All posts by Nancy MacDonald

Spinal flows, dancing with Shiva, hip openers Thurs

Hip Openers, Standing Strength, Toe Stretch, Yoga Moves

Subbing for Erin tonight.   It is a wild a rainy evening ahead,  thank you all for coming out this evening.

Starting with breath work and moving into Sun Salutations to warm up the body adding a few Kapotasana’s in there to open the hips.  Then to open those feet toe stretch with balance, I just love this new move and hope you all do too.

Gentle wave spinal work to allow the spinal discs to open and get juicy.

Supine hip openers.  Cat-Cat flow for our dental floss for the spine then back to standing.

Dancing Shiva Balance, remembering to breathe deep no holding.

Standing strength to ground us in this Vata wild weather.  Wide leg forward fold be mindful of too much stretch to the attachment of the hamstring to the pelvis.  Don’t “sit back” into the stretch. Placement of the hips in the same plane as the ankles insures that the whole hamstring gets the stretch. To the floor for twists and forward folds.

Yummy part now is the Aromatherapy tonights blend will be Relaxation Blend from Yoga Flow Oils  Thanks Susan.

Balance, toes, fluid spine and strength Thur

Hamstrings, Standing Strength, Toe Stretch

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

Spreading the love, toe stretch, joint juice, standing tall. Wed

Standing Strength, Toe Stretch

Tonight we will be starting with some pranayama.

Dental floss for the spine with Cat-Cat. Toe stretch allowing the feet to open to carry us with ease down this path of yoga & life journey.  Joint Juice will be the 10 churnings.  There is a blog post with just these in it so that it can be printed out or just reviewed without hunting for it in a regular class blog.

Opening the hips through Sun Salutations,  Tree balance then on to the standing strength to check on form.

A  few twists and forward folds then on to the bliss of aromatherapy & savasana.

Aromatherapy tonight will be Vata Blend from Yoga Flow oils.

Body Flow Tech Tues

Yoga Moves

Tonight we will be going over a warm up stretch called the 10 churnings.  These warm-ups can be used before class if you get there early or they can be used as a base for a home practice.  We all have to start somewhere.

The moves can be done gentle enough for everyone and they can be done with more vigor if you want to add more challenge to the practice.

If you have limited time for yourself at home, but maybe you can’t come to class whip these out and give a give of joint fluid movement to yourself and do the 10 churnings.

The full explanation of each movement is in a seperate blog that can be printed out.  Check out the previous blog listing to find it.

Namaste

Dental Floss for the Spine Tues

Heart Openers, Shoulder Openers, Toe Stretch

Tonight opening up the spine as well as the shoulders.

The always present toe stretch with the balance from last week as well as an added move to find some more balance using the core.  From toe stretch balance bring the knees together and move into a squat 1 ~ basic hand balance using 2 blocks. Back to squat 1, roll up into a forward fold, upward salute to standing.

Adding another strength move this evening.  From Down Dog  jumping forward (landing lightly) with  feet landing to the outside of our hands then jumping (landing lightly with knees bent) back to Down Dog.

Before the spinal work tonight opening up the chest, armpit area with forearm down dog position.  An added leg lift will call in the balance of the hips and shoulders while lifting and holding the leg up and level.

Backbends (heart openers) tonight will be prone boat, bow, raised cobra, bridge with leg lifts.

Welcome to all the new faces, please come back and transform your life through yoga.

Ending with twists and aromatherapy during savasana.

Aromatherapy tonight will be Ananda blend from Yoga Flow Oils

Mon Assisting Wanda

Yoga Moves

Starting with centering using the breath to bring everyone into their own body.  Opening and working the shoulders and arms to bring awareness to the shoulder girdle and avoid hiking of the shoulders.

Worked on Triangle and Revolved Triangle, Half Moon either on the wall or free in the middle of the room. Then everyone when to the wall to work on the more advance position of half moon which is where when facing the wall bending the lifted leg and holding onto the foot allowing the back to arch and the quad to open. Keeping the hips facing the wall is always the challenge with this position however, the wall is a great teacher.

Inversion this evening was prep work for those that do not do the forearm balance. Getting the feeling of the forearm work and the feeling of lifting the leg.  Yogi’s and Yogini’s that have a forearm balance in their practice did the full posture and worked on refining the pose.

A few twists and forward folds closed out the practice and a good one it was.  Well done everyone.

Spinal flows, pranayama. Mon

Heart Openers, Toe Stretch

Working on spinal flows this evening to open up the spine and keep the fluids moving freely.

Going over the 10 churnings again to see if anyone has any questions.

Lynne (Chandra) was in town for a workshop so she showed another addition to the toe stretch work that includes some of the basic hand balance work with it.  We will go into this tonight.

Not having done the flow turn from facedown to come onto the back for awhile so tonight is the night to go over that.  From prone position arms out from shoulders in “T” position. Inhale right arm overhead and over to the left side of the body palm facing up (your torso is on its side) rolling onto the right side, bending the left leg and place the sole of the left foot on the floor.  Pressing into the left foot shift the hips/body and move onto the back the left arm opens and you should be on your back, straighten the left leg and you are supine with the arms out in a “T” position.

Bridge rolls then bridge with a block supporting under the sacrum.  Bridge leg lifts, lifting heel of right foot then toes bending the knee and bringing it towards the chest. Lengthen the leg long over the hips toes towards the ceiling and keeping that length slowly lower the leg towards the floor when the foot is on the floor slide the foot back in position under the knee back to supported bridge. Alternate legs with the breath.

Fingers in the sand shoulder openers will also open the heart.

Come on in and breathe, flow and have a little aromatherapy.

Tonight’s aromatherapy blend will be Shanti.

 Live well, Laugh often, Love much……….

Tri Yoga flows, meditation & bliss

Yoga Moves

Friday & Sat I took a workshop from Lynne Andrews (Chandra) as I always try to do when she is in town.

Friday evening was all about spinal flows that was just wonderful. This was a trinity practice so there was more pranayama and meditation time for this session.  We all left The Lotus Room with that yoga Bliss feeling. Sharing a ride and friendship with 3 other yogini’s was also an added benefit to the evening. Thank you Sandi for driving.

Sat had 2 sessions the first was working at the wall.  TriYoga has many flows that are done using the wall (what I call the true teacher).  Since the wall doesn’t move it gives the body/mind a solid point of reference to work from and I always learn something from work on the wall.

The second session on Sat was at Level 2 with a Level 3 stretch added.  This is a challenging level but one I really love to practice. Some inversion work as well as more feet/toe work.  (Be ready next week I will be bringing some of this into the classes I teach next week.)

Thank you Chandra for a very special weekend and I am looking forward to seeing you again when your teacher Kali Ray comes to Seminole Yoga4All in the first part of April.

Namaste…………….

Fluid joints, open feet & balanced mind. Fri

Standing Strength, Toe Stretch, Yoga Moves

It’s Friday and the start of what looks like a beautiful weekend.  Sunny Florida will shine down on us this weekend so lets be ready by moving fluid through the joints (10 churnings) opening the feet (because they take us where we are going) & balance the mind with breath work.

Pranayama today will be multiple breath practices. Complete breath,Dirgha which means slow and deep, to bring us into the present moment and land us in our bodies, gentle Kapalabhati, or Skull Shining Breath.  Breath of Joy before the standing and after Toe stretch & 10 churnings.

Toe stretch it just wouldn’t be right to skip the feet. So today  adding in the toe stretch balance as I have in the other classes this week.  I am not teaching on Friday for 2 weeks, Mike is teaching the next two, so you will have plenty of time to practice before I see you again.  Stretching the feet stretches the mind. 🙂

I want to offer all my classes the “10 churnings” Continue reading Fluid joints, open feet & balanced mind. Fri →