Geeta Week Three

1. Samasthiti
2. Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana
3. Vrksasana
4. Utthita Trikonasana
5. Virabhadrasana II
6. Utthita Parsvakonasana
7. Virabhadrasana I (turning the trunk)
8. Utkatasana
9. Parsvottanasana (hands down, head down)
10. Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
11. Ardha Halasana (swinging from floor to rest feet on wall)
12. Paschimottanasana
13. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
14. Savasana

Geeta eliminates the hand/arm asanas and instead focuses on standing asanas. Vrksasana, Virabhadrasana I, Utkatasana, Uttanasana and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana are introduced this week. From this sequence, you discover that standing asanas are important and vital in the beginning of your yoga journey. In the place of inversions, there are prepartory poses in which the head is down like Setu Bandha Sarvangasana and the inversion Halasana.

Light on Yoga: Week Three & Four

1. Utthita Trikonasana
2. Utthita Parsvakonasana
3. Vibradrasana I
4. Vibradrasana II
5. Parivrtta Trikonasana
6. Parsvottanasana
7. Prasarita Padottanasana I
8. Salamba Sarvangasana I
9. Halasana
10. Savasana

In week three and four, Mr. Iyengar has eliminated Tadasana (which should be practiced at the beginning of every standing asana) and Vrksasana. In their place, he's added Parivrtta Trikonasana, which I find difficult for a beginner, and Prasarita Padottanasana I, which must be a preparatory for Sirsasana. Short sequence and different from Geeta's introduction to standing poses. She places Vibradrasana II in between Utthita Trikonasana and Utthita Parsvakonasana. She also incorporates more standing asana into the first weeks and gentle inversions.

Be Happy Now

Standing on my head in Sirsasana, I started to think upon being happy in the here and now. This statement has been said time and time again. I understand that. But as I have more time on my hands these days, my mind panics and dreams of a better place, a better time, a better anything. Will this be my key to happiness and a meaningful existence? Or will this "better" like anything else, succumb to the same ups and downs that make life confusing and exhausting? When do I have to change route in my life? Am I better off doing something completely different or must I make it work? Am I over thinking all of this? I remember my yoga teacher saying that confusion is good because you're taking control over your life by restating the rules. You are confused and so then you seek information on your own terms; nobody else's. Life is so short and sometimes feels like it's hanging by the thread. Shouldn't we seek meaning or do we have to worry about finding a job to pay the bills so that we can eat and have a place to sleep? If I'm happy, am I just comfortable? Maybe there's a fine line between seeking more meaning and just simply complaining. Be happy, but always strive to do your best. Life is taxing, how can we ever be happy in that stressful now? I guess situations can always be worse and you need an attitude of gratitude. Those overlooked pleasures can be taken away and that can be regretted. Maybe the more time on my hands, the more I contemplate because idle hand are the devil's playthings.