Schedule
WEEK I – MAY 2
THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA: Our discussion will focus on the philosophy of the Eight Limbs of Yoga and the role that they play in our practice, both on and off of the mat. Sun Salutations are a set of standing sequences which open the front & back body. The movements target the shoulders & hips. One moves in the sequence connecting each movement with one’s breath. There are several variations of Sun Salutation. EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA by PATANJALI…. PRANAYAMA…. STANDING ASANAS
WEEK II – MAY 9
FIVE ELEMENTS: The Five Elements of Nature form the basic building blocks of the universe, every person, animal, plant, and thing is composed of various combinations of the elements. Arm Supporting Asanas target the upper limbs of the body-hands, arms, shoulders, and upper back. FIVE ELEMENTS…. PRANAYAMA…. ARM SUPPORTING ASANAS
WEEK III – MAY 16
MEDITATION: Quieting the mind plays a very important role in yoga. Meditation will be introduced and practiced. Before coming into Meditation we will take a look at a variety of Sitting Asanas; the hips, pelvis, and lower spine find the earth by putting weight on these in sitting poses/asanas. And, we will look at Kneeling Asanas; where the weight is on the knees, shins, and tops of the feet/toes. Kneeling will bring the practitioner closer to the ground. MEDITATION…. PRANAYAMA…. SITTING ASANAS & KNEELING ASANAS
WEEK IV – MAY 23
CHAKRAS Chakras can not be seen by the naked eye or any other device. The ancient texts describe a chakra as a sphere-shaped ball, located in the ‘astral’ spinal cord, which is located deeper within the spinal cord; it rotates to distribute energy throughout one’s body.” One needs to have faith (shraddha) that these whirling discs are within us. From here we will practice asanas in which the front of the body is on the mat (prone) and the asanas in which the back of the body is on the mat (supine). Forward Bends & Back Bends CHAKRAS….PRANAYAMA…. PRONE ASANAS & SUPINE ASANAS
WEEK V – MAY 30
SALUTING THE SUN SURYA NAMASKAR is a sequence of yoga asanas that are usually performed after a warm-up of the body. We will take a look at the many variations of this sequence. Finally, we will put together an entire sequence from the beginning to Savasana. SUN SALUTATIONS ….SEQUENCE PLANNING
