Thursday Candlelight Class

Taught last night and felt lucky to have a couple hours to lose myself in the moment and focus my attention and energy to others. I have been inside my head a lot this week dealing with heavy personal junk and last night was the first chance I had to just leave my personal mess out of my thoughts.

I had a small class this week. None of my regulars were there. Actually, nobody from last week, which may be because they didn't feel like taking my class again (though they all said they enjoyed it when they left) or perhaps Passover and Easter had something to do with the absences.

I had two wonderful newbieesque students: one make and one female. There was ample opportunity for me to give adjustments and really teach proper alignment in the postures. I ended up just making up class as I went, allowing my students to be my teachers and guides.

We started laying on backs with a block under the back (long ways) to help open the heart and get the shoulderblades pulling onto the back. Next we did easy folding in sukasana and stretched left and right to open up the side body.

Cat/cow and side-to-side spinal curving and then thread the needle. Balasana and finally first downdog of the evening. Walk feet to hands for uttanasana/ rag doll and roll to standing.

Tadasana alignment and then experimenting with shoulders by rolling them and pressing scapula together whil simultaneously pressing shoulders away from ears.

Mini surya namaskaras with low lunges into low crescent lunges. Held ukatasana for a bit and worked on that for thigh stregth.

Warrior 2 and triangle.

Tree.



Low lunge hip opening. Forearms to floor and roll outside edge of front foot to access different parts of hip. Jump switch to other side.

Plank and slowly lower to bellies. Back strengtheners: locust/salabasana, cobra, danurasana (eka pada Right and Left first). Rest in balasana.

Badha konasana. And I am not positive about the order of the rest (or the preceding to tell the truth), but we did supta hasta padangustasana with straps A, B and IT band. Dandasana. Roll down engaging core. Halasana and shoulder stand/salamba sarvangasana with 2 blankets. Happy baby. Supine twists.

Moved mats to wall for legs up the wall and then...Savasana!

That was the best part of my week. I was content and present in the moment and never found myself distracted by the craziness going on in my personal life.