A number of years ago, I ran a series of workshops by the above title. So many people have a love-hate relationship with backbends that I thought it good to teach some anatomy, practice simple backbends first and then work up to more advanced back arches over several sessions.
Ironically, while developing the workshop and doing lots of backbends prior to it, I made my back sore. […]
I don’t know how you’re travelling these days, but I’m still feeling buffeted by the news from Japan. Do you wonder sometimes how the world is going to make it through with so many things going wrong? I do.
Moreover, recently I’ve had some feelings of grief about my family come to the surface. Maybe they were precipitated by my mother-in-law’s recent death, possibly by the tragedies in Japan, Christchurch, Queensland.
I feel okay about being sad. I’ve been watching my mind come up with a lot of…what? It can only be called crap. […]
Organise your yoga program to allow for a cool down in the 15 or 20 minute period just before savasana. This will give the most satisfactory relaxation.
An artfully designed sequence will segue from inversions to twists to forward stretches, then savasana. Along this carefully planned course of action, the practitioner releases any residual niggling or agitated sensations from the body to create a smooth transition into savasana.
You use the relaxation period to set your metabolism on an even keel. […]
I’ve been included in a listing of top yoga blogs, so if you have been a loyal subscriber to “Yoga Suits Her”, you have discerning taste 🙂
Have a look: BestBlogs […]
I can’t shake the images from the Japanese earthquake/tsunami. I was having a glass of wine tonight, watching the SBS news, and thinking, “Here, I’m so secure and comfortable, how is it possible that this has happened over there?” Countless Japanese have no heating now in the cold climate, worse still, no homes. They have little food and clean water, have lost loved ones, and are under the threat of radiation poisoning.
The natural disaster may soon have passed but the tragedy remains. […]
One of the skills to cultivate in yoga practice – no, all of life! – is effortless effort.
This doesn’t mean lifting weights without grunting; it means applying an attitude of relaxed attention to whatever you are doing.
For instance, we wouldn’t think of doing trikonasana with tense shoulders or while holding the breath, but we might not notice the diaphragm being tight. […]
This morning, perhaps like you, I’m still reeling from the disaster that has struck Japan – a horror that will go on for many people forever.
The above photo shows how peaceful and “normal” it is here on Mitchells Island, New South Wales, Australia at this very moment. […]
I don’t know how it’s done – how one recovers from difficulty. I’m thinking of grief, and now also, the devastation in Japan.
These things seem to work for me:
Trust feelings, find a good listener, talk, feel some more, cry. Have a cup of tea. Talk, contain the feelings, let what’s underneath surface. Receive love, cry, don’t think, feel. Rest. […]
My mother-in-law passed away today.
I feel very much saddened by her death.
I loved her.
Her dying seems tied to other griefs, and they have surfaced to get cleansed. I thank her for that.
I’m also grateful for the gift of her beloved son in my life, as well as his seven brothers and sisters.
Everyone deals with grief in their own way. When my mother died, I “moved on”. I didn’t know then that skipping over stones isn’t possible. Grief is a stalker. […]
I gave the group in this morning’s class a good physical workout. Towards the end of the 90 min. session, they lay down and relaxed. Sometimes I lead them through a progressive relaxation of their bodies, but today I thought I would be completely silent and give the students time to relax on their own.
Often what shows up against the background of quietude is how busy one’s mind is. […]
A friend and I have had a couple of beautiful conversations this week, and I feel closer to him then I ever have. I’ve wanted this sort of relationship, but didn’t know how to have it or when, if ever, it was going to happen.
The content of the talks was about my feelings. It’s so easy when I feel raw to try to foist my bad feelings on the other person. But I’ve learned from good role models that there is power in vulnerability. […]
We’ve had a lively conversation around the dinner table tonight that was prompted by our viewing of a movie called “Gasland”. It’s a documentary that was made by American Josh Fox about the mining for natural gas occurring right across the U.S in recent years. It’s a little budget movie that’s made a big impact on environmentally-aware people and also the people who ended up with drilling going on in their backyards.
Some of these people are very unhappy about the results of drilling and gas production on their land. […]