

A combination of jet lag and a ridiculously late night last night, meant that I awoke with my alarm clock feeling a sense of nauseating grogginess that stayed with me for most of the day. Practice in the morning and then a reluctant trip to Dorabjees to get the ingredients we would need to provide our cook Sushila with, if we want to eat healthily while we're here. It's not possible to buy things like brown rice or almond milk locally, but just about anything can be got from Dorabjees, a fume-filled, chaotic rickshaw ride across town. With our pollution masks on, we looked more like we were going to rob a bank than go shopping!
All stocked up now though on lots of healthy organic goodies. Jenny decided to forgo class in favour of a restorative practice at the apartment, but I decided to brave class even though I was feeling pretty horrendous. It was once again Rajalaxmi (sequence below) who tends to be a little easier than the other teachers, so a nice gentle easing in before the women's class tomorrow. I've absolutely no idea who is going to take it, but have fingers crossed for Abhi. I felt a million times better after class and strongly suspect I'll be back on track tomorrow, jet lag wise.
Tuesday 2nd January Rajalaxmi 6-7.30pm
Swastikasana invocation
AMVirasana AMSvanasana
Go to platform with hands raised do hybrid between half uttanasana and AMSvanasana. We used this method to increase the opening of the frontal armpit and the length of the side trunk by moving pelvic heads and thighs backwards. She demonstrated on someone how they were pushing the ribcage down but leaving the shoulders untouched. She took a rope to their bottom ribs so that it was impossible for them to collapse there and then made them work very hard to press the shoulders downward.
Repeat platform AMS resisting the bottom ribs upward and pressing the shoulders only downward. Alternating with AMS on the mat with bricks under the palms.
Uttanasana –Tadasana- Urdhva Hastasana- Reach arms out to sides and coil back armpit forward, resisting bottom rib backward – Urdhva Hastasana maintaining the action – Urdhva Namaskarasana
AMS jump to UTT - Urdhva Hastasana – Tadasana
Jumping UH – Utkat – Uttan – AMS – UMS- Chaturanga Dandasana – UMS – AMS – Uttan- UH – Tadasana X 3
Parsva Utthita Hasta Padasana turn arm so that palm faces towards back leg so that when you go into Trikonasana (brick for hand) you maintain 1) Length of side waist 2) Shoulder rotating backwards 3) Right shoulder blade pressing forwards to keep right breast forwards and not disappearing back into the armpit. As we were going down:
Each individual rib should get an extension as you go down”
“Ribs refuse to go down as you go down”
“Ribs into you as you go down”
“Armpit move forward, shoulder move back”.
Vira 2 Keep left thigh resisting backward so that pelvis faces forward and dig in the left hip socket to bend the knee. Showed on student how you have to make that indent in the left hip by taking left thigh back and then sucking right left hip in and then bending the leg from that indent.
Parsvak Same instructions as above in Vira 2 then down into parsvak, turning the palm backward to keep the shoulder rolling away from the neck and shoulder blade pressed forward to keep the bottom armpit chest from disappearing. We were told not to take that head back – this instruction is meant for beginners and we were overdoing – head should stay in line with the bent leg knee. Brick behind and brick in front to move back ribs to the front ribs.
Parsvak to Ardha Chandrasana repeating same instructions for shoulder and lower bottom ribs.
AMS jump to Uttanasana lift right leg up in line with hip Vira 3 fingertips on floor and then trick your body by becoming light on the fingertips, lifting them up and putting them down a few times before bringing them up into full Vira 3 This method really helped you to find the balance and weight distribution.
Uttanasana feet apart abdomen moves towards spine.
Dandasana feet apart UH Dandasana getting that lift and length in side trunk upward, then dig the tailbone IN to you so that you extend the bottom rib forward without breaking that extension to make a hump as you reach the arms forward. Reaching forward from the tailbone to go down to Paschimottonasana.
Sirsasana and Eka Pada Sirsasana She demonstrated how you have to fully ground the lower wrist by extending the little finger side of the forearm and slightly flaring the bottom wrist outward whilst rolling the top wrist inward towards the skull. Bottom ribs backwards and outwards simultaneously tailbone forwards.
Chatushpadasana on sarvangasana supports. Bring armpit forwards, coiling action of the back armpit. Head of the shin towards the head side.
Sarvangasana and eka pada sarvangasana digging the tailbone in to control the pelvic rim as the leg goes down, pubic bone should not dip back.
A few moments lying quietly before malasana heels on edge of shoulderstand support into uttanasana to finish.