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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to: Shoulderstand – Part 1 & 2
How to do and teach a safe and effective shoulderstand. Learn about why shoulderstand can be risky, why we prop, and how to make this pose safe for your students. How To Prop How To Teach
How To: Handstand Prep
Join and and the YYoga 200-hour teacher trainees as we look at how to do and teach Handstand Prep. The secret is in the bent knees and the shoulder blades…. 🙂
How to: Headstand – Step by Step
Clear and simple steps for how to do and teach headstand. Look at common misalignments in order to help your students find their best path to stability and lightness. This video was filmed during YYoga‘s 200-hour Teacher Training Program.
Spring into Spring: Handstand!
Spring into Spring! Flowers are blooming, sprouts are sprouting, the sun is out in Vancouver, which means that it’s time to do handstand! Inversions are asana of marvelous integration, asking us to stabilize our mobile shoulder joints and connect all of our moving pieces together – no small task while we’re all topsy turvy. The […]
Protect thy neck: further thoughts on yoga injuries in headstand and shoulderstand
Tonight in class, one of my students asked me to expand on the response article to “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” particularly as it relates to two asana: shoulderstand and headstand. Headstand and Shoulderstand – labelled the King and Queen of Asana by Iyengar for their therapeutic properties – got a bad rap in […]
Headstand: a lesson in patience
Headstand is like the grandpappy of inversions. Unlike the 5-year old exuberance of handstand, or the slightly more moderated enthusiasm of forearm stand, headstand evokes a deep seated patience and – dare I say – necessary dignity in the practitioner. Kicking up into headstand is a big ol’ no-no, primarily because the head is rooted […]
Getting Quiet in Practice: Halasana
During the holidays, it’s more important than ever to have some quiet time. With all of the distractions – parties, relatives, drama, presents, planning, joy, baggage – it’s easy to get swept away on a holiday rollercoaster! This week’s pose is halasana (plow). By turning ourselves upside down and folding over, we are literally looking […]
The King of the Asanas – Headstand
Moving with our fear. Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy […]