Tag: vinyasa
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YOGAMATTERS Blog: Embody The Warrior
A big thank you to YogaMatters who have just published my most recent blog article on their website. For anyone who has ever wondered about the deeper meanings behind the Yoga postures, what they represent and what the names mean, then stay tuned to the series of blogs I’ll be writing exclusively for YogaMatters! The…
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‘Vinyasa’: Life’s Moving Meditation
Technically, a ‘vinyasa’ can be any sequence performed with the breath; it isn’t restricted to the series of ‘chatturanga – upward facing dog – downward facing dog’, but this is indeed how we’ve lazily referred to these movements in the West for the past few decades. This is especially common ever since the whole Power…
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Awesome Autumnal Ambience: Special 50% Discount Off Amazing Music Until The End Of September
Music is a powerful tool which effects us on the deepest emotional and personal levels – whether it brings happiness, sadness, nostalgia, excitement, anger, relaxation or an overwhelming feeling we can’t even quite describe…. As someone who has always been very strongly effected my music, I regularly use music in Yoga classes to enhance the…
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Practice: Ashta Chandrasana Variation (Preparation For Urdvha Dhanurasana)
Many of us have one or two postures that are relatively simple, yet due to our individual anatomy, it seems ‘impossible’ to practice with any comfort whatsoever…. Take Gomukhasana for example: this posture looks quite accessible from the outside, but it’s often incredibly uncomfortable and even out of the question for a lot of people,…
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Practice: Vasisthasana & Variations. Cultivating space & strength in the shoulders, and practicing without pain….
Although I’ve written about the full expression of Vasisthasana before, and how to enter into it from postures like adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog), it’s important to have an understanding of the different variations we can practice beforehand while building strength in the upper body. If you’re fairly new to practicing yoga, it’s unlikely…
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Practice: Chapasana (Sugarcane Pose)
This asana is simultaneously an asymmetrical backbend and a balancing posture, which means that to practice it while maintaining space in the spine, safety in the knees, and stability in the standing leg is a big challenge… let alone while remembering to breathe at the same time! The name ‘chapasana’ refers to ‘sugarcane’ but a…
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Practice: Parsva Konasana Variation / Side Angle Variation / ‘Lazy Angle’
Also known as ‘lazy angle’ by the brilliant Taylor Harkness, this variation of parsva konasana helps to give a deeper opening to the front hip, while simultaneously opening up the muscles of the chest, shoulders and upper back. Taking the traditional postures and playing with them to see how our bodies respond is something that…
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Practice: Vrksasana / Tree Pose
Vrksa = Tree Asana = Posture (Pronounced “Vrik-shaas-ana”) A recognisable posture to most people, vrksasana or ‘tree pose’ is probably one of the first balancing postures you’ll learn in a class. While it looks simple enough, this posture works not only to improve our sense of balance, but it helps to open the hip, and…
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Practice: Utkatasana / Fierce Pose / Chair Pose / Awkward Pose
Utkata = ‘wild’, ‘frightening’, ‘fierce’, ‘furious’ Asana = ‘Posture’ Also known as ‘fierce pose’, ‘awkward pose’, ‘wild pose’, and now commonly referred to as ‘chair pose’; utkatasana is part of the traditional surya namaskar B sequence, used in Ashtanga and many other styles of vinyasa and dynamic yoga sequences. Helping to…
