Yesterday we concluded the 3rd 21-day Yoga Challenge program successfully. There were a total of 15 participants. It is truly heartening to see everyone committed to come in every morning at 6 AM for these sessions. I would like to congratulate and thank all the students for their enthusiastic participation. For many of the students this was the first ever exposure to yoga. Over the course of the 21 days everyone reported improvement in their flexibility, range of motion, strength and endurance.
In addition to the basic routine as practiced in Integral Yoga, I introduced several variations to the standard poses and also some new poses from time to time. Here are some of the highlights from the program:
- Several variations during the Sun Salutation routine including variations on the Warrior Pose, Lizard Pose, Pigeon Pose etc.
- Introduction to the mantras for Sun Salutation.
- On one occasion, we practiced 12 rounds of Sun Salutation using the mantras.
- We practiced the 5 Tibetan Rites on two occasions – the full version on one and an abbreviated version the second time.
- We practiced the following pranayama techniques: Ujjayi, deep sectional breathing, kapalabhati, bhramari, bhastrika, udgita, breath retention (kumbhaka), bandhas (mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, jalandhara bandha), alternate nostril breathing etc.
- On several occasions, we discussed concepts in yoga philosophy as given by Sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. The students truly enjoyed these discussions as they felt that they could apply these concepts in their day-to-day lives and make their life more fulfilling.
You can read a brief outline of what we covered and comments by many of the students on the blog post here.
Encouraged by the very enthusiastic response, I am planning to continue to offer these programs on a regular basis. The next program that I will be teaching is the 10-day intensive on Pranayama and Meditation starting Oct 7. Please contact me if you are interested in attending any of the upcoming programs.
Recent Comments