A mat in Studio B
One of the main goals of the program is to actually graduate us as competent teachers. Which based on what I’ve learned about other teacher training programs, isn’t always the case. Some studios seemingly aren’t interested in the quality of teachers they graduate, only that they get your money. It’s disappointing that something so shallow would be part of a yoga business, but I suppose every business has a dark side of the moon.
I’ve started constructing my class, around my pinnacle pose Urdhva Dhanurasan, and it’s proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. I’ve taken so many classes, how can re-constructing one of my own be so difficult? And yet it is. I’m nervous, I’m not sure my material flows right, and I live in waking fear that some student is going to tell me that I don’t ohm right, that my alignment bites, and that I’m generally sucking eggs. Best not quit my day job.
This is the first cut of the first 15 mins of class, it seems to have been well received, fingers crossed.
Week 1 February 26th, 1st 15 minutes:
Introductions – any health issues, concerns or injuries?
Settle into a comfortable cross legged seat, and close your eyes.
3 Ohms
Breathe , samavrtti
Dharma Talk: “I am awake” – Buddha
Slow seated head rolls and mild seated side strech
Cat / Cow 10x
Sequence 1: child’s pose > baby bhujangasana (cobra), child’s pose, rise to Bali – repeat 5x
Sequence 2: From child’s pose, press back to down dog – 5 breaths
Sequence 3: Moon Salute 2 on each side.
Week 2: March 1st, 30 Mins
Introductions – any health issues, concerns or injuries?
Settle into a comfortable cross legged seat, and close your eyes.
3 Ohms
Breathe , samavrtti
Dharma Talk: “I am awake” – Buddha
Slow seated head rolls and mild seated side strech
Cat / Cow 5x
Tiger 3x, Tiger with Chaturanga arms
Sequence 1: child’s pose > baby bhujangasana (cobra) > release and rise 3x
child’s pose, rise to Bali – repeat 5x
Sequence 2: From child’s pose, press back to down dog – 5 breaths
Sequence 3: Moon Salute 2 on each side.
Week 3: March 7th, 45 Mins
Settle into a comfortable cross legged seat, and close your eyes.
3 Ohms
Breathe , samavrtti
Dharma Talk: “I am awake” – Buddha
Roll the neck – once on each side
Cat / Cow – ~5x seated – let them move with their breath
All fours – tiger – 3x on each side
Tiger with chaturanga arms – 3x on each side
Sequence I (Bali) – 5x
- Exhale child’s pose, Inhale rise to your knees, Bali
- Exhale child’s pose, Inhale look between your thumbs and slide forward to Baby Bhujangasana (cobra)
- Exhale release, Inhale rise – Baby Bhujangasana (inch higher) – release – rise 2 more times to Bhujangasana
3x rising Baby Bhujangasana the first 2 times of the sequence, the last 3 times they should just flow through the sequence with only one rise to cobra, eventually being able to flow from Bali (inhale) to Cobra (exhale) in one breath each.
From the final Bhujangasan, press back in one piece to downward facing dog, and hold for five breaths, walk the dog.
From down dog, take baby steps to the top of the mat, and hang over your legs in a lazy uttansana.
Sequence II (Crescent Moon) -4x (repeated on both sides twice)
From down dog > Inhale take the (right) foot forward > low lunge > Exhale, lower the left knee to the floor, Inhale hook the thumbs lift the heart > Crescent Moon, find a micro back bend. Exhale plant the hands to frame your right foot, and begin to lift from the back (left) leg and straighten the right (front) leg into Parsvottonasana, and breathe.
Inhale high flying lunge, exhale hands to heart center, Inhale and breathe, exhale left elbow over right right knee, side twist, and breathe.
Inhale to center and find your low lung, exhale plant the hands and frame the right (front) foot, inhale hook the thumbs, scoop the heart, crescent moon. Exhale parsvottonasana.
From low lunge, begin to shift your weight to the front foot (right), and exhale bring the left foot to meet the right, and fold, uttanasana, release. Inhale up to Tadasana.
Sequence III (Reverend Warrior) -4x (repeated on both sides twice)
Exhale fold forward, uttanasana. Inhale, left foot back low lunge, exhale right foot back to meet it, down dog.
Inhale, right foot forward, spin the left heel down and rise to Warrior I.
Exhale, circle the arms back, and either interlace your hands, take opposite elbows, or reverse prayer. Inhale and breathe.
Exhale, fold forward from the hips, reverend warrior, make sure your shoulder is just grazing your front knee, and your hips remain square. Inhale rise, exhale find the chest opener, microback bend. Inhale circle the arms overhead, warrior I.
Exhale plant the hands, frame the foot, and move back to downward facing dog, or vinyasa.
Sequence IV (Peaceful Warrior) -4x (repeated on both sides twice)
Down dog Open Hip split > Bend the knee, keep your shoulders square, and if available rockstar.
Inhale back to down dog split, exhale eka pada koundiyasana prep – the knee is resting on the chaturanga arms, but not extended. > Inhale down dog split, exhale lower the leg and repeat on the other side.
Inhale, raise the right leg down dog split, exhale, eka pada koundiyasana prep > Inhale down dog split, exhale, low lunge. From low lunge, right hand on the inside of the right foot, and inhale to extended side angle. Inhale with the strength of legs, rise to warrrior 2. Exhale, peaceful warrior, maintain leg position of warrior 2, and breathe. Inhale straighten the front leg, exhale hips shift back, and lower to trikonasana. Inhale Peaceful warrior, exhale circle arms and plant the hands, vinyasa or downward dog.
Repeat on the other side.
Week 5: March 21st, 75 Mins (Final)
Note: Repetition of a sequence or move is just a suggestion, some sequences will require more “talking to” for beginning students so you may not fit all the suggested times.
1) Sukasana -Settle into a comfortable cross legged seat, and close your eyes.
2) 3 Ohms – Breathe between each ohm, describe tension and tightness “washing away” with the ebb and flow of your breath.
3) Breath:
a. Begin noticing your breath and it’s quality
b. Begin to even out the rough edges
c. Samastithi breath – count of 3
4) Dharma Talk: “I am awake” – Buddha: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/story/index.html
5) Cat / Cow - ~5x seated – let them move with their breath
6) Tiger
a.Tiger – Move them to all fours, press right leg back and feel engagement through to the back heel and lift. Repeat on each side 3x.
b. Tiger with chaturanga arms – 3x on each side – depending on the level of the class, this may need to be demoed first before the students can follow along with at their own pace.
7)Sequence I (Bali) – 5x
- Exhale child’s pose, Inhale rise to your knees, Bali
- Exhale child’s pose, Inhale look between your thumbs and slide forward to the space between your hands for Baby Bhujangasana (cobra)
- Exhale release, Inhale rise – Baby Bhujangasana (inch higher with the in breath) – release – rise 2 more times to Bhujangasana for a total of 3x. Each time they inhale encourage them to find maybe just a whisper more height.
Afte the 3x rising Baby Bhujangasana move through child’s pose on the exhale and rise to Bali.
Repeat without the rising Bhujangasana sequence, just baby cobra to Bali for 4 more times.
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svasana) 15 mins
From the final Bhujangasan, press back in one piece hips lifting o downward facing dog, and hold for five breaths, walk the dog, flutter the lips.
From down dog, take baby steps to the top of the mat, and hang over your legs in a lazy uttansana.
9) Moon Salute - 3x on each side.
10) Sequence II (Crescent Moon) -4x (repeated on both sides twice)
Bend the knees hook the thumbs scoop the arms up> Exhale Fold forward, uttanasan, > Inhale take the (right) foot back > low lunge > Exhale, lower the right knee to the floor square the hips and find depth in this modified low lunge.
Inhale hook the thumbs lift the heart > Crescent Moon, find a micro back bend. Exhale plant the hands to frame your left foot, and begin to lift from the back (right) leg and straighten the left (front) leg into Parsvottonasana, and breathe.
Repeat two more times, and then change legs by pressing back to down dog and allowing those who want it a vinyasa.
After each side has repeated the sequence 3x on each side.
From low lunge, begin to shift your weight to the front foot, and exhale bring the back foot to meet the right, and fold, uttanasana, release. Inhale reverse swan dive up to Urdhva Hastasana.
11) Sequence III (Peaceful Warrior) -2 – 4x (repeated on both sides at least once) 30minsFrom Urdhva Hastasana, fold forward to uttanasana and step back to downward facing dog.
Down dog lift the right leg for a closed hip downdog split > Open the hips Hip split > Bend the knee, keep your shoulders square even distribution of weight, and just feel the side stretch. If they want a deeper expression they can flip the dog / rockstar.
Inhale back to down dog split, and exhale sweep the right leg between the hands for a low lunge.
Inhale, spin the left heel down and rise to warrior 2, find your center, breathe into it the front knee, and remember this is a hip opener. Exhale turn the palm up and tilt back to, peaceful warrior, maintain leg position of warrior 2, and back (left arm) should just be grazing the leg, no weight.
Inhale find your waiter arms, right elbow over right upper thigh and left arm overhead to the sky, legs still in Warrior 2. Utthita parsvakonasana. Inhale back to peaceful, Exhale right arm to the top of the thigh or the inside of the right foot. Inhale peaceful warrior, exhale to any of the variations before or right arm to the outside of the right foot.
Remind them in all extended side angles that each inhale finds length and exhale, rotation.
Unfurl the hands from extended side angle, straighten the right (front) leg and transition to trikonasana, and breathe.
From Trikonasana bend the right knee, low lunge and press back to downward facing dog or vinyasa.
Repeat sequence on the other side.
12) Take the mat to the wall. Standing chest opener – Stand with your forearms against the wall, in a 90 degree angle. Find some stability and ground on the left arm, and with baby steps begin to pivot your chest towards the center of the room, and hold for 3 breaths when they’ve found their work. Repeat on the other side.
13) Find all fours and slowly lower to your stomach. (Locust)
a. 2x Half locust – chest and heart opening, remind them to keep their neck long, throat back.
b. 3rd locust encourage a full locust with the engagement of their legs. Remind them to inwardly rotate their thighs. Maybe the rise they felt with their breath in Cobra, they can find again here. Hold full locust for 3 breaths.
14) Roll over to their stomachs. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (2x) 45mins
Alignment pointers – heels and feet parallel and square, heels should be just a whisper away from grazing the middle finger of the hand. With this alignment find lightness in the hips, press through the legs into the earth and find bridge.
Keep the chin lifted in bridge there should still be a breeze between the chin and the chest.
For their second bridge they can roll their shoulders under, and interlace their hands.
15) Urdhva Dhanurasana
After bridge, give them the option to go into urdhva dhanurasana. If they choose to go into urdhva dhanurasana they can either go into it from Bridge (mature practitioners) or demo how use blocks against the wall.
Blocks against the wall should frame the head. Elbows to the sky, and hands framing the face, fingers point to toes if they aren’t using blocks, or to towards the mat if they are, legs are in the same aligment as bridge. Press through your arms and feet to the earth, up to your crown, and stay if that’s all the work you want to find today. Otherwise continue to press through the arms and feet into an urdhva dhanurasana.
16) Supine Series:
a. Knees to chest (apanasana)
b. Happy baby
c. Supine twists
17) Option to go into plough (halasana) and shoulder stand
20) Everyone meets in supported supta badakonasana – blocks under knees
21) 3 part breath (yogic breath) , walk them through about 3x and let them find it on their own. At this point you can even give a follow up dharma talk.
22) Savasana (Corpse pose)
Everyone who wants an assist sit with their head away from the wall.
23) Roll the right in fetal position
24) Gently press away the floor with your left hand and roll up to sukasana (comfortable seat)
25) End the class with 3 ohms , encourage the students to feel the healing reverberations of the ohms.
26) Mini Dharma – mat is the world to the yogi.
27) Namaste
Daily Chai 
