Wednesday Yoga (8/22) ~ Stuck in a Routine?

As you may notice, class format is generally predictable - 15 mins warm-up and salutations followed by wave sequences and ending with some final stretches and focus on the theme.

To break that habit, this week's class will be completely different (well, not completely...). I will be changing the formats around a little, and perhaps surprise you here and there.

Getting stuck in a rut is no fun, so to change things up a little, I have decided to take a different approach this week. The theme will be... well, "no theme and just go with the flow" as vinyasa teaches us to do. Some of you may love it, and some of you may be indifferent, but what I will guarantee is that you will have a good workout and stretch!

After this class, I will rely on some of you to provide me with feedback as it is a different style than what we have grown so accustomed to. Please be candid - it takes a lot of offend me, so no worries.

I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow! Cheers!

Wednesday Yoga (8/15) ~ Finding Humor in Balancing Poses

Classes may have seem a bit intense lately with all the vinyasa flows back-to-back-to-back, so let's bring back some humor and fun to class with some balancing poses. Balancing poses often appear exotic and sometimes, it appears to be a lot harder than it actually is.

There are two types of balancing poses - one that focuses on the lower body (standing balances) and on the upper body (arm balances). Throughout our practice, I will try to incorporate both types; however, with the time limitations, we may only be able to focus on one.

If you have any suggestions for balancing poses that you would like to see incorporated into this week's class, send me a note! Speak, or forever hold your silence (and deal with what I plan for the class).

I look forward to seeing you and as always, bring your energy and your sense of humor! It will be a fun class (as always, right?). :)

Wednesday Yoga (8/08) ~ Hip Hip Hooray!!!

So many poses in yoga depend upon stable hips and bring attention to one's hip placement - "squaring hips", "stacking hips", "opposing hips", "opening hips", you get it!

This week's focus will be on opening the hips and learning its placement within every pose. As promised, we'll keep it simple yet challenging this week - no tricks this week. :)

If you have any suggestions related to hip-opening poses, please let me know of them.

I look forward to seeing you Wednesday! Hip Hip Hooray!!! ;) (like the title?)

Wednesday Yoga (8/01) ~ Vinyasa Flow ~ Going With the Flow

So I know this post is a little bit late, but I figured I post it anyway for those who missed out on tonight's class and was curious to know what we did.

So you hear me say in classes all the time, "vinyasa flow", but often times, we go through it so quickly that we forget how exactly to do it properly. Vinyasa flows are incorporated throughout a vinyasa yoga practice so much so that it feels like it's a class full of push-ups, or in yogic terms, chaturangas. So tonight, we practiced the proper way to do vinyasa flows, introduced a variety of different ways and modifications for them, and of course, repeated them over and over and over and over and over..... and yes, over again! It's about learning to synchronize it with our breath, allowing the breath to trigger the next move.

Thanks to those who came out, and for those who are new to yoga, don't be disappointed if you felt the practice was too challenging for you, because tonight's class was a bit more advanced than what I normally teach. With practice, patience, dedication, and a sense of humor, anything can be achieved. Vinyasa teaches us to "go with the flow", which is essentially what vinyasa means. It teaches us to ride the wave and not fight it. Learn to accept where we are today and see the potential to grow tomorrow...

Om shanti...

Wednesday Yoga (7/25) - "Untie Physical and Psychological Knots" Through Twisting Poses

Recently, I stumbled across an interesting outlook on twisting poses, so it has inspired me to create a theme around twisting asanas this week.

Roger Cole, a certified Iyengar yoga instructor wrote the following in Yoga Journal Magazine about twisting asanas:

"If your masseuse, your shrink, and your yoga teacher ever got together, they'd surely agree that you need twists. Your masseuse knows that your back muscles are tighter than the strings on a soprano ukulele; your shrink knows that half your tension comes from stress. And your teacher knows that twisting poses are often the best way to untie both physical and psychological knots.

Forward bends, side bends, and backbends bring relief, but twists really get to the core of your tension. Only twists can effectively stretch the deepest layer of back muscles: the small ones closest to your spine. The more you practice twists, the more you realize they don't just release tightness; they also dissipate the frustration, anxiety, or fear that's often behind physical tension. On many levels, twisting is more about what you let go of than what you accomplish."

So this week, let's focus on just that! Throughout our practice, I will incorporate several twisting poses and variations of poses with a twisting modification. So as mentioned last week, of the three elements - cardio, strength, and flexibility - flexibility will play a key role in twisting asanas. That's not to say cardio and strength will not, but the dominating factor this class will be flexibility. If you have a yoga strap at home, I would encourage you to bring it to class. There are a few straps in the classroom if you need one and do not own one.

Lastly, twisting poses go hand-in-hand with core strengtheners, so after savasana, I will dedicate 15 minutes after class towards abdominal work. You are more than welcome to join me!

If you have any questions or concerns prior to this class, please send me an e-mail. Also any twisting poses you would like to work on during this class, please offer up suggestions. I look forward to seeing you again this week. Cheers!

Wednesday Yoga (7/18) ~ Salutations in Many Flavors

The vinyasa style of yoga encompasses three different elements -- cardio, strength, and flexibility. In every practice, I try to incorporate all these elements with some classes dominated on a certain element more than others; however, I try to keep it as balanced as possible within my one-hour limit.

Last week, with the focus on lower body, the dominant element was strength. This week, we will bring attention to the cardio element elevating our heart rates throughout the practice with a series of salutations. Towards the end of class, we'll begin to cool down with some final stretches and perhaps even some inversions.

If you have any suggestions for this class, I invite you to offer them up by sending me an e-mail or leaving a comment prior to class. Or bring suggestions with you during class and we can incorporate them throughout the practice.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all, and bring your energy, water, towel, lucky mat -- whatever that gets you through practice!!! It was also mentioned last week we may be heading out for drinks after class, so if you are interested, you're more than welcome to join. It will most likely be after class at some bar/restaurant nearby. Hope to see you then!!!

Finding Equilibrium Through Standing Balances

Welcome back everyone from a long week without yoga!

This week, our focus will be on standing balances to strengthen the lower body muscles, specifically quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. In addition to strengthening the lower body, standing balancing poses requires immense focus, mental stability, and of course, a great sense of humor!

Before we dive into standing balancing poses, we will of course warm-up with several vinyasa sequences. Finally, we will end the class with some hamstring and quad stretches. If you have any questions, concerns, or even pose suggestions for this class, please offer them up!

I look forward to seeing you all again. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!