I want to show you the beauty of the basic, foundational movements of yoga.  

I want to show you how to get grounded, how to safely move your body and teach you how to breathe.

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Getting grounded is essential to any yoga practice.  Grounding is all about feeling. With each pose we work from the ground up.  Starting with your base (whatever body part is touching the ground), making sure that first you feel sturdy, safe and comfortable.  Feeling your feet on floor while performing a standing pose or simply seated during chair yoga. Feeling your sitting bones rooted firmly on the ground while in a seated position.  Feeling the palms of your hands and the tops of your shins on the earth while on your hands and knees.  Feeling the parts of the body that move with the breath.

 

From there we move up and begin aligning the body into the pose.  Since we all have different injuries, ailments and our bodies are not built the same, we make the pose fit your body.  Here we can safely identify the difference between pain and sensation, and how we can work with any limitations.  This can be done by modifying poses and by using props.  There are several modifications to many poses and you will still receive the same benefits.  Blocks, blankets, straps and chairs are just some of the props that can be used to further assist in modifications.

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After, we work on activation and deactivation- Identifying what parts of the body need to be activated and what areas can be softened.  Activation is key to maintaining safety, avoiding injuries and maximizing the benefits from each pose.  Moving the knee toward the pinkey toe in Warrior two.  Pushing the blade of the back foot into the ground in Warrior one.  Deactivation teaches us how to identify wasted energy. Softening the face in shavasana, unclenching your jaw in pigeon pose, releasing the glutes in cobra.

 

Finally we direct our attention to the breath.  Luckily for the most part our bodies breathe automatically.  However effective breathing can guide us deeper into poses and also help keep us steady.  Simply recognizing if you are holding your breath during strenuous poses or when balancing.  Learning to use different breath techniques such as Uijayi and Lions breath can help steady the mind and keep focus. 

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All of this keeps you in the present moment on your mat.  Feeling your body move through space.  Observing how the body responds physically and mentally to the poses, the movements in between and to the stillness of the breath.  Yoga is more than postures and breath work.  Each visit to the mat will paint you a picture of what your body needs and doesn't need in that moment.  Everyday is different and some are better than others.  It is a process.  But what a beautiful process it is.  Let me show you.

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