More than any other video in the training, please watch this video in a quiet space where you can sit alone, undisturbed. This is our opening ceremony. We’ll be connecting to a lineage of teachers through a beautiful opening exercise. Have cushions (and props as needed) nearby to take a comfortable meditation seat.

Covered in 1.1:

-Guru Chant, Meaning + Grounding Meditation
- Anatomical reasons to chant
-Creates vasopressin
-Sti...

Sutra 1.1 Atha Yoga Anusasanam
Only in “the moment of now” can Yoga begin

Covered in 1.2:
-Most injuries occur when we are entering or exiting a pose
-We are all vastly different, down to our bones
-Demonstration of the differences in femur length between two specimens
-Demonstration of how the femur connects to the pelvic bowl
-Our goal is not the posture, but presence inside the posture
-Our true aim in yoga is to experience...

Sutra 2.1 Tapah Svadhyaya Ishvara Pranidhana Kriya Yogah
Yoga is the balance of discipline and surrender through the study of the self

Covered in 1.3
- Our aim is to balance effort/muscular energy (tapah) and softening/surrender (ishvara pranidhana)
- This tight rope walk is navigated through the study of yourself (svadhyaya)
- Anatomy may seem overwhelming at first, but keep in mind it’s just a tool to help your students navigate this bal...

Sutra 2.46 Sthira Sukham Asanam
Translation: Yoga is a comfortable steady seat

Covered in 1.4:

-One of the very few sutras that deals directly with how asana should be performed
-“Asanam” defined as how do you “sit” in relationship to the postures (and everything else in your life)
-We’re seeking the balance between sweetness and stability, flexibility and strength, openness and structure

Covered in 1.5:
-Why perform yoga asana? Where do these poses come from?
-Why too many vinyasa “flows” can be dangerous for students
-How flexibility is often overly emphasized is modern yoga
-We live in a world where more is always better, but this is not always the case in our asana practice
-Pitfalls of fancier postures and overly creative sequencing

Covered in 1.6:

-How bones are living tissue
-Names of all the major bones in the body
-Axial versus appendicular skeleton

Covered in 1.7:

-What is anatomical neutral?
-Key terms to orient ourselves when talking about the body
-superior/inferior
-anterior/posterior
-lateral/medial
-superficial/deep
-proximal/distal

Covered in 1.8:

-Sagittal Plane: Flexion and Extension
-Coronal Plane: Abduction and adduction
-Transverse Plane: Internal and external rotation

Covered in 1.9:

-Properties of the knee joint: bones, ligaments, joint capsule, synovial fluid
-Fibro and articular cartilage
-Why your knees are like grandma’s fine china
-How to protect the knee in pigeon and pigeon variations

Covered in 1.10:
-What are muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments and bursa
-Concentric, eccentric and isometric contraction
-Prime movers, antagonists and synergists

Covered in 2.1
-Introduction to the 24 vertebrae and 4 sections of the spine
-How the spinal curves develop from infancy to adolescence (primary and secondary curves)
-Lordosis and kyphosis
-How the curves of the spine work sympathetically

Covered in 2.2
-What your vertebrae look like
-The parts that make up each vertebra (vertebral body, spinous and transverse processes, and pedicles of the thoracic spine)
-What happens to the intervertebral discs of the spine in flexion, extension, and rotation
-How twists compress the spine (but why it’s okay)
-Injury terminology: the difference between a herniated and bulging disc

Covered in 2.3:

What the lumbar vertebrae are good at (and not so good at)
Why the lumbar vertebrae are better at extension than the thoracic vertebrae
What’s special about T6, T11 and T12
Why the thoracic vertebrae work best as a team
Atlas and axis and why they’re unique
Inversions and the cervical spine
Rotation and extension in the cervical spine (and the danger in twisting)

Covered in 2.4

-The erector spinae
-Quadratus Lumborum (QL)
-The abdominal muscles: rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, and the transverse abdominis
-Scalenes and the SCM
-The intelligence of the breath and the muscles involved

Covered in 2.5:

-80% of new students are referred to yoga because of low back pain
-Most of us have weak low back muscles that are also often asymmetrical
-Therapeutic exercises to strengthen the low back:
-Salabhasana variation (opposite arm and leg extend with hands returning to the low back)
-Bali Seal (Child’s Pose to kneeling)
-Uttanasana variation with hands sliding up and down the backs of the legs
-Ardha Uttan...

Covered in 2.6:

-Sitting up straight may feel like leaning slightly back in space and dipping the chin slightly
-By pressing the pec below the collarbone and turning the head, we can feel a fascial shearing of the the scalenes, SCM and pectoralis
-How the bones of the neck are not a “ball-and-socket” joint
-Neck rolls should be performed with caution; the safest position to perform them is on all fours
-Keeping the head and neck in alignmen...

Covered in 3.1:

-3 key bones make up your pelvic bowl:
-Sides: The Ilium
-Location of the ASIS (hip points)
-Location of the iliac crest
-Location of the SI joint (connection to the sacrum)
-Back: The two Ischium bones
-Location of the sits bones (ischial tuberosity)
-We don’t want to sit directly ON the sits bones, but find a balance between the public bone, sits bones and tailbone
-Front: The Pubic bone
...

Covered in 3.2:

-Anatomical difference between female pelvis and male pelvis
-The female pelvis has:
-A wider flared ilium
-A pubic arch that is wider than 90 degrees
-An acetabulum (hip socket) that is more anterior and medial (more forward and in)
-A wider sacrum and sacroiliac joint that articulates at two segments (while the male pelvis articulates at three)
-The female pelvis has more mobility and less stability
-...

Covered in 3.3:

-Location of coccyx (tailbone)
-Why the cue “tuck your tailbone” is not appropriate for everyone
-“Booty poppers” and “pelvic thrusters”

Covered in 3.4:

-The location of the psoas
-The key actions of the psoas

In this workshop I really break down the steps and energetic cues for each stage of this often used flow. I will give you tons of alignment cues and tips for each of theses poses. This class will be super helpful for beginners!

Save your wrists and shoulders with SEVEN alternatives to traditional chaturanga (I use them all)!

Covered in 3.5:

-The location of gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus
-Gluteus maximus
-The largest muscle in the body by square inch
-The prime mover of hip extension
-The antagonist of the psoas
-Also externally rotates the hip
-Why over-engaging gluteus maximus in bridge pose endangers the knees and sacroiliac joint

Covered in 3.6:

-The quadrants of the thigh
-How both yoga and life favor hip flexion, abduction and external rotation

Covered in 3.7:

-The knee performs flexion and extension
-It does not like to rotate
-Many yoga poses ask for external rotation at the hip and flexion at the knee
-Pending students’ anatomy, the knee may find itself in a compromising position in which it’s attempting to externally rotate - even though this is not its function
-The knee is a sympathetic friend that will try to rotate, attempting to continue where the hip left off, but this c...

It's low back week! This whole last week of February is dedicated to our low backs. I have SO many low pain focused classes, so feel free to also pick your own. But these are some of my favorites. We kick it off with a brand NEW class in which I show my favorite way to foam roll my low back. This was life changing for me. I hope you like it too! A foam roller and a bolster (or pillows) are required.

Most of us have low back pain because our low back's are not as STRONG as they need to be. Let's revisit Allison's low back strengthening class. These kind of exercises are SO needed! Especially for those of us that tend to overarch in our lumbar spine.

Covered in 3.8:

-The 3 arches of the feet: medial, lateral and transverse arches
-Since we’re always wearing shoes, doing yoga barefoot is an opportunity to reawaken and reconnect with the muscles of the feet
-Demonstration of theraband exercises that wake up the muscles of the feet
-Demonstration of additional at-home exercises to improve foot dexterity
-Common misalignments in the foot, looking at Tadasana

Covered in 3.9:

-The sciatic nerve is a bundle of nerves originating from the sacrum (low back) traveling under the pelvis, and running all the way down the back of the thighs and calves to the soles of the feet
-Because it is so long, “sciatica” can have many different causes, depending on what is pressing on the nerve and where
-“Sciatica” could be caused by:
-a herniated disc
-muscle tightness
-sacroiliac dysfunction
...

Covered in 4.1:

-The bones of the shoulder girdle:
-The clavicle
-The scapula
-The humerus
-The main joint in the shoulder girdle is the glenohumeral joint, which is a ball-and-socket joint
-The ball-and-socket joint of the hip is like an orange sitting inside a coffee cup
-The ball and socket joint of the shoulder is more like an orange sitting on a coffee cup saucer
-The hip joint has more stability and less mobility
-T...

Covered in 4.2:

-Recap of the bones of the shoulder girdle: clavicle, scapula, humerus
-The sternoclavicular joint is where your collar bones attach on your sternum
-The acromioclavicular joint is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle
-The shape and knobby bumps on your acromion process affect how much the humerus can extend overhead (how high you can lift your ar...

Yes you made it! I'm so glad you're here with me! I have a super beautiful flow for us to celebrate with as we wrap this challenge. See you on the mat!

Covered in 4.3:

-Many yoga postures involve external rotation of the humerus and pronation of the forearm and palm
-The 4 muscles of the rotator cuff:
-Supraspinatus: above the spine of the scapula
-Infraspinatus: below the spine of the scapula
-Subscapularis: underneath on the rib side of the scapula
-Teres Minor: axillary border of the scapula to the humerus
-These muscles are not designed to bear weight!
-Al...

Down Dog - In this video of our secret alignment hacks series we'll be joined by Brittany as she shows us her downward facing dog yoga pose. This is a downward facing dog tutorial for beginners. This video will show you some micro adjustments that you can do in order to improve your down dog yoga pose to make them work better! The downward facing dog or adho mukha svanasana is one of those yoga poses that people have a lot of questions about.

How to do downward dog w/ correct alignment - in under 60-seconds!

Down dog releases tension in your spine, stretches your hamstrings and calves and strengthens your upper body.

It‘s the anchoring posture of most classes, so you want to get it right.

FIX 1

If your back is rounded or your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees deeply, pressing your torso towards your thighs to find the length in your spine.

FIX 2

Spread your fing...

Covered in 4.4:

-When your scapulae are muscularly glued onto your back, you are stronger and better able to support your body weight in yoga
-A muscle called serratus anterior attaches to the medial border of the scapulae and performs this stabilizing action
-Demonstration of “Serratus Push-Ups” to find this muscle and begin stabilizing the scapulae
-How lowering all the way to the floor (instead of of halfway down via Chaturanga) is safer ...

Covered in 4.5:

-A nerve in your elbow creates the shooting pain you feel when you hit your “funny bone”
-180 degrees of extension between the ulna and the humerus is what’s considered “normal”
-People with hyperextension can extend more than 180 degrees between the ulna and humerus
-This is dangerous if you’re putting weight on your hands and arms (because it creates bone-on-bone contact)
-More women than men will have hyperextension of th...

This yoga sequence is designed to open your shoulders and chest, as well as stretch out your low back. We start on the floor taking it easy at first (well, not totally easy, it's a very deep shoulder stretch). Then we flow through standing poses and a unique back bending sequence I've been really loving. P

Please come to this video prepared to simply rest -- and breathe. Set aside some quiet time for yourself (10 minutes or so) and lie down in a space where you can rest fully. Just absorb, and relax.

Enjoy!

Covered in 5.2:

-The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity (your heart) and the abdominal cavity (your organs)
-The diaphragm has attachments on the lumbar spine AND the psoas
-The superior side of the diaphragm attaches the to fascia of the heart (the pericardium) and the lungs (the two plura)
-The inferior side of the diaphragm attaches to the fascia of the abdominal organs (the peritoneal sac)
-As you breathe in, the diaphragm contract...

Please come to this video prepared to simply rest -- and breathe. Set aside some quiet time for yourself (10 minutes or so) and lie down in a space where you can rest fully.

Covered in 5.3:

-Full complete breath exercise on the floor
-The breath has many dimensions, we want to explore them all
-How often the breath gets short and trapped in the collarbones, chest or upper ribs
-Overview of Vata, Pitta and Kapha styles of breathing
-How ...

This video goes deep into this very challenging pose. Please warm-up before coming to this workshop and have your blocks (and strap) handy. You will definitely be working hard!!

This class (might) blow your mind!!! Find a wall and set your mat up. In this class we practice some handstands, and open up the front body moving our way into full wheel at the end.

Link for Kundalini podcast: https://soundcloud.com/brett-larkin/episode-43-can-kundalini-yoga-make-you-crazy?in=brett-larkin/sets/yoga-hacks-podcast