There are at least 5 Ways to begin your yogaSOMATICS class to help your students come HOME to their bodies.
STANDING
LAYING ON BACK
QUADRUPED
SEATED
LAYING ON BELLY
Following are a few progression suggestions - from different orientations with gravity - that can help you to begin your classes in different and responsive ways. Remember, the goal is not that you NEED to do it different every time . . . these suggestions are just to help you diversify . . . and have a wide reaching response for you and your students needs from day to day. The following progressions COULD be useful for the first 10-15 minutes of a class.
1. Uttanasana - Malasana - Milking open backs of legs to CLOUD HERDING (Standing)
2. Constructive Rest (Spiaggiasana) - making the “foot prints”
3. Cosmic Cat - Burrowing - Balasana (with vase breathing)
4. Seaweed Sitting with hand at navel - Vase Breathing
5. Belly Kissing Earth - Rolling Sphinx - to Balasana
HOMEWORK WEEK 5:
Watch and Practice with the “Cloud Herding” Video. This is a lovely way to bring your attention back to yourself and is a really good way to start a standing or seated class. Share your reflections of the practice and also if you have shared it with any of your classes.
Read and complete the questions in the PDF - exploring how we can begin our classes or practice times with different orientations with gravity - standing, sitting, laying down, quadruped. If you have tried with any of your classes or students, do you notice when it is good to use different starts . . . when is it good for you to begin in a familiar way?
Please submit your reflections in doc or pdf format by email to ateekayoga@gmail.com by Wed 2 April 2025.