(Welcome to this online intro series. By the end of this series you will feel much more familiar with yoga - its origin and how it presents in the modern world today, along with a familiarity of yoga practices - including yogic breathing, common yoga poses, relaxation and pratyhara (withdrawal of the senses and turning attention inward - the essence of meditation). With this greater familiarity of yoga, you will have a good foundation to begin your yoga journey. It is by no means an end, but instead, an excellent starting platform. Before we get into the nitty gritty of the practice please read through the pdfs below. They will set up a foundation of understanding from which we can move forward together. Of course if you have any questions, just contact me at ....
1. THE ORIGIN OF YOGA
| Origin Of Yoga |
2. YOGA TIPS AND ETIQUETTE
| Tips And Etiquette |
3. WHAT TO EXPECT IN A YOGA CLASS
| What To Expect |
4. POPULAR STYLES OF YOGA
| Yoga Styles |
5. COMMON SANSKRIT TERMINOLOGY
Listen to the pronunciation of these common Sanskrit terms:
Asana; Pranayama; Savasana; Drishti; Surya Namaskar; Bandha; Mudra; Chakra; Mantra.
Asana; Pranayama; Savasana; Drishti; Surya Namaskar; Bandha; Mudra; Chakra; Mantra.
| Sanskrit Translations |
6. PROPS
Props are pieces of equipment used in yoga to aid or enhance practice. They are often used to provide support to the body for greater comfort in poses; greater stability in balance poses; accessibility in poses where flexibility is restricted; to 'shape' the body in poses; and to assist with body alignment in poses. Some commonly used props include:
Yoga mat; Bolster; Blocks; Blankets; Cushions; Chair; Sandbag; Eye Pillow
Yoga mat; Bolster; Blocks; Blankets; Cushions; Chair; Sandbag; Eye Pillow
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N.b Returning yoga props diligently after class is an extension of practice. |
7. ANATOMICAL REFERENCE POINTS
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There are several anatomical points of reference often used during a yoga class. These include:
Crown Sternum Heart Space Floating Ribs Solar Plexus space Front Hip points Back hip points Sit bones Dorsi Flexion “Dorsi flex your feet” Midline (of your body and your mat!) |
8. PRANAYAMA & THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATH
| Breathing In Yoga |
In this series we will practice diaphragmatic breathing and full diaphramatic breathing in a laying, seated and standing position, and apply a count on which to regulate the breath.
9. RELAXATION
Learning to relax. Practising relaxation aids in releasing tension from the body, mind and emotions. Nothing is required from you during relaxation. The intention is to allow yourself to come to deep rest. Most often practiced in ‘Savasana’ at the end of a class (and often also at the start), relaxation is also practiced in Restorative Yoga. Relaxation alters the ‘stress response’ in the body to one of ‘rest and digest’.
- PMR
- Guided Relaxation – guided journey of relaxation through the body; induces relaxation and reduces physical, emotional and mental stress
10. MEDITATION
Meditation is practiced to train attention, achieve a mentally clarity, induce an emotionally calm state, and to expand awareness. There are many forms of meditation that can each result in different outcomes, and an innumerable amount of techniques one can employ to practice meditation.
In this series we will be focusing on pratyhara (withdrawal of the senses and turning attention inward - the essence of meditation)
Examples of meditation include
• Guided visualisation – guided imagery to take you on an imagined journey; induces relaxation and a sense of joy and peacefulness
• Sound Meditation
• Mantra meditation - repetition of a mantra (utterances of sound or words repeated)
• Mindfulness meditation - from the Buddhist tradition, popularized in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn; Involves training the mind to be present to or focus on the present moment – a state of noticing; increases one’s sense of detachment, clarity and increases our ability to stay ‘in the moment’ rather than get involved and caught up in our thoughts
• Concentration meditation – focusing on something with steadfastness eg. A candle flame, breath, a mental image; develops one's ability to remain calm, focused, and grounded.
• Transcendental meditation - from the Vedic tradition, brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; uses a mantra to settle the mind naturally and ultimately, to transcend thought
With practice of meditation, and in time, one can expect to develop a greater sense of detachment, clarity, relaxation, effortless, and awareness.
In this series we will be focusing on pratyhara (withdrawal of the senses and turning attention inward - the essence of meditation)
- Yoga Nidra
- The Meditation Seat
- Seated Mindful Relaxation (relax your)
Examples of meditation include
• Guided visualisation – guided imagery to take you on an imagined journey; induces relaxation and a sense of joy and peacefulness
• Sound Meditation
• Mantra meditation - repetition of a mantra (utterances of sound or words repeated)
• Mindfulness meditation - from the Buddhist tradition, popularized in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn; Involves training the mind to be present to or focus on the present moment – a state of noticing; increases one’s sense of detachment, clarity and increases our ability to stay ‘in the moment’ rather than get involved and caught up in our thoughts
• Concentration meditation – focusing on something with steadfastness eg. A candle flame, breath, a mental image; develops one's ability to remain calm, focused, and grounded.
• Transcendental meditation - from the Vedic tradition, brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; uses a mantra to settle the mind naturally and ultimately, to transcend thought
With practice of meditation, and in time, one can expect to develop a greater sense of detachment, clarity, relaxation, effortless, and awareness.
ASANA
The number yoga asana (yoga poses) are countless, and equally so are the variations of each pose. Poses can also be instructed different ways to achieve a particular result or specific intention. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ approach, except that one honors the practitioners own body or intention.
Physically, asana offers the opportunity to strengthen the body, improve flexibility, relax the body, improve balance, increase spatial awareness, correct left/right imbalances within the body, improve posture, balance hormones, improve breathing function, circulation, digestion, and enhance the function of all systems of the body. It has the ablity to balance our energetic states so that hyper and hypo states of energy can settle in to a neutral balance.
Practicing asana also has the abiity to change our emotional experience. Some asana are known to calm the practitioner while others can bring a greater sense of elation. It is through the physical connection and exploration of the body the yoga stirs the vast emotional pot.
Mentally, intimately attending to the physical practice gives the mind a point of focus and results is a welcomme quietening of the minds incessant thoughts/thinking.
Types of asana include Standing Poses and Seated Poses, often grouped into the following dominant movement patterns: Forward Folds (bending forward at the hips and/or spine), Back Bends (arching the body backwards), Twists (spiraling of the spine) and balances. Many individual poses can be varied by adding a twist, lifting a limb off the floor to make it a balance, or by relaxing on props instead of using one’s muscles to maintain the pose etc.
Physically, asana offers the opportunity to strengthen the body, improve flexibility, relax the body, improve balance, increase spatial awareness, correct left/right imbalances within the body, improve posture, balance hormones, improve breathing function, circulation, digestion, and enhance the function of all systems of the body. It has the ablity to balance our energetic states so that hyper and hypo states of energy can settle in to a neutral balance.
Practicing asana also has the abiity to change our emotional experience. Some asana are known to calm the practitioner while others can bring a greater sense of elation. It is through the physical connection and exploration of the body the yoga stirs the vast emotional pot.
Mentally, intimately attending to the physical practice gives the mind a point of focus and results is a welcomme quietening of the minds incessant thoughts/thinking.
Types of asana include Standing Poses and Seated Poses, often grouped into the following dominant movement patterns: Forward Folds (bending forward at the hips and/or spine), Back Bends (arching the body backwards), Twists (spiraling of the spine) and balances. Many individual poses can be varied by adding a twist, lifting a limb off the floor to make it a balance, or by relaxing on props instead of using one’s muscles to maintain the pose etc.
ASANA CATALOGUE
Begin to work your way through each of these poses. Each video will explain the execution of the pose
* variations - twists in poses, arching in poses, laying back in poses, forward folds in poses
* Surya Namaskar – Salute the Sun Sequence
* Padmasana - lotus pose
* Ardha Uttanasana - Half forward fold or “half lift”
* Mula bandha – Root lock (activation of the pelvic floor)
- Savasana – Corpse Pose
- Sukhasana – Easy Pose (Sitting with crossed legs)
- Buddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose (often referred to as butterfly); seated and reclining
- Balasana – Child’s Pose
- Adho Mukha Virasana - Down face hero pose
- Bidalasana – Cat Cow Pose
- Uttana Shishosana – Puppy Pose
- Kumbakhasana - Plank Pose
- Salamba Bhujangasana - Sphinx Pose
- Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose
- Salabhasana - Locust Pose
- Ashva Sanchalanasana – Horse Riders Pose (Lunge)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog & alternatives
- Uttanasana – Standing forward bend
- Tadasana – Mountain Pose
- Vrksasana – Tree Pose
- Utkatasana - Chair Pose
- Virabhadrasana 1 – Warrior 1 (front lunge)
- Virabhadrasana 2 – Warrior 2 (side lunge)
- Trikonasana – Triangle Pose
- Upavista Konasana – Seated Wide Angle Pose (Straddle sitting)
- Janu Sirsasana - head to knee pose
- Paschimottanasana – Seated forward bend
- Ardha Matsyendrasana - Half Lord of the Fish
- Gomukasana – Cows head pose
- Navasana - Boat Pose
- Eka Pada Rajakapotasana – Pigeon Pose
- Ananda Balasana - happy baby pose
- Pavana Muktasana - wind releasing pose
- Supta Padangustasana – Reclining Big Toe Pose
- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge Pose
- Parsvakonasana - extended side angle
- Virabhadrasana 3 - Warrior 3
- Garudasana – Eagle Pose
- Padottanasana - standing straddle
- Parsvotanasana - Intense Side Stretch
- Ardha Chandrasana - Half Moon pose
- Purvottanasana - reverse table top
- Parighasana - Gate Pose
- Ustrasana - Camel Pose
- Chataranga Dandasana - 4 Limbed Staff Pose
- Vasisthasana - Side Plank
- Urdhva mukha svanasana - Upward Facing Dog
- Dhanurasana - Bow Pose
- Parivrtta Trikonasana - Revolved Triangle
- Salamba Sarvangasana - Supported shoulder stand
- Bakasana - Crane Pose
- Pincha Mayurasana - Forearm Balance
- Adho Mukha Vrksasana - Handstand
- Salamba Sirsasana - Headstand
* variations - twists in poses, arching in poses, laying back in poses, forward folds in poses
* Surya Namaskar – Salute the Sun Sequence
* Padmasana - lotus pose
* Ardha Uttanasana - Half forward fold or “half lift”
* Mula bandha – Root lock (activation of the pelvic floor)
YOGA AT THE LOUNGE?
PRACTICE
These 3 session give you the opportunity to practice some of the skills and poses you have been taught. Remember there are still so many yoga poses that we haven't yet looked at - too numerous to include in one series. In fact, it most likely that you will continue learning new poses for years! These 3 sessions are based solely on the poses we have looked at in this session. Remember the golden rules:
- go at your own pace
- work around injuries
- if it doesnt feel right, stop etc etc etc.....
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HATHA - RESTORATIVE
savasana - belly heart breath * sukasana forward fold sukasana twist bidalasana half plank pose bhujangasana balasana ashva sanchalanasana -reach uttanasana tadasana vrksasana virab 1 * half uttanasana - on bolster? uttanasana * adhomukha virsasana - on bolster * baddha konasana -restorative * pashimotanasana - restorative savasana |
HATHA - YIN?
laying baddha konasana - 4/6 breath (belly into chest) * seated baddha konasana * pashimottanasana * puppy pose plank pose * sphinx pose salabhasana puppy pose or down dog * adho mukha virasana down dog to lunge uttanasana tadasana - urdhva hastasana trikonasna virab 2 standing belly heart breath * ekapada ardha matsyendrasana sukasana lateral bend sukasana neck strethces savasana |
VINYASA - SURYANAMASKA
seated 6/6 breath shoulder rolls and shoulder warm up pashi with strap suryanamaskar (easy) ekapada gomukasana laying twist hug into a ball feet up on chair savasana |