Warm Up Sequences

It is quite a relief to feel our body weight releasing down, comfortably settled. Letting our bellies release the habitual gripping we often hold can tell us how our clothes are actually fitting us around the waist. We tune into our gut. (more…)

We settle our weight down onto the floor in Sukhasana (with crossed legs) to begin our practice. From this starting point we attempt to cook up some of our inner fire and energy. The first few movements of this warm up remind us to dig to the bottom and sides of our pelvic bowl to stir up our potential. (more…)

According to yogic texts and teachings, the wind that flows in the middle of the body, Samana Vayu, helps in the process of digestion. It can do much more than that. (more…)

Whatever might cause us to move through our lives in a jerky, hesitant, insecure way, we still possess the ability to be graceful, fluid and easeful. Sliding on a blanket on a smooth wood floor is like a gentle ride. It reminds us to glide through our yoga practice using our muscles in a flowing way. (more…)

Stretching out the body is one of the benefits of yoga. But, we are not stretching just our body. We are elongating and thinning our physical, mental and emotional blockages within our inner channels. So if we focus on our right side to motivate a movement, then the inner body on the right side gets tuned. (more…)

We have hundreds of nerves streaming from our spine into all parts of our body. You can see this very clearly laid out in the Bodies exhibit. According to ancient yogic texts, The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, we have thousands of energy channels (nadis) threading through our bodies in a similar way. However you think about it, getting in tune with your inner landscape is a way to learn more about yourself. (more…)

Letting go is one of life’s important lessons. Reconnecting with our sense of grounded ness helps us to relax right in the midst of our busy schedules. When we let go, we can sometimes experience a renewed sense of freedom, like taking a heavy bag off our shoulders. (more…)

I was sparked with new intentions and energy after a 6 hour workshop on Yoga and the Pelvic Floor with Jaki Nett at Yoga Union Center For Backcare and Scoliosis. The word Core is rampant in our physical vocabulary. But, we rarely talk about the foundation of the core – the Pelvic floor muscles. (more…)

To bring about an ease of movement and grace in our bodies, most of us can afford to release some extra tension from our shoulders. Too much restriction around our shoulders gives our nervous system an emergency signal to tense for fight or flight. It impedes our movements, whether we are back bending or playing the guitar. (more…)

While walking down the street in our daily life, we must use our eyes to look before turning a corner. Our head leads the way. No wonder we end up with our heads in front of us. We are most often following our eyes and our mental center. But in yoga we have an opportunity to discover other parts of us that motivate our movements. (more…)