i want to align with the divine

theme: line up for more light- in nature we are gaining a minute more of sunlight everyday. :)

The Practice

1. set the foundation and open to grace: feel the ground beneath you with the four corners of the feet and any part of the body that is touching the mat- your foundation. and make the inner body bright- feel brightness from the inside especially of the torso radiating out fully in all directions, supporting you, filling you, puffing you up.

2. muscular energy: hug the muscles in and around the bones with loving kindness

3. inner spiral: from the inner edges of the feet, inner spiral up the legs, moving the thigh bones back and apart, widening your sitting bones even left and right, expanding all the way up to the waistline

4. outer spiral: sustaining the energetic expansion of the inner spiral, scoop the tailbone in as you lift the lower belly into the light of the core, rotate the leg bones back to neutral and spread wide the pinky toe side of the foot, to complete the contracting energy of the outer spiral

5. organic energy: from the focal point lengthen out through the center of the bones in all directions, rooting down into the foundation more fully, reaching up skyward through the top of the pose, and radiating your inner beauty out through the skin

LOOP: kidney, baby, kidney. draw the front ribs back. inflate into the fullness of the kidneys on both side evenly, from waistline up the midback fill it up with light

Focus: Pay attention to any areas of the body that feel stuck, blocked, or have an effect from injuries. Really work Inner Body Bright and the Universal Principles of Alignment in those areas to create more balance in the body.

Postures

Centering: Settle down into your seat of honor, into your seat of worthiness. Brighten the inner body with steady ujjayi breaths in and out through the nose, feeling as the prana comes in through both nostrils down into the very lower belly and
lower back then filling all parts of the torso, front and back, right and left, side and side. Maintain the the luminous inner body as you exhale completely back out.

Fold the hands into Anjali mudra.

set an intention: perhaps "to open to grace", then release it, no expectations here, like it's your first yoga class ever, open to the moment...

om om om

om namah sivaya gurave saccidananda murtaye nishpranpanchaya shantaya niralambaya tejase

om

Warming Up...

Table pose: line up the bones of the hands and legs symmetrically on both sides. stretch out from the center of the wrist and out through the fingers. make the inner body bright. feel the whole back up with light. fill the kidneys up with breath

Downward dog: turn inside and feel the ujjayi breath. from your hands run muscular energy up the arms and into the heart (more energy for the heart), and from the focal point in the heart extend organically down through the hands, pressing the metacarpals and all ten finger pads down deep into the the mat. from the heart now stretch up to the hips, keeping the hips lifted root down through the heels, opening the calves, opening up to more light

Child's Pose: widen the knees apart wider than the hips, with the big toes touching, sink the hips to the heels, bow forward to the light inside yourself, the true teacher and rest the forward down onto the mat, breathing in and out of the belly, let the whole entire back soften and connect with the universal.

Down dog: bend the knees in DFD. rooting down through the inner edges of the feet, draw back with the inner legs, drawing the inner thighs back and separating the sitting bones wide and apart, keeping the space and light in the pelvis, stretch the legs straight back and root again down into the foundation through the feet.

(do variations of DFD and Child's working kidney and pelvic loops and inner and outer spiral of legs as much as you need to get energy flowing.)

Sequence:

In every pose, use the muscular and skeletal alignment actions of the inner and outer spiral as well as the energetic visualization and sensation of these principles, in order to bring the feet, legs and hips into alignment, and the hips and low back in particular into a place of energetic expansion, openness, and joy. especially remember to maintain the expanding spiral as you balance it with the contracting spiral.

Key: more inner spiral to the back leg in every pose, more outer spiral in the front.
the inner spiral initiates from the inner heel, while the outer spiral initiates from the from the ASIS and brings the inner thigh pouring outward.

High Lunge- arms up over head, take kali mudra (this mudra transforms negativity into positivity) - pause in low lunge after to absorb the light from the pose
DFD
High Lunge- second side

Anjaneyasana- arms up over head, take kali mudra
Stay on same side, slide up into...
Trikonasana
Trikonasana Crescent
Virabhadrasana 2 (feel inner spiral here, widening inner thighs apart to support Vira 2 from the midline and underneath, scoop your precious little tailbone in)
DFD (downward facing dog)

Repeat sequence starting with Anjaneyasana- second side (and don't forget to breathe into the sacrum and kidneys first before lifting up and back with the heart to lengthen your psoas in Anjaneya)...have you ever noticed how the sacrum bones looks like butterfly wings? hhmm...

Uttanasana
Tadasana (remember to take your tailbone with you)
Uttanasana, keep inner feet descending first, then spread pinky toes
Monkey (1/2 way up)- work the principles

Bow in to the light of your heart Uttanasana

Pigeon- with thigh stretch, settle into the pose, squaring the hips by using the spirals, breathe a nourishing, relaxing breath into the low back, fill the kidneys,
grab the foot, take your fav variation here

Pigeon- other side

Uttanasana
Tadasana

Parsvakonasana (maybe with bind, but keep the Inner Body Bright and fullness in the mid-back)
Trikonanasana
Pyramid
Standing Split (using the leg spirals more fully than ever before in standing hanuman
DFD

Uttanasana
Tadasana
Utta
DFD

Pigeon with twist, your fav variation here
Pigeon with twist- other side
DFD

Plank- Working the inner spiral and kidney loop
Cobra
DFD
Camel (can you focus mostly on the spirals of the legs and the light of the low back and kidneys?), the stable lower body supporting the opening of the belly and chest
Vajrasana
Child's
DFD

Anjaneyasana both sides
Natarajasana (spiral spiral spiral and see what happens in this pose. standing leg inner foot ROOT, fill the back body up with light and lift it)
other side Natarajasana

Uttanasana
Crow
Jump back Plank, flow through a vinyasa

Virabhadrasana 1 with fold- with hands clasped behind the back take hands up overhead as you bow, inner spiral to keep you lifted, outer spiral to stabilize
Vira 1 with fold- second side
DFD
Child's


Janu Sirasana
Upavista Konasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana

Sarvangasana
Matsyasana

Savasana


Have fun, beautiful gyspy. Here's to lots of gorgeous heartfelt practice in 2010!

from prem prakash's yoga of spiritual devotion - commentary on narada's bhakti sutras

the worldly person is intent of 'getting from the world; as such he is continuously frustrated because there is always more to get. the yogi is intent on giving to the world; he enjoys contentment because there is always more to give.

---------

the aspirant need not be perfect to perform service in the world; he need but be striving toward perfection. he need not desire only god; he need but desire to desire only god. he need not be pure love to god; he need but be working toward purity. it is the yogi's duty to do his best to be a clear channel for love. it is god's duty to see divine love somehow reach the world

devotional poem

Is there any treasure like the Mother's name?
Though She's Consciousness
Though She's Brahman
If you call on Her
She comes.


-Kalyankumar Mukhodpadhyay