In other news, Mark and Hannah are offering a workshop at Castle Hill this Saturday 3:30-5:30. Here is the link for that: http://www.castlehillfitness.com/calendar.php#event221. Mark and Hannah are both great practitioners, fantastic teachers and wonderful people. (Not necessarily in that order!) So don't miss it.
I got a lot done yesterday. In addition to some business things I took care of, I managed to get a big head start on packing for my upcoming trips and I even unpacked some of my fall clothes and put away some of the super-summery stuff. This should guarantee a return to warmer temperatures!
My 4:30 class was super fun. I worked with a sequence that was inspired by one Abhijata (Mr. Iyengar's granddaughter) taught when we were in Pune:
- Child's pose
- AMS
- Uttanasana
- Surya Namaskar A-5 X
- Surya Namaskar B-5 X
- Utkatasana
- crescent Pose
- standing backbend
- utktasana
- uttanasana
- AMS to UMS-3X
- prasarita paddottanasana
- sirsasana
- pinca mayurasana
- handstand
- rope 2
- ustrasana
- urdhva danurasana
- kapotasana prep walking down the wall to straight arms
- urdhva danurasana
- handstand
- AMS
- uttansana
- parsva uttanasana
- utanasana
- viparita karani
There were lots of folks in class and everyone worked so hard and so diligently. It was fun having Gioconda back from her travels, Amethyst was in class (a recent transplant from the Yoga Oasis gang) and Rebecca (who has recently moved here from the Los Angeles, CA kula and is working at Lulu). Mark and Hannah were in class as was Catherine so we had lots of the "old gang" plenty of the new gang like the Roberts and Gabby and some brand new friends as well!
I used one of my favorite Hafiz poems as a springboard for my theme:
Out of the Mouths of a Thousand Birds
Listen-
Listen more carefully to what is around you
Right now.
In my world
There are the bells from the clanks
Of the morning milk drums
And a wagon wheel outside my window
Just hit a bump.
Which turned into an ecstatic chorus
Of the Beloved's Name.
There is a Prayer Call
Rising up like the sun
Out of the mouths of a thousand birds.
There is an astonishing vastness
Of movement and Life
Emanating sound and light
From my folded hands
And my even quieter simple being and heart.
My dear,
Is it true that your mind
Is sometimes like a battering
Ram
Running all through the city
Shouting so madly inside and out
About the ten thousand things that do not matter?
Hafiz, too
For many years beat his head in youth
And thought himself at a great distance from and armistice
With God.
But that is why this scarred old pilgrim
Has now become such a sweet rare vintage
Who weeps and sings for you.
That is why Hafiz will forever in his verse
Play his symbol and call to you.
O listen-
Listen more carefully
To what is inside of you right now.
In my world
All that remains is the wondrous call to
Dance and prayer
Rising up like a thousand suns
Out of the mouth of a
Single bird.
Okay, time to shower up and get ready for Focus on Form. If all goes as planned today we should spend a lot of the time upside down. Yippee!
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