YogaWestMarin with Elizabeth Barnet: Your head: Let Atlas hold atlas

Yoga with Elizabeth Barnet

Elizabeth has been teaching yoga in Marin County and beyond since 1992. She apprenticed with Judith Lasater at the Iyengar Yoga Institute, studied with Donald Moyer and others at the Yoga Room in Berkeley, and continues her studies with Ramanand Patel and others. Her yoga background is rooted in the Iyengar tradition but also influenced by Desikachar, flow yoga, and her dance background. Her gentle, thorough, and attentive observations and articulations support each student's individual needs and differences.

Elizabeth is a graduate of St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a great books program. This classical education supports her life and thinking.

Elizabeth was born in Zambia and grew up in many parts of the US including Boulder, Chicago, and Boston. Elizabeth is the mother of three. (She taught through all of her pregnancies.)

She is a home school teacher. She and her husband, artist Rufus Blunk (www.rufusblunk.com), met in the Nicaraguan countryside in 1986 while volunteering on a housebuilding and water system project.

Elizabeth is also the co-director of West Marin Commons, www.westmarincommons.org, a community organization.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Your head: Let Atlas hold atlas

Atlas holds up the earth.

And all day you hold up your head.

Let Atlas, the earth, hold your head.

Lie on your back. A blanket neatly folded to support the curve of your neck and the weight of your head. Knees bent or straight, whichever is more comfortable. Arms outstretched from the center of your chest. Palms up. Shoulder blades rest behind your back ribs. Release jaw. Breathe.

Find center with your head. Align your nose with your spine. Breathe in. As you breathe out, allow your head to turn to the side. Breathe in. Back to center. Breathe out. Turn your head to the other side.

The hardest part is letting the earth hold your head as you passively allow your head to roll to each side, coordinating your breath with the movement. The movement slows as the breath lengthens as the upper body warms up.