What differentiates a good yoga sequence, from a great one?

Do you want a clearer understanding of:

• WHAT makes a therapeutic and effectively evolving vinyasa sequence to arrive meditatively in the practice

• WHEN to cue breath, and understand shoulder and hip flexor movement which inspire effective pranayama *

• WHY certain sequences facilitate more ease and joy in flow

• HOW to move the lumbar spine to stabilise transitions involving twists and side bends **

Many vinyasa teachers teach to their own body‘s liking after devising practicing sequences alone and practicing them (on their own body). Great teachers with this approach revise and offer options after seeing how people get on with it.

Many teachers formulate sequences based on traditional sequences which often miss delivery of the maximum physical benefits available because the traditional lifestyle which allowed those practices are not how we live (ie not squatting to go to the bathroom, not sitting on the floor, fast paced society, meaning increased likelihood of stress).

We’re looking at and dissecting in practice three varitaions on common vinyasa sequences, suryanamascar, chandranamascar and a typical vinyasa warrior flow. In our exploration we’ll see their effects on the breath, bandha, muscular skeletal and nervous systems.

This will lead to great insights into the importance of the actions and how one can modify for injuries and individuals with special conditions to achieve a similar effect and group inclusivity.

The body is complex, let alone trying to make practices work for individuals with similar effect, but fortunately there’s an approach which can be applied to each joint involved in the pose. So instead of having to learn the ‘alignment’ *** for the 840000 poses we can improve our understanding of how to most effectively exercise and move energy through the mere 9 major join complexes of the body in two modes, compressive and expansive bandhas.

For many yoga practitioners alignment all too often comes to an impasse of reasoning on the WHY leaving answers which suit most people and agree to disagree that this is the way they do it because that’s how they were taught

• An informed appreciation on the effect of movement using 9 major joint’s actions

• Deep experience of the body in the context of asana cultivating clearer awareness

• Removing doubt about stretching certain muscle groups and what the main aim of a physical yoga practice is

Understanding the why of alignment and movement into and out of posture. Isotonic and isometric exercises are both used in yoga asanas but are you sure you’re using the most effective?

Synergy combines an understanding of Western based physiotherapy to physical yoga practice, which introduces concepts such as resistance exercises and reciprocal relaxation. These ways of holding and moving the body creates a balanced system in any movement context, especially yoga. It comes from Australia where the 2 co founders have 70 years teaching experience and physiotherapy training as well as biology careers and university lecturing experience behind them.

Embodying true yoga through the present bodies through shared exploration under the guidelines delivered by @yogastef 15 years asana experience & 700 hours RYT as well as trainings with Leslie Kaminoff, Simon Borg Olivier. and other great yoga anatomists.

This workshop will be experiential from the start we will be working on feeling the effects of simple movements before the second half when we look at applying these in adjustments of postures.
You are given a small manual which details the content of major muscles and joints involved in postures for your notes during and reference later.

The course begins with a small commitment of your time to complete this as a pre event worksheet to convey the main principles covered on the day so you can brush up a bit, mainly on joint actions and nervous system responses.

 

Held at Heaven on Earth

St. Vincent’s School House, Greenside Street

Manchester M11 2EX

Schedule of the day:

12:45 latest arrival time for registration

13:00 introductions and overview of the day

13:30 review on the effect of muscular joint activation on the nervous system and interconnected joints in sequencing

14:30 tea break

15:00 foundations of flow

16:00 pathways to posture informed sequencing

17:00 finish

The course cost is £65 for teachers £80 otherwise

If you are planning to attend the previous workshop too on Sunday 8th December in Old Trafford, Manchester you can reserve a space on both dates for £108/135

Options

Teacher £65.00 GBP Non Teacher £80.00 GBP & 8/12/19 Teacher £108.00 GBP & 8/12/19 Non Teacher £135.00 GBP

* how to cue breath to bring people of an anxious or depressive mood back to balance and awareness (it’s two completely different ways for either end of the spectrum which can have very positive effects with the right know how)

** there are a at least 4 different ways people use their muscles to stabilise the spine with very different effects. We will review all of these and look at effective ways of cueing the best

*** poses don’t have alignment, people do – quote from Leslie Kaminoff, Widnes 2017. There is a misunderstanding of alignment (perhaps it would be better termed ‘aligning’ so as not to convey any finished result or ‘perfect’ position). Effective aligning is generally the attempt to move into or out of a posture with the most effective muscles engaged or relaxed and able to work them consciously during and on the way out too.

As well as the knowledge, wisdom and insights, you will also receive a certificate of completion of the course, and homemade gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free banana bread 🙂