Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Cleansing

This morning was a fun class, even though we were missing a few folks. It feels like forever since last weeks classes, I think due in part to the “journey” that Pancha Karma was for me and really continues to be. Many folks in town are doing a spring cleanse and it is always so interesting how we think that we are cleansing our physical system, and yet what is really being revealed, stirred up, and ultimately cleansed, are the deeply rooted beliefs of the mind. So when we start feel discomfort in the process we often chalk it up to the detox instead of the actual unhinging of the minds attachments to different faucets of identity.

My PK experience all in all was wonderful. That is not to say that it was not at times very uncomfortable, and in some particulars, continues to be, but really it was the best cleanse and rejuvenation ever. I feel so good, so like myself, in my best form. I would love to do Pancha Karma twice a year. Love it. Just for all the oil alone. Totally worth it. And the Ghee. Don’t forget the ghee.

Class this week is focusing on an off shoot of muscle energy, shins in, thighs out. Which will actually segway us smoothly into 3rd principle, inner spiral. I am trying to be more fluid in the way that I teach the principles than I have in the past. We shall see how it goes. The Yama for the week is Asteya, or non-stealing (also non-coveting). Today I focused primarily on how this is an invitation to look for the good in our own practice and really celebrate the ability and achievements of other in theirs. Like always it comes back to the mind. Can we aspire to discipline the mind to not perpetually want what we do not have, it is like the seduction of duality. “They can do that, they must be better than me, if I can do that or be them or whatever, maybe I will be more worthy too.” And on and on. Why not just for a minute, or better yet the 90 minutes of your yoga class, just consider that we hold each other up. That the most accomplished person offers just as much as the newest person in the class. We commit to riding the energy together, being inspired by one another and cultivating compassion along the way. We learn to feel full in the moment and then we stop wanting what we do not have. Even for a minute, that is pretty great.

Tuesday Morning Sequence

  • 3 Surya Namaskar
  • Virabhadrasana 1
  • Vira 2 to Parvakonasana
  • Trikonasana
  • Parivritta Trikonasana
  • Uttkatasna (with a block)
  • Ardha Chandrasana
  • Pigeon prep
  • Dhanurasana 2x
  • Setubandha 2x (with a block)
  • Ustrasana 2x (again with a block b/t the shins)
  • Anjaneyasana
  • Baddha Konasana
  • Ardha Matseyandrasana
  • Janu Sirsasana
  • Pascimottanasana
  • Savasana

Namaste!

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