THE ART OF ADJUSTING - Brian Cooper

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AsouT THE AuTHOR

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Brian Cooper has been practicing Hatha Yoga since 1970 and teaching full time since 1990. His first formal studies were at Yoga Niketan in Rishikesh in 1972. He holds a doctorate in Bio-Engineering and an advanced diploma in Thai Massage. These strands have come together to produce this manual. He was co-founder of the Edinburgh Yoga Centre and director of Union Yoga in Edinburgh. He is director of Teacher Training for Union Yoga, and executive consultant for Yoga Alliance UK. He is the founder of the eco-aware Shanti Griha Retreat Centre in the secluded north west of Scotland. Brian runs teacher training and yoga classes all over the world. You can find more information at: • www.briancooper.eu • www.unionyoga.co.uk

RESOURCES

Other Harmony Classics COOPER, Brian

Yoga: The Art of Adjusting 2nd Edition Hatha Yoga- The Report of a Personal Experience

BERNARD, Theos

Penthouse Of The Gods

BERNARD, Theos

Pranayama- The Yoga of Breathing

LYSEBETH, Andre Van

Yoga and Health

YESUDIAN, Selvarajan and HAICH, Elisabeth

Yoga Week By Week

YESUDIAN, Selvarajan

Autobiography of a Yogi

YOGANANDA, Paramahansa

Union Yoga Publishings Yoga Asanas- A Natural Method of Physical & Mental Training

FREDERIC, louis

Hatha Yoga -The Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being

RAMACHARAKA, Yogi

Advanced Course In Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism

RAMACHARAKA, Yogi

www.harmonypublishing.org

CoNCLUSION

This manual has shown the many ways to use adjusting to enhance asana practice. Whatever the adjustment you choose, you should always use the correct approaches and techniques as discussed in these pages. The adjustments shown are only a cross-section of what is possible. Provided you carry them out properly, there is really no limit to ways of adjusting, and the forms these can take is limited only by the imagination. I hope this manual will give you the confidence, not only to practise, but to experiment and develop your own approach to this skill. Adjusting can be greatly enhanced by studying Traditional Thai Massage. Thai Massage teaches sensitivity, awareness and understanding of the body like few other therapies can. And of course the ultimate way of learning is through your own body. Do your asana practice with the same mindfulness as you would carry out adjusting.

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BACK

B END I NG

I Adjustments

To ensure correct shoulder opening, keep your student's arms approximately shoulder-width apart while the student lifts off the floor and also when they come back to the floor. Do this by pressing against their forearms using your hands or forearms. If a student has poor shoulder flexibility they will find this very challenging. In this case you can allow their arms to come a little wider in order for them to lift into position.

To help students lift from the floor, have them grab the adjuster's ankles.They can use this to push and get more lift. You can then assist them further by holding around their shoulders and pulling them up and towards you. The same adjustment can be done using a wall. The student places her wrists against the wall and uses this contact to push into theasana.

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BAC K B E ND I NG I Adjustments

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The actions using the wall can also be done using adjustments. Using a belt provides better and safer control compared to holding the student directly. The belt Is placed around the lower back just on the rim of the sacrum. The student starts dropping back as you hold the pelvis forward

and check that the student's legs are working strongly. Make sure they are breathing in the position and then instruct them to come back up under their own effort, only using the belt to prevent them falling back.

Gradually take the student deeper, allowing some movement in the pelvis. The adjuster can also stand on the student's toes to prevent the heels lifting as they come up.

BA C K BE ND I NG I Self Adjustments

This set of photographs shows how to work towards Urdhva Dhanurasana using a wall. The principle is to push evenly into the wall to open the shoulders and lift the pelvis away from the ground. The legs must work strongly and the breath must be smooth.

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Stay In the first position until there is no effort to hold it for at least twenty even breaths, then move onto the next position, gradually moving further down the wall.

In each position you should be able to come back up by moving the pelvis away from the wall without pushing through the hands.

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Before attempting any adjusting in the backbends, it is important that the student is adequately prepared. There is no point in, for example, helping someone drop back if they are not using their legs to give proper support for their back, or not working correctly to open the shoulders. The classic signs are legs bending almost immediately and pelvis tipped way off vertical. And most importantly, the breath must remain strong and smooth throughout. The following photos show a few simple ways of preparing for Urdhva Ohanurasana.

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1:=1 Back Bending

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URDHVA

MUKHA

PASCHIMOTTANASANA

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his is the balance version of Paschimottanasana. It emphasizes the lifting and lengthening of the back and the forward movement of the sternum which was explored in Paschimottanasana. Without this action the asana is impossible because a rounded back will drag the body backwards.

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PRIMA"

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] URDHVA

MUKHA

PASCHIMOTTANASANA

IAdjustments

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OBSERVE

PASSIVE ADJUSTMENT

• The student is hanging with soft legs and not pulling sufficiently on the feet

• Push and lift with your right hand between the shoulder blades • This is achieved by pushing your knee against the back of your hand rather than directly with the knee • The left hand pulls the feet towards the head • Use a closing action between both your hands to bring the chest forward and lifted

URDHVA

MUKHA

PASCHIMOTTANASANA

Foundation Legs are straight and heels extended Hands wrap around the outside edges of the feet Balance on the sit bones, not the tall bone

What to do Lift the sternum towards the legs Lengthen out of the lower back Either hold the outside edges of the feet or take a wrist Pull strongly through the arms to bring chest to legs Gaze to the toes

_] SUPTA

PADANGUSTHASANA

C IAdjustments

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PASSIVE ADJUSTMENT o

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This adjustment encourages the proper action of the raised leg by fixing the hamstrings near their insertion This also prevents the pelvis on the side of the raised leg from lifting from the floor.

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A~ANAS

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SUPTA

PADANGUSTHASANA

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Foundation Front leg stays on the floor and toes extend Raised leg stays close to the ear Top of the foot of raised leg goes to floor and toes extend

What to do Extend through the front leg Move back of the knee to the floor

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PR!MARV

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AIAOAI

SUPTA

PADANGUSTHASANA

B IAdjustments

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OBSERVE

PASSIVE

ADJUSTMENT

• The side leg has not reached the floor

• Use your foot to gently press down on the fixed leg • Now rotate the thigh of the opening leg using both hands

PASSIVE

ADJUSTMENT

• This is an inward rotation as shown which drops the sit bone down and Ulider and brings the outside edge of the foot to the floor.

SUPTA

PADANGUSTHASANA

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Foundation Both legs straight and heels extended Hold the big toe with the thumb and forefinger Hips remain level to each other and on the floor Sitting bones remain grounded Shoulders and shoulder blades remain in contact with the floor

What to do Rotate the side leg medially until the entire edge of the foot is grounded Extend strongly through the other leg Gaze to the side

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SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA

IAdjustments

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OBSERVE

AcTIvE ADJUSTMENT

AcTivE ADJUSTMENT

• The student does not have sufficient strength to lift towards the leg

• Place one foot gently on the thigh of the leg on the floor to keep it down • Take hold ofthe foot ofthe upraised leg • Pull the leg towards you and ask the student to raise her head as close to the leg as possible

• You can now slowly let go of the foot while asking your student to keep lifting the head to the leg

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