DOCSLIB.ORG

Class Descriptions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Class Descriptions Class Descriptions: Vinyasa Yoga: Vinyasa yoga is a derivative of the traditional Ashtanga Yoga lineage and is the integration and synchronization of movement with the breath. In these classes posyuress are sequenced together in a strategic way so that each pose will help you find the balance and opening needed for the next. Vinyasa yoga has both physical and mental benefits. The flowing nature of the movements builds cardiovascular endurance while the poses build both strength and flexibility. The proper use and synchronization of the breath taps deep into the nervous system creating a relaxed, meditative experience. Perfect for beginners to advanced practitioners. Power Flow: Based on the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system, power flow classes are challenging and fun. They give the practitioner more opportunity to work on deepening their practice through more advanced postures and transitions, including armbalances, handstands, headstands, hip openers and backbends Be prepared to work hard, sweat, laugh and play as we explore our limitless boundaries together. Modifications and options are given for all poses making Power Classes accessible to anyone, however it is recommended that students already have some Vinyasa or other types of yoga experience. Ashtanga: One of the more traditional lineages of modern yoga, Ashtanga Yoga is a vigorous, sweat producing, detoxifying practice that brings strength, flexibility and endurance to the body. The meditative practice is designed to purify the body while synchronization of the breath helps to still the mind. The postures are organized in 6 set sequences, each of which always begin with sun salutation and standing poses and conclude with a finishing series. Classes can include Intorduction to Ashtanga Yoga, Sun Salutations clinics, led full primary or half primary, second series (full or modified), as well as Mysore style. Mysore style is silent self-practice with the supervision of a teacher. This is the traditional way Ashtanga yoga is taught and practiced. In this style of class, the student is able to go at their own pace and find a deeper connection with their breath. The teacher will offer help, new postures, and hands on adjustments to help guide each student. Yin Yoga: Yin yoga is a slow paced, gentle style of yoga designed to improve flexibility and circulation to increase the energy flow throughout the body. Postures are typically held for 3-5 minutes each and focus on the connective tissue, fascia, muscles, ligaments and tendons in the joints. Each posture is used to release blocked energy, tension, tightness and emotions. Yin Yoga is a great complementary practice to more active forms of yoga or exercise. Yang Yin: Yang Yin classes are a great balance between strength and flexibility as they combine elements of a typical Vinyasa class to energize and warm up the body followed by deep, long held Yin postures to help release tension and increase flexibility. Workshop Descriptions: Here’s a list and short description of some of my most requested workshop topics. Some topics can be combined into one or modified as needed. - Floating and Flying - Learn to fly and float as I guide you through the foundations of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system. Using Surya Namaskara, discover your hidden strength and power as you tap into your true inner potential. Explore the principles of breath and bandhas to create lightness and lift in your practice. I will show you how to harness the power of your shoulder girdle making arm balances and handstands more accessible, easier, stronger and more balanced. - Arm balancing - Making the impossible easy; One of my favorite yoga quotes is “Yoga makes the impossible possible and possible easy”. Arm balances and inversions are fun, challenging and make us feel like a kid again. One of the amazing things about this part of the practice is that it forces us to let go of fear, trust ourselves and explore our boundaries. In doing so we can truly tap into our true inner potential and realize our limitless potential. Learn how to create lightness in your practice and tap into your true inner power through total body integration. We'll use that lightness and power to learn how to build, hold and transition through different arm balances, handstands and headstands. I will help you discover the opening and body awareness needed to enter into the full pose, giving you tips on how to master them, and of course modifications to play with until the full pose becomes more accessible. - Handstands - Perfect for a master handstander or someone still looking to find their balance. A lot of attention is placed on alignment and how to set up for stronger more balanced handstands. I start off by teaching students how to safely fall out of handstands to take all fear away. Once students are confidence, we explore different ways to lift or jump up into handstands, various handstand variations, and handstand transitions (depending on the level of the students in the class) - Advanced Handstands - More suitable for the more advanced arm balancing students who can hold hand stands and headstands. We will explore transitioning through postures Using handstand and headstands as we take floating and flying one step further. - Surya Namaskara clinic - Using Surya Namaskara I explore the foundations of the Asthanga method - including the Tristana method of Ashtanga yoga. I focus a lot of attention on the breath and understanding of it’s connection to the bandhas. I spend a lot of time breaking down each pose and transition through each pose giving tips and techniques students can take with them through virtually any posture in their practice. Similar to my floating and flying workshop, however more attention is spent to the actual postures rather than the transitions between them. - Vinyasas - Jump throughs, jump backs & chakrasana - In this workshop I will focus on the transition between poses in the ashtanga system including jumping back from standing, jumping from downdog to uttanasana, jumping back from seated, and chakrasana (from lying down). - The Power of Backbends: I will explore the foundations of backbends showing you how to move safely deeper and more comfortably into your back bending practice. I have put together a practice modelled after the Ashtanga Nadi Shodhana intermediate / second series that I often use as the base of my back bend workshop (especially for Ashtanga students). This modified back bending practice will allow students of all levels to experience the energy and effects of this amazing nervous system cleansing practice. Alternatively, I could do more of a vinyasa style backbend workshop as well. -Ashtanga Primary Series: Led or Mysore classes, posture workshops, adjustments workshops, theory/technique, breath and bandhas etc... - The Power of Twists - Twists create amazing spinal mobility, deeper backbends, and true detoxification. We’ll explore twists in a way that will show you how to build them from the foundation up so that you can find the true magic and benefit of twisted poses. Understanding the spine and how it moves through twits - the importance of a stable base in order to maximize the benefits of twists. We will cover some theory and anatomy and then have a fun and challenging practice with lots of twisting! - Bakasana - Helps students understand this basic and fundamental arm balance. I explore the basics of the pose, including how to tap into the power of your shoulder girdle in order to maintain strong and stable. Once we find power and stability we will play with bringing movement to our crows, working through various transitions and variations - including eka pada bakasana and parsva bakasana. -Hip Opening - Can be structured in various ways -Advanced arm balancing and transitions - This class focuses on transitioning into and out of postures through various arm balances, handstands and headstands. -Yin Yoga - Theory, anatomy, practice, and teacher training. -Vinyasa or Power classes - Shorter than a master class, vinyasa or power classes are fun and challenging with creative sequences designed to help students build their practice and get deeper and more stable in each posture. The classes can be structured around a specific theme or pose. -Yoga Philosophy – Several discussion topics can be explored, including the principles of Ashtanga yoga and the 8 limbs, History and Modern Yoga, and several other elements of yoga philosophy that will help students delve deeper in their practice and understand some of the broader aspects of yoga. -Master Class - Time to put everything in action! When doing weekend workshops I generally teach the last class as a ‘master class’. This fun, powerful class will tie together the techniques we learned throughout the whole weekend. Be prepared to work hard, sweat, laugh and play. We’ll ride our breaths together as we move through each pose using fun and challenging transitions. There’ll be lots of twisting and bending and arm balancing, with lots of time to work on our handstands as we explore our limitless boundaries together. If there is a special topic I do not list that your students would be especially interested in, I’d be happy to explore it. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Yoga and Pilates: What’S the Difference? by Sherri R
    Yoga and Pilates: What’s the difference? By Sherri R. Betz, PT, GCS, PMA®-CPT Have you ever wondered… “What are the differences between Yoga and Pilates?” Someone jokingly said, “The difference between Pilates and Yoga is that in Yoga you close your eyes and think about god and in Pilates you keep your eyes open and think about your abs!” One guru said the purpose of Yoga is to become more flexible so that you could sit comfortably to meditate. Yoga certainly is more than that. I write this in trepidation of offending the beautiful Yoga and Pilates practitioners around the world. I hope to distill some of the information about Yoga and Pilates looking at some of the differences and similarities between them to help practitioners understand these popular forms of movement. My yoga practice began in Louisiana (when no one did yoga there!) at about the age of 15. At the local library, I happened to pick up The Sivananda Companion to Yoga and started trying out some of the poses and breathing. Actually, I skipped the breathing and avoided it for many years until I did my Pilates training and was forced to learn to breathe! Now I am devoted to my Ashtanga/Vinyasa Yoga practice and my Pilates work to keep my body in shape and to add a spiritual component to my life. It has been very interesting to compare a movement practice that has been around for 2000 years with one that has been around for only about 80 years. Yoga: Navasana (Boat Pose) Pilates: Teaser Common Forms of Yoga Practice in the United States: Yoga was brought to us by Hindus practicing in India.
    [Show full text]
  • Prescribing Yoga to Supplement and Support Psychotherapy
    12350-11_CH10-rev.qxd 1/11/11 11:55 AM Page 251 10 PRESCRIBING YOGA TO SUPPLEMENT AND SUPPORT PSYCHOTHERAPY VINCENT G. VALENTE AND ANTONIO MAROTTA As the flame of light in a windless place remains tranquil and free from agitation, likewise, the heart of the seeker of Self-Consciousness, attuned in Yoga, remains free from restlessness and tranquil. —The Bhagavad Gita The philosophy of yoga has been used for millennia to experience, examine, and explain the intricacies of the mind and the essence of the human psyche. The sage Patanjali, who compiled and codified the yoga teachings up to his time (500–200 BCE) in his epic work Yoga Darsana, defined yoga as a method used to still the fluctuations of the mind to reach the central reality of the true self (Iyengar, 1966). Patanjali’s teachings encour- age an intentional lifestyle of moderation and harmony by offering guidelines that involve moral and ethical standards of living, postural and breathing exercises, and various meditative modalities all used to cultivate spiritual growth and the evolution of consciousness. In the modern era, the ancient yoga philosophy has been revitalized and applied to enrich the quality of everyday life and has more recently been applied as a therapeutic intervention to bring relief to those experiencing Copyright American Psychological Association. Not for further distribution. physical and mental afflictions. For example, empirical research has demon- strated the benefits of yogic interventions in the treatment of depression and anxiety (Khumar, Kaur, & Kaur, 1993; Shapiro et al., 2007; Vinod, Vinod, & Khire, 1991; Woolery, Myers, Sternlieb, & Zeltzer, 2004), schizophrenia (Duraiswamy, Thirthalli, Nagendra, & Gangadhar, 2007), and alcohol depen- dence (Raina, Chakraborty, Basit, Samarth, & Singh, 2001).
    [Show full text]
  • Eeben Roth Nchtanted Mbodiment
    NCHTANTED MBODIMENT "I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life, as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive" EEBEN ROTH — Joseph Campbell BEN ROTH ENCHANTED EMBODIMENT 35 To me, this is the baseline reality that I can Being Present is often relate to at all times when the frantic mind takes over. It is the antidote to a disembodied described as being Here consciousness that passes as normal in the and Now. But where is world at large today. Our world is composed of narratives. It is all too easy to get lost in this this place? How do we get groundless territory of identity, language, social roles, ideology, religion, philosophy, there? And where do we economics, and politics. These are all purely mental constructs, existing only in the mind. arrive when following this When we realize this to be true, our identifica- lead? To me, this journey tion with this mental construct crumbles and makes room for the felt presence of direct starts with the most experience. tangible—inside my body. We step into a new realm of spaciousness and unfolding potentiality—the actuality of life as a This is the most obvious continuous process, as felt by our somatic per- ception. Then we experience sensory impres- place from which to sions: The visual and auditory field, the feeling begin any investigation of our feet touching the ground, sensations of pressure, weight and tension, the air going in into being present as a and out of our respiratory system, the beating of the heart and the pulsing of blood.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: the Stories of Yoga Instructors
    Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: The Stories of Yoga Instructors By: Sarah Bonnell BA, University of Victoria, 2009 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the School of Child and Youth Care © Sarah Bonnell University of Victoria 2016 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: The Stories of Yoga Instructors By: Sarah Bonnell BA CYC, University of Victoria, 2009 Supervisory Committee Dr. Daniel Scott, School of Child and Youth Care Supervisor Dr. Marie Hoskins, School of Child and Youth Care Department Member iii Abstract Dr. Daniel Scott, School of Child and Youth Care Supervisor Dr. Marie Hoskins, School of Child and Youth Care Department Member Yoga as a therapeutic modality for treating trauma is currently emerging as an important topic of research with several new studies being produced to analyze its effectiveness on varying populations of traumatized individuals. Research is beginning to demonstrate that individuals who suffer the effects of trauma have often experienced several negative events that accumulate over the course of one’s lifetime. It has been displayed that when treated early, the adverse effects of trauma may be much less debilitating. Recent studies indicate traumatic memories are often stored within the body and are difficult to recall through cognition alone. Therefore, somatic therapies such as yoga are proving to be an effective means of working through this unresolved trauma.
    [Show full text]
  • Ashtanga Yoga Paris Self-Evolution Intensive Gérald Disse & Linda Munro
    Ashtanga Yoga Paris Self-Evolution Intensive with Gérald Disse & Linda Munro June 3 – 5, 2013. 9h30 – 17h30 Program Monday - Wednesday: 9:30 – 11:30 Mysore practice – This is the ideal time to aid each participant individually to focus on their personal needs. You must have memorized at a minimum half of primary series (up to Navasana). 12:45 – 14:45 An Exploration of Samadhi – Based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. 15:00 – 17:30 Asana Workshops – Each day a different topic will be explored in order to move deeply into the understanding of these groups of asanas. You will learn how to work safely and intelligently while getting through some “road blocks” in certain postures. The topics to be covered are: . The Adamantine Yoga Body – In that Hatha Yoga Pradipika it is stated that Hatha yoga aims to transmute the body into a "divine body", or "adamantine body" therefore in this workshop we’ll focus on strengthen our upper body, our core body and our legs. Hip Release – It is said that we hold a lot of emotional baggage in our stiff hips, not to mention if the hips are too tight on the physical level the ‘weaker’ areas of the body will take the burden. Let’s release the emotional and physical burdens in this workshop to unlock our hips! . Back Bending – Awaken our energy with poses that stimulate the spine on the physical level and the chakras on the subtle level. Cost: 210 euros if 50% deposit paid before May 1st, 250 euros after May 1st. An extra 10 euros off for those attending Julie Gudmestad’s workshops on June 8th & 9th.
    [Show full text]
  • Level 1 Asanas
    LEVEL 1 ASANAS Standing Poses Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose 2) Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Lateral Flank Stretch) Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Virabhadrasasana (Warrior Pose 1) Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Prasarita Padottanasana (Extended Leg Stretch) Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch) Seated Poses Vajasana (Thunderbolt Pose) Virasana (Hero Pose) Sukhasana (Comfortable Seated Pose) Dandasana (Staff Pose) Upavista Konasana (Seated Angle Pose) Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Forward Bends Paschimottanasa (Intense Seated Back Stretch) Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Leg Stretch) Twists Sukhasana Twist (Easy Cross Leg Twists) Bharadvasjasana (Chair Twist) Bharadvasjasana I (Seated Twist) Jathara Parivartanasana ( Supine Adominal Twists) Crocodile Twists Maricyasana III LEVEL 1 ASANAS Hip Openers Supta Padangusthasana II (Reclining Leg Stretch 2) Judith’s Hip Opener Gomukhasana (Face of the Cow Pose) Arm Work Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) Plank Pose Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Point Staff Pose) Half Handstand Simple Backbends Passive Chest Opener (Lie over a rolled up blanket) Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Ustrasana (Camel Pose) Restorative Poses Supported Uttanasana (Forward bend with head on block - or buttocks on wall) Supported Adho Mukha Svanesana (Dog Pose with head support) Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose with block under sacrum) Supta Virasana (Reclining Bound Pose) Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Viparita Karani (Two blankets under hips- legs up wall) Savasana (Corpse Pose).
    [Show full text]
  • Partnering up in Yoga Class Can Deepen Your Practice and Connect HAND You to Yourself and Your Fellow Yogis
    a he l p i ng Partnering up in yoga class can deepen your practice and connect HAND you to yourself and your fellow yogis. We w e r e o n l y a few minutes into the yoga class next to you as a human prop to help you get into a when the teacher uttered the five words I dread hear- pose more fully, isolate a particular action, or help ing: “OK, everybody, find a partner!” As we students you balance. A teaching tool in many styles of yoga sized up one another with varying degrees of wariness, classes, partnering tends to inspire strong feelings the teacher demonstrated what she wanted us to do by among practitioners: Mention the subject to a leaping lightly onto the thighs of a supine volunteer group of yoga students, and the room is likely to and balancing there, as gracefully as a cat, her feet erupt in exclamations as people tell their stories grounding and rotating her partner’s thighs inward. of awkward moments, contact with another per- Full disclosure: My approach to partnering exer- son’s sweat or stinky feet, and even injuries. cises in yoga class has generally been of the “Lie back Here at the Yoga Journal office, where we prac- and think of England” variety, though I usually partici- tice yoga together every day, we ask that our teach- pate as gamely as I can. But this particular caper was ers not do partnering exercises in class —not all just too much for my inner Woody Allen.
    [Show full text]
  • Being Flexible About Flexibility by Norman Blair
    Being Flexible about Flexibility by Norman Blair These are my modest and provisional notes on the subject of hypermobility, the issues of flexibility in yoga, being able to sustain a yoga practice and specifically practicing Yin yoga. When I first taught yoga in 2001, I did not know what hypermobility or being too flexible meant. I remember Richard Freeman saying in June 2005, “the curse of flexibility and the blessing of stiffness”. I didn’t get it at the time. About six months later, as I observed practitioners and what happened in practicing, the penny dropped: yes, that makes sense. TO BE CLEAR… To be clear: I am not an anatomy expert (though I have a skeleton at home and another one that I always wear under my clothes when I go out). Nor am I highly skilled in dealing with hypermobility. If you are particularly interested in anatomy, these are three good books: Jo Avison Yoga Fascia Anatomy and Movement; Leslie Kaminoff Yoga Anatomy; and David Keil Functional Anatomy of Yoga. There is an excellent website run by Stu Girling: http://loveyogaanatomy.com. There are interesting posts at http://www.julesmitchell.com. If podcasts are your way of accessing information, there is: http://www.liberatedbody.com. And clearly many more… For those specifically interested in hypermobility, Jess Glenny (http://movingprayer.co.uk) has written articles and runs workshops on this subject. This piece is simply my reflections and my observations through practising and teaching. It is certainly not a definitive answer and I know that further research is always needed.
    [Show full text]
  • TEACHING HATHA YOGA Teaching Hatha Yoga
    TEACHING HATHA YOGA Teaching Hatha Yoga ii Teaching Hatha Yoga TEACHING HATHA YOGA ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Daniel Clement with Naomi Clement Illustrations by Naomi Clement 2007 – Open Source Yoga – Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada iii Teaching Hatha Yoga Copyright © 2007 Daniel Clement All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written consent of the copyright owner, except for brief reviews. First printing October 2007, second printing 2008, third printing 2009, fourth printing 2010, fifth printing 2011. Contact the publisher on the web at www.opensourceyoga.ca ISBN: 978-0-9735820-9-3 iv Teaching Hatha Yoga Table of Contents · Preface: My Story................................................................................................viii · Acknowledgments...................................................................................................ix · About This Manual.................................................................................................ix · About Owning Yoga................................................................................................xi · Reading/Resources................................................................................................xii PHILOSOPHY, LIFESTYLE & ETHICS.........................................................................xiii
    [Show full text]
  • COI Calendar 2018 January
    JANUARY 2018 CLIFFS OF ID Events/ Workshops MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN Headstands and Blood Drive - Tues 1/2, 4-10p 1 BLOOD DRIVE 2 3 4 Handstands 5 6 7 Help save a life in the new year by 3-10p Hatha Flow 6:45a Core Flow 6:45a 7:15-9:15p Pilates 10-11a Vinyasa Flow registering for a spot in our blood drive at Yoga Basics 12:15p Hard Core 12:15p TRX 12:15p Anusara 6:45-8:15a 10-11a Head/ Handstands 2p CLOSED NEW redcrossblood.org. Sponsor code: cliffsofid TRX 6p Power Vinyasa Flow Hip Hop Dance Shoulder Opening 3p YEAR’S DAY Hatha Basics 7:15p Cardio Core 6p Balance Flow 6p 12:15-1:30p 11a Mixed-Level 8:30p Vinyasa Flow 7:15p TRX 7:15p Intro to Power Yoga 5p Restore+Flow 5:45p Handstand and Headstand Workshop - Chill Yoga 9:45p Thai Massage8:30-945 Vinyasa Flow 8:30p Yin Yoga 6p Fri 1/5, 7:15-9:15p Focus on proper technique and conditioning drills to achieve 8 Boulder Denim 9 10 11 Thai Massage 12 13 14 Pop-up Shop 7:15-9:15p a controlled flow into and out of your invert. Hatha Flow 7:15a Hatha Flow 6:45a Core Flow 6:45a Vinyasa Flow 10a Pilates 10-11a Yoga Basics 12:15p Hip Hop Dance Different leg, hip, arm, and hand positions Hard Core 12:15p TRX 12:15p Anusara 6:45-8:15a 11a Head/ Handstands 2p along with various entities and exits will be TRX 6p Power Vinyasa Flow Shoulder Opening 3p Hatha Basics 7:15p Cardio Core 6p Balance Flow 6p 12:15-1:30p Shoulder Rehab introduced.
    [Show full text]
  • Ultimate Guide to Yoga for Healing
    HEAD & NECK ULTIMATE GUIDE TO YOGA FOR HEALING Hands and Wrists Head and Neck Digestion Shoulders and Irritable Bowel Hips & Pelvis Back Pain Feet and Knee Pain Ankles Page #1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Click on any of the icons throughout this guide to jump to the associated section. Head and Neck .................................................Page 3 Shoulders ......................................................... Page 20 Hands and Wrists .......................................... Page 30 Digestion and IBS ......................................... Page 39 Hips ..................................................................... Page 48 Back Pain ........................................................ Page 58 Knees ................................................................. Page 66 Feet .................................................................... Page 76 Page #2 HEAD & NECK Resolving Neck Tension DOUG KELLER Pulling ourselves up by our “neckstraps” is an unconscious, painful habit. The solution is surprisingly simple. When we carry ourselves with the head thrust forward, we create neck pain, shoul- der tension, even disc herniation and lower back problems. A reliable cue to re- mind ourselves how to shift the head back into a more stress-free position would do wonders for resolving these problems, but first we have to know what we’re up against. When it comes to keeping our head in the right place, posturally speaking, the neck is at something of a disadvantage. There are a number of forces at work that can easily pull the neck into misalignment, but only a few forces that maintain the delicate alignment of the head on the spine, allowing all the supporting muscles to work in harmony. Page #3 HEAD & NECK The problem begins with the large muscles that converge at the back of the neck and attach to the base of the skull. These include the muscles of the spine as well as those running from the top of the breastbone along the sides of the neck (the sternocleidomastoids) to the base of the head.
    [Show full text]
  • Focus of the Month 9.07
    Bobbi Misiti 834 Market Street Lemoyne, PA 17043 717.443.1119 befityoga.com TOPIC OF THE MONTH September 2007 2nd Series of Ashtanga Yoga Nadi Shodhana Since I just got back from a 2nd series adjustment clinic and we have been practicing 2nd series regularly here I thought I would take this month to talk about 2nd series; demystify it, how to know when you are ready for it, how to work into it, what are the poses, and what are their benefits. The second series of Ashtanga yoga is known as the Intermediate series, or Nadi Shodhana which means “nerve purification”. In Ashtanga yoga there are three main systems of asana, Primary Series, Intermediate Series, and the Advanced series. Primary (yoga chikitsa) series is where we detoxify and align our body and minds, it is known as yoga therapy—we also learn to establish a regular practice and build the strength and fortitude necessary to carry us through a lifelong practice. The 2nd or intermediate series is where we begin the work on our nervous system, the electrical wiring so to speak of our body—getting rid of static and interference and opening up pathways (or nerve fibers) within our body for our energy (motor neurons) to flow easier. Third series is where we add strength and energy to our bodies, minds, and practice. (There are actually 5 (6 in the new way) series to Ashtanga Yoga, the fourth series slows down and mixes challenging poses with easier meditative poses, and the final series is the Rishi Series (which means one who knows), at this point you should have been practicing Ashtanga yoga for 20-30 years and are in your 60s, in the rishi series you choose 10 poses that you need for that day (headstand is always one of them) and hold each one for 50 breaths.
    [Show full text]