class was as much a social event as it was a Yoga class.

Devi, the only Yoga studio serving Menlo Park, is closing it’s doors. In stark contrast, the other studio I teach at, Nandi, is growing in leaps and bounds.
Last Saturday, while Devi wheezed a few last breaths with a couple Saturday morning classes, Nandi filled it’s 3 studios with a variety of Yoga initiatives. Regular classes were supplemented with a teacher training course, a very popular pre-natal Yoga class and a two day workshop on adjustments and assists. The Saturday evening topped off with my newly renamed “Freestyle Yoga” session. The less intimidating name apparently enough to coax a few more people out of the woodwork.

With all this activity, last weekend became a total Yoga immersion weekend for me. The assists workshop lead by Giselle and supported by Linda was inspired and inspiring. This is the first workshop I have attended since the ill fated Andre Lappa sessions. In stark contrast, rather than watching the clock and rushing out for a stiff drink afterwards, this workshop flew by way too fast leaving us wanting more, more yoga not alcohol.

Nor this one

mmm nope nor this one

Seven hours learning the Jiva Mukti approach to adjustments was spread over two days and we barely scratched the surface. The style looks, and is, very intimate and has been likened to “Yoga dating”. For a male Yoga teacher living in a place where there are more lawyers per square mile than anywhere else in the world, this approach does have it’s draw backs. In the first session, Saturday, I am the only man in a room of about 30 yoga teachers. The other students and teachers were very helpful and I got some great feedback. Details like hand placement on the rib cage. There is a lot of holding the rib cage in these adjustments. Details like how to use the hand. Fingers spread or closed (GI Joe style) or palms only, which feels more professional?

So armed with my new skills I set out to take this weeks classes by storm. Tuesday’s class is a wipe out. Working with other teachers who know that you are about to grab them firmly around the rib cage is one thing. In the heat of teaching it is less straightforward. Like a new driver who has just passed his test, I want to try it solo but feel intimidated. One false move and its all over.

By Wednesday I was feeling a little braver and tried a few assists on a Yogis I knew very well. The class is more distracted by the news that Devi is closing. I also have to deliver the news that we only have two more classes to go. Someone was crying so much we had to delay the start of class. A first for me in my teaching career, usually people don’t cry until half way though

Devi Yoga Empty

For the last class we will do something special. Go out with a bang.

For Devi it is all over. No more Devi. No more Yoga in Menlo Park. It is hard to contemplate. As long as I can remember there has been Yoga on El Camino, opposite Borones.

There is a lot of emotion flowing at the moment, anger, disappointment and longing.

My father has a saying. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I was never really sure what that meant, I guess we will see in the New Year.

Uttihita Parsvakonasana

Turkey week so I must have had a bird theme going on this week right? Well no actually. I am not sure how but I seem to have been blissfully unaware of the event. Actually themes in general seem to have waned a little from my classes in recent months.

It was my son James, who is also a yoga instructor, who reminded me it was something I did last year. He had been teaching bird poses this week.

So while the rest of the US has been planning and stressing over Thanksgiving dinner and black Friday, what’s been on my mind? Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) and it’s many variations. I have been teaching variations of this pose all week.

So here we go with

Old Moon Yoga’s Guide to Uttihita Parsvakonasana

• 

  Hip is too high

  This pose starts with the feet and hips in a similar position to Warrior II. Back foot (left) about 45% with weight in the outside edge. Open the hips to the wide side of the mat.

• Make sure the front knee is not caving in (Pronating if you want to get technical). This can happen when the hips are tight. Check if you can see your big toe past your knee, if you can all is well.
• Now reach forward with right arm and body. Bring the right elbow to the knee. The left arm comes around in front. Now look out under the left arm, up at the ceiling. Feel the chest open towards the ceiling here.
• Some people like to put the right hand to the floor at this point. That’s ok if it improves the pose. Traditionally the arm goes behind the knee. However it is more effective, while working on opening the hip, to bring it in front of the knee. Either way you are looking for one straight line from the outside edge of the back foot, up through the body and on through the outstretched arm.
• Rinse and repeat on the other side of course.
• 

  Looking for a straight line with the leg and body

  This is the basic pose. There are lots of options from here though.

The adjustment
Often, as an instructor, you will the see a hip pop up in this pose. Making more of a dog leg shape rather than a clean line. One obvious adjustment is to rest the hand on a hip that is too high up.

A nice adjustment for stretch on an aligned pose is this. Take hold of the upper, outstretched wrist. Have the yogi lift their back heel off of the floor. Now holding the wrist firmly have them reach the heel slowly back towards the ground.

More quad and ab work
Raise both hands up parallel to each other. Still opening the chest towards the ceiling.

A less intense version is to bend the lower arm and place the hand on the abs. This is a nice position to monitor the breath.

The twist
Similar to the twist in crescent lunge you can take the upper outstretched arm to the knee bringing the hands in prayer position at the heart. With the outside edge of the back foot still on the ground this pose is considerably harder as a twist than the crescent lunge version.

The bind
If flexibility allows, from the standard pose, take the lower arm under the bent knee and the upper arm behind the back. Binding with the fingers or even hand to wrist. Open the chest to the ceiling and look up. This variation causes many yogis to loose their straight line. The hip pops up. Look back at your hip and leg to see if you still have the straight line.

The balance

Lean back and hold the foot.

From the standard position take the lower arm under the knee and place the hand on the floor next to the foot. Now lean back on that arm until the front foot comes of off the ground. You can even hold that foot with your free hand. Some people are able to take the hand and foot over head for what becomes a Vasisthana variation.

So what about Turkey day and bird poses. I was saved by my son’s comments which brought me back to the real world. For

Not with my bad shoulder

my “Friday after thanksgiving” class we did bird poses. I even managed to teach Kapinjalasana (The bird that feeds on raindrops) without embarrassing myself. Which was surprising as I could not balance in the pose at all when practicing earlier in the day. Why are some poses easier to teach than do?
Sounds like a question for another blog.

Air

“I loved that play list can you make a copy for me please?” a fellow teacher asks after one of my classes. I have been using the same play lists for a while now. There are about 7 of them that I use regularly. I started putting together specific play list when I was subbing the big Saturday morning class at Devi over a year ago. I get lots of comments on them and, more than once, a fellow teacher asked me for a copy because they found it hard to put play list together themselves. I guess they think it’s easy for me

This week I introduced a new play list to my collection. If you are a friend on Facebook you will know that I agonize for weeks over the play lists for Samaagama. The good news is that after all this effort class play lists are relatively easy to develop.

It is not a slam dunk of course because in Samaagama the music is for another purpose. It makes no attempt to slow down until the last 15 minutes. I have attended Yoga classes where the music just feels like random collection of pieces that bear no relation to the class or the current pose. At points even jarring completely, imagine closing your eyes and relaxing in savasana to the strains of Led Zeplin’s whole lotta love. If the music does not support or enhance the mood then why play it at all? In these situations I find myself distracted by the music rather than feel it deepening my experience.

The basic structure of my play list is always the same, because I like teaching my classes in three sections.

1. The warm up
2. The stretch and focus on specific poses
3. The cool down

Billy Idol

In section one the music gradually increases in volume and tempo. e.g. in the latest play list we go from Air to Billy Idol. If you want to burst into song or dance in one of my classes this is the time to do it Then one slower track to finish the warm up. This usually coincides with a deep forward fold and pause in Samasthiti – Equal standing pose to refocus the mind and breath.

The second section is slower and usually without much singing or at least discernible words. I deliberately try to make the transition abrupt and obvious from section 1 to section 2. The idea is for the music, as well as my constant blabbering, to guide the mood and feeling from fast warm up to slow intense stretching.

For the third section the transitions are slower and more subtle. The idea is that people are in the final twist or savasana before they even realize the music has changed to suit this new mood.

Kill Bill

There has to be a 75 minute and a 90 minute version of the play list of course. In my most recent play list I made the warm up a little longer for the 90 minute variation. All of my 90 minute classes are 2-3 level so this works out well.

Finally you have to plan for overrun and finishing early. Overrun is obvious, in fact I hardly ever finish a class on time There is some great music out there to maintain the savasana mood that little bit longer. Finishing early typically happens to me at my Saturday morning class. It is a large class so we start a few minutes late waiting for everyone to be ready. There is a class after mine, so I need to finished approximately on time. The net of all of this means making sure there is enough savansana like music towards the end of the play list.

So now nothing can go wrong:) Well almost. So many times I have started a 90 minute class with a 75 minute play list. When this happens I have to sneak back to the music system and try to switch it without anyone missing a beat. In December I am teaching a 60 minute slot at Lulu Lemon. I will have to create a specific play list for this.

The play list themselves have themes. I have one that is all voices. Another that has a classical theme. One that uses a lot of love themes. I put that one together for last Valentines day. In my latest play list I found many themes from movies that worked really well in the stretching section. So this ended up being my sound track play list.

It has been fun using this play list this week. Seeing if people can spot the films. Ok it does potentially contradict my early statement about the music detracting from the Yoga, but if the mood is maintained it passes my sniff tests. It is certainly interesting to see how many people are listening. Perhaps it is the familiar tune that awakens the awareness to the music. Someone noticed a theme from a TV series that I did not even realize was a sound track.

Brian Ferry

There is another track that is sung in Japanese (I think) I have no idea what the girl is singing but is sounds beautiful. Someone in my morning class knew a little Japanese. All of the words he could pick out suggests it was a love song. If his grasp of Japanese does not include swear words I could still find myself in trouble in a future class

Of course the biggest challenge when rolling out a new play list is the choreography. Do I have all of the right highs and lows occurring at the best times? The whole idea is to have the music supplement the mood not destroy it.

Ultimately it all adds up to some nice interaction with the class.

Can you make me a copy of that play list?” sure I can, but it might not work for your class, your style, your class mood. Sure you can have the play list if you just want some tunes.