For the month of September I will be doing a semi-private backbend series. The mini-workshops will take place at Yogaworks, El Segundo, CA every Sunday in September from 10-11am. If you have ever wanted to deepen your backbends, but didn’t know where to start, this series is for you!
I thought I’d share yet another beautifully made and meticulously produced video of her by Equinox Fitness.
I think is pretty inspiring, and hope it gives you another reason to unroll your mat today and dive into your yoga practice!
What’s cool about this one is you get to hear her voice as she lays down some yoga wisdom on backbending. I personally love backbending and love to inspire my students to pursue the bigger backbends with enthusiasim snd a healthy dose of caution and patience.
In this workshop we will unlock the secrets of the spine so that your backbends blossom with strength and grace. We will explore the relationship between the pelvis and the ribcage to fully understand how you can achieve a deep, healthy and beautiful backbend! Come with an open heart, a willingness to sweat and the knowledge that you too can find joy in backbends! For beginners to advanced students alike, this workshop will deepen your understanding of backbends and encourage growth throughout your yoga practice!
Heart of a Warrior: How to Backbend with Strength and Grace
In this workshop we will unlock the secrets of the spine so that your backbends blossom with strength and grace. We will explore the relationship between the pelvis and the ribcage to fully understand how you can achieve a deep, healthy and beautiful backbend! Come with an open heart, a willingness to sweat and the knowledge that you too can find joy in backbends! For beginners to advanced students alike, this workshop will deepen your understanding of backbends and encourage growth throughout your yoga practice!
Time: Sunday October 3rd 12:00pm-3:00pm
Price: $25 for Sunday or pay $40 and come on Sat for Andrew Wilkinson and Brian Aganad’s Arm Balancing & Inversion workshop!
This workshop will be held at Yoga Belly studio in Mountain View, CA
Here is a video of me practicing an advanced yoga backbend in Krista Cahill’s class at Yogis Anonymous. Below is a yoga sequence that leads to the backbend in this video.
You should always warm up with some backbends and chest openers first such as…
1. Forward Fold “Uttanasna” with Hands interlaced behind your back (hold 5 breaths and then switch the interlacing and hold for another 5)
2. Cobra Pose with hands interlaced behind back (hold 5 breaths and then switch the interlacing and hold for another 5)
5. Sun Salutes A and Sun Salute B (5 rounds each is my preference but at least 3)
14. Eka Pada Vipariti Dandasana Variation(Final Pose!)
1.Come into Wheel pose with the crown of the head placed on your mat.
2.Lift your shoulders vigorously away from the ground to keep pressure off of your neck.
3. Line the elbow up with the shoulders so that they are in ine with and no wider than your shoulders.
4. Draw the shoulders into your shoulder sockets, away from the wall you are looking at and towards your hips.
5. Straighten your arms
6. Bend your right knee and set the shinbone flat on your mat.
7. Grab your heel with your hands and try to snuggle the crown of your head to your inner arch of your right foot.
8. Pull the elbows in as you press into the mat with your forearms and lift your shoulders up.
9. Wiggle the left foot free as your roll your inner thighs to the floor.
10. TA DA!
To come out: Step your left foot back in. Uncurl your right leg.
Cool Down
End with a gentle twist on your back (Hold and breath in to your lower belly to release your lower back muscle and spine), Happy Baby, a few forward folds (Paschimottanasana, Baddha Konasana, and Pigeon or Thread the Eye of the Needle), Plow, Shoulderstand, and a long, juicy, restful Savasana!
Mackenzie Miller and Andrew Abaria in a work of art by Robert Sturman for collection “Poetry of the Gods”
In Yoga the Most Important thing is the breath…especially when bruisedribs make it hard to catch your breath.
I know that you probably hear the teacher in yoga class (that would be me,… if you are coming to my classes) drone on and on about how important the breath is.
Is it sometimes repetitive just how many times I will encourage my students to breathe? Yep. However, it isjust that important!
Need a breathing break? Well, first off you need to stretch out to make space for the breath!
“Cow Face Pose
(You only need the arms but if you’d like a great glute/outer hip stretch add the arms. If you can’t interlace your hands then you can use a strap, towel, anything that links your hands together.”)
(“This pose you’d only want to twist and open up the side of the ribs that are bruised, since as you twist the other ribs are collapsed. This would be once you start feeling much better.”)
“Please let me know if you have ANY questions. This is a good place to start. Even just laying off the edge of your bed and extending your arms overhead should give you an intense stretch. The most important thing is that you listen to your body and TAKE IT SLOW!”
And then lets hear what YisforYogini has learned recently about breathing (also a former student and now in the midst of the 200 Teacher Training at Yogaworks with Kia Miller and David Kim)
“When you understand that your diaphragm draws down as you inhale and upward as you exhale, you can begin to comprehend HOW you make space. You can actually visualize what happens as you breathe, which is immensely helpful for being with and in your own body. Instead of being outside of it and experiencing respiration from a figurative distance, you’re now armed (diaphragmed?) with deep anatomical knowledge.”
Mackenzie Miller and Andrew Abaria at lululemon for Robert Sturmans art show show off their mad yoga skills!
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