Balancing Opposites, Standing Poses – Weekly Advanced Class 15

One of the signs of making progress in yoga is the feeling of composure in poses where initially there was struggle. With continual practice it is inevitable that we will start to get glimpses of the elusive “effortless effort”. The ability to balance opposing actions enables you to stay in yoga poses without over exerting or pushing. With some of the hardness removed from the pose you gain space to observe more subtle aspects such as the breath. At this point you will probably find that your practice starts to give back more energy than it takes out.

Standing poses at their most simple involve the action of pressing down into the floor in order to lift the body weight upwards. When these two actions are in balance a natural lightness comes to the body. In a similar way this class focusses on balancing actions of forwards and backwards; turning the right side in balance with the left side; stability and movement. All of the main standing poses from this level are included in this class.

Tadasana, Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana I, II & III, Parsvakonasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parsvottasana, Prasarita Podottanasana

Mat, bolster, 2 blankets, 2 blocks, belt