Daily Self-Practice Guide Introduction s a Santosha student, you may or may not yet have established a regular self- Apractice. This guide will take you through the approach to teaching yoga as taught in this course. This process has been developed and refined over many years by highly experienced yoga teachers, physiotherapists and others in the field. We take great pride in the product- a safe and authentic yoga practice and teachings that are true to those that established yoga such as Patanjali, Krishnamacharya and A.G. Mohan. In order to be successful in completing this course and maintaining a safe and authentic practice we highly advise following the guidelines outlined herein and as in the Santosha Breath and Movement Manual. This process of self-practice will involve learning, unlearning and relearning asanas and breath in order to adopt an approach that is fitting to the authentic teachings of yoga and the latest findings in physiotherapy and the like. All of which will make you an intelligent and safe yoga teacher, which will allow you to honour the wellbeing of each of your students. Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 3 Below is a day-by day guide for you to follow. You will find annotations and focal points noted next to some poses. Please read through your Breath and Movement Manual the night before to familiarise yourself with the following day’s practice, the annotations and notes will be clearer and your confidence in your practice will grow. It is important to practice correctly, rather than just ‘doing the poses’. If you miss a day, that is ok, simply pick up where you left off. If you feel a little rusty on the previous day, go back, revise, re-practice and continue. This is a journey of quality not quantity. Remember, the journey of yoga lasts a lifetime, so there is no need to rush, the process of learning and experiencing is far richer than simply ticking things off without mindfulness and presence. Beginning and Deepening your Practice 1. Start with Bhavana • Allow a short time for transition to occur between regular activity and asana • Reset with perhaps some favourite music, chanting, silence, or with relaxed attention on significant objects with eyes opened or closed. This will create the correct mood – Bhavana for practice. • Yoga begins in Savasana (corpse pose) or any other passive posture and moves as natural movement of life energy or prana of the whole body. • Simple movements first • Body moves with ease and grace in the energy of the system, determined by needs. • Nothing imposed. Force disrupts prana rather than enhances. 2. State-of-Mind • We begin from where are are and do what is doable for the student • It is pointless to set unrealistic goals of ourselves and students • If we cannot bend forward comfortably in uttanasana, why would we attempt poses such as halasana? Forward is developed as back is developed • Know your own limitations and those of your students • Adjust practices to suit the time available Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 4 • If you are a smoker, you do not have to give up smoking to start yoga- just start and the process will evolve 3. The Only ‘Rules’ • The balance of strength and softness is achieved by maintaining an awareness of our breath and body and in postures and between postures • Eyes closed in everything except standing asana • Equal weight through front and back of foot • Never do anything that harms • Always breath envelopes movement • Bring it with love 4. The Breath in Asana • Nothing forced • Control through chest and throat – with ease not nostrils – the the entire body can be felt to participate and regulate movement of breath in asana and pranayama • All movement linked to breath – Some with inhale and some with exhale • The subtle guides the gross and allows the participation of the entire body – as ancient text states – ‘A true yogi breaths through their feet’. Before starting Before starting any asana, it is important to understand the foundations for poses, which begin with correct anatomical alignment. Santosha has taken the time to put together the most up-to-date information regarding seated, standing and lying (reclined) positions. Please ensure you read, practice and understand these poses and most importantly, use them as your own foundations in asana, meditation and pranayama. Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 5 The correct guidelines can be found on page 34 – 54 (end of ‘troubleshooting section’) of the Santosha Breath and Movement Manual and provide guidelines for foundations. These must be practiced and taught in later assessment but more importantly, provide a safe practice to students and the practitioner. Please note, when practicing Gomukhasana, if you cannot clasp your hands with ease on both sides DO not do Salamba Sarvangasana (inversion) and approach Viparita Parini with care and or only perform Dvi Pada Pitham as a preparation for inversion. Remember, if we continue to create more unbalance in the presence of unbalance then we are not practicing Yoga! If at any stage during self-practice you are unsure – please be in touch. We are here to support you ☺ Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 6 Day 1 Objectives: • Introduction to simple movements building foundations of a posture • Introduction to pelvic floor • To highlight asymmetrical presentations (ASM) refer to principles –add to poses that are asymmetrical • Creating mind-body connection Sequence: 1. Breath Development Posture options for breath development: Savasana with or without a bolster (practitioner should be comfortable), bent knees or knees falling in. Practice: Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 7 1. Breath Development: ◦ Develop conscious awareness of breath ◦ Passive observation of breath 2. Belly breath Resting breath 3. Develop conscious awareness of location: Location of inhale and location of exhale -feeling inhale through the middle of the chest with a sense of expansion and exhale lower abdomen with a sense of slight contraction. Be sure to complete the exhalation 4. Cultivate ‘the feeling’ of the breath Stage 3 & 4 above, combined Following the exhale to surrender /letting go 2. Preparatory Poses /Stretching • Apanasana • Urdhva prasarita padasana • Belly breath • Jathara parivrtti knees bent variation • Roll to all fours • Spinal exploration • Wrist exploration • Pelvic girdle movement • Thoracic and shoulder girdle exploration • Sit into vajrasana • Locate thoracic vertebrae -hands on rib cage, feel what it is like to breath into the thoracic area • Vajrasana sequence • Extended vajrasana into a lateral stretch • Vajrasana –adjusting the seating position to suit with posture options: Bent elbows, hands facing forward, arms alongside into simple twists Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 8 • Pivoting from the dens • Neck stretches • Scapular exploration • Adho Mukha Svanasana 3. Standing Postures Neutral Standing position -be mindful of positioning of head (dens) during all standing postures Hip circles and moving to release any resonating tension in the body Tadasana Warrior 2 –explore stacking and tracking ie. pelvic girdle articulating to the long edge of the mat 4. Surya Namaskar Surya Namaskar A Entry level –hands on the hips, long levers on the exhale only, Breath development focussed on location and feeling, completion of exhalation and quality which is dirgha and suksma. Up to 5 reps Bhagirath Asana (Vrksasana) –the standing posture section of a yoga class should always end with a standing balance before seated transition to the floor Transition to floor 5. Seated Postures Swing legs around into dandasana -use a pillow or block to find correct placement of pelvis and spine 6. Reclined Poses Supta baddha Konasana Simple Core -Chest-to-abdomen breathing, practice completing the exhalation (completion of the exhalation naturally draws the pelvic floor muscles upward thereby bracing the lower back, hence it is a vital foundation of core work for yoga) Belly breath -to release above posture Transition to all fours Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 9 7. Arm balance Entry level vasisthasana 8. Back Extension Dvipada Pitham Apanasana Seated forward extension - Paschimottanasana 3 reps, knees bent 9. Twist Mats perpendicular to the wall Simple Seated Twist Shoulder stretch -Gomukhasana 10. Inversion Block or bolster supporting pelvic girdle with legs up the wall. Please note long edge of block should be against the wall in order to support the whole pelvic girdle If no disparity in shoulders Viparita Parini Transition to Matsyasana 11. Savasana Come into comfortable position for relaxation 12. Meditation Focus on resting breath and /or letting go and /or surrendering 13. Close of Practice Come to seated Hands in prayer Namaste Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 10 14. Pranayama Essence of pranayama is to ensure you have a suitable starting position. Find the most comfortable position for yourself either seated, standing or lying (or even on a chair) ensuring correct anatomical alignment is honoured (as explained earlier). Nadi shodhana Introduction to Dirgha and Sukshma Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 11 Day 2 Focus Points: • Movement contained in breath • Breath development • Feeling and location • Stages 1, 2, 3 & 4 Objectives: • Introduction to simple movements building foundations of a posture • Introduction to pelvic floor • To highlight asymmetrical presentations (ASM) refer to principles –add to poses that are asymmetrical • Creating mind-body connection Sequence 1. Breath Development Posture options for breath development: Savasana with or without a bolster (practitioner should be comfortable), bent knees or knees falling in. Practice: Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 12 1. Breath Development: Develop conscious awareness of breath Passive observation of breath 2. Belly breath Resting breath 3.