1: Start as always with five sūrya namaskāra. This time we did The “B” version
2: Introduction to piñca mayūrāsana
It’s very useful to take a block between the hands to keep the wrists apart and a belt round the elbows to stop them slipping outwards.
You can prepare the shoulders nicely by doing down-dog with elbows on the floor before trying to jump up.
3: Backbends/twists/headstand/forward bends/shoulderstand.
We looked at the pidgeon pose. This was my first head-to-foot pose and it’s a gateway to a group of advanced backbends.
The trick is to use a belt round the foot then swing the arm through.
Inverted paścima. This is not a particularly useful pose but rocking back and forth is very pleasant to relieve the back after advanced backbends.
4: Breath work. Lying on bolster watching the breath then mindfully relaxing.
To relax with Iyengar precision: take time to ensure you are lying symmetrically with no sway back and with arms and legs and head aligned. Then stop thinking.
