What if our religion was each other if our practice was our life if prayer our words what

if the temple was the earth the forests our church if holy water- the rivers lakes and oceans what if meditation was our relationships if the teacher was life if wisdom was self knowledge if love was the center of our being. -Ganga White What is yoga... Yoga is communion, a living prayer. Yoga is union. Through presence in practice the totality of the moment is revealed, and all aspects of being are unied, mind, body, and essence. It is a simplication, a softening presence, a surrendering to the rhythm of breath. It is a door to vast spaces of oneself and a door to that which is beyond the self. Yoga is meditation. It is a medicine, an anti-aging magic. Yoga retrains the body systems and the organs to sustain themselves with integrity and natural wisdom. Yoga is a healing path. A foundation for deep release of trauma, pain, and challenging emotional and mental patterns. It liberates stagnant energy, and is a guide back to the natural state of balance. Yoga opens the door to living a spiritual life. This ancient and vast path of spirit continually reveals deeper layers of body and mind and supports the transcendence of that. It cultivates an endless space for self discovery, unraveling the corners inside.

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It is a path of the beauty way opening a space of reverence for the earth, harmonizing the energy of body and mind with the life force that moves through us, guides us and sustains us. The Body Temple We are beings of light living within a temple of the physical body. Learning to listen to the body with love, respect, and centered attention unveils the intelligence of the life force that radiates through us. As we meet the inner space through yoga and meditation, we must nd the willingness and courage to embrace the wholeness of who we are; the immensity of the light and the shadow as well. Having the trust to witness and inquire about what inhibits the life force from owing with innate wisdom, is a door to harmony and balance. The depth of the path of yoga guides the light of

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awareness into all aspects of the self, and in that simplicity of seeing and knowing ourselves, we begin to shed, un-do, empty and clear away the stagnant corners of the temple... slowly and gently purifying the toxins of the body, releasing stuck emotional energy and polishing the mirror of the mind. As more space is created inside, as the awareness sharpens and the energy is liberated, the body becomes more transparent and the light within can shine through with vitality. Foundations of Yoga 7 principals- Intent, empty mind or undoing the mind, rooting, breathing, relaxation, connecting (opposing directions), elongating Intent (or Inspiration) The ground of our practice is held by the intention. Why am i choosing to practice yoga? What has guided me to explore this path? What is my intention for this moment? Another interesting way of approaching the concept of intention is to reframe the typical denition which is, a purpose or attitude toward the effect of ones actions or conduct. We can fuse the idea of inspiration with the presence of our personal intention, so instead of approaching our yoga practice (or our life for that matter!) from a mind state of controlling our actions, we may hold our intention from a place of inspiration...what inspires us to make the choices we do? Empty mind or undoing the mind The nature of the mind is a surface dance, where the personality or the ideas of self are believed to be the truth... rationalizing, judging, controlling. In this attachment to who we think we are, one lives in the past and future and typically is busy with the mundane details of reality. This fact is not something to judge or try to escape from...it is a state of being that can be seen and accepted, and ultimately

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transcended. Below thoughts and emotions, there is a deeper state of consciousness which may be revealed through witnessing the inner movement and resting into presence. In the spirit of meditation, the ground is created for the journey of yoga. By detaching from the mind, and in that ability to step back away from the familiar mechanism of clinging to thought, sensation or emotion, emptiness reveals itself. In that reection of emptiness, of undoing, space is created inside to RECEIVE the moment. In that state of receptivity there are endless possibilities for healing, aligning with purpose, and resting into the vast and sacred temple of the body. Connection to the earth- Rooting As we connect to the lower body, we discover our relationship with the earth. How do we stand? How do our legs carry us through life? What is our connection to this great mother Earth? The alignment of the feet and legs and grounding our energy upon the body of the earth determine the foundation or our standing asana. It is a profound meeting with the earth -as we root into the ground the natural response in the body is to rise up towards the sky. Experiencing this connection is a deepening of what it means to root, to ground and to use the support of the earth and gravity to extend, to lengthen, to rise. And in that rising, it is not with effort, tension, or control..there is a natural extension of energy that arises in that experience of grounding, an equal and opposing force that extends up towards the sky, like a tree...growing deep into the earth and equally rising towards the sunlight. Grounding is a simplifying force, bringing consciousness into the form which only exists in one time and space, here and now.

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This practice of rooting our energy affects the general quality of our life. As we consciously and consistently grow our roots into the earth, the mind and body can rest more easily into stillness. We may witness more steadiness in our presence and more capacity to meet the challenges of life with stability and clarity. By drawing the energy down away from the movement of mind, we begin to fully inhabit our body, to rest in the full space of our being, and to become more acquainted with the subtleties of our own particular life ow. Some tools for rooting within yoga practice -Rooting from the four corners of each foot with a gentle lift in the arch -Inner leg spiral -Drawing the strength and energy into the center line -Muscle engagement- awakening the lines of energy in every direction Breathing The morning wind spreads its fresh smell, We must get up and take that in, that wind that lets us live. Breathe before its gone. -Rumi Breath is the essence of yoga. It is the bridge between the mind and body, unifying the energy into a space of presence. Conscious breath gradually releases the toxins that have built up over the years, and with gentleness, kindness, and receptivity, we can allow the impurities to leave the body through the softening purifying process of the exhalation. Approaching the process of breathing with willingness and curiosity, the breath becomes a door into endless spaces of self discovery.

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The inhalation supports extension, elongates the spine, and widens the inner body, therefore breathing in is a preparation for moving into an asana. The exhalation holds the quality of softening, empty-ing, creating space inside, so shifting into an asana or deepening that space on the exhalation allows the body to settle into the new shape with grace and ease. Inspiration As water puries our skin, so the breath is capable of cleaning our whole being. And what i learned was that breath is the key that can open thousands of doors- an innitesimal but incredibly powerful laser capable of removing layers of encrustation. To experience this is very much being on the crest of an oceanic wave, a simultaneous feeling of resistance and delight. But if fascination prevails, then opening and unraveling follows. Learning no longer comes from wanting to reach a goal or fulll an aim, but from a gradual unfolding, an effortless blossoming. The attention moves within to sharpen the inner eyes and inner ears. Any subtle response is amplied, The freedom, the intelligence of the cells can oat up to the surface of consciousness and there it takes you by the hand. As you learn to move with it and not against it, there is immense beauty. As the body is allowed to nd its alignment between earth and sky, the practice becomes a richly rewarding voyage inwards where gifts are always offered with generosity. Learning is not conned to daily practice- it leaps out into life. There is a constant delight in participating and in being one with what is: a fusion with the object that dissolves any question and any doubt. Sandra Sabatini, Breath, the essence of yoga. Relaxation - Gravity as our ally Whether we rest into stillness or work into a dynamic ow of asana, the presence of gravity is a guide, a teacher and ally.

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The guidance of the exhalation and the awareness of the pull of the earth draws tension out of the body, simply by allowing the force of gravity to affect the density of form. It is an effortless process, a gift and great support for the unfolding of our bodies . When standing or sitting in an aligned position, the lower more dense parts of the spine are gently guided downward toward the earth, freeing up the lower back, creating space in between the vertabrae and ultimately supporting the rising force of the upper body. With this subtle awareness of how gravity affects the spine, one can begin the experience the spine as an alive, ever changing, dynamic part of our being that continually shifts and extends. Relaxation within the yoga practice serves us as a point of integration, where body, mind and energy can assimilate the work that has happened thus far and integrate the effects. As the dance of yoga is a union of sun and moon (HA -sun, THA- moon) or yin and yang, it is a space where dynamic strength is balanced by relaxation and effortlessness. In this middle way the opposing energies co-exist in perfect balance, where asana practice strengthens, tones, and enlivens the physical body, the quality of relaxation within the power allows the energy to ow with its wisdom, inspiring healing and shifting the systems of the body back into balance. Connecting- Working with Opposing Directions In practically every asana there is an equal and opposing force which can be sensed on a more subtle layer, and often will be emphasized by muscle engagement and conscious extension of energy. In the most basic experience of T adasana, this concept of opposing directions can be explored in a simple and yet clear practice.

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Consciously rooting the feet, or simply witnessing the natural pull of gravity extending the ow of energy down into the earth. In that meeting the vibration of life force bounces back up into the body and is extended equally in the opposing direction, the sky. A practitioner can enliven the experience of the lines of energy and explore this concept by consciously extending life force in opposing directions as well. For-instance, with the arms extended away from the center of the body, there will be a very different experience if the hands and ngers are limp and lifeless, opposed to awakening the arms all the way up to the nger tips and radiating life force along the lines of energy moving through the upper body. Elongating Once we employ the proceeding principals to our yoga practice, elongating happens effortlessly and joyfully. It is very different than stretching in a certain direction or forcefully moving our muscles. It is a natural expression of the connection to the earth and within that there arises an exploration of how that earth energy bounces back up through the body, extending the energy in every direction. Breathing, rooting, and connecting with conscious awareness enlivens the energy pathways and gives birth to a powerful experience- lengthening, widening, and elongating the body. Introduction to the energy body We are bodies of light, and the sacred practice of yoga supports us to sense, feel and see the underlying energy body. Prana (the ever present life force) ows through and animates all living things. This vibration of life force is carried within the body through little rivers of energy called Nadis from the sanskrit root nad meaning motion or vibration. According to the Yogic philosophy there are approximately 72,000 nadis that ow throughout the body, but there are 3 important nadis to know and explore.

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The Sushumna Nadi is the mother channel in which all other energy channels originate from. Some schools of yoga state that the Sushumna is located within the spine and other schools identify the mother channel as a force that ows through the central core line of the body. The 2 secondary Nadis, the Ida and the Pingala begin at the base of the spine and criss cross up the Sushumna, dancing

together in a uid movement up to the nasal passage ways. The ida represents the lunar feminine aspect and the pingala expresses the solar male aspect. The chakra centers (wheels of energy) are located at the points where all 3 nadis meet, creating a vortex of energy or prana. There are 7 main chakra centers and each center holds information of body, emotional and mental patterns, and higher states of consciousness. The exploration of the energetics of the chakras serve as a blueprint for spiritual

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evolution. From the more dense energies of the earthly qualities such as primal issues of survival up to the more subtle vibration of unity, pure awareness, and silence. The chakra centers are constantly evolving depending on the current state of physical and mental wellbeing. They vibrate in all directions and determine one aspect of the quality of the energy body. Practicing yoga and pranayama triggers the balanced ow of prana, clearing out stagnant energy and blocked nadis which affects overall health and well-being on the physical, emotional, and mental layer.

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Muladhara- the 1st chakra Etched in the esh and posture of the bones are our pains and our joys. Coded within our nerve impulses are our needs and our habits, memories and talents. Within our genes is our ancestry, within our cells the chemistry of the food we eat and as our heart beats our rhythm, our muscles mirror our daily activities. To understand the body, we have to be the body. We have to be its pain, its pleasure, its fear and joy. To see the spiritual being as separate is to cut ourselves off from our ground, our root, our home. -Anodea Judith, Wheels of Life The Muladhara chakra, (which means root) is located at the root of the body, the base of the pelvic oor, the lowest point of the torso. It is physically manifested through the feet and legs, the hips, the bones of the body, large intestine, and the esh of the body. The element is earth and the qualities associated with this center are grounded-ness, stability, security, survival, family, tribe, and birth. The language of the rst chakra expresses itself as form. By investigating our bodies through awareness of sensation and movement we discover deeper layers of ourselves. Developing sensitivity to the inner sensation and witnessing what arises inside, there is the opportunity to move stagnant energy, receive spontaneous insight, and melt into the precious moment. Through aligning awareness with the form of the body we embark on a spiritual journey which can eventually lead us to transcend the form....but the rst step is to meet the density of matter, and all that is held in the temple of the body.

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The Bhandas Through asana and pranayama practice the prana that ows through the body increases and stagnant sluggish energy or apana (toxic buildup) begins to move out of the system. The science of yoga provides practices to support the release of stagnation and awaken the balanced ow of prana. The Bhandas are internal locks that can be applied during pranayama or asana practice to direct or intensify the ow of energy. There are 3 main Bhandas to know and practice. Mula Bhanda (root lock), Uddiyana Bhanda (stomach lock), and Jalandhara Bhanda (chin lock). The second and third bhandas will be explored in more detail later in this text. The rst Bhanda is associated with the root of the body and is deeply connected to the energies of the earth and the expression of the rst chakra. One practices Mula Bhanda by engaging the muscles of the perineum, the anal sphincter muscles and the pubococcygeous (PC) muscles. When Mula Bhanda is applied there is a natural engagement of the lower abdominals and an upward ow of energy. With this practice there may be the sense of drawing the earth vibration up and in towards the center. Mula bhanda strengthens the abdominal muscles, increases heat and concentration, tones the sexual organs, and can protect the lower back when used within postures or movements. Different schools speak of certain times during asana and pranayama practice in which Mula Bhanda should be applied, and yet it seems that practice, investigation, individual needs and intuition will serve as the best guideline for the most benecial use of this powerful practice.

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As we create space and time for our own personal practice, we meet our bodies with curiosity, openness, and presence. With the intention to meet ourselves as we are, one will be guided to employ tools that support the unique situation of that particular moment in time. Asana- Standing poses T adasana or Samasthiti- mountain pose Adho Mukha Svanasana- downward facing dog Uttanasana- standing forward bend Ardha Uttanasana- half forward bend Ardha Parshva Uttanasana- asymmetrical forward bend Ardha Padma Uttanasana- half bound lotus Parshva Konasana- side angle pose Parsvottanasana- forward bend over one leg Vrkshasana- tree pose Ardha Chandrasana- half moon Utkatasana- chair pose Natarajasana- king dancer Trikonasana- triangle pose Utthita Trikonasana- extended triangle pose Utthita Eka Padangusthasana- standing position with leg stretched forward Virabhadrasana- warrior pose Garudasana- eagle pose Prasarita Padottanasana- expanded forward bend

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We think of intelligence and perception as taking place exclusively in our brains, but yoga teaches us that awareness and intelligence must permeate the body. Each part of the body literally has to be engulfed by the intelligence. We must create marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. -BKS Iyengar, Light on Life The Pelvis The alignment of the pelvis affects the entire shape of the body, so it is a very important place to explore and know from the inside. If we envision the shape of the pelvis, with its somewhat circular bowl like form and the spine rising up from that bowl, it will be seen that tilting the bowl of the pelvis forward, or backward would disturb the alignment of the spine. So an important piece of our practice is to be conscious of the space of our pelvis, when seated or standing. Ideally, the tailbone should be dropped and the bowl of the pelvis placed in a neutral position, without tension, so the spine can rise freely. Within this space of the body, the sexual organs, and the soft pool of the lower belly, there may be an energetic accumulation of past emotional trauma. From the laws of nature we know that matter is affected by gravity, pulling it down toward the earth. In our bodies, toxic physical and emotional buildup may as well naturally settle into the lower basement of the body. As we begin to explore the corners of our body with asana and pranayama practice, the stagnant places that have held and collected old energies will be washed by the light of awareness and owing life force, triggering a process of healing. It is common that the rst deep exploration of yoga will trigger emotion- pain, anger, fear, sadness, and also joy and expansion. The fullness of the inner space may be revealed and it may be seen that there is a lot of baggage stored inside the pockets of our cells. There is no separation between the mind and body, so when a challenging emotional experience arises in life, the perception of that experience is not only met through the mind but it is lived through and remembered with the totality of the whole body.

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When challenging emotional energies arise, one must simply meet the energy that is experienced with breath and presence, allowing the emotion to surface, witnessing the transformation of that stagnant space, and breathing new fresh life force into the body. Slowly, with patience and trust, more space is created inside, old energies are released, the container of the body widens and a person may have more capacity to meet and receive the present moment. Svadhisthana- 2nd chakra The second chakra is located in the soft pool of the lower belly, below the belly button and above the pubic bone. The sanskrit root svad means to sweeten, and another denition that resonates with this energy of Svadhisthana is abiding in ones own place. It is referred to in some ancient texts as the seat of the soul and in Asian energetic practices it is called the Hara, the endless source of energy. From the stillness of the earth represented by the 1st chakra, we move into the dynamic meeting of polarity, where change is manifested, created by the constant interaction of the forces of duality. Here in the second chakra the dance of Yin and Yang create movement and evolution. The element associated with this chakra is water which by nature is a receptive force, always taking the shape it encounters. So this space is about receptivity, emotion, intimacy, creativity, desire, nurturance. Although this center is expressed by both the male and female energies that meet in the dance of duality, it is predominantly feminine, opposed to the more steady stable male energy of the rst chakra. As a manifestation of water, this chakra corresponds to bodily functions that utilize the uid in the body, circulation, reproduction, sexuality, and urinary elimination. When exploring the energy of the 2nd chakra one meets the deep seat of emotion held in the pockets of the lower body. As the nature of this chakra is change and movement, conscious breath and the

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exploration of yoga asana serve as profound tools for moving the stagnant emotional energy and embracing the new moment.

Healing the Womb and breaking energy chords As we move into the delicate and yet powerful waters of Svadhisthana, we may encounter emotional wounding around sexuality, birth, co-dependency, dysfunctional menstruation, and challenges with intimacy with ourselves and others. Getting in contact with the feeling in this corner of the body reveals aspects of ourselves which may be challenging to face and embrace. As a woman, we may hold the collective conditioning or shame around this center and develop a strong disconnect with the nature of this part of the body, resulting in numbness or aversion. For both men and women we are connected to past lovers and people we have been close to, through energetic chords that radiate from this part of our body. Clearing out old energetic patterns from relationships of the past is an important step at freeing the sexual creative energy that radiates from Svadisthana.

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Discovering intuitive expression This part of the body is also a space of deep intuition. It is the seat in the body where the gut feeling is experienced. It is a space in the body that reacts immediately to the surrounding energies. When we begin to explore the 2nd chakra space it is a beautiful moment to open the intuitive ow as a teacher. Teaching is a creative expression and every class can be a fresh and new experience of the moment. Every teacher is unique and the personal expression of the yoga practice and the space that is held has endless possibilities. I have found that the most deep teachings ive received over the years have arisen from teachers that have rested into their authentic expression. If they are fully able to embody their own energy and express themselves from their true voice, the teaching of yoga serves as a vehicle for a much deeper sharing. Yoga is a profound spiritual path, which holds many rich tools for growth and expansion, and yet the form of yoga can at one point serve as a platform for sharing higher spiritual insights. As practitioners that walk the talk a gifted teacher speaks from their own experience and evolution, connecting to the intuition of the moment and speaking from a space of authenticity.

Functional Mobility - The Flow of Movement ! The experience of having freedom in the body is awakened as we harness the life force around us and inside of us. ! How do we harness the vital energy? How do we move stuck energy? How do we circulate this powerful force through our body? ! Prana is the energy one senses in nature, the vibration of life, the earth itself is breathing and moving everything is alive with prana.

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! When we appreciate the ocean, the sun, the light beauty of animals, birds, mountains, clouds we are sensing prana and feel the intuitive essence of its expression. ! As we tune into this vital ow within our own body through yoga practice, we intuitively understand how to move the energy and information in a natural, relaxed and owing manner. !Finding ways to move the joints awakens blood circulation and allows uidity. ! Pain, is usually a warning sign, a block in the system.! Often these blocks are related to emotional energy!that will manifest as pain or injury in a specic site in the physical body. !This tension, if ignored can lead to injury later. ! The body's ability to function as a clean and efcient channel is limited by stiffness, lack of strength, and lack of mobility. Stagnant energy needs to be expressed, as human beings on a quantum level are

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simply moving energy and energy moves in waves, waves move in patterns, patterns move in rhythms human beings are just that energy, waves, patterns and rhythms. -Gabrielle Roth Finding the inner pulse and how it is represented through movement and certain life situations can give clues about how to redirect that current of energy. As we learn how to move with more ow, grace, rhythm and sensitivity the expression of the inner pulse and the personal alignment with that frequency opens the portal to healing, freeing stagnant areas within the body system, and inspires a balanced state of being. ! The joints are where the lines of energy are most likely to become stuck. The discipline of the practice of yoga is that of undoing the obstructions and limitations within the body and mind that inhibits the free ow of creative life force. True skill within the practice of yoga involves creating the intensity of life force ow that reveals harmonious alignment of energetic currents within the body. Being able to do this with each line of energy is a matter of inner listening and skillfull tuning. If you were tuning a violin, for example, you would tune the key just the right amount not too much, not too little in order to adjust the string tension to create the perfect sound. How much you'll tune the instrument cannot be known in advance. It all depends on the sound. This is exactly what you do with the musculature, the nadis, the current, the breath, and the alignment of the pose. You can then consciously open specic muscular and energetic blockages with just the right amount of pressure.

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Activating life force energy Energetic awareness principles when moving energy within the body include 1. Relax the waist the waist is the commander of energy, it should be loose. 2. Differentiate substantial with insubstantial the weight of the body should be rested on one side. 3. Relax the mind and body completely sigh allow the movements to be light, nimble and spontaneous. 4. Upper and lower mutually ow the roots are in the feet, the energy is issues with the legs, controlled by the waist and distributed from there to hands or other areas of the body. 5. It is mutually joined and unbroken prana should be slowly trained to be continuous, circular and unending. 6. Seek stillness in movement concentrating on internal power without disrupting calmness. 7. Suspend from crown- energy rising, directed through the crown of the head. ! !Disease is inertia.! Healing is movement.! If you put the body in motion, you will change.! You are meant to move: ! While these principles are important to understand conceptually, as the mind continues to relax and surrender the wisdom of the body reveals the inherent knowing of these concepts on a deeper level. When using practices that cultivate energy within the form of yoga it is important to understand some key points:

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Circle energy All movements when cultivating energy are circular and joints are always relaxed, never locked. Circles possess immense power. The center turns in a spiral fashion. The tighter the spiral the more force is contained. !This spiral energy assists the mover to "connect" and circulate incoming and outgoing prana. As a result of this circular nature of energy we can take advantage of the healing force within our yoga practice. Especially as we explore functional opening and energy cultivating practices. Prana, and its ow through the body (although being connected to our physical energy), is a non-physical force which is deeply inuenced by our thoughts and feelings. For this reason, it is important to create a conscious mental and emotional attitude towards healing. Instead of just moving the body we can bring our awareness into the movement and focus our mind and feelings into the present moment. Free your energy, Free your mind ! Through the exploration of free form movement, breath and awareness a process of unlocking the stagnant corners of the body and mind begins to unfold. !As we let go of the mind and move the body, this process of expanding the inner body starts to synchronize with the harmonious patterns and vibrations of sound found within space. These rhythms, patterns and states of trance can invoke widened presence, deep healing and ood the body with life force. ! As we free the body by opening joints, muscular circuits, and chains of movement the mind also begins to unravel. If we can move into the space of receptivity, awareness and surrender within the space of movement, a deep bodily intelligence is awakened. ! As we tune into the body as a subtle energetic system of systems we begin to allow the intuitive movement to reveal deep levels of healing on a cellular, uid and muscular skeletal level.

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!Asana- Forward bending and twisting Janu Shirshasana -sitting head to knee pose Matsyendrasana- spinal twist Navasana- boat pose Paschimottanasa- seated forward bend Prasarita Padottanasana- wide legged forward bend Baddha Konasana- goddess pose Supta Baddha Konasana- reclined goddess pose Hanumanasana- splits pose Upavista Konasana- wide angled seated forward bend Baradvajasana- Bharadvajas twist Eka Pada Rajakapotanasana- pigeon pose Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana- upward facing forward bend Gomukhasana- cow faced pose Parivritta Janu Shirsasana- revolved sitting head to knee pose Parivritta Parsvakonasana- revolved side angle pose Parivritta Trikonasana- revolved triangle pose Parivritta Hasta Padangusthana- revolved hand to foot pose Parivritta Ardha Chandrasana- revolved half moon pose Jathara Parivritti- reclined twist Revisit standing forward bends and twists

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You have to become your own teacher and your own disciple - Krishnamurti Core Strength As we explore the practice of yoga more deeply and acquire more strength, it is discovered that most movements arise from the core of the body, from the center. The subtleties of the asanas reveal themselves through newfound sensations, deepening awareness and more connection to the body as a whole unit. And in those discoveries one can sense the central core line of the body from a deeper space. Yes it is about strength of the muscles associated with the central area, but it is also a subtle energetic experience- building the power of the innermost core that runs through the whole shape of the body from the inner feet, inner legs, through the center and up until the the crown of the head. The practice of the Bhandas can support this discovery, as we learn to direct and enhance the current of life force throughout the inner body. Also within the form of asana, there is a practice of gathering the energy, allowing the strength of the pose to move in towards the midline, centering the power around the core of the body.

Manipura- 3rd chakra The third chakra, Manipura (lustrous gem) is located in the solar plexus, connected to the element of re. As re transforms matter into light and heat, the Manipura chakra manifests the 1st and 2nd chakra energies of earth and water into power, action, will, and vitality. It is the place of self condence and manifestation, taking the richness of the inner world and reecting it out into life with power and brilliance. This place deeply affects the health and vitality of the lower centers. If the re is dim, the balance of the water and earth energies become disturbed and the water chakra may become swampy and damp resulting in physical illness or emotional challenges. This overabundance of water will affect the foundation of the earth disrupting the security and stability of solid ground. So keeping the digestive

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re strong and alive is of great importance for physical health and living joyfully. It is the center that rules over the metabolic system through alchemy, transforming the nourishment that we take into the body into energy and physical power. This center can be described as the inner sun, the power of life, connection, warmth, radiance. Redening the concept of power allows one to connect with the essence of this chakra. Instead of viewing power as an isolated experience, one that conquers or alienates others - a balanced sense of power allows us to rest into the condence of following our truth, directing energy in a conscious way, and learning to express oneself with clarity. A balanced power center allows one to embrace vulnerability, and depth of emotion. From that authentic meeting with the self while honoring the truth of the moment, the brilliance of trust and surrender are revealed, enlivening the inner shine and cultivating a deeper sense of self respect and acceptance.

The Manipura chakra is the center of will. Will is the combination of conscious choice and action- the means through which reality is created. Here we might explore how we co-create the circumstances of our lives, and choose to rise above victim-hood, seeing the world as an exciting series of challenges and choices that continually invite us to grow and expand. When we are in harmony with what Alester

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Crowley calls our true will our actions and choices move beyond the ego-self and attune with a higher purpose that the logical mind may not be able to comprehend. Agni- the Fire of Life According to yoga philosophy, within the center of the body, there resides the Agni, the internal re. This ame inside is constantly moving and dancing and changing directions as re does, and it is greatly inuenced by the ow of prana guided by conscious breathing. On the inhalation, the breath stokes the ame and guides it down toward the lower body where rubbish may be gathering, and the exhalation then guides the ame in the opposite direction bringing with it just burned waste matter, and allowing it to be released from the body. Certain asana, pranayama techniques, and bhanda exploration can increase the power of the Agni as well as support the process of purication, guiding the internal re into the corners of the body that may be holding impurities. Yoga Alchemy- article taken from The Yoga Journal Blog Yoga is a tradition that has always embraced the idea of working with prana (life force energy) to move toward more power and ease.!Whether the practitioner wanted to empower, heal, vitalize or calm herself, yoga offered specic methodologies for moving her in the direction of her needs. The navel was always a central focal point for working with energy, due to its transformational and balancing capacities. T antra understands that bringing more focused, loving attention to this area can ignite the positive qualities associated with a belly that is alive. In fact, the yogis spent considerable time and effort in strengthening this ame, using a variety of different techniques. Chances are that if if you have taken a yoga class, you yourself have worked to

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stoke the re of the core. Every time you consciously breathe out and feel the navel draw back on the spine, you stoke the navel ame. When you draw the navel lock upward for Uddiyana Bandha, this ame is sparked. When you do a strong breath practice such as Kapalabhakti or Bhastrika, the light of the belly is brightened. It can also be subtle, such as the simple awareness of the way your belly drops down on your spine effortlessly as you melt into a deep restorative backbend or in Savasana. Why so much focus on the belly? Well, when you have strong prana in your core, you can burn through anything life throws your way. When your prana ows intelligently at this navel center, you get better at digesting things, whether it be the salad you ate for lunch, the incredibly long report you need to read for work, or the less-than-desirable aspects of your personality that lead you away from freedom and joy. T antriks likened this part of our energetic anatomy to a re because an alive belly warms us. It makes us feel safe and at home in our body. The belly, when full of presence, strengthens our sense of individual purpose in the world. A belly that is awakened says, I am safe. I am here. I have a mission. A belly that is asleep says, Whats my unique purpose? Am I important? Am I balanced? The navel is also the seat of digestion and assimilation. If the navel (and sacrum in general) is weak, we may experience instability in our low back, sluggish digestion, or instability in our mind and emotions. I have found!Forrest Yoga and ParaYoga to be two styles that pay particular homage to the belly re, both on a physical and psychic level.! Try taking one of these classes for a core-building and purifying experience. You can also just practice!bringing more loving focus to this area during your yoga practice, and during your daily life. With more kind presence at this area, you can begin to!unearth your hidden capacities to be stable and solid in the face of a turbulent life. By Katie Silcox - a certied teacher of Rod Strykers Para Yoga and a certied Ayurvedic Wellness Educator and Therapist. ! !

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!Uddiyana Bhanda The second internal lock, Uddiyana Bhanda (upward stomach lock) is performed by activating and lifting the abdominal muscles at the completion of the exhalation, when the body is empty. It is important to relax the belly after holding Uddiyana for a moment before receiving the next inward breath. This bhanda can be employed appropriately throughout the yoga practice to build energy, increase digestive re, tone the abdominal muscles, and purify the organs. Augmented with Mula bhanda, Uddiyana is far more powerful and complete. The root lock of Mula Bhanda allows one to hold the energy inside, clearly directing the life force up to the center, strengthening the musculature and the energy body. Holding your own personal space This center teaches us to respect our personal needs and to claim our own space. Setting appropriate boundaries is an important part of being a teacher. The tone in which we speak, and the level of presence that we hold serve as healthy protections for our own energy eld. As well, we can clear and protect our energetic space by working with various forms of visualization techniques and meditation practices. The importance of private practice and daily self inquiry As a yoga teacher, we hold the space for others to meet their inner realms, to pray, to rest, to surrender. With that honor, there is a beautiful responsibility to embrace. Every day the complexity of life swirls and curls around us, and the challenges of being human present themselves in endless ways. The daily meeting with ourselves through meditation and yoga is a gift and healing for our lives. It allows us to drop inside, integrate the movement and teachings of life, and connect back to the source. The time of resting into oneself is often a time of great inspiration where new insights may arise and the energy of life can settle into a space of peace and acceptance. From

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that ground of presence and clarity there is the space to share the spiritual work of yoga with others. When we are full of our own stories and dont take the time to clear out the inner world and rest into emptiness, our teaching will be shallow and forced. To be an inspired teacher we must commit to our practice and continually shed layer after layer....becoming more empty, able and willing to receive guidance and inspiration from a higher source. Nutrition and Healthy lifestyle- walk the talk of the yogi way As we deepen the path of yoga, one experiences the body as a temple. This understanding must be realized through the inner experience, and once it is acknowledged and received a certain reverence for the body comes alive. As mentioned before, the path of yoga is a practice and lifestyle that clears away the dust purifying the body and mind so that the inner light can shine with brilliance. Through all the practices of yoga, pranayama and honoring the body, we begin to embrace a more healthy lifestyle, supporting our path of self discovery and keeping the instrument of the body ne tuned. In its essence, Yoga is as well, an art of living. Nourishing the body and the spirit and living the essence of this path is what determines the level of magnetism one carries as a teacher. Food as medicine !We live in extremely different times compared to the ancient yogis that cultivated a philosophy on how and what to eat. We live in times where the majority of people who walk this earth have essentially forgotten how to eat and move. Not only have our top soils been depleted, our water supplies have been tampered with, food has been mono-cultured and the dilation of nutrient dense food is the result.! !The ancient ancestors lived off the land on wild healthy animals and wild crafted plants and herbal medicines.! These wild hunter gatherers and yogis lived in health and harmony with nature for thousands of years.

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!We were all hunter gatherers dependent upon wild plants and animals, and these selective pressures shaped our present-day nutritional requirements. 99.99% of our genes were developed before the development of agriculture. -Dr Boyd Eaten Medical Anthropologist. ! When we compare the ancients to the modern day society, these components greatly affect the system of health: Consumption of alcohol and drugs (both pharmaceutical and recreational) High carbohydrate intake (especially gluten and rened sugars) Chronic dehydration (poor source of water and lack of education about the quantity that is necessay) Lack of healthy sun exposure (vitamin D) Almost a complete lack of barefoot connection to the earth healing energy (grounding) Then we can begin to see how the human being has come so far out of balance and out of tune with the harmonious reection of the natural world. These imbalances have caused symptoms such as: !!!!! Joint injury due to poor feet stability, strength and connection !!!!! Signicantly weakened eyes !!!!! Poor teeth holes of decay and often toxic material implanted within! !!!!! A body that is weak, stiff and lacking life force

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!!!!! Weak bones !When we start to take full responsibility for ourselves only then can we open to complete radiant health. !The rst step is to learn how your body works, what is healthy to put in your body, how to move intelligently. Some fundamentals to keep in mind: Food is more than just fuel !Your body is more that just a machine that burns glucose and converts it into energy. Your body is an integrated part of an information and energy system. !Your body is a highly intelligent network of harmonious systems and a highly receptive information antenna. !It is not a machine! !If you treat your body like a car it will break down very rapidly. !Food is information You are what you eat to the extreme. Real food is a download of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients that your body reads and understands. !Within the food that you consume there is a complex arrangement of spinning, vibrating and electrically charged molecules that work in synergy to communicate with your system. !The food that you eat is a language that your body decodes.

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!Your food is a holographic imprint of the energy that it has been exposed to !So in essence your body believes what the food is saying about the world around you. So you are what you eat to the extreme, takes on a deep new meaning.! Widening to see that everything is energy, and as you place different foods into your mouth you are digesting the values and beliefs of that nutrition. !You digest the world with your guts so this also opens us to the importance of healthy digestive re and the balance of enzymes within the stomach. The direct experience of reality is dramatically inuenced by what you put in your mouth and how it is digested in your stomach. This opens the discussion about !!!!! Unhealthy, unhappy and grain fed animals !!!!! Pesticide sprayed, irradiated and genetically modied foods !!!!! Food that is packaged in toxic plastics !What are these food imprints telling you about the world?! What are they expressing within your body? !On a nutritional level, what is the point of having empty nutrition? As we ip the perspective, we see that food is our most power medicine, and we have an opportunity every day to consume vital, health enhancing produce that nourishes, informs and vibrates harmony and vitality through our body. Just like our ancestors, who for countless generations respected nature and lived on foods that were natural and free of modication.

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Eat a wide spectrum of colors and fresh organically grown food !Food is medicine, as we begin to digest this understanding we open to strong healthy bodies, clear minds and higher states of consciousness. !As we grow in awareness we begin to look for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phyto-nutrients from our food supplies, eating a diversity of plants and vegetables. The most important message here is to eat from the earth, a variety of fresh whole foods of the rainbow. !Instead of calling the powerful nutrient activity of whole pigment antioxidants, lets rst simplify a few things... Lyopene- Red foods Carotene - Orange foods Xanthocyannine - Yellow Foods Lutien- Green Foods Anothocyannis- Blue, indigo and violet foods ! Man is helpless when he lacks knowledge, helplessness due to ignorance is the fertiliser of cartels, of dictatorship of turning ones bodies over to the experts." -Don Tolman ! Greens: Kale, spinach, parsley, silver beat, arugala, avocado, spirulina, chlorella, aloe vera, limes, kiwi, broccoli, honey dew, celery, green pepper, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, barley grass, alfalfa, mung beans, wheat grass !

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Reds: Goji berries, red peppers, strawberries, cayenne, beet root, raspberries Oranges: Camu Camu, Gubinge, orange, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, mandarins, kumquats, mango Yellows: grapefruit, squash, star fruit, turmeric, bee pollen, pineapple, lemon Pinks: Pomegranate, gs, watermelon, guava Black: black sesame, black berries Brown: ax seed, reishi mushrooms, shitake mushroom, chaga mushroom Blues: Blueberries, Grapes, blue-green algae (AFA), bilberries, plums Purples: Aa berries, Purple Corn, Maqui berries, purple carrots Whites: chia seeds, ginger, macadamia nuts, noni, macuna, maca, lucuma, almonds, cauliower, coconuts and coconut oil, daikon radish, onions, garlic These plants have their own medicine and healing vibration embedded within, which are then communicated to different regions of the body, mind and consciousness. !These plants are concentrating the nutrients derived from the soil, sun, water and air to create their own unique nutritional quality.! These plants are lled with prana and they transport this powerful, intelligent and healing energy to a particular place in the body. !

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Food as an information distributor ! The complex arrangements of phytonutrients in organic whole foods are information distributors within our bodies.! The information from these foods are downloading healing energy, passing on the qualities of harmony, strength, intelligence and love. In yoga, this understanding about what we put into our body and how we assimilate those nutrients is of vital importance as we begin to heal and purify every aspect of our being. ! Food is medicine ! The healing compounds found in a multitude of colorful foods are constantly interacting with our genes, thereby modifying physiologic and pathologic processes Also acknowledged as epigenomics. !Simply the poor quality food choices that have been occurring have down-regulated our DNA and it will take generations of healthy eating to restore this on a cellular level. ! On the other side, toxic foods and nutrient poor foods are polluting our bodies and embedding beliefs and imprints in our mind. !However on a deeper level this poor nutrition is shutting down our spiritual sight. ! As yogis we have a vested interested in creating the best opportunity to awaken the higher glands and nerves that open the receptive qualities of our inner sight. !So through the commitment to a diverse range of colorful whole foods we open the potential for a longer, more radiant life allowing us to become the holders of higher wisdom.

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Upper body Anahata- 4th chakra

When all the knots of the heart are unloosened, then even here in this human birth, the mortal becomes immortal. This is the whole teaching of the scriptures. Katha Upanishad 3 The heart chakra is the center of the chakra system, unifying the 2 forces of spirt and matter which meet in equal measure at the heart. The Anahata chakra (meaning sound that is made without any 2 things striking or unstuck, unhurt, fresh and clean,) resonates with the air element, and the breath of life. Air represents freedom, lightness, softness and disperses itself evenly in any space it occupies. It holds the quality of space, emptiness, with less constriction to form. In many languages, breath has the same meaning as spirit, and in the heart the sense of a higher self, or spirit opens. Opening the heart requires a certain release of ego, letting go of attachments and ideas and resting into an expanded state of awareness with the intention for harmony. This is the center of balance, and living in balance is grace. Here the grounding of a downward earth force meets the liberation of the rising sky force, radiating harmony with self. To live truly from the heart one makes a choice to manifest the divine wisdom of spirit, gratitude, and right intention into the form of life. It is this center that brings the essence of spirit into the earthly realms. Listening to the longing of the heart while understanding the wisdom of the lower chakra centers as well, guides us to practice unconditional love with ourselves rst

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as we learn how to trust, receive and accept reality. The essence of yoga is a path of heart, and through the practices and disciplines the divine light is revealed and one rests in a state of being in harmony with the moment. Physically the heart manifests the energy through the lungs, chest ,upper back, arms, wrists and hands. The heart energy is balanced as we learn to give and receive equally, listening to our needs and yet generous with our sharing. The Anahata chakra integrates the expressions of mind, spirit and body, as everything we experience passes through the heart. Pranayama The inhalation is a moment of unication, breathing in life. The exhalation is a surrendering moment, an invitation to let go of that which no longer serves us...the wholeness of death. In every moment, the breath, the essence of life ows through us and we have the opportunity to recognize the potency of that connection. Most of us have experienced that moment when the breath slows down, deepens and becomes conscious. In that moment the awareness is drawn within and one feels and senses the inner space. The breath ow immediately inuences the quality and frequency of thoughts. Yoga study reveals that the regulation of the breath with consciousness reects and affects the mental, emotional and energetic bodies. As previously mentioned, prana literally means that which is innitely everywhere and ayama means to stretch or extend. The root yama can also be interpreted as to restrain or control prana, but i prefer the translation which embraces the quality of extending the breath rather than entering a state of control. Actually the discipline and consistency with which we practice yoga and pranayama can be without the notion of control. Control implies tension, effort, strain and an expected outcome. An effortless and yet deeply conscious practice is without tension and the energy that is experienced can be one of ow and lightness, open to the mystery of the moment, and yet grounded, and disciplined with intention.

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Pranayama practice draws the awareness into the wisdom of the breath, preparing the mind for the stillness of meditation. Conscious breathing is a deep and profound ever-changing path revealing new layers of energy, healing, and clarity. On this path of yoga the breath is one of the most potent teachers. PracticesUjjai breath Kumbhaka Anuloma Viloma Khapalabhati Bhastrika Nadi Shodana Sitali We reorder our lives when we choose spirit over the illusions of the physical circumstances. With each choice we make, we either become more involved in the illusory physical world, or we invest energy into the power of spirit. Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit Breathwork a sacred meeting with self ! Breathwork is like a Kriya, purifying the emotional, energetic and physiological system, while nourishing the spirit . ! On a physiological level we ood the body with oxygenated blood, purifying stagnant areas within the body. The majority of the populations breath is extremely shallow, on average we are taking in 750ml

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of our Tidal Volume (amount of oxygen on each inhale) of our 7-8 Litre capacity. As this circular breathing sets in we have the capacity to drastically increase the level of oxygenated blood around the body. ! On a quantum mechanical level we are just vibrating matter, as this process is initiated, there is a profound increase in our vibrational frequency. This oxygenated reverberation inltrates those low vibration energies (fear, judgement, anger etc) and brings those energies to our awareness. ! The altered states that can arise from breathwork practice, help widen the inner space allowing us to observe ourselves more clearly from higher states of consciousness. In these states we can connect to authentic expression of prayer that vibrate with profound alignment. ! Just being in the eld of authentic prayer ripples out crystalline healing energy, like drops of water in a still pond... Washing away stagnant energy that manifests as heavy mind and contraction in the body. ! To work with this deep form of breathwork in a circle raises the vibration of healing, allows us to receive a sacred wash of grace and enhances the possibility to see with illuminated clarity. ! Conscious breath becomes a refuge and a vehicle for living from a place of power, integration and wisdom.

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Jack Korneld. This practice gives space inside to observe the challenging or even dark corners of our inner landscape and honor them with compassion. Attention to breath brings kind attention, loving awareness and reality of the present moment. JK It gives a moment to be in truth with ourselves to unveil, and in turn free our life force energy. This work is about aligning with truth and taking responsibility for the conditioning and negative thought patterns that limit life expression. In this powerful time we have the opportunity to consciously participate in the vibrant unfolding of our life path. This breath journey peels away the surface layers and allows us to feel into the depth of our power, the longing of our heart and guides us to align with divine Will. ! It is an opportunity to reorient our beliefs about what it means to be courageous - breathing into our darkness, feeling into our depth and having the courage to embrace the fullness of the light that we are. The true power is in the deep relaxation into the authentic self, removing the veils and bowing our head in humility to a greater power, in emptiness and trust. ! When you take a full conscious breath you light up all 3 areas of the brainyou can experience the present moment without defensiveness. Breath is our greatest nutrient and our greatest medicine. Jessica Dibbs ! Breath is an essential part of transformative practice that leads to health. Conscious Breath improves heart rate variability which aids in reducing stress and trauma. Bringing awareness to the breath brings amazing transformative possibility. With awareness you can intentionally modulate it or let it be. You play with the boundaries of being active or letting go. It trains the mind to let something be or take an active role. -Dan Siegel !

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Nature- the inuence of the natural world Connecting with the natural world mirrors our essence. In most ancient or traditional philosophies, it is acknowledged that we carry all of the elements of nature within our own bodies, manifested in the constitution of the physical body, mental characteristics and temperament. Through observation and self inquiry, different schools of thought were able to understand the complexity of the physical, emotional, and mental bodies through the reection of nature, creating a blue print for evolution, a tool for ascension. The chakra system is one example of how the natural world reects through the body, creating a base for personal insight and healing. As practitioners of a spiritual discipline and an art of living, nature can provide profound insight into knowing ourselves more deeply. Know thyself is one of the most important teachings of all great masters. Shift the awareness inside and dont leave a stone unturned. Sitting within the arms of nature, listening to the moment with the whole body, held by the stillness and silence, something is transmitted that cannot be spoken. This mirror of reality, and all that the natural world expresses points us in the direction of truth. Ayurveda !In simple terms, Ayurveda guides us to open our minds and bodies and to reconnect with the external Nature around us as well as our own True Nature. !As a return to the wisdom of plant medicines and awakening consciousness through the body, Ayurveda weaves the thread between yoga practice and radiant health. Whenever we use medicines and herbs in our lives, or when we feel imbalanced and in need of help, it is important to recognize that

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illness is completely natural and part of life. !We dont have to ght this experience in order to heal and we dont need to struggle with ill health. !In fact it is the opposite, we have been taught that illness is bad and is actually an enemy. !However, we can adopt a new way of seeing illness, and rearrange this conditioning to see and accept all experiences as important. !Our imbalances and illness come as beautiful teachers and guides, even though these teachings can be difcult to see from the small mind perspective.! If we can, let us take the view of the eagle and open to the wisdom of time to unfold the deeper understandings. !Illness can be a very humbling experience, making us feel weak and vulnerable. This may seem negative, but this experience can open us to become more receptive to the change that is needed. !In this teaching we learn to accept the laws of life, even though we may not fully understand the reason why certain things happen. !Ayurveda means the science of life. !One important aspect of this philosophy is seen through its approach to the healing process. !Instead of just treating the symptoms of the illness, Ayurveda treats the persons and his or her constitution as well. This includes looking at the person not just as a body with symptoms like the perception in western science, but as a personality reected in a body with all sorts of experiences and conditionings.! Ayurvedic medicine speaks about the body and the personality combined as being the human constitution.! Wide hearing, wide heart Opening the hearing to the many layers of sounds and textures of the moment is a profound door. When diving into a moment of meditation and receiving the depth of sound as wide as you can hear, emptiness is revealed...becoming an empty container that holds the totality of the moment.

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Asana Backbends Urdhva Mukha Svanasana- upward facing dog Salabhasana- locust pose Dhanurasana- bow pose Urdhva Dhanurasana- upward facing bow pose Ustrasana- camel pose Bhujangasana- cobra pose Supta Virasana- reclining hero pose Bhekasana- frog pose Eka Pada Rajakapotanasana- pigeon pose Purvottanasana- inclined plan pose Arm Balances Bakasana- crow pose Vashisthasana- sage pose Tittibhasana- rey pose Bhujapidasana- shoulder pressing pose Astavakrasana- eight-angle pose Parsva Bakasana- twisting crane pose

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Vishuddha- 5th chakra

The throat chakra serves as the bridge between the more ethereal energies of the upper centers with the density of the lower body, and it is the bridge between the heart and the mind. Vishuddha means puried which brings clarity to the essence of this chakra. It helps us understand that purication of energy in the upper and lower body may happen through expression and sound passing through the throat chakra. This center relates to the sense of space, of emptiness, where energy passes through and vibrates within. On a deeper level, it resonates with the powerful journey of learning and embracing the power of choice and surrendering personal will to the will of the divine. It is the center that resonates with communication, expression of thoughts and feelings, honesty with ourselves and others and speaking the truth. In this center we meet the quality of faith in a higher source, allowing the trust in divine guidance to expand and inform our choices. Through the exploration of this center and the choices we make it becomes apparent how our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and actions deeply affect the ow of life and spiritual karma. We create our own reality by every choice that is made, and faith and the power of choice is the power of creation itself. As we meet the patterns within our life, and bring awareness to the teachings that arise again and again through different situations and mirrored through different people, it is an opportunity to look deeply into the repetitive choices that are being made, and through that awareness one has the power to choose another

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path...the path of surrender and trust...breaking free from certain karmic cycles that keep us bound to the same stories. Once this center is free and owing, expressing the energy of the heart and the conscious mind, it becomes a liberating force where we learn to speak, sing, and express the deepest truth of our being, and essentially create our reality. One potent question that arises when working with the energy of this chakra is what is gods will for me? How can I choose to align with divine will? The Vishuddha chakra is connected to the physical body in the throat, thyroid gland, trachea, esophagus, parathyroid, hypothalamus, the vertebrae of the neck, mouth, jaw, and teeth. Jalandhara Bhandha- Chin lock This bhanda is the third internal lock which is applied by gently lowering the chin down towards the throat as the sternum and front part of the rib cage rise. It is a very subtle and yet powerful lock and it is important to remain relaxed across the eyes, the jaw and temples, allow the chin to remain in the central point and soften the shoulders. This bhanda helps to ensure that the heat of the digestive re and the energy that is accumulated through certain pranayama and asana practice is not dissipated. As the solar plexus is the place of the agni, the re of life, it is said that the lunar plexus is in the center of the brain which holds the cool energy of the elixer of life or nectar of immortality called amrit. Jalandhara bhanda keeps these opposing energies contained and owing in a balanced manner. Working with this lock on a regular basis in pranayama practice clears the nasal pathways, stimulates the ida and pingala nadis, regulates the ow of prana and blood to the head and heart and relaxes the brain. Conscious Communication and beyond As a teacher that holds a space of healing and self discovery, deep presence and conscious expression serve as a pillar for the depth of the teaching that comes through you. As we speak and express our

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understanding of the yoga path and the asana authentically, receiving slow even breath and holding awareness of the moment, something beyond words is expressed. As a teacher we have collected the information, knowledge and experience to hold a sacred space of yoga, but as we become more and more comfortable in that space and widen, becoming more empty, we can continue to hold the form and yet allow a deeper expression to arise. Prayer and Gratitude Opening to the most true prayer- Gratitude in the simple things of life...grateful for the nourishment we take into our bodies, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the earth we walk upon, the ones we love, and the grace that holds us and guides our lives in every moment.

Embracing the path of yoga invites that prayer to extend into every moment of life. The formal practice serves as a base, a ground in which we come into contact with the simplicity - the earth, the body, the breath, the presence. And this practice over time, laces our lives with a new sense of reverence. One

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may live and breathe in the body in a deeply connected way as yoga informs their experience of being in this human form. And in that new awareness of being in this temple of the body, and meeting the sacred space of presence, or great spirit, or whatever you want to call it, there is the possibility to extend the practice into every moment, and life becomes a prayer. That is the true yoga. Yoga invites us to rest into the moment, in this body, conscious of all that is. And in that presence and the recognition of a higher source, prayer arises in endless forms. Through spontaneous and authentic prayer, that connection to spirit is nourished deeply. One of my teachers shared that we echo love and gratitude into the world through sound, words, action and expression, and that echo reects back into life, and informs the reality.

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Inversion asana and counter poses Setu Bhanda Savangasana- bridge pose Sarvangasana- shoulder stand Halasana- plough pose Matsyasana- sh pose Pincha Mayurasana- forearm balance Sirsasana- headstand Ahdo Mukha Vrksasana- headstand Viparita Karani- legs up the wall pose

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Ajna- 6th chakra This chakra is located in the center of the forehead, slightly above the eyebrows, and is known as the third eye. It is the place where conscious and unconscious psychological energies resonate. The Ajna chakra is the center where intuitive wisdom arises as the mind and consciousness interact. The gifts and challenges of this center guide us to retrieve personal power from false truths, embrace a detached

perspective of the movement and stories of mind, and open to the awareness of internal guidance and intuitive insight. One translation of Ajna is to perceive and command, which points to the power of thought and belief and how that may inuence the manifested reality. It is the center of our mental body which is made up or our beliefs, memories, traumas, personal experiences, fears, longings, and desires. As with the Vishuddha chakra, the energy of this chakra also creates the reality we live. The throat chakra was about inuencing the manifestation of reality through the power of choice, and the Ajna

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chakra affects the reality through a more energetic expression. Caroline Myss writes about the energy of this chakra and acknowledges the universal truth that thought comes before form and that creation begins in the energy dimension... As we grow on the path of spirit, this chakra teaches us to release attachment and identication with thoughts inspired by conditioning, fear, and illusion. A balanced Ajna chakra inspires receptivity to the truth of the moment. This center is about opening the mind to the vastness of reality and allows one to cultivate wisdom that is not bound by expectation or desire, inspiring a wakeful state of presence, observance, and acceptance. A owing and balanced third eye center will allow consciousness to ow into every aspect of life...The words that are spoken, the way we move, watching the thoughts that arise, and observing the way of relating with ourselves and others. The 6th chakra, represented by the element of light, is physically related to the brain and neurological system, the eyes, ears, and nose, and the pituitary and pineal glands. Visualization The ow of thought and the state of being deeply affects the health of the body. Our thoughts, the quality of our breath, and the tension held within the physical body affects the ow of life force and the presence of physical vitality or illness. Visualization is a powerful tool to consciously ow the energy and trigger a balanced state of being. We can incorporate visualization into our own personal practice during pranayama and meditation, and use it intentionally to heal and nourish the challenges we face in our own lives, physically, emotionally and mentally. Working with this tool is very personal, and once it is explored it can be a beautiful

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sharing within the space of yoga class, inviting the students to drop deeper inside themselves and meet a profound sense of trust in their ability to heal. Working with visualization of light or color moving into the stagnant corners of the body, it is useful to connect the extension or movement of this this light with the ow of breath. There are endless possibilities with how to share this healing tool, but the personal experience and authentic expression is what brings power to the guidance you are sharing. Circular patterns of movement ! Less is more. As the body relaxes and we drop into deep awareness of the inward breath and outward breath we awaken free energy potential. The more relaxed we become the fuller the range of movement becomes. As the relaxation continues to deepen we awaken instinctual and sacred geometrical patterns stored within our DNA. ! Harnessing Energy ! Circular energy, circular patterns Awakening a remembering of the innite Inside my body, inside my mind ! Drawing in and giving back The cycle of life A dance in union ! The moment of stillness, within the pause Innite potential available And focused into one still point !

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Relax into the emptiness All is available In the silence spaces of the innite Movement maps ! "The fastest way to silence the mind is to move the body." -Gabrielle Roth ! Movement is the doorway to anywhere you would like to travel, inward, outward, forward, backward, intellectual and emotional. Movement helps to unlock the innate wisdom of the body and the dynamic healing force that is available in the presence of the body.

Movement maps that connect us to primal and universal pulses and rhythms enable us to... ! Inhabit our own skin explore the full range of movement, embody expression Embody our own mind express the limited and unlimited beliefs Illustrate our own heart express the totality of human emotion

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 Witness our inner landscape while opening to the outer sphere Hold the empty, wide and still space through movement patterns Activate the primal pulse, the deep instinctual patterns Embody our spirit dance ! By using movement as a potent medicine, we open to the possibility of diving beneath the surface of day to day behavior to see what lies beneath, within your own rich fertile soil. Moving through the landscapes of movement maps (dancing our personal journey) we unlock, physically retrieve and embody the unknown shapes of our own feeling anatomy. ! All of a sudden we nd ourselves in bizarre and extraordinary positions that we would never unlock in normal walking life. As a result we create new pathways, new neural circuits inside the brain that teach our minds that it is possible to unravel conditioning and mental patterns that we are looped in. By following the bodys innate wisdom, deep presence and surrender can awaken and reveal the lines of energy. ! Neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, the discoveries of Neuroplasticity is permanently altering the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential. ! We can take this into many different levels, however, as a yoga practitioner one becomes more familiar with the inner landscape and begins to open up new patterns of movement and rhythm. !This deeply affects the physical body and as the mind is not separate, that exploration of new movement patterns affects the neural connections in the brain. If we add visualization of light and energy through challenged areas within the body, there is a profound potential for rewiring the brain and healing on a deep level.

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Through intuitive ow, exploring different combinations of movement through different angles and perspectives, rotating, circulating and moving the body, new pathways are created, breaking old loops of mind and body. ! We have underestimated the resilience and regenerative capacity in the human brain and how movement deeply affects neural circuits. !Through the depth of these movement practices we have the potential to heal, awaken and transform all aspects of our being. ! The feeling anatomy is a rich and often subtle expression that offers the opportunity to observe the unseen. !What is often kept stuffed down, invisible and hidden due to social pressure, life situations and a range of other components, can be brought to the surface. !Through all expressions of movement, we can give a dynamic quality to our feelings, expressing them through the body and giving them space to extend, expand and transform. As we give space for the feelings to move, we open the potential to rewire the neural connections that keep us emotionally stuck. ! As we learn to integrate ourselves fully, an understanding arises that the emotional body is an aspect of our vital life essence, one piece of the wholeness that we are. Through exploring the emotional patterns expressed within both body and mind, we open the portal to unlock life force energy. ! As above, so below As below, so Above. ! This principle states that there is a harmony, agreement and correspondence between these planes, delineated as: ! The Great Physical Plane The Great Mental Plane The Great Spiritual Plane

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By freeing patterns of movement, the harmonious patterns that are stored within our bodies and the bodies of the earth are revealed. We learn to move and relax into the silent void, the sacred geometrical healing patterns that can be found within, in nature, in water, and in the patterns of plants.

Dynamic movement practice is rooted in the principle that if you put the psyche in motion it will heal itself. Movement is both the medicine and the metaphor, reaching across all languages and age groups to transform suffering into art, art into awareness and awareness into action. Kate Shela, 5 Rhythms teacher ! Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but halftruths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.The Kybalion. ! This quote embodies the truth that all manifested things have two sides; two aspects; two poles; a pair of opposites, with subtlety in degrees between the two extremes. ! So as we begin to understand this philosophy within the realms of our own body map, in our feeling anatomy we can learn to move from lower vibration emotions of fear, hate, sadness into higher vibration

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states of being, love, joy and compassion. !Through experience we can learn to shape-shift, transmuting the low vibration energies through the heart on the inhale and redirecting that energy on the exhale. ! Through exploring different sensations, vibrations and feelings within the body with deep presence and awareness there is then space for them to move, to shift and to ow, to transform, to transmute and to evolve into something new. ! The great Third Hermetic Principlethe Principle of Vibrationembodies the truth that Motion is manifest in everything in the Universethat nothing is at restthat everything moves, vibrates, and circles. -The Kybalion ! Life is dynamic, keep moving, keep nding a way to shift the energy, perspective, view, angle, expression. ! What shapes do you use to express fear? !Can you work with exaggerating these shapes through movement so that you can pull out hidden expression? !Often we push down our judgment, anger, fear, resentments, and so oninstead we have the opportunity to unravel the energetic and physical blocks in our body and mind systems. ! Moving and nding shapes that inspire the ow and release of energy from the body, is a key to unlock the fullness of being. In normal life we rarely if ever nd ourselves in these shapes, so we have the opportunity to break the chains and patterns that keep us stuck, small, in fear and numb. As a result awakening a new way of beingKEEP MOVING! ! The body is a direct reection, the most potent teacher. It is an automatic feedback response system. !Information is always available by observing the quality of breath, level of tension in the body, and energy levels. !

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Body Language, read it. Bring your awareness to the way the body is held. !Start to see the ner aspects of the shoulders, chin position, spinal curvature, level of eye contact. !De-code the way you hold yourself. Sense it, feel into your state of being, feel into what your dance is expressing about your life journey. ! A poem "!Let go of the pain the hair style of illusions come down off the cross peel the onion until the tears of ecstatic joy open your heart now,! breathe in breathe out there is only! love here,! there is only love. " -Mokasiya

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 The larger theme, as I see it, is once again renewing our faith in what our bodies have to teach us. I feel that in this culture and over too long a period of time in our history, we have been totally alienated from the true wisdom of our bodies, as well as from the wisdom of our bodies, as well as from the wisdom of the larger body which is nature itself. My interest in dance is to reconnect with the same innate intelligence within our bodies and with what our bodies have to say to us. Our bodies contain all the wisdom of the ages, wisdom that goes back before we were even born. That wisdom is in our cellular system, in our nervous system, in our circulatory system, in each breath that we breathe. We are not an event; we are a long evolutionary process. -Anna Halprin

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Sahasrara- crown chakra The 7th chakra is the connection to the divine...the highest point of the body in which divine spiritual energy enters the system and infuses the whole body with grace and love. This center represents the connection to the indescribable, the unknown, the mysterious transcendent aspect of existence. The relationship with our inner world is intensied and nourished by the energy of meditation and prayer,

where we rest into expanded selessness, aligning with a higher power. The word Sahasrara means thousandfold exemplifying a never ending owering lotus, endlessly revealing the expanded state of consciousness, unbound by ideas and beliefs. This center invites us to surrender completely to all that is...to the trust in the divine guidance and the expression of that divine energy through us. Here we understand that we are vessels...we are conduits

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for light, love and wisdom to pass through us, and the more empty we become the more we are capable of allowing that light to express itself through our lives. The path of yoga and the journey of healing prepares us for this mission...to open fully to a higher power to pass through us...selessly, unattached, without control or expectation, but to now offer the clear mind, the healthy owing open body, and the compassionate wide heart to serve as a vehicle for the wisdom of the mysterious divine manifestation. As teachers, healers, and seekers of meaningful purpose in life, This willingness to step aside, rest into humility, empty ourselves and trust the words and energy that moves through us is a powerful uniting force with the presence of Spirit. The course of Miracles speaks of those chosen to be teachers of god. Those that have aligned with their purpose, dedicated to healing and spiritual expansion. Trust. This is the foundation on which their ability to fulll their function rests.! Perception is the result of learning.! In fact, perception is learning, because cause and effect are never separated.! The teachers of God have trust in the world, because they have learned it is not governed by the laws the world made up.! It is governed by a Power that is in them but not of them.! It is this Power that keeps all things safe.! It is through this Power that the teachers of God look on a forgiven world. When this Power has once been experienced, it is impossible to trust one's own petty strength again.! Who would attempt to y with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him?! And who would place his faith in the shabby offerings of the ego when the gifts of God are laid before him?! What is it that induces them to make the shift? Meditation and the expansion of awareness Resting into stillness, opening to receive the moment, following the breath...and LISTENING. Widening the hearing so that the layers of sound are perceived, and yet a the awareness remains wild, open and

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free. Thought arises and melts away, breath deepens, body softens and awareness widens to hold the full expression of the moment. These moments where we dissolve and the moment IS reveal the glimpses into the vastness of being. The backdrop of Silence that is always holding the totality of reality is unveiled, and in those moments when the awareness recognizes the space of Silence, without effort, without wanting or holding, an unspeakable union arises where there is no longer a conict with the moment...no longer an I, and only THAT is. Self Healing- the bodys inherent wisdom, Integration Yoga supports the body to remember its natural state of balance. Through the science of asana and pranayama the physical structures are realigned and strengthened, impurities burn away, and the organs are guided back into their balanced function. The precious moments of integration, during practice or resting in Savasana, reveal the subtle ow of energy, allowing the prana to ow freely into the new open spaces that have been created. Clearing out the nadis, removing stagnation, and widening the container of the body so it is capable of holding more life force, a healing process arises. As weve discovered, most illness results from stagnation, or stuck blocked energy. Once those blockages are cleared away, the life force remembers where to go in order to support the optimal function of the body, the balanced ow of emotion, and a calm and clear mind-state. The yoga that is most effective for supporting this possibility of self healing is one that embraces a holistic approach, where the whole organism is seen and recognized as one. This healing, this widening of our vessel is nourished by the willingness and the longing to live in alignment with a higher expression, embracing the potential of our lives and spirits.

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Poetry Wisdom for insight and self reection Rumi Fragments from Green Ears- The Essential Rumi ...The whole world is a form of truth. When someone does not feel grateful to that, the forms appear to be as he feels. They mirror his anger, his greed, and his fear. Make peace with the universe. T ake joy in it. It will turn to gold. Resurrection will be now. Every moment, and new beauty. And never any boredom! Instead this abundant, pouring noise of many springs in your ears. The tree limbs will move like people dancing, who suddenly know what the mystical life is. The leaves snap their ngers like theyre hearing music. They are! A sliver of a mirror shines out from under a felt covering. Think how it will be when the whole thing is open to the air and sunlight! There are some mysteries that im not telling you. Theres so much doubt everywhere, so many opinions that say, What you announce may be true in the future, but not now. But this form of universal truth that i see says, This is not a prediction. This is here in this instant...

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Your intellect is in fragments, like bits of gold scattered over many matters. You must scrape them together, so the royal stamp can be pressed into you. Grain by Grain, collect the parts. Youll be more magnicent than a at coin. Youll be a cup with carvings of the king around the outside. The friend will become bread and spring water for you, and a lamp and a helper, your favorite desert and a glass of wine. Union with that one is grace. Gather the pieces, so i can show you what is. Thats what talking is for, to help us to be ONE. Manyness is having sixty different emotions. Unity is peace, and silence. In the future, in the distance, those are illusions. T aste the here and the now of God. * Birdsong brings relief to my longing. I am just as ecstatic as they are, but with nothing to say! Please, universal soul, practice some song, or something through me!

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* The way of love in not a subtle argument. The door there is devastation. Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall, and falling, theyre given wings Lalla Your way of knowing is a private herb garden. Enclose it with a hedge of meditations, and self discipline, and helpfulness to others. Then everything youve done before will be brought as a sacrice to the mother goddess. And each day, as you eat the herbs, the garden grows more bare and empty. * I wearied myself searching for the Friend with efforts beyond my strength.

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I came to the door and saw how powerfully the locks were bolted. And the longing in me became that strong, and then i saw that i was gazing from within the presence. With that waiting, and in giving up all trying, only then did Lalla ow out from where I knelt. * The soul, like the moon, is now, and always new again. And i have seen the ocean continuously creating. Since i scoured my mind and my body, I too, Lalla, am new, each moment new. My teacher told me one thing, live in the soul. When that was so, I began to go naked, and dance. * As my love and my faith, and my interest in the inner grew,

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the darkness diminished, within and without, and Lalla lost herself in that light. * Awareness cleaned my mind to a polished mirroring. The presence came near, and i knew that THAT was everything, and I nothing. * Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation Wisdom of the Elders There is a river owing now very fast. It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel that are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment the we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

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The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. WE ARE THE ONES WEVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

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Appendix 1. Rage, fear, sadness, fatigue. The yoga of darkness. By Karin L Burke
Emotion is the chief source of all becoming-conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion. -Carl Jung. I once had a student who started to drift away and began to look sheepishly apologetic when she did come to class. !She avoided my eyes and had an invisible wall around her mat. !She used to ask questions or chat after class; now she was the rst out of the room and gone from the studio by the time Id left my mat. !Eventually, though, we did talk a little. !She told me things were busy. !She talked about her kids. !Then she looked somewhere into the middle distance !and said she didnt know, really; yoga just wasnt working any more. Sometimes, she said, all I feel in childs pose is anger and disappointment. Yoga has a corner market on feel good words. !I recently had a massage therapist tell me we were both in the feel good industry. ! The promise of enlightenment tends to make us think we will be more spiritual, and this somehow means well be a little less freakish about time, our kids, our money. !There is truth to this. !Yoga can show us how good it feels to be alive. But yoga will also show us exactly how badly we feel. !Usually, when honest emotion starts to come up, students leave. !They skip class or decide yoga wasnt what they wanted. !They say its not working any longer. !The emotion itself keeps them away; theyre not in the mood or too depressed to move or will !- trust me, this is real feel guilty for feeling so crummy when others are just trying to get their savasana on.

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This doesnt indicate that the yoga isnt working, but that it IS. !The end isnt this negativity, this disappointment. !But negativity is part of the path, and it has to be gone through if you want to understand it, to understand yourself, at all. !If you dont, youll be shutting down half of your experience of life, and probably the best strengths youll ever nd. !If you dont, youll continue to skip, overcompensate, repeat, and lull. !Youll segway irritation into nicety, stuff it, and it will erupt later as rage toward an intimate or yourself. Most of us have spent the majority of our lives stufng and repressing our feelings, rationalizing them, avoiding them, or sublimating them into exercise, food, cigarettes, television, shallow relationships. !Women are taught not to feel anger because its not nice, not feminine (or too feminine and bitchy, emotional, hormonal and out of control). !Men are supposed to feel competence, all the time. !In our efforts to feel better, many of us start !shutting it off, wholesale, in favor of pop psychology or easy spirituality. !Its called spiritual bypass. !Its an attempt to avoid painful feelings, unresolved issues, or developmental needs with such words as everything happens for a reason, or gods ways are not our ways, or choose happiness. There will be a yoga class, someday, online or at your local studio, where your teacher will start singing. Shell say exhale as if theres something orgasmic about it. !She might allude to the goodness of your heart, your hamstrings, or the light inside. If you are like me, this may make you clench your bandhas like a st. !There may come a day you lower down into childs pose, sweet, receptive, safe childs pose and feel nothing but boredom, irritability, and dis-ease. !You keep lifting your head off the mat, looking at the clock. !There may come a day your brain starts swearing at the lovely yoga teacher saying something vapid about love in your newly blossomed chakra. !What are you supposed to do with that?

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Here is the thing. !Yoga is not about bliss, but about honesty. !Spirituality is not certainty, but the longing of the heart. !Enlightenment is not letting go of bad feelings, but understanding them, what theyre doing to us, and how they are expressed in the body. !Non-harming and forgiveness are not about feeling generous or big enough (bigger than and condescending), but knowing the difculty of right actions and assuming responsibility for the difcult. !Forgiveness often comes directly out of acknowledging how bloody bitter we are. !Love is not joy, all the time. Sometimes, love hurts. Love is raw. Yoga is a love story. !Not the uffy, romanticized love story, but the real one. !The kind that leaves you changed. Emotions are doorways, ways in. !The goal is not to exist without shadows, to become so spiritual we no longer feel fat, bored, envious, or impatient. !The goal is to swallow hard as we take on willingness to go into the dark. Because yoga asks you to work with both your body and your mind, the inevitable result is going to be messy. !There will be times the body itself will start in on anger, hot and fast, trembly, without the reasoning mind having a clue what is going on. !There will be days the boredom or loneliness seem so sharp they may actually wound. !There will be ve thousand ways your mind will tell you it isnt worth it, it wont work, that love is not real. Yet, yoga has probably already given you a clue to this. !Youve probably already felt how love whether it be romantic or ethical compassion, right living, making a solidity of your name is the only thing that is real. !The highest and best in human beings is subtle, mysterious, and usually tied directly to the shadows. !Life is both unbearably cruel and devastatingly sweet, often at the same time.

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The shadows will show up. !Go there. !Apathy, acedia, what Christian mystics called desolation, existentials call despair, moves when we move toward it. !It isnt the passage of time that heals us, but the passing through experiences. There are hundreds of things telling us to get over it, to think positively, or to let it go. !Be wary of these as the roadside distractions that they are. Yoga is the love story where in things fall apart. !God moves away, often at the same time he takes away the ground. !First goes this, then goes that. !Gone are the thrill of the rst months of yoga class, the ease of learning something new every time you walked in the door. !Gone is the schedule that allowed you class three times a week. !Gone is the strength in your shoulders, the ability to keep on a diet. !Gone is the condence of conversion. And then a small movement in the heart. !And then two. !

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2. Tuning Your Body, Tuning Your Life

From a recent talk by Ganga White: Life is a journey with growth, change, and responsibilityresponse ability in the sense of rening our ability to respond appropriately. Asana, pranayama and meditation can be wonderful tools we continuously learn to use to tune and rebalance our bodies throughout our journey. This is what I mean by learning to use the techniques of yoga to serve our bodies, rather than using our bodies to attain a particular pose. We dont necessarily just want to do yoga, but rather learn use yoga. We use it for our well being and to tune, rene, hone, sharpen, balance, relax, energize, and more. A broader perspective of Yoga includes attuning our bodies and our lives. As we advance in Yoga we become more adept at, and sensitive to, what practices our body, and our life, need to re-balance and re-tune from the stresses and activities of living. Similarly there is no one xed Yogic lifestyle. We often hear people speaking of how they are living the Yogic lifestyle. While there are certainly general principles, attitudes and intentions, there are myriad expressions of Yogic living in the same way that nature shows herself as diversity. Each person nd his or her own unfolding expression and reintegration of Yoga with insight, kindness, sensitivity, intelligence and awareness. ! You are your path.

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3. The Psoas: Muscle of The!Soul BY DANIELLE PROHOM OLSON

I was delighted when I rst came across Liz Kochs amazing work because it conrmed much of what Id been intuiting on my own. I had begun to open and close my yoga practise with hip opening poses with the specic intention of releasing tension in my psoas and hip exors. Id breathe and imagine tension owing out of constricted muscles to be released as energy into the torso. It worked, Id feel my body soften yet somehow grow stronger. Reading Liz Koch I instantly realized what I was doing by learning to relax my psoas I was literally energizing my deepest core by reconnecting with the powerful energy of the earth. According to Koch, the psoas is far more than a core stabilizing muscle; it is an organ of perception composed of biointelligent tissue and literally embodies our deepest urge for survival, and more profoundly, our elemental desire to ourish.

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Well, I just had to learn more. Here is just a sprinkling of the research that Liz Koch and others have uncovered regarding the importance of the psoas to our health, vitality and emotional well-being. The Psoas muscle (pronounced so-as) is the deepest muscle of the human body affecting our structural balance, muscular integrity, exibility, strength, range of motion, joint mobility, and organ functioning. Growing out of both sides of the spine, the psoas spans laterally from the 12th thoracic vertebrae (T12) to each of the 5 lumbar vertebrae. From there it ows down through the abdominal core, the pelvis, to attach to the top of the femur (thigh) bone. The Psoas is the only muscle to connect the spine to the legs.! It is responsible for holding us upright, and allows us to lift our legs in order to walk. A healthily functioning psoas stabilizes the spine and provides support through the trunk, forming a shelf for the vital organs of the abdominal core. The psoas is connected to the diaphragm through connective tissue or fascia which affects both our breath and fear reex. This is because the psoas is directly linked to the re

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ptilian brain, the most ancient interior part of the brain stem and spinal cord.! As Koch writes Long before the spoken word or the organizing capacity of the cortex developed, the reptilian brain, known for its survival instincts, maintained our essential core functioning. Koch believes that our fast paced modern lifestyle (which runs on the adrenaline of our sympathetic nervous system) chronically triggers and tightens the psoas making it literally ready to run or ght. The psoas helps you to spring into action or curl you up into a protective ball. If we constantly contract the psoas to due to stress or tension , the muscle eventually begins to shorten leading to a host of painful conditions including low back pain, sacroiliac pain, sciatica, disc problems, spondylolysis, scoliosis, hip degeneration, knee pain, menstruation pain, infertility, and digestive problems. A tight psoas not only creates structural problems, it constricts the organs, puts pressure on nerves, interferes with the movement of uids, and impairs diaphragmatic breathing. In fact, The psoas is so intimately involved in such basic physical and emotional reactions, that a chronically tightened psoas continually signals your body that youre in danger, eventually exhausting the adrenal glands and depleting the immune system. And according to Koch, this situation is exacerbated by many things in our modern lifestyle, from car seats to constrictive clothing, from chairs to shoes that distort our posture, curtail our natural movements and further constrict our psoas.

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Koch believes the rst step in cultivating a healthy psoas is to release unnecessary tension.! But to work with the psoas is not to try to control the muscle, but to cultivate!the awareness necessary for sensing!its!messages.!!This involves making a conscious choice to become somatically aware. !A relaxed psoas is the mark of play and creative expression.! Instead of the contracted psoas, ready to run or ght, the relaxed and released psoas is ready instead to lengthen and open, to dance. In many yoga poses (like tree)! the thighs cant fully rotate outward unless the psoas releases. A released psoas allows the front of the thighs to lengthen and the leg to move independently from the pelvis, enhancing and deepening the lift of the entire torso and heart. Koch believes that by cultivating a healthy psoas, we can rekindle our bodys vital energies by learning to reconnect with the life force of the universe. Within the T aoist tradition the psoas is spoken of as the seat or muscle of the soul, and sur rounds the lower Dan tien a major energy center of body.! A exible and strong psoas grounds us and allows subtle energies to ow through the bones, muscles and joints. Koch writes The psoas, by conducting energy, grounds us to the earth, just as a grounding wire prevents shocks and eliminates static on a radio. Freed and grounded, the spine can awaken As gravitational ows transfer weight through bones, tissue, and muscle, into the earth, the earth rebounds, owing back up the legs and spine, energizing, coordinating and animating posture, movement and expression. It is an uninterrupted conversation between self, earth, and cosmos. So, it might be worth it, next time you practice, to tune in and pay attention to what your bio-intelligent psoas has to say.

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4. Functional assessment - assessing and reading a body

Client: Age: Date:
Goals:

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Standing Ventilation Rate: Nasal Airway: Breath Hold: Feet Calve L R Gluet: Waist: Shoulder: Oral Cavity Inspection: Tracking/ Occlusion/ Clicking: Visual Tracking LR: Hearing distance LR: Weight shift > 0-2.5 kgs: L R Head rotation : Marching Test: 9 Point Flexibility: Quad Hip: Chest(5-7cm) Upper Arm L R L R

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Length/ Tension Head Carriage 0-3cm Pelvic Tilt Lumbar Curve Thoracic Curve Thoracic Arm Raise QLO Side Bend Waiters Bow Standing Weight Shift:

Range

Normal 0-3cm M=4-7/F7-10 30o-35o 30o-35o Reverse Curve R=L 70o

Seated Thoracic Rotation Lumbar Rotation Supine Lower Abdominal Coordination POOR FAIR GOOD ROM Single Knee Chest Knee Ext Hip @ 90 Hip Abduction Hip Adduction Ankle Dorsi Flexion
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30o-50o
3o-18o

Left Right

Normal 125o 170o-180o 30o-50o 30o 10o-20o

Prone Prone 4 Point: Spinal Ext: ROM Prone Int Hip Rotation Prone Ext Hip Rotation Prone Knee Flexion Prone Hip Ext Movement Assessment Squat: Lunge: Pull: Gait: Bend Push: Twist: Left Right Normal 30o-40o 40o-60o 135o 15o-30o Back Ext Test:

Key Recommendations 4 key Asana

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2 key Pranayama

4 Lifestyle Modications:

4 Ayurvedic recommendations

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5. Lifestyle analysis ! Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire Name: ! Goals Physical- what you would like to look and feel like? ! ! Mental- What you would like to learn? ! ! Emotional- What you would like to improve in your relationships? (friends family, partner, work colleagues this may be just to have more time to connect) ! ! Spiritual- What gives you a sense of purpose in life and how can you bring that into your everyday experience? ! ! Date:

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Below is a series of symptoms that will offer clues as to how to achieve optimal health. Having symptoms is a part of life and it is important to recognize them so the !correct changes can be made to achiever your goals. Circle yes or no if you suffer from any of the following: ! Adrenal,Lower Back & Financial Health 1. Lower Back Pain? yes no 2. Sciatica ( pain traveling from the buttock down the leg)? yes no 3. Adrenal Fatigue/ Exhaustion? yes no 4. Sugar Addiction? yes no 5. Coffee/ Stimulant !Addiction? yes no 6. Reactive Nature? yes no 7. Inability to Sit Still? yes no 8. Distorted relationship with money (spending more than you make)? yes no 9. Debt? yes no 10. Method of making money against values? yes no 11. Inability to prioritize Needs over Wants? yes no 12. Disconnection in relationship to family, friends & Work colleagues? yes no 13. Feelings of anxiety inability to feel safe? yes no 14. Family, friends, work, or activities of interest are no longer important? yes no 15. Is there an inability to rest? yes no !

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Reproductive & Urinary 1. Changers in Appetite and Weight? yes no 2. Water Retention? yes no 3. Lower Back & Sacral iliac joint Pain? yes no 4. Pain or Burning with Urination? yes no Females: 1. Irregular Cycle? yes no 2. Infertility? yes no 3. Inability to Orgasm? yes no 4. Do you have reoccurring yeast infections Males: 1. Infertility? yes no 2. Impotence? yes no 3. Premature Ejaculation? yes no 4. Increased or Decreased Sex Drive? yes no Creativity 1. Do you feel inspired in your life? yes/no ! Digestion 1. Hungry an hour or two after eating a good-sized meal? yes no 2. Excessive burping, belching and/or bloating following meals? yes no 3. A sensation that food just sits in stomach creating uncomfortable fullness,

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pressure and bloating during or after a meal? yes no 4. Skips meals or eat erratically because of no appetite? yes no 5. Digestive problems that subside with rest and relaxation? yes no 6. When massaging under rib cage there is pain, tenderness or soreness? yes no 7. The consistency or form of your stool changes (e.g., from narrow to loose) within the course of a day? yes no 8. Stool odor is embarrassing? yes no 9. Undigested food in your stool? yes no 10. Diarrhea (frequent loose, watery stool)? yes no 11. Unexplained itchy skin that"s worse at night? yes no 12. Over or Under eating? yes no ! Cardiovascular & Immune 1. First effort of the day causes pain, pressure, tightness or heaviness around the chest? yes no 2. Difculty catching breath, especially during exercise? yes no 3. Exhaustion with minor exertion? yes no 4. Numbness, tingling and prickling sensation in hands and feet? yes no 5. Fingers and toes get numb in cold weather even when protected? yes no 6. proneness to loud snoring? yes no 7. frequent colds all winter? yes no 8. infections that settle in lungs? yes no

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9. sudden breathing difculties? yes no 10. Inability to breathe comfortably while lying down? yes no 11. Eyes, ears, nose, throat and lung symptoms that are associated with seasonal changes? yes no ! Neck, Ear, Nose, Throat & Jaw 1. Neck Pain &/or Tension? yes no 2. Hoarse voice? yes no 3. Ears ache, itch, feel congested or sore? yes no 4. Choking lump in throat? yes no 5. Difculty chewing food or opening mouth, Tooth ache? yes no 6. Intermittent pain or ache on one side of head spreading to cheek, temple, lower jaw, ear, neck and shoulder? yes no 7. Your jaw clicks or pops? yes no ! Vision, Cognition & Spirituality 1. Eyes water or tear? yes no 2. Blurred vision or double vision? yes no 3. difculty concentrating? yes no . clumsy and uncoordinated? yes no 5. Difculty bending over, standing up from sitting,rolling over in bed and/or turning your head from side to side? yes no 6. Speaking and forming words does not feel automatic? yes no

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7. Tend to forget things? yes no 8. Inability think abstractly? yes no 9. Inability to think creatively? yes no 10. Stuck in an objective world and suppression of a subjective experience? yes no 11. Inability to sit still, be alone &/or be in a quiet space? yes no 12. No connection to more than the physical? yes no 13. Headaches, migraines? yes no 14. Competitive, fearful, controlling behavior? yes no ! These questions are not just a great method of nding out how to start with a yoga & lifestyle modication but a great way of recording where your health is at prior to commencing the program. It is a good idea to revisit these questions every 3month to map progress.

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