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3 - Yoga Day with Margaret Austin, High Wycombe, 25th January 2003.
This was to be the first Yoga Day that I have attended since Christmas and since the onset of teaching my own Yoga classes. So, I was looking forward to learning from Margaret who is one of the most experienced Iyengar Yoga teachers in the country, a teacher trainer and a Moderator.
I remembered Margaret from when I acted as a guinea-pig (one of the class) at an Introductory Teaching Assessment. Margaret was the moderator overseeing the assessment - I recall how she made every effort to relax the nervous candidates prior to the assessment and when asking a candidate a question, how she nudged him into the correct answer once it became clear the candidate was struggling. When Sheila Haswell asked me to write this article at the end of the class she said that the editor wanted technical information and details so I shall try to keep to the point as much as possible from what I can remember. Svastikasana Lift the spine from a square base.
Adho Mukha Virasana Most classes in Pune are now started with this posture.
Uttanasana Keep the legs vertical.
Adho Mukha Svanasana Let your buttocks pierce your pants.
Parsvottanasana and Virabhadrasana I Working with a partner. Partner stands on the back/outside edge of the foot to keep it grounded and has a belt just above and just below the knee of the back leg to pull back on. To bring the hips level the partner encourages the student to move the back leg hip forward. Rather than the common adjustment of pulling the front leg hip back, when if the student is working correctly, there is quite often little, if any movement.
Prasarita Padottanasana I This variation was given to the class after first doing the classical asana where Margaret noticed a lack of movement in my own pelvis. After getting into the full posture with the head down, use your elbows to push into the inner knees to encourage more pelvic tilt. Margaret also explained that when beginners complain that their inner knees hurt in this posture, it is normally due to the fact that they are letting their knees sink down instead of lifting.
Salamba Sirsasana II (3 point against the wall) To get the heels in line with the head.
Chaturanga Dandasana Tone the back muscles in preparation for back bends. Margaret said that this is the only asana that her husband can do better than her. He claims that this is all down to his superior technique and nothing do with the fact that he is a man!
Salabhasana Lift the inner thighs and calves.
Dhanurasana As above plus take the calves away from the thighs.
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (on chair) Tailbone and shoulder blades on the chair.
Urdhva Dhanurasana (with blocks to the wall then from the ground) Margaret demonstrated how difficult it is to push up if you take your feet too close to your buttocks. Your knees are too far forward which makes it mechanically very difficult for the body to push up. Once you are up you can always bring your feet closer to your hands.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (on four blocks feet on upright bricks). When coming out of the posture use your right hand to move the top block and your left hand to move the third block then rest on the remaining two blocks prior to coming down to the floor.
Margaret explained that from previous experience classes had become a little sedate after lunch, and were almost able to guess what postures were coming next. I really enjoyed the sequencing and learnt a lot - I shall look forward to passing on my experiences to my own students.
Margaret’s warmth, humour, depth of knowledge and quality teaching made this one of the most enjoyable Yoga days that I have been lucky enough to attend. Stuart Young
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