Episode 9

Pincha Mayurasana | Vrschikasana | Marjarasana
Adho Mukha Vrkasana | Uttanasana | Vinyasa

“When your body and mind are free of impressions and thoughts, your experience is completely transformed.”
-Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

Arm Balances and Inversions challenge our perceptions. Often times, our impressions or thoughts about a certain person, situation, or pose are limited to the very small bit we see.

In this sequence, we approach arm balances in various different ways. Some are more easeful than others, but by allowing the impulse of the breath and the bandhas to move us, we are able to take force out of the muscles.

When we soften the thoughts and the body the experience of transformation because exponentially easier.

From downward dog, we lower the elbows into dolphin, allowing them to melt into the earth. When this rooting is steady, we walk the feet in towards the face so that the hips can stack over the shoulders and elbows as easily as possible. Using the exhale to engage mula and uddiyana bandha can help this stacking. Using the inhale and power through two active legs will float us into Pincha Mayurasana.

From here, root and melt the forearms even more so that space is created through the shoulders and torso, allowing it to fold into Vrschikasana- scorpion.

We come gently out of it, just the way we came in and spend a few moments in Balasana and Marjarasana to bring softness back into any areas where stagnation of impressions or thoughts may have accumulated.

From here, we root the hands firmly and experiment with different approaches to Adho Mukha Vrksasana- handstand. It’s nice to to counter these various approaches and attempts with versions of Uttanasana. It is a great way to soften back into the breath and stay in the flow of inverted energy.

As this inverted energy gets more comfortable and cultivates, we begin to experiment with more and more ways of coming into handstand: hopping, pressing, legs open or together…

To finish off and again bring ease into any places where stiffness may have entered the body, we come through a vinyasa and take a moment to rest sitting in a fetal position. Let the subtle or gross changes ripple through the breath and body.