Homework

What we Learned Today:

Part One: The Wobble of Balance: A Path of Practice and Growth

  • Summary: Balance is a continuous practice that requires repetition over time. The Shiva Sutras teach that in our spiritual growth journey, we will constantly lose and re-find our center. Embracing the inherent wobble and unique challenge of a balancing posture can help us see it as a path of practice and growth, keeping us in the ‘Learning Zone’ and allowing us to revisit familiar mechanics from a whole new zone of awareness.

Part Two: Balance isn’t acrobatic, its essential: The Importance of Balance for a Functional and Fulfilling Life

  • Summary: Practicing balance postures is essential for a functional and fulfilling life, as we are on one foot 80% of the time when walking and our ability to balance is key to our overall movement efficiency and comfort. Studies have shown that a healthy body should be able to balance on one leg for 20 seconds or more without holding onto anything, which is also correlated with brain health and a lowered risk of stroke. Yoga helps us interact with the physiology of balance, which many scientists say is our greatest evolutionary asset.

Part Three: Exploring the Lateral Line in Balance Postures

  • Summary: This portion of class explored the importance of the lateral line of muscles, which include the abducting hip stabilizers, Fibularis muscles in the calf, and internal and external obliques and intercostals in the trunk and neck. By working with these muscles in balance postures, we can restore their efficiency, improve our balance, and enhance energy distribution through the body. Stretching the Fibularis muscles and maintaining a little "swagger" during walking can also improve overall movement efficiency.

  • Anatomical Landmarks:

    • Muscles of Lateral Line:

    • Fibularis

    • IT Band

    • Internal Obliques

    • External Obliques

    • Sternocleidomastiod

    • Splenius Capitis

Postures Covered in Class:

  • Vrikshasana

  • Virabhadrasana III

  • Ardha Chandrasana

  • Natarajasana

BELOW THIS LINE IS FOR SELF PACED STUDENTS

This Module’s assignment is to record yourself teaching Balancing postures for eight minutes. You cannot teach all of them in this time, and don’t need to— this is just about breaking the ice on teaching in general, and getting some helpful feedback from us along the way. If the posture has two sides, be sure to teach both of them before moving onto the next pose. You do not need to do any counter poses, and do not need to do any sequencing— just teach some of the poses you have learned for about 8 minutes, that’s it.

So the assignment again:

  • Teach for 8 minutes

  • Teach both sides of the pose

  • Enjoy the process, sink in and be a teacher!

  • Don’t try to teach all the poses

  • Don’t worry about counter posing or sequencing

  • We look forward to seeing your video and will leave comments below!

  • Email the link of your videos to Konalaniyoga@Gmail.com

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