March 6, 2009

I spent 45 minutes with Abigail this morning.

I asked what she wanted to work on, and she mentioned that her lower back had been given her problems.

We started on our backs and simply breathed for a few moments, noting where in the body there might be stress.  Inhaled arms out across the floor, palms up, very slowly, all the way up beside the ears, then brought the arms up to the ceiling and down beside the body, palms up.

We repeated several times, using the breath.  Namaste.

With arms outstretched and feet beneath knees, release in the neck, turning right to left with the breath.  We did this until the neck and shoulders felt loose.

We then brought Knees to Chest,  hands to shins, and rocked gently back & forth, allowing the head to release with the rocking.

Went into Thread the Needle on one side, gently exploring where the edge of the pose might be.  Put one foot down beneath knee while raising the other to the ceiling, flexing the foot, engaging the lower back on the floor. Rotated the foot in both directions.

Brought the leg down very slowly to tap the floor, then raised to the ceiling again, using the breath the abs, lower back engaged, to move the leg.  Repeated 2x.

Went back to Knees to Chest, and gently rocked again, rocking out tension.

Went back to Thread the Needle on opposite side, raised the opposite leg to the ceiling and repeated rotating foot, raising leg up and down.

Finally, Knees to Chest once more.

Did a series of simple Bridges.

Then came to our sides, up into the Rock.

Inhaled up to Puppy Stretch, up to Garland Pose.

Inhaled up to Hero Pose and Namaste.  Moved into Closing the Gate, repeated on other side.

Namaste.

Down the Tabletop, then into a series of Cat Bows, Hollow Cat, Scairdy Cat.

Exhaled down to the Rock.

Kept that quiet space from the Rock as we moved in to Savasana.

I think I'm beginning to get the hand of FLOW!!!!!