For Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Newsletter
From Kathi Wallis...Yoga Instructor
Condensed yoga in a can! Open in a tranquil space, add people, and you have an instant yoga class! That’s what several of us experienced one Sunday afternoon in Shelly Greenberg’s Evergreen Studio while playing the More Yoga Game.
We drew cards, and following the instructions we breathed, moved, chanted, meditated, and even told jokes. Then we advanced our crystals along the path of chakra symbols printed in bold colors on a glossy black scroll. By the time we reached the final chakra, Sahasrara, we all felt that we had participated in a complete yoga class.
There are eighteen activity cards associated with each of the first six chakras. Each shiny black card has a chakra symbol that matches the symbol on the scroll. The instructions on the cards are complete but concise and illustrated with stick figure drawings. Many of the cards include directions for students with either “more” or “less” experience.
The cards for the Muladhara and Svadhishthana chakras are warm-up exercises -- gentle movements and breathing exercises. As players advance to the Manipura and Anahata chakras, the poses are more physically challenging. Finally, the players draw from the Vishuddha and Ajna chakra cards, where the activities become more calming and contemplative. None of the activities were intimidating or likely to cause injury.
It was fun to play with a group. There is more outward directed energy than in a conventional yoga class, and we all felt we learned new things about each other that brought us closer together. We enjoyed playing in a group of seven, but it would work well with only two or three. It might be nice to construct an individual practice by drawing one or two cards from each pile, following the instructions, with the scroll as a stunning focal point for a meditation. Those of us who teach yoga look forward to using the game in our classes.
At the end of the afternoon, although we were calm from the yoga practice, we were excited by the versatility of the game and full of ideas about how we might use it. Shelly had promised that she would give one edition of the game as a door prize and that added to the excitement. We agreed that the person who drew the red stone would win. Silence fell and the concentrated power of a whole group of yogis visualizing a red stone resting in the palms of their hands was almost palpable. Alas, when we opened our hands there was only one red stone.
You can learn more about The More Yoga Game by visiting moreyoga.com or calling 301-320-3630.
Many times the inmates have come to class angry, depressed, or defiant. I usually have a prepared program that often doesn’t work. When I introduced “The More Yoga Game” last week, I got their immediate attention. It was wonderful!
It allowed each person to be the teacher, to have their moment in the sun – something they seldom get. All of them rose to the challenge. Some of these women have only grade school educations but they helped each other with the difficult words and there was much laughter and camaraderie.
We ran out of time for a final relaxation, we were so engaged, and they said how much they loved it and could we play it again next week? It was a joyful afternoon for all of us.