Give & Take

Set the theme while they are in Supta Badonkonasana, Child's Pose, Savasana or Prone Savasana

     To everything in life there is a balance of opposites.  Nature consistently fluctuates.  Within a year, we have the cycle of the four seasons. Within a day we have the seasons too: morning (spring), mid day (summer), afternoon (fall) and night time (winter) but we also have light and dark, night and day, sun and moon, unless you live at the poles.  We also have opposing energies like male and female, yin and yang,  form and formless, light and dark, left and right, right and wrong, up and down and tonight’s theme: give and take.  Between it is important to understand that in these opposites there is no good or bad, they are just different forms of the same thing, different seasons. 

     How many times have you given expecting something in return?  On a deeply unconscious level, many of us give to get.  Embarrassing as it may be, when we shine light on this, we can begin to change it.  We create our own reality through the awakened and unawakened parts of our conscious and unconscious.

     Giving to get often leads to disappointment when our expectations are not fully met.  We project our expectations onto what we might recieve in return for what we give and if it is not enough or if it is more than we thought, we are taken aback by it, right? And that is because it is not what we expected and so trying to control something so unpredictable is a waste of your time and energy.  

     The universe/God/Reality is so much bigger and more powerful than we could ever imagine.  So why project our limited viewpoints into our experience here on earth?  When you drop the limitations on what you receive from the universe, you open yourself up to a limitless amount of possibilities.  And because our yoga practice is a simulation of life, practicing humility on your mat by giving with absolutely no expectations for return will come naturally to you off your mat & open you up to your fullest potential.  

     On your mat, you can practice humility by staying completely present.  Have you ever heard the phrase, let go and let God?  Well, that’s what we are after tonight.

Pranayama with Anjali Mudra opening arms wide and bringing them back to heart center.  Chanting Om

Mantra: "I give and receive with my whole heart expecting nothing."

Asana: focus on heart chakra (Anahata)

Have them focus on inhaling to receive & exhaling to give their intention, whether its love, compassion or whatever they like.

Use lots of heart openers, another word for heart in sanskrit is hrid, hri = to give and d = to receive.

Core

5 x Sun A

Core

5 x Sun B 

1. Crescent: Dancing Warrior to reverse warrior to extanded side angle to half moon to chaprasana.
2. Warrior I to side plank with big toe hold to forearm plank to elbow touches. so side plank.
3. Warrior II to bound warrior to birds of paradise to crescent to prayer twist to reverse birds of paradise.
4. Warrior III to Star to prasaritta to tripod headstand 
5. Warrior I to hip openers

Sun C to Backbends

Core

Twists

Warm-down

Meditation:

Poem:

“Yoga of the Heart”:

When I want to reconnect

With the infinite wonder of the universe

And remember

That I’m an integral part

Of that infinite wonder,

I often just relax and think

About the infinite wonder of my heart

And the way it pumps nourishment

From the air we breathe

Throughout our wondrous bodies.

How can anyone doubt

That body and spirit and universe

Are one

When we can feel

The awesome unfathomableness

Of the heart

In all its physical and spiritual wonder

Embracing, dancing with the breath

Every moment of our lives?" -Unknown