~An Intensive Training for Teachers and Practitioners of All Levels~

In this weekend workshop of asana and discussion, we will explore yoga practice from
the most foundational aspects of breath, asana, and even pre-asana. This information
will be applied to the primary organization of muscles and bones, integrating knowledge
into practice. From this foundation, we will evolve the practice to embrace the organs,
nerves, nadis, chakras, and bandhas. Some practice of pranayama may also be
employed.
Based in Albuquerque, NM, Kim travels regularly, teaching, creating, and directing
teacher trainings and workshops. In his teachings, he fuses over 40 years of experience
in asana, philosophy, Ayurveda, Sanskrit and good humor, to create a practice that
takes his students deeply into themselves and their experience. His classes are filled
with wisdom and playfulness, while remaining rooted in ancient tradition and alignment.
Gifted in true understanding of the art and science of yoga, Kim is a rare gem, a master
teacher with the ability to channel the deepest of teachings of yoga to his students. His
profound understanding and willingness to give of himself completely has resulted in a
loyal following of teachers and students since 1985.
About Kim Schwartz (http://highdesertyoga.com/kim-schwartz.html)
Kim's precise and original teaching style originates from a deep personal knowledge
and life-long yoga practice; he began studying yoga in 1971, started teaching in 1985,
and instructing teacher training programs in 1987. With rare attention to detail, Kim
continues to learn, discover and pass on new insights, finding the right words to help
students explore the organization of their bodies and minds. Kim's approach to teaching
is towards the liberation of the practitioner so students can continue their personal
exploration of the practice in and out of class.
In his classes, Kim gently yet meticulously challenges us to learn about ourselves by
moving deeply into our bodies and perceptions, compassionately taking us where we
need to go. With a rare and keen insight to the nuances of poses, accompanied by his
quirky sense of humor, Kim safely encourages us to go to new places inside of
ourselves and find our edges in the practice. Above all, Kim teaches us through his
example of self-examination and kindness both on and off the mat.
Kim's students respect him not only for his gifts in teaching asana, but also for his

knowledge of yoga philosophy. He was raised with eastern mysticism, ordained as a

swami in the Kriya lineage in 1986 and continues to be guided by the philosophy of yoga
in his life and teaching. He incorporates this knowledge in his classes experientially,
allowing students to discover the subtle magic of yoga through their own practice. Kim
has considerable depth in conversing about the esoteric or mystical teachings of yoga,
but with the insight to distill and share from the teachings what is useful and practical
right now.
In addition to studying and teaching yoga in Albuquerque, Kim stays busy leading two
teacher training programs and traveling as a guest teacher throughout the US and
Canada. Some of his other talents and interests include building custom guitars and his
alter ego activity, driving sports cars.
Some quotes from Kim's students:
Kim has a lack of agenda and lack of ego, he knows when not to take himself too
seriously and that is refreshing.
I had not incarnated into my body until I met Kim....."
Kim has a prismatic way of seeing the poses, dissecting and building them in so many
new ways.....he is a yoga architect.
By helping me find such depth in the poses, Kim helped me open my heart and begin
the path of healing and transformation
Kim teaches you how to be your own teacher. I trust him as a guide on 'the path'.

sketch means I had a drawing in the notebook, which I have translated it into a
description here on the same or following line(s).

Day One: Workshop

Asana Sudoku no useful purpose to the completed form; it's about the process of
getting there.

Bones are supportmuscles organize bones to do their job.

Good muscle tonetense & strong when needed, loose when not needed.
Bones contain organs for their health (brain in skull, heart/lungs in ribcage).
The sacrum is a keystone that rests into the pelvis.
Five activities necessary for survival:
Eat - can go a couple weeks without.
Drink - can go a couple days without.
Sleep - can go a couple days without before you go crazy.
Eliminate - a couple of days.
Breathe - A minute or two!
These activities are the most mystical things to be aware of.
How long you can go without shows relevance. BREATH is most vital.
Want to organize pelvic & shoulder girdles, and the lumbar/thoracic region (kidneys).
If the sacrum isn't happy, something above it wil try to compensate and willl be
compromised.
Pose: sketch Supine, lift one leg w/bent knee, shin parallel to floor. Abs should not be
active! "When you can do this without using the abs, the psoas has gotten its PhD."
Ida Rolf.
Pose: sketch High lunge, back inner femur up & back, front sit bone in front of
perineum. No abs!
Pose: sketch At wall, high lunge with knee pressing a block into the wall, toes curled
up pressing into wall.
- Lift inner back femur head.
- Lengthen kidneys.
- Let outer back hip/femur head drop.
Pose: sketch Tsana with toes on a block.

- Raise collarbones.
- Drop kidneys, drop tailbone.
- Breathe into kidneys.
- Corrects over-lordosis of upper lumbar (kidneys).
[[No notes for this, but this is where I think we did the exercise with assistant's fingers at
collarbones & kidneys, and breathing. The breath is supposed to push the kidneys &
collarbones out, I think.]]
Pose: sketch Lunge w/back heel into wall, which informs you of weight on heel. Feet
no wider than sit bones width apart.
- Internally rotate inner head of back femur without increasing weight on back heel.
- Straighten leg from hip, not knee.
Pelvic girdle, lengthen kidneys (by allowing, not forcing), shoulder girdle.
Pose: sketch Prone, toes under, hands back at low ribcage, upper arms level, inner
head humerus raised (tabletop prep).
- Lift femur heads & pelvis off floor.
- Rise evenly to tabletop, knees stay on floor.
- Lengthen kidneys, breathe in from perineum & collarbones (this acts to draw perineum
& collarbone toward each other, creating a tensegral structure of the whole trunk).
- Raise knees to bent-knee downward dog.
sketch
- Femurs seek internal rotation.
- Thighs seek external rotation.
- Sacrum comes in.
- Thenlength.
sketch
- Allow the pelvis to tilt forward, the kidneys to expand backward with the breath, and the
thoracic spine to sink to the floor.
Pose: sketch rdhva Hastsana facing wall, hands pressed against wall. Allow the
knees to move back, pelvis to tilt forward, kidneys to inflate with breath, and spine to
extend up. Hands should move up the wall with breath from initial position, never down.
sketch Bend at knees, keeping shins vertical and hands on the wall.

Pose: sketch Uttnsana on block, knees slightly bent. Length in kidneys and spine
overall. Straighten one leg from hip without allowing the spine to change. The hips will
move a bit.
Pose: sketch Nvsana facing the wall. Mat at wall, with block and mat folded over
block for traction. Sit with sacrum on block, feet on wall pressing in.
- Then lift perineum to pull sacrum away from block.
Poses: Pariprna Nvsana, Ardha Nvsana, Supta Nvsana.
- These actually use abs.
- Ardha Nvsana is a forward fold. Lie on sacrum and strongly lift pernieum to kidneys
or T6, and pull collarbones toward T6.
- Flex/curl spine as if vomiting.
Pose: Vrabhadrsana III
- Back leg perineum to front leg kidney to balance pelvis.
- Keep quads engaged in standing leg (in all poses, as they want to disengage when it
can).
- This is just a tipped-over Tsana with lifted leg.
- How far you bend over or lift the leg isn't important: Keep Tsana relationship
between trunk and lifted leg.

Day Two: Integral Yoga Class

Let tongue & soft palate fall away from each other, as if you have a ping-pong ball in the
mouth. Soften the tongue through the root and all the way to the bottom of the abdomen.
This relaxes the organs. Softening the soft palate relaxes the chest. Doing both quiets
the verbal/linear mind.
Hold a pose until you are donelet your body teach you something. What gets tired,
what gets strained, what gets overstretched?
Pose: Vrsana on a block, knees on a rolled blanket.
- Roll to front of sit bones; press inner femur heads down with thumbs.
- Toes evenly on floor.
- Length side bodies from inside ribcage.

- Fold over legs & knees.

- Rest forehead on fists, hands, or floor.
Pose: Deep low lunge, knee forward of ankle.
- Back foot extended, press top of foot into floor to lift knee.
- Extend back leg from pelvis, knee still lifted.
- Rest deeper into front knee, push front leg's groin/femur down.
- Back knee should touch floor without weight.
- Now extend back leg from pelvis again to drop pelvis as far as you can.
- Engage pelvic floor/perineum as needed to balance hips & lengthen kidneys.
Pose: After both side lunges, Adho Mukha vnsana.
- Feel arms originating in pelvis (wow that really works to make it less of a strain).
- (Hey, my head easily touches the floor!)
Pose: Krauncsana.
- Sit on block if needed.
- Ground inner heads of femurs.
- Most important thing is to extend raised leg straight.
- Let the hamstrings rest, use strap as needed.
- Let arms go, should be able to keep leg up (go go psoas).
- No abs!
Pose: Dasana.
- Engage perineum.
- Ground inner heads of femurs.
Pose: Vksana at the wall (body perpendicular, not facing).
- Foor to inner front thigh.
- Pivot femur from hip to take raised knee to wallpelvis does not rotate.
- Engage opposite hip/thigh to press knee into wall.
- Keep standing inner femur head back.
- If stable, knee off wall.
- Arms overhead.
Pose: Parvakosanish at wall (facing wall).
- Push hand into wall, weight in heels.

- Back inner femur head back into hip.

- Use butt & thigh to tuck front femur under, not abs.
- Press hand into wall.
- Kidneys long!
Pose: Parvakosana.
- Really bring inner humerus backright into ear (manual adjustment by Kim).
- Weight in heels.
Pose: rdhva Ardha Bheksana at wall (King Arthur's pose/thigh stretch).
- Can put standing foot on a block to deepen (this was really awesome).
- Engage perineum to balance pelvis.
Pose: Deep low lunch facing wall (leading to Ajaneysana)
- Head to wall, arms raised, forearms on wall.
- Do all as before for deep low lunch, then hands up wall.
- Extend back leg to lower pelvis more.
Pose: Angela's Dogin Downward Dog, turn one heel out for lateral stretch of side
body.
Pose: sketch Salmba Setu Banda Sarvagsana, rolled blanket below shoulder
blades, sacrum on block.
- Push with feet or hips to drop shoulders to floor.
- Rest sacrum on block.

Day Two: Workshop

Sacrum = keystone.
Tilt pelvis forward to ground femurs.
Try to root tailbone without gripping organs hard! It is not natural to grip the organs (with
the abs).
Spine always seeks Tsana, even when it cannot achieve it.

Kim uses "volitional" in a cool particular way: consciously and deliberately.

All life is dhuka: suffering, or better, unsatisfactoriness. You cannot find lasting
happiness in a universe defined by temporalityeverything is temporary, even fleeting.
(Reminded me of Chad's class with turning the energy of a fall into useful energy).
Bandhas enabled/allowed (not created) by proper aligntment of pelvic girdle, kidneys,
shoulder girdle. All starts with grounding femurs.
Action item: Read up on bandhas.
Review of Anga Yoga: Yama, Niyama, sana, Pryma, Pratyhra, Dhra,
Dhyna, Samdhi.
Felt sense of being part of life rather than apart from life.
The body reflects what the mind has told it to do. This in turn affects the mind. Hard to
think happy thoughts while frowning. (Try it.)
Kim says, "Book 5 of the yoga stras says: Flexibility though entertaining isn't relevant.
Better you have tight hamstrings and are kind." (Note: There are 4 books in the yoga
stras.)
Pose: Vrsanaautomatically rotates femur inner heads internally; this is its
dharma/gift.
- At wall, Vrsanish.
sketch
- Lying on floor with pelvis at wall, sacrum on floor, rolled/folded blanket under spine &
head.
- Feet up on wall, knees bent, thigh width; belt around thighs just above knees.
- Separate thighs, coccyx should drop.
- Press knees together, coccyx should drop.
Aside: Tsana.
- Internally rotate femurs.
- Engage tailbone toward pubic bone (with the perineum).
- Externally rotate muscles of thigh & buttock bottom without tilting pelvis to align knees

no change in spine, no abs.

Pose: sketch Supine, hips & knees at 90.
- Assistant holds blocks between knees and ankles feet (ankle bones, big toe mound,
inner heel touching blocks).
- Work toward straightening the legs while keeping contact with the blocks.
- (I got confused doing this one.)
Set the mind aside and go directly to perceive.
Pose: Utkasanish at wall.
- Step two foot lengths away from wall and sit back into wall.
- Block between knees.
Legs straight to start, coccyx at wall, sit bones down.
- Then bend knees, lift perineum, lift kidneys.
Pose: Dasana with assist.
- Assistant behind holding strap around low ribs.
- Assistant puts big toe on sacrum.
- Without tightening belt, pull sacrum forward away from assistant's big toe.
- Extend heels away from sit bones.
- Engage/lift perineum.
Pose: Siddhsana on a block (left leg on top, then right leg on top).
- Keep from edge of range of motion so you have room to explore.
- Front shin & top of foot down to floor.
- Then take sacrum in as for Dasana.
- Pull perineum, not abs!
- Should feel knees move away from each other.
Siddhssana: knee is vertical (shin & foot press into floor).
Baddha Kosana: knee is horizonta (shin & foot would swing out along floor if
straightened).
Pose: Jnu rsana calls for vertical (Siddhsana) knee.
- On block.
- Engage perineum, pull sacrum in.

- Drape belly over thigh.

- Lift floating ribs (relative to body or floor?).
- Don't let diaphragm compress.
Pose: One leg Siddhsana, one leg Vrsana.
- One sit bone will be light.
- Lift lower side perineum toward opposite kidney.
- Bifurcate gastrocnemius to ease sitting into Vrsana.
Diagonalsperineum-kidney one key to balancing pelvis.
Pose: Jnu rsana (no block).
- Back leg in Siddhsana.
- Lower side perineum to opposite kidney.
- Length in side bodies.
- Ground femur inner heads.
- Lift perineum, take sacrum in.
- Let organs go, from the side of the back leg to the side of the front leg.
- Counter rotation in shoulders.
- Drape over front leg.
- Remember Ardha Nvsanavomiting sensation, perineum to T6, lengthen spine.
- Root humeri in shoulders, broad on back (serratus anterior).
Pose: Supta Hasta Pguhsana.
- Ground base femur strongly & lengthen heel.
- Lift leg with knee bent and grab big toe.
- Straighten lifted leg without perturbing lower leg or pelvis.
- Internally rotate raised thigh.
- Then tuck buttock to rebalance pelvis as needed (no abs!).
- Let lifted leg drift out to side.
- Tuck once more.
Pose: Supta Hasta Pguhsana (as above, standing).
Pose: Ardha Candrsana
sketch
- Mat at wall, stand with raised foot pressing wall, standing foot at edge of mat, knee

slightly bent.
- Standing foot at edge of mat, knee slightly bent.
- Raised foot over other edge, pressing wall.
- Externally rotate standing femur, tuck buttock (with thigh/buttock muscles, not abs).
- Lift raised side perineum to opposite kidney, which automatically helps rotation of
standing leg while freeing the kidney.
- Palm flat to educate standing leg.
- Now do it and hinge, raised leg toward face till kidneys lengthen and open up.
- Then rotate shoulders up more, and take leg back without perturbing kidneys.
Pose: Adho Mukha vnsana.
(No notes.)
Pose: Trikosana.
(No notes, we did standing Trikosana and then the exercise below on the floor....)
- Shoulders!
- Supine on roll, arms out (fingernails on floor).
- Raise arms without clutching chest, by separting scapulae.
- Props: Set up blocks at fingertips.
- Raise arms to push blocks away with fingers.
- Fingers should never lose contact with blocks.
Pose: Vsihsana Arms.
(No notes, and I should have taken some but I don't remember what we did!)
Aside: Caturaga Dasana.
- Hang torso from shoulder blades.
Pose: Nakrsana (Lizard Pose, Ridiculous Pose) (check: Nakrsana is Crocodile,
and Lizard is warrior legs with forward fold).
sketch
- Prone Trikosana, ankles/feet on mat.
- Press hands, ankles into floor.
- Lift humeri & femur heads.
- Untuck sit bones.
- Lift off with core strength! Perineum to kidneys.

Pose: Trikosana again.

(No notes!)
Pose: Salmba (supported) Caturaga Dasana.
[Hold a pose until the body informs you of something.]
- Lie prone on a bolster in Caturaga Dasanafeet on tiptoes.
- Then, perineum to kidneys to lift just a tiny bit.
- No shoulders lifting!
Pose: Assisted Caturaga Dasana.
- Strap around chest at kidney level.
- Assistant in strong horse stance to lift strap.
- Perineum to kidneys as above to lift off.
- Prop: Block between heels, squeeze it and internally rotate femurs to get buttock
action.
- Assistance may not be needed! (I did it without help.)
Caturaga Dasana is NOT A PUSH-UP.
[Release the coccyx and sacrum toward the pubic bone in all poses except
Sarvagsana. Should have asked more about this; is it an allowing of mulabandha?]
Pose: Caturaga Dasana at wall.
- Feet pressed into wall.
- Hands behind head.
- Elbows a bit forward of shoulders.
- Raise head so T1 is not poking out.
- Perineum to kidneys.
- Keep pelvis untucked, femurs back.
Pose: Caturaga Dasana standing assist.
- Standing as if in Caturaga Dasana, pinch scapulae together.
- Assistant puts hands on serratus anterior or on outside of shoulders.
- Try to spread scapulae without rolling shoulders forward.
Pose: Kksanish.

sketch
- Squat, hands on floor.
- Externally rotate humeri so elbows bend straight back.
- Knees to elbows.
- Expand kidneys. Perineum toward kidneys/T6.
- Then, lift knees 1mm off elbows.
- If you're doing it right, it isn't an incredible strain.
- Assistant can hold shoulders to prevent crashing into floor. :-)
- Then to full Kssana.
Pose: Mksana/Dolphin prep with palms up, thumbs down.
- Lengthen & broaden kidneys.
- Perineum to kidneys again.
- Assist: fist into T1+, form a wall. Then student pulls T1 away from fist.
- Thumbs are your gru here.
- Heading to Pica Mayrsana, which Insists on shoulder girdle integrity. irsana
requests it but doesn't require it. Pica comes first in Kim's teaching.
- Now do it with palms down.
Pose: Mksana/Dolphin, properly with hands clasped.
Pose: Pica Mayrsana prep, at wall.
sketch
- One block vertical at wall, other on top of that on long edge.
- Get into position facing blocks/wall, hands on either side of bottom block, head into
bottom block.
- Head lightly on floor.
- Step in till back touches block.
- Pull back away from block (as in assist with fist at T1 above).
Pose: rdhva Dhanursana.
- Belt at elbows to educate shoulders.
- Keep belt slack.
- Come down pelvis first.
sketch
- Prop: Hold a block by ends between hands, palms on floor, hands pointing away.
- Keep humeri grounded and try to straighten arms.

- Assist: Externally rotate & push humeri heads into armpit.

- Lift hips & sternum as in Setu Bandha Sarvagsana, straighten arms more, then
coccyx down (whole body down).
- Assistant repeats rotation & grounding of humeri heads, then removes assist to let
student do the work.
Pose: sketch
- Standing back to wall, feet one foot's distance from wall.
- Hold a block between hands, arms extended forward.
- Lift block overhead.
- Inner humeri up & back.
- Elbows ramrod straight.
- Go as high as you can with arms straight.
- How long can you hold it?
Prop Pose: rdhva Dhanursana arms at wall.
- Supine on roll, head toward wall.
- Arms overhead, palms to wall, fingers pointing down toward floor.
- Push by lowering inner humeri to floor and toward wall.
- Heels of hands should press more.
- Lengthen ribs to press heels of hands even more.
Pose: Setu Bandha Sarvagsana
- Full spinal extensionbackbend.
- No part of spine touches floor.
- Inner heels heavy.
- Come out by letting inner groins drop, coccyx to floor.
- Move shoulder girdle away from pelvis.