The focus of all of my teaching and guidance will be centered around these physical and energetic principles. I will weave in verbal cues, hands on assistance and teaching to how these principles tie into the sacred texts.

The Seven Asana Principles by my teacher David Garrigues.

 This is the philosophical and energetic heart of the method. These seven principles serve as the blueprint for understanding, practicing, and teaching every pose and transition. I teach these to help guid you, the student to perceive deeper layers of asana beyond just shapes and sequences.

The seven principles are:

         1 Samasthiti Is the Root of All Poses – Every pose originates from samasthiti and you get to different pose in a logical set of steps beginning from the neutral standing position.

           2 Crouch and Spring – Behind every transition is a preparatory moment (the crouch), followed by decisive action (the spring), and you arrive at a distinct destination.

         3 Foundation First: Long, Strong Arms and Legs – Your limbs are your connection to the earth. They must be energized, extended, and rooted to support your spine and center.

         4 Awaken the Spine – The limbs ground and stabilize so that you can move your spine expressively and enjoy its full range: elongation, flexion, extension, and rotation.   

         5  Tap Breath and Energy – The breath is a source of power, vitality, and great joy.  There’s skill in involved in the physical aspects of breathing and also working with the vayu patterns and other aspects of the energetic maps of the subtle body (prana, nadis).  

         6  Catch Mudras and Bandhas – Learn to seal and circulate energy through internal locks and mudras, particularly the 3 famous bandhas (Mula, Uddiyana, and Jalandhara). 

         7  Play with Pairs of Opposites – The creative expression of a pose consists of learning to set in motion and control many different forces and counter forces throughout the entire body.