Subbing Teresa’s yoga class tonight.  It looks like it is going to be a rainy one, thanks all that were there.

Opening the feet with toe stretch and adding on a balance to this is always a fun way to wake up the body from the ground up.

Sun Salutations with added strength builders either cat bow push-ups or full slant push-up for the upper body.  Down to the floor to open up the spine  Cobra’s, Cobra1/Boat.   Downward dog with 3 leg dog to wild thing added in for fun.

Standing strength, balance tree with a twist.  Natural seat rolls to smooth out the work with the spine.

In the standing strength portion we went over the importance of hip/ankle alignment in Wide Leg Forward fold-Prasarita Padottanasana. As stretching junkies that yogi’s can be we have a tendency to “sit back”  into this stretch (allowing the buttocks to come behind the line of the ankles). In doing this the hamstring is “stretched” too much at its attachment point at the pelvis. If this repedative motion is done often  enough or with too much vigor it can cause tearing at the attachment point.  I moved a few folks hips more in line with the plane of the ankle and it changed the stretch from the attachment area to the length of the hamstring, which is what we want.  Use the mirrors in class to help you find this placement for yourself and then integrate it into your body. This way you will know by how it “feels” so you will be in a safe alignment for the attachments.

Forward folds  and a pelvis leveler.

Aromatherapy is Shanti blend tonight by Yoga Flow Oils  thank you Susan