Flow Sequence

Planning 60 minute flow for Monday evening class at Binghamton Yoga.  Will focus on connection between breath & movement.  Even though there are a lot of postures in this sequence, I hope to approach it in a calm manner to better facilitate that connection.


Seated
Ujjayi Breath Connection btw Movement & Breath
Become Larger with Every Inhale & Relax Exhale
3 Ohms

----------------------- 1st FLOW ----------------------

Tadasana
Swan Dive into Gentle Uttanasana
Right Leg Back - Long Lunge
Decend into Anjanayasana & Relax
Step Back to Down Dog
Decend Knees into Balasana
All-4s
Cow/Cat -- Explore -- Rolls
DOwn Dog
Right Leg Forward into Long Lunge
Decend into Anjanayasana & Relax
Uttanasana
Half Up -- Swan Rise
Tadasana

Second Time thru...
Anajanayasana Arms Up
Plank Hold
Balasana
All-4s
Table -- Extend Leg & then Exhale Knee to Nose
Balasana btw Sides
Wrist Stretching & Strengthing
Down Dog
Anajanayasana Arms Up
Uttanasana
Half Up -- Swan Rise
Tadasana

---------------------- INTERLUDE -----------------------

Shoulder Work
Goal Post Rotations

Step Wide into Prasaritta Padottanasana Feet
Side Stretch Flow -- Toward Holding
Prasaritta Padottanasana -- Moving from Wide to Narrow
Goddess w/ Breath -- Inhale Out Exhale Up
Goddess Hold  (Utkata Konasana)
Tadasana

----------------------- 2nd FLOW ----------------------

Back to the Front of Mat

Swan Dive into Chair
Step Back to Plank (Not Worrying about Lunge)
Down Dog --> Plank --> Baby Cobra --> Down Dog
Warrior I Forward --> Back
Warrior II Back --> Forward
Windmill to Earth
Plank --> Cobra --> Plank --> Down Dog
Step to front of mat
Uttanasana --> Utkatasana
Pavritta Utkatasana -- Both Sides w/ Uttanasana Btw
Tadasana

Second Time thru...
Up Dog instead of Cobra
Utkatasana
Pavritta Utkatasana Lifting Leg -- Both Sides with Uttanasana Btw

Step Wide into Prasaritta Padottanasana Feet
Utthita Trikonasna -- Both Sides
Pavritta Trikonasana -- Both Sides

Urhdva Hastasana --> Down Dog
Plank
Side Plank Hold -- Both Sides Hold
Any Backbend on Floor
Balasana

----------------------- SEATED ----------------------

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
First Down & Long Then Up & Hold Foot with Balance
Both Sides

Dandhasana
Reverse Table -- Lift a Leg -- Both Sides
Pursvottanasana
Paschimottanasana

Janu Sirsasana w/ Focus on Bent Leg
Stretch it Long into Air to Clear It
Ardha Badha Padma Paschimottanasana
Marichyasana -- Deeper
Cow Face
Repeat Other Side

----------------------- ENDING ----------------------
Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)
Plow (Halasana)
Fish (Matsyasana)

Savasana
Om

AcroYoga Practice: High-Flying Whale with Emily & Sam

Emily & I try to practice partner-type things at least twice a week.  Last Friday, following my 9:30am Yoga class at Binghamton Yoga, we "played" with our yoga friend, Sam Ley.

Here's short video of a portion of the fun:

In this video, Sam bases me into High Flying Whale.  What's significant about this is that Sam has very little AcroYoga experience but she found the strength & confidence to do this.  Meanwhile, Emily is spotting, which makes a big difference here.  New bases often wobble and Emily's adjustments facilitate a steady base.  

Physical Therapy Visit: How Psoas Tightness Relates to Limited External Rotation of the Hip

Visited Darrell Hunink at Park Manor Physical Therapy again today for my bimonthly training & therapy.  The main topic of today's session was how a tight Psoas could lead to limited external rotation of my leg at the hip.

A little background: For years I experienced lower back pain.  The obvious thing to work is abs, but that often caused me even more pain.  Then, through Darrell, I realized that I needed to strengthen the Multifidi around my spine before it could handle the stress of full-on Ab work.  Once my Multifidi were in-shape I found that Oblique twists really helped eliminate my pain.  Feeling great, I wanted to go further and I began shooting for press-handstand, which led me to serious Ab roll-ups and the Spinal Activation I now do in many of my classes.  Then one day I got serious pain in both my Piraformis.  It was only after I did extended abdominal-lengthening stretches - backwards over a workout ball - that the pain subsided.  So, today's visit was to ask Darrell to explain WHY these two are related and HOW that relationship may have been playing out long before this incident occured.

Darrell explained that ab curls are concentric type exercises which shorten the abs.  As they shorten, the tailbone get overly tucked.  An overly-tucked tailbone pulls on the muscles & tendons around it and they pull back in an effort to stabilize the situation.  Well, my piraformis couldn't handle it anymore and went into spasm.  Only by using a prolonged eccentric stretch was I able to end the spasm.

My piraformis ... to be continued ...

Align & Flow Sequence: Pincha Mayurasana from Core & Shoulders

75 Minute Align & Flow 1-2 Class at Binghamton Yoga

Spinal activation, core strength, rotator cuff activation, and shoulder strength have been swirling in my head for weeks now.  Today's practice will bring these things together to build Pincha Mayurasana.  This graceful posture eluded me for years.  In the beginning the problem was pure disbelief, then it became lack of shoulder awareness & strength.  Now my shoulders are limber & strong AND I no longer fear it.  I built this class to share the triumph and bring that sense of accomplishment to others.

Spinal Activation with Concentric Ab Work

• Windshield Wiper Legs
• Pelvic Tilits
• Roll-Ups with Sandbag Behind
• Oblique Twists with Sandbags on Sides
• Stretch Long
• Single Side Oblique Crunch Elbow to Knee Across Torso

Abdominal Length with Eccentric Ab Stretching

• Roll onto Belly
• Sphinx
• Side Sphinx --> Side Sphinx
• Straight-Arm Sphinx
• All-Fours ... Move Knees Together & to One Side Then Drop Hips to Opposite Side

Transition to Standing

• Down Dog ... Walk Forward ... Roll Up to Stand

Shoulder Awareness & Arm Strength

• Robot Arm External Rotations for Infraspinatus
• Arms Out Laterally at 45 Degrees for Suprapinatus Pulses
• Shoulder Lift & Drop for Levator Scapulea
• Arms Out Laterally Parallel to Floor --> Flap Arms Like Wings
• Hands in Front, Elbows Bent, Block Between Hands --> Draw Elbows Toward Center & then Out
• Hands in Front, Elbows Bent, Press Forearms Together --> Lift & Lower Pressing Arms 
• Arms Out Laterally Parallel to Floor --> Small CirclesHammer Curl with Serious Spin Out
• Sit on Edge of Chair --> Tricep Lifts 
• Come down onto Knees and Put Elbows on Chair with Palms Facing One Another and Block between Hands for Shoulder Opener

Flow to Warm & Prepare

• Surya Namaskar A with Anjanayasana, Plank & Baby Cobra
• Surya Namaskar A with Alanasana (High Lunge), Plank & Bhujangasana
• Forearm Plank --> Side Forearm Planks
• Ustrasana (Camel)

Pinnacle Posture at Wall

• Measure Strap Shoulder-Width and do Baby Cobra Standing at Wall
• Set Up for Pincha Mayurasana Down Dog Prep
• Full Pincha Mayurasana
• Long Relaxed Uttanasana
• Sirsasana (Headstand)
• Balasana (Child's Posture)
• Matsyasana (Fish)

Ending

• Viparita Karani