27
Feb
2012
Yoga Poses
The Emotional Journey of Backbending
Backbending often brings up strong emotions when students first begin to practice it more regularly and go deeper. It often does not really matter whether you are flexible or stiff in your spine if you are unfamiliar with the strength, stamina and flexibility needed for most backbending movements. It takes lots of practice before you…
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8
Feb
2012
Yoga Poses
Let Her Fall: Pinchamayurasana, the Road Through Suffering & Pain into Balance
Ashtanga Yoga is first and foremost and spiritual practice. It is not an exercise where you judge your success by how hard you work your body or how perfect the posture is. You cannot measure a good yoga class by how many adjustments you get or how much attention the teacher gives you. While it…
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8
Feb
2012
Yoga Poses
Wide Leg Handstand Press Prep Techniques in Yoga
When I first started practicing yoga I was not naturally strong. In fact I was so weak so that I could not do the push-up position known as chaturanga dandasana even with the worst alignment you could imagine. I could either stay in a plank posture with straight arms or go crashing directly into the…
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6
Jan
2012
Yoga Poses
Open your Back and Knees in Bhekasana from Ashtanga Yoga Second Series
The two areas of the body that bring up the a lot of fear are the back and the knee. If you feel pain around your spine or your lower back there is a nearly instant response of fear. The same goes for when there is a sharp sensation around the knee. Rightfully so as…
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21
Dec
2011
Yoga Poses
How to Jump Back
Jumping back from a seated position is one of the most challenging movements in the Ashtanga Yoga method. I can still remember the feeling when I first started practice of not being able to lift any part of my body off the ground. In fact I was so weak when I first started that I…
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3
Nov
2011
Yoga Poses
Bujapidasana: It’s Not Over Until It’s Over
All yoga postures that build strength are both a test of physical as well as mental and emotional endurance. The first true arm balance of the Ashtanga Yoga method is called Bujapidasana and is literally translated as Arm Pressure Posture. You will need to stay present at every step of the journey through this posture…
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10
Aug
2011
Yoga Poses
Open Your Hips in Trikonasana by Kino MacGregor
Some men think that women naturally have open hips and that they are just plain out of luck simply because they are guys. Yet in my experience as a teacher I have seen many students who have tight hips irrespective of their gender. Tightness usually stems from deeply ingrained habit patterns in the body and…
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31
Jul
2011
Yoga Poses
Principles of Twisting: Marichasana C by Kino MacGregor
The Ashtanga Yoga method purifies the internal systems of the body, clears emotional and psychological blockages and frees the student to experience a new depth of consciousness within themselves and their lives. When you begin the practice there are a series of simple movements in the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series that will help you tap…
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15
Jul
2011
Yoga Poses
Fear in Backbends by Kino MacGregor
Standing up and dropping back from backbend is a complex movement that challenges the limits of the physical and emotional body. Not only does this motion require strength, flexibility, stamina and determination, it also requires a heroic willingness to go to the scary places inside and face the sometimes paralyzing fear that surfaces the moment…
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30
Nov
2010
Yoga Poses
The Body Doesn’t Lie
by Kino MacGregor The mind enjoys putting on a melodramatic show. From the thick plot of stress, anger, pain and loss, it proclaims that we are “just fine”, “coping quite well” or “not really bothered at all”. The body, by contrast, doesn’t lie for very long if at all. Its simple proximity to nature cannot…
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