Category Archives: Standing Strength

Long lean spring legs. Finding the leg strength Fri

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Standing Strength

Pranayama breath Dirgha, Sun Breath to build some heat for the leg work.

Sun Salutation with hip opener added in see how you like one new one from Tues class.  Onto the real work for today finding the ease within the pose while holding challenging postures that are using the large muscles of the leg.  Lunges, Chair, Balances, Deviasana, horse.  Trust me you will find the strength that we all have in our legs. This is how we move through our days keeping them strong and lean will bring ease to the movements.

Core wore with dolphin/leg lifts,  cobra, sphinx.

Releasing everything with leg lifts to settle the hips and sacrum, hip side stretch to twist the spine, happy baby and rocking the clock for the final releases.

Aromatherapy today is Vata Blend from Yoga Flow Oils.  Thank you Susan

Kaliji is here 4/9-4/11 Tri Yoga getting ready mon

Spinal Flows, Standing Strength

Kalijiis almost here so we went over a few more moves that we do routinely in TriYoga. There is still some space on Sat & Sun contact Sandi http://bit.ly/bizcCk 

Pranayama tonight was on the back with a block supporting the heart chakra under the shoulder blades. Another block was on the tall end under the head to allow the neck to lengthen and the shoulders to open and relax from the days journey.

Cross squat to cat one common turn, 1/4 turn cat, natural rolls.

From Mountain a gentle light hop to Pyramid 1 then hopping lightly back to toe balance, Monkey to Mountain.

The beautiful moves from pyramid 1 through the standing posture flows working the transitions and the postures.  Mountain to swan noticing the placement of the knee to the inside of the wrist to help align the femur bone with the body. Swan to extended Mountain.  Wrist rolls and carpal tunnel openers.

To the floor for toe stretch, prep to lower down and the roll down and back up, hip side stretch, spider, reclined butterfly.  Roll up for aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is Anxiety ease from Yoga Flow Oils.  Thank you Susan

Closing Pranayama Alternate nostril breathing and Energy Light Meditation.

Hope to see many of you at Kaliji’s workshop or Sandi’s class on Thurs.  Namaste

The reflexology chart free download is http://bit.ly/1n0rSk

Stong backs, strong legs, happy sacrums Tues

Core Work, Standing Strength

Centering Pranayama  Found a new poet that I love will offer 2 of her readings tonight.

Cat rolls opening the spine. Allowing the movement to flow into circles perhaps to updog.

Dogs peeing on fire-hydrant to circle here (I know it sounds strange but you know what I mean when I say it) Opposite arm and leg balance.  Toe stretch with shoulder/arm openers.

Upper body work with Dolphin and moving into more advanced forearm dog.

Instead of Sun Salute tonight will be part of a Mandala Namaskara to open the hips and legs.

Standing postures tonight Triangle, 1/2 moon, revolved Triangle, revolved 1/2 moon, Pyramid.

Hand balances with blocks Tolasana or Lolasana

Few twists, pelvis leveler then Savasana.

Aromatherapy tonight Dharma by Yoga Flow Oils thanks Susan.

Found a great website for reflexology and a good free print out for foot reflexology I will be bringing copies soon.  Enjoy the full moon it was beautiful this morning around 5am I was on the Skyway bridge and it was so wonderful seeing the moon beams kissing the water below.  Above and below we are all connected.

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.

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.

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 →

10 Churnings- Toe stretch & balance~~ Shaking things up. Tues

Standing Strength, Toe Stretch, Yoga Moves

Begining with a little pranayama as we always do and adding in  The Breath of Joy for a little more awakening for this strong practice tonight.

Had a request for a more Hatha yoga practice so tonight the standing postures will have longer holds to ride the wave of the breath and feelings. Pantanjali says “Perfection is achieved when the effort to perform the asana becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.”  Mr Iyengar says” Relaxation in asana means release of unnecessary muscular tension in your body which allows serenity in the mind.”  Try to find this ease and relaxation in the poses tonight.

Love that toe stretch and adding to it tonight with a litte balance.  After the normal toe stretch coming into toe balance and adding on Continue reading 10 Churnings- Toe stretch & balance~~ Shaking things up. Tues →