. yoga

Another 'body-mapping' relationship that goes with natural whole-body function...

I wasn't clear about what I wanted to share at the beginning of the workshop, so the first 15 mins or so was spent clarifying various things that people had picked up and wanted to re-experience (really good stuff - where the head is at, how to 'look out from your elbows :)', and other things... but then we got on to the Solar plexus and a deep dive into how the organs are supported in the right place when we centre from here...

This was a deep dive into the function of the atlas (first vertebra of the neck) and how our attention relates to how the head sits on the saddle of the atlas... if the head is to feel light, the rest of the body needs to be able to release down away from the head - A them you can apply to any posture.

This was a particularly deep workshop, firstly exploring how hip and shoulder joints feel when the are free of 'bracing' against weight-carrying because of external support, followed by the activation of 'your breathing gear' to help you release space away from these girdles on the inside - leading to a direct relationship between the spine and whatever you wish to do in space with your hands and feet...

A deep and intense workshop that should change your felt-sense of the hips, and allow you to walk more naturally

The titles say it all...

I was on holiday and decided to put on a workshop from what I had been playing with in practice ... it felt entirely new, but when teaching it I realised it is simply a way of defining 'relationships to earth/relationships to space', as the things you do when breathe what you are doing - giving you an opportunity to let go into what you are doing, when you release the breath...

This was a follow-on from the last Yoga Solutions session - exploring how the way we interact with external support gives us inner space, and how the breath can bring strength back to the centre without removing that space... lightness of being and freedom of movement through space is the result ...

Here I explain the difference between 'doing TO' the body and engaging with the world THROUGH the body. Intent behind action leads to how the body responds. If we are clear that what we want is support from our outward actions, that leads to freedom and space within, then we also have the measure of what we are doing...

This one continued on from the theme' i began on 'Yoga Solutions' (go watch it if you would like a shorter version of this theme) ... and I used the idea alongside some breath-retention practices to help everyone on screen with individual needs ... the instructions seemed to work for everyone. :-)

An overview understanding of practice ... I end the session with a the face head and jaw massage that I have cut out and put on the blog for members

Practice can very easily be complicated by the way we 'look' at the body whilst practicing... here I explain how 'intent' is the real way that we organise the body's actions well, and offer a simple rule-of-thumb for your practice that can be your guide for an ever-improving experience of yourself.

No words for this one ... too much content - just follow and you will have an evver-deepening experience

I had no particular agenda on this one, but I started by sharing the practice I had done that morning - exploring uncontrived movement whilst maintaining a consistent quality of touch - and it led to a gentle and deep workshop that evoked the feeling of innocence in movement for myself and some of the others that attended.

I had a couple of people on this workshop that were unfamiliar with working with me, so this was a good opportunity to get clear about the baseline principles, and the rule-of-thumb checklist of conditions that lead to the best experience and outcome.

I began with an overview explanation (in relatively pragmatic terms) of how and why the way we breath can determine whether we feel supported or not, and then guided a practice that gives you a direct somatic experience of it, followed by some posture work to explore how it works in action.

I could call this 'part 3' of the theme I am currently on around the 'inwards/outwards' mode of practice. Here I actually start with the arms and shoulders, then move on to the legs and hips....

Continuing the theme that has arisen from the deep pranayama practice I have introduced, this workshop takes things into a physical practice that simplifies ALL posture work.

After an inspiration I had watching one of my quantum mechanics youtubes, I realised that the insane degree of complication involved in understanding such things could be resolved by simply adding another spacial dimension in the visualisation... and it was between inwards and outwards - and as always, I translated it into practice, and the outcome simplified everything for me (and for you if you follow this workshop)

I had a newbie this week, which people always enjoy, because I get clear what principles I am basing my teaching on, together with a step-by-step building up of experience that allows you to understand it directly and somatically

Life body and mind all take a fair deal of managing just for maintenance. Body mind & soul should really be top priority. Here I share how to get down to the solution to all things, and at the end there is a meditation to give the soul what it needs.

This workshop followed on from one of my more recent realisations... its actually the same as I have been teaching, only closer to its origin... Hard to explain in words, but I lead you in its practice. In many way I believe it becomes intuitively obvious and simple as you practice.

I had a fair number of new people on this one, so I began with appropriate intent behind practice, set up the rules-of-thumb for what we are trying to achieve, and led everyone through a few movements to explore. A Soul-enriching pranayama to end.

I begin gently and with subtlety in a seated twist to invite attention to drop into the place I like to work from, and then I take you into some familiar movements to try things out.

Here I begin with reiterating, the baseline intent of liberating the spine from the job of carrying your weight, then guide you through some movements & postures that explore how your breathing gear (core/ribs/spine with the lungs at the centre) can move you comfortably into deep flexion, assisted by how you engage with support with your limbs.

I began with an overview of my approach so that everyone was clear about what they were trying to achieve, followed by a workshop centred on being kind to the hips and sacrum.

A deep investigation into how the core and ribs work together in a unified way to allow movement sourced in support from the earth and freedom in space... Hard work, but worth it.

This workshop was a follow on from my yoga solutions exploration of 'natural spinal extension'

A broad-reaching workshop involving creating both inner space and inner support, naturally from the way we use our hands/feet, arms/legs.

Same instructions - but relaxed extension is the outcome.

This workshop was centred on arm movements that awaken the use of the true rib cage (top half) and upper thoracic spine. The purpose being to release the neck and shoulders...

In this second part, I explained the real meaning of 'the breath itself is designed to support you'; and guided the very small group in how to discover the natural responses that make this a possibility...

I began with a deep and clear overview of why I am so involved with the breath for all posture work... a MUST!

This workshop was after I had recovered from a particularly difficult episode of flu ... sometimes these difficulties bring a brand new sense of clarity once you have 'returned to yourself'

The title explains it - offering an ongoing solution to neck pain through developing a more direct relationship to everything around you from the spine.

Reclining, twisting, seated boat pose, and some standing... all the principles in a relatively casual flow.

This one began with a little bit of straight-forwards foot work in standing, followed by an explanation of why I practice breath retention.., The workshop that followed was fantastic.

This was a rather clear workshop on the role of the breath in support, taking you , step-by-step, into how you can liberate the spine from the onerous task of lifting and carrying your weight...

I took a while to post this one up, so I don't actually remember the content, although I do remember it being rather fabulous ... and at the end I share my very personally discovered daily morning pranayama ( life changing!)

A small workshop that goes deep. Real solutions for difficult neck/shoulders, and a real way of opening the hips. The meditation/relaxation at the end was a deep direct exploration of how the chakras meet and link to each other within.

This was unusually deep, even for me! I began with a 'centering exercise' that set the tone of the workshop, and we went on to explore (one of the best) ways into shoulder stand, and how to discover and free up your hips, followed by one of the deepest meditation/relaxations I have ever led. (The relaxation will be up on 'the ultimate anti-stress' course soon - free for all premium members)

On this Yoga Solutions Workshop, knees, lower back, psoas tension, upper spine and neck issues were all covered, with practice based on following what happens when you let go of your weight to allow the breath to arrive - the solution for the part of the body attended to follows the release of the breath together with a trust of your earth.

This was a workshop with just a few people, so I thought I would do a ‘yoga solutions’ style workshop where I offered so practices that centred on bringing natural harmony and strength to each area of the body that the participants were interested in…

This workshop was after one of my ‘downloads’ that made sense of everything. And I believe I make practical sense of it all for the participants (in that I think my guidance takes you into a direct somatic experience of the advantages of unifying each of these planes of attention)

A content-rich workshop that dives deep into the deeper responses of the 'breathing gear', to the support that can be found from the earth and the space we occupy.

This workshop began with me explaining my emphasis on 'moving from the core', followed by an exploration of this principle in some simple movements. We also compared this with deriving support from the limbs, then married them together into a powerful workshop that should rejuvenate you!

This one was a shorter workshop because there were only a few participants and everyone was a bit tired! ... What evolved was a deeply relaxing start off practice with some deep exploration of potential freedoms in the hips with sensitive organisation of the 'breathing gear' within the pelvis.

This workshop was with a few of my regulars that have been working with me for a while, so I was able to go deep into the reality of how exactly the breath can be the 'set up' for a brand new experience of support during its release. We started with child pose and moved through dog and reclining twists to build up the possibility of releasing the weight from the spine, and moved on to malasana (squat), finishing with an intense pranayama practice to work on the 'chakras'

This was my first teaching after taking a personal retreat, over which time I re-discovered the value of 'putting yourself aside' in favour of direct exploration of 'what is'. The outcome was a return to one of my first-principle practices of 'equal touch', and a deep exploration of what happens when this is applied to every breath.... Exploring sun salute, reclining bridge and twists and a hip-freeing/strengthening exercise to re-invent tree pose...

This workshop began with a simple exploration of the difference between 'lifting' parts of the body and 'using the ground to release into space'... The way to 'use' the ground is to find a breathing relationship to it. The outcome is an awakening of the core and spine that offers a completely different experience of how the body can move...