Online Mentorship and Courses in Yoga Anatomy
Do we really need to be spooked about letting our heads drop all the way back in yoga? A doctor of physical therapy explains why it might not be as dangerous as some teachers make it out to be.
Recently I read a social media post of someone who wrote that they were having pain while practicing yoga asana. Specifically, that the pain came on while he was doing downward facing dog pose. The post sparked a lively discussion in the comments. What surprised me was that the vast majority of commenters recommended that […]
Is it true that we “need” the yoga poses we avoid the most? Or is that total balony along with being bad advice?
Earlier this week, I threw as much evidence-based information as possible into the free-but-sold out webinar about hip pain and yoga, “Hip Stability is the New Hip Opening”. I backed up my claims with citations. I spoke about nuance and bias. (For example, does “yoga” hurt people or is it the mindset and paradigm of […]
This may be controversial, but, despite the fact that I’m about to teach a sequencing workshop: I don’t think it’s a bad thing to “just wing it” when teaching yoga. Decent yoga teacher trainings offer their trainees class formats to follow. Most yoga teachers therefore have a reliable foundation for improvisation. Granted, most of us […]
We aren’t ever really “squaring the hips”. Your two hips are on either side of your pelvis, where the pelvis and upper leg bone (the femur) meet. On the mat, what we mean if we are using the words “square the hips”, is to “square the pelvis“. This more accurate phrase typically means bringing the […]
Let’s talk about “tucking the tailbone”. “Tuck your tailbone” is a cue that has circulated in yoga asana classes since forever. (I can confirm it was used in the 1990s.) The cue is intended to reduce the position of anterior pelvic tilt and / or lumbar lordosis. To put it another way, “tuck the tailbone” means […]
Thoughts on Universal Alignment cues, Ableism, fitness and exclusion on the yoga mat. Something I cherish about being a physical therapist* is the opportunity I’ve had to work with patients of all ages (pediatrics to 99 year olds), and in all sorts of conditions (literally from a cardiac transplant ICU to sports medicine settings). Although […]
The knowledge of foundational yoga therapy for Covid-19 recovery is vital for studios, teachers, and yoga students. No, returning to your yoga studio won’t bring back your sense of smell after Covid-19…but it could improve lung function, reduce inflammation and safely help physical recovery from Covid-19. Yoga Anatomy Academy is pleased to announce a guest […]
There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all yoga. Nor is there one definitive list of qualities that make anatomy-informed yoga. But today we will share what we believe demonstrates respect for the principles of movement and neuroscience (what we like to call “Anatomy-Informed Yoga”) in yoga class. Warning: The list is not short. Modern Postural […]