The garden of delight

Wow, what a delightful surprise, thanks!

Oh dear, sorry, that was NOT a Freudian slip - I meant shin ...

I agree with Alexandra, very unusual but worth the odd experience. I found the last pose particularly difficult because I couldn't angle my shins in such a way that one ankle could be placed on the inside of the other shit, four fingers distance away from the other ankle bone. The ankle on top tended to fall on the underside of the other shin. Nevertheless, at the end of even the way I could do it, a big relief. Will be working with this class - I need all the help my hips can get ...Thanks a lot, David.

Wow! Will repeat, and I am telling you: if anyone but you told me to do Simhasana claiming it was good for something, I would probably respond in a very non yogic way :-)

Sometimes hard, especially holding the pressure on the point on this special point on my left side. had problems with my upperbody muscles the last days, this was like a release :) thank you for sharing this techniques with us

Hi David, thank you what you lead us. This is the second time for practice. I always smile after that. How can you talk very mellow words. Whats different felling from me today? That is I practiced without expecting result. I pick every moments to look inward and get felling. I think that result as well. Stay present, practice with your mind. I also fell sweet pain somewhere but will enjoy the next. Om,

Great session. Really enjoyed it. Very beneficial for legs. More of same please. Thanks

Thank u very much for this class David, this added really some new experience and feelings in my yoga practice! I feel great prickling in my legs! Great teaching style as well btw! Namaste

Great class :-) Thank you David, really enjoyed this, very beneficial and creative combinations :-)

What a wonderful class to do this morning! I injured my palm/hand last month and have been unable to do many upper body classes so this was perfect! My ankles have been tighter from all the running I was doing while my hand healed and this class really stretched that area out. I love the concept of accepting the more painful postures (for me this was just the last one) rather than shying away from the sensations. This is the second class I have taken with you David and I must say I LOVED it! Your sense of humor and playfulness throughout the class kept me more engaged and I finished in quite high spirits. Thank you!

David , you never disapoint! Thank you

WoW!!! Thank You David...this was something compleately *NEW* for me! I was trying Simhasana for the first time. Not sure I did all 100% "correct" since the sensations were very strong for me. I'll try this postures again. A lot of work to be done. Nice if you could propose more classes on the same topic. Please keep sharing your knowledge and keep spreading your great sense of humour. Sometimes you quote some books or sutras, could you please write some notes about that in the comment area as well? I would like to read more afterwards... Namaste from Bergen (Norway), Francesca.

If anyone is interested in a quick guide to the benefits of that point (as you mentioned not to be used during pregnancy) : Spleen 6, is the intersection of Spleen, Kidney and Liver energy pathways (meridians). Spleen energy : Associated with digestion (of food and thought), blood, the muscular system and great for any gynaecological issues eg fertility, hormonal imbalances, menopause. Kidney energy : Helps to calm the adrenals, calms fear and balances the hormones. Liver energy : Works with frustration and suppressed anger. Liver energy is all about creativity, your long term vision and connection with spirituality.

Loved this class, it especially resonated as I'm a shiatsu therapist, as well as a new yoga teacher, and so I've often wondered if it would be appropriate to integrate the use of TCM points with my yoga. Totally works. Tough posture for me, but needed. x

I have taken this class many many times, and each time I think it is one of the best ones (the best possibly) here on Ekhartyoga. Thank you David for this xxx

Did I already write this is the best class ever? Thank you David! truly wonderful :)

Thank you, I found it great because your approach is playful and funny and many poses were new for me. The push ups were hard. I had a cramp in my jaw at lion´s pose.;)

Thank you David for this great and informative class! Hugs from Austria!

Vert different and very enjoyable class! Thanks David!

Enjoyed it. Your humor made me smile even the Simhasana was painful ..talk about contradictions :D A great class. Thank you, David!

Dear David, Thank you so much for this practice. It truly is a stroll through "The Garden of Delight". It is important to me that I keep my feet and legs energized (fellow yogis can we say busy office/desk work and women's dress shoes?) With this session, I felt the immediate opening and movement of some stuck energy. My hips feel light and lifted, my legs are alive, and my feet are happy. I will take this practice over ice cream and chocolate sauce any day!!! I will use your guidance through this class before weekend hiking. All my love, Christine

Great class, David. It was not my first time with simhasana, but it is the first time someone actually explains the what, where and why of the pose. I've done many of your classes and practices (in fact, your Rolling the Joints is a great favorite first thing in the morning), and your humor always helps. Thank you!

Bloody helll...! But great! And it worked for out of the blue quiet tears appeared and not by pain, while in Simhasana working the left leg which is my trouble side. So surprised by the benefits! Your humor is great! Thnx David, looking forward for more of such lessons.

Hello David, Thank you for the delightful class. It is subtle but profound, for the first time quite painful but rewarding. I was a ballet dancer for many years, I still do this kind of training and it's putting such stress to this particular part of the lower leg, but we (dancers) rarely (if ever) give it this kind of relief. It was impossible to get my knee towards the ground or let go of the ground and not fall back! no big deal, I'm looking forward to doing it again. Simhasana always looked a bit silly, I should have guessed that it must feel great!:) I appreciate the classes with less direct approach to targeted parts of the body and I believe they're even more efficient, and certainly more fun because of the surprise effect:) Thank you thank you thank you, Frosina

This really jived with my Japanese Integrated Medicine training - the feet are important and often neglected. My feet and ankles were reasonably open already, but the Simhasana was a whole new level - uncomfortable, but so helpful (not surprising since the point is a very powerful acupressure/acupuncture point!) When I stood up, I did not expect the extraordinary release in the backs of my legs that happened. Thank you so much for sharing this. My achy legs are now warm with energy and bloodflow.

I loved the combination of upper and lower body work in this sequence. Very nice. Thank you, David.

Flipping heck - that worked! Exactly what I needed thank you David. I was laughing a lot too, like Melanie...and making a lot of other funny facial expressions no doubt! It's really interesting to hear about the Spleen 6 point too, thanks Rebecca x

I work standing all day long. Six times a week. This class is absolute GEM!! Thank You very much, this i another Favourite for me :) Namaste _/\_

The discomfort definitely brings a kind of relief, a kind of relief like a foot massage at the end of the day -- but a foot massage we have to work for a bit! Very unusual but worth the odd experience. I hope to get deeper release when I've practiced this some as I have no idea if I'm doing the seated parts accurately. Thank you!

Perhaps not ice cream with chocolate sauce, but definitely a *really* good sorbet! Thanks, David; I just discovered your classes and I'm loving them. :)

Thank you David, this is a very special, VERY powerful class. I really enjoyed the experience, and have just made a pledge to myself to return to this class at least once a week for this coming month, as November is often an emotionally difficult month for me. So a big thank you is also in order for your assistance in this surprise personal goal setting ? Sending gratitude, peace, and love from Vermont ?

This class is amazing! Thank you so much :)

Hi David, First I want to thank you for this practice. This is my second time, when I do this class regularly and effects are positive as previous time. I was wondering that have you included these asana's to any other class that's in this site or is this the only one? Yours, Sanna

how precise and warmth your explanations are regarding this beautiful and (for me really) challenging sequence. Thank you so so much!

David, you're hilariously informative for a yoga instructor. I really enjoyed this class. A couple of times I was just laughing out loud and I must have looked crazy to my flat mates while I'm doing these poses, laughing, and then making strange "lion" noises. I will be back to study more under you. Also, the information about distinguishing pain and sensation was really spot on, and I appreciated how you would rotate for the camera angles. Good stuff! namaste

That was truly great David, really. I have a very restricted left hip, condemned by mainstream medicine as degenerative arthritis, it hurts when i am down and not following my bliss. But your contribution is massive because I can't do a "normal" hip opening class, I can't go anywhere near pigeon pose with my left hip. I can't sit in lotus Pose either! This was great and I will work at it more and more, hope you know that these kind of contributions are life-changing, the difference between a wheelchair and the ability of self-heal, or maybe even just accept and work with, not despite, limitations. Thank you :)

Thank you David! Felt good to trust you in this.

Difficult but nice!

Hi Clelia, Happy you did this practice and felt the benefits of a more ‘obscure’ hip opening class. Have you tried this one?? http://www.ekhartyoga.com/video/relieving-sequence-for-tired-legs-and-lower-back-challenges It may be great for your left hip and the arthritis… just be gentle with the movements and be fully present to the sensations… go only to the point of sensation then stop and breathe deeply. Be balanced on both sides so keep your right leg going only as much as your left leg will go, let the tighter / more restricted side set the depth. And… thanks for your kind comments about my teaching. It makes a big difference for me to hear the feedback. OM, David

Alexandra & Ramani, It is impossible to 'diagnose' if you are doing the pose correclty without being there in person, but you can imagine the inseam of your pants of the lower ankle and the outer seam of the upper leg. Here is an image of BKS Iyengar for a little reference: http://essentialyogastudio.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/simhasana4.jpg And... with continued practice of the pose, the ankels will rest more evenly, but it takes time!

Hi Francesca, Happy you were able to manage the stroll through the Garden of Delight ;) Most likely, if the sensations were strong in Simhasana, you were doing it right! It is that kind of pose and was very painful for me for several months of consistent practice… and from time to time, still is. Although there are many books of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, many of them are totally boring and tough to read. My teacher, Bhavani, has what I feel is the best Sutras book around: http://yogisroadmap.com/The_Yogis_Roadmap.html I have 2 brand new copies for sale (I ordered 20 recently to share with my students in Mallorca) and I can ship you one if you like. In the EU, it is €30 with the shipping and I can assure you, it is a very worthwhile investment. email me: david@findbalance.net Thanks for following the classes and commenting, I enjoy knowing people actually watch them!!! Peace, David

Thank you for such a wonderful class, David! The sensations were strong, very strong, but I have never felt so grounded yet with a lightness in my body, a buoyancy, as I did by the end of this class. Fantastic! Namaste Kerry

I think I took this class before it was like déjà vu, because I remembered how you said how this 4 finger line of energy measurement from the ankle bone got you into padmasana, well, anyway worked with way less pain that I remember and it was more enjoyable this time and I did get the meditation feeling and it was magical, Thanks David as always you rock on your classes! Un abrazo! ॐ

Thank you, it was painfull but your comments made it bearible ;-)

AMAZING! Really challenging, but amazing.

Fantastic. I was kind of "speedy Gonzales" after this. Torture? At first yes, until I found a way not putting all of my weight on my feet. Then it was great. And I actually felt an urge for doing the last round of crossing the shins. A couple of times I felt like crying.... After the asanasession I did a meditation. Here a had a strong sense of my right side being bigger and more light than my left side. Left side felt a bit shrunken sort of raisin like. During the day I have felt my left sinuses swell and I have now a clean out from them. AKA a cold. Things are happening when you work deep in the tissues :-). In my work as a cranio-sacral therapist I know that the feet and ancles most often have a function as the body-garbage can for anger and painful events. I shall return for more cleaning out. Thank you.

Interesting practice…some delight some not so much:) The saddle posture over the ankles was a killer…quite intense but it sure made a difference in my legs and feet. Will be doing the practice more! Thank you.

Wow, wow, wow! If I would name this class after a musical inspiration, I would use John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good." Need I say more? Excellent class, David. Many thanks and much love coming your way from Canada, where we are enjoying a delightful evening. Hope you are too, wherever you are in the universe. Namaste