Bali Paradise

Day Five in Bali

Morning Meditation
Ayurvedic Teachings & Asana Practice
Monkey Forest 
Prepare for Departure

Sharing a meal

Woke up to the sound of rain falling outside.  Hopefully, it will stop soon as we have an adventure planned for the afternoon: The Monkey Forest!. Today is our last day in beautiful Bali. It is our last day to explore as we all begin our journeys home the following day. My time here seems to have flown by. I will miss all of the experiences I have had and the people I have met. I think that everyone should do a retreat sometime in their lives. Whether you teach yoga, have been practicing for years, or you just began, becoming part of the sangha (the community) will have a lasting effect. I find myself bringing in so much of what I learned during my time. And, most importantly I can share the knowledge I have gained with those that I teach and those that I live my life with.

Preparing for Meditation

Andrea took us through a most wonderful meditation and I found that each phase (20 guided-20 movement & 20 silent) seemed to bring me to a place of contentment. When we began this meditation sequence on our first day I struggled especially with the silent portion; but four days later, this portion seemed very natural.

Our Ayurvedic teachings for the day focused on Dinachayra. Dina means "day" and charya means "how you move";  how you enter your day.  According to the article, Dinacharya: Your Daily Yogic Routine by Sophie Miller, "Dinacharya is based on the philosophy that human beings run on a biological clock dictated by the patterns of the sun and the moon."  A daily routine, a daily regime of personal care to re-balance our bodies, to reconnect with the nature that surrounds us externally and internally.

Daily Routine: 

• To bed before 10 pm and awake before or with the sunrise
• Upon waking, think of one think you are grateful for (ex.: god, nature, parents, breath, etc.)
• MOUTH
• Brush teeth
• Scrape tongue
• Oil pulling with sesame or coconut oil
• EYES
• Apply cool water or rose water to eyes
• NOSE
• Neti pot nasal rinse (if you are congested) *not if you have a full blown sinus infection
• DIGESTION
• Drink 8 ounces of warm water upon waking to re-hydrate and support elimination
• Eliminate
• BODY
• Abhyanga: self massage-using warm herbalized oil, long strokes on the long bones and circular strokes over the joints, from head to toe for at least 5010 minutes. You could sit with the oil on for up to an hour, then shower.
• NOSE
• Nasya oil, 2-3 drops in each nostril (if suffering from anxiety or insomnia 2x's a day)
• BODY/MIND
• Meditate
• Exercise or yoga
• Prepare a warming, nourishing breakfastt

I have been working to incorporate Dinachayra into my morning regime since my return. I had not thought about starting my day with a "scrapping of the tongue" until I did and saw the residue. Our tongue truly reflects our wellness. Secondly, I really like drinking a glass of warm water in the morning. Yes, this does help re-hydrate my body, but it also helps my digestion . Lastly, I have worked to bring my yoga practice into my daily morning routine with consistency.

Asana Practice Focus: Active/Passive stretches are used for different outcomes. A Passive Stretch is one in which the student is relaxed and does not have to put forth effort. Someone or something is aiding to student in the stretch (another person, a strap, or your own hands) An Active Stretch is one in which the student and their body plays a key role in the stretch. There is no outside force helping in the stretch, the student holds the position using their own strength. An asana may begin as a passive stretch and end as an active stretch, or visa versa. It depends on what the goal of the asana or the sequence is. 

RETREAT SEQUENCE V

Active/Passive Focus

OPENING

Grounding/Meditation

BACK

Dead Bug

Elastic Band/Glute Work

TABLE TOP

Wrist Work

STANDING
Sumo: Single Leg Squats

SUN SALUTATIONS

Cobra

Bird Dog

Bird Dog/bend/straighten limbs (active)

Bird Dog/opposite hand/knee - knee to hand/heel (active)

STANDING

Warrior I/step backs

Warrior II

Side Angle

Wide Fold

½ Squats/side to side: leg out

Triangle

REPEAT

BALANCE

Single Leg Squat

Oppos. Hand to Knee-Hand to Heel

Hand to Big Toe/Dancer Shape (active)

Squat up & down/open leg press

FF

BACK/PASSIVE-ACTIVE

Wind Relieving pose

Supine Leg Stretch

Supine Pigeon

SEATED/PASSIVE-ACTIVE

90/90 Twist(2x’s)

90/90 Active Pigeon

90/90 to Bound Angle

BOLSTER/PASSIVE

Supine Child’s Pose

Squat

Waterfall

Hip Extension

Child’s Pose

REPEAT

PRANAYAMA BREATHING

Sushumna Nadi *

SAVASANA

*Sushumna is a Sanskrit word meaning "very gracious" or "kind" and is also the name for the central nadi in the body. Anatomically, the sushumna runs down the central axis of the body, through the spinal cord.

The sushumna nadi is the most important nadi of the astral (emotional) body. When prana flows freely through the sushumna, the yogi can attain a still mind; however, when impurities exist in the other nadis of the body, prana is not able to freely flow through the sushumna.

Resources: 

Dinacharya: https://www.gaia.com/article/dinacharya-yogic-routine

Welch, Claudia Dr., Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life, 2011. 

Active/Passive Stretching: https://people.bath.ac.uk/masrjb/Stretch/stretching_4.html

Sushumna: https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5596/sushumna

Diagram: https://marinayoga.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/nadis-nadi-shodana-and-the-nervous-system/