Sunday Morning

I got home from the advanced intensive on Friday, took some rest and then went to Breath and Body to teach the final weekend of our Immersion. The advanced intensive was really amazing this year. John wrote a letter that was sent out to the participants outlining the protocol for the three days: He wanted everyone to treat the practice space as a temple, or mandir and observe silence while we were in the practice hall. There were some other instructions about not chatting, not leaving the room unnecessarily and he asked people if they could not perform an asana to simply stand in tadasana or sit quietly doing japa.

So we all came with those instructions and on the first day John was standing near the entry way, personally greeting each participant and welcoming us. And once the workshop began, once we entered the mandir, he really held a strong focus and maintained a very lovely discipline in the classroom. Noah and I were in the front row and had so much fun being right up where he was and practicing together. It was really like old times. I kept thinking, "Wow, this is the John we met all those years ago, but somehow, even better." I loved it. I loved his focus, i loved the formality, I loved the measure intensity, I loved where it took me physically and attitudinally. It was really the best advanced intensive I have been to in years.

He used the theme of The Goddess and worked with Kali iconography on day, Saraswati the next and Lakshmi on the final day. I was only there for two days as I had to come home to teach but the two days were more than worth it.

Here are his sequences:

Day One

A.M. Sequence

uttanasana

uttanasana- ext. spine

right leg to lunge

AMS

chataranga

cobra

AMS

lunge forward with right leg

uttanasana

urdhva hastasana

All standing poses with slow vinyasa between:

parsvakonasana

triangle

Vira 1

Ardha Chandrasana to trikonasana

handstand

uttanasana

pinca mayurasana

pinca with partner to really get the melt

Vira 2

Vasisthasana 2 - backbended

hands clasped in uttanasana

bird of paradise prep

bhujapidasna

uttanasana

chatargana-up dog- AMS

clasped parsvakonasana

clasped trikonasana

clasped ardha chandrasana

vajrasana

bakasana

sirsasana 2- bakasana

sirsasana 2- bakasana- handstand

supta virasana

push up out of supta virasana

eka pada raja kapotasana with quad stretch, top arm up

eprk, grab back foot and begin to swivel shoulder

Urdhva Danurasana 10X

drop backs

dwi pada viparita dandasana- head up variation

balasana

uttanasana

lunge with a twist

uttanasana

(no savasana!)

Day One

P.M. Sequence

uttanasana

right leg back to lunge with forearms down

uttanasana

left leg back to lunge with forearms down

AMS

eprk- forward bend

dandasana

janu sirsasana

uppa vistha konasana

parsva uppavistha konasana

siddhasana

Ujayi Pranayama

triang mukaikapadapascimottanasana

ardha matsyendrasana

pascimottanasana

agnisthambasana

Ujayi pranayama with kumbhaka

japa- Om Namah Shivaya

janu sirsasana

parivritta janu sirsasana-2X

hanumanasana- 3X

uttanasana

(no savasana!)

Day Two

A.M. Session

uttanasana

right leg back to lunge- jump switch

AMS

uttanasana

Urdhva Hastasana

vinyasa

AMS

parsvakonasana

trikonasana

Vira 2

Vira 1

Ardha Chandrasana

parivritta trikonasna

parivritta parsvakonasana

parivritta Ardha chandrasana

twist in cobra

handstand

pinca

supta virasana

eka pada supta virasana- up and out to the side

urdhva danurasana 3X

eka hasta urdhva danurasana

pushing up to urdhva with one arm

eka pada urdhva danurasana

drop backs- 10

one arm drop backs

dwi pada viparita dandasana

headstand dropovers

ekapadaviparita dandasana

ekapadarajakapotasana 1, 2

hanumanasana with a thigh stretch

eka pada rajakapotasana 3, 4

scorpion

uttanasana

parsvottanasana

uttanasana

balasana

(no savasana!)

Day Two

P.M. Session

balasana

uttanasana

deep lunge, forwarms down

eprk

eprk

eprk, twist over front foot

viloma pranayama

Om mantra

dandasana

janu sirsasana

uppavista konasana

agnisthambasana

agnisthambasana with twist

supta padangusthasana 1,2

half lotus prep in supta

supta padmasana

supta padmasana opened up

AMS

sirsasana- eka pada sirsasana, parsvaikapada sirsasana, padmasana

sarvangasana- eka pada sarvangasana, parsvaikapada sarvangasana, padmasana, parsva sarvangasana in padmasana

triang mukaikapada pascimottanasana

krouncasana

bharadvajasana 2

yogi dandasana

eka pada sirsasama

skandasana

durvasansa

uttanasana

(no savasana!)

Think LONG HOLDS on all these sequence. Like 2 minutes each side. Slow burning fire, nothing quick, nothing crazy, nothing fast. Just long, diligent work in the basic postures that took us to some pretty deep places. Very nice indeed.

More soon.