Sternum, Shoulder Blades, and Mind - Pranayama Workshop with Michael Lucey
with Michael Lucey

While students were in Savasana preparing for a pranayama practice, Geeta Iyengar said:

“The upper sternum can’t drop or the mind shrinks.”

She then instructed the students to inhale from the upper back so that the sternum lifts.

One thing to notice here is that  instructions on adjusting the body and instructions for the breath are being used to target the mind, to create the conditions for what B.K. S. Iyengar calls Yaugika Manas, the yogic mind. 

Often in his classes, Prashant Iyengar will speak of the mind of various parts of the body, “the mind of the shoulder blade” and ask people to notice how the mind of different parts of the body is different. He might say “be shoulder blade minded.”

Certainly we become aware in our practice that we are less mindful of certain parts of our body than others and we learn to bring mindfulness to the dull places. What is the connection between learning to expand our mindfulness to encompass areas where awareness is lacking, and experiencing the ways our practice itself should be shaping a yogic mind within us?

In this workshop we will target the shoulder blade to sternum connection both in asana (in the morning) and in pranayama (in the afternoon) so that we can begin to experience how the mind inhabits the body, and how our practice addresses our quality of mind more generally.

This class is appropriate for students who have practiced Iyengar yoga continuously for a year.

Refund Policy for Workshops

A full refund (minus credit card fees and a $10 cancelation fee ) will be issued for all workshop cancelations that are received three days prior to the workshop date. This notification must be sent via email to [email protected].

If a cancelation is received less than three days prior, you will receive a 50% refund (minus credit card fees and a $10 cancelation fee) only if your space can be filled from a waiting list. There are no refunds for no-shows. 

You may also choose to donate your space to our scholarship fund for students in need. We will always try to fill your space.