RASA YOGA CLASS IN BOULDER
Every Thursday
10:30am-11:45am in Boulder Ballet Studio #3 at The Dairy Arts Center
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This work is an invitation to explore your relationship to the rivers of thought, sensation and emotion flowing in each moment of your life. Just as you cannot step into the same river twice, your experience in each class will, necessarily, be new.
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Yoga is a science, and your exploration will be an experiment in awareness. Breath, movement and voice are our laboratory. Rasa Yoga was originally designed as a practice for those of us living with disease, limited mobility, and/or mental confusion. All, regardless of health concerns, will benefit from the practice.
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The class is oriented to chair-work. These classes are made possible by Ketul Arnold’s generous donation to 3rd Law Dance/Theater’s Dance for Parkinson's Program and are offered to the community at no charge.
Overview
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These home practice videos are, hopefully, "reminders" of the work we do together in class. My intention is to support your chances of implementing these practices into your day-to-day. The videos are short, no more than 4 minutes, and are filmed without "art direction". I hope to relay these "reminders" as simply as possible. You can close the video at any point and practice on your own, increasing the length of time you give to any of the techniques. (you will notice, as you read, I was an inattentive pupil during grammar and punctuation lessons)
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The first of these videos is a shortened version of the opening section of our classroom practice. Remember, during the full yogic breathing, how breath moves the diaphragm, rib cage, sphenoid (butterfly) bone, and the tailbone and sacrum. At the end of the video, I chant 3 lines of the Vedic mantra we have learned in class. I've taught my interpretation (not the literal translation) of these words. This would be blasphemy in some circles. Line 1 - I am willing to be honest. Line 2 - I am willing to think and perceive clearly. Line 3 - I am willing to befriend my fear and I am willing to be fully alive.
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Asatoma Satgamaya
Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya
Mrytyorma Amritamgamaya
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In class we chant these words in call and response. In this video we chant in unison.
Kapalabhati
This video introduces the practice of Kapalabhati (the skull-polishing breath). This is the first breath practiced in this particular sequence. It is followed by Bhastrika and then Nadi Shodana.
Bhastrika
This video introduces the practice of Bhastrika (the bellows breath). I suggest closing the video when you feel confident with the technique and practice on your own, increasing the dynamic to the appropriate pace. This is an opportunity to practice the first line of our mantra - I am willing to be honest. The willingness to honestly to meet your dynamic today - neither too little or too much. Please, do not approach this practice with ambition or competitiveness.
Nadi Shodana
This video introduces the practice of Nadi Shodana (the purifying breath). Each of us has our own experience with the dexterity of our fingers. Parkinson's can compromise that dexterity. The classic expression of this breath, uses only the right hand and only the thumb and fourth finger tip of that hand. I suggest approaching this breath with a nod to comfort. It will make the practice more doable and more attractive for repetition. Use either hand or even both hands, and feel free to express the technique of this breath without judgement of "right or wrong".
Tadasana-The Mountain
Here we visit the mountain, rather we become the mountain. This is a demanding asana. In fact, it's considered to be one of the two most difficult asanas in the entire vocabulary of yoga. To stand upright is a triumph of the human animal. To stand upright in your life will be a test of your willingness to be in accord with the five yamas - I am willing to cause no hurt to myself, others and anything in my environment; I am willing to be honest and to investigate both honesty and dishonesty in the choices I make; I am willing to not appropriate any thing that is not my own, that includes ideas and energies of others; I am willing to own only what I need, and this requires honest investigation into what I really do and do not need; I am willing to spend my life energy with kind regard to the preceding intentions. Clearly, there is a lot to consider if you choose to stand upright.​
The Flying Mountain
Having learned what it is to be the mountain, we can consider how it is a mountain will fly. There is a mountain on Mt. Desert Island, off the Maine coast, called Flying Mountain. It's so named because it's summit is seen most mornings 'floating' above a fog bank. In this pose there is the possibility of rising above clouded sensory perception. We will focus attention at the heart center. Remember, the hands and arms are the wings of the heart. Remember, the heart center is the abode of the air element. Some qualities of air are movement and touch. Our arms are moving in space, through air. Allow your sense of touch to be heightened. Your hands and arms touch the air as they rise and slowly fall. Space is the element whose sensory attribute is sound. Space is filled with vibration and this in turn moves the air element. The significance of the heart center is the willingness to touch and to be touched. Be willing to awaken your sense of touch, especially as your fingertips touch your body. Touch is food, it nourishes the body/mind/spirit. Your own touch is the most important touch you will receive. Similarly, regard your hands and how it is you use your hands and fingers. Be willing to rise above clouded sensory perception.​
Body Tapping
I am delighted to have a request for a body tapping practice video. While tapping may seem unimportant or even silly, I assure you the health benefits are profound. As we tap we stimulate nadis and marma points that are parts of ayurvedic anatomy. These are conduits and congregations of pranic energy. Tapping at specific sites will invite prana to visit the site and that encourages movement toward health. You might be drawn to a specific site that needs attention and choose to focus your practice at that place. You can take as much time as you like with this practice. Slow deep breath and humming while tapping is recommended.
Waking Up the Joints
This is a series of movements I practice before getting up off of the bed most mornings. The video is about 10 minutes long and is guided in detail. Because I'm speaking instructions, I'm not practicing humming while engaged in the movements. I suggest you hum throughout the sequence of movement - whichever part of the sequence you feel drawn to practice. I recommend practicing the entire series of movements when possible. However, there will be mornings when only part of the series is needed. I experience stiffness in joints when waking. I sit on the edge of the bed and very gently begin to explore my joints, inviting them to wake up with me. I encourage you to remember the pervasive element of Space in the body. Remember the need for spaciousness within the joints. Increasing space allows the flow of lubricating fluid into the joints - as well as the flow of nutrients into the joints and the flow of waste out of the joints. This is especially important when joints are inflamed, or, in the case of the intervertebral discs, brittle. Inflamed joints become dry joints and painful joints. A healthy joint is a juicy joint. Remember, vibration is the energy that increases spaciousness. According to yoga and ayurveda, your voice is the most potent vibration for any healing to take place. For systemic inflammation I suggest viewing videos produced by Zoe Science of Nutrition. The use of food as medicine (the science of Ayurveda) is especially important in the treatment of arthritic conditions. Sometimes, at the end of a day of exertion or even moderate stress, I will practice these movements as part of my bedtime routine. I encourage you to play with these movements - make them your own. As always, having fun is paramount. Why not start the day with a bit of fun.
