Fire Workshop

July 2015

Hatha Yoga
The practice of hatha yoga seeks to find a balance between opposing forces.
In yogic terms, these forces are referred to as sukha (calm, relaxed, open)
and sthira (strong, steady, persistent). To achieve this, try to find a space in
your practice where you feel you are strengthening in your postures while
maintaining calm, fluid breathing. When this balance is present, tension is
released not only from the body but also the mind.

Pranayama: Breathing (excerpted from A Systematic Course in the

Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya, by Swami Satyananda
Saraswati)
Breathing is a process we rarely give much thought to. It occurs
automatically, yet it is something that many people do incorrectly. If
breathing is a spontaneous function of the body, how is it possible to do it
incorrectly? The answer is that our respiratory muscles become weak and
cease to give optimum inhalation and exhalation.
In yoga it is said if one breathes slowly, then one will live longer. A fast
breathing rate is associated with anxiety, tension, fear, etc. which tends to
lead to bad health, unhappiness and a shorter life span. A person who
breathes slowly is relaxed and calm which is conducive to longevity. A
person who breathes quickly inhales and exhales small volumes of air; this
allows germs to accumulate in the lower areas of the lungs. Conversely,
slower, deeper breath fills the lungs to a greater depth. This helps to remove
stagnant air from the lower reaches of the lungs and destroy the breeding
ground of germs. Shallow breathing does not provide sufficient oxygen to
the body. This causes functional disturbances with circulatory, digestive and
nervous systems, since the efficiency of these systems is entirely dependent
on healthy, well-nourished nerves and organs, which depend entirely on
oxygen for survival. These are a few examples of how breathing impacts our
lives, yet many people in the world do not breathe properly.
Our body functions are intended normally to be guided by natural rhythms in
our internal and external surroundings. You may already be aware that
exposure to light or lack thereof can have an impact on the hormones your
body releases which govern sleepiness/wakefulness. Similarly, being
outdoors in a natural environment and an active lifestyle (or lack thereof)
has an impact on the way one breathes. Most modern humans spend a lot of
time in air conditioned spaces and work for hours in sedentary positions.

This way of life contributes to weaker respiratory muscles and shallow

breathing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is the reason why we place great emphasis on breath in yoga. We
encourage slow, fluid breathing in our practice. We train to maintain this
fluidity even as we challenge ourselves physically and mentally on the mat.
With practice, we learn to seamlessly use our yogic breath off the mat,
whenever we face any challenges in life. In doing so, we can relieve tension
from the body and mind.

Postures
Pranayama Deep Breathing

Whats happening? Expanding the lungs and connecting to the breath for
yoga practice.

Engagement: Squeeze through legs, buttocks. Squeeze stomach in

completely on exhale. Lift through the chest during BOTH inhale and exhale.
Avoid: Flaring the tailbone out/sticking butt back. Instead, keep pubic bone
and hips pressing forward.
Can you take in a little more air with each lift?

Balancing Stick

Whats happening? Full-body strengthening and increasing balance.

Engagement: Actively plant standing foot into the ground. Squeeze thighs,
stomach, buttocks. Keep a straight line from fingertips to heel, even if this
means you dont lower all the way to parallel.
Avoid: Dropping the arms below your head/dropping the leg so that the body
curves.
If youre at parallel, can you level out your hips?

Standing Head to Knee

Whats happening? Strengthening the standing leg, balancing, stretching

of hamstrings and rounding upper spine.

Engagement: Press foot evenly into ground, thigh squeezing in standing

leg. Stomach squeezing in. Lifted leg is staying up on its own strength,
rather than being pulled up by the arms.
o To help prepare the body for the kick, you can stay in the round and let
go of the foot. Allow the leg to stay lifted without the help of your
hands (second smiley picture above).
Avoid: Bending the standing leg in order to go into the round. Avoid relaxing
the standing thigh and locking out the knee or shifting your weight
back/sending the butt back.
Can you level out your hips so the hip of the lifted leg does not hike up higher
than the grounded leg? Can you keep your weight slightly forward?

Triangle

Whats happening? Legs, buttocks, core, back strengthening while opening

the chest. Increased breath control in the face of challenge. Awesomeness
increases.

Engagement: Actively press outside edge of the foot of the straight leg into
the ground to fully engage the leg. Squeeze ankles towards each other,
squeeze stomach and butt. Keep the spine straight.
Avoid: Rounding in the spine in an attempt to get the elbow to the knee.
Elbow-to-knee connection is arbitrary.
Can you engage your pelvic floor (Mula Bandha)? If your thigh is parallel and
you want more, can you start to open your hips?

Separate Leg Stretching

Whats happening? Stretching the back and the hamstrings while keeping the
back flat.

Engagement: Bend the knees! Squeeze thighs. Use bicep strength to

pull the upper body down. Squeeze the stomach and activate rhomboids
(between shoulders) to keep back flat.

Avoid: Setting the feet so wide you cannot get the hands under the feet.
Move the feet closer together if needed. Avoid rounding in the spine.
Understand this posture is not about straight legs.

Camel

Whats happening? Strengthening through thighs, stomach, and buttocks

to lift the chest and stretch the front of the spine.

Engagement: Thighs, stomach, butt squeezing. Lift the chest, press hips
forward slightly so they stay over the knees.
Avoid: Dumping weight into the hands, whether they are on the back or on
the feet. Instead, use the core strength to stay lifted.
Can you keep the key muscles activated during the entire posture and
maintain fluidity of breath?