Judy Atrubin

Recently my work schedule changed in substantial ways and with that I lost my consistent yoga practice.  Well, I really lost a bunch of time to doa sana, walk my dog in the middle of the day and hang out now and then in a coffee shop.  I found myself feeling thrown off balance, exhausted and unsettled by the change.  So, on the one hand, I’d say the most challenging part of my yoga practice now is my consistency. But really, I think the most challenging part of my practice is what I am telling myself about myself and my time, and how it leaves me less clear to make the decisions that ultimately bring me peacefulness, presence and joy.

Long before I had picked up any yoga text I met a woman who told me her teacher in California had given her the task of “when you have a negative thought, think a positive one instead.”  I thought, you travel all the way to California to study with some teacher and that is what you get?  Some time later I came upon the yoga sutra that asks us to do just that, tried it out and found it challenging and awesome.

 Sutra 2.33 translates roughly as, “When disturbed by negative thoughts or emotions, opposite (positive) ones should be thought of.” It’s not only yogis who espouse this but also neuroscientists who find that what we think about changes our brains. The author Chad

Helmstetter puts it this way “ After examining the philosophies, the

theories, and the practiced methods of influencing human behavior, I was

shocked to learn the simplicity of that one small fact: You will become what you think about most: The brain simply believes what you tell it most. And what you tell it about you, it will create.”

So my task is to take up, once again, Yoga sutra 2.33, re-realize my priorities and see the spaciousness that really is there to do my regular yoga practice, walk my dog and drink a little coffee. 

I am putting together a sequence of shoulder strengthening and opening as I see shoulders and arms like wings to fly. I have an old injury and who knows what else? that can limit my shoulder mobility and strength but I also feel great opening and spaciousness when I work into my shoulders. 

jathara
parivartanasana – supine – on back knees bent, side to side slowly keeping

opposite shoulder connected to ground –for shoulder/chest opening
virasana circle shoulders, reach arms wide –
gomukhasana arms – breathe center 5 breaths, then arch round x4- both sides

adho mukha svasana– down dog

tadasana
urdha hastasana –half gomukhasana(R.arm) –urdha hastasana- half gomukhasana(L arm) – 
urdhahastasana
uttanasana –fingers interlaced palms open
ardha utkatasana(skiers pose variation arms behind,  parallel palms facing in with resistance- then arms forward) –

uttanasana chataranga, low cobra
salabhasana-fingers interlaced, legs on ground, body side to side then centered
thread the needle– very twisty
setu bandha sarvangasana –with belt around ankles, hands holding strap on back , feet on ground knees bent-arms crossed hug- as released as possible

svasana