Stretch and Strength, Sthira and Sukham: Teaching a Private: Wailea, HI: April 11, 2021

A little strength and a little softness: Both are necessary skill sets.

The practices of yoga meet us where we're at. It's easy to think of a practice as targeting one body part or the other, or one effort or the other (flexibility, strength, patience, effort, for example), but in truth it's all there every practice; it's more of a matter on what you pay attention to.

Our first order of practice for the Sunday yogi was mainly about getting some movement and flexibility in the body. There was also quite a bit of calming; after all, we were in a pandemic and had yoga-ed through an election, an out of control virus, and while the weather here in Maui has been lovely, our brothers and sisters around the world have been suffering wildfires, freezing temperatures and a host of social unrest. Strength was a needed practice for the purpose of withstanding massive amounts of stress and uncertainty.

The Sunday yogi and I, and our respective family are all vaccinated now, and that's quite a relief. Still, we yoga outside. Still, we wash hands. Still, we keep space between our mats and such. Mindful we are still in pandemic days, but the world is opening up more for us and it seems to me strength just to withstand the increase in activity, joyful as it is, is a good idea.

I was at a dinner party last night. The usual precautions, of course, and it was so much fun that I barely noticed 4 hours of non stop socializing was happening.

I woke up a little tired. I'm out of party practice, to be sure.

So we beefed up our strength practices as well as did a lot of twists to help us digest the amazing food and complete delight of being together with friends once again.

Here's our sequence:

Prone savasana  with neck stretch windsheid wiper
Sphinx with neck stretch
Half frog with twist
Supine dancing shiva

Swim
locust play

Cat and cow
Gate side bend
Easy side plank
Half half moon

Half virasana  with side bend

Tadasana
Mango tossing or shake

Pyramid with guitar hero
Parsvatadasna with angli mudra or arms overhead  option

Criss cross legs with side bend, elbow.catcing option

Warrior II
Trikonasana

Tree at tree

Legs up the beach chair savasana with belly breath
gratitude meditation

Namaste