Shanti Yoga Teacher Training
! The Alchemy of Form, JOY OF TRANSITION: Honoring the Journey, Function & Flow Deepening the Destination
Cathie Caccia, ERYT 500! Debbi Murphy, PhD, ERYT 500! Kimberly Azzarito, ERYT 500
1 ALCHEMY: Transition with Intention “tapah svadhayaya ishvara pranidhani kriya yoga” II.I Yoga Sutras work, self-study, detachment are the basis of the cleansing, transformative process of yoga
❖ Alchemy = process of transforming common into special.! ❖ Medieval “Early chemistry”, involved heat with goal of turning lead to gold, or to discover the elixir for longevity..! ❖ Alchemy in Psychology, Carl Jung viewed it as a step towards individuation. ! ❖ Ayurvedic, “removing toxicity.”! ❖ “Yoga is the practice of uncovering and resolving obstruction in the human system. Practicing yoga asanas is a systematic way of illuminating those obstacles and learning from them.” ~ Lesley Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy! ❖ “Yoga is 90% waste removal”. ~ Desikachar, Heart of Yoga.! ❖ The tools of asana, work (tapas), self-study (svadyaya) and detachment/trust (ishvara pranidhana) can cleanse (kriya) us from obstacles which keep us from seeing our true nature. 2 Asana as a Tool for Transition ❖ Yoga is the process of dismantling the outer shell or outer structure.!
❖ We tend to identify with this outer, extraneous self (which is a protective, necessary self)!
❖ Outside view blinds us from seeing our essential nature, dharma.!
❖ Achieving asanas isn’t the goal, but tools to bring awareness (svadhyaya) to body, mind and spirit, all which must be present to achieve the transformative property of asana.!
❖ When we release our need to be correct, to “do”, to achieve, we find the hidden potential.!
❖ “When we let go of who we think we are, we become who we truly are.” Lao Tsu 3 Form & Function ❖ “The form of the pose is important, but its only the doorway to the real nectar.” ~ Patricia Walden!
❖ “Honesty allows the potential of the pose to be released.” ~ Cathie Caccia!
❖ “Behind every asana is a principle. If we do not know this principle, we will not be able to preform the asana in the proper way.” ~ Desikachar, Heart of Yoga!
❖ “sthira sukham asanam”. ~ II.46, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras!
❖ sthira = “alertness without tension”, sukha = “relaxation without dullness”~ Desikachar, Heart of Yoga 4 Flow ❖ flow is the natural organic way all things move!
❖ ferns unfurling!
❖ waves breaking on a beach!
❖ tree limbs blowing in the wind!
❖ rivers!
❖ wind!
❖ notes in music!
❖ steps on a trail up a mountain!
❖ the linking of one asana to the next 5 Atha Yoga Anushasarum The Practice of Yoga Begins Now Yoga Sutra I.I Patanjali ❖ Applying vinyasa in yoga and life has parallels such as the the flow of sailing a boat; moving through life demands a synchronization with the natural forces that require skill and intuition, the ability to set a course yet change with the wind and currents. If you want to sail, you have to know how to assess the conditions which constantly fluctuate as do our physical, emotional and spiritual states. !
❖ In yoga this is a called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is inherent in life. Therefore to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today…we can’t assume we are the same person we were yesterday.!
❖ The observation of a good yogic sailor “where are you today?” 6 Yogah citta-vritti-nirodha Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations (movments) of the mind. Yoga Sutra I.II Patanjali ❖ Stillness is not the absence or negation of energy, life, or movement. Stillness is dynamic. It is unconflicted movement, life in harmony with itself, skill in action.” Erich Schiffmann, Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness.!
❖ Yoga Karmasu Kausalam,Yoga is skill in action. Bhagavad Gita.!
❖ The idea that we are ever not in movement is an illusion, one of the veils of maya (illusion)… In fact, the image we hold is a kind of snapshot in a beer-ending progression of movement, extending infinitely forward and backward in time. As long as we are alive,
we are never actually still. ~ Lesley7 Kaminoff, Yoga Kshana-tat-kramayoh samyamad vivekajam jnanam Yoga Sutra III.53 By samyama - simultaneous concentration, meditation and samadhi - on the sequence of indivisible moments of time, the past, present and future are known simultaneously, along with the nature of the world of objects. viveka = discernment, karma = the uninterrupted sequence of events from beginning to end
8 ❖ Flow: sequential movement, non-linear!
❖ In yoga, this is called vinyasa (to place in a special way, nyasa = to place, vi = in a special way/order). A flowing sequence of asanas linked by breath and intention. !
❖ “A properly executed vinyasa practice can help break the habit of viewing the world around us as a collection of objects or viewing life as a series of distinct events. It mimics the way nature works-always moving, changing, curvy. Events in nature do not just happen, they unfold, they develop. Thus in our vinyasa practice, we do not "do" standing forward bend, then upward-facing dog, then downward-facing dog in a choppy, static way, but rather we let each asana unfold into the next, the way a seed unfolds into a stem, then into a bud, then into a flower, then back into the earth to nourish the next generation. When asanas, the sequence of changes, are woven together with breath and conscious intention, we align ourselves with the continuous flow, the undulating rhythm, of the universe.” ~ Sharon Gannon, Jivamukti Yoga 9 Krishnamacharya 1888 - 1989, Father of Modern Yoga proposed a dynamic and individualized form of yoga.
❖ Emphasized assessing the needs of the individual student or group and then building a complementary, step-by-step practice (kramas) to meet those needs.!
❖ He applied vinyasa to an “artful approach to living” a way of applying the skill and awareness of yoga to all the rhythms and sequences of life, including self-care, relationships, work, and personal evolution.!
❖ His students include his son, Desikachar as well as Indra Devi (first woman to teach yoga), Patahbi Jois (Ashtanga system), Iyengar (Iyengar system).!
❖ Desikachar, his son, says “Vinyasa is one of the richest concepts to emerge from Yoga for the successful conduct of our relationships.”!
❖ He sites this example….Krishnamarcharya, to the amazement of his students would always greet them at the gate of his center, guide them through their practice, and then honor the completion of their time together by escorting them back to the gate. The way he honored every phase of their session, initiating the work; sustaining it and building to a peak and completing and integration, illustrates two of the primary teachings of the vinyasa method: Each of those phases has its own lessons to impair and each relies on the work of the previous phase. Just as we can’t frame a house without a proper foundation, we can’t build a proper yoga practice unless we pay attention to how we begin. Vinyasa yoga requires that we cultivate an awareness that leads each action to the next - one breath at a time. 10 Vinyasa Krama ❖ Krishnamarcharya used a method he called vinyasa karma (stages). !
❖ This step by step process involves knowledge of how one builds, in gradual stages, toward a peak within a practice session. It’s the art of knowing when you’re ready to move on. !
❖ Adapt the asana to the student; the practice and teaching is individualized.!
❖ The art of vinyasa karma, is to be satiated but not depleted.!
❖ It is important to remember, vinyasa is not just any sequence of action, it is one that awakens and sustains consciousness. In this way, vinyasa connects with the meditative practice “nyasa” within the Tantric yoga traditions.! !
❖ Moving from the core, build step-by - step (kramas)!
❖ Unfolding with intelligence, evolution. 11 Transitions: The Alchemy of Function & Flow How to Teach Transitions 1. Slow Down! Jason Crandall Slowing the movement between postures helps you notice the subtleties involved. In particular, you’ll observe what muscles have to engage in order to maintain your balance as you make your transitions. I encourage you to take an extra 2 or 3 breaths in your transitions on occasion— especially in the more accessible transitions like those between your standing postures. – !
2. Pick transitions as theme!
Focusing on transitions may change the pace of your class-especially if you mind the advice of slowing things down. !
3. Focus on the transfer of your weight!
The key to making a skillful transition is to focus on the movement of your weight. This will help you counterbalance your body where its necessary. Essentially, you want to limit the weight of your body from moving too quickly in any one direction. Bringing your attention to your core (specifically, your pelvis and lower belly) is usually the most effective way to tune into your weight as it is transitioning. !
4. Exhale!
Most-not all-transitions are done on the exhalation. Remember, your muscles are usually contracting more strongly between the postures (when moving slowly) than they are in the postures. 12 It’s the Journey not the Destination
❖ Transitions on & off the mat are typically the most “dangerous” place because we are unaware, focused on “what’s next”. !
❖ Erich Schiffmann reminds us that there are always three stages to asana, transitions, pranayama, classes, meditation….everything!!
❖ 1 - getting in!
❖ 2 - being in !
❖ 3 - moving out 13 Other techniques for teaching & practice !
❖ Start where you are and design a practice that is appropriate for your needs.!
❖ Begin with the simplest, proceed toward the more complex in kramas.!
❖ Asanas contain the two qualities of sthira and sukha and reflect the hatha yoga approach of the union of opposites.!
❖ Dual Actions: !
❖ root to rise!
❖ as you lift the chest, drop the tailbone!
❖ as you draw your tailbone in, pull your inner thighs back!
❖ KISS - keep it simple sweetie…repeat the same dual actions throughoutUse counterposes (pratikriyasana) to balance the effect of each asana.!
❖ Use modifications of asana for different levels and injury privation.!
❖ Cultivate a gradual progression/evolution with you own yoga practice. 14 The Art of Sequencing
❖ A sequence is a group of related poses which connect in progression based upon the alignment, purpose, & complexity of a pose.!
❖ The sequence is initiated, sustained and interconnected through the rhythm of the inhale and exhale.!
❖ A vinyasa class is comprised of groups of sequences in a related flow with some asanas serving as transition between sequences.!
❖ The art of sequencing is the ability to offer a practice of yoga that is effective, beautiful and integrated.!
❖ An effective sequence is practical, safe, balanced, efficient and transformational on as many levels as possible.!
❖ A beautiful sequence has aesthetic integrity, elegance and is inwardly satisfying!
❖ An integrated sequence takes into account the multi-dimensional aspects of the human experience and the wholeness of yoga (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).
15 Resources
❖ Krishnamacharya’s Legacy, yogajournal.com/wisdom (Teaching).!
❖ How to Teach Transitions, Jason Crandall http://www.yogaglo.com/ blog/2013/07/how-to-teach-transitions/ (Teaching)!
❖ Vinyasa: The Yogic Art of Conscious Evolution, Shiva Rea (Teaching)!
❖ Vinyasa Flow and Standing Poses, Ray Long (Anatomy)!
❖ Ritual of a Class (Sadhana) http://shivarea.com/prana-flow- ritual-of-a-class (Bhav/feeling tone)
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