aYs Foundation Course: an Outline

This course is for those who wish to develop their skills and experience of working within a yoga framework developed from the work of Krishnamacharya, TKV Desikachar and Paul Harvey. It is for those who have some experience of yoga practice and wish to develop their knowledge in support of their own practice. This course will provide appropriate tuition for those wishing to train as teachers within this tradition, for example by taking the Sadhana Mala Teacher Training Course(http://www.sadhanamala.com), which is an aYs approved course.

Course Outline is as follows:

1) BACKGROUND TO YOGA
Definition and role of yoga, and yoga practices
Time line revision (from Intro Course)
Origins review, overviews of HYP Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yoga (linked to texts)
Yoga and Samkhya, (Purusha , Prakriti, Gunas)
Yoga schools and traditions (eg Viniyoga, Iyengar, Sivananda, Astanga Vinyasa)

2) PRACTICE DESIGN
Breath and movement, SLIBS (review) counterpose, Sthira sukha (review, covered in Intro Course)
Dynamic and static
Langhana and Brmhana
Vinyasa – bringing it all together, and linking of asana, pranyama, mudra and bandha in practice, and the role of chanting and meditation.

3) ASANA
Overall view of asana and groupings, Standing, Floor, Inverted, Seated
Description of postures using headings,
Name, Form, Place in practice, preparation, counterpose, breathing, contra-indications, modifications, bhavana
Link postures: samasthiti, vajrasana, (+ dynamic), savasana, apanasana, chakravakasana
Forward bends: Uttanasana, paschimotanasana, janu sirsana
Backward bends: Dvi pada pitham, Bhujangasana, Virabhadrasana 1
Twists: jathara parivritti, Parivritti trikonasana, Ardha matsyendrasana
Inverted: sarvangasana
Seated: Sukhasana, padmasana, (vajrasana), siddhasana
(Balances: Vrksasana)
(Side bends: Trikonasana)

4) PRANAYAMA
Natural breath
Length quality, rhythm (review from Intro Course)
Length, pauses and ratio
Directional Breathing
Techniques to include: Ujjayi, Anuloma Ujjayi, Nadi Shodhana, Sitali / Sitkari,
Vinyasa, simple practice design

5) YOGA PHILOSOPHY
Overview (based on timeline)
Yoga Sutra Citta vritti nirodha, Sthira sukha (review from Intro Course)
Mind and the role of yoga, YS 1-10, astanga yoga leading into Ch.3
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, - more detailed overview, structure and sequence of chapters, links between them
Kriya yoga, especially isvara pranidhana,
Astanga yoga especially yama and niyama
Yoga sutra and meditation (outline concepts)
Relevance of these concepts today

6) MEDITATION
Definition and Purpose from the Yoga sutra
Experience of meditational practice, such as breath awareness, use of external objects e.g. light source

7) SOUND AND CHANTING
Sound in asana

8) OBSERVATION AND TEACHING OF YOGA
What is the role of a posture, and how can it change? Form and function – linked to asana discussions
Working with the spine, linked to A&P

9) ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Functional breathing components (revision from Intro course)
Spine, form and function
The next two should be linked to kinesiology:
Vulnerable areas and safe practice – spine, especially neck, lower back; joints, especially knees
Functional stretching – targeted areas such as shoulders & upper back, chest, lower back / hamstrings

10) KINESIOLOGY
Movement and levers
Prime movers and antagonists
Flexion and extension, of spine and major limbs (linked to forward and backward bends)

14) HOME STUDY
Tutor set asana practice, later incl. pranayama
Preparatory reading from Heart of Yoga, Yoga sutras, and handouts