So, after one week of doing Iyengar's schedule, I am here to report back to you. I will admit that I missed two days, which I think is pretty good, considering. I am very glad I decided to undertake this; I feel better every day.

Iyengar's first two weeks of yoga conditioning contains mostly standing asanas. You start with tadasana, then vrksasana, then trikonasana, parsvakonasa, Warrior I and II, then parsvottanasana. I found this sequence interesting because it does not follow the logical flow one would develop for a vinyasa class. Intuitively, I would clump Warrior II, parsvakonasana, and trikonasana together in that order, then Warrior I and parsvottanasana. This way, the practitioner would work with a body of asanas that all focus on similar alignment, thus minimizing the chance for injury when switching back and forth between asanas with different alignment. However, I do see (and I felt) the benefit of mixing up the asanas in the way that Iyengar did. It forces you to be ever deeper in the moment, and to leave each asana completely before moving on to the next one. It also gives the benefit of a more complete practice in that you have the opportunity to start each asana from the ground up, as you have to change your foot positioning every time.

I must admit, I switched up the order of things a couple of times while practicing the asanas this week. I did what I mentioned above, as I was trained to teach in the vinyasana style.

I am looking forward to one more week of this collection of asanas, then on to the next one!

In an attempt to rekindle my excitement for yoga and to return to my pre-baby state, I have decided to do the sequence suggested by Iyengar in the back of his book, Light on Yoga. In his words: "I am dividing the asanas into three groups; the primary, intermediate and advanced courses. I am giving the series of asanas in a serial order for practice and the possible time it may take to gain control in all these three courses." He then proceeds to lay out a practice regimen that covers all the asanas in his book in 300 weeks. That's four years. He does this with the intention of having the practitioner master each asana, and so prescribes it for as long as he thinks it should take to master it. Mastery, for me is beside the point. I simply want back in to the beneficial bubble that a regular yoga practice affords.

The first and second weeks are as follows:
Tadasana, or mountain pose
Vrksasana, or tree pose
Utthita Trikonasana, or extended triangle pose
Utthita Parsvakonasana, or extended side angle pose
Virabadrasana I and II, or Warrior I and II
Parsvottanasana 
Salamba Sarvangasana, or shoulder stand
Halasana, or plow pose
Savasana, or corpse pose

Of course, I will probably be embellishing the routine with some sun salutations, and cat and cow poses, but this will be the crux of my practice for the next two weeks. I hope to write about my experience once a week to keep me honest. Let's hope that I am not being too ambitious with a six-week-old and a ten-year-old at home. Not to mention the 32-year-old.

I wanted to add this link, (and maybe there's a better way to do it but I don't know how). It's an interview with one of my teachers, Mark Stephens about what makes a great yoga instructor. He mentions that it is important for the practitioner to find an instructor that resonates with them. That got me to thinking about the yoga community. I think it is of equal importance that the yoga community resonate with you as a practitioner as well. That is what I am looking for.
http://www.bestofyoutoday.com/ask-trainer/mark-stephens-explains-what-makes-great-yoga-instructor?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150452457640033_24272715_10151171499225033#f83f36b218381e