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TEACHER OF THE MONTH
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I began practising yoga in 2001 and was lucky enough to take my
first class with an inspiring and very experienced teacher named
Angelika Grohmann. My passion for this wonderful practice was
ignited immediately.
I came to yoga for many reasons. I had an on-going health
condition that I had heard yoga might help with, I also had a huge
knot of tension across my neck and shoulders that I just couldn’t
release, and my father had recently died quite suddenly and
unexpectedly and I was trying to come to terms with this and
understand a little more deeply what life might be about. Yoga has
helped with all of this and much, much more.
From being an avid student, I qualified to teach in 2006 after a
four year, 500 hour training with Aurolab Yoga. During this period
I also became very drawn to and committed to the practice of
Ashtanga yoga and developed a daily practice firstly under the
tutelage of the amazing Eileen Gauthier and then under the expert
guidance of Charlie Taylor-Rugman.
My teaching developed slowly and organically, during which time
I still had a full-time job in book publishing. Eventually, as my
classes grew, it came to a point where I could no longer really
continue with both things and I finally found the courage to quit
my day job to focus solely on my teaching – and I have never looked
back.
Alongside my Ashtanga practice I have also explored other styles
of yoga and have been fortunate enough to study with many great
teachers. I have been particularly influenced by Dharma Mittra’s
inspirational and dedicated approach to the path of yoga, and also
by Sarah Powers, with whom I completed a further teacher training
in Yin Yoga and Meditation.
I believe that all yoga, whatever the style, should be
accessible to everyone and should help us to find more space, ease,
stability and strength in our bodies, minds and hearts, and to feel
more joyful and grateful for all that we have in life.
I continue to learn more about yoga with each day that passes,
from my own practice, from my students and from other inspiring
teachers, all of which feeds into my constantly evolving
teaching.
Sarah Burgess
sarahburgessyoga.com
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BEGINNER’S POSE
Parighasana (GATE POSE)
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HOW TO PERFORMBegin by kneeling, knees together and arms by your
side.Feel the connection between the knees and the ground beneath
you. Take a few breaths here and really allow both the front of
your torso and your spine to lengthen upwards, feeling an extension
all the way through to the crown of your head.
On an inhalation extend your arms out the side, shoulder height
and parallel to the floor, palms facing down, and at the same time
turn and extend your right leg out to the side, pointing the right
foot. The right foot should be in line with the left knee. Keep the
right toes and sole of the foot on the floor, and the kneecap and
shinbone facing upward.
Find your balance here. On another inhalation really elongate
through the torso, turn the palms of the hands to face upwards, and
as you exhale bend your torso to the right, folding at the hip.
Keep extending through the torso and through the arms and bring the
back of the right hand to rest on the right leg, and extend the
left arm upwards and over alongside your left ear.
Resist the temptation to lean forward – keep the back of the
body on one plane as if both buttocks and both shoulders were
touching a wall behind you.
Turn your face towards the left arm and gaze along the underside
of the arm towards your left hand.
Remain here for 5-10 breaths, continuing to extend through the
right leg, both sides of the torso and along both arms into the
fingertips.
On an inhalation come back up and on an exhalation release the
arms back by your sides and bring the right leg back in to
kneeling.
Pause for a few breaths, feeling the difference in length
between both sides of the body, and then repeat on the other
side.
BENEFITSLengthens the muscles of the extended leg Creates space
and length along the whole side of the torso, shoulder and
armStretches and extends the hips and abdomen in one movement,
helping to keep the waist and stomach in shape
MODIFICATIONSIf it is challenging to rest the whole foot of the
outstretched leg flat on the mat and keep your shin facing up, then
rest the foot on a foam block.If the full posture feels too intense
to begin with, keep the left arm extending vertically upwards
rather than taking it over the head.
CONTRAINDICATIONSIf you have a knee injury or hypermobility in
the knee joint, proceed with care in this posture. It may be more
beneficial to practise a side stretch from a cross-legged
position.
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INTERMEDIATE POSE
Virabhadrasana III (WARRIOR III)
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HOW TO PERFORM Sit upright with straight legs. Bend the left
knee, and pull the foot against your right buttock. Then bend your
right knee, lift the leg and support the heel and ankle with both
hands. Take the leg over the right shoulder like a backpack,
resting the back of the knee on the head of the shoulder. Take one
cycle of breath here, feeling the sensation of your inhale into the
right hip and buttock, and with an exhale, soften the right groin
and hip, feel the femur drop slightly creating a little more space
in the hip joint. Then grab the top of the foot with your left
hand, holding the leg on top of the shoulder, and place the right
hand on the floor beside you.
Slowly turn your torso left a little, pressing the right hand
flat, arm straight, and extend the leg up slowly, flexing the heel.
With each exhale, gradually work the right leg straighter, as the
left arm gently moves behind the head. Keep your breathing slow and
soft, avoiding excessive muscular force in the leg.
Stay in the pose for 4-6 cycles of breath. To come out, bend the
straight leg, letting it slide off the shoulder to the floor.
Straighten both legs and repeat on the other side.
BENEFITSStrengthens core abdominal muscles and spine.Tones
abdominal organs.Creates heat in the body.Increases flexibility in
the shoulders, hips, sacrum, and legs.
MODIFICATIONSKeep the upper leg bent and the back of the knee
resting on the shoulder. With both hands supporting the heel and
ankle, pull the foot gently towards the chest.
CONTRAINDICATIONSAvoid if the sacrum is unstable or spinal disks
are injured or weak. Pre-existing shoulder, hip, or hamstring
injuries require more acute attention and slower movements to avoid
overuse and/or re-injury.
HOW TO PERFORMFrom Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I), exhale and
bring the hands together in prayer position in front of the
chest.
Inhale and step the back foot in a little closer to the front
foot, whilst still keeping the front leg slightly bent. Pause here
as you exhale.
With your next inhalation, press strongly into the front foot
and begin to straighten the front leg whilst lifting the back foot
off the floor until the back leg is fully extended out behind
you.
Rotate the outer edge of the back thigh downwards, so that both
hips remain level with the floor and the sacrum is fairly flat.
Keep both legs strong and active and really press backwards through
the heel of the lifted leg. Engage through your core to help with
the balance.
If the posture feels comfortable and stable, then inhale and
extend your arms out in front of you, palms of the hands facing
each other. Gaze beyond the hands.
Stay here for 5 breaths, extending the spine, reaching forward
through the arms and into the fingertips and backwards through the
raised leg at the same time.
Feel a mental line of energy running along the whole back of the
body, and feel the strength and balanced beauty of this powerful
warrior pose.
To release, on an exhalation carefully lower the raised leg back
to the floor behind you, as you bend the front leg, and inhale as
your arms and chest lift back into Warrior I. Repeat on the other
side.
BENEFITSStrengthens the legs and the abdominal musclesHelps to
lengthen the spineAs a balancing pose, it helps to quieten and
focus the mind
MODIFICATIONSIf the balancing is a challenge, do not extend the
arms to begin with, but keep them in prayer position in front of
the chest.
You can also stand with a wall one leg’s length behind you and
press the foot of the raised leg into the wall for support. This
can be a very useful way to find correct alignment in the posture
before attempting it in the middle of the room.
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ADVANCED POSE
Bakasana(CROW POSE)
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HOW TO PERFORM Come onto your hands and knees with the hands
shoulder-width apart, fingers turned out 45 degrees. Bend your
arms, pulling the elbows in enough to support the side ribs, and
slowly lower your chin to the floor.
Tuck your toes forward, lift the knees off the floor,
straightening your legs. Slowly walk the feet forward, lifting the
hips higher. Then raise one leg, pointing the toes, and swing the
leg up. Simultaneously, press down into your hands and feel the
momentum of the swinging leg draw the other leg up to meet - feet
together, legs vertical. This may take several tries to develop
more precision with your swinging leg to lift up and balance.
With your legs vertical, weight equal on the hands and chin,
slowly bend your legs, feet dropping towards the head, and let the
ribs drop a little between the arms. Notice as the feet drop, more
weight is on the chin, as the ribs drop there is more weight on the
hands, so move slowly keeping weight evenly balanced between the
hands and chin. Breathe slowly and release any unnecessary tension
in the shoulders, chest and throat.
Stay in the pose 4-6 cycles of breath, and when complete, slowly
lower one leg to the floor and come down. Finish in Child’s Pose,
knees and feet together, releasing the arms beside you, elbows
bent.
BENEFITS Strengthens core abdominal muscles.Tones abdominal
organs.Creates heat in the body.Strengthens the heart, lungs,
shoulders and feet.Increases flexibility and strength in the
spine.Increases circulation in the head and neck.
CONTRAINDICATIONSAvoid if suffering from cervical disk injury or
arthritis of the neck. Avoid if suffering from lumbar disk
injuries. Chronic imbalances in the pelvis, or moderate to severe
scoliosis require more acute attention and slower movements to
avoid overuse and/or acute injury. Pre-existing shoulder and neck
injuries require more acute attention and slower movements to avoid
overuse and/or re-injury.
HOW TO PERFORMTo prepare for Crow Pose it can be very helpful to
do a few postures that allow the spine to round, such as Cat Pose
or Garland Pose (Malasana), as the spine is required to round in
Crow.
From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), inhale and raise the arms up and
exhale and fold forward, placing the hands on the floor shoulder
width apart, and about 10 inches (25 centimetres) in front of the
feet, with the middle finger pointing forward and the other fingers
spreading out from there.
With the feet close together, come on to tiptoes, begin to bend
the legs, widening the knees whilst keeping the bottom lifting
high.
Begin to bend the elbows a little, lift the heels higher off the
floor, and shift your weight forward into the hands to bring the
knees on the upper arms as close to the arm pits as possible.
Strongly press the knees in against the upper arms, engage
through your abdominal muscles, and trust in the support of your
arms. Once the weight is in the hands, lift the feet fully off the
floor, and straighten the arms as much as possible. Keep the feet
together and active, pressing through the ball joints of the big
toes, and drawing the heels in towards your buttocks. Keep the
bottom high and allow the spine to round upwards.
Stay for 5 to 10 breaths, engaging mula bandha and keeping the
head up and the gaze on the tip of the nose to help with your
balance.
To exit the pose, either carefully lower the feet back to the
floor and inhale to come back to standing, or step or jump back to
Chaturanga Dandasana and continue via your Vinyasa flow into your
next pose.
BENEFITSStrengthens the wrists, arms, shoulders and abdominal
musclesQuietens and focuses the mindHelps to face and conquer the
fear of falling forward, which can help build confidence and
courage in other areas of our livesHelps to build the strength and
focus required for more challenging arm balancing poses
MODIFICATIONSTo begin with, do not try to straighten the arms
but keep the elbows bent as you learn to balance.Practise
transferring the weight back and forth from toes to hands, without
actually taking the feet off the floor.If you are worried about
falling, place a large cushion in front of your hands to relieve
the fear.
CONTRAINDICATIONSNot suitable for those with current wrist
injuries Those with a current shoulder injury should also proceed
with caution
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