Summer Flow Sunday Session - Yoga Workshop

Summer Flow

Safe Backbends
Open Heart 

Yoga Workshop

 

Sunday 26th of June 2011

10am-12.30pm £25 



 

 Backbends are a wonderful way to create more space to breathe, energise the spine, broaden the chest...

We will start with a slow and gentle flow to warm up and get to know our body, understand safe alignment principles and then
explore a selection of backbends in different variations and modifications.

With a foundation of being grounded, aligned andmoving with the breath our backbends are opening our chest and heart with grace, awareness and spaciousness.

Please RSVP by email, in class or by PAYPAL (online)

What would you like to explore in you practice? Let me know on Facebook or email...

Read the full newsletter HERE

Folding forward - I bow to...

This is the second part of the Sun Salute series written for Families Online on the 17/04/2011 3:55 pm

 

:

I am enjoying April. We have had some beautiful summer days, some very changeable days and are sure to get some April showers too. But every cloud has a silver lining and we are continuing our celebration of the Sun through the practice of Surya Namaskaram - the sun salutation. For a full yoga practice or shorter sunsalutes session please visit http://anjayoga.podbean.com for FREE and £4.99 audio classes - and even better join a class!

Standing Forward Bends

Having a firm foundation in your mountain pose (tadasana) is the perfect starting point for our forward bends. Basically you aim to literally fold forward from your hips keeping both legs and spine long and strong just like your tadasana. But most of us have either very tight hips or hamstrings (muscles at the back of our legs) and we suffer with tension in our back. Suddenly coming into a forward bend can seem rather challenging. However in yoga there are always modifications and you always work with your body and how it feels at that present moment.

Let’s start:

From mountain pose with the arms above your head exhale and - with a straight spine - hinge from your hips. Think of lengthening the heart forward. Bring your fingertips to the floor or place them on blocks next to your toes. If your hands do not reach the ground bend your knees. In fact bend your knees so much so your belly touches your thighs. This way you are not over-stretching your spine making your back vulnerable to injury or strain. Your are now in Uttanasana (translated as ‘intense stretch’).

The half way point - extend your spine:

On an inhale extend your chest to ‘half-forward bend’ (Ardha Uttanasana). Now your spine is complete straight (within its natural curves). Your finger tips are resting on the floor or on your shins. Think of creating space between your pubic bone and your navel - and from your naval to your heart. Exhale as you fold into your standing forward bend once again.

Moving with the breath - follow the flow.

For a few breathes move between your Uttanasana and your Ardha Uttanasana.

• From tadasana inhale - raise your arms above your head.
• Exhale - hinging from your hips fold into your standing forward bend. Bend your knees if appropriate.
• Inhale - extend your heart to a half forward bend.
• Exhale - fold forward.
• Inhale - repeat into your half forward bend
• AND either continue between your two forward bends
• OR exhale, take your hands to your hips keeping a straight spine

then inhale up to standing with a straight back - tadasana.

As always have fun, follow your breath and listen to your body.

If you have any injuries, medical conditions or any health concerns or if you are pregnant or a new mum please speak to a yoga teacher or health professional before starting a new exercise programme. Vvisit www.yogaembodied.com for further details on yoga and ayurveda.

Anja is yoga teacher specialising in Vinyasa Flow (all levels), Pregnancy Yoga and Postnatal Yoga..

She has a BSc and PGDip in Ayurveda from Middlesex university. This qualifies her to practice as an Ayurvedic practitioner, advising on herbs, lifestyle, diet as well as giving body treatments including massage.

Visit www.yogaembodied.com for further detail and to sign up for her newsletter. You can also find herinfo@yogaembodied.com, Twitter (twitter.com/anjayogini) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/yogaembodied)

Tadasana - Steady as a mountain

This is from my blog at Families Online where we are investigating the Sun Salute! Please stay in touch to get the full sequence explained...

In the last two blogs we discussed the Cobra and Upward Facing Dog. These two poses are fantastic practised on their own but they are also part of The Sun Saluation, Surya Namaskar. So I thought we would start to discuss the sun salute pose by pose...

I welcome you to visit www.yogaembodied.com to download, listen and practise with the audio classes including a FREE 15 minutes Sun salutation. And if you feel like exploring some more yoga then join us for a class or workshop (I teach a Backbend workshop on Sunday the 26th of June!) in Streatham, Chelsea or Parsons Green.

Best way to start is from the foundation - standing up tall and steady. Here we go:

Standing up straight - that is Tadasana and the base and foundation for all other poses. It sounds so easy and simple but it is not always necessarily so. Standing up tall with a good posture is actually a challenge for most of us.

So as we stand, keep your feet parallel either hip distance or together. Can you keep the little toe side of your feet parallel with each other and the outer edges of your mat? This way your toes, knees and hips all point directly forward as will your hip points and shoulders.

Maybe soften your knees and draw your tailbone down as you lift your pubic bone gently in the direction of your navel. Now you can work towards straightening the legs. Lift the crown of your head as you press your feet to the Earth - it will feel like you are growing an inch or two taller! Imagine a line from the crown of your head, down to the middle of the heart, your pelvis, between the knees and then to your heels.

Really feel this pose from the inside. Close your eyes and feel your body. Where do you put your weight on the feet? Are you thrusting your pelvis forward, rounding your back, collapsing the shoulder or maybe arching the spine? Try to find this imaginary centre line and align your body and your breath.

In tadasana your arms are relaxed by your side. But in the sun salutation we start by pressing the palms together in a prayer position (anjali mudra) in front of the heart. Let that be a gesture to remind you that you move with your breathe and from your heart - not from your mind or your ego. As you raise your prayer towards the sky relax your shoulder blades down your back. If you want more space across your shoulders then keep your hands shoulder-width apart.

Avoid arching your lower back. Keep the tailbone pointing towards your heels. Lift your heart but let your lower front ribs in and down. Enjoy this spaciousness from the soles of your feet on the Earth to your head and hands reaching to the Sky.

Start practising the Vinyasa (moving with the breath) between these two poses.

1. Hands by your side in traditional Tadasana - breathe in.
2. As you exhale bring your palms to your heart in a prayer position.
3. Inhale as you raise your prayer to the Sky. Either out in front of you or if you have plenty of space spread your arms to the side and above your head.
4. Exhale take your hands to your heart.
5. Then repeat: inhale raise your arms - exhale palms to the middle of your chest.

Enjoy the flow and start to notice that your breath is initiating your movements. In the next blog we take the next step into the Sun Salute.

Have fun and enjoy the flow, the breath, prana, life!

Anja is yoga teacher specialising in Vinyasa Flow (all levels), Pregnancy Yoga and Postnatal Yoga.

She has several qualifications including teacher training programs with Barbara Harding (Cambridge School of Yoga), Sivananda and Seane Corn (Vinyasa Flow). She also had the pleasure of attending teacher workshops with prana flow teacher Shiva Rea. Her pregnancy, postnatal and perinatal yoga training has been inspired by many teachers including Françoise Barbira Freedman, founder of Birthlight, Uma Dinsmore Tuli from the SitaRam partnership/YogaCampus (Satyananda inspired) and Claire Missingham’s (Vinyasa Flow) specialist Teacher Training courses.

She has a BSc and PGDip in Ayurveda from Middlesex university. This qualifies her to practice as an Ayurvedic practitioner, advising on herbs, lifestyle, diet as well as giving body treatments including massage. She already have background in aromatherapy and pregnancy massage as well.

Visit www.yogaembodied.com for further detail and to sign up for her newsletter. You can also find her info@yogaembodied.com, Twitter (twitter.com/anjayogini) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/yogaembodied)