‘The Head is the Foundation’ A vital part of understanding problems involving the shoulders and arms rests upon understanding the role of the head as the ‘foundation’ of shoulder health. Traditionally we think of the foundation of the body — in yoga and in our posture in life — in terms of the foundation set by the feet (and how the bones are ‘stacked’ above it). But because the shoulders ‘hang’ from the head in important ways, it’s vital to look above them for their foundation. Neck health and the impact of postural patterns of the head and neck on the rest of the body will be explored in the context of asana practice and what it has to teach us, in keeping with the maxim “As above, so below.” The guiding principle will be the yogic insights behind the ‘bandhas’ — Jalandhara bandha in particular. Special attention will be given to problems arising from neck tension as well as misalignment in asana practice, as well as neck-strengthening and neck-aligning strategies for practice. The Arm ‘Sutras’ This will lead us into working with the myofascial ‘Sutras’ of the arms — an exploration of the myofascial lines or ‘sutras’ that govern the actions of the arms — the lines of larger muscles that govern the movement of the shoulder blades and give the arms their power, as well as the deeper lines of muscles that govern rotations and are crucial for the health of the rotator cuffs, elbows and wrists. A big challenge in practice and in life comes from the shoulders, which can be limited in movement as well as being easily injured. We will take a deep and natural approach to ‘shoulder opening,’ thinking of the action of the rotations of the arms as beginning from the spirals of the hands and wrists. We’ll incorporate wrist health and elbow awareness into the poses that challenge our shoulders (and neck!). The session will include helpful information about the shoulder — its structure and how it works in various arm positions, and how variations in the usual shoulder actions can be helpful for mobilizing the shoulders, with some remedial stretches as well!

Each Day will include some Pranayama and Exploration of the Role of Deep Relaxation/Yoga Nidra in Yoga This will include a consideration of the role of Yoga Nidra in any yogi’s practice in light of contemporary research on sleep. Many of the deeper processes of meditative yoga having to do with reducing the power of ‘samskaras,’ undoing or rewriting emotional patterns often described in terms of ‘working on the chakras’ and so on will be more practically comprehensible when we consider how these functions are handled in sleep. Yoga Nidra as a practice of hatha yoga augments and deepens this natural process. We’ll consider variations on the approach to Yoga Nidra, and will practice a fundamental form that allows us to go even deeper than seated meditation.