Last night, as the moon approached its fullest expression, I drove to Hinsdale to attend a special workshop devoted to twists and inversions, and several combinations of the two. As Sarah Richelle Starnes began the class, she related the action of twisting and inverting in yoga to investigating public scupltures. She talked about how all the different vantage points -- from below, overhead, across the street and up close -- it is possible to appreciate more fully the piece of work in its entirety. As our vantage can expand, so too does the impact, our appreciation, for what the artist has created.
While in a typical 90-minute class, we may play with some variation of inverted poses, there is rarely the opportunity to go into trickier variations. The result? Much like passing a sculpture and only ever seeing it from the singular path you may be walking each day. Something that is multi-dimensional, over time, becomes flat and unappreciated. So, as we approach the full moon, Sarah challenged us to expand our perspective of each pose; delve a little deeper and begin to appreciate the beauty each offers from whatever new view we take along the way.
Sarah led us expertly through some warm ups and gentle twists. Then we got to working our rhomboids and the action of getting the shoulder blades on the back. Everything was moving swiftly and with such precision. No time wasted, no pose arbitrary. Up into Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand), then Sirsasana II prep, then Dolphin pose, then Pincha Mayurasana (forearm stand).
Sarah got right to the business of opening the hips, as it is fact most variations on twists and inversions are going to require a certain degree of flexibility in the hips and lower back. In the process, I was led through one of the most efficient hip-opening sequences I've experienced in some time. We giggled as we rolled in and out of Spiderman pose. (I don't know of any Sanskrit translation for Spiderman or who made it up, save to say it's incredibly effective in opening the hips, lengthening the lower back and engaging the core). Our hip stretches finished with a sequence through Horse pose that had all the thighs in the room quaking. Yep, we were warm!
Then came twists. Oh, the dreaded twists from Brigid's Cross to Eka Pada Koundinyasana I. Sarah had compared to taking Brigid's Cross to the second floor. As she lifted into the pose, she says casually, "See, it's just upstairs, right?" We laughed but truly it was the ease and light hearted humor with which she approached and instructed each, otherwise intimidating or challenging, pose that made the entire workshop so accessible to everyone in the room.
Our playtime with headstanding started with Sirsasana II, then moved into Sirsasana I with a partner we go to the business of Eka Pada Sirsasana (one-legged headstand) and Parsva Sirsasana (revolved headstand) with legs straight and then bent in virasana. The whole time, Sarah watched on as everyone learned, not just how to move into each pose, but how to offer assistance with confidence.
Firm in the confidence of assisting these poses, we started going a little deeper. A little deeper yet. And yet, deeper still. Some of the rather radical variations Sarah offered included forearm balance with legs in splits, then with legs in splits and torso twisted, a one-armed forearm stand, then one-armed forearm stand with legs in bow and arrow variation (at least this was how I heard of it before, I cannot recall how Sarah referred to it). Needless to say, a lot of this was new territory to me. The thing that struck me the most was that, between the way Sarah had instructed, the way she'd enlisted each student to support each other so whole heartedly and the intention to become broader in perspective, I felt I could really comprehend and appreciate each pose without exasperation or feeling defeated. Plus, it was fun. Like being a kid again.
Then came the blocks. As Sarah told us to position our blocks toward the top of our mats, under our shoulders, as we came into Ashtanga Namaskara (eight-angle pose), I groaned. We were headed to Ganda Bherundasana (formidable face pose). Alas, was this going to be the end of me? Not in the least. With help from Sarah, I lifted up and got to hang for awhile on my chin. Yep, my chin! Asked whether I was ready to lower out, I could scarcely make a, "uh-huh." Yowsers! And let me say, what a gift to receive from Sarah. After this pose, you feel like you are on top of the world.
Sarah rounded out our practice with Salamba Sarvangasana (supported shoulderstand) and a couple more playful variations. For the first time in ages, I felt thoroughly prepared to get into Parsva Halasana (revolved plow), then into Parsva Karna Pindasana (side pressure on the ear pose) in Sarvangasana (shoulderstand).
Finally, we came to rest in Savasana. As I began to make my way down, I was thinking about friends and fellow teachers attending another workshop happening in Chicago. I thought of how fortunate we all were to be in the presence of such amazing teachers. I reflected on how the light of their offering would suffuse our own teaching, impacting so many students, offering back the deeper, richer perspective we'd each worked to cultivate that night. In my mind, I was repeating, "Purna, purna, purna." The Sanskrit word for fullness, or that which is without lack. Then Sarah began singing a beautiful raga that referred again to Purna, that fullness. Beautiful!
Now, here's the thing. Sarah normally teaches in the suburbs of Chicago. I think it is totally worth the drive to see her in Elmhurst, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights or the other North and Northwest suburbs in which she can be found. But what's better is that Sarah, along with friend and esteemed colleague Sara Strother, will soon be offering an Immersion in our city. It starts in October at Moksha Yoga, details available online. The Immersion is a perfect opportunity to go deeper, not just in your physical practice, but into your understanding of yoga philosophy and tradition. Check out my recent blog entry about the power an Immersion has to carry aspiring teachers deeper. Whatever the setting through which you experience Sarah's teaching, you will no doubt be inspired and uplifted.
Sarah led us expertly through some warm ups and gentle twists. Then we got to working our rhomboids and the action of getting the shoulder blades on the back. Everything was moving swiftly and with such precision. No time wasted, no pose arbitrary. Up into Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand), then Sirsasana II prep, then Dolphin pose, then Pincha Mayurasana (forearm stand).
Sarah got right to the business of opening the hips, as it is fact most variations on twists and inversions are going to require a certain degree of flexibility in the hips and lower back. In the process, I was led through one of the most efficient hip-opening sequences I've experienced in some time. We giggled as we rolled in and out of Spiderman pose. (I don't know of any Sanskrit translation for Spiderman or who made it up, save to say it's incredibly effective in opening the hips, lengthening the lower back and engaging the core). Our hip stretches finished with a sequence through Horse pose that had all the thighs in the room quaking. Yep, we were warm!
Then came twists. Oh, the dreaded twists from Brigid's Cross to Eka Pada Koundinyasana I. Sarah had compared to taking Brigid's Cross to the second floor. As she lifted into the pose, she says casually, "See, it's just upstairs, right?" We laughed but truly it was the ease and light hearted humor with which she approached and instructed each, otherwise intimidating or challenging, pose that made the entire workshop so accessible to everyone in the room.
Our playtime with headstanding started with Sirsasana II, then moved into Sirsasana I with a partner we go to the business of Eka Pada Sirsasana (one-legged headstand) and Parsva Sirsasana (revolved headstand) with legs straight and then bent in virasana. The whole time, Sarah watched on as everyone learned, not just how to move into each pose, but how to offer assistance with confidence.
Firm in the confidence of assisting these poses, we started going a little deeper. A little deeper yet. And yet, deeper still. Some of the rather radical variations Sarah offered included forearm balance with legs in splits, then with legs in splits and torso twisted, a one-armed forearm stand, then one-armed forearm stand with legs in bow and arrow variation (at least this was how I heard of it before, I cannot recall how Sarah referred to it). Needless to say, a lot of this was new territory to me. The thing that struck me the most was that, between the way Sarah had instructed, the way she'd enlisted each student to support each other so whole heartedly and the intention to become broader in perspective, I felt I could really comprehend and appreciate each pose without exasperation or feeling defeated. Plus, it was fun. Like being a kid again.
Then came the blocks. As Sarah told us to position our blocks toward the top of our mats, under our shoulders, as we came into Ashtanga Namaskara (eight-angle pose), I groaned. We were headed to Ganda Bherundasana (formidable face pose). Alas, was this going to be the end of me? Not in the least. With help from Sarah, I lifted up and got to hang for awhile on my chin. Yep, my chin! Asked whether I was ready to lower out, I could scarcely make a, "uh-huh." Yowsers! And let me say, what a gift to receive from Sarah. After this pose, you feel like you are on top of the world.
Sarah rounded out our practice with Salamba Sarvangasana (supported shoulderstand) and a couple more playful variations. For the first time in ages, I felt thoroughly prepared to get into Parsva Halasana (revolved plow), then into Parsva Karna Pindasana (side pressure on the ear pose) in Sarvangasana (shoulderstand).
Finally, we came to rest in Savasana. As I began to make my way down, I was thinking about friends and fellow teachers attending another workshop happening in Chicago. I thought of how fortunate we all were to be in the presence of such amazing teachers. I reflected on how the light of their offering would suffuse our own teaching, impacting so many students, offering back the deeper, richer perspective we'd each worked to cultivate that night. In my mind, I was repeating, "Purna, purna, purna." The Sanskrit word for fullness, or that which is without lack. Then Sarah began singing a beautiful raga that referred again to Purna, that fullness. Beautiful!
Now, here's the thing. Sarah normally teaches in the suburbs of Chicago. I think it is totally worth the drive to see her in Elmhurst, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights or the other North and Northwest suburbs in which she can be found. But what's better is that Sarah, along with friend and esteemed colleague Sara Strother, will soon be offering an Immersion in our city. It starts in October at Moksha Yoga, details available online. The Immersion is a perfect opportunity to go deeper, not just in your physical practice, but into your understanding of yoga philosophy and tradition. Check out my recent blog entry about the power an Immersion has to carry aspiring teachers deeper. Whatever the setting through which you experience Sarah's teaching, you will no doubt be inspired and uplifted.
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