Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Millenia (or more) of History, in 5 Easy Minutes

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a guest speaker for our History and Cultures of Asia class, and will be providing an experiential learning piece on yoga as living history.  Here is the 1 % theory.  Of course, it is only the stopping points not the lecture, but you can get the idea.  If you are used to powerpoint, please check out the presentation to see what Prezi can do.

5 minutes of history will be followed by some demonstration illustrating the story telling ability of asanas.  Much like cooking, one does not need to know any history or theory to do it well, but it is there and it can enrich the experience.

Where will we go with the 99% practice?  Surya Namaskar A.  Virabhadrasana with story. Paschimottanasana, baddha konasana, shoulderstand and headstand introduction (always fun to see the variety of looks when springing headstand on an unsuspecting group), padmasana variations.  I know all too well what professional cooking does to the body, and am looking forward to giving these students some short, practical elements of practice which can benefit their bodies (and minds and spirits).

Here's to bringing the laboratory into the classroom!

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