Rockstar Yoga

Backstory: wheel (the yoga pose) and I are nemeses. There’s a chasm of mistrust and pain between us. I feel that way about most backbends. (I’m a committed supported bridge girl.) Except flip dog. LOVE it. Some how, flipping my dog lets me feel the sense of lightness and flight that I think I should get from backbends.

So you can imagine my joy when I was introduced to “rock star” earlier this week (Adena’s 4:00pm class at yogapower in Waltham, MA). We came into the pose from side plank and I could feel my chest fall open, my shoulder blades move down and in … and I was grinning like a fool the entire time. Love at first pose.  So of course, I have to share my love and all my classes this week have incorporated rock star as a mid-way point for deeper backbends. Love rock star and I’m starting to reconsider my perspective on backbends in general.

Rockstar Yoga
75 minutes
(Much gratitude to Adena for inspiring this sequence!)

supported fish
roll to table top
cat/cow
opposite arm/leg extension, with optional bind
all-fours core (press toenails to mat, lift knees one inch – YIKES!)
downward facing dog
high plank
down dog
plank with knees down
lower to belly
cobra
all fours
down dog
three-legged dog
runner’s lunge
pyramid
(breathe lunge/pyramid three times, then repeat other side)
walk to front of mat
tadasana
om om om
vinyasa to down dog

dolphin

down dog
three-legged dog with hip opener
core plank
three legged dog
runners lunge
crescent lunge
tall twist
reverse twist
windmill down to plank
side plank
ROCKSTAR
vinyasa to down dog

three-legged dog
core plank
three-legged dog
warrior II
reverse warrior
half moon with optional bind
warrior II
reverse warrior
reverse triangle
triangle
prasaritta A/B
revolved triangle
utkatasana twist
dancer

half pigeon

(take mats to the wall and roll egde of mat in 3-4 times that’s closest to wall to provide knee padding)
quad stretch against the wall
lunge out from wall

(lengthen mat back out)

bridge/wheel at wall
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
inversion at wall
spinal twist
savasana, optional legs up the wall

Note: “Rockstar” and variations are also called “Wild Thing”.  Two names you cannot go wrong with in a yoga class!

Strong Shoulders, Open Shoulders

This class was inspired by  fellow yoga teacher Michael Mann. The sequence that starts with the low lunge twist, through prasarita and the second dolphin/forearm balance prep is all Michael’s genius. I threw in the half bind for extra spice, but the heart of this goodness is all him. The flow below works great for a more advanced group, though it’s easily modified for a beginner group.

When working with shoulders I emphasize three major points:

1. shoulder blades on top of the back, accessing the serratus anterior muscles to keep the bottom tips of the shoulder blades tucked in, rather than winging out. (For a great write up on the serratus anterior, check out Sarah Court’s post on YogaDork.)

2. broad collarbones and an open heart.

3. knees down will build more strength than you can possible imagine. So get over yourself, get over your ego and stick you knees on the mat. (Yoga tough love.)

Strong, open shoulders are a key component to an open heart and chest. Let’s get opening!!

Strong Shoulders a la Michael Mann
Time: 90 minutes
Suggested music: Justin Bieber mashups and Passion Pit (::wink::)

table top
cat/cow
thread the needle
tuck toes & lift knees 2 inches (ABS!)
downward facing dog
down dog to high plank, hold plank
three legged dog
bend knee, open hip
core plank
three legged dog
step to low lunge
deepen lunge on inhale
exhale back to pyramid pose/hamstring stretch
pulse with breath four times
runner’s lunge
down dog

step to front of mat
tadasana
side stretch
intention setting
om om om

step back to down dog
dolphin with fingers interlaced
walk back to dolphin plank
child’s pose
down dog
three legged dog
core plank: right knee to outside of right elbow (maybe arm balance)
three legged dog
crescent lunge
eagle
airplane
crescent lunge
step back to plank
side plank
vinyasa

down dog
runners lunge
back knee to mat
modified twist with knee down 3 breaths
lift knee and open arms
half bind top arm
lift hips high and breath for 3-5 breaths
lift up to warrior II
reverse warrior
side angle
half/full bind
reverse warrior
triangle
prasarita A/B
walk hands around to back of mat and lunge into opposite knee
repeat standing sequence from runners lunge
walk hands around to front of mat

dolphin (forearms parallel to each other on mat)
forearm balance or little hops

active child’s pose (pressing hands to mat, drawing shoulder blades and hips back)
inchworm/puppy pose (anahatasana)
sphinx
prone shoulder stretch
locusts with block between ankles and hands interlaced
floor bow
table top
down dog
jump through to seated, roll to back
supported bridge/bridge/wheels for 20-25 breaths

supta baddha konasana
knees to chest
happy baby
rock n roll to down dog

half pigeon/double pigeon

inversion

supine twist

savasana

Power Yoga + Yin Yoga = Peanut Butter & Chocolate

image from smitten kitchen

I was introduced to yin yoga a little over a year ago when I attended the beautiful Rhea‘s class in Cambridge, MA. It was the perfect compliment to my previously only power and vinyasa yoga practice. (And really, separating those out is splitting yogic hairs.)

Anyhow, power yoga and yin yoga were made for each other and the two styles have become the peanut butter and chocolate of my practice. I just gotta have ‘em together.

I love my power/vinyasa practice: I love the intensity, the heat, the ability to go upside down and attempt to balance on parts of my body that seem completely insane. I love the predictability and creativity in a power yoga class. The downside of a vinyasa and power practice is that it’s all movement, all the time.  With the possible exception of half-pigeon, most poses are held for no more than 5 breaths and those are are designed to maximize intensity.  I’m not knocking power yoga or vinyasa, it’s what I love and teach, but the gentle stillness of yin has a lot to teach, too.

Yin yoga targets the connective tissue of the body. It is slower paced, maybe 4 or 5 poses on each side, and is usually performed with lots of props: blocks, straps, bolsters, blankets, and towels. It is absolutely scrumptious! I am often more sore after a yin class than a power yoga class due to the deep stretching.

The slower pace of a yin class also allows lots of time for deep breathing, relaxation, meditation and, often, napping. It’s often jokingly said that a yin class needs to come with a warning label: “do not drive, attempt to talk, walk, or operate heavy machinery after class.”  This is seriously yoga-coma-inducing!

If you’ve never tried a yin class before, go try it out! It’s magnificent. Best of all, you don’t need to have any previous yoga experience. EVERYone will benefit from their very first class.

Any one regularly practice (or teach) yin yoga? What do you love about it?

For added fun, here’s my quick yin home practice

Yin at Home
Props: two couch pillows of equal size, two hand or dish towels
Soundtrack: the chillest music you got. I love The Swell Season and Bon Iver.

supported supta baddha konasana (pillow under each knee, 1 rolled towel beneath neck)

knees to chest and rock to table top

cat/cow

child’s pose (pillow under chest and forehead to start. Hold for a few minutes. Remove chest pillow and thread right arm under torso, reaching out to left for shoulder stretch. Can turn right cheek to pillow under head. Eventually unthread and send left arm under to right side)

sphinx (towel under hips bones, pillow under forearms)

table top

roll onto your back

supported fish (pillows or rolled towels under back (the long way) and under neck (the short way), adjusting height as needed so shoulders and chest relax)

hamstring/inner thigh stretch (right knee to chest, loop towel across instep and press foot to ceiling, hold 3-4 minutes.  Switch to right hand, keeping left hip on mat, slowly lower foot our to right, resting on floor on or block. Hold 3-4 minutes)

IT band/outer thigh stretch (bring leg back up to center, sole of foot towards ceiling, switch straps to left hand and slowly lower foot out to the left, supporting on a block. Hold 4-5 minutes)

repeat leg stretches with left leg

gentle twist (with pillow between knees)

savasana (pillows under knees and rolled towel under neck)

Simple, Joyful Yoga

image from cozy.spicy.saintly

Some days just call for a simple class taught with maximum amounts of joy. No intense themeing or “peak pose” that you’re trying to achieve, but a plain, simple, deliciously vanilla flow that hits all the right spots. A flow where you can focus on breath and breath alone.

This, for me, is that sequence.

Simple – Joyful – Yoga
(approx 75 minutes)

seated side bend
gentle seated twist
table top
cat/cow
thread the needle shoulder stretch
downward facing dog
high plank and hold for 5 breaths
down dog

low lunge, knee to mat, arms up overhead
vinyasa and repeat on other side

tadasana
vinyasa
three legged dog, hip open
runner’s lunge
crescent lunge
warrior II
reverse warrior
vinyasa and repeat

three legged dog, hip open
warrior I
humble warrior
warrior II
side angle
half bind
half moon
triangle
prasarita A/B/variations
parsvottanasana (gratitude pose)
revolved triangle
forward fold at front of mat
utkatasana twist (going opposite of revolved triangle)
padangustasana/padahastasana
vinyasa to child’s pose
breathe in childs pose for 10-15 breaths, then repeat standing sequence

from down dog, step up to tadasana
dancer
eagle

vinyasa to downdog and step through to lay on back
supported bridge
bridge with block in between thighs
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
rock n roll to down dog
half pigeon or double pigeon
paschimottanasana
supported fish
inversion (viparita is my fav!)
spinal twist
savasana

Yoga for Runners: October 2011

This past Saturday, a dedicated group of runners gathered to learn how to stretch, strengthen and why including yoga along with running is a recipe for life long health and wellness.

This is the third time I’ve taught this workshop and I think it was the best and most successful yet. It was “chaturanga free” and we focused on building each posture from the ground up: lots of foot/ankle strengthening! It was balanced out with deep calf, hip, hamstring and quad opening. Add in a dash of core and upperbody work and we had a total workout! Bracketing the movement was an opening seated meditation (called silent sitting so as not to freak any one out) and a long savasana.

Guiding Quotation:
“Most runner’s run not because they want to live forever, but because they want to live life to the fullest.”
- Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running 

Yoga for Runners
hero for silent sitting
child’s pose
cat/cow
downward facing dog
3-legged dog
runner’s lunge/pyramid (pulse gently back and forth)

step to top of mat
forward fold
tadasana
side stretch
plank
plank on knees with tri-dips (thanks Michelle B!)
shalambasana with feet on mat
shalambasana full extension
sphinx
crocodile
table top
down dog

toes pose

3 -legged dog
core plank
runner’s lunge
crescent lunge
high twist
warrior II
reverse warrior
triangle
prasaritta (extra-wide to stretch outside of calves)
gratitude

tree on block (another MB special)

down dog
fallen warrior (shout out to Pat on this one)
pigeon

janu sirsasana
Paschimottanasana
reverse table
supported bridge
supta baddha konasana
supported fish
viparita karani (supported inversion)
spinal twist
savasana

Happy Feet

haha! I wish!

I’ll be the first to admit that my feet take a lot of abuse. I walk everywhere in cheap flip flops, I run in old sneakers, and when I’m at work I wear at least 2 inches of very cute heel, and then proceed to lift boxes, climb ladders and stand on my feet at least 3+ hours a day.  My feet are a mess, but thanks to yoga, they are slowly starting to recover from 30 years of neglect and abuse.

It’s not surprising that the foot is a much more delicate instrument then we realize. A single human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 tendons and 20 muscles (if you consider the extensor hallucis brevis to be an individual muscle and not a part of the extensor digitorum brevis … and who doesn’t?! ::wink::).  That’s A LOT of mechanics for something we rarely stop to think about.

What’s the  best way to make cranky, sore, overworked, neglected feet feel happy and free again?

YOGA! duh

Yoga helps strengthen and stretch the muscles of the feet in ways you can’t get anywhere else.  Most yoga teachers will, at one time or another, talk about the feet and the important of even weight distribution.

Standing tall in Mountain Pose, spreading the feet wide to support Warrior II, and any balance pose you can think of all strengthen each muscle, ligament and tendon in the foot.

Toes pose and pressing the top of the opposite foot into the sole of the other are great ways to stretch and lengthen tight feet.

Here’s a short yoga sequence designed to make happy feet — something we can all use now that we’re midway through a summer of cute heels, cheap flip flops and long summer runs!

Have fun, enjoy and breathe into your feet

Yoga for Happy Feet
mountain pose
mountain pose with toes lifted towards knees
starting with pinkie toes, rest one toe down on the mat at a time
forward fold
half-way lift
plank (pressing heels back)
low plank
upward facing dog (press tops of feet down)
downward facing dog

three-legged dog (pressing standing ankle down towards mat)
step forward to runner’s lunge
hover torso with airplane arms
crescent lunge (focus on lift of back foot and pressing down of front foot)
airplane
eagle
tree
mountain

hero pose
child’s pose

close your mini practice with this double self-foot massage:
- from child’s pose, sit up on knees (padding if needed)
- behind you, bring top of one foot to rest on the sole of the other
- sit back on your heels like in toes pose
- press the top of the foot into the sole of the other
- you can slide you foot down, heel to toes, slowly or gently rock side to side
- repeat on the other side
(this lovely exercise came to me via Lauren Saraiva who learned it from Jacqui Bonwell.)

Here’s to happy, healthy, strong feet!!

Morning Yoga Basics: July

We maybe in the middle of a heat wave, but my early birds were with me as we saluted the sun on a hot and hazy morning. Today’s class was framed with the idea of listening: listening to the outdoor sounds on an urban college campus (construction, traffic, people walking and talking, birds, bugs and the breeze) and moving beyond the external sounds to the internal dialog between body and mind.  Hefty concept for 7:30am, but these guys and gals are champs!

Morning Yoga Basics
45 minutes

seated meditation (to settle in and start to focus on bringing mind down into body)
table top
cat/cow
opposite arm/leg extension
downward facing dog
runners lunge
low lunge w/ hip flexor opener

downward facing dog
three legged dog w/ hip opener
step through to crescent lunge
high twist
warrior II
reverse warrior
triangle
pyramid

tadasana
tree
step back to plank
lower for 2 locusts
camel
child’s pose
table top
roll onto back
reclined pigeon
spinal twist
savasana

Morning Yoga

This was a special class I taught as part of a week of free fitness programs at the gym on campus. It was a 45 minute yoga class, geared toward total beginners, taught outside on the lawn at 7am. A truly beautiful group of people came, some new to yoga, some with a bit of a background. We had a great time, saluted the sun, and got stretched and centered all before 8am.

Morning Yoga
45 minutes (7am – 7:45am)

child’s pose
cat/cow
downward facing dog
plank with knees down
cobra
downward facing dog
step to front of mat
half-way lift/flat back
tadasana
utkatasana
forward fold

runners lunge
crescent lunge
high twist
warrior II
triangle
step to top of mat
tree

step back to plank
dolphin
shell stretch/child’s pose

table top/all 4s
opposite arm/leg
half bow
spider

supported bridge
bridge
reclined pigeon
viparita
spinal twist
savasana

I deconstruced the traditional sun salutation and spread it out over the flow. We moved slowly and held poses a little longer than in a traditional vinyasa class. The pace worked really well (there were very few moments of total confusion).

Overall the class was a resounding success.  So much so that the coordinator is looking into offering it once a month through September!

Hour of {Spinal} POWER!

Here’s a fun little flow I’ve been playing with, moving the twist to the end of the standing sequence to really tap into the belly.

I’ve found in my own practice that twisting too early (before a full compliment of standing poses) can really tweak my low back.  I like this little number because it allows the spine and core to warm up a bit before taking it into the major rinse by following up revolved triangle with a deep, long utkatasana twist.

I’ve been working with my students on keeping hands at heart center in utkatasana twist and working to get elbows stacked one on top of the other and arms perpendicular to the floor.  This keeps the chest and heart open, rather than allowing the shoulders and heart to collapse in on itself.  Open chest = deeper belly rise!

Hour of {Spinal} Power
downward facing dog
plank
child’s pose
three-legged dog
runners lunge
gentle twist

forward fold/rag doll
tadasana
om – om – om
4 Sun As
3 Sun Bs, opening up to Warrior II on the final B

core plank
runners lunge
lunge with airplane arms
crescent lunge
warrior II
side angle
extended side angle
half moon
triangle
prasarita A/B
revolved triangle
forward fold with arm bind
utkatasana twist
padagustasana/padahastasana

core plank hold (15 count – make ‘em sweat!)
downward facing dog
jump through
supported bridge
bridge/wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
rock ‘n roll to down dog
half pigeon
inversion
supine spinal twist
savasana
om

Power, Music, Thunder & Lightening: Just Another Friday Night at Yoga

HOUR OF POWER PRANA2MUSIC FLOW
downward facing dog (hold)
high plank (hold for 8 breaths)
down dog (hold)
walk to front for rag doll
spine lengthen
tadasana
Om Om Om
4 Sun As
4 Sun Bs
utkatasana twist
vinyasa to down dog
warrior II
reverse warrior
side angle lunge
extended side angle
half moon
triangle
prasaritta A
pivot toes to front of room
eagle
::wash rinse repeat::
vinyasa to high plank and hold
down dog
jump through to seated & roll onto back
bridge
bridge/wheel
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
abs with block (from the Alex Amorosi school of abs)
rok & roll & vinyasa to down dog
half pigeon
inversion
spinal twist
savasana
OM

PLAYLIST
Carbon Leaf – “Life Less Ordinary”
The Killers – “Smile Like You Mean It”
Glee Cast – “Forget You” (oh yeah, I put it in here)
Muse – “Neutron Star Collision”
U2 – “Elevation”
Neon Trees – “Animal”
Enrique Iglesias – “I Like It”
A.R. Rahman – “Jai Ho”
Dave Matthews Band – “Best of What’s Around”
Jason Mraz – “The Remedy”
Madonna – “Open Your Heart”
Ozomatli – “Let Me Dream”
Israel Kamakawio’ole – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Mumford & Sons – “Awake My Soul”
The Poozies  - “Another Train”

This was my first Prana2Music and despite being a bundle of nerves I had a ton of fun!  I had a lot of support from teachers and friends, though, so friendly faces always help.  Biggest technical glitch was getting the crossfade to work.  I could get it in iTunes itself, but it didn’t transfer to my iPod, so for future classes I’ll need to work on making that better and more seamless.

After teaching the hour of power to music I taught my regular Friday night flow at 7:30 … to a GIANT thunderstorm!  We had a lot of fun with that in class.  I mean, when the blue lightening is lighting up the studio and the thunder is shaking the walls, you’ve just got to go with the flow!

It was also a great day for questions from my students.  Lots of interesting thoughts about alignment, where feet should be and a lot of “is what I’m feeling ok?”  I love these questions as it’s a chance for me to get to know the students better, to reassure them, maybe offer a helpful adjustment if needed, but really to support them in their practice.

Overall, it was a crazy fun night and absolutely captured the very reasons why I teach yoga.