N.B: This video cuts out at 1 hour 33 minutes. The remaining sequence not shown contains Sarvangasana with variations and Savasana to finish.
In this advanced class, we will be going through a wide variety of standing poses. We will try to: find space in our poses; see how subtle changes in our bodies affect the nature of the asana; inspect the correlation between tension and relaxation.
Another thing we will be paying attention to is the ripple effect our actions in one part of the body can have on the rest of the body. This is why we will spend more time holding each pose. This way, you will be able to explore different modifications to find the one that is best suited to your personal needs.
In today’s class, we will also be looking at the relationship between tension and relaxation. In regards to certain body parts, relaxation comes more easily. For example, when lying in Savasana, we find it easy to follow such instructions as “release the toes” or “release the fingers” or “quieten the eyes.” These actions come naturally. But as we become more advanced, we can begin looking at ways of releasing other areas, such as the back of the knees, the groins, or the outer buttock crease.
The longer we practise, the more important it becomes to come back to the poses we think we know well and try to approach them from a different angle. After all, as time goes by, our bodies change and this invariably has an effect on the way we perform a pose. So, we need to get a fresh outlook every now and again.
