Lessons of the Student Teacher

Wednesday, 12/9, began with a gentle restorative class taught by Cyndi Bulka at Moving Mantra. Our apprentice group attends this class, with one of us taking notes on the lesson. Today became my turn. I was fortunate to also participate in the lesson. I enjoyed the Warrior Series and plan to incorporate it's building of balance and strength into my lesson plans. Our group meeting helped my awareness of how to prevent lower back issues with the Cobra pose by generating a gradual curve in the spine.
The chair yoga class at The Cypress included three regular students, one who has dramatically reduced the curvature in her spine and another who has Parkinson's Disease who is now able to hold her head up for a sustained amount of time. They have also been noticed an increased ability to breathe in a steady, controlled rhythm. It is great to facilitate the resident's health as they also feel more empowered by their successes. We explored lifting the arms up and developing a greater range of motion in the shoulders. This helped with extension of the spine as they pressed their feet down to counter-pose reaching upward. Time for me to go and prepare for tonight's class!