Deepening Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Posture)
In this video I demonstrate an easy exercise to work towards lowering the thighs in Baddha Konasana.
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Increasing Hip Flexion or Forward Folding
Forward folding can be a problem movement for many students especially those new to you. In this video I share some of my favourite ways for working on increasing hip flexion.
John Scott’s Key Homework Postures from Foundations and Fundamental Openings
There are some key movements that are the building blocks of many of the postures in Yoga. Respected Ashtanga teacher John Scott calls these the foundations and fundamental openings and refers to them in his Baby Sequence. In this workshop we pull out a couple of those key movements and show you how to work with them as homework.
Yin Yoga for Back bending with Ease and Grace
Back bending with ease and grace requires that the Hip flexors (front of the hips), shoulders, and the whole of the front of the body are flexible and strong. Yin yoga is a way of opening the body with passive stretches held for a prolonged period of time. If practiced correctly it is a very sure and safe way to work on increased flexibility.
Yin Yoga for Lotus Hips
Padmasana or Lotus can be one of the most challenging and frustrating poses for a yoga practitioner. The ankles, knees and hip joints all have to be mobile and the muscles in the legs and the hip girdle have to be flexible. It is all too common for the knee to be injured trying to put the body in lotus before it is ready, so first a word of caution: take your time. There is no rush and it really doesn’t matter if you never ‘get’ Padmasana.
Sitting for Meditation
The basic goal of all the asana practice is finding and maintaining a comfortable padmasana (lotus pose) for meditation. There are a few key anatomical components and principles to finding this comfort. The foundation of the pose is the crossing of the legs and “sit bones” comfortably on the floor. With a firm foundation we find an upward energy and lift in the spine, which eventually becomes effortless.