TONE

We know how important the tone of our voice is. How many times has someone said something nice to you but you questioned their tone? How many times has someone said something that might have been offensive but because it was said with a joyful smile, it made you laugh instead?

Our tone of voice holds tremendous power. While it can take a long time to develop the skill of changing the tone of our voice, the first step is simply listening to ourselves teach. Listening back to our voice can feel incredibly vulnerable, and might bring out many insecurities. With time it gets easier and easier, AND we eventually develop clarity around how our tone of voice is being shared.

Just like you re-read the words you use in an email before you hit send to better understand how you are communicating, listening back to the tone of your voice helps you to see how you are communicating with your students. 

Reflective Exercises:

1. Go back to your first Sun A teaching video and listen to your tone of voice. Listen several times and try to remove yourself from the experience. Try to listen as if you are someone else. What do you hear? What would you change?
2. Re-record Sun A. 
3. Listen back to the new recording. What do you hear now? Has it shifted? Does your tone of voice now match how you want others to feel? What would you change, if anything?

PRACTICE NOTE

For this practice you will need a pillow to stuff under your shirt or strap to your body to simulate the bulk of having a baby in your belly. While it will be nothing close to the experience of actually having a baby it will atleast give you a feeling of how you would need to alter the postures in order to accommodate. 

TARGET STRETCH FIRST

So far I have suggested to select a peak posture, then choose a target stretch that would create greater access to the peak posture, then choose 5-7 layering postures. But what if you start with a target stretch, choose 5-7 layerings postures and THEN decide what peak posture’s you could use? This is often how I sequence classes – I have a muscle group that I would like to lengthen, I figure out a bunch of posture’s that would lengthen that muscle group “layering postures” and then I ask myself what would make for a great Peak Pose? Please try this method out and add it to your tool box for creating sequences going forward.

GET IN THE GROOVE

 After trying out the method of beginning with a target stretch and then choosing a peak posture, next its time to get into the groove of creating sequences, and doing so more rapidly. Perfection tends to hold people back, but the reality is your sequence will never be perfect, it will always be a work in progress. After every time you teach you will notice how you can improve. Start getting used to this process. The first step is to create 3 sequences rapidly. Again don’t focus on how great or magnificently creative the sequence is just create it as fast as you can then submit it. From there if it needs refinement we will make suggestions for you. 

THE CHAKRAS

When I first learned about the Chakras it was presented to me in a very esoteric way that I just couldn’t get on board with. As someone who is deeply spiritual and loves the underlying force of consciousness, my intellect still rejects anything that doesn’t have tangible backing. Knowing my quick to reject tendencies I try and cultivate an open mind so that I can gain perspective from all that I do not yet know. You may or may not have the same tendency, but either way we all can benefit from cultivating an open mindset when it comes to learning something new. 

As it tends to go, what we are most resistant toward provides us with the greatest awakening when open to it rather than shut it down. This is the case for me and the Chakras. The chakras provide me with a system for self reflection, just like the yoga sutras, that provide me with a platform to better understand my self physically, energetically, mentally and spiritually. 

Each Chakra relates to a certain area of our life’s energy and can help us understand when we are in or out of balance. Please take a look at the chart below – AS a starting point focus on the “central issue”, “Demon”, “rights” and “goals”. Reflect upon each chakra and ask yourself how you can relate from your personal experience. For instance, are there any rights that you struggle with: the right to be loved or heard, or simply to be here or to want or take action? Keep in mind that the ego will resist this reflective work because it is trying to spare us emotional pain from our past. If you feel called to the Chakras your ill enjoy The Heart section of the 300 hour training as it will include a deeper dive into each chakra.

Ladder Flow with Lénok

@LenokConcept is most known for her ability to share her masterful knowledge of the human body through the practice of yoga. She is a Chromatic Leader, Certified Mentor and actively shares her love of Chromatic Yoga throughout Europe. You can follower her instagram to learn more and find out where to practice with her. Lenok also teaches Anatomy Trains.

Check out Lenok’s Offers here

THE REFLECTIVE MIND

I am including this chart another time here for you to review as it may start making sense the more you see it. 

THE REFLECTIVE MIND

The Reflective Mind chart looks like gibberish at first, but I am providing it here as a reference for what I am discussing in this workshop. There is a typo here – Ahamkara not anankara.

No need to memorize it right now, just use it as a reference.

Teach the Full Sequence

You are now ready to teach the full sequence! You have learned all the sections, and practiced all the parts with exception of Savasana and closing which I felt would be best to practice within the context of teaching the full class. Put All the sections together and practice teach.

1. Centering: Welcome/Dharma Talk
2. Warm Up Sequence
3. Cascading Sun A and Sun B
4. Standing Sequence
5. Peak Pose: Uttita Hasta Padangusthasana B
6. Cool Down
7. Savasana and Closing

Length: The Class length should be 1 hour long.

Practice teach the sequence 5 times, upon finishing notify your mentor. The next step will be to record the sequence and submit. There will be a quiz submission in the next section for you to submit your video.

IMPORTANT: THE QUIZ TO SUBMIT YOUR TEACHING IS AT THE END OF SECTION 13 SO THAT YOU HAVE TIME TO PRACTICE TEACH WHILE STILL GOING THROUGH THE COURSE.

STUDY OF YAMAS AND NIYAMAS

Read through the Yamas and Niyamas in your book and also do search the web and other resources. Choose one of them to practice for 48 hours. Commit to it fully so you can really get an understanding and clarity of just how profound the teaching is. It takes a certain type of courage to do this kind of work, so be compassionate and kind to yourself which will give you the best opportunity to fully embrace the experience. You will have the opportunity to contribute and share this experience in the next section of this training. Please start the work now. 

ANATOMY REVIEW 

Below I have included a list of everything you have learned so far in anatomy. Part of the promise of this training was an integration of your knowledge. We are three quarters of the way through anatomy, so it’s the perfect time to touch back on everything you have learned so far! Please spend 30 minutes reviewing the information below, both academically and in your own body. The above video is a playful way of reviewing. Enjoy!

Anatomy of Glenohumeral Joint

Pg 151, 174-184 Part Three: Shoulder Girdle & Upper Arms and Rotator Cuff

Page 167, Chapter 16: Deltoids

Boney Landmarks

1. Humerus: upper arm bone
2. Clavicle: collar bone
3. Head of the Humerus: the part of the arm bone that connects to the shoulder
4. Glenoid Cavity: where the head of the arm bone sits 

The Movements

1. Flexion: lift arms  forward and up over head
2. Extension: reach arms back behind
3. Abduction: arms go out away from sides toward warrior 2 arms
4. Adduction: bring the arms back to sides, as in tadasana
5. Internal Rotation: rotating biceps in
6. External Rotation: rotating biceps outward
7. Horizontal Adduction: arms out in front, coming toward midline
8. Horizontal Abduction: arms move from out in front, back toward warrior 2

The Muscles

Rotator Cuff

1. Supraspinatus: abducts the arm out away from the midline
2. Subscapularis: internally rotates and stabilize the humerus 
3. Infraspinatus: opposes the subscapularis by externally rotating and stabilizing against the subscapularis. pg 151
4. Teres Minor: assists the infraspinatus in external rotation
5. Teres Major: in this book, this is considered a rotator cuff muscle but many books would say it’s not because it attaches to the body of the arm bone instead of the humeral head. That said, it’s very logically in the rotator cuff because it directly balances out teres minor by internally rotating the humerus. 

Deltoids

3 sections: Anterior, Medial and Posterior. 

1. Anterior: flexes the humerus forward and up 
2. Posterior: extends the humerus back behind the torso and up
3. Medial: works with the supraspinatus to abduct the arm away from midline

Pectoralis Major: horizontal adduction of the humerus 

Lattisimus Dorsi: from flexion (overhead) the latissimus “lats” pull the arms back down to neutral.

Anatomy of the Shoulder Blades

READ: The Trapezius Pg 139-143, Rhomboids and Serratus Anterior 157-166

Bones

1. Scapula: shoulder blade
2. Costals: rib cage
3. Coracoid Process: boney landmark on the scapulas where pec minor attaches
4. Humerus: arm bone
5. Clavicle: collar cone

The Movements

1. Elevation: lifting upward
2. Depression: downward
3. Retraction: inward
4. Protraction: outward and forward toward front of body
5. Upward Rotation: upward and bottom of shoulder blades protract
6. Downward Rotation: back to neutral 
7. Anterior Tilt (upward tilt): shoulder blade climbs over the rib cage
8. Posterior Tilt: shoulder blade moves down, and bottom wingtips press lower ribs forward

The Muscles

Errector Spinae

1. Trapezius: large trapezoid-shaped muscle with three sections, creating three different primary joint actions: elevation, depression, retraction.
2. Serratus Anterior: large muscle that attaches to the medial border of the scapula from underneath the scapula. It pulls the muscles toward its other attachment points – the costals. Primarily creates protraction. 
3. Rhomboids: the rhomboid major and minor retract the scapula
4. Pectoralis Minor: creates anterior tilt of scapula
5. Levator Scapulae: elevates the scapula toward head

Exercises for Strength and Awareness

Plank Pose: with shoulder blades protracted, will strengthen the serratus anterior. 

Seated Rows: It’s hard to target the rhomboids in yoga against body weight or resistance because they are pulling muscles. While there are many ways to get creative, the most effective way to strengthen the rhomboids is to do some sort of pulling exercise: seated rows at the gym, or actually rowing in a boat will do the trick!

Down Dog Shrugs: Get into down dog and work your shoulders toward your ears to strengthen the upper fibers of the trapezius! 

Lower Trapezius: Upward dog will strengthen the lower fibers of the trapezius if you work your shoulder blades down your back.

Anatomy of the Back Muscles

Pg 128, Chapter 10: The Errector Spinae Group

Boney Landmarks

1. Spinous Process: the back boney protrusion that sticks out when you round your back; these are what you see sticking out under the skin.
2. Transverse Process: you can’t see these; they are the part of the vertebra that stick out on the sides
3. Costals: the bones of the ribs

The Muscles

Errector Spinae

1. Spinalis: One of the erector spinae – the spinalis runs from one spinous process to the next. It runs up the center with the other two erectors. This muscle extends the spine.
2. Longissimus: lateral to the spinalis, another erector spinae muscle that extends the spine
3. Iliocostalis: the easier of the erector spinae to remember because the name defines where it is. Runs from the ilium to the costals. Like the longissimus and spinalis, it helps extend the spine and perhaps more accurately, pulls the ribs down toward the ilium. It is more lateral than the other two.

When any of these three muscles activate on one side only, they laterally bend the spine and potentially assist or initiate a twist. When both sides are active, they extend the spine (create a back bend). Activating these also help to maintain upright posture when seated.

Quadratus Lumborum “Q.L.”: Not considered one of the erector spinae muscles but does a similar action of extending the spine. This muscle is important in keeping the pelvis upright when seated. For supine backbends, it is one of the most important muscles for getting the body to rise away from the ground along with the gluteus maximus and hamstrings. 

Exercises for Strength and Awareness

Baby Cobra: I absolutely love this pose. Going super slow and harnessing a focused attention on each vertebrae can be so meditative. The goal is not to go deep but rather to build awareness of muscles that control each vertebrae. Please take your time with this one and repeat. There is so much wisdom to be gained from this. 

Reverse Plank Pose: I used to avoid this posture, but I love it now because of how much strength is required in the QL and erector spinae. For some time, I avoided strengthening my QL by constantly tucking my tailbone in backbends – thinking lumbar extension was bad. I didn’t know any better; that’s what my teachers told me. One of my later teachers was a spine specialist who noticed this pattern. One day she put two fingers on either side of my lumbar in full wheel and said ,”These muscles are asleep; activate them”. Suddenly my hips shot upward and my posture deepened without any discomfort at all. It felt magnificent. The area she touched had not been trained or paid attention to, and now I could finally feel it! That said, full wheel is an extreme pose to learn to activate the erectors and QL. Reverse plank is far more accessible, which is why I chose to share that with you here. 

Visual for Back Muscles

To give you a better visual of the erector spinae, I am including a snippet of video from Chromatic Level 1 training. This helps to see the layers of back muscles include the erector spinae. Don’t worry about memorizing this video. This is to give you a better understanding of the back muscles. 

THE QL & PSOAS

I like this image to see where the Q.L. is in relationship to the psoas and pelvis. Often we think of them to be on different sides of the body, but in the abdominal region there isn’t a big ribcage dividing the front side and back side. It’s just layers of muscle and organs. 

4 Layers of the Abdominals

 There are four layers of abdominals that are often referred to as the core. It’s important that for most anatomists, the core consists of ALL the muscles that surround the lower torso, not just the abdominals. The four layers of abdominals primarily help to flex, laterally flex, rotate the trunk, and compress the abdomen. Each layer has muscle fiber directions that help us to understand the line of pull. 

Muscles:

1. Rectus Abdominis : most superficial (outermost) layer, responsible for flexing the spine. It is known for being the “six pack muscle”.
2. External Obliques : most known for lateral flexion of the trunk and for being that sexy side belly muscle. It is much larger than it looks on the outside and is responsible for more than just side bending; it also flexes and rotates the trunk toward the opposite hip. 
3. Internal Obliques: direction below the external obliques, the internal obliques have opposing muscle fibers. Because the direction of the fibers is opposite, it means these muscle have the opposite action to the external obliques. These muscles pull the trunk toward the same hip that they are on. The “Fire Line” is a term I created to talk about coordinating engagement of the internal and external obliques from the opposite sides of the body, creating a diagonal line of pull from one side of the ribs to the other hip.
4. Transverse Abdominis: deepest layer of the abdomen, this muscle is activated as a result of Udyana Bandha. It compresses the abdomen inward and upward, creating a vacuum effect. This muscle wraps around the entire mid section, not just the front of the body. 

Internal and External Obliques

The primary reason I want to share this video with you is so you can see how the diagonal fibers of the external obliques move down through the linea alba, and continue toward the internal obliques on the other side, wrapping around to the back, as this teacher is pointing out. 

 Miscellanies:

1. Linea Alba :tendon that runs down the center of the abdomen 
2. Concentric Contraction: activating a muscle while shortening it
3. Eccentric Contraction: activating a muscles while it is lengthening 
4. Isomentric Contraction: activating a muscle without any movement occurring 

THE ILIO-PSOAS “The Bridge”

The reason I refer to the ilio-psoas as the bridge is because it is the muscle that connects the extremities to the trunk. It attaches to the femur bone and runs all the way up the low back to start of the mid back. That is a long span! But it is also wild to think that the alignment of our thighs in the hip socket can throw off alignment of our spine. Most of us have one side of our psoas tighter than the other, which can cause a lateral bending, potentially resulting in scoliosis.

I can attest to this myself. My right psoas is far stronger and shorter than the left. As a result, my low back bends toward the right side. Knowing this has been helpful. I know if I have low back discomfort, I can start with a thigh and psoas stretch on the right side. While I knew my right psoas was significantly tighter, an x-ray confirmed the effects on my spine.

As you move through your practice of both studying anatomy and how it relates to your own body, you have a choice: let it drag you down every time you notice your imperfections, or let it inspire you to take better care of yourself. This has been the key for me to develop into the teacher I am today. I have taken my injuries and muscular and structural patterns and used them as a form of study. I would invite you to do the same as we all go through injuries, chronic pain, and discomfort. Let it empower you and your students.

The Muscles: Page 57

In this section we work with three primary muscles, but discuss several others. Be sure to look each of them up for a better visual and intellectual understanding.

1. Psoas Major: one of the muscles of the ilio-psoas. Attaches to the lesser trochanter, the five lumbar (low back) vertebrae and discs, as well as T12 vertebrae and discs. 
2. Iliacus: the other ilio-psoas muscle that runs from the inner iliac crest pelvis to the lesser trochanter.
3. Sartorius (pg 102): tree pose muscle attaching from the A.S.I.S down to the inner tibia. Responsible for external rotation, hip flexion, abduction.
4. Rectus Femoris: (pg 96) one of the quadriceps, as previously discussed.
5. Pectineus: (pg 79) a small adductor that adducts, flexes and internally rotates the hip.
6. Gluteus Maximus: (pg 64) the big buttock muscle that externally rotates the hip and extends it
7. Hamstrings: (pg 103) the three muscles that extend the hip joint and flex the knee joint

ANATOMICAL TERMS

Synergist: (pg 36) muscle that helps movement of the prime mover. In the case of the psoas as the prime mover, the following are synergists:

1. Rectus Femoris
2. Pectinius
3. Sartorius
4. Tensor Fascia Latae 

Antagonist: (pg 36) opposing muscle of the prime mover and synergists. These muscles create the opposite action and therefore require a certain amount of relaxing for movement to occur. The following are antagonists to the prime mover of the ilio-psoas:

1. Gluteus Maximus
2. Hamstrings

Prime Mover: muscle primarily creating the movement, also known as the antagonist. 

Open Chain: (pg 45) when the extremity is free to move

Closed Chain: (pg 45) when the extremity is fixed by the floor, or any outside force

MOVEMENTS & SECTIONS OF THE SPINE

Movements (pg 116)

1. Flexion: rounding the spine, as in forward folds
2. Extension: arching the spine, as in back bending   
3. Lateral Flexion: side bending
4. Rotation: twisting

The Sections of the Spine (pg 19)

1. Coccyx: tail bone
2. Sacrum: triangular bone
3. Lumbar: low back
4. Thoracic: middle back
5. Cervical: neck

Bones, Discs, Boney Landmarks

Please study page 12 for these terms and others regarding the spine:

1. Vertebral Body
2. Intervertebral Discs
3. Transverse Process

Anatomy of the Upper Thighs

THE BONES 

1. Femur Bone: thigh Bone
2. Patella: knee cap
3. Ilium: two upper sides of the pelvis
4. Ischial Tuberosities: sit bones
5. Pubis: pubic bone
   
6. Sacrum: triangular bone that sits between the two sides of the Ilium – 5-6 fused vertebrae
7. A.S.I.S. (NEW): anterior superior iliac spine. Anterior – front, superior – upper, iliac – pelvic bone, spine – boney landmark

TENDONS 

1. Patellar Tendon: connects patella to tibia
2. I.T. Band: ilio-tibial tract, connects ilium to the tibia. T.F.L and gluteus maximus both attach to the I.T. band

MUSCLES 

1. Quadriceps: four muscles that extend the knee joint (straighten it)
2. Hamstrings: three muscles that flex the knee joint
3. Gluteus Maximus: large buttock muscle that externally rotates, extends and abducts the hip (abduction will be taught in the next video)
4. Tensor Fascia Latae (T.F.L): muscle at the side/front of hip that flexes, internally rotates, and abducts the hip.
5. Adductors: longus, brevis, and magnus, the pectineus, gracilis
6. Abductors: gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae
7. Rectus Femoris: quadricep that is also a hip flexor
8. Adductor Magnus: like a fourth hamstring

ACTIONS 

1. Flexion of knee: bend the knee
2. Extension of knee: straighten the knee
3. Flexion of hip: bring thigh closer to chest, as in marching
4. Extension of hip: bring thigh back from pelvis, as in the back thigh of lunge or in walking
5. Internal Rotation of hip: turning thigh bone inward toward midline of the body
6. External Rotation of hip: turning thigh bone outward away from midline of the body
7. Adduction of Hip: thigh bones move toward the midline
8. Abduction of Hip: thigh bones move away from the midline

4 ARTICULATIONS OF THE ANKLES

1. Dorsiflexion
2. Plantar Flexion
3. Inversion
4. Eversion

BONES

1. Tibia: shin bone
2. Fibula: other lower leg bone or calf bone
3. Calcaneus: heal bone

MUSCLES

1. Tibialis Anterior: dorsiflexion of ankle (muscle in front of the tibia)
2. Tibialis Posterior: inversion and plantar flexion (muscle behind the tibia)
3. Fibularis Group: eversion of ankle (three muscles outside the fibula)
4. Gastrocnemius & Soleus: calf muscles that create plantar flexion. Gastrocnemius is closer to the skin (superficial) while the soleus lies underneath the gastrocnemius (deep)

Anatomical Terms

1. Anterior: front of the body, or in front of
2. Posterior: back of the body, or behind
3. Deep: closer to the bone or core of the body: “the bones are deep to the skin”
4. Superficial: closer to the skin

VOLUME & DYNAMICS

We know that the volume of our music has an effect on our emotional state. Haven’t you heard that song you loved on the radio and rolled the volume knob up until you could feel the music vibrating  in your body? Or has there been a time where someone said something to you a little too quietly? You lean in closer and ask them to repeat. The volume of our voice has the same effect on our students. Altering the volume of our voice “dynamics” makes it easy for students to know when to pay attention or when to soften into your voice. Your voice has the potential to increase energy or to soothe. This tool may be hardest to master because it also requires a sensitivity to the sound of the room, the number of students within the room, and how close or far away the students are from you. 

Exercise 1: Your Quiet Voice

1. Practice any of the above phrases at your quietest level without loosing the vibration of your vocal cords (not whispering). Spend ten minutes experimenting with different words – some vowel sounds will be easier than others. 

2. Record: place your phone in a far corner of a room at least fifteen feet away, and press record. Speak in your quiet voice, making sure that the phone or recording device can still pick up every word you are saying. This will tell you if the student at the back corner of the room will be able to hear you in savasana or meditation. 

3. Listen: while it can be vulnerable and very emotionally challenging to listen back to yourself, it is an incredibly beneficial practice. Remember, no one is listening!

Exercise 2: Your Talking Voice

1. Practice the above lines in your normal talking voice, but keep your chest lifted and head up. Add a bit more fullness than you normally would so that the students in the far corner of the room feel like they are standing right in front of you.

2. Record: Place the recorder in the same location.

3. Listen: Can you hear the energetic difference between your quiet voice and your talking voice? If not, what needs to change? 

Exercise 3: Your Big Voice

1. Practice the above lines with a big, full voice. For most people, this is the most challenging. There are a lot of beliefs from our past about why we shouldn’t take up space or be heard. Your big voice might require a lot of courage and practice! Be easy on yourself but go for it. Get loud!

2. Record: Place the recorder in the same location. 

3. Listen: Can you hear the energetic difference between the three different voices? Where is there room for improvement?

THE YOGIC PATH

L-Pose at The Wall

Now that you know a bit more about your shoulders and the muscles that create action at these joints, lets put it to use. Please have a wall near by and an available chair. 

Sequencing

Snow Globing:

This is a concept I learned from my teacher Jill Miller of Yoga tune up. Take your peak posture and flip it all around with gravity and write out all of the poses that come up if you just change where it lands. If you do this you might find many postures that you didn’t think of for Layering poses, or you might find new Peak Postures for future sequences. In the Template Sequence the two postures that are snowglobed from the peak posture Uttita Hasta Padangusthasana B: Triangle and Half Moon.

The reason snow globing works is because regardless of what relationship the posture has to gravity the same muscles need to be lengthened. This concept doesn’t replace target stretch it just gives you more food for thought in trying to figure out what posture you can put in your layering column.

Example

Peak Pose: Uttita Hasta Padagusthasana B

Target Stretch: Adductors

Anatomy of Glenohumeral JoinT

Pg 151, 174-184 Part Three: Shoulder Girdle & Upper Arms and Rotator Cuff

Page 167, chapter 16 Deltoids

Boney Landmarks

1. Humerus: upper arm bone
2. Clavicle: collar bone
3. Head of the Humerus: the part of the arm bone that connects to the shoulder
4. Glenoid Cavity: where the head of the arm bone sits 

The Movements

1. Flexion: lift arms forward and up over head
2. Extension: reach arms back behind
3. Abduction: arms go out away from sides (Warrior 2 arms)
4. Adduction: bring the arms back to sides (Tadasana)
5. Internal Rotation: rotating biceps inward
6. External Rotation: biceps outward
7. Horizontal Adduction: arms out in front coming toward midline
8. Horizontal Abduction: arms move along a line of horizon, from out in front to the sides, back into Warrior 2 arms

The Muscles

Rotator Cuff

1. Supraspinatus: abducts the arm out away from the midline
2. Subscapularis: internally rotates and stabilize the humerus 
3. Infraspinatus: opposes the subscapularis by externally rotating and stabilizing against the subscapularis. pg 151
4. Teres Minor: assists the infraspinatus in external rotation
5. Teres Major: in this book, this is considered a rotator cuff muscle but many books would say it’s not because it attaches to the body of the arm bone instead of the humeral head. That said, it’s very logically in the rotator cuff because it directly balances out teres minor by internally rotating the humerus. 

Deltoids

3 sections: Anterior, Medial and Posterior. 

1. Anterior: flexes the humerus forward and up 
2. Posterior: extends the humerus back behind the torso and up
3. Medial: works with the supraspinatus to abduct the arm away from midline

Pectoralis Major: horizontal adduction of the humerus 

Lattisimus Dorsi: from flexion (overhead), the latissimus “lats” pull the arms back down to neutral

Tutorial From Anatomy Zone

This in-depth tutorial from Anatomy Zone gives us a much better look at the shoulder joint and all the structures and tissues that create it. 

Scapulo-Humeral Rhythm, by Ray Long

On page 183 of your anatomy book, Ray Long talks about shoulder biomechanics – scapula humeral rhythm. This video from his Youtube channel gives us a moving representation of what happens or rather, what should happen, when our arms go up overhead. 

Savasana and Closing

Leaving people feeling restored after the hard work they put in will not only provide them with a better day, but it will also inspire them to come back again. It is human nature to want more of what brought us pleasure, and so the ending is important. 

Savasana

Give people at least 5 minutes win savasana and up to 10 minutes if you have a longer class. You can help them relax their body with the following body scanning template

1. Observe the sensations in your feet
2. Observe the sensations in your Lower legs
3. Observe the sensations in your thighs and pelvis
4. Try and relax the muscles of the pelvis
5. Observe the sensations of your low back and try and relax the muscles of the belly
6. Observe the back of your heart and let it become heavy, supported by the earth
7. Feel the sensations of your palms, and let the fingers curl up naturally
8. Allow your teeth to separate, letting go of the muscles of the jaw
9. Feel the vibration of your whole body

Bringing them out: after 5 minutes or so, guide them out of savasana by asking them to

1. watch their breath.
2. Deepen the breath
3. Feel the sensations of the body
4. Awaken the fingers and toes
5. stretch the arms over head
6. Roll to the right side
7. Come up to a seated position

Most of these you would do naturally without me telling you to simply because you have done this so many times in your practice. You do not need to follow the template exactly but it is here for you for guidance if you are not sure of what to say. Overtime your ill find your own way of guiding savasana and bringing students out. 

Closing

Your final words to your class can be as simple as thank you, or as complex as the following

1. Ask students to observe their body
2. Reiterate the Dharma talk
3. Thank your students in your language and/or Sanskrit (namaste)
4. A humble bow of gratitude to your students and to the generations of yogis that have passed the practice on to us. 

Intro and Dharma Talk

My brother once told me when he was in the restaurant industry that the most important part of an experience is the beginning and the end. For me, these are also the parts of a yoga class that I struggle with the most. As a result, it’s one of the areas of my teaching practice that I have to continually commit to work on. It would be easier for me to avoid than to focus on. That said, I have noticed that the more courageous I get in sharing a dharma talk, the more effective my teaching is for others.

Teaching anything is a skill that can be worked on. At first, your teaching will likely be disorganized and ineffective. You cannot be a pro at this without falling on your face several times. I have created a template to help you stay organized and prepare a dharma talk. While you do not need to give a dharma talk in order to deliver a powerful yoga class, we will use this time now to take a risk in trying. After some practice, you may decide you aren’t ready yet, or you may find that this is where you shine. Either way is ok. There is no pressure; just an opportunity to grow.

Dharma Talk Template

1. Topic
2. Relate 
3. Teaching
4. Benefits 

Topic: What is the general topic, such as samskaras, or compassion, chakras, or presence? 

Relate: Find a way to relate to the minds and hearts of your students. The two ways I find most effective are through analogy or personal story.

Teaching: Get specific and iron out details. This might include defining terms like samskara. 

Benefits: What is the goal of the teaching? What happens when I apply it? This will help students to know why they are working toward this, and if they are on track. It also gives them the oportunity to identify if the teaching is for them.

1. Teaching: Samskaras
2. Relate: Samskaras of the mind are like grooves of a river bed, and the moving river is our thoughts and actions.  Alternate the flow of the water and you reposition the grooves.
3. Teaching: That means in order to change our thought and behavior patterns, we would need to change our thoughts and actions. New grooves take time and perseverance.  The intensity that it takes to change the direction of the river is synonymous with the effort it takes to make internal changes to the mind. Sitting in the intensity of deconstructing the flow of our thoughts is called Tapas. Tapas is the heat, or friction, that comes from yogic practices.
4. Benefits: While the intensity can be uncomfortable, the result of releasing thoughts, emotions, or belief patterns that  no longer serve us can be the most freeing experience. To no longer be bound by the pain of our past allows us to be fully here in this moment. 

Sometimes the analogy isn’t enough or if it isn’t strong it may not land for people. In this case, it can be really powerful to find a story from your own experience of a time when you discovered a Samskara that wasn’t serving your overall well-being. It could be a belief system you adapted from childhood that repeats you are not enough. By seeing the pattern clearly for what it is and how it was formed, its power has been diminished, allowing you greater freedom from the chains of it. 

The First Step

Pick a yoga sutra that calls to you. It can be something that I have shared or anything in your Tantra of the Yoga Sutras book.

1. Write down the sutra or key word from the sutra as your topic. 

2. Come up with an analogy or story from your life experience that can help someone relate to the teaching.

3. What is the teaching?

4. How is it beneficial? 

Submit your answer in the quiz to follow.

What are The Chakras?

Chakras are energy centers in the subtle body. One of the best teachers of the chakras, Anodea Judith, defines them this way: The chakras are organizational centers that receive, assimilate, store, and transmit life force energy at each of their respective levels: earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, and thought. Together the seven major chakras provide a profound formula for wholeness- one that bridges mind, body, and spirit.

Think of the chakras as describing the architecture of the human soul. Just as we study the architecture of the physical body, with its bones, muscles, and organs, the architecture of the soul reveals the inner psychology of how we respond to life.

Studying each chakra and its corresponding element as it relates to our life can help us go deeper into self-awareness, revealing emotional, mental, or physical blind spots.

In this workshop, Chromatic mentor Beau Campbell guides us through the sacral chakra, which corresponds to the element of water. Our relationship to pleasure and desire exists here. Know that you can have an excessive or restricted flow of these for one reason or another. When the chakra is in balance, we recognize our right to pleasure while maintaining healthy boundaries for ourselves and others around us.

Water Chakra

YOGARINA FLOW

Beau Campbell is a professional dancer, yoga instructor, and holistic health coach originating from Southern California. She is the creator of the YogarinaFLOW®, a dance inspired yoga practice focused on personal expression and creative movement, and Shake Your Chakras!®, a transformative yoga/dance/meditation experience linked to the seven chakras. Beau has taught at several different studios and festivals across the United States and Canada, including the  Wanderlust Festivals, Arise Festival, and Le Studio de Yoga Wanderlust, Montreal. Her goal is to help students find their unique voice and artistic outlet in a safe and open environment.

Practice with Beau Campbell

Exercise 3: Developing your authentic rhetoric 

In this section, you will get creative with your language. I would suggest printing this page or downloading it as a pdf from your web browser (Safari: Click File->Export as PDF) (Chrome: Click file – print – more setting – open pdf – save or export to computer).

There are few basic directions from which we move in the practice of yoga, so you can get creative with how you inspire students to move one way or the other. 

Directions of movement: 

1. Up
2. Down
3. Forward
4. Backward
5. Inward (toward the midline, or core of the body)
6. Outward (away from the midline or core)

Replacing and coloring

To bring life to your verbal cues, you can replace directions or color them. 

Replacing:  For each direction, come up with three additional ways of inspiring students to move in these directions. Some words hold enough information that directional cues are not required for students to move in the direction you are asking them. 

Examples: 

1. Up: rise, lift, reach, etc. 

Coloring: Finding cues to replace direction might be challenging, but the exercise will get your creativity flowing if you allow it. On the other hand, consider including the directional verb (“up” for example), but add a descriptive word prior to it. I call this “coloring” because it will provide a unique experience for your students. Artists do this when they choose a color palette to evoke certain emotional responses from the viewer, or to better convey what they are feeling during the creation process. 

Examples:  

1. Rise Up (“rise” can be used on its own or as a “color” to the word up)

Replacing and Coloring Action Cues (verbs)

The next step is to get creative with action cues like “step” or “lower” or “push.” Go back to your Surya Namaskar A and B videos. Write out the action words that you used for the transitions. You can go right in order.

EXAMPLE: In Sun A, the first movement is from Tadasana to Urdva Hastasana and the verbal cues I usually give are:

“Inhale reach (action word) your arms up (direction)”.

*Now you pull out “reach” and brainstorm three other ways to cue “reach”.

Notice below I filled this one in but you can come up with your own ways of cueing your students to reach.

Then continue for all other transitions. (YOU DO NOT NEED TO REPEAT TRANSITIONS. ONCE YOU HAVE EXPLORED ACTIONS FOR “LOWER” CHATURANGA, THEN YOU’RE DONE WITH ALL CHATURANGAS IN SUN A AND B.)

EXAMPLES OF ACTION WORDS:

1. Reach
2. Bow
3. Step
4. Lower
5. Press

Mapping Your Phrases:

Pick out the phrases you want to work with most and start mapping them out on the beat. Not sure? Simply follow the order of Sun A and B. Mapping your phrases to the beat is hard at first but gets fun and exciting once you find something you like. At first it will sound very sing-song. With time and practice, and without a metronome, it will smooth out and be more conversational.

 Facebook and Video Submit Preparation

Please share photos of your mapping and replacement cues for directionality and action in the Facebook group. This will inspire all of us to learn from one another.
Once you have mapped out your phrases to the beat- replacing or coloring direction and action cues- be sure to practice all of them. Choose your top four and film yourself teaching them with the metronome.

THIS WILL NOT FEEL NATURAL. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE THE FINAL RESULT OF HOW YOU TEACH BUT WRATHER ITS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU “FEEL” TIMING AND TEMPO. YOU WILL SOUND WEIRD OR ROBOTIC, AND YOU WILL FEEL STRANGE. JUST WORK THROUGH IT, IT WILL SETTLE IN TO YOUR SYSTEM AND YOU’LL GAIN A BETTER FEELING OF TIMING WHEN YOU ARE TEACHING

Meditation Template 

1. Body: micro adjust posture for more optimal attention of the mind
2. Breath: share a pranayama (in this case, share Dirgha Pranayama)
3. Breath: watch the breath without controlling it
4. Observe: direct attention to sensations of energy (prana) in the body
5. Body: bring students back by cueing breath and awakening fingers and toes; massage legs, hug knees into belly 

PRE-MEDITATION PREPARATION

1. Guide students to a seated position, providing them with options 
2. Show required techniques for pranayama and or mudras
3. Pratyahara: begin the journey inward by asking students to close their eyes or soften their gaze to one point

Mudras

1. Gyan Mudra: sometimes known as “chin mudra”, is widely popular across many traditions. In Sanskrit, it translates to knowledge. This mudra is performed by lightly pressing the index finger and thumb together. In some traditions, the three other fingers are stretched out straight, but this requires constant physical effort that might otherwise keep the mind distracted (opinion). So my suggestion is to relax the middle, ring, and pinky fingers

2. Dhyani Mudra: Dhyani is the 7th limb of yoga and it means the effortless focus that comes just before the total absorption into samadhi. Dhyani Mudra is performed by placing one hand on top of the other – fingers of one hand resting on top of the other, lined up so that fingers, thumbs lightly touching. -This is a great way to keep the mind focused, and you can use the touch of the thumbs as a focal point. If the thumbs press into each other too hard, you are likely falling asleep; if they separate, you have likely launched into some large thought process.  

THE FIRST STEP

The first step to learning how to teach a meditation is to teach seated poses. Use this video for a reference, but KEEP IT SIMPLE! You do not have to go into all the benefits and drawbacks like I do. Simply state the following:

TEACHING POINTS

• There are three primary meditation seats to choose from: Virasana (kneeling), Sukhasana (cross-legged), or Sidhasana. 
• If starting with Virasana, you will need a block and a blanket. Place your shins on the blanket and buttocks on the block. (DEMONSTRATE WHILE DOING SO.)
• Sukhasana is a cross-legged seat (not an easy pose for everyone). For this, I suggest using 2-3 blankets or a couch cushion to sit up on – a block under each knee will keep the legs from falling asleep. (Demonstrate while doing. Use whatever props you have around the house if you do not have yoga props.)
•  Sidhasana requires one blanket or block to sit up on. This tends to be challenging due to required flexibility so it may not be the best choice. (Demonstrate to the best of your ability.)
• Another option is to sit on the edge of a chair with spine straight and feet planted firmly on the floor.

THE QUIZ SUBMISSION

Practice teaching this. If you have a friend or loved one in person or accessible through video chat,  this will be easier for you to get the real time experience. After practicing, make a simple video with as little filler as possible. Be concise and organized.

Film yourself teaching and demonstrating each posture and submit that video in the quiz when you are ready. 

In the next section, we will move on to practice teaching the meditation template. Do not submit a video for that yet!

The 9 Distractions 

According to the yoga sutras, there are nine distractions that are likely to throw us off our yogic path. Knowing what they are can be helpful in identifying when they have taken hold of our mind and/or body. 

1. physical illness
2. dullness of the mind
3. doubt or inability to make a decision
4. carelessness or lack of passion or enthusiasm in our Sadhana – yogic practices
5. laziness: mind and body alike
6. overindulgence of the senses
7. distorted thought or perception
8. lack of perseverance on the mat
9. instability or inconsistency of steady practice ,once attained

 The result of these nine distractions can lead to: 

1. mental and/or physical distress or restlessness
2. despair, sadness, depression
3. shakiness of the body
4. uneven or disrupted breath

We know that the yoga practice typically helps us feel better on all levels, and yet we still get distracted from our practice. For some of us, the desire to participate in the sweetness of life leads us to overindulge the senses – overeat, over-exercise, and addiction to sex, drugs, alcohol, among other things. For others, our lack of enthusiasm for the practice leaves us feeling dull and therefore we stray off the path. Or maybe it’s laziness – too much desire for comfort that it’s hard to step into the discomfort of our growth and potential. You will certainly resonate with one or more of these along the path. The important thing is to be able to catch it before it takes a strong hold on your belief system. Once it roots itself into belief, the ego will start defending why yoga isn’t good for you, and you begin feeling so righteous about it. Reading this now probably doesn’t resonate for you, but at some point it will and you will push the practice away. Remember when this happens, just step back on the path.

COOL DOWN TEMPLATE:

The cool down section of the class is designed to relax the nervous system, bringing the energy back down in order to help students relax in savasana. Remember that when we activate muscles and move the body with breath, the energy rises and this will evoke the rajas inside of us. A more tamasic experience at the end of practice brings balance and will more likely leave students in that state of sattva, or equanimity. When we feel that state of blissful balance, we tend to wake up to a whole new level of awareness, and that leads to wanting more of it, inspiration for returning to the mat next time. There are five essential postures in the cool down template. 

1. Uttanasana: standing forward fold
2. Ekapada Kapotasana: pigeon pose each side
3. Paschimotonasana: seated forward fold
4. Supine Twist
5. Sukha Balasana: happy baby

In between these poses we can transition to downward dog in multiple ways. I have laid out the ones that I like. You can always ADD on to the cool down fairly easily. Here are some basic options: 

1. Lizard Pose: Add after pigeon on both sides.
2. Janusirsasana: Add in before seated forward fold; once seated it’s easy to do several different seated postures.
3. Badhakonasana: Cobbler’s Pose; add before or after seated forward fold.
4. Suptapadangusthasana A or B: supta is on the back – Padangustasana B is the reclined version of our peak posture; it’s that pose on your back. This can happen before spinal twists. 
5. Extended Child’s Pose: straightening the legs; after child’s pose