Beginners Yoga

You do not have to be flexible to do yoga!! We have structured these classes for those of you who have done little or no yoga before. The techniques taught in these classes will set you up with a solid foundation for your yoga practice, enabling you to deepen your practice and maximize it’s potential. All of these techniques of can be applied to any style of yoga practice, wether it be Ashtanga, Vinyasa or Bikram

Breathing technique

• Known in Sanskrit as Ujjaiy breathing, when done properly, “Ujjayi (translated as “victorious”) breathing should be both energizing and relaxing. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali suggests that the breath should be both dirga (long) and suksma (smooth). The sound of Ujjayi is created by gently constricting the opening of the throat to create some resistance to the passage of air. Gently pulling the breath in on inhalation and gently pushing the breath out on exhalation against this resistance creates a well-modulated and soothing sound—something like the sound of ocean waves rolling in and out.It is important to remember that the key to Ujjayi breathing is relaxation; the action of Ujjayi naturally lengthens the breath. Some small effort is required to produce a pleasing sound, but too much effort creates a grasping quality and a grating sound.
• Generally, it is the inhalation that presents the greater challenge. So begin by practicing on the exhalation where there is a natural letting go process.To practice the inhalation, focus on creating a soothing and pleasing sound that is unhurried and unforced. We suggest working on your Ujjayi breathing in a seated, relaxed cross-legged position. Imagine sipping the breath in through a straw. If the suction is too strong the straw collapses and great force is required to suck anything through it. Once Ujjayi breathing is mastered in a seated position, the challenge is to maintain the same quality of breathing throughout your asana practice.Throughout your practice, try to maintain the length and smoothness of the breath as much as possible. Once you find a baseline Ujjayi breath in a pose that is not too strenuous (downward facing dog for example), endeavor to maintain that quality of breath throughout the practice. Some asanas require great effort, and you may begin to strain in your breath. If you are straining in your breath, you may be pushing yourself too hard in your practice. Use that feedback as a guide throughout your practice—if you start to strain, it may be time to back out of a pose and rest” Tim Miller – www.ashtangayogacenter.com

Gaze points

• We humans are predominantly visual creatures. As every yoga practitioner has discovered, even during practice we find ourselves looking at the pose, outfit, or new hairstyle of the student on the next mat. We stare out the window or at the skin flaking between our toes, as though these things were more interesting than focusing on realization. And thwack! Where our eyes are directed, our attention follows.On a simple level, drishti technique uses a specific gazing direction for the eyes to control attention.
• In every asana in Ashtanga, students are taught to direct their gaze to one of nine specific points.In Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose), for instance, we gaze at the nose tip: Nasagrai Drishti. In meditation and in Matsyasana (Fish Pose), we gaze toward the Ajna Chakra, the third eye: Naitrayohmadya (also called Broomadhya) Drishti. In Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), we use Nabi Chakra Drishti, gazing at the navel. We use Hastagrai Drishti, gazing at the hand, in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). In most seated forward bends, we gaze at the big toes: Pahayoragrai Drishti. When we twist to the left or right in seated spinal twists, we gaze as far as we can in the direction of the twist, using Parsva Drishti. In Urdhva Hastasana, the first movement of the Sun Salutation, we gaze up at the thumbs, using Angusta Ma Dyai Drishti. In Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), we use Urdhva Drishti, gazing up to infinity.
• In every asana, the prescribed drishti assists concentration, aids movement, and helps orient the pranic (energetic) body.The full meaning of drishti isn’t limited to its value in asana. In Sanskrit, drishti can also mean a vision, a point of view, or intelligence and wisdom. The use of drishti in asana serves both as a training technique and as a metaphor for focusing consciousness toward a vision of oneness. Drishti organizes our perceptual apparatus to recognize and overcome the limits of “normal” vision.

Alignment

• When we build a house we need to be sure that the ground under­neath it is solid and the foundation is strong, stable, and balanced. We expect the floors to be level, and the windows and doors to be square. Otherwise, there will be cracks and distortions and the house might even collapse. It is exactly the same with our bodies. We look for a secure and stable foundation, and for alignment and elongation of the spine.Alignment and technique are essential components of asana practice. Correct alignment prevents injury, promotes healing of existing injuries, reduces stress on the tissues and joints, and improves our overall function and feeling of well-being. Concern for technique does not in any way undermine the spiritual dimension of our practice. Great musicians and dancers have flawless technique.
• The tremendous sense of repose that we see in statues of the Buddha comes in part from the ease of his posture. Technique alone is not spirit, but provides a vehicle through which body and creativity can  express themselves.Alignment allows the body to integrate and elongate. Energy that was used to compensate for imbalances is freed as our muscles and joints come into better balance. Organs occupy space, and their arrangement and function can also be affected by tension, injury, and psychological states. Internal organs function better when they have sufficient space and appropriate support from the musculoskeletal system.
• The more precise our alignment, the greater our sense of ease and balance. Gravity becomes our ally instead of our enemy.As you go on in yoga, correct alignment becomes more and more important. For example, a slight tilt in your neck becomes serious if you are doing Headstand regularly. While the feeling of release and extension is usually clear, it is almost impossible to know if you are straight in a pose. We are so used to our own posture that our inner feelings will often tell us we are straight when we are crooked and vice versa. Even if you are aware of your structural imbalances, you will almost always feel strange or crooked when straightened.

Energetic Locks

• The bandhas – interior body locks used in yoga. There are three bandhas – Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Jhalandara Bandha. Each bandha is a lock, meaning a closing off of part of the interior body. These locks are used in various pranayama and asana practices to tone, cleanse and energize the interior body and organs. When all three bandhas are activated at the same time, it is called Maha Bandha, the great lock.
• MULA BANDHA – the root lock. The first of three interior body “locks” used in asana and pranayama practice to control the flow of energy. To activate mula bandha, exhale and engage the pelvic floor, drawing it upwards towards your navel. If you don’t know how to access the pelvic floor, think of it as the space between the pubic bone and the tailbone. Initially you may need to contract and hold the muscles around the anus and genitals, but really what you want is to isolate and draw up the perineum, which is between the anus and genitals. Do not hold your breath. Engaging mula bandha while doing yoga poses can give the postures an extra lift.
• UDDIYAN BANDHA – abdominal lock. The second of the three interior body “locks” used in asana and pranayama practice to control the flow of energy. Uddiyana bandha can be practiced alone or in conjunction with mula bandha. To engage this bandha, sit in a comfortable cross legged position. Exhale your breath, then take a false inhale (draw the abdomen in and up without taking in any breath.) Draw the belly up underneath the rib cage. To release, soften the abdomen and inhale. Uddiyana bandha tones, massages and cleans the abdominal organs. If you are familiar with mula bandha, you will see that the drawing up of the pelvic floor naturally leads into the drawing up of the abdomen. This is how the bandhas work together.
• JHALANDRA BANDHA – Throat lock. The third and last of the three interior body “locks” used in asana and pranayama practice to control the flow of energy. Jhalandara bandha can be practiced alone or in conjunction with mula bandha and uddiyana bandha. To engage this bandha, sit in a comfortable cross legged position. Inhale so the lungs are about two-thirds full, and then hold the breath in. Drop the chin down, and then draw the chin back closer to the chest so the back of the neck does not round. Hold as long as is comfortable and then bring the chin up and release the breath. To practice in conjunction with the other two bandhas, first draw the pelvic floor upwards, engaging mula bandha. This leads to the abdomen drawing in and up under the ribcage (uddiyana bandha). Finally, the chin drops to the chest and draws back into jhalandara bandha. When practiced together, the three locks are known as Maha Bandha, the great lock.