Give The Squish A Shot: Forward Fold Is More Complicated Than You Think
One of my regular clients asked me about a cue I use on the reg . . . a little squish in the knees. The forward fold is the go-to yoga pose and possibly the easiest, most complex pose of the bunch. Forward folding is the neutral gear of the yoga canon. Done well, it releases hamstring tension, lower back tightness, and on perfect days, I can feel my entire spine crack up the line. Indeed, I cue it over and over and over. It might be the first time or the hundredth time, but eventually, one of my clients approaches me and asks for clarification. …
Slow Your Roll, Bitches: My Yoga IS Healthy Yoga
It happens all of the time. New people attend my class, and they are experienced yoga practitioners. You know the type, usually younger, lithe, and so full of yogi zen you just want to slap the yoga off of their fucking faces. They have no idea the yoga they’ve been practicing isn’t healthy yoga. I always frontload these people with my background in Viniyoga, my atypical cueing, and my history with yoga as a kinder way of saying, “Slow your roll, bitches. This is healthy yoga.” Yoga (modern transnational physical yoga, MTPY for short) as typically taught can cause serious injuries. Yes, yoga is the bomb diggity, and I wish…
Take The Weight Off Of Your Shoulders
One of the number one places we’re tight tight tight is our upper body. Even if you’re not a big weightlifter, your shoulders carry the weight of your world. They’re the most common place our tension sits because we’re literally flinching sometimes. The Trapezius runs from the base of your skull across to the top of your acromion on one side and on the other, it connects down the spine from C7 of the cervical vertebrae through T12 of your thoracic vertebrae. The neck has a whole mess of muscles from the Levator Scapulae to the strap muscles that collect their own knots of stress. Add the Rhomboids and the…
Yoga Inversions: Why I Don’t Fucking Teach Them
Something came up in class this week, no pun intended. Yoga inversions. I don’t teach full inversions, sarvangasana, shoulder stand, sirsanasa, headstand, or sandasana, wheel pose. Go ahead, Yoga nazis, fire up your torches and sharpen your pitchforks. I’ll wait. I’m even going against my Viniyoga background on this one. Inversions belong to a set of yoga poses I consider Ego Poses. There is ZERO scientific evidence proving any physical benefit to practicing these poses. There are plenty of scientific studies supporting the many benefits of practicing yoga without propagating the bullshit. Aren’t inversions good for you?