It was an incredible week at Dream Space Yoga in Shenzhen, with strong Shiva Power classes each morning, and afternoon’s looking at Anatomy and breaking down the poses.
Great Weekend Intensive at Sun Moon Yoga in Suzhou!
Such a great Weekend Intensive at Sun Moon Yoga in Suzhou this past weekend! This was a really special group of students. I was so impressed with how everyone was so open and receptive. I kept thinking about how when you get really clear about what you are teaching you attract students who are ready for and are seeking exactly what you are offering.
Handstand Workshop in Beijing!
We’ve got a Core Strength Workshop coming up this weekend at Space in Shanghai! If you want to be able to do arm balance poses and handstands you need to have a strong core, and this doesn’t just mean the superficial abdominal muscles. Join me this weekend and learn about the function of all the core muscles on the front, back, and sides of the trunk. We touched on a little of this work in the Handstand Workshop. We even did 108 Yogi Bicycles! A very auspicious number! Thank you to everyone who came out to practice and went deep with me in this Handstand Workshop! Hope to see you in class or at a future workshop!
Backbending Workshop at Space Academy yesterday!
This was a big workshop yesterday. We packed a lot of information into 2.5hrs. We discussed yoga theory, philosophy, anatomy review, Asana Breakdown, the spine, the tug of war actions, why we backbend in yoga, and we looked at a number of backbends in greater detail. When we backbend we are primarily looking at movement in the saggital plane, and poses that take the hips into extension, the spine into extension, and the shoulders into either flexion or extension.
Handstand Workshop at Space Academy today!
The wall can be a crutch when we practice inversions. But it can also be a tool to help you magnify areas of weakness or areas where you are disconnected and lacking awareness.
I love using the wall to magnify how much core we need in our handstands. If you aren’t ready to do this exercise against the wall you can lie down on the floor first and practice your handstand against the floor, with your hands on the wall.
Great 2 weeks at Space in Shanghai!
I’m really impressed with this company. Grateful to Robyn for inviting me to collaborate and teach at the studio. Thank you to all the amazing Space staff for being so welcoming and for all your support. And thank you to the wonderful students who have been coming to my classes. It’s been a pleasure practicing with you and helping you to deepen your practice and understanding of yoga. This weekend I’m leading my last 2 workshops — Handstand on Saturday and Backbending on Sunday!!! See you on your mat!!! Namaste.
Backbending Workshop at Space Yoga in Shanghai!
Backbends have never been easy for me. My hip flexors are incredibly tight. I’ve been working on opening them up for a long time. The progress is slow but I’m making progress. And it’s incredibly rewarding!
One of the challenges I see in our yoga community is the rise of yoga as a business. You have to be very careful as a yoga teacher. Many of the things that your students need are not the things that they want. You can see how they are out of balance and you can help them find more balance. But if your goal is to be popular or if you are running a business you have to be careful you aren’t just trying to please your customers and always giving them what they want. Swami Satyananda has this great quote where he says, “first I find out what my students want and then I try to give them the opposite.”
Shoulder Opening Workshop at Dream Space Yoga.
Learning about the shoulders in my shoulder opening workshop at Dream Space Yoga this past week. Shiva Yoga Intensive. Backbends are the primary poses in our yoga practice that we use to open the shoulders. We are usually focused on opening the shoulders in extension or flexion, in order to increase our range of motion. If we have full range of motion at the shoulder join we can prevent injuries to the neck and upper back. If you want to be able to do more advanced backbends in your yoga practice it is essential that you open your shoulders.
Shoulder Opening Workshop today at Haipoo Yoga!
We mostly work in our yoga practice on opening the shoulders in Flexion and in Extension. Having a full range of motion at the shoulder joint helps to prevent injuries to the cervical spine and helps release tension in the muscles of the upper back and around the neck. Most of our shoulder opening poses in yoga are backbends. Usually the more advanced backbends take the shoulders into flexion but not always. It’s important to also remember that yoga is not just about flexibility. We are always looking for balance. Too much flexibility can lead to injuries at the joints. Not enough flexibility can lead to injuries in the muscles. This picture is of one of my favorite shoulder opening partner exercises. In this position, you can help your partner take their shoulders deeper into flexion, you can use your hands to help them externally rotate their shoulders, and you can encourage them to find more core and pull their front ribs in making more space and lengthening their spine. When you engage your core while Backbending you lengthen your spine and you actually deepen the pose
Backbending Workshop!
From our Backbending workshop last week in Shenzhen at Dream Space Yoga!
I love this deep Shoulder stretch and Chest opener. It’s a great partner pose that is a real “feel good” pose for both partners.
I’ve been working a lot on opening my shoulders and my hip flexors to deepen my backbend poses.
If we are really honest with ourselves, the “yoga mirror” shows you everything you need to look at, all of your imbalances, all of your strengths and all of your weaknesses. Do you have the courage to look in the mirror — and are you willing to put the effort into making the necessary changes in your life — both on and off the mat to find balance?
What are you working on right now? What areas of your body need to open up or get stronger? What areas of your life need some attention?
Hip Opening Workshop in Shenzhen!
Hip Opening Workshop! Why do we open the hips in yoga? Some of the reasons you might want to have a full range of motion at your hip joint:
1. To protect the low back and the knees and prevent injuries.
2. To find balance.
3. To prepare the body to sit for pranayama and meditation.
4. To cleanse and release tension from the body and sub-conscious layer of the mind.
What a fun workshop — exploring a little deeper with this wonderful group of curious practitioners. Grateful to be here and grateful to be able to share these teachings and honor my teachers
Fun Shiva Power class this morning at Baja Soul Yoga!
Yoga philosophy teaches us that yoga is the stopping of the movements of the fluctuating mind. When the mind is quiet — in stillness, we experience the true nature of our Self. When the mind is constantly moving and distracting us, we never really get to see who we are because we are caught up in all the movements, and all the distractions. It’s like things are upside down. The senses are leading the mind, and the mind is dragging us along for the ride. Yoga is the practice of taking charge again. You are directing your mind to control your senses, and focus on the things you want to focus on. Every time you concentrate on something and hold your focus — you increase your willpower. Every time your mind wanders off and fidgets, distracting you — the pattern of distraction gets stronger. The greatest battle you will ever fight is the one with your mind. Concentrate! Without concentration there is no yoga
Hip Opening Workshop this Saturday.
On Saturday we had a big hip opening workshop as part of our Shiva Yoga 50hr Intensive! We focus on the hips a lot in yoga. When we have full range of motion at the hip joint we can do a lot to prevent injuries to the low back and the knees. The hip is a ball and socket joint, which provides a lot of movement. We can move at the hips in all three planes. We can flex and extend the hips in the Sagittal plane. We can abduct and adduct the hips in the Coronal plane. And we can externally rotate and internally rotate the hips in the Transverse plane. If we have limited range of motion in the Saggital plane — then the low back could become compromised. The spine wasn’t meant to flex and extend the way the hips can flex and extend. Transverse plane. If we have limited range of motion in the Transverse plane, especially external rotation, then the knees can become compromised. The knee joint is a simple hinge joint. There a small degree of movement right to left at the knees but, mostly, this joint was meant to flex and extend. If your hips are not able to externally rotate, this can put a lot of pressure on the knees to try to make up for this lack of movement and this can lead to injury. Protect your low back and your knees, release stored tension and find balance, and prepare for seated pranayama and meditation practices. Some of the reasons it’s a good idea to open your hips! Great work on Saturday, everyone!!! Thank you for going into the fire with me.
Pranayama Workshop!
In Hatha Yoga — pranayama is used to balance the nervous system, bring clarity to the mind, and remove the veil of darkness that is covering the inner Light.
In Raja Yoga — pranayama is used to make the mind fit for concentration and is a preparation for meditation.
A very powerful evening working with the breath. Great job, everyone!
Some questions to consider: Why do we have two nostrils? Why would you want to predominantly breathe through the nose vs. the mouth?
This workshop kicked off a big weekend of Shiva Power classes, Shiva Meditation classes, and a Hip Opening and Arm Balancing Workshop! 🙏❤️Thank you to everyone who came to the workshop and thank you to Baja Soul Yoga for hosting. We have Asana Breakdown all week and then another big weekend coming up. Hope you can join us!
Handstand Workshop
We finished our week at Kula Yoga last night with a Handstand workshop! These Handstanders worked their butts off. Lots of Asana Breakdown, to better understand the work needed to find balance in the middle of the room. Lots of playful exercises to emphasize different muscles in the body and wake up areas that needed waking up. Lots of work on the core and the shoulders.
Handstands are advanced arm balances. They are great warm up poses for advanced students. They build strength in the shoulder stabilizer muscles and the core. They help students build confidence. And they are a lot of fun!
I had fun practicing with all of you last night. Next time I come back we are going to do the plank competition too! Lol.
Handstand Workshop!
Handstand Workshop today at Aladdin Yoga in Shenzhen! We kick off our 3 Day Weekend Intensive today. Excited to work with these students. There are so many poses you can practice to improve your Handstand. Plank Pose is one of the best warm up poses for Handstand. If you have a solid Plank Pose and a solid Chatturanga (Low Plank) you are strong enough for most arm balances, including the Handstand.
Weekend 1: Foundation & Form - Alignment Weekend
This weekend will explore breaking down poses into their component parts, examining alignment principles, commonly taught in class, exploring traditional alignment as well as new ways to practice an old pose. Students will learn how to make the connection between similar actions taught in basic foundational postures and more intermediate and advanced postures, giving them the tools to build a strong and healthy practice and to facilitate continued growth.
When the Student Is Ready the Teacher Appears
One of my teachers used to say the world is like an echo. You get back what you put out. If your message is, "I hate you!" The world sends you back the message, "I hate you!" If you're message is, "I love you!" then the world sends you back the message, "I love you!"
We are all vibrating at different frequencies. It's why sometimes we disconnect with people. You're not vibrating on the same frequency as them. They're not really hearing you. You're not really hearing them. You're not really 'getting' each other.
One of the things that I've noticed since teaching yoga is that the clearer I get with the signal that I'm sending out, the clearer I get with what I'm teaching, with what I'm offering as a teacher,...it's like that signal gets heard loud and clear by the people who want what I am offering. These students pick up on it and they find their way into my class. We gravitate towards a teacher that we're ready for. When the student is ready the teacher appears.
