I take the month of August off. By "off", I mean that I close my yoga studio, letting it, nay making it - and myself AND my students - take a little break. When I opened the studio I was working on my 2,000-hour Purna Yoga Certification and we had 4- to 5-week intensives in August, so keeping the studio open simply wasn't an option. I made it a tradition, and now it's something that the community knows and expects. We close in August. See you in September! I try to use the time to regain perspective, refresh myself, get bigger home projects taken care of, etc.
This year I am spending the first two weeks in training with my teacher, Aadil Palkhivala, and the second two weeks are unscheduled. Oooo, what a wonderful word: unscheduled. Yesterday afternoon we wrapped up a 4-day Intermediate Asana & Philosophy Immersion, and today we begin a 10-day Therapeutics Training. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to deepen my therapeutics understanding and practice, as it is a part of my work that I particularly enjoy and really want to grow.
This past weekend's immersion was SO lovely! There were only 12 students, which is very rare for a workshop or class with Aadil. As a local Certified Purna Yoga Instructor I get to work with and learn from Aadil quite often, but it is always a treat to get back-to-back days with him. I have been looking forward to these two weeks for some time. He did a great balance of philosophy lecture/discussion, chanting, story telling, poetry reading and deeeeeep asana work. We started off with spinal releases using traction (hanging upside down) in various positions, then there was iliopsoas stretching:
That's me in Supta Virasana. My friend Amanda is helping me by putting weight on my thighs so that I can focus on the iliopsoas work. I'm holding two bungee ropes attached to the rope wall. On each exhalation I life one side of my POA (pit of the abdomen/lower rectus abdominis) toward the armpit and on toward the wall, alternating sides with each exhalation. It was awesome and a huge stretch for the iliopsoas. Please note that it is NOT a beginner's pose.
Don't try this without appropriate education, preparation experience & supervision.
throat opening/cervical curve work, side-waist work with Prvrtta Janu Sirsasana (see picture below) and more. It was delicious and, as always, inspiring. It reaffirms my belief that going deeper within a tradition and with a particular teacher is critical to one's development on this path.
Here I am in version 3 of 6 (or so, I lost count!) Prvrtta Janu Sirsasana. I'm using the wall ropes to help create even more length in the spine, as well as the side of the torso. In the "final" pose, the spine rests on the extended leg, with belly and chest rotating upward. In this photo, the left side of my torso is atop my left thigh. My left shoulder blade is touching my inner left knee. This is the only pose that can so deeply open the sides of the torso. It's soooooo nice!
I don't know how much writing I'll be able to do while I'm in the training. The schedule isn't too draining, but there is a commute, and regular family/home things going on so not much time left for sharing it on the blog. I'll try to at least post tidbits here and there. August is a time for me to focus inwardly, to be "productive" in my life and spirituality rather than in the outer/commercial world. It will be interesting to see if I discover a way in which I can share outwardly while maintaining my inner focus...
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