Yoga Sequencing Skills: Sequence to Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana)

Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana) is a HUGE pose. It’s a backbend, inversion, hamstring opener, and shoulder opener all in one. To adequately prepare for this pose, you need to be aware of the following component parts.

Component Part: body parts that need to be warmed up or educated in order to do the peak pose

Video step by step to teach Forearm Stand

Component Parts of Forearm Stand

  • hamstrings (you don’t need these to do the pose, but you need the open to get into it
  • shoulder opening: arms above head, upper arms in external rotation
  • tricep /lat opening: part of the arms being above the head, and the elbows being bent
  • shoulder girdle stability: since you are weight bearing through the upper body, the shoulder girdle needs to be stable
  • backbend: focus education of back bending into the upper back (this includes getting the shoulder blades firmly connected into the upper back)
  • core: use abdominal core connection to prevent taking the backbend into the lower back
  • midline: hugging the legs together in order to maintain neutrality through the pelvis (rather than letting the legs turn out into external rotation, or the hips to fall out to one side)

Okay!

So the following sequence could be used for a variety of student levels. However, if you’re teaching a more hatha style class, then I would do less sun salutations, do very stable transitions, and likely not do the final pose (I’d make the peak pose dolphin rather than full pincha). For a flow or power class, I would use more vinyasa to link the poses.

Class Opening

  • virasana/ vajrasana: set up the neutral pelvis position here
  • cat/ cow, and dancing cat/ cow: general warm up, educate shoulder girdle
  • downward dog, forward fold, stand to Tadasana

Warm Up

You may link these poses or teach each one by one. This is a listing of poses that I would use to help prepare for forearm stand (and in the rough order that I would use them), but I have not included transitions or described specifically how to teach them. Also, this is not a complete list, just some of my must have faves!

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Peak

Forearm Stand, naturally! Optional props: shoulder width strap above elbow (to prevent elbows sliding out), and block between hands (to prevent hands sliding in). Video of step by step. 

  • Stage 1: sphinx
  • Stage 2: dolphin
  • Stage 3: dolphin with one leg lifted at a time
  • Full: at wall

Cool Down / Integration

Counterpose with poses that release muscles that have been worked (such as abductors and adductors) and bring spine into flexion. Options include:

  • Baddha konasana (cobbler’s pose)
  • Janu Sirsasana (head to knee)
  • Seated twists (Maricyasana or Ardha Matsyendrasana)
  • Outer hip openers (Thread the needle, “Swan,” Cooling Pigeon)

Have fun, look forward to hearing how it goes!

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

Yoga teachers: should you join Yoga Alliance?

should you register as a 200 hour yoga alliance teacher

When you graduate from a 200-hour teacher training that has been approved by Yoga Alliance (YA), you have the opportunity to join the Alliance and become a “registered yoga teacher” or “RYT.” Should you?

Well, until very recently, my answer to this would have been, “No.” Don’t waste your money. Aside from getting to put the letters “RYT” after your name, there wasn’t much benefit to paying your dues. However, Yoga Alliance has been trying to step up their game the last few years, and now it may be more of a toss up.

The History

Yoga Alliance formed in 1997, when a group of yogis came together at the San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference. Seeing the growing popularity of yoga in the United States, they took on the responsibility of creating the yoga teacher training standards, which are now the benchmark for trainings over the world. Since 2013, Yoga Alliance has been focused on offering more tangible member benefits, such as discounts on products and services and online workshops.

Pro’s of Joining

  • Discounts with a wide variety of partners for products (like clothing and props) and services (like legal advice and liability insurance). Partners include companies like Manduka, Half Moon, Gaiam, Jade, YogaU, and MINDBODY). So if you want a discount on your new mat, this could be a good deal.
  • Free Online Workshops (about 90 and counting) on a wide variety of yoga and business subjects. The quality of these workshops isn’t technically high, but it’s content rich.
  • Scholarships (20 scholarships were given out in 2016).
  • You get to add “RYT” after your name, which looks fancy.
  • You get listed on their site as a registered yoga teacher (in case anyone is looking).
  • If you have long terms goals of participating as faculty in registered teacher trainings or offering yoga continuing educational credits, you will have to become a registered teacher eventually.

Con’s of Joining

  • Cost: $115 to join up front, then $65/ year thereafter.
  • People who hire yoga teachers generally don’t care if you are a member (though they may care that your program was registered as a school, they won’t care if you are a current member. I’ve been hiring teachers for about ten years now and never asked if someone was registered).
  • If you want to be faculty or a CEC provider, you don’t have to join now. You can join later when you want to actually start offering course credits. (I didn’t join YA until after I’d been teaching for six years and was creating a teacher training program.)

Recommendations

  • Check out Yoga Alliance’s list of discounts and workshops. If you feel like you will get $115 of value from these offerings, then join now. If you think you can get the same information and value through other channels, then save your money.
  • Whether you join or not, keep an accurate and thorough log of the classes that you have been teaching. If you want to eventually register or upgrade to a 500 hour or E-RYT status, then you will have to provide an accounting for your teaching. Better to proactively track now than to try to backtrack later.
  • If you aren’t a teacher yet, but are looking at teacher trainings, do choose a training that is registered with Yoga Alliance (unless you plan on doing another 200 hour or unless you are focused exclusively on a niche style like Iyengar or Ashtanga). While hiring managers won’t necessarily care if you yourself are a member of YA, we often care that your School is registered.

Questions or comments?

Email me or join the conversation below!

 

How to do crow pose (bakasana) safely

Crow pose (bakasana) is the entrance to more challenging arm balances. (Check out this video on my favorite way to get into the pose.)

When practicing crow pose, you need a few key elements:

  • aware and educated hands
  • cat back
  • core and inner legs squeezing
  • hip flexion

The combination of these four component parts will help you – and your students – get there!

Component Parts

Hands

I like to do a little hand education before doing an arm balance. Weight in the hand naturally falls to the outer wrist, so we need to get the weight more into the index mound. You can practice good hand engagement (aka “hasta bandha”) at any point in your sequence. Here’s my trick:

When you are on all fours, lift the heel of one hand up so just the knuckles are pressing down. Then use your other hand to grab onto that forearm and pull up. Against the resistance of the pull up, slowly lower the heel of the hand back down. This little manoeuvre will help you activate the forearms and distribute the weight evenly into the hands and fingers. It’s also a lot more work.

Try this “lift the heel of your hand” thing in other poses such as downward facing dog. It’s a great reminder for optimal hand weighting in bakasana.

Cat Back

Your back is not flat in crow pose, it’s rounded. Practice finding this shape in positions such as cat pose. Use the core to scoop in and up strongly.

Core and Inner Legs Squeezing

Squeezing the inner things activates the adductors, which are the mainline to activating the transverse abdominis, your deepest abdominal layer. Find the midline. Squeeze the feet together, the knees into the arms, and presto, the core will start to light up. Finding levity in the upper body starts with strength in the lower body.

Hip Flexion

Most people take this for granted, but to do crow, you have to get your knees outside your shoulders! This is some pretty serious hip flexion. Get the body used to this “snuggle action” through poses such as side angle (parsvakonasana), lizard, and squat (malasana).

Peak Tip

Any arm balance can be done in a different configuration to gravity that will make it easier. Turn bakasana upside and do it on your back. Sit on your bum and do it by trying bent kneed navasana. These alternative versions of bakasana will 1. educate your students on the actions they need to get the pose without weight-bearing in the hands and 2. give them something hard to try as a peak pose if they can’t put weight on their hands for any reason.

Check out this video on my favorite way to get into the pose.

Happy exploring! Let me know how it goes!

How to Protect Your Yoga Business with Yoga Teacher Insurance

Hey new yogis, many of you have asked me about insurance and why you need it. Check out this guest article from Canopy. They cover some important points and – for my yogis in the States – I wanted to hook you up with this really great rate!

– Rachel 

Have you ever thought of what would happen if one of your students were to sue you? The average legal cost of a liability claim is $35,000 not including damages if you’re found liable. Insurance Canopy can help you find the yoga teacher insurance that is flexible enough to fit within your budget and still provide you with the protection you need.

What Is Yoga Teacher Insurance?

Yoga teacher insurance covers you in case you are sued for bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury.

You need this coverage for a variety of reasons. Let’s say, for example, you are a yoga teacher who routinely makes house visits. General liability coverage would cover damages to a client’s home if your yoga wheel indented their new hardwood floor.

Or, perhaps you are sued by a student because your instruction gave them an injury, such as a torn ligament or hurt back.

Do I Really Need Yoga Teacher Insurance?

Yes. It’s essential to carry yoga teacher insurance for the following important reasons:

  1. It protects your financial assets and can help you with legal expenses if you get sued, medical expenses if you were found liable for a client’s injury, or the cost to replace something if you damaged someone’s property.
  2. People won’t hire you without it. Many gyms and studios require yoga instructors to carry insurance. Some gyms or studios may require you to add them as an additional insured in order to conduct sessions at their gym.
  3. It keeps your career as a yoga teacher going strong, even if you are sued.

What Should I Look For in a Yoga Teacher Insurance Policy?

In addition to comprehensive coverage and low deductibles, you should look for the following features:

No Membership Required

If you have been shopping for yoga insurance, you know that the annual premium for yoga insurance policies can range from $150 to $350. In many cases, to access lower premium for yoga insurance, you must also purchase a membership in an organization or subscribe to a publication.

Insurance Canopy provides yoga insurance for a low annual premium of $129 with no membership required, making our policy one of the most cost-effective out there.

No Hourly Requirements

Whether you teach full time, part time, or as a hobby, our policy is available to you.

Insurance Canopy offers a single-cost policy that covers both part-time and full-time instructors.

Multiple Services Allowed

If you are a yoga instructor who provides multiple types of yoga instruction, you may have noticed that other insurance agencies require you to purchase a separate policy for each type of yoga that you teach.

With Insurance Canopy, you can provide multiple types of yoga instruction that will be covered under one policy.

Buy Online & Download Documents Immediately

Online access is important for yoga teachers on the go. With Insurance Canopy, you can purchase yoga insurance online within minutes, without needing to wait for a quote. You can also download your insurance documents 24/7.In addition, you can add additional insureds and have your proof of insurance within minutes at anytime during your policy period.

Insurance Canopy offers yoga insurance through a no-hassle, online process that is available at your convenience.

Additional Insureds

You may teach yoga at a single studio or travel to different locations. Gyms, studios, or other venues may require you to add them as an additional insured to protect them from your liability. To add a single additional insured to your policy, the cost is only $15.

With Insurance Canopy, you can also purchase unlimited additional insureds for just $30.

Have More Questions?

We hope this helps you understand what Insurance Canopy’s yoga insurance offers and what insurance coverages your yoga teaching practice may need. If you have additional questions, our representatives are available during business hours. Please contact us at 844-520-6993 or by emailing info@insurancecanopy.com.

How to Sequence to Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise is a bound standing pose, where you balance on one leg and try to look like a stork. But, you know, an elegant stork. It’s a doozy of a pose, requiring balance, open hamstrings, external rotation, and deep hip flexion. Let’s take a closer look at how you can get your students there.

Component parts – what needs to be warmed up or educated to do the pose

  • hamstring opening – particularly inner leg/ groin
  • flexion and external rotation of the lifted leg
  • internal rotation of the upper arm and openness to the chest
  • balance
  • binding – needs to be intelligently educated for health of shoulder
  • standing up – needs to be intelligently educated so that the work is coming from the legs and you’re not “hauling” the leg up with the upper body

Props you need

  • Strap

For this pose, there are some actions that need to be educated: binding and standing.

How to bind

I often see people binding in such a way that their chest collapses into spinal flexion. Binding at the expense of the chest (or binding and “hanging on for dear life”) is not optimal. Use a strap to lengthen the arms when needed. Everyone has different length arms relative to their torso. A bind that is easy for one person may be challenging for someone else. Honour the integrity of the pose over the aesthetics of “getting it.”

How to stand

Also, in Bird of Paradise, you have to stand up onto one leg. I often see students hauling themselves up by their upper body – in particular, letting the heavy weight of their bound leg rest in the bind of their arms.  Poor rotator cuff and shoulder! The leg is bigger – and heavier – than the arm, so don’t let the shoulder do the work of supporting the bound leg. Instead use the legs to lift the legs. Let the arms be decorative – not hauling machines.

Sequence of yoga poses

  • Wide legged child’s pose (opening groin)
  • Cat/ Cow
  • Sun Salutations – use to thread the remaining poses for flow class. Or simplify for hatha.
  • Side angle pose (parsvakonasana) with back shin down and parallel to back of mat (like a baby side angle) (flexion/ external rotation)
  • Low lunge (anjaneyasana) to half splits (ardha hanumanasana) (opens hamstrings)
  • Warrior two (virabhadrasana two) to side angle (parsvakonasana) (external rotation, flexion)
  • Humble warrior (extension and internal rotation of the arms)
  • Chair (utkatasana) shift weight side to side and balance on one foot (beginning to teach actions needed to stand up)
  • Chair (utkatasana) balance on one leg to step back into high lunge with hands clasped behind (extension and internal rotation of arms)
  • Tree (vrksasana) (balance, external rotation)
  • Lizard (flexion, external rotation)
  • Step forward to standing splits with top hip open (hamstrings, groin, balance) and stand up knee to chest (teach action of standing up)
  • Wide legged forward fold C (prasarita padottanasana c(hamstrings).
  • Add side to side shift (skandasana) for inner thigh stretch
  • Utthita hasta padangustasana b (balance, external rotation). This is bird of paradise without the bind.
  • Side angle pose (parsvakonsana) with teaching bind, use strap (flexion, external rotation, arms to bind, use strap)
  • Peak! Bird of Paradise. Teach how to get up into it first, then play.
  • Cool down should include outer hip stretches (those guys have worked to stabilize you!), perhaps a hamstring stabilizer like bridge.

Check out my sequence below.  While I’m not teaching this exact sequence, it shows how I teach you to come up into the pose safely (at about 44 minutes) and will give a similar sequence for you to practice and explore.

Happy sequencing!

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

How to sequence safely to Natarajasana – Dancer’s Pose

Natarajasana – Dancer’s Pose – is a beautifully challenging yoga pose. It’s a complex pose with a lot of benefits:

  • Opens the chest and front line of the body
  • Works your balance (ankle and hip stability)
  • Increases focus

The component parts (parts of the body that need to be warmed up or educated in order to do the pose) are as follows:

  • Hip flexor opening: the front of the hip needs to be stretched and opened.
  • Backbend: the backbend should initiate from the upper back (thoracic) and the lower back should be stabilized by the core, which leads us to ….
  • Core stability: engaging the abdominals intelligently prevents over-compression in the lower back
  • Hamstring opening: to hinge forward from the hip, the backs of the legs need to be open.
  • Arm in extension: the arm that is holding your foot is moving backwards in space. This helps with chest opening.
  • Balance: training the outer hips and ankles to support us in space.

Here’s a flow sequence that helps you warm up your body to make the most of the pose! Props you may want:

  • Strap

Opening

  • Virasana – Hero’s Pose
  • Cat Cow with leg and arm extended (Dancing Cat)

Warm Up

  • Surya Namaskar A with low lunges
  • Triangle trikonasana
  • Twisted chair parivrttta utkatasana
  • Eagle garudasana
  • High lunge with arms clasped behind
  • Wide legged forward fold prasarita padottansana  c
  • Sphinx and Locust salabhasana
  • High lunge into twisted lunge parivrtta parsvakonasana
  • Thigh stretch (add a quad stretch in low lunge, or do a pose like saddle)
  • Locust and Bow dhanurasana
  • Warrior 3 virabhadrasana

Peak

  • Dancers holding foot with simple standing quad stretch natarajasana
  • Dancers holding foot with arm in extension (behind), adding hinged forward backbend
  • Dancers holding foot with both arms above head and elbows bent – use strap to hook foot

Counter

  • Forward fold janu sirsasana or paschimottanasana
  • Seated twist ardha matsyendrasana
  • Thread the needle or seated outer hip stretch agnistambhasana

Happy sequencing!

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

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How to Sequence to Wheel Pose

This class yoga pose is complex! Requiring deep opening through the hips and shoulders, wheel uses the strength of the arms and legs to leverage the practitioner into the pose. Make sure to use stages for the peak, starting with bridge pose. 

Here’s a look at how I may sequence this pose for a flow style class. 

 

Component Parts (Parts of the body that have to be warmed up or educated to do the peak pose effectively and safely):

  • backbending (thoracic)
  • upper arms in flexion/ external rotation
  • hip flexors open
  • core engaged (lightly)
  • neutral hips

Sequence:

Opening

  • sit in virasana on blocks (meditation/ teacher talking, breathing etc) – find midline (squeeze block lightly)
  • interlace hands – take arms above head. reverse hand grip, repeat
  • cat/ cow (focus on movement of thoracic spine
  • dancing cat – core integration even when arm in flexion (don’t pop ribs)

Warm Up

  • 3 sun salutation A’s
  • intermediate/ advanced – add 2 B’s

Targeted Warm Up

  • Thread A (open hips) – right leg (these poses are linked)
    • Vinyasa to Dog
    • Right leg to 3-legged Dog
    • Step through to Warrior II
    • Parsvakonasana (arm over ear)
    • Warrior II
    • Three-legged dog then step right foot through to…
  • Thread B (closed hips):
    • High lunge
    • Open Twist
    • Lizard
    • Vinyasa to Dog
  • Repeat Thread A and Thread B on the left side
  • Intermezzo: Cobra, Sphinx
    • Finish vinyasa to front of mat
  • Thread C (closed hips):
    • Chair with block between hands – hover step back to …
    • High lunge – add backbend
    • Closed twist (parivrtta parsvakonasana)
    • Standing split (option stand up to chair)
    • Tadasana
    • Repeat left side
  • Intermezzo – Salabhasana, Sphinx with thigh stretch, Dhanurasana
  • Thread D (closed hips):
    • Chair with backbend
    • Vira III
    • High lunch with backbend
    • Low lunge with quad stretch
    • Plank – Dolphin (shoulder opener)
  • Peak
    • Bridge
    • Stages of Wheel
  • Cooldown
    • Janu Sirsasana
    • Ardha Matsyendrasana
    • Paschimottanansana
    • Meditation
    • Savasana

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

How To Sequence to Dragonfly Pose

I taught this delightful little power sequence in YYoga’s 3-Day Principles of YYoga Teacher Training as a demonstration of sensibly sequencing to peak poses. Keep in mind that access to Dragonfly is limited by the joint of the hip – not just the muscles. For more info on skeletal variation, check out Paul Grilley’s outstanding resources. Suffice it to say, the shape of the hip joint itself limits and controls how we move.  The deep external rotation and flexion that Dragonfly calls for means that it is simply not a universal pose.

But that’s no problem! It’s great fun and delicious to work towards it. And side crow and eka pada koundinyasana are awesome stages for getting there. Check it out.

 

Dragonfly Component Parts

What needs to be warmed up or educated for the peak

  • Core & Butt staying high
  • Hugging legs to midline/ neutral hips
  • External rotation and deep flexion at the hip
  • Lateral spinal flexion and rotation
  • Bright and engaged scapula – lots of serratus anterior
  • Hand engagement (hasta bandha)
Sequence
Opening
  • Start on back – transition to yoga practice, breathing, etc.
  • Figure 4 stretch both sides
  • Core integration (pelvic floor, slow crunches, slow obliques)
  • Move to child’s pose and walk hands to right (lateral stretch, yum) then left
  • Downward Dog – Uttansana – Tadasana (roll up, yummy, take time)
General Warm Up
  • Surya A with some extra plank core and scapular push ups – 4 x
  • Vinyasa to Downward Dog…
  • Three-legged dog right leg, three slow core crunches (knee to nose). Take one across body to opposite elbows. Cue hip height (get bum up!) and pressing through hands
Targeted Warm Up
  • First series:
    • Vira II – link to Parsvakonasana (can have elbow to knee, elbow in front of knee, or hover core)
    • Hand to floor, turn back heel up, then core sequence: place hands on block. Train hips to stay lifted as you hover front foot. Press into hands. Float foot back to 3-legged plank. Then draw knee in and hover foot again. Slowly two more times. Then step back to 3-legged dog (can keep hands on block if want).
    • Open hip. Keeping hips back and up into down dog, take knee out to side like doggy at fire hydrant. Extend legs – outer hip engagement, YA!
    • Step slowly through foot between hands
    • Vira II to humble warrior
    • Hands to floor, turn back heel up, back knee down – Lizard (bum up again!)
    • Repeat all second side, then vinyasa
  • Second series:
    • From front of mat.
    • Revolved chair – step slowly back into Revolved Side Angle. Raise up to Crescent. Lift front heel up and hold three breaths. Put it back town. Hands slowly to floor.
    • Awkward pigeon (external rotation front leg, bum up and back!)
    • Step front foot halfway down mat, root down through the left hand, turn onto outside of back foot, lift hips high, supported Side plank.
    • Repeat all second side, then vinyasa
  • Third series:
    • From front of mat.
    • Eka pada galavasana prep (ie: standing figure four) – slow transition to Warrior 3
    • Step to crescent and transition to Revolved Side Angle pose
    • Hands to mat. Step front foot halfway down mat, root down through the left hand, turn onto outside of back foot, lift hips high, supported Side plank.
    • Staying lifted through shoulder, lower hips. Pull left heel to bum. Ardha Matsyendrasana. Transition to Agnistambasana (stacked shin) or seated figure 4.
    • Transition out the way you came in to supported Side Plank.
    • Draw right knee into chest, shoot right foot under left arm to left side of mat, turn onto outside of back foot, Side Plank Variation.
    • Staying lifted in shoulder, set hips down (legs look an “L”). Straight legs, twist to front of mat, deep belly twist and IT band stretch (this looks like a prone revolved triangle). Five deep breaths.
    • Come back out the way you came in, slowly. Down dog.
    • Repeat all on left side.
  • Core:
    • Navasana with twist from side to side.
    • Tolasana
    • Repeat
    • Seated Dragonfly
      • Version 1: Twisted navasana
      • Version 2: Seated figure four with twist towards foot
      • Version 3: Seated figure four with twist towards foot, bottom foot lifted off floor (like navasana)
Peak
  • Version 1: Side crow
  • Version 2: Eka Pada Koundinyasana A
  • Version 3: Dragonfly – from eka pada galavasana prep
Cool down and Savasana
  • Anjaneyasana optional thigh stretch
  • Upavista Konasana
  • Happy Baby
  • Savasana
Tips
  • Bum up! It’s not the body part, but the action that is so key
  • A theme about accepting our unique, magnificent bodies is a beautiful way to invite play, exploration and fun to this sweaty, yummy, twisty practice 🙂

Try it and comment!

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

Enjoy! 🙂

 

How to cue Ardha Chandrasana

“Stack your hips.”

Oh, friends, how many times have I heard this oh-so-convenient (and oh-so-terrible) cue?

The problem with cuing stack your hips in Ardha Chandrasana is that most students can’t actually do it. It’s like asking students to “square the hips” in Virabhadrasana II. You simply can’t square the hips (or stack the hips) in most human bodies unless you torque the standing knee.

Here’s another contender:

“Step into ardha chandrasana.”

Bam. Just step into it. Just like that, people. Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Just Do It. Noooooowwww!”  No other instruction. It’s too tricky to cue through students through the transition, so we just tell them to step into it.

Another one:

“Engage your legs.”

Yes, good idea, but the real question is how?

Now, don’t despair if you’ve been using these cues. Transitions are challenging to cue, which is why they are so often glossed over. And Ardha Chandrasana is one of the most challenging poses of all! But let’s break it down, and you can give your students some great supporting cues to help them through this trickster of a pose.

What’s supporting me?

Question number 1: what is supporting us in Ardha Chandrasana?

To answer this, first ask: what is at risk during the transition?

In AC, the prime culprit for misalignment is the standing leg knee, right? It drops in both during the transition and during the pose. The culprit? Not enough external rotation at the standing leg hip! Here’s the skinny:

  • the standing leg is externally rotating
  • external rotation keeps the knee tracking over the ankle
  • weak external rotation will cause the knee to drop inwards
  • therefore, strong external rotation will help the knee to track and stabilize the pose!

When we’re teaching AC, it behooves us to set up our students for success by teaching external rotation of the front leg in poses such as Warrior II, Triangle, and Side Angle. Pre-teaching this action will give them the body imprint to carry this stability forward into a more challenging transition like Ardha Chandrasana. And getting these external rotators firing up is so good for our bodies!

Stacking the hips, help!

What makes AC different than Warrior III? Well, once the front hip has it’s stability, then the pelvis opens towards the side of the mat. This action is different than squaring the hips. “Towards” implies “as much as your body allows. Since everyone’s range of motion is different, I like to say something like this,

“Keeping your front knee tracking over your ankle, now open your hips towards the side of your mat as much as you can.”

Putting the stabilizing cue first (“keeping your knee tracking”) means that they are thinking about alignment, and then the sneaky little word “towards” gives them permission to only go as far as their own personal range of motion.

Engage your legs

Good idea! But soooo vague! Can we be more specific?

Do you mean,

  • “pull your outer standing leg hip towards the back of your mat to engage your outer hip”

  • “lift your quads to straighten your legs”

  • “lift your hamstrings and quads evenly to hug the femur to the pelvis…”

When we find ourselves using a blanket cue such as “engage your legs” (or engage your core), it’s a good idea to reflect if we can be more specific. There’s certainly a time and place for general whole body cues, but let’s make sure that’s what we want.

Try it out, let me know how it goes!

Boundaries, social media, and ethics, oh my!

Yoga students friend me on Facebook all the time.

See, as a yoga teacher, I work in an industry where personal connection is valued. I have the pleasure of working with some of my yoga students up to four times a week. I know their names, their injuries, their sense of humour. Before and after class, we share stories and connect about life happenings. Sometimes, these online connections lead to real-time meetings (coffee, sometimes evolving to friendships). In fact, one of my yoga mentors advised, “Treat your students like friends. No more. No less.” Also, my teaching personality is familiar and candid; though I never feel that they are exposing, my in-class anecdotes are frequently personal in nature and I often story tell about relationships and personal experiences.

Creating clear boundaries can be tricky when working in an industry that seems is so focused on “building community.” Also, social networking is the currency of private contractors; that is, the number of “friends” that I have on Facebook dictates my sphere of influence. If I have a workshop or training coming up, I want to have a robust community in order to create a successful event.  So yoga teachers are caught in an interesting bind: we want extensive communities that capitalize on our personal connections, yet at the same time, we need to have boundaries that respect our student’s privacy.

As an original attempt at separation, I had set up a professional Page and a personal profile. However, students searching for me frequently find my personal page first and initiate friendships. Given the warmth of the nature of our relationship, it feels rude to not be “friends.” So both my page and my profile are now public fodder. And even if I did have complete separation, posting anything personal to Facebook at all is risky since one’s posts can be seen on others’ timelines. As a result, I don’t post anything that I consider overly personal on Facebook at all.

Perhaps the publicity of Facebook will lead to an elevation in communication. In other words, there is no such thing as “speaking behind someone’s back” because someone can turn around at any second. Even private messages could be screenshot and emailed. Anything written can – and could be – used against you in a court of public opinion, if not of law.

In this light, perhaps we can view the dissolution of privacy as an opportunity to step up, rather than scurry underground. If all our behaviour can be exposed, maybe we’ll just behave better. Rather than lament the lack of privacy, let’s embrace behaving in a way that is always fit for public consumption. Let’s act and speak in ways that won’t later make us cringe. And perhaps in this light, we can be more tolerant and compassionate about behaviour that’s outed that may not be ideal.

Because that virtual stone that gets cast on Facebook may just come back around and bite our bums on Twitter.

 

References

Burner, K. & Dennen, V. (2013). Boundaries, privacy and social media use in higher education: What do students think, want, and do? Selected Papers of Internet Research 14. 

Burner, K. & Dennen, V. Friending and Footprints: Privacy and ethical issues of Facebook use in higher education.

Photo credit.

How To Sequence to Eka Pada Galavasana (Standing Pigeon Pose)

To do this pose well, you need open outer hips, coupled with hip buoyancy (from the core and back leg activation) coupled wtih a willingness to reach the chest forward to counterbalance the lifting of the back leg.  Component Parts:

  • Core (spinal flexion) – strengthening
  • Scapular stability – strengthening
  • Hands/ wrist (education)
  • External rotation of thigh – opening
  • Reaching of the chest forward (education)
  • Buoyancy through back hip/ thigh (education)
  • Toe education and awakeness

 

Sequence:

Props needed: Strap, two blocks, chip foam block

  • Sukhasana with forward fold (stretches outer hips)
  • Cat/cow – focus on spinal flexion
  • Surya A – break down and include section on effective chaturangas.  Chest remains wide, shoulders stabilized, and chest reaching far forward
  • Vinayasa to downward dog and…
    • Virabhadrasana II with humble warrior and strap.  Place feet heel to heel for more room.
    • Parsvakonasana with hand into inner leg, upper arm moving towards bind
    • Vasisthasana with top leg in external rotation and foot placed halfway down the mat (this is often used to modify, here is it to stretch the outer hips as well as educate hands and shoulder stability)
  • Vinyasas to front of mat.
    • Garudasana into…Vira 3 (focus on midline, extension of back leg as reach chest forward).  Step into..
    • Crescent and then lower to
    • Lizard – focus on lift of back hip as you reach chest forward
    • Return to top of mat, second side.
  • Vinyasa to front of mat.
    • External hip stretch (standing ankle to knee pose to open outer hip. Chest forward, hips back).  Vira III into…
    • Crescent….lower to…
    • Awkward pigeon – focus on moving from the thigh to externally rotate the leg – not the foot.  Again, back leg buoyant as chest reaches forward. Play with balance by taking your hands off the flow if you wish.
  • Navasana – Tolasana x3 – focus on core, shoulder stability, midline
  • Seated ankle to knee pose (flexibility through outer hip, lift of chest)
  • Seated toe stretch
  • Eka pada galavasana ** peak
    • Put it all together.
  • Cooldown
    • Anjaneyasana with thigh stretch
    • Upavista konasana
    • Baddha konasana
    • Savasana

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

Pregnancy and Practice

prenatal Congratulations! You’ve got a bun in the oven and rapid changes are on the way.  Not only is your body undergoing marvelous and radical transformation, but most likely other areas of your life (career, relationships, home) are shifting to make room for this new being.  Whether you’re a novice or veteran yogi, practicing yoga during your pregnancy is a wonderful way to create some time for self-connection, grounding, and nourishment.

Practicing sensible yoga while you’re pregnant can strengthen your body, relieve stress and anxiety, and help you to focus your mind – all great preparations for labor and motherhood. Understanding the physiological changes of pregnancy will help you to effectively modify your practice to suit your unique needs. Here’s a trimester-by-trimester guide to address some of the larger changes you will experience.  As with any physical activity, practice within the guidelines prescribed by your doctor.

Keep in mind: every pregnancy is unique. Pregnancy is an ideal and magical time to really listen to your body and connect with what feels good to you.  Above all else, let your own body be your guide, and enjoy the journey!

Trimester #1.

Fatigue

Trimester number one is usually characterized by fatigue as you (literally!) grow a new organ – the placenta – to nourish your baby during pregnancy.  Though your little tyke is about as big as an egg, your body is working hard to prepare the way.   Choose a class style that matches your energy.  If you’re just starting yoga, hatha or a designated prenatal class will be great places to begin.  If you’re a normal power and flow practitioners, consider adding hatha to your mix to give yourself some space and time to rest and recuperate.

Relaxin

Starting in the first trimester,  your hormones will be changing.  Often, this new hormone cocktail will generate nausea (morning sickness).   More subtly, other hormones will be at work to help prepare the body for delivery.  Although you may not notice your newfound flexibility until as late as the third trimester, the hormone relaxin could start to work as early as the first trimester.  Relaxin, which  loosens the ligaments in your pelvis in order to help the baby make an exit, affects all the connective tissue in the body democratically.  As a result, mothers may notice they have newfound flexibility through their joints. Though it may be tempting to finally get into the full splits, refrain from zealous over-stretching as we will want those ligaments to return to a stable length to support your joints after the baby is born.

Since relaxin can loosen your joints, recruit your smaller muscles to stabilizers to mindfully stabilize your joints.  Explore engaging your adductors (hugging your legs to the midline) and abductors (pressing your feet apart to engage the outer hip) to steady your pelvis.  Also, keep your feet hip distance apart in standing poses to best support your weight.

Heating and overheating

There’s nothing wrong with a good sweat.  Normal sweating indicates that your systems for self-regulating your temperature are working well.  However, since increasing the core body temperature has been linked to birth defects, it’s important to listen to your body so that you can gauge the difference between a satisfying work out and undue heat stress.  If you love strong power and flow practices, tune in to make sure you’re not pushing to far.

Hot Yoga.  Unless you are a seasoned hot yoga practitioner, refrain from practicing hot during your pregnancy.  During hot yoga, you are practicing in an environment that is akin to a moist sauna and the body’s normal ability to regulate heat can be challenged.  Practicing in a room temperature environment will give your body more ease regulating your temperature.

Your amazing circulatory system

During your pregnancy, you will generate 40% more fluid in your body (one of the reasons that prenatal ladies appear a bit fuller  – it’s not fat, but fluid), which means that your circulatory system is working extra hard to pump it all around.  With your heart on double duty, keep your cardiovascular activity reasonable and stay in tune with what feels good for your body.  For example, give yourself permission to skip some of the sun salutations, breathe at your own rate, and avoid holding your breath in pranayama.

Trimester 2&3

Size matters!

The most obvious change during this time is the growth of your babe.  As your uterus expands, the baby will encroach upon your internal organs – including your lungs. As your breath capacity will naturally be a little compromised, take your time in class and let go of the need to keep pace with the class.  Breathe in the timing that you need and feel free to take more breaths than “dictated” by the vinyasa pattern.

Another good rule of thumb: don’t squish the baby!  Take this credo into your practice and play with modifications such as:

  • Take an open twist (away from your thighs) rather than into your thighs
  • Twist through the upper spine; avoid compressing the lower belly
  • Rather than laying your belly in backbending during sun salutations or when they class is lying prone, stay on your hands and knees and do cat cow. Or you can place a bolster under your hips so your belly has space to hang unencumbered.
  • Keep your legs hip distance apart in forward folds to make room for your belly.
  • To avoid overstretching the belly (and the linea alba), refrain from deep backbending

One more note: there’s a vein called the Vena Cava that runs along the right side of the abdomen behind the internal organs. When lying on your back or your right side, the weight of the baby can compress the vein and lead to a feeling of light-headedness.  Modify supine poses accordingly so that you not lying flat.  In Savasana, it can be lovely to lay on an inclined bolster, or cuddle a bolster laying on your left side.

Pelvic Floor and Optimal Fetal Position

Contrary to popular belief, sometimes our pelvic floor can be too tight!  We want strong and supple pelvic floors that know how to contract as well as release and expand.  (Letting go will be important during labor, after all!)  Use this time to get to know your pelvic floor.  Get a perineal massage, send your breath into your pelvic basin, and find opportunities in class to soften the adductors and widen and relax the pelvic floor during your practice.  We often shy away from really  experiencing our pelvis, and pregnancy is a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with this marvelous trampoline.

During pregnancy, the lower back will naturally become more lordodic.  This is a natural adjustment to the weight of the baby.  Poses that take weight off your spine and let your pelvis move into an anterior tilt (cow pose, baddha konasana with forward fold, etc) will feel great.  Avoid slouching on the couch or other poses where the pelvis tucks under. And ladies – you are off the hook from tucking your tailbones. Enjoy your natural lumbar curve in all your poses.  As your pregnancy progresses, this anterior positioning will help the baby to find his or her optimal fetal position by laying the spine along your belly with his or her head down.

A note on inversions

Some schools of thought counsel avoiding inversions in the first trimester.  The first trimester is the most delicate time of a pregnancy, and it’s important to check in with your doctor to see if there’s any reason you should avoid being upside down.  Bluntly, it’s not likely that anything that you would reasonably do in a yoga class would impair a normal pregnancy.  If a pregnancy is risky, then caution will need to be taken for all your physical activities.  While pregnancy isn’t the best time to start a new inversions practice, you are free to continue your current inversions practice if that still feels good.  Exercise reasonable caution as your pregnancy progresses and your weight, center of gravity, and joint stability shifts.  However, abstain from inversions once baby has found his or her optimal fetal positioning in the third trimester.

In a nutshell…

Top suggestions for practicing when pregnant:

  • Don’t squish the baby
  • Avoid squishing your vena cava (squishing occurs through lying flat or on right side)
  • Breathe at your own rate
  • Take your time
  • Get in touch with your pelvic floor
  • Every pregnancy is different; trust your feelings and your body!

Congratulations, and enjoy!

How to Audition for a Yoga Studio. Includes: the worst piece of advice you’ll get.

AuditionsThe yoga industry has finally made it.  Auditioning has arrived.

The very word “audition” conjures up the image of nervous and leotard-clad showgirls warming for A Chorus Line while singing, “Got I hope I get it/ I hope I get it/ Please God I need this job.”  But whether we call it a “practical interview” or “Karmic Casting,” the yoga audition is becoming a mortifying necessity as the marketplace becomes saturated with skilled teachers.  So while we may cringe at the process, let’s look at the bright side and take heart in the growing popularity of our cherished practice.

The worst advice you’ll get

Ask a studio owner or manager for advice on the yoga audition, and here are some of the pearls of auditioning wisdom that you’ll hear:

  • “Just be yourself.”
  • “Don’t be nervous.  Just show us who you are.”
  • “Have fun.”
  • “Relax.”

Poppycock.

As a veteran of the stage, I can assure you that this advice is absolutely useless because:

  1. It’s impossible to do.
  2. When you can’t do it (because of point #1) you will feel as if there is something wrong with you, which will make you feel more nervous, incompetent and freaked out.

So let’s just be candid.

You will not feel relaxed.  You will not feel like “yourself”.  You will not feel comfortable.

You will feel nervous.  You will feel giddy.  You may even feel nauseous or slightly ill.

Here’s the truth: you are undergoing this icky audition process because you want to be a yoga teacher.  And when you want something badly, you will feel nervous when you put yourself on the line. You are invested. You care. Not feeling nervous would be inhuman – or indicate that you didn’t really want the gig.  So let’s let go of that sweet little fantasy of “just relax” and get real about what you actually can control.

Preparation

Prepare, prepare, prepare.

Every audition is different in its specifications, but usually you’ll know which poses you are going to teach.

 

Review:

  • Your alignment points
  • Breath work
  • Transition cuing
  • Use of imagery
  • Use of effective language
  • Thematic moment

Then:

  • Practice early (as in, a week before the audition) so that your unconscious has a chance to cement all your work into your body and mind.
  • Practice on your friends until you can get them in and out of the pose in your sleep.
  • Practice it until you can do it easefully.
  • Practice teaching the pose in several ways.
  • Don’t script yourself.  Give yourself room to improvise.

Find out: 

  • Everything you can about the studio
  • Who will be in the room, who else will be there (how many participants)
  • The audition format.
  • Know as much as you can so that you can have a good picture in your mind of what to expect.
  • If you can, go to the audition location prior to your appointment so that you can get a feel for the space.  The audition will be different from your expectations, but familiarize yourself as much as possible.

Also find out what kind of teacher is the studio looking for?

While we want to “be ourselves” (more on that later), it’s good to be clear what the tone of the studio is so that you can play in their parameters.  For example, auditioning for a gym is different than auditioning for a traditional shala, and how you teach should adjust accordingly.  An obvious example: if you’re auditioning for a gym, you’ll want to limit your use of Sanskrit, philosophy, and enthusiastic use of the harmonium.

Visualization

As part of your preparation, visualize your teaching before you go to sleep at night.  Visualize it going just as you wish.

Whenever a fear-based thought comes to your head, practice pratipaksah bhavanam and cultivate the opposite thought.  Replace it with a positive thought, such as, “I am going to rock this audition.”  “I am going to be calm, steady, and kind.” Choose a  phrase that resonates with you.  Remember: this is a practice.  You will naturally have fearful thoughts occasionally and it’s not a big deal.  But when you find it happening, deliberately replace them with a positive mantra.

Seem normal. 

“Don’t be a crazy hippie,” as my friend Chris Brandt likes to say.  Studio owners want to work with responsible, punctual, friendly, safe teachers who play well with others and understand professional standards.  This is not the ideal time to burn incense and perform 15 minutes of Vedic chanting (unless that really defines you as a teacher and is appropriate for the studio, in which case, rock on with your Veda chanting self).

  • Arrive at least 10 minutes early.
  • Smile.
  • Be nice to the people who work there.  Especially the desk staff, as they will relay their impressions to the owners.  (Since you’re a yoga teacher, being kind should go without saying.  But.  Just saying.)
  • Dress professionally.
  • Your audition starts as soon as you enter the building.  Be your best from the moment you arrive.

 

How to control your nerves

Your thorough preparation will help you to control your nerves, because you will have confidence in what you are doing.  However, adrenaline is normal.  To take the edge off of this natural response:

  1. Breathe.  Use your pranayama. Controlled breathing regulates your nervous system.  Lengthen your exhale to control your breath and the crazy butterflies will calm down.
  2. Slow Down.  When we are nervous, most of us turn into speed machines.  You have time.  Breathe and think before you speak.
  3. Feel your feet.  Stay connected to the earth.
  4. Power Pose for 2 minutes to reduce your cortisol and increase your testosterone.  (See this amazing Amy Cuddy video).

What they want.  What you want.

Okay, so here’s the trick.  They want to see “you.”  They want you to seem relaxed and confident and yourself.  (Hence, their terrible advice.)   But we generally only allow ourselves to be relaxed when we are, well, relaxed. Which you won’t be.

So, before you go to this audition, do a little research on YOU.  Ask your regular students, “What’s my best quality as a teacher?”  Find out why they come to your class.  If you aren’t teaching yet, then as your 200-hour classmates what they perceive as your strengths. Also, do a little self-reflection: why do you teach yoga?  What do you want to bring to the classroom?  What makes you excited about sharing your passion with others?  And how does this manifest tangibly in your teaching?

When you prepare for the audition, brainstorm and practice different ways that you can create opportunities to share your strength or your passion with your students.  How can you reveal your strength and unique passion through your teaching?  Keep your larger mission in mind during the audition.  Remembering your larger purpose will help to anchor you in a broader and more meaningful context than the audition.

Easy Brownie Points.

Naturally do your research, but I’d wager these actions will be appropriate for most studios you’ll audition for:

  • Make eye contact
  • Smile
  • Stand up straight
  • Be audible
  • Match your vocal tone to what you’re teaching
  • Keep it simple
  • Plan how you want to walk around in the space so you’re not stuck pacing at the front of the room like a caged tiger.  No wandering.
  • Plan a time to give a verbal or hands on assist to a student (they want to know that you can see your students; work an opportunity to display that into your actual teaching plan so you make sure it happens)
  • Don’t sit down or squat, unless you’re teaching the beginning or end of the class
  • Be kind, not casual.
  • Plan one simple and short thematic moment (if you like theming)

And hey, if fun just starts to happen, then go with it.   🙂

Happy teaching.

Psssst: You might like this video 🙂

How to: Wheel – strapping for shoulder stability

A good – if slightly claustrophobic way – of keeping the arms from splaying out in the ascent to Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana).

Tips:

  • I’d be less likely to use this on a really tight guy (who may need a little extra room to find full flexion of the arms) than on a flexible but instable person who needs more support.
  • Work to make the strap loose – not to hang out in it.
  • The key to the backbend is in the upper back – thoracic extension.  For maximum stability, set the shoulder girdle before you become weight bearing and press all the way up.
  • However, this pose is particularly challenging because it also demands full flexion of the arm at the shoulder.
  • For tighter folks, have them place their hands a little further away from their ears and turn their hands out (creates more space)
  • Less stable and weaker folks (more flexible) can move their hands closer to their ears before fully coming up in order to facilitate the press up.

Wheel: modification for splaying legs and feet

Take a look at how the use of a simple block can transform the space and stability possible in Full Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana).  Notice how the upper body is also affected by the prop.

Tips:

  • set the feet first and keep the inner edges of the feet anchored
  • use a prop of an appropriate width
  • prop either between the knees or thighs – whatever gives your student the best connection to their adductors

Wheel: for wrist issues and tight shoulders – great partner assist

Anyone with wrist issues or tight shoulders knows that Wheel (Urdhva Dharusasna) can be hard to do. Here’s a simple and easy partner assist that you can do (keep it simple by not using straps and just using the ankle hold) to help your tighter students find their way into this complex pose.  For a deeper look at positioning the straps, click here.

Tips:

  • Use just the ankle hold if you’re doing this as an in-class partner assist to help someone with wrist issues and shoulder tightness
  • If you’re using the straps, make sure to place them at the bra and sacrum line in order to facilitate maximum traction.
  • With straps, pull on a diagonal line rather than straight up.  Pulling straight up will overly compress the spine, whereas pulling diagonally will create more length through the lower back
  • You can use a good deal of strength through the straps to create support, so use your body weight (slowly) rather than rely on the strength of your arms
  • Stay in good communication with your partner at all times

 

How To: Forearm Stand

A marvelous doozy of a pose, Forearm Stand (pincha mayurasana) invites into a full inversion and a backbend a the same time. Here are clear and easy steps for safely instructing your students into the pose.

Tips:

  • finding the backbend in the upper back will help you to effectively balance in this pose
  • using props to prevent the shuffling of the elbows out  will help to create stability and open the shoulders
  • patience!  This pose asks for wicked shoulder and hamstring opening.  Take one step at a time.

 

How to: Headstand with a prop assist

Teach your students to find the necessary stability for their upper backs with this simple block assist in Headstand. By placing the block at the level of the shoulder blades, you will help them to find the necessary scapular stability to get move their hips over their shoulders, which will eventually lead them to a safe and slow ascent.

How To: Handstand

Step by step guide into handstand.

Here are some tips:

  • Straight arms: Keeping the arms straight will keep you and your students out of “nose to floor” danger
  • Midline: Hug the inner thighs together to maintain a neutral alignment in the hips
  • Straight legs: Keeping the legs straight makes your students safer, more supported, and more in control.  Resist bending the knee to get to the wall – it will only create instability for most students
  • Shoulder blades: Draw the shoulder blades onto the back strongly to keep the upper back from rounding.  The action of the thoracic spine keeps the upper body from shifting forward (avoiding that “nose-wall” relationship!)
  • Patience: Handstand is psychological as well as physical.  Allow the gradual and calm unfolding.