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Day 9 Guruji and Abhijata

Tamara Hockey

Updated: Jan 20

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Started class thoroughly disgruntled after arriving 45 minutes early and still losing my space at the last second. Ended up sharing a mat that had seen better days right at the back window. The demand for absolute concentration began from the second the class began. Don’t sit down sit UP as if you are sitting on thorns you don’t want to sit down heavy, instead stretch UP. Is your skin of the shoulder blade in contact with the bone? If no then you are disconnected. The prana is the force you employ  to connect psycho and soma – mind and body. It was absolutely insisted we maintain this connection, even the invocation was interrupted “Is the skin of the shoulder blade touching?” Not casually MAXIMUM. This is my favourite expression that is peppered throughout the class whenever a half-hearted effort is detected (imagine shouted with full Indian accent to get the complete effect).

Jenny was positioned close to Guruji and Abhijata today and was able to observe at close quarters how the teaching is relayed. At times as Abhijata is teaching, Guruji is leading her through the pose too, so she can feel first hand the teaching points she is relaying.

An interesting development for me today, as of next week I will be attending the medical class as a student to learn how to work with my Type 1 Diabetes and Coeliac’s Disease. It all came about as a bit of a fortunate misunderstanding! I hadn’t even realised this was a possibility and was actually making an enquiry about assisting with the medical class as a teacher. Anyway a wonderful opportunity for me to learn how best to work and it will be my one-a-day chosen class for Mondays and Thursdays so I won’t have to miss Guruji / Abhi or Geetaji pranayama. I can’t say I’ll miss the 6am starts either.

Early morning sweeping of the park!

Sweeping the Park in the early morning sun.


Day 9 Guruji and Abhijata

X legs – Don’t sit down sit UP as if you are sitting on thorns you don’t want to sit down heavy, instead stretch UP. Is your skin of the shoulder blade in contact with the bone? If no then you are disconnected. The prana is the force you employ to connect psycho and soma – mind and body. It was absolutely insisted we maintain this connection, even the prayers were stopped “Is the skin of the shoulder blade touching?” Not casually MAXIMUM

Demonstration of position of the foot bone – opposite inner arch and between outer heel and outer toe base.

Ardha Chandrasana –

Pushing down firmly the foot bone

We worked from uttansana because here the buttock was in correct position (buttock bone in / forward) and we had to keep it there and not let it graduate backwards as we raised the leg. We moved the hand further forwards to do this and then he had us raise the leg from the arm, feel the (inner upper) arm more than the leg.

Tadasana – Positioning of centre groin in the CENTRE. Thigh bones back, shoulder blades in contact. Quick way to get thigh bones back? Roll the outer edges of the pelvis IN.

Prasarita Paddotonasana – back hip socket down demonstrated on stage and roll the groins in to go down. We had to go wider to get back hip socket to go down. Press the outer foot bone, roll groins IN, back hip socket down.

Uttanasana feet apart – Fingers on the hip sockets to go down, don’t let back hip socket come up as you descend down.  Back hip socket down, inner knees hit OUT. We were instructed to bend the knees a little take the outer hip socket down and straighten the legs maintaining the position.

Sirsasana (Periods Baddha Konasana seated) – demonstrated on stage –           1. Circularisation of the groins (inner groins back centre groin in the centre) 2. Levelisation of pelvis – keep back pelvis lifted. We were bought down from Sirsasana to measure the length of the front groin (outer side of front pelvic). We had to find this same length in sirsasana. Many people found they were taking the legs forward to get the lift of the back pelvis, so it was suggested we do this to get the action, but then make sure we brought the legs vertical after.

Baddha Konasana – Lift the buttocks bones up of the floor open from the groin. Maintain the concavity in the back hip socket.  Make the back groin land first. Hold the feet and bring the skin to the shoulder blade. When you catch the feet don’t fall forwards, continue to lift the front groin up and keep the inner groin down. Don’t sink onto the outer bone allowing the inner groin to withdraw upwards.

Upavista Konasana –Press down the hands to lift up the buttock bones (not the thighs). You have a front and a back groin yes? The back groin press to the floor, the front groin lift up. As you lower yourself down, take the back groin to the floor first, so that the front groin stays lifted.

Parsva Upavista Konasana – Keep equal weight on the buttocks, turn the waist not just the chest.

Trianga Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottonasana – Maintain an upavista intelligence in the inner arch as you extend forward. Keep head and brain there, eyes looking at floor not at foot. Centre shoulder blade cut in. Move forwards from the side ribs and keep head and brain where they are.

Janu Sirsasana – As above with the required rotation of the ribs and talked also about the length of the abdominal viscera.

Mari 1 - Fwd Bend – Press into balls of the toes of bent leg. As above

Ardha Baddha Paschimottonasana – As above

Paschimottonasana – As above

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Connection of the back armpit to inner groin. Lift the toes and pound the heel, top thigh back NOT CASUALLY, MAXIMUM (Shorten stride where necessary to get this).

Sarvangasana (brick setu bandha menstruation) No belts, No halasana. Pelvic alignment.

Uttansana, entwine the elbows, eyes closed. Come up with the chin down and the eyes closed.








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