Liberated Yoga
Yoga is for everyone!
Topic: Anatomy
Yoga for the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is our first line of defense again illness: once the invading forces gain access inside the body, it is here that the lymphocytes mobilize to neutralize the invaders. Yoga has long been recognized for its ability to boost the immune system, not just on the physical, but also on the psychic level - our ability to keep healthy not only the body, but also the mind. What is the lymphatic system and how can one activate and nourish it? Lymph is a clear, slightly yellowish...
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Moving from the Core
My Core Integration WS is scheduled for October 14, and here I will lay out some ideas I base my approach on. Integration. What does it mean to have a pose well integrated? I have been structuring my classes in such a way as to allow gradual and deep integration of various aspects of the core into one cohesive whole. I have become really interested in this since I was introduced to Pilates five years ago. Before Pilates, I could get by in my Yoga practice because I wa...
Yoga Alignment: Neutral Pelvis
Neutral Pelvis is one of the most important alignment cues in my teaching and personal practice. In previous posts we talked about the few alignment points one needs to pay attention to have a safer Yoga practice and to be more confident doing Yoga at home. We discussed neck and shoulders, and now we are moving on to the pelvis. Our daily lives and genetics predispose us to certain deviations from neutral that can contribute to tension and weakness of the postural muscle...
Open Your Heart
One definition of a Yogi is someone who has space around the heart. An open, yet well-balanced heart is capable of giving and receiving love freely, with no strings attached, yet has healthy boundaries and knows when to say "no." In our Yoga Asanas a lot of attention is often given to back bends - partly to counteract the "slouchy" posture a lot of us are carrying, partly to give back to the heart some of that open, spacious feeling. Part of the reason why we are such a slouchy ...
Fascia - The New Frontier
Have you heard of fascia lately? I have been fascinated by the latest research that is coming out in this exciting new field. Fascia is connective tissue which wraps around and surrounds every structure of the body: bones, muscles, organs, everything. Think of it as a saran wrap-type of material - it is not stretchy or flexible, it is very thin, and everything in your body is connected to everything else via fascia. Some believe that's why reflexology (foot massage) ma...
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When does a muscle need to be "released" and when does it need to be "stretched"?
Because muscles can be in different states, such as locked short or locked long (which means they are usually weak and dehydrated due to poor circulation), stretching a muscle that feels "tight" is not necessarily a wise thing to do as a matter of default. When muscles are out of balance due to postural and movement habits, they pull too much on some bones, not enough on others, preventing better alignment in both Yoga poses and daily life. What we want is a strong muscle, one that can both elo...
HGH - Human Growth Hormone - is it Really the Fountain of Youth?
It has been getting some attention in the media and especially among the supplement companies, eager to make a fortune by exploiting our fear of death and aging. They call it the "youth hormone", because it helps to shrink fat cells and maintain lean muscle, it facilitates blood flow and collagen production, giving one a youthful glow. It boosts the mood and gives us greater energy and an improved sex drive. How much would you pay to have all that? How about, nothing at all! Below is a FREE...
Yoga Alignment: Shoulders
In a previous post I talked about the the importance of alignment , after which we discussed neck and Jalandhara Bandha , as I think it is probably the most important one of them all. Now we are moving down the list to the shoulders. The shoulder joint has an amazing range or movement. It is probably the most mobile joint in the body. As with everything in nature, there is a trade-off - it is also less stable (as compared to the hip, joint, for example). Many Yoga poses would have us b...
Yoga Alignment: Neck
A special installment on this subject, because it is probably the single most important alignment technique that will keep you safe in your poses and allow you to reap the most benefit from them. Jalandhara Bandha, or chin lock, is one of the very few alignment instructions passed down to us from the ancient Yogis. There are no instructions on where to put your feet, how to line up your knee with the second toe, etc. But neck alignment and Jalandhara Bandha get a lot of attention, and for goo...
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Yoga Alignment: Eight Tips You Need to Know
I often hear from my Yoga students that they are reluctant to practice at home by themselves because they are afraid they'd do something wrong or in poor alignment. With this blog I aim to dispel some of the mysteries of alignment and to help those of you, who are willing, to relax with Yoga at home. First and foremost, what is alignment? When we place our limbs just so, arranging our body into shapes, we want to get the most benefit from the pose, yet minimize the risks, while at the same ...
