exploring whole vitality through Yoga and Conscious Living
The feet are a crucial point of foundation in the majority of our yoga postures. Without discernible awareness to the foundation from our foot connection to the earth, alignment issues can readily cascade through the kinetic chain of joints that interact with our feet. By mindfully engaging our feet, we can awaken this foundation and …
Continue reading "Engage Abductor Hallicus to Awaken Our Foundation"
Low back pain is an increasing issue in our society dominated by poor posture, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic sitting patterns. The source of low back pain can vary, but a great deal of these muscular dysfunctions emanate from the quadratus lumborum muscles.
Using drishtis (focal points) in yoga offers great benefits including enhanced balance, increased inner awareness and concentration, reduced distractions, and greater connection to breath. While some styles of practice have specific drishti points, we will look at some basic elements of setting focal points to insure that optimum benefits and quality in postures are being delivered.
Becoming 'more flexible' is one of the more common interests for people entering a yoga program. Many studies from exercise science and yoga increasingly demonstrate the immense benefits of stretching including increased range of joint motion and tissue extensibility (aka 'increased flexibility'). One aspect that is rarely addressed in the development of flexibility is stretch tolerance. Let's discuss how yoga stretching offers benefits in improving stretch tolerance along with some mindful cautions.
