One of Prashant’s raps today was “the breath for the body, the breath for the mind, the breath for the breath, the body for the breath.” It felt more like a riddle today, an infinity loop doubling back on itself.
His message has been consistent in encouraging us to not do the perfect pose but to learn from the poses we have worked so hard to perfect. We have practiced long enough and should reap the benefits of our labor. Beginners “Learn to Do” and advanced practitioners “Do to Learn”. So, once the pose is learned, do the pose and use it as a facility to learn about the body, mind, breath, and self.
Frequently he will say “Come out. Sit. Listen.” And we sit wherever we are to the message. One of his analogies today was a party analogy. Say I invite you over for a party. I have worked to make delicious and beautiful food. Once you arrive I uncover it and show it to you, then ask you to leave without tasting it. That’s what it is like once a practioner knows the poses yet does not take advantage of the knowledge they can share. Eat the food. Take advantage of your work. Get the spoils. Do to learn.
Here is the sequence as I remember it:
Full Arm Balance or Adho Mukha Svanasana
In groups either rope Adho Mukha Svanasana, rope bhujangasana, or leg lifts. Switch, repeat until everyone had a chance at the rope wall.
Bharadvajasana
Sirsasana
Rotate between standing back arch, ustrasana, rope around waist facing the wall (sort of rope purvottasana),and Dwi pada virpariti on a chair. There was also an urdhva danurasana in the mix too.
Salamba Sarvangasana (chair or floor)
Janusirsasana and Paschimottanasana or
Vipariti karani or block setubandha
Savasana
