How to sidestep the biggest source of confusion in physical practice and avoid 'red herrings' in our attempt to understand yoga.
Moving from the core and ribcage, in harmony with the breath to free up the spine
Moving & expressing FROM the spine behind the heart, Resting THROUGH your central axis.

"Moving from the Spine"
Most restrictions in the body can be simply dropped when you move from the spine ... with the spine at the central axis of everything you are doing. This is NOT the same as working to bend your spine this way and that - particularly if you are using your weight to do it.
Here I try and explain exactly what I mean by 'moving from the spine' and give you a rather fun, simple (and kind of random) thing you can do to naturally awaken the spine, core and other 'breathing gear' in the way I mean...

Most people's yoga practice is sourced in their teacher's instructions - following those instructions causes us to do things in quite unnatural ways. Here I offer a simple explanation of how the limbs most naturally support us, and invite you to apply that nature to your practice....

how to 'open from the heart'...
Most people have problems in backbends for the simple fact that they are relying on passive extension of lumbars and neck to achieve it ... this not only 'pinches' the spine in a less-than-useful way, but it actually prevents any movement from the upper spine happening.
True spinal extension (backbending AND spine elongation in uprightness) originates from a direct reversal of the rounded part of the back (rather than trying to use your weight to lever extension into the spine)... and this in turn is essentially a natural function of the person expressing openness (rather than of someone trying the 'bend' their spine). The folowing shoud help you discover what I am talking about as a direct somatic experience...

If you want to be able to balance, don't try and balance!
Here I explain the reason for any difficulty you might have in 'balance postures' or the even more misleading instruction of 'holding balances'. And i show you exactly the small shift in perspective and understanding that should make things much simpler...

There is a familiar principle in Scaravelli inspired yoga of 'gathering together ' before 'opening out'. It is an idea that makes zero sense to the 'stretch' camp of yoga, and is often misinterpreted by those familiar with it as a kind of 'contraction' so they enjoy 'opening out' after... Here I try and make practical sense of the thing... what you are actually trying to do AND why it works.

The limbs, and how to find a supportive relationship to the world from the way you engage with it.
Most of us are in a habitual and reactionary relationship with the world around us, that involves 'pushing away' or 'pulling in'. Both of these attitudes get hard-wired into our movement and are each equally debilitating for our energy and physical/emotional/mental health. Here I give you the idea with an example or two and show you how to shift this life-dimming paradigm directly through your practice.
(Apologies for the echo 5 mins in - it was a feedback between the FBlive and my microphone... It stops v. soon after)

A pranayama practice (breath retention) that can be used directly to shift state of mind, and to help deprogram ourselves out of unhelpful thought loops.

Forward bending is something everyone can do to some degree or other, but how easy and comfortable forward bending is, depends entirely on how you got there.
The simplest of postures offer the most value and content, IF you are prepared to genuinely let go of habit, in favour of exploration of what is both possible and natural...
Here I offer you the reasons forward bending can be restrictive or uncomfortable for you, and give you a way of approaching the movement that should make total sense to your body...

UNDERSTANDING SPINAL EXTENSION
Most of us do back-bending by habitually hyperextending the lumbars and/or neck. Doing so is not a particularly useful practice and can aggravate and exaggerate postural habits... Here I explain what needs to happen for you to extend your spine in a useful and pleasurable way.

'Hip opening postures' often have the opposite effect for people.... they try and stretch their hips open, and the outcome leaves them even tighter in the groins/psoas/adductors & lower back. Here I unravel the problem and show you what 'hip opening' actually feels like, so that you can carry a new relationship to your hips with you, that will ALLOW them to open.