Week #8- Free Flow

2 months of yogaRX!  I've gotten a lot of feedback on the class- keep that up!  I check the survey online regularly so if you have anything you want to add please feel free.  This week we are going to go with "the flow" and work on things specific to students in your class.  Please leave comments on what you want to work on more.  It can be specific asanas (poses) or general body areas.  

Would anyone be interested in an outdoor yoga class?  I'm thinking of red rocks Sunday- weather permitting.  Let me know if you'd want to do an OutdoorYogaFlow class by commenting or letting me know at the box.

Have a great week! 

Chinstand Tutorial

Sunday Funday

Spent the day outdoors today! Beautiful weekend to take advantage of nature at the Red Rocks. Who knew there were so many ways to play on steps...?

Week #7- Steinocleidomastoid +vinyasa

STEINOCLEIDOMASTOID! That word is so fun.  It needed an all caps intro.  The steinocleidomastoid is the muscle on either side of the neck that helps to turn and nod the head.  The presses, headstand push-ups, and other dynamic movements can strain the neck muscles.  There will be an emphasis on working with neck recovery in addition to shoulder opening, wrist and ankle mobility, etc.  Also, the asana of the week is fish and we will practice variations of it.  The steinocleidomastoid work will develop stamina for movements like chin stand.  Good work last week and hope to see you in class!

Shout-Outs!
-"Tattoo" Rob's first ever yoga class!
-Claire's first ever class at CF Stapleton joining us for yogaRX!
-Baby Grasshopper and Grasshopper arm balance
-Sanskrit Word:  Svadhyaya

Baby Grasshopper

Svadhyaya

This week is all about YOU!  Yoga is a self study and svadhyaya is a sanskrit word that embraces just that.  Svadhyaya literally means "one's own lesson".  This is done through meditation and asana practice.  Every time you meet your mat, you are giving yourself a lesson in body awareness, noticing the never-ending changes that are happening as your body transforms.  Self fulfilling prophesy is believing you can or can't do something and then living it out.  Svadhyaya is about becoming aware of what you can do/be and living that.  Human bodies are amazing and can do amazing things- but it takes work, belief, and perseverance.  Embrace your self study to help knock down the mental barriers you put up in your mind, blocking you from growth.  I have been hearing so many sighs of struggle in class lately, but know that those sighs are helping you get to the future.  Work through that and this week believe that you will get there eventually.

Week #6- IT Band +vinyasa

The weather has been so amazing!  This means... more running... yayyyyy!  Opportunities to get out, breathe in some fresh air, and feel the promise of spring.  As the body gets readjusted to running, yogaRX will focus on some IT Band stretches that will help recover legs.  The iliotibial band is the ligament that runs along the outer edge of the leg from top of the thigh to just below the knee.  To learn more about IT Band and its close relationship to running, click here.   We will be working on baby grasshopper pose this week. Video tutorial to come.

Here is a preview of our intention work in class woven in throughout the week and hint of our sanskrit WOTW.  Have a great week!

Week #5- Anahata +vinyasa

We are officially through the first month of yogaRX!  Thank you so much for trying out the class and being patient as we sort through the early kinks.  I have really enjoyed seeing repetitive faces in class and love meeting the new people who come to try it out.

This week we are revisiting our shoulder/trap mobility.  Early on in the week at CF we have been working our shoulders intensely.  This week to recover the shoulders will get some extra attention.  We are focusing on Anahata (the heart) which means a lot of "heart openers" or back bending to undo the hunching our bodies form throughout the day.

Shout Outs!
-New mirror
-People leaving feedback using the survey
-First video tutorial
-Alex's first class at CF Stapleton

DRISHTI

Our sanskrit word this week is "drishti" meaning focal point. This is usually in reference to concentrating as you meditate or balance in an asana. If you're having a hard time balancing during the physical practice of yoga, try focusing on a single point on the ground not moving. When adjusting your drishti, move your gaze slowly, concentrating on how your body changes as your drishti does. When you're meditating, your drishti becomes more abstract. I read a really good article explaining drishti:

"The ancient yogis discovered that where our gaze is directed our attention naturally follows, and that the quality of our gazing is directly reflected in the quality of our mental thoughts. When the gaze is fixed on a single point the mind is diminished from being stimulated by all other external objects. And when the gaze is fixed on a single point within the body, our awareness draws inwards and the mind remains undisturbed by external stimuli. Thus, the use of a drishti allows the mind to focus and move into a deep state of concentration. "  Read the whole article here.

 This week, as you focus on an intention for your practice, the theme is to dwell on the little things that make you smile, make you excited, lift you up- even if it's just momentarily.  I often reference my kindergarten class in yogaRX.  This week's intention reminds me of a daily routine we have in kindergarten to "Fill the Bucket".  Each of us has an invisible bucket over our heads.  When things happen throughout our day that are unpleasant, some of the water drips out of our bucket.  Our negative inner feelings become negative actions and attitude.  BUT, alternatively, if we focus on the positive little parts of the day, it can work to fill the bucket, creating a better attitude which leads to friendlier actions… a way of "paying it forward" so to speak.  In honoring each other, we practice daily shout-outs that help fill up each other's "buckets."  When we give a shout-out it works to benefit the giver as well as the receiver because spreading the joy manifests joy itself.  It creates a domino effect that really makes everyone feel good- and isn't that the point?

Bring an intention to your practice to add up the small victories in your day, creating a happiness that brighten the lives of everyone.

Arm Balance of the Week: Bakasana

week #4- Quads/Hammies +vinyasa

If you think yoga is hard, just imagine how a trex must feel...

If you've come to class before, you know that we have been working on a variety of skills.  The asanas we've learned have been testing our balance, allowing us to access them with straps and blocks, and helping to mobilize the shoulders and upper arms (traps, triceps, and biceps), hips (psoas, inner hip flexors; and glutes), and now we are working on hammies and quad stretches.  Keep in mind that even though we are working on hamstrings and quadriceps, we will still be building on what we've been working on in previous classes.  The idea is that you can learn new ways to mobilize in class and then continue to practice them at home so we can go even further in the work we are doing now.  If you haven't had a chance to try out yogaRX, please come to a class :)  I give a lot of options for different variations to be successful at any level.


Weekly Shout-outs!

-Aaron's first yoga class!

-Katia's first yoga class!

-First week of arm balances- bakasaana/crow (look for video tutorial to give step by step instructions to try from home tomorrow on outdooryogaflow.blogspot.com)
-Record breaking class on Wednesday night with 10 yogis
-Sanskrit word of the week last week was "ananda" meaning bliss

Please fill out the survey on:
outdooryogaflow.blogspot.com
(it's anonymous)
or I will have a paper version in class.

Looking forward to a great week,
Amanda