Sample student page

Hello,

Morning

Doing a few minutes most mornings helps you feel good. I regularly update these list as we increase your ability.

• Feet (toward pada bandha)
  Stand barefoot or in socks on a hard floor and lift your toes softly. Feel your weight press evenly on your feet. Feel the balls of your feet, the outside edges, and your heels press on the floor. Shift your weight a little front and back and left and right. Roll your feet a little in and out.
• Stand soft (toward wuji)
  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; toes up softly; feel your weight evenly on your feet; knees slightly soft and slightly turned out; pelvis soft; torso tall, shoulders above hips above heels; arms soft. Look straight ahead in a way that helps you feel your neck straight. Notice how you breathe and how you feel. Think of nothing for most of a minute.
• Shift & leg rotate (toward constant bear)
  Shift all your weight to your left leg and let your right leg hang soft. Shift all your weight to your right leg and let your left leg hang soft. Gently pivot your left leg on the heel out then in. Shift all your weight to your left leg and let your right leg hang soft and gently pivot your right leg on the heel out then in. Repeat the shift and pivot for each side once more.

• Reach (up downward dog)
  Stand facing the seat of a chair. Tilt your torso forward from your hip joints and put your hands on the back of the chair. (You can also do this with a counter.) Look down in a way that helps you feel your neck straight. Stay in the pose for most of a minute and allow your back to relax. Bend your knees then stand up slowly.
• Sit (seated vajrasana)
  Sit in the middle of a hard chair away from the back. Have your knees wider than your hips, shins vertical, and feet square on the floor. Place your legs so that you make no effort in your legs. Torso tall, shoulders over your hips, let your shoulders drop and elbows hang straight down, and rest your palms on your thighs. Look straight ahead in a way that helps you feel your neck straight and have no thought. Feel as you breathe, notice how all of you feels, for most of a minute.
• Forward fold seated (seated ardha uttanasana)
  Sit in the middle of a hard chair away from the back. Have your knees wider than your hips, shins vertical, and feet square on the floor. Tilt your torso forward from your hip joints and rest your forearms near your elbows on your thighs near your knees. Look down at a spot that helps you feel your neck straight. Press your forearms firmly on your thighs then slowly relax the press. And rest into it for most of a minute.

Evening

Move well at the end of your day to ease and avoid discomfort. The poses listed here are just for example.

• Stand
  Stand well for part of a minute. Leave the day behind. Look ahead in a way that you feel well balanced. Notice yourself and think of nothing.
• Shift & leg rotate
• Forward fold standing (supported ardha uttanasana)
  Stand facing the seat of a hard chair with your feet as wide apart as the chair. Tilt your torso forward from your hip joints and put your palms wide on the seat of the chair with your fingers wide and relaxed. Have your arms and legs mostly vertical. Look at the seat of the chair and feel your neck straight. Press your palms firmly on the chair then slowly relax the press. Stay in the pose for most of a minute and allow your back to relax. Bend your knees then stand up slowly.
• Sit – Let the day go.
• Forward fold seated – Let your back relax into it.
• Forward fold side
• Reclined spiral
• Reclined tree

Before bed

Give yourself two minutes before bed to help yourself sleep better.

• Forward fold standing
• Sit – Give yourself a minute of quiet before sleep to help you sleep better.

Breathe

Pranayama is a part of yoga that works on breathing. There are many techniques you can read about but please don’t experiment as some could harm you.

Start by sitting well on a hard chair. Rest your palms on your thighs. Rock your pelvis slowly and feel yourself move from your root up and loosen your back.

Digestion

Yoga breathing can help reduce acid reflux. And a variety of modified yoga poses can help your middle and lower digestion.

Back

Try these poses when you have discomfort in your back.

• Reach (up downward-dog)
• Pyramid rest
• Knees up (gentle apanasana)
• Reclined spiral

Sex

Yoga can help your sexual desire and pleasure. It is all of you. We help your breathing and the muscles around your pelvis. We also help specific muscles with yoga. We can discuss how these muscles work and what fits you.

• Bulbospongiosus
  Specific poses and techniques help you feel and use these muscles, such as guiding you in chair poses, kneeling poses, and mula bandha.
• Ischiocavernosus
  Specific poses and techniques help you feel and use these muscles, such as guided variations on sphinx and cat-cow.

Next time

I focus on how you move and feel as we work together and develop what we will do next. We will feel our way to refine and tune and go a little deeper, and I will introduce you to new poses that fit you. I look forward to working together next week. This list is just an example.

• Stand to wuji
  stand soft together and deepen into the balance of wuji with dhyana mudra to help us focus
• Shift & leg rotate to constant bear
• Sit
  deepen and move your pelvis for you to feel your sit bones and root
• Breathing
  We start with closed nostril breathing (nadi shodhana).
• Forward fold
• Tree kneeling
• Aided yoga
  • Pyramid rest
  • Reclined spiral
  • Reclined tree

Future

I look ahead and connect and build toward what we will do together in weeks to come.

• Seated spiral
• Cat-cow breathing
• Standing spiral
• Warrior 1
• Tree
• Squat with chair (toward seated-chair pose)
• Food
• Assess your hip flexors and quads

Motivate

I help motivate you. We make it feel good. We make it fun. You feel good. You get praise and thanks. You make progress. I teach hope. You look forward to doing it again. I help you find and get what you want.