Notes from the Glenn Ceresoli workshop where I digress from my Ashtanga practice for one week only.
DAY 2: Tuesday January 11th 2005 - morning session
Felt a little tired when I got up this morning – not tired from lack of sleep or bad eating habits, but more like that vague sort of lethargy which overcomes the body after it’s been through a stressful situation – the nervous system shuts itself down a little to recuperate.
We did similar work to yesterday in this morning’s session with the addition of a couple of standing poses.
Supta Baddha Konasana over a bolster
Further enquiry into why we do this pose noticing the difference between resting the arms by the sides and placing them in the more active position above the head with hands holding opposite elbows – more open. Even though this is considered a passive pose, the position of the arms above the head is an active one, which becomes pretty clear after holding it for 10 minutes.
Dandasana
Swastikasana forward bend
Supta Virasana over bolster
Dandasana
Ado Mukha Svanasana
Tadasana
Trikonasana
Way too many intricate instructions to remember. I suspect it’s intended not so much to correct alignment but to keep our minds fully engaged in the process.
I wish I could work into the poses while simultaneously committing all the instructions to memory for future reference. But I’m so fully in the process that each instruction filters straight through my brain and into my body. Mind like a sieve.
Virabhadrasana II
Try keeping your arms extended out from the shoulders for 5 minutes – not easy, especially when you get reminded that your body is weakening only because your mind is wobbling in its resolve. Thanks Glenn.
We had to move into Virabhadrasana II by bending the front knee p a i n s t a k i n g l y s l o w l y…all the time directing energy from the inner groin to the inner knee (of the bending knee) and from the outer knee to the outer thigh – an Anusara kind of looping that sets up a whirling vortex of energy around the thigh.
Holding this pose requires a lot of physical and mental strength. Warrior is an apt name for it. As my strength started to ebb away, Glenn’s intricate instructions faded out to a blur. My mind started clutching desperately at anything I could do to just remain calm in the pose as the stress to the nervous system overrode my ability to take in information.
When we finally came up from the pose, Glenn joked about this phenomenon (“You couldn’t hear a word I said, could you” he joked to the class), so I guess everyone had that glazed look of quiet panic in their eyes. When put under stress, I naturally move into survival mode: ears and eyes turn in (or off)…nature’s way of directing all focus to putting out the rapidly rising spot fires in the body before they obliterate the rational mind completely…internal combustion. Dramatic stuff when you’re about to die in Virabhadrasana II.
Ado Mukha Svanasana
The second Dog Pose – it had to be at least 7 minutes. Towards the end I was objectively observing my shoulders weakening by the second, and my arms beginning to shake uncontrollably - fully aware of the stress I was deliberately imposing on my nervous system. At the same time I was calmly evaluating the situation, not looking to get out of the pose, but looking for a way in. What did I need to do that would allow me to stay there with that level of intensity? How could I lessen the stress without compromising my resolve? Long, deep ujjiya breathing became my temporary salvation. I stayed in that Dog Pose for ages while many others came out of it, unable to bear it any longer. Somehow I plugged myself into an invisible long life battery. For a brief moment I questioned whether it was pride, ego and stubbornness keeping me there, but I think it was more a firm and clear intention to use the stressful situation as an opportunity to test my resolve and composure, putting all of Glenn’s tools into action.
Resting Uttanasana
Feet apart, hanging down, holding elbows. Didn’t hear a thing here.
Pada Hastasana
Iliac crests (frontal hip bones) extend towards toes. Missed the rest.
Dandasana
After an active holding in Dandasana, Glenn gave us a nice prompting to move into Savasana. Without even telling us where we were going, he said to draw the pubis actively up to the navel, extend the tailbone strongly toward the heels, and keep these two actions continuous while very slowly laying down to the floor.
Instead of just laying down with no conscious involvement and sensitivity to the process, it was so lovely to feel the deep curl of the spine slowly unfold like a fern frond as each vertebrae touched the floor in succession, a product of those two simple actions: pubis to navel and tailbone to heels. With legs firm and strong, my mind was directed into the pelvic response, and the feeling out of symmetry as I descended. It was a beautiful, slow and controlled transition from sitting to laying. The movement became sacred because of the care put into it.
********************************************
Taking the week off work was a good move. I had the best intention of making this a week full of yoga: reading, meditation, spending time rethinking my own teaching methods, getting my teaching direction clear. But it just ain’t happening. After coffee with the yoga gang, dishes done, notes written up, I’m going back to bed now. It’s 11am. DO NOT DISTURB.
Reflections on Iyengar and Ashtanga
I really notice the difference in my state of mind following these heavy, intense yoga sessions.
In contrast, the Ashtanga practice usually leaves me feeling energized, light, clear and powerful, focused, invincible, confident and loving. I feel like I’ve got a direct line to the incredible presence of the Divine which is within me and connects me to all others.
Following these sessions with Glenn, although my body doesn’t ache (yet) my mind is left heavy. It wants to switch off and be left off after working so intensely under prolonged pressure. Not unlike the flatline feeling that follows an emotional breakup or breakdown.
No wonder these workshops are called “intensives”. I wouldn’t choose to do this as a daily practice. It’s serious therapy, but I’m not sure what the benefits are.
Being taken past the edge of your comfortable habits can have a destabilizing effect on the mind and emotions. After being stretched for 2 hours on all levels, you sort of spring back to a semi-numbness while the changes filter through your body and mind subconsciously.
For me it’s always useful to reflect on how I feel following a practice and question…does it improve my day? Does it make me a better person? Is it propelling me in the right direction on my journey?
On those occasional mornings when I choose to sit in meditation rather than do a physical practice, my day is more softly coloured, quieter, more reflective. I don’t get a lot done.
But there are some days when a supremely meditative state spontaneously follows an Ashtanga practice. I sit in the afterglow of the practice in perfect stillness and feel the powerful connection within me to the force that is behind all that is. And feeling this connection strengthens it. Samadhi, the goal of the practice.
DAY 2: Tuesday 11th January – evening session
People are opening up a little more. Glenn’s cracking a few jokes. More people are willing to answer his questions in the class – “Are you happy?” “Can you feel anything?”
Supta Baddha Konasana
Dandasana
Swastikasana
Dandasana
Supta Virasana
Ado Mukha Svanasana
No great revelations, just more good solid work in the pose.
Uttanasana
Feet apart, arms extended forward with palms facing each other and little fingers just lightly touching the floor. We had to rise up to Urdhva Hastasana on the inhalation leading with the hands, then lower back down to Uttanasana on the exhalation keeping the arms and hands extended up and back so they didn’t weigh us down on the descent.
Viparitta Dandasana over a chair.
Back of chair facing the wall and we laid firstly over the chair with feet to the wall and a rolled up blanket under the lower shoulderblades (I think this was where it was supposed to go). Emphasis on tailbone and shoulderblades.
Inverted Viparitta Dandasana
Laid over the chair so that feet faced center of room, back of chair still towards the wall. The tailbone had to be at the edge of the chair, rather than towards the middle. Once threaded through, we had to reach back and hold the chair rung, but my rung happened to be broken…not that I couldn’t reach it anyway! Glenn noticed and gave me a helping hand to grab the side legs instead. I could feel that my shoulders didn’t have much give here, my elbows insisted on splaying out to the sides despite my continual work to draw the inwards. Glenn used his knees to squeeze my elbows in. I had no time to resist and it was one of those insane adjustments where your joints get completely realigned. This pose was really good for my shoulders. I know I should practice it every day (but I know I won’t).
Pincha Mayurasana
Usual strap and block version, holding the block with the palms facing each other, only the little finger touching the floor. We prepared with Dog Pose, lifting high up on the toes, rolling the pelvic floor up before kicking up. No amount of willpower could keep me up for the entire length of time. I had to come down early twice.
Another pose I should practice every day (but know I won’t).
Dog Pose with fingertips to the Wall
Sternum to navel and collarbones to toes
Supta Padangusthasana – feet to the wall
He used this pose to challenge our belief of how far the body can go. Once we took the raised upper leg a little further over the head, we weren’t allowed to regress – just hold for a few breaths then take the leg even further. When lowering the leg to the right side, pubis rolls to the right, but sternum and head turn to the left. I had the most annoying sticky fly buzzing around and crawling over my face – it just wouldn’t go away. I tried at first to remain focused on the pose and let the fly crawl where it wanted but it crawled into my eye then up my nose – YUK. I tried twitching my face and it flew off, only to coming back. I was twitching my face and thinking how silly I must look – focus on pose completely lost, but excellent focus on fly.
Passive Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Again laying with a bolster lengthwise under spine, back of shoulders to the floor, with a block under the heels.
At first we focused on using the inhalation to lift and expand the ribcage with no movement to the back ribs. Then after inhaling and lifting the front ribs, we had to keep the height and space of the ribcage while deflating only the abdomen on the exhalation. After a few minutes to get the hang of this, we started to visualize the sternum moving up towards the chin with each inhalation. Then we went a bit further and imagined the abdomen as a pool, and the sternum as a waterfall, the water rising up from the pool and over the sternum waterfall, collecting in the back of the throat (all on the inhalation), then upon the exhalation continue to direct the flow of water up to the back of the skull. Then start the inhalation again from the pool.
A form of pranayama.
This kind of work stimulates awareness of how we can manipulate the subtle energy (prana) through the body although Glenn didn’t speak about this at all. He just took us through the visualization and let us make what we wanted of it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
DAY 2: Tuesday January 11th 2005 - morning session
Felt a little tired when I got up this morning – not tired from lack of sleep or bad eating habits, but more like that vague sort of lethargy which overcomes the body after it’s been through a stressful situation – the nervous system shuts itself down a little to recuperate.
We did similar work to yesterday in this morning’s session with the addition of a couple of standing poses.
Supta Baddha Konasana over a bolster
Further enquiry into why we do this pose noticing the difference between resting the arms by the sides and placing them in the more active position above the head with hands holding opposite elbows – more open. Even though this is considered a passive pose, the position of the arms above the head is an active one, which becomes pretty clear after holding it for 10 minutes.
Dandasana
Swastikasana forward bend
Supta Virasana over bolster
Dandasana
Ado Mukha Svanasana
Tadasana
Trikonasana
Way too many intricate instructions to remember. I suspect it’s intended not so much to correct alignment but to keep our minds fully engaged in the process.
I wish I could work into the poses while simultaneously committing all the instructions to memory for future reference. But I’m so fully in the process that each instruction filters straight through my brain and into my body. Mind like a sieve.
Virabhadrasana II
Try keeping your arms extended out from the shoulders for 5 minutes – not easy, especially when you get reminded that your body is weakening only because your mind is wobbling in its resolve. Thanks Glenn.
We had to move into Virabhadrasana II by bending the front knee p a i n s t a k i n g l y s l o w l y…all the time directing energy from the inner groin to the inner knee (of the bending knee) and from the outer knee to the outer thigh – an Anusara kind of looping that sets up a whirling vortex of energy around the thigh.
Holding this pose requires a lot of physical and mental strength. Warrior is an apt name for it. As my strength started to ebb away, Glenn’s intricate instructions faded out to a blur. My mind started clutching desperately at anything I could do to just remain calm in the pose as the stress to the nervous system overrode my ability to take in information.
When we finally came up from the pose, Glenn joked about this phenomenon (“You couldn’t hear a word I said, could you” he joked to the class), so I guess everyone had that glazed look of quiet panic in their eyes. When put under stress, I naturally move into survival mode: ears and eyes turn in (or off)…nature’s way of directing all focus to putting out the rapidly rising spot fires in the body before they obliterate the rational mind completely…internal combustion. Dramatic stuff when you’re about to die in Virabhadrasana II.
Ado Mukha Svanasana
The second Dog Pose – it had to be at least 7 minutes. Towards the end I was objectively observing my shoulders weakening by the second, and my arms beginning to shake uncontrollably - fully aware of the stress I was deliberately imposing on my nervous system. At the same time I was calmly evaluating the situation, not looking to get out of the pose, but looking for a way in. What did I need to do that would allow me to stay there with that level of intensity? How could I lessen the stress without compromising my resolve? Long, deep ujjiya breathing became my temporary salvation. I stayed in that Dog Pose for ages while many others came out of it, unable to bear it any longer. Somehow I plugged myself into an invisible long life battery. For a brief moment I questioned whether it was pride, ego and stubbornness keeping me there, but I think it was more a firm and clear intention to use the stressful situation as an opportunity to test my resolve and composure, putting all of Glenn’s tools into action.
Resting Uttanasana
Feet apart, hanging down, holding elbows. Didn’t hear a thing here.
Pada Hastasana
Iliac crests (frontal hip bones) extend towards toes. Missed the rest.
Dandasana
After an active holding in Dandasana, Glenn gave us a nice prompting to move into Savasana. Without even telling us where we were going, he said to draw the pubis actively up to the navel, extend the tailbone strongly toward the heels, and keep these two actions continuous while very slowly laying down to the floor.
Instead of just laying down with no conscious involvement and sensitivity to the process, it was so lovely to feel the deep curl of the spine slowly unfold like a fern frond as each vertebrae touched the floor in succession, a product of those two simple actions: pubis to navel and tailbone to heels. With legs firm and strong, my mind was directed into the pelvic response, and the feeling out of symmetry as I descended. It was a beautiful, slow and controlled transition from sitting to laying. The movement became sacred because of the care put into it.
********************************************
Taking the week off work was a good move. I had the best intention of making this a week full of yoga: reading, meditation, spending time rethinking my own teaching methods, getting my teaching direction clear. But it just ain’t happening. After coffee with the yoga gang, dishes done, notes written up, I’m going back to bed now. It’s 11am. DO NOT DISTURB.
Reflections on Iyengar and Ashtanga
I really notice the difference in my state of mind following these heavy, intense yoga sessions.
In contrast, the Ashtanga practice usually leaves me feeling energized, light, clear and powerful, focused, invincible, confident and loving. I feel like I’ve got a direct line to the incredible presence of the Divine which is within me and connects me to all others.
Following these sessions with Glenn, although my body doesn’t ache (yet) my mind is left heavy. It wants to switch off and be left off after working so intensely under prolonged pressure. Not unlike the flatline feeling that follows an emotional breakup or breakdown.
No wonder these workshops are called “intensives”. I wouldn’t choose to do this as a daily practice. It’s serious therapy, but I’m not sure what the benefits are.
Being taken past the edge of your comfortable habits can have a destabilizing effect on the mind and emotions. After being stretched for 2 hours on all levels, you sort of spring back to a semi-numbness while the changes filter through your body and mind subconsciously.
For me it’s always useful to reflect on how I feel following a practice and question…does it improve my day? Does it make me a better person? Is it propelling me in the right direction on my journey?
On those occasional mornings when I choose to sit in meditation rather than do a physical practice, my day is more softly coloured, quieter, more reflective. I don’t get a lot done.
But there are some days when a supremely meditative state spontaneously follows an Ashtanga practice. I sit in the afterglow of the practice in perfect stillness and feel the powerful connection within me to the force that is behind all that is. And feeling this connection strengthens it. Samadhi, the goal of the practice.
DAY 2: Tuesday 11th January – evening session
People are opening up a little more. Glenn’s cracking a few jokes. More people are willing to answer his questions in the class – “Are you happy?” “Can you feel anything?”
Supta Baddha Konasana
Dandasana
Swastikasana
Dandasana
Supta Virasana
Ado Mukha Svanasana
No great revelations, just more good solid work in the pose.
Uttanasana
Feet apart, arms extended forward with palms facing each other and little fingers just lightly touching the floor. We had to rise up to Urdhva Hastasana on the inhalation leading with the hands, then lower back down to Uttanasana on the exhalation keeping the arms and hands extended up and back so they didn’t weigh us down on the descent.
Viparitta Dandasana over a chair.
Back of chair facing the wall and we laid firstly over the chair with feet to the wall and a rolled up blanket under the lower shoulderblades (I think this was where it was supposed to go). Emphasis on tailbone and shoulderblades.
Inverted Viparitta Dandasana
Laid over the chair so that feet faced center of room, back of chair still towards the wall. The tailbone had to be at the edge of the chair, rather than towards the middle. Once threaded through, we had to reach back and hold the chair rung, but my rung happened to be broken…not that I couldn’t reach it anyway! Glenn noticed and gave me a helping hand to grab the side legs instead. I could feel that my shoulders didn’t have much give here, my elbows insisted on splaying out to the sides despite my continual work to draw the inwards. Glenn used his knees to squeeze my elbows in. I had no time to resist and it was one of those insane adjustments where your joints get completely realigned. This pose was really good for my shoulders. I know I should practice it every day (but I know I won’t).
Pincha Mayurasana
Usual strap and block version, holding the block with the palms facing each other, only the little finger touching the floor. We prepared with Dog Pose, lifting high up on the toes, rolling the pelvic floor up before kicking up. No amount of willpower could keep me up for the entire length of time. I had to come down early twice.
Another pose I should practice every day (but know I won’t).
Dog Pose with fingertips to the Wall
Sternum to navel and collarbones to toes
Supta Padangusthasana – feet to the wall
He used this pose to challenge our belief of how far the body can go. Once we took the raised upper leg a little further over the head, we weren’t allowed to regress – just hold for a few breaths then take the leg even further. When lowering the leg to the right side, pubis rolls to the right, but sternum and head turn to the left. I had the most annoying sticky fly buzzing around and crawling over my face – it just wouldn’t go away. I tried at first to remain focused on the pose and let the fly crawl where it wanted but it crawled into my eye then up my nose – YUK. I tried twitching my face and it flew off, only to coming back. I was twitching my face and thinking how silly I must look – focus on pose completely lost, but excellent focus on fly.
Passive Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Again laying with a bolster lengthwise under spine, back of shoulders to the floor, with a block under the heels.
At first we focused on using the inhalation to lift and expand the ribcage with no movement to the back ribs. Then after inhaling and lifting the front ribs, we had to keep the height and space of the ribcage while deflating only the abdomen on the exhalation. After a few minutes to get the hang of this, we started to visualize the sternum moving up towards the chin with each inhalation. Then we went a bit further and imagined the abdomen as a pool, and the sternum as a waterfall, the water rising up from the pool and over the sternum waterfall, collecting in the back of the throat (all on the inhalation), then upon the exhalation continue to direct the flow of water up to the back of the skull. Then start the inhalation again from the pool.
A form of pranayama.
This kind of work stimulates awareness of how we can manipulate the subtle energy (prana) through the body although Glenn didn’t speak about this at all. He just took us through the visualization and let us make what we wanted of it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
