March 5, 2012 ONE YOGA Class Synopsis Class 2, Series 2, 2012
Namaste! We began with the Buddha breath, 4-7-8. sitting in a comfortable upright position.
Tonight, we really worked deeply with Forward folds! But, to be able to go deeply into these folds, we started with opening up the hips, knees and feet with progressive stretches, softening and lubricating the main joints of the body .
Hip openers, knee openers ( have you answered the phone?) prepared us for deeper forwards folding of our bodies.. Within the forward fold, we explored rotation and sidebending of the upper body, flowing with the breath, in pendulum like motions. While stretching forward over one straighten leg and the other leg bent and that foot resting on top of the straight thigh, we stretched forward with the straight arms, along side our ears. Then we explore left rotation and left sidebending followed by right rotation and right sidebending. Changing the leg positions ( mirror image) we then repeated the forward fold and oscillating rotations and sidebending opening within the forward fold!
Balance is always in my mind! So after this deep opening forward fold, we placed our bolsters behind us,with the long axis of the bolster mimicking our long spines! Then we rolled down onto the bolsters, with the short side of the bolster snugged up to our lumbar-sacral junction. And breathed deeply, balanced breathing, and allowed our bodies to open up with extension of the lumbar spine.
After thoroughly softening into the bolsters, we began to oscillate with the breath, turning the head to one side, allowing the shoulder blades to snug into the bolster. After a breath or two, returning to the midline, only to then explore the opposite head rotation. Explore different places within the arcs of these rotations of the head and play with sidebending into and out of the points in the arc that you feel drawn to experience!
Then, we explored Opening the hips and the shoulders with large circular motions of one extremity at a time.
Unwound, we began to settle into a final relaxation; allowing subtle nodding of the head to occur with the breath if further movement was felt appropriate individually. Coming into stillness, into inner and outer peace.
When it is time to come out of the final relaxation pose, tonight, we closed with the breath that we started the evening with 4-7-8, which i refer to as the Buddha breath. (see prior blogs for more details of how to do the 4-7-8 breath) promoting Autonomic Nervous System balancing.
Enjoy!
Yusuf Quddus Erskine DO
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