I created this practice to calm down emotions of overwhelm, irritation, frustration, anxiety… I call these moments ‘When Life Hits You’. This practice uses the Critical Alignment strip to reconnect to your backbone, take distance from emotional whirlwinds, and bring yourself to the very present moment.
Always remember: Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens FOR you. (Tony Robbins)
In this backbend practice I focus on the lower back, and the psoas, glutes, and thighs specifically. All these muscles move around the pelvis and lower back, and can greatly affect the relationship of the two. This practice will make your walking and running easier and more natural!
Please note: in this practice, I added an optional backbend exercise and a short inversion practice on the headstander.
This class moves towards a standing balance pose called Warrior 3 (or Virabhadrasana 3). It is a wonderful practice in which we move through the whole body, starting at the connection between head and upper back, and then through the lower back and leg connection, ending all the way into the grounding into the feet. Warrior 3 is a pose that asks you to feel the whole body at once, and moves you towards full-body coordination. The balance on one leg strengthens the postural muscles around the foot, ankle, knee, and pelvis/lower back area, which allows you to walk and stand lighter and more at ease!
This class will move you through a thorough opening of your hips and legs, and will also address your upper back and upper arm strength. All of that is needed to prepare for the crow pose – a balancing pose in which the legs need to fold deeply towards the chest. The class is for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners. I provide alternations that allow you to prepare for the crow pose in case you are not ready for the full fold and balance.
Warning: this is an advanced CA Yoga class, please read the recommendations below the video to enter a safe practice. The Reversed Wheel Pose is for most of us a difficult pose to practice, as it requires a steady balance and a deep backbend at the same time. With the support of the headstander, the pose becomes more accessible! Balance is not as much of an issue, and we are able to control the drop back and reversed jump more directly.