All posts by Nancy MacDonald

Bridge over peaceful waters, swan Fri

Core Work, Heart Openers, Hip Openers

Back from Teachers training and looking forward to seeing everyone.

Checking in on those lovely feet & toes are they opened and stretched?  We shall see….

On  to the core  Navasana flow that we haven’t done for a bit.

Sun Salutations with some hip openers. Finding the Goddess in all of us (Deviasana)

Bridge over peaceful waters .. finding a stable peaceful bridge using blocks as an alignment tool as well as a support.  Low Back bliss

Aromatherapy today Energizing Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan

Susan is giving a workshop in Tampa Sunday check out the link.  I will be there too.  http://tinyurl.com/yauolcp

Getting Hippy tonight at Tyrone Thurs

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Toe Stretch

Subbing for Tee tonight at LFF Tyrone.

Breath work to bring everyone into center  Dirgha, Nadi Shodhana

Toe stretch to remember our feet and be grateful to them for all they do. On to the core work.

Reverse table to open the shoulder find strength in the core. Navasana flow core and balance. Waterwheel to polish off the core.

Leg stretches, hip rotations, spinal rolls. 

Lets get hippy.  Swan outer leg, Penguin and Frog opens the inner leg, Cobbler and Firelog for inner & outer leg. Bridge work with a block for alignment between the legs. Block under the sacrum in bridge for more leg work and a quad opener.  Rock the clock, hip side stretch other twist and folds seeing what needs to be worked on.

Aromatherapy tonight will be Relaxation Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thanks Susan

Working the Dog & Spine assist Wanda WEd

Hamstrings

Wanda started with everyone in three different seated postures. Using these three to access the hips, spine, hamstrings for the work this evening.

Working with Downward Facing Dog  moving into the posture mindfully and with the intention of using the legs for finding length in the spine.

Triangle, 1/2 moon, Revolved Triangle and Revolved 1/2 moon.  Finding the legs (this work is needed for all inversions) and finding the twists in the revolved postures making sure the spine is open and long. The twists starting at the base of the spine and moving upward, trying not to skip over any parts of the spine.

Cool down was the ever popular bridge & leg up with the sacrum resting on a block.

Everyone got homework to get back into inversions, arm balances, and backbends.

Wild Things, Crows, Happy Baby ?? Tues

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Standing Strength, Upper Body Strength

What is going on tonight in class…. wild things, crows, happy babies.  Yes its is a night of legs, hips and arms.. something for everyone.

Pranayama tonight Dirgha and Box Breath.

Moving right up to standing. Legs, legs, legs will be found tonight.  Lunge a deep lunge both knees bent at 90 degrees pulsing this to feel the heat build slowly in the large muscles of the legs.  Chair ~~ rising knee to chest balance~~ Warrior III~~ Knee to Chest Balance ~~ Warrior II ~~ sets of 3 work for me.  Chair coming up on toes hold and breathe.  That famous other side……. 

Sun Salutes with Down Dog, Wild Thing and Belly of the Dragon,  Dolphin, Dolphin walking the plank, Jumping to Crow, Crow Balance.  As always there is the Cobra’s, Upward Facing Dogs to add to our animal pack tonight.

Reclined Trees, Cobblers (not the fruit kind), Butterflies, Spiders, Happy Babies will close out the class tonight.

Aromatherapy tonight  Relaxing Blend from Yoga Flow Oils  thank you Susan.

Sandi’s flows for Kaliji Mon

Spinal Flows, Yoga Moves

With Kaliji coming to Yoga 4All before we know it(Check Yoga4All website under workshops) Sandi continued to work on the flows that are a common thread in the TriYoga practice.

Pranayama with some fire wash variation to warm up and get started.

Cat rolls, Cat to Runner using blocks this one just can’t be done enough it is a main flow movement that so many other forms of yoga forget to detail. This causes many to just fling the leg forward missing the beauty of the movement. When all of the core muscles are used to lightly land the foot between the hands like a dragonfly landing on a leaf so softly that the leaf barely knows it is there it becomes poetry in motion.

Working on Gentle Wave:  Natural seat~~ Cat~~Facedown~~ Cobra 2 Lift~~Child 2 this flow is one of my favorites. Adding on we went to Mountain ~~Cat~~Facedown~~Cobra 2 Lift~~ Mountain. Remembering to keep pressing into the heels as we move the torso forward from Mountain to lightly land the knees into Cat. In doing this it keep the shoulders over the wrists. If you allow the heels to lift over the ball mound of the foot when you land the knees this is when the shoulders are past the wrists and when you lower to facedown the alignment is off so much that it can stress the rotator cuff muscles.  This is a common mistake Continue reading Sandi’s flows for Kaliji Mon →

Wanda’s Finding Stable Center Wed

Yoga Moves

Wanda’s class tonight focused on finding the mid-line of the body and working from there.  This working from the center is necessary for all postures but become more so when moving into inversions.

Starting with a strap tight around  the thighs at the top of the femur bone.  Using this stable base for the legs arms overhead for reed posture. Chair posture again using the stable base of the legs.  Moving the strap from the legs to below the elbow in preparation of Parsvottanasana.

Standing postures without any strap Prasarita Padattanasana, Virabhadrasana II, Parsvakonasana.  Then putting the strap around the torso with it around the diaphragm area then moving into Parsvakonasana and feeling the opening of the chest and the turning upward.

Adho Mukha Svanasana with a partner using the strap around the top of the femor again to find more length in the spine.

Lunge work to open the hip flexors, hamstrings, quads the whole leg.

Twists, forward folds and a few other things I just can’t bring to my immediate memory.

Find that back, muscles that you forget you have. Mon

Shoulder Openers, Upper Body Strength

Wanda was a little under the weather today so I was honored to teach the class tonight. Wanda told me that she wanted to bring in more strength work for the upper body and back for preparation of hand balances.

Standing pranayama: Dirgha (complete breath) adding Ujjayi (victory) breath.  Bringing energy into the body with breath; Breath of Joy. This is a great breath anytime that energy is needed without being too stimulating especially for an evening class.

Opening the shoulders with stretches using just the body and then with a strap. Shoulder roll, swinging the arms forward and back and then in circles. Strap work; side to side, overhead pull downs. Hands clasped behind back  (Yoga Mudra) at the hip and then directly behind opening the chest.   Gomakasana arms (Cow face), Garudasana (Eagle) arms, and trap squeeze.

Doug Keller’s shoulder strengtheners at the wall.  There was a handout for these if you didn’t get one Continue reading Find that back, muscles that you forget you have. Mon →

Legs & Hips Warm, Fluid & OpenTues

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Yoga Moves

Pranayama  Dirgha & Nadi Shodhana.

Spinal Rolls, Sun Salutations to warm up the body. Standing strength is mixed into the Salutations tonight to add a flowing movement to the postures. No long holds tonight in standing postures.

The longer holds are in the hip openers.  Swan with Swan bows to stretch the outer leg. Runner & extended leg stretch using blocks really opens the hip flexor as well as the hamstrings.

Applying aromatherapy early tonight before heading to the floor for supine leg stretches with a strap. My hope is the aromatherapy will allow the inward focus to come more easily so the stretches can be deep and mindful.

Hip Side Stretch, a nice twist before Happy Baby and Cradle (4 square stretch). Supine wide leg stretch for the inner thighs then releasing to Reclined Cobbler.

Savasana     The hips & hamstrings should be warm and open now allow the heart and mind to do the same.

Aromatherapy tonight is Yoga Nidra by Yoga Flow Oils ~~ Thanks Susan

Tomorrow your journey through the world should be fluid with the opening of the hips and legs. This is my wish for all of you.   Namaste  ~~~~

Getting ready for Kaliji Mon

Hip Openers, Spinal Flows

Wow Kaliji the founder of Tri Yoga is coming to Yoga 4 All in Seminole Fl April 9-11, 2010.  Check website www.Yoga4All.com or www.TriYoga.com to register. To get our flows ready for this workshop the next few weeks will be devoted to refining the movements of the standard flows that are done in most classes.

Tonight’s focus is Natural Seat to Cat, Cat to Extended Child and back to Cat, Cat Rolls, Mountain Heel press,  Cat ~ Mountain~ Cat,  Natural Seat to Runner with blocks,  Mountain to Runner with blocks, Mountain ~ Runner~ Earthtouch. If there is time Mountain ~ Swan ~ Swan Bows ~ Swan ~ Mountain.

Ending with Leg Stretch, Spider, Reclined Butterfly, Reclined Twist to Tranquility

Aromatherapy tonight is Open Heart by Yoga Flow Oils~~ thanks Susan

Yoga Injuries being responsible

Yoga Reflections

http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100254784

Here is an article that illistrates how yoga can get a bad name for “causing” injuries.  When reading over this article I couldn’t help but notice everything that was said between the lines.

In the first illustration of injury the writer admits that entering an open class rather than a beginner would have made her feel like she had been demoted. After all she had done years of yoga before…. but not for “quite awhile”. This is a very real illustration of the ego stepping in and pushing the body from feeling to forcing. The body will remember the previous years of yoga only if you offer the yoga with ahimsa (none harming) will the body open and flower with this offering.  Alas she did not offer yoga to the body in this manner. She pushed herself into an intermediate pose ,Plow, she also admits that her yoga practice had been in the past an addiction to the stretching feeling of the muscles releasing.   Not only did she join in a practice that was not a beginners she pushed into a posture that she was not ready for.  Did she use props such as blankets to insure the safe curve of the cervical spine? I think not since she developed a bulging disc in her neck. Thank goodness the Dr she went to said her disc could have been bulging before and that she had premature osteoarthritis (which she didn’t know she had). The more telling lines were ““But hyperextending your neck while putting weight on it most likely made it bulge even more, which pinched your nerve.” Plow and shouderstand are just that bearing weight on the shoulders  not the neck!!  Many people don’t want to use props because they feel it makes their practice beginner when it really is the advanced yogi that loves their bodies enough to create a stable, safe base to start their postures from.  Mr B.K.S. Iyengar uses blankets for his shoulderstand/ plow practice even after 70 years or more of practice.

The truth is also in the article which I attach here:    Overall, yoga has far more potential to heal than to hurt: Studies suggest it can help relieve chronic lower-back pain, depression and anxiety. And students tend to think of yoga as gentle and healing, even when done rigorously. But the fact is Continue reading Yoga Injuries being responsible →