Mind Map from Elwanda Klucik

General

Work from where you are. Something is better than nothing. Along with training your nervous system, you are training your monkey brain to slow down. Be ok with progress, any progress, rather than perfection, which blocks you from doing the pose because you “can’t do it right.”

Recommend/Good: Start right for asymmetrical poses so second is always left
Good: start accessible and go to less
Good: option/not level!!
Good: feel not look
Consider: Low WIP (work in progress), don’t give all notes every time, give one note, wait, allow it to be absorbed, then another, repeat, the deeper the pose, the softer your voice

Double Pigeon (Right / Left)

Bricks/pillows under either / both knees is good Difficulty moving forward?

Block/pillow under bum
- A thick foam seat cushion, folded in half, with the open part point back, and the “V” part under your bum gives a slight push forward.
Put your arms behind you,
- fingers pointing back,
- arms straight
- totally fine to put blocks under hands
- Gradually move your hans closer to your bum
If your hands are available (not pushing you forward), place on (palm up) on your ankle, other on knee
Option 1: Seated / seated lower
Option 2: (kneed parallel to ground) / brick under top leg to support knee
Option 3: Remove brick
- Might be handy to have a folded pillow to assist leading forward

Shoulder Pow (Right / Left)

Any seated position
Grab strap in top hand
Swing arm around and allow strap to fall down your spine
Always start with strap when demoing
OK to grip fingers, but doesn’t really add anything (ego).
Flexing the top arm
Hyper-extension of lower arm
Option 1: as shown in class
Option 2: there is one coming up in the modifications day of the class.

Cliffhanger

This one starts with hard extension. This is because this pose is intense, and if you teach the option on your knees, according to Lucas, people will stay there. That’s a great version, but it quickly becomes more resting.

Option 1: prone (on stomach)
- Move to where crown of head is touching wall
- Reach up with both arms
- Fingers wide
- Arms wider than shoulders
- NOTE: elbow creases are UP, UP, UP, - do not rotate either way, may stress elbow joint
  - If you feel stress in your elbow joints, go wider with your hands
Option 2: Shins on ground, mat width apart
- Use forearm as distance for knees (I found this too close, moved back a bit)
- Reach up wall, fingers wide
- Arms wider than shoulders

Lightning Bolt

Option 1: sitting on shins
- Knees together
- Put enough blocks/pillows under bum
- Feet wide enough so that fingers fit between foot and bum
- Feet outside of hips
Option .5: For injuries
- Sit on chair
- Feet plantar flexed (pointing) and under your
- Tops of toes touching ground
- Real potential for negative talk - stop it

Work from where you are.

SoS for Tai Chi Post Notes Day 3