background
background Yoga Shakti, flow with the pulse of life how it all began This DVD began as an inspiration from a small group of yoga practitioners. Our goal: create a DVD for more than 20 million practitioners who already have some yoga in their bones and are looking for a home practice to explore and evolve into. I was invited to teach at Cocoa Island in the Maldives- a 90-minute flight from Trivandrum, Kerala (the southern tip of lndia)-where we were planning to make a pilgrimage to study Ayurveda. When we saw the sand bar on Cocoa Island, we knew that would be our visual inspiration for the flow of prana shakti pulse of our life force. Although everyone thought we were crazy, we embraced a vision of traveling halfway around the world with a small "crew" of six people using just two video cameras and only natural light to film this DVD. Having lived in India twice before, I knew the unpredictable nature of travel there and the strength of the elements- rain, dust, and heat! We had a window of three weeks in which we could all go. We knew that never before in the yoga video world had so few people traveled so far on the smallest budget to do so much (over 30 sequences and four hours of material was our mission). We fell in love with Cocoa Island and Kerala. My friend Kannan, who is a professional Kathakali dancer and scholar, graciously helped us experience the life of shakti as householders like you and I would experience it in Kerala. Rather than visiting yoga ashrams or filming some of the beautiful archetypical images of yoga in India (e.g., bathing in the Ganges, Sadhus at temples, and so on, Kannan took us to the heartbeat of bhakti yoga - the yoga of life. We participated in a nine-day, all-night temple festival near Cochin, where we joined a procession with over 50 drummers, bejeweled elephants, and throngs of devotees around the temple courtyards, feeling the power of shakti through the dynamic, creative pulse of the drums. We also visited Erumeli, the first stop of a 4-day pilgrimage to Sabarimala, where we danced with pilgrims who were ecstatic after 40 days of preparation. We traveled down backwaters in a houseboat, went to many dance performances, and visited the CVN Kalari, the main school of martial arts in Kerala. You can see excerpts of this footage in the ''special features." In the end, the footage in India became a small but poetic force, reflecting the vitality and inner connection of yoga shakti. We wanted to illustrate the diversity color, and pulse of India for practitioners of yoga here in the United States who may subtly interpret the structural strength of hatha yoga as rigid or subdued. Yoga is alive! It is a process of unification that harmonizes the inner flow with the greater rhythms of life around us. We hope that this app and the form of yoga that we offer here--vinyasa (flow)-nourishes your experience of yoga as a way of being in tune with your daily life and evolution. May it strengthen and rejuvenate every aspect of your being. May you enjoy the tides of your breath as life within you. May the potential within us, our svadharma, unfold in its fullness. It is by grace that we offer you this DVD to explore. We dedicate this project to all those who are watering the creative seeds within that do, one day, manifest with love. Our "Special Features" offers our thanks to Sounds True, Marika, and to all the people, musicians,artists and teachers who made this project happen. Lokaha Samstaha Sukhino Bhavantu May all beings experience the blessing of all-permeating happiness about Vinyasa Flow Yoga Vinyasa yoga is an evolving form of traditional hatha yoga that focuses on integrating breath and movement, awareness and alignment, strength and flexibility, and your practice with your daily life. Originating within the yogic teachings of Sri T. Krisnamarchya and likened to a dynamic dance, asanas (or postures) are connected through the breath for a transformative and balancing effect.I have been teaching for more than 14 years and my style reflects my studies in all branches of the Krisnamacharya lineage, from I0 years of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, to studies in Iyengar yoga and with students of Desikachar. I am infinitely grateful for all my teachers, for they put me in relationship with the pranashakti within me that informs the flow of my practice and teaching. I am also thankful for the laboratory of my classes with the wonderful student friends around the country. My orientation toward vinyasa reflects the dance between form and freedom, classical and innovation, pattern and change. Since the sacred texts mention 840,000 asanas that emanated from Lord Shiva, l am interested in preserving the diversity of our embodied intelligence through the array of asanas to enliven and balance our being. Hence, we give you nine different sun salutations to choose from-once you have integrated the basic form. When experienced through the flow of our breath-our juice, our rasa- comes alive. There are many practices that I left out, as I felt they were inappropriate to be taught without a teacher present- from the cleansing practices to even headstand. I did offer intermediate poses with the kramas, or stages, so that you can safely evolve into the fullness of your potential, whatever that may be from day to day. The inner yoga- how we relate to others and our Self- is the ultimate reflection on our "progress." You can enhance your experience with more information and articles on vinyasa flow yoga, yoga philosophy, living yoga, and embodiment through sacred asanas on my website www.yogadventures.com. how to use the yoga matri x Navigating the infinite possibilities couldn't be easier. In the simplest viewing mode, Yoga Shakti allows you to choose one of four complete vinyasa (flow) practices that are preprogrammed (Basic, Solar One, Solar Two, and Lunar). Just press "play" and enjoy. Each practice section lists the vinyasas and their timings from 30 to 90 minutes long. For more adventurous viewers, our Yoga Matrix allows you to choose from one to all 30 possible sequences (vinyasas) in the order you choose! Yoga Matrix thus provides a great range of potential practices with different rhythms, effects, and levels of intensity. The videos always play from top left to bottom right, so that Shavasana is always last. start where you are One of the principles of vinyasa is to "start where you are." Please scan your body before you practice, and assess your energy. Honor any "tweaks" or injuries that may require extra attention or slight modification of a pose. Please consult your health care practitioner and yoga teacher to help you understand the right approach to practice. For instance, if you have any strain in your upper body joints (wrist, elbows, or shoulders) or along your spine, you can 1) skip the sun salutations altogether 2) do all arm balances as hip openers without putting weight on your hands, and 3) modify chaturanga dandasana (yogic push-up or four-angled staff pose) and upward dog. You can always pause the DVD and rest in child's pose until you are ready to begin again. For beginners. stay with the Basic and Lunar practice until you are ready to begin to explore the more challenging vinyasa sequences. krama: the art of conscious evolution Vinyasa teaches through the use of kramas,or evolutionary stages, using an intelligent of preparatory postures needed to evolve the practitioner consciously into the optimum posture. In these stages you will develop the strength, flexibility and internal awareness needed to reach the optimum posture. There is no hierarchy in the stages. When you are are at a stage of comfortable challenge- intens ity without strain- then are playing your edge with intelligence. Trust the stages and be where you are. The following is a description of the sequences explored in the "Yoga Matrix" found on Yoga Shakti. All 30 vinyasa sequences, along with total running time and musical artist for each track, are listed below to help you understand the focus of each sequence. Note: The terms solar and lunar refer to the meaning of ha-tha yoga as the union of the sun (ha) and the moon (tha). In practice, solar refers to the more activating, energizing, strength based vinyasas that can be done any time of the day or early evening (but not conductive to sleep). Lunar refers to the calming, slower-paced, internal vinyasas and practices that are appropriate for any time of day including before bedtime. It is important to note that within the solar practices we cultivate the receptivity, relaxation, and grace of the lunar practices; and during the lunar practices we maintain the intelligent wakefulness of solar practices. solar sequences meditations and sun salutations to begin your practice SURYA MEDITATION 4:00 Jai Uttal, Ben Leinbach, and Nubia Texeria (From Drops of Nectar) Integrates the traditional man tras invoking the vitality of Surya- th e sun- with the flow of breath. SOLAR MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA Tumbara 5:09 Begins with an activating, cleansing breath, kapalabhati pranayama. This breath awakens your inner fire and liberates the flow of prana. LUNAR MEDITATION 3:31 Begins with a moving meditation, anahata kriya, in which we open the heart center through rejuvenating circular movement. PRANA YOGA 7:09 Rara Avis and Craig Kohland Awaken the spontaneous flow of energy in the body, where your breath initiates your movement. CLASSICAL SUN SALUTATIONS 13:40 Rara Avis and Craig Kohland A traditional vinyasa to awaken the vital energy and circulation. The place to start for beginners. SURYA NAMASKAR A & B 9:30 PFL with Sang it Family Classic to the Krisnamacharya lineage. The first round includes the modifications for the poses; full poses are found in the second round. Stay with the stage of each pose that is right for you. RHYTHMIC VINYASA ONE 4:00 Rara Avis Uses the connection between the poses of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) in cycles of three to deepen the flow of breath and the instinctual alignment in the pose. RHYTHMIC VINYASA TWO 7:00 Layne Redmond Includes Uktasana (Powerful Pose) and Virabadrasana (Warrior One) Vinyasa. DANCING WARRIOR ONE 2:53 Antion An intermediate flow developed through my teaching over the past 14 years. Once you have integrated the basic poses of Surya Namaskar, you are ready to let a vital current of breath flow through you. You can skip the chaturanga dandasana cycle and just take an extra breath in down dog. Stay relaxed inside, keep the integrity of the form, and ride this invigorating flow. DANCING WARRIOR TWO 3:46 Ian Sandler The back-bending variation of Dancing Warrior. Pay attention to how we align the pelvis and engage the bandhas (energetic cultivation of the pelvic floor and lower abdomen) to lift the spine. DANCING WARRIOR THREE 4:09 Spy from Cairo A hip-opening variation that strengthens your ability to lift through your center as you open your hips with gravity. Keep a strong lifting action through your back leg. DANCING WARRIOR FOUR 5:46 Layo and Bushwacka! Connects four related movements through the breath to awaken the flow. Maintain steadiness in the base while the upper body changes to open the side channels. CHANDRA NAMASKAR (MOON SALUTATIONS) 9:00 Rara Avis and Craig Kohland The flow of the moon salutations that I first learned through the Bihar School of Yoga. CORE ABS 3:35 Tumbara Uses a block to help you develop the core strength of your lower belly, the seat of uddiyana bandha (energetic cultivation of the lower abdomen), and to help you radiate this energy through your legs and feet. HA KRIYA 2:30 Tumbara A rhythmic moving meditation that activates your inner fire. This is a non-aggressive, empowering way to let your voice and sense of self come from your center. Feel free to come to standing when you need a break from the hip opening and mountain legs. standing poses BASIC STANDING POSE FLOW 7:40 Tumbara A foundation flow of standing poses from the base of tadasana (Mountain Pose