Posts In: alignment

by Laura McCorry

Expand and explore your yoga practice with master teacher Amy Caldwell of Yoga One.

Yoga is an experiential process. A regular practice can help you develop a better connection with yourself, others, and the present moment. Yoga can help reduce stress, anxiety, and bad habits. Yoga means union. At Yoga One we strive to connect mindfulness, breath, and action.

These step by step instructions will safely guide you into and out of this yoga pose. We offer precise alignment cues to cultivate conscientious movement and to keep you safe, so  you can refine and benefit from your practice and the subsequent understanding for a lifetime.

Throughout our internationally acclaimed Yoga One Teacher Training Course, we dive further into the details to inspire and assist those individuals looking to take their practice to the next level and for those wanting to share the joys and benefits of yoga with others.

Warrior III – Virabhadrasana III

Benefits:

• Strengthening, especially for the abdominal, back, leg and gluteus muscles
• Challenges and improves balance and coordination

Foundation and general alignment:

• Standing foot: Three points of foot grounded.
• Standing leg: Muscles engaged, including glutes. Kneecap lifted and tracking toward middle toe. Bend knee if needed – check engagement and tracking.
• Lifted leg: Muscles engaged, the foot flexed or pointed (different effects).
• Kneecap points downward towards the floor – inner thigh firm and lifted toward the sky.
• Neutral pelvis (in all three planes). Firm outer hips.
• Strong core.
• Torso lengthens evenly on all sides.
• Shoulder blades hug onto the back ribs – widen collarbones
• Arms extend straight alongside the ears, palms facing one another
• Ears are between the upper arms, face is parallel to the earth
• From pelvis, expand out equally in all directions
• This pose is Tadasana or Supta Padangusthasana done horizontally

Common problems and misalignments:

• Most at risk: Standing leg knee and hip, lower back, neck
• Weight imbalances at the base
• Hyperextension / misalignment of the standing knee – OK to keep standing leg bent with lifted leg straight
• Hip of lifted leg flares out to side with knee and foot turning out
• Excessive curve in low back – lack of core engagement
• Low back rounded with tailbone tucked
• Upper back overly rounded
• General lack of engagement to the midline

Contra-indications: Weakness, poor balance, knee problems, low back problems, balance issues, practice with caution if you have high blood pressure

Modifications:

• Hands on the wall or chair (fingertips on two blocks)
• Entry from Tadasana or Virabhadra 1
• Bend standing leg. Easier to maintain muscular engagement and neutral pelvis
• Teach shape of pose lying on back, bottom foot at wall or on all 4’s with one leg lifted

Variations: Arms out to the side, back, Anjali mudra, or hands on hips

Enhancements: In version with arms forward, face student, have them press forearms down onto adjuster’s arm and tone belly, or adjuster stands on standing leg side, hip to hip with student, then squeezes in hip of lifted leg hip for stability.

Prep posture: all fours, with one leg up – press shin down, adjuster resists, lift low belly to find neutral spine.

Nicole Mullins PT/E-RYT is a physical therapist and yoga teacher with over 20 years experience working in orthopedics and seven years in therapeutic yoga. Currently, Nicole is the clinical director at Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga. She will be leading an Intermediate Anatomy Workshop for yoga teachers and experienced students at Yoga One on June 10-11. For more information and to register, go here. 

Yoga One: Which practice were you introduced to first in your life, physical therapy or yoga? And how long have you been practicing each?

Nicole Mullins: I was introduced to physical therapy long before I was introduced to yoga. Of course I knew yoga existed, I just didn’t have any experience with it or anyone who practiced yoga. I have been a physical therapist for 22 years and have always actively sought out additional training to stay current.

I took my first yoga class 17 years ago, but didn’t really start practicing until about 8 years ago when I jumped into a 200-hour teacher training. From there, I took workshop after workshop to really hone my skills and understanding of yoga.

Yoga made so much biomechanical sense that it soon replaced most of the therapeutic exercise I did with my patients.

YO: How has yoga informed your clinical work in physical therapy?

Nicole: I think the combination of yoga and physical therapy is both revolutionary and uncommon. It is a brilliant marriage that allows me to offer so much more to my patients than I was ever able to before. Yoga is so much more than just asana (the physical exercises). Yoga recognizes the undeniable mind-body connection and how we must address the whole person to affect positive change.

YO: Good alignment is something every yoga student wants to have, but it can be difficult to learn without years of practice or private instruction. If you could teach every yoga teacher and student the biomechanics of one pose, which would it be?

Nicole: There are actually two poses that I think are vital and necessary for everyone! From a purely biomechanical standpoint, I would teach tadasana, or mountain pose. Tadasana is the foundation of all standing poses and so many other yoga poses. Knowing how to find a neutral posture is necessary to be able to safely move into and out of poses and minimize risk of injury or overuse.

From the standpoint of overall well-being, I would choose savasana, or corpse pose. Most of us are unable to truly shut down and let our minds and bodies relax. The purpose of savasana at the end of a yoga practice is to let the nervous system integrate the experience of the physical practice. Learning how to do this properly can be extraordinarily beneficial and healing.

YO: What have you learned recently that really interests you?

Nicole: In addition to studying manual physical therapy and yoga, learning about essential oils and natural healing, I have also been studying osteopathic techniques, including visceral manipulation. “Viscera” refers to our organs. This technique has been around for many years and embodies the concept of treating the whole person. We cannot just address the muscles and joints without considering every other system and structure in the body.

The viscera and their orientation in our body is a crucial component in our ability to move and function with ease. Scar tissue and adhesions from surgery, injury, illness and infection can change an organ’s ability to move naturally. These adhesions are frequently manifested as musculoskeletal injuries, including back and neck pain. Adding this technique to my practice along with yoga and has been truly pivotal.

Learning new techniques and knowledge about the body is what makes me so excited to be a yoga teacher and physical therapist. It’s what makes me even more excited to share what I have learned through teaching so others can grow in their practice as well.

YO: We’re excited you’re offering an Intermediate Anatomy Workshop at Yoga One, can you share one topic you’ll be covering in depth?

Nicole: The workshop will touch on many topics, but one I consider to be the most important is what constitutes a neutral spinal and pelvic alignment. We will explore the biomechanical relationship between the spine, pelvis, shoulders, and hips. You will learn why the shoulders and hips are cornerstones of a healthy spine and you will experience this in your own body via asana in the training.

YO: That sounds amazing! Who would benefit the most from this type of workshop?

Nicole: This workshop will benefit any yoga teacher or student who wants to understand more about how and why the body moves as it does. This workshop is for anyone who wants a deeper, fuller knowledge of biomechanics and how it applies to yoga in particular.

If you want to be inspired to teach yoga more confidently, excited to share what you will have learned, and ready to see the benefits in your students, please join us.

Intermediate Anatomy Workshop

led by Nicole Mullins at Yoga One
10-hour course, eligible for Yoga Alliance continuing education credits

Saturday June 10th 12:30-6:30pm
Sunday June 11th 12:00-6:00pm

Pre-registeration required: $175 by June 1st / $225 by June 8th (last day to register. No refunds.)

 

by Hannah Faulkner

This article was originally published on Half Moon Yoga and Art Blog.

As I was walking out of Yoga One studio on a lovely July day in San Diego, a posted flyer caught my eye. “Summer Challenge- Complete 20 classes in 30 days- Ends August 30th.”

The following are the lessons that I learned in August from Yoga One’s amazing instructors:

Never Stop Learning
-Amy Caldwell

Amy Caldwell, co-owner of Yoga One and twice featured on the cover of Yoga Journal, is a beacon of light.  She emanates joy from every angle as she is never seen without a smile.  After over 20 years of yoga practice, she is able to bend her body in ways that I didn’t know was possible.  As a teacher, she emphasizes “playing” around with difficult poses.  She offers options with blocks and straps to begin to open up each body to the possibility of getting the pose someday, but mostly it’s all about the journey.

“They might not be your favorite poses, but they are good for you!” – Michael Caldwell

Husband to Amy and also the co-owner of Yoga One, Michael offers an everyday approach to yoga.  Through jokes and references to popular culture, he leads the class through alignment-based intense stretches that he likes to call “Brussel Sprouts.”  These essential postures might not always “taste” the best while we are doing them, but they offer the ease that we need in our everyday life and more challenging yoga poses.  Through deep breathing, we stretch our wrists, feet arches, and shoulders as well as building core and arm strength. My favorite postures in his class were the subtle airport stretches for our shoulders, using the wall, as he imitated waiting around in an airport and joked about the individuals who make a scene doing Downward Facing Dog in the center of the waiting area.  I laughed because I love doing subtle yoga in the airport.

Amy Freeman has been teaching yoga for almost 15 years. Amy’s goal is to help her students find and maintain a peaceful mind and body through effort and ease and she leads as a beautiful example. She starts each class with a slow meditation and develops in to a powerful alignment flow. One of the most unique prompts that Amy gives during Savasana (final resting pose), is reminding us to relax each part of our body individually. “Feet, knees, legs…relax. Hips, back, shoulders…relax. Ears, nose, tongue…relax. Eyelids, eyebrows, space between your eyebrows…relax. Forehead, scalp, chin…relax. Everything relax.”

I’ve been going to Sarah’s class for years. There’s a familiarity and sense of home in the setting that she offers. Her playlist is always the same, but sets just the right mood for connecting your mind and body through sounds. Every week she sets a different inner focus on non-reaction, compassion, or contentment. She has guided me through detailed alignment adjustments as well as encouraging me to pause at the end of every exhale, or squeeze my glutes. During every class at some point she will remind us to soften our tongue and not hold tension in our face, but instead to breathe deeply through any slight discomfort.

Kairou is an enthusiastic and energetic instructor.  I attended her class after hearing students say that they got their butt kicked in her class.  They were not kidding.  Her classes are filled with intense arm strengthening repetitions and core poses.  She creates an interesting flow with side plank and tiger variations that will build your sweat quickly.  One day she started class with explaining how sometimes we struggle through a yoga class because we forget to eat or drink enough water.  She said that she came to this realization this morning when she was light-headed after practicing this sequence.  Then, about halfway through teaching the class she corrected herself and admitted, “or maybe this sequence is just really that hard!” However, because of these intense sequences, I have been able to use my new core strength lift into tripod from the center of a room.  Also, as a Licensed Massage Therapist, she surprised me with a totally relaxing Savasana massage!

Dina has a strong voice of a leader that reminds you to breathe. In her class, I feel that we hold poses a bit longer than in some of the other classes that I attend. However, she challenges me to find the ease in this stillness, after I’ve found my expression of the pose with some tension. This inner concentration is the key part of yoga called Dharana that leads to peace and oneness.

Inspired by an extensive background in the movement arts (Acro-Yoga, Tai Chi, Contact Improv Dance, African Dance, and Rhythmic Gymnastics), Mara creates new poses as we constantly flow with our breath. I feel like a dancer in her class as she radiates the beauty of being one with your body. In Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose with the variation in wide leg stretch, she instructed us to reach up and feel that our knees are facing the same direction and protruding for the same amount. Mara highlights the importance of being balanced and equally stretched on both sides.

I admire Zaquia for her intricate choice of words throughout her class. She has a detailed understanding of human anatomy and she strongly underlines the concept of the greater your effort, the greater your reward. She teaches a power flow, connecting breath with movement, in the early morning that quickly awakens my heart and concentration. From her I’ve learned Fallen Tree and seen that it is possible to rise from Low Squat, Malasana, to Bird of Paradise, Svarga Dvijasana, using a strong balanced core. She has inspired me to take the extra chaturanga.

I only went to one of Terri’s classes during this month, but I enjoyed her emphasis on stretching with the blocks and straps. Instead of giving us the option to use block or not, she gave solid instructions to use the block even if you think you don’t need it. The flow was slow and she accentuated the importance of closing your eyes and focusing on your steady breath in each pose. She used a variety of interesting transitions to slide from one pose to another. I ended up feeling lengthened and spacious throughout my day.

Cool. Jimi Hendrix, the Fonz and Nam Chantepie. The type of guy that upon first impression oozes a style, a charm, a persona… and the best part? The more you get to know him, the cooler you realize he is. Come take his Level 2 Vinyasa Flow on Thursday evenings at 6pm. Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga? 

Hatha Yoga. I like taking the time to really get into the pose and experience the alignment, muscular engagement and extension. Although I do enjoy flowing through a fun and interesting sequence, my home practice is more about exploring individual poses and the slow, deliberate transitions between them.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice? 

I was living a rather sedentary life, and had just ended a toxic six year relationship. Never having taken a single class before, I looked to yoga to help me transition back into the gym and get back into shape. What I actually got out of my first three months was a clearer head, a lighter heart, a freer spirit and a 30-pound lighter body, and I forgot all about the gym. Yoga lifted me up and showed me so many things I never expected or knew I could find on and off my mat.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now? 

Handstand. I’ve been committed to a daily handstand practice for almost a year. Only within the last 2 months have I finally found a sense of weightlessness and engagement in my handstands.

4. What pose is still the most challenging? 

Ustrasana (or camel pose) has always been a challenge for me. I have a nagging shoulder impingement that keeps me from fully drawing my shoulders back, so it is difficult for me to feel ease or opening in this pose. I almost always modify with my hands on my hips and squeezing a block between my thighs.

5. If you were an animal, you would be: Probably a monkey. Mostly because I’m a goofball and love inverting!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: peaceful centered space to grow from

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you? 

When I was three years old, my mom and I tried to escape from Vietnam. We were caught three times and sent to prison each time. So technically, my students are being taught by a multiple offending ex-con. 🙂

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students? 

My first week of yoga, I had the honor of taking a class with Yoga One instructor Amy Freeman. Towards the end, I was really struggling and almost gave up on yoga altogether while unsuccessfully trying urdhva dhanurasana (full wheel pose).

Amy came up to me, gave me blocks to modify my pose and said, “It’s ok, you’re doing great. Think of where you’ll be a year from now.” Those words have stuck with me. Those are the words I think about every time I move into camel pose.

Yoga is not about achieving the perfect expression of the poses, it’s about incremental improvements and the humility to take a step back whenever your body needs it.

Twice a year, Yoga One is proud to host our interdisciplinary Yoga One Teacher Training to educate, empower and transform a diverse group of individuals into more dedicated yogis and new yoga teachers. Here are some reflections from our recent graduates on what the course is really like:

1. How did your experience of yoga or personal practice evolve over the course of Yoga One Teacher Training?

My relationship to yoga became more intimate. I think of yoga all the time now. I constantly recognize relationships between contrasts such as inhale/exhale, backbend/forward-bend, warming/cooling, energizing/relaxing, busy/reflective, light/dark, sun/moon, new/old, and past/present to find the balance in each. – Hannah F.

I learned to be more aware of my alignment to avoid injury. I also learned that everything is core work in yoga! – Courtney B.

While I had attended yoga classes at Yoga One four or five times each week, prior to teacher training, I had not started a personal practice. Now I practice at home as well as at the studio. I enjoyed learning about the history of yoga, both in class and from the readings. The teachers’ manual that Yoga One put together is a wonderful resource. – Laurie A.

My relationship with yoga had refined by the end of the course. Yoga is being present and giving enthusiastic attention to your journey on and off the mat. It is connecting to your spirituality (whatever that may be) through a deeper exploration and understanding of your own body and breath. – Kristin S.

2. What was the most valuable piece of information you learned?

I learned how to keep my shoulders integrated in every pose. I realized I had previously had improper shoulder alignment and was constantly sore from it. Now I experience very little soreness keeping my shoulders aligned properly. – Courtney B.

The most fun aspect of this course was the friendships that I developed with the other trainees. We all had an element of vulnerability as we practice-taught on each other and shared the challenge of the breakdown and rebuilding of a new understanding of yoga as a complete body/mind experience. – Hannah F.

Just learning the basics of alignment. I can finally find my balance in Vrksasana (Tree)!(Well, not always, but I’m a lot better.) – Laurie A.

That the journey is what matters most, not the destination. I find so much peace in that. – Kristin S.

The specifics of asana, yoga philosophy, and anatomy were thoroughly taught by incredibly competent, patient, and generous teachers. The content was beautifully organized and taught in large yet manageable chunks. The sense of community between trainees and the nurturing learning environment facilitated by the teachers created a really rewarding and fun experience. – Sarah S.

3. How Yoga One Teacher Training impacted my life:

It made me more aware of my own body while doing yoga! I am constantly adjusting myself during my practice, whereas before I didn’t really put much effort into my alignment. – Courtney B.

There is more to yoga than asanas (poses). And I learned that I don’t have to do the asanas perfectly. In fact, I have all the time in the world to improve! Yoga One Teacher Training also impacted my life by introducing me to some wonderful people. I was one of the older participants and I enjoyed the diversity of participants and instructors. We came from all over the globe. We had different past experiences in yoga and brought different hopes, dreams and plans to our yoga mats. – Laurie A.

I find more harmony in my practice and the little universe on my yoga mat. By incorporating yoga daily I find that harmony in all aspects of my life more and more. It is a constant effort and learning exercise but practicing yoga with intention on and off the mat is what it is all about! – Kristin S.

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Yoga Girl”

by Rachel Brathen

Summary: Rachel Brathen, also know as Yoga Girl, is spreading love across the globe one hug at a time. If you’re not already following her on social media, you most likely will be soon, as her US book tour, also know as, The Happiness Tour, is going on at this very moment. Rachel is a woman who loves yoga, her man, her dogs, and practicing handstands on the beach but there is more to her than meets the eye. This book introduces the reader to Rachel’s childhood in Sweden and how she has worked to transform her life into the life of her dreams.

Yoga Girl is light-hearted, fun and beautiful, but it also connects on a deeper level to the heartache and joy of Rachel’s real personal life. Weaving through each of the seven chapters are easy to do yoga sequences as well as recipes to inspire a nutritious, plant-based diet. The entire book is sprinkled with beautiful photos that will make you want to venture to the nearest beach, get upside down and enjoy life to the fullest.

Why I Love It: I love how Yoga Girl focuses on the positive and recognizes that this is a choice. Everything can be taken away from you, absolutely everything – except your attitude. Rachel Brathen has experienced firsthand how yoga heals and transforms lives and reading her story is a breath of fresh air.

This book reminds me to choose happiness and to acknowledge when I’m hurting. I was reminded of my own grief over losing my grandmother and how yoga helped me breathe and eventually heal. Rachel’s heartfelt reflections made me feel that life is truly a process of remembering what our hearts and souls already know.

Recommended For: Anyone new to yoga will find a great introduction to yoga and its philosophy in Yoga Girl. The more experienced yogi will enjoy the depth and wisdom in Rachel’s personal testimony.

This book invites readers to go past the surface and love others, but more importantly, to love themselves. Yes, there are a lot of bikini pictures which may spark insecurities, but I encourage you to receive it’s overarching message: that you are a true co-creator of your life. If that includes bikinis, great! If not, great!

This month I invite you to slow down and check in with yourself. Are you living in a way that is in alignment with who you are and with your dreams? Let go of people pleasing. Let go of control. Pick up this book or recapture anything that inspires you to move forward with your authentic life.

Ciao, Olivia

“For me, the book was like a perfect yoga class—it left me inspired, relaxed and at the same time gave me tons of ideas.” – Katarina Tav?ar, Elephant Journal

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

by Laura McCorry

It’s easy to get caught up in living a moment to moment existence (which is not the same as existence in the present moment). You do the things that must be done to move from one day into the next – putting off until tomorrow everything but the essential. Until there is only enough space in the crowded shuffle of your brain to process the next step.

This is when life is hard. When a deep feeling of unease settles around your heart. If you could step back, you might see the problem, but you feel stuck. The body will tell you something is wrong and its strongest language is pain. 

Yoga helps. Get on your mat and start to move with your body. Listen. Find your alignment by what feels good and not how it looks. A hot cup of tea can do wonders. So can a phone call to a friend. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Do whatever it is you need to do to let the light back in. 

Open your hands and release everything you’ve been grasping and clenching tight. Turn your face to the sun, which can be the actual sun or your closed eyes summoning up all the loves in your life –

Your romantic partner. Your mother. Your dog. Anyone who has ever shown you kindness.

Think of them and feel the corners of your eyes crinkle. Let the light shine deep and illuminate the furthest reaches of your heart.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

interview with Yoga One Teacher Trainee, Hannah Faulkner

What do you hope to gain from Yoga One Teacher Training?

Personally and in my teaching, I hope to improve on being in the moment and making mindful, compassionate decisions. Likewise, I would like to improve my knowledge of preventing injuries for my students in yoga. Physically, I’d like to improve my alignment and strength to successfully balance in handstand and forearm stand.

What’s one thing you’ve learned already that’s changed your perspective on yoga and/or life?

As a woman who is constantly busy and in a hurry, I am learning to stay in the moment and be present. As humans, we have the freedom to decide how to react in any situation, I can react according to my emotions and thoughts or be mindful of everyone and everything around me as well as being conscious of the effects of my choices.

Physically, I have learned that my body needs to be aligned in five ways (foundation, muscle energy, inner rotation, outer rotation, and finding length in my torso and limbs), not only in each pose, but in my daily life: standing, sitting, and sleeping. Since I’ve been working on these adjustments, I’ve been able to sleep on my back in comfort throughout the night. This is something that I haven’t been able to do for years.

If you could describe Yoga One Teacher Training in three words, they would be: Mindfulness, Balance, Alignment

by Monique Minahan

If walking down the street was a yoga pose, how would we do it? Would we walk more mindfully, consciously, and with attention to how our breath informs our every step?

by Rachel Krentzman, PT, E-RYT

Backbends are an integral part of any Yoga practice. The intention for backbends is to open the chest and rib cage in preparation for pranayama (breathwork). For some, backbends are exhilarating and freeing while for others, they can be somewhat daunting and anxiety-producing. For the first few years of my yoga practice, I would experience back pain in most back bending postures and assumed that it was a ‘normal sensation.’ The truth is, if done correctly, backbends should be challenging but comfortable. If you are not experiencing freedom in your backbends, it is a sign that you may be compressing your lumbar spine instead of increasing your range of motion.

Is it safe for my spine?

When done correctly, back bends help increase extension of the spine, a normal movement that is available to us based on the anatomical structure of the lumbar vertebrae. There are approximately 55 degrees of extension available in the lumbar spine in most humans. As we move up the spine, extension is more limited due to the shape of the thoracic vertebrae.  In optimal alignment, the lumbar spine should rest in a slight arch (lumbar lordosis), to properly carry the body weight and prevent low back issues. When we lose the normal curve due to poor posture or frequent forward bending, there is an increased risk of low back pain, disc injuries and muscle spasm.

With all this in mind, it is important to increase the extension in our spine in order to maintain back health and mobility and combat the constant effect of gravity that pulls us forward. In addition, back bends help increase lung capacity, prevent arthritis, alleviate depression, build stamina and energy as well as improve circulation, digestion and immune function. Backbends are said to help us move from the past into the present, and to help us open our hearts and let go of fear.

Backbends are safe for most individuals (contraindicated for those with spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis) as long as the body is warmed up appropriately and there is close attention paid to proper alignment and actions in each pose. The beauty of yoga is that detailed instructions can be given to help one attain ideal alignment so a greater sense of opening is experienced. When we have pain in backbends, it is because something is breaking down in our execution of the pose. Discomfort is an opportunity for us to practice more awareness and find a new, pain free way to work in the posture.

Common limitations

Individuals who have difficulty in backbends can be categorized into two main groups: those with tight muscles and ligaments and those who are naturally loose and highly flexible. In every body, there is a dance between the qualities of stability and flexibility in the musculoskeletal system. There is a myth that being more flexible is a sign of better physical health, however, the more flexible a person is, the more prone their ligaments are to injury in yoga because they lack stability. Conversely, those who are stiff are less likely to suffer an injury due to over-stretching, but these individuals need to increase their flexibility so the pelvis and spine can move freely and avoid compression during activities of daily living.

Common restrictions for tight individuals include decreased range of motion in the chest, shoulders and hips (primarily in the hip flexors and external rotators). These areas become restricted from prolonged sitting at a desk, driving, frequent forward bending and lifting and can even occur from overtraining the anterior chest musculature. Runners, cyclists and avid athletes are prone to tightness in the hip flexors and external rotators as well. These individuals need to focus on increasing flexibility in the chest and hips to prepare for backbends.

Hyper flexible people experience different difficulties in back bending postures. They often have tight hip flexors but compensate with over-extension in the low back. Core strength is usually lacking in these individuals, so they tend to ‘hinge’ at one segment in their spine over and over again instead of dividing the extension throughout the length of the spine. In this case, the hyper mobile segment becomes more mobile while the tighter segments in the spine stay tight. Years of ‘dumping’ into the low back without awareness can lead to injury as the segment bears all the work. These individuals need to focus on stability and strength in their backbends, which may mean backing off a little to maintain the integrity of the pose and length throughout the entire spine.

How to practice correctly 

Here are some important tips to help you achieve success in your back bending poses:

• Warm up! In order to be ready for back bends, you must practice poses that open the chest, hip flexors, quadriceps and external rotators of the hip. It is also important to practice a couple of poses that encourage strength in the arms and legs to prepare for certain backbends.
• Keep the front body long. “Back bends should really be called front body lengtheners,” says Jo Zukovich, a well known Iyengar Yoga teacher from San Diego. While we are extending our lumbar spine, it is important to maintain length at the same time so there is more space and equal movement between each spinal segment. The common mistake that leads to pain and injury is collapsing in the spine at one segment while in the backbend.
• Internally rotate your hips. Internal rotation in the hips is essential in all backbends to avoid compression in the spine. If we allow our hips to externally rotate (which will cause the knees to splay out), our stronger muscles, namely the gluteus maximus and external hip rotators, will contract. By internally rotating the thighs, we turn off those stronger hip muscles and activate the deeper gluteal muscles which help to create more space.
• Avoid gripping! The tendency in backbends is to contract the buttocks strongly which creates more compression and less freedom in the spine. In addition, ‘tucking of the tailbone’ creates shortening instead of increased length in the spine.  Instead, think about lifting the lower belly to help the tailbone descend. This creates length while maintaining the integrity of the spine and core strength in back bends.
• Don’t fight the backbend, GO FOR IT. Most people try to resist the back bend while they are doing it. It is safest to work on helping your lumbar spine move into extension at every level. Focus on moving each vertebrae into the body as if it were sinking into quicksand in order to safely increase extension in the lumbar spine. Remember that we are lengthening as we are extending to maintain a full lumbar curve free from compression.

Rachel Krentzman PT, ERYT 500 combines 18 years of Physical Therapy experience with more than 15 years of Yoga studies. Her treatment methods involve a highly effective approach to healing the whole person. Rachel received her 2000-hour certification from the College of Purna Yoga™ with Aadil Palkhivala and has studied Yoga therapeutics. She is the founder and director of Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga in San Diego, CA. For more details and/or questions contact: 619-261-6049 or rachel@embodyphysicaltherapy.com

by Laura McCorry

You are not fixed. 

Sometimes change is so slow as to be imperceptible. Your cells are always dying and new ones are born to take their place. Every day your hair grows a bit longer. Every day some small new part is incorporated into the whole of you.

All it takes to change your direction in life is one new thought. One different action. One word of love. All that came before brought you to this moment, right now. But the past shouldn’t be given a seat at the table of today.

Have the small acts and thoughts of this hour brought you into alignment with what you know to be true about yourself? If you have strayed from your path, this is when you need to have the most compassion for yourself and the most courage to forget what came before and begin again.

Never be afraid to speak your truth. People will try to hold onto the old idea of you because it is familiar. Don’t be tempted to go along with them.

Listen to the voice inside that speaks your dreams. Give yourself permission to shout who you are to the world. Consistent acts in the same direction add up over time. Small steps matter. You are not fixed – you are free.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

Yoga One teacher Jennifer Tipton wrote a beautiful reflection on the life and practice of one of her yoga mentors, B.K.S. Iyengar for YogiTimes. Read the whole article here.

Jennifer teaches Yoga for Backs on Tuesdays at 7:30pm and Rooftop Mixed Level Flow at Hotel Solamar on Sundays at 9am. See our full schedule here.

The Iyengar style of yoga is known for its extensive use of props (blocks, blankets, straps, and more) and a focus on precise physical alignment.

Jennifer writes, “Through the longer holds in our yoga postures we can learn how to experience a calmer mental state and therefore allow energy to effectively channel throughout the entire body. Yoga practice has evolved through the years and as a society we have come to enjoy faster paced and more rigorous styles to match our fast-paced and hectic lives.

“Iyengar yoga teaches us to slow down and live in the present moment. Even if we only incorporate a few poses with longer holds and perhaps the use of props we can go deeper and experience the benefits that are so present in Iyengar’s teachings.

“Every Tuesday night I teach my “Yoga for Backs” class and more often than not I will incorporate a restorative bridge posture into the practice. It really is one of my favorite yoga poses and always has been.”

by Laura McCorry

On the surface, yoga and the military may not seem to have much in common. Yoga is sometimes stereotyped as the domain of liberal, vegan, nouveau hippies and the military as gun-toting, meat-eating conservatives.

But the truth of any community lies beneath the surface.

As a yogi and military spouse, I feel like I’m always discovering new ways these two communities have similar perspectives on life.

• You must live in the present moment.

The military lifestyle is inherently full of uncertainty and change. Schedules are outlines at best and your service member could leave for training or deployment at any time. Depending on the service member’s job, the time of day they go to work and come home could change on a daily basis. There is often no such thing as routine.

One of my favorite yoga teachers would start class by asking, “Where are you?” The entire class would answer in chorus, “Here.” Then the teacher would ask, “What time is it?” The answer: “Now.” Here and now. It was a revelation.

Living in the present moment doesn’t happen over night, just like you can’t walk into your first ever yoga class and pop up into headstand. “Be here now” is a mindfulness skill you can practice over the course of a lifetime, but you get to enjoy the benefits of peacefulness the same moment you begin.

• True alignment demands honest communication.

Separation is a fact of life for military families and deployments can range from four months to over a year depending on the branch of service. This can be one of the hardest trials for the military family and one the civilian world understands so little, mostly through lack of exposure and not a want of sympathy. If you want your relationship to survive thrive during a long separation with limited communication opportunities, you need to make sure the communication you do have is honest and of high quality.

Alignment in yoga can have both a physical and a spiritual or emotional meaning. You are aligned physically when muscle groups and joints are positioned to provide a strong structural support for a posture. In order to experience this in class, you must be very honest when asking your body whether it is working hard and knowing when you are tired and should rest.

Beyond the physical, alignment is experienced when what you think, what you say and what you do are the same. The communication you have with yourself must be honest and of high quality, checking in frequently. This kind of deep alignment with the core of yourself brings serenity to chaotic or stressful life circumstances.

• Deep roots grow in communities.

Military families move more frequently than most civilians, often to a city or town they’ve never been to before. They know what it’s like to be the new kid, to start over with a new job and to go through the awkward stage of friend-dating. Consequently, the military community is usually very welcoming and helpful to new-to-the-area families because they know how important it is to build ties and feel connected.

Yoga practitioners know that you can’t “fly” in an inversion until your core and support system is fully grounded. And yoga is all about connection, not just to the inner self but to a wider community. Both yoga studios and military communities are known for their hospitality and welcoming spirit – because they understand that families and individuals in strong communities are happier and healthier.

Are you a service member or military spouse interested in yoga?

Yoga for Vets offers a listing of classes around the country for free or reduced rates for current service members.

MyCAA is an excellent resource for military spouses looking to gain portable career training, one option is to become a yoga teacher! Yoga One Teacher Training proudly accepts MyCAA candidates.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Laura McCorry

Comparison is the Thief of Joy 

I recently moved across the country from San Diego, California to a not-so-big town in Virginia. Whenever I think about my old life (as I’m starting to call it) I’m sad that I can’t take yoga classes at Yoga One and see all my old friends or go out to eat at my favorite restaurants.

The problem with moving is that you don’t have a network or favorite places right away, that takes time. And it would be unrealistic to expect one city to provide the same opportunities and experiences as the other. They are totally different beasts and the better I get at not comparing them, the happier I am.

Yoga teaches us to be present with what is. Who you were yesterday and who you want to be tomorrow don’t matter as much as the present moment and who you are today.

If You Want Something, Ask.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat at home feeling sorry for myself because I didn’t have plans to meet friends. Or how I’ve looked at my phone wanting to talk to someone but not wanting to bother them when they might be busy. These feelings come from a place of fear and breed inaction. It’s good to remember there are no prizes for toughing it out alone. When the going gets tough, ask for help and support from your friends and family.

Being present in yoga means examining your physical and mental alignment, making small adjustments as you encounter anything out of place. That ability to take stock and respond is key to emotional health off the mat. When you put fear aside and take responsibility for your own happiness and well-being, you become empowered to recognize and ask for what you need.

Look Up and Out 

When I’m struggling with something, really struggling, it’s easy to self-implode and only see the world from my own perspective. I always know this is happening when every time I talk to a friend, I launch into a Litany of Woes, a.k.a. everything that’s going wrong in my life.

You can break the cycle by seeking connection and community. Expand your awareness to the person in front of you (or on the phone, or at the other end of an email, etc.) Talk about your joys. Take a yoga class. Call your mom. Ask a stranger how they’re doing and wait for a response.

The reason more people don’t practice yoga in their living rooms is because we often crave community more than we crave the mental and physical benefits of yoga. Taking a yoga class unites our breath with the group and tells us that we are not alone. Finding a studio where they know your name and welcome you with a smile or a hug is priceless.

What life lessons have you learned from your yoga practice? Share with us in the comments!

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Olivia Cecchittini

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

by Don Miguel Ruiz

Summary: Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, “The Four Agreements” is a book that connects the reader to simple yet powerful tools that can transform their consciousness. Using everyday life concepts combined with a compassionate heart, Ruiz connects the reader to their own inner light. Each agreement moves out of the mind and into the heart space, taking readers from needless suffering to creating more joy, inner peace and freedom within their own lives. Here are the Four Agreements: 1. Be impeccable with your word 2. Don’t take anything personally. 3. Don’t make assumptions. 4. Always do your best. They are simple but if practiced with intention they can truly transform your life.

Why I love it:  I love this book because it is easy to read and simple to process but the affects of Don Miguel Ruiz’s words run deep. They continuously stay with me and bring me back into alignment time and time again even years later.

Recommended For: Anyone and everyone! We are all connected – as we deepen our understanding of ourselves, we create space for others to do the same. Our relationship with others is an outer reflection of our relationship with ourselves. As we surrender to the lifelong lesson of  healing, learning, and growing these simple agreements create mindfulness to live with integrity and joy.

Don Miguel Ruiz’s book is a roadmap to enlightenment and freedom.” — Deepak Chopra, Author, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia is a yoga teacher based out of San Diego. With a love for people, life, spirituality, reading, and, of course, yoga she spends her days connecting with students and nature. Getting outside whenever she can to enjoy all the beauty this life has to offer.

We are one month away from our Yoga One Teacher Training Summer Intensive!! Wohoo!! There are still spots available, call 619-294-7461 to reserve yours today. The course dates are August 13-30, 2014, more information at Yoga One

Our teachers are getting ready to welcome the new class of aspiring yoga teachers and yogis who simply want to deepen their understanding of this amazing practice –

will YOU join them?

Get off the mat this month with Amy Caldwell, Yoga One co-founder, co-owner and head instructor. She also co-teaches the annual Yoga One Teacher Training.

Amy’s classes distill years of teaching experience and yogic knowledge into a light-hearted, often playful flow. Her personal warmth and clear, concise guidance will keep you coming back for more. Catch up with her on Mondays at noon and Fridays at 5:45pm (starting 1/24). You can find our full schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

“Quality” yoga 🙂 and by that I mean a well-balanced practice that emphasizes present moment awareness through equal parts conscious participation and peaceful abiding. I love alignment-based practices, slow flow and challenging vinyasa depending on the day.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

With my second exposure to yoga, like so many practitioners, I experienced a deep feeling of contentment. Having exercised regularly throughout my life, I also enjoyed the weaving together of philosophical inquiry along with the physical practice.

The first time I took an 8-week yoga class in college, however, I fell asleep in savasana and didn’t return to the practice until 5 or so years later. Just like so many things in life, there is an element of timing. I still often tell students not to give up if they don’t resonate with their first yoga class or teacher or studio. We are blessed with many choices that sometimes it’s hard to narrow them down and find your niche.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

I’ve recently been going back to the basics of plain old backbends, handstands and splits. If I had to pick one this month, I guess I would say backbend. I’ve been contemplating doing 44 on my next birthday in August in honor of my age. I feel that urdhva dhanurasana (upward facing bow) beautifully counterbalances our lives which are filled with so much forward bending like sitting and so much visual stimulation! Accessing the back body helps connect us with the other facets of our being beyond what we see on a day to day basis. Plus, it’s energizing and empowering.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

I practiced pigeon in Sarah’s class yesterday and she reminded us to allow the exhale to be complete and to let the tongue fall off the roof of the mouth at the end of the inhale. It amazes me how challenging it is to truly stay in a place of conscious participation and peaceful abiding in this pose – even after so many years. Some days are easier than others!

5. If you were an animal, you would be:

A dolphin – although I recently heard sometimes they aren’t so nice to porpoises, so I may have to rethink that. I grew up swimming and love the water (although San Diego ocean water is a bit cold for me!!) I believe my dosha tends toward pitta and recently read that being in nature and in or near the water helps balance my energy – I feel that to be true every time I’m at the beach!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Tools for learning, loving and being.

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

Well, the secret came out a few months ago at Rachel Krenztman’s going away party, but I truly love dancing and take cardio hip hop classes whenever I can (: Other than that, I am a pretty open book.

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

As I mentioned in question #2 above, know that there are MANY styles, approaches and teachers of yoga – so the first, most important step is to find a studio and teacher where you feel comfortable, safe and taken care of.

The next thing I would remind new students is that yoga isn’t about being “good” or “flexible” or “strong” – it’s about meeting yourself where you are at this time in the present, being non-competitive and non-judgmental. Our 9 year old daughter explained to our 5 year old son last week, “you can see that glass as half empty, but just as easily you can see it as half full.”

Let’s all keep on practicing how to see the good in ourselves and each other. And when we forget, no judgement!, simply begin again. Happy practicing 🙂

Ever thought about becoming a yoga teacher? Want to deepen your yoga practice beyond the reach of group classes? There’s still space available in our upcoming Yoga One Teacher Training course this January!

January 17 – March 16, 2014: 8 Weekend Yoga Teacher Training Course (with a hiatus for President’s day weekend: February 15-17)

Yoga One offers a 200 hour Yoga Alliance registered course in Flow Yoga (Interdisciplinary, breath and alignment based practice.) Co-led by Amy Caldwell and Diana Beardsley, our highly experienced teachers are professional, inspiring and embody a full range of yogic knowledge: posture practice (asana), breathing (pranayama), history, philosophy and applications in daily living.

We offer tools and building blocks so each student can grow and evolve in their own unique way both as teachers and as individuals. In addition to helping students deepen their practice, we will teach how to lead safe, effective and well-balanced classes – much more than memorizing scripts and following a set format.

Read more about the course and find student testimonials on our website.

Teaching yoga is a highly portable career in a field that is growing across the nation by leaps and bounds – but our greatest reward as teachers is helping others live healthier and happier lives. Yoga One is proud to work with MyCAA to support qualifying military spouses receive financial aid for our teacher training course.

For more information, call 619-294-7461 or send an email to info@yogaonesandiego.com

We are excited to get to know you and grateful to share the joys and benefits of yoga!

In our last post we referenced two common backbends in a Vinyasa practice: cobra and upward-facing dog. Often teachers will allow students to pick which one feels right to them, but what are the differences, really?

Our friend and guest workshop teacher, Paisley, posted an excellent tutorial on her blog, check it out!

Nicole Perrin’s classes are rooted in optimal alignment principles that anchor the challenging postures she often presents. She encourages each student to blossom with her light-hearted and non-competitive approach. Nicole teaches Yoga One’s Marina and Poolside Flow at the Sheraton on Saturday mornings at 10am as well as Yoga One’s corporate yoga classes at Hotel Solamar and San Diego Gas and Electric.

Click here to see our full schedule.

To learn more about offering yoga classes at your place of business, contact Michael at michael@yogaonesandiego.com

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

Primarily Vinyasa because I love the connection between breath and movement. When consciously brought together, it becomes a dance of self-expression – it’s what makes each person’s practice so beautiful and unique.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

With a background in gymnastics and dance, I initially connected to the physicality of yoga because it challenged my flexibility and balance. I realized I had lost a lot of my flexibility as the years passed and, I”ll admit, my residual Type A came out and it was sort of a competition with myself to be able to maneuver my body into these crazy positions.

Little did I know that this competitiveness would eventually (and thankfully) transform into spiritual growth and a life-long journey of self-inquiry and discovery. Through yoga, I’ve found greater equanimity, self-love, and the ability to walk through life with greater appreciation. This is what attracts me to yoga now and keeps me coming back for more!

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Right now, handstand! So much fun to play with and even more fun learning the most graceful way to fall out of it!

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Prone frog pose (mandukasana) because of the intense sensations this pose brings into the hip joints, my mind responds by sending me negative messages about how much it knows I don’t like this pose! For me, that’s even more reason to keep practicing 🙂

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a capuchin monkey (you know, the one on Friends)! I love the rainforest and most of all, I love to climb everywhere and do tricks!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: perspective, self-inquiry, transformation, self-love, mindfulness, joy

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

I backpacked in South America where I hiked Machu Picchu in Peru, and I think snakes, rats, and (most) bugs are cool. I’ve caught wild tarantulas and snakes (the non-poisonous ones) with my bare hands and owned three beloved rats when I was a teenager.  🙂

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

Yoga is not about being able to touch your toes or looking like the image in the picture: it’s about what you learn on the way there. The journey is never-ending and the opportunities for self-growth are bountiful. Make a point to be present and true, and most of all, be loving towards yourself so that you can share that love with the world.

Interview with Paisley Close On Backbends, Pranayama and Her Upcoming Workshops at Yoga One

by Monique Minahan

I first noticed the transformative quality of yoga while practicing backbends. The steadiness and strength they demand revealed to me both the power and the past housed in my back body. The vulnerability and expansion they require in the front body revealed to me my full capacity for open-heartedness.

The more I practiced this opening process physically, the more I found myself able to open more fully to the people in my life.

While I love backbends now, I didn’t always feel this way. Initially they brought up a lot of fear and disorientation for me. As one of my teachers puts it, “backbends are like strong medicine.”

One of the first teachers to guide me along this road of discovery was Paisley Close. In the years I practiced with Paisley my yoga practice deepened on many levels, both internally and externally, thanks to her expansive knowledge base, precise alignment cues, and unique approach to yoga. Many of the “refinements” she’s offered over the years allowed me to settle deeper into yoga, whether through asana, pranayama, or taking my yoga off the mat.

While Paisley doesn’t teach locally anymore, she offers up inspiration, insight, and all things yoga through her blog and will be paying Yoga One a visit August 18th to teach two workshops: Intermediate Backbends and Seated Poses & Pranayama.

She shares some of her insights with us in the interview below:

*****

Mo: Paisley, how long have you been teaching yoga and what do you love about it the most?

Paisley: I began teaching yoga in 2000. When I teach, I love witnessing the moment a student breaks through and does something he or she didn’t think they could.

Sometimes it’s physical, like recently when two students balanced in headstand for the first time, in the same class. Other times it’s the more emotional moment, when I can see and feel that students are connecting with themselves and finding peace and quiet internally. I also love that teaching creates the opportunity to live my practice.

Mo: Pranayama practices are often overlooked in modern yoga classes. What are some benefits of including pranayama in your personal practice?

The major benefit of including pranayama in your practice is that it calms and clears your mind. When your mind is agitated, your breath is usually short and shallow. When you deepen and elongate your breathing with pranayama, it pacifies your mind, which makes it easier to connect with your inner awareness.

Prana, or life force energy, is latent in your breath. By increasing your breath, you increase your body’s ability to hold prana and, therefore, vitality. The prana is like an electrical current and yoga asana, or poses, clear the blocks for the currents to flow freely. Asana also builds the necessary insulation, just like you’d have on an actual electric current or wire. It keeps you from short-circuiting, so it’s important to have an asana practice before developing a pranayama practice.

Mo: What made you choose these two topics for workshops: backbends and pranayama? Is there a connection between the two?

Paisley: I like teaching what’s not already being offered or elaborating on what is. I see very little emphasis on breathing these days, and so much more push to just flow through yoga classes. So I wanted to teach about this vital limb of the practice and thought they deserved a workshop all their own. Pranayama and meditation are such great ways to slow down and unplug from our busy lives.

As for backbends, I chose intermediate backbends to offer a chance for the more practiced student to try new and challenging poses with guidance and in a fun, community atmosphere.

One key to pain-free backbends is to keep a lot of lift and length in your spine. Pranayama can give you that. Also, the backbends open your chest and lungs and make it easier to take in more breath.

Mo: You’re a climber as well as a yogini. How does climbing in Mother Nature influence your yoga practice and vice versa?

Paisley: Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to start! Both climbing and yoga push me out of my comfort zone and require me to be present. Climbing has a much bigger fear factor, so the stakes are higher. I need to be more aware of how I’m directing my attention and what I’m thinking. Yoga has given me the tools to do that, but climbing makes me practice harder.

In both cases, when challenge and fear arise, I go back to the breath and use my senses to increase awareness. With climbing, my senses are often on overload: the wind is howling, the sun is blazing, my feet are standing on dime-sized edges, my hands are gripping rough rock and the gear is clinking on my harness. Combine that with the heights and exposure and it’s really easy to revert to old patterns of thinking and operate out of the past; i.e. fear.

When I’m on my mat, I allow those fears to come up completely, and see what they’re really about, because they’re never really about the heights or the falling. I practice breathing deeply and watching how my mental patterns weave through my movements and either distract me or help me be more present. I also use my yoga practice to unravel all the tight muscles I get from hiking on uneven, rolling terrain with a 30-pound pack and using my fingertips to cling to the edge of a cliff.

I find a lot of freedom and inspiration in nature. We go to stunning places to climb and I try to fit a practice in when we’re there. It’s much easier for me to feel connected with the world around me when I’m in the wild.

guest post by Monique Minahan 

In yoga we often hear teachers suggest we create an intention for our practice. As opposed to a goal, I like to think of making an intention as an alignment. Just like we align our bodies in a certain way to safely move into Warrior II, we can align our minds and our hearts to optimally move in the direction we choose.

Sometimes my intentions are a whole sentence and other times single words; for example, presence or gratitude. I find it helpful to choose intentions I can apply on my mat and also off my mat. Instead of having an intention to finally nail bakasana, or crow pose, I’ll choose an intention of tapping into my inner strength, giving my intention bigger potential.

I’ve used the same intention for months until I feel I’ve outgrown it, and other times I use a different one every practice.

This year I’ve been applying a concept I discovered in the yoga workbook Art of Attention. The question posed is this:

Are you trying to prove something or are you trying to emerge?

While this question can be applied to anything, I primarily apply it to my yoga practice because that’s where I get up close and personal with my ego, my willpower, and my true self.

Reflecting on this question I realized that in asana, the physical practice of yoga, the effort we put into a pose may appear the same regardless of which mental or emotional approach we choose. The external appearance of our pose won’t necessarily look any different.

It’s the intention that changes.

Whether you are trying to prove something (e.g., I’m going to muscle through this practice no matter what) or you are trying to emerge (e.g., the fire of tapas [discipline] I create by staying with the intensity is burning away blockages), someone looking at you from the outside might not know what’s going on inside.

But you do. You know what’s going on inside. Over time what’s going on inside starts to be reflected on the outside.

Applying this question to my current practice, I’ve noticed both happening. Sometimes I try to prove I’m strong enough. Other times I’m trying to create an opening for my inner light to shine through. Bringing a quality of nonjudgement to both gives me the opportunity for svadhyaya (self-study). Applying compassion to myself and my practice (ahimsa) allows me to love, accept, and honor both the striving human and the soulful being living in the same body.

The beauty of yoga is that it creates a safe space for us to practice, grow, and heal. It’s called a yoga practice because our mat is not where we truly prove ourselves or emerge. It’s when we get off our mats that our practice turns into the real thing.

Having felt our true self emerge through the process of yoga, perhaps we step out into the world with increased courage and allow our true self to be shared with the people we meet.

If my intention is gratitude, I often weave that intention into my entire day and find something to be grateful for in every situation, however challenging.

The power of intention is the power of choice. By tapping into this power I’ve found I can effectuate positive change, not only in my body and mind, but in my life as well.

 

Mo is a writer and yoga teacher who believes in peace over happiness and love over fear. She likes to set her sights high and then take small steps to get there. You’ll find her walking the dirt path behind her house with her little fluffy dog, practicing walking her talk by keeping her head high and her heart open. 

Read more from Monique on her blog, mindfulmo.com

Our Yoga One Teacher Training Graduates of 2013 are already leading students and sharing the joys and benefits of yoga with others! Congratulations again yogis and thank you for your great energy! Here is Part 2 of their post-training reflections. Click here to read Part 1. 

What excites you the most about teaching yoga to others?
Do you have any fears? If yes, how do you move beyond them?
If you don’t plan on teaching, how did YTT deepen your personal practice?

Monique: 

I love seeing the light turn on behind my students’ eyes when they tune in to themselves or realize their true inner strength. I do have fears; the fear of not knowing enough mainly. I face the fear by trusting in myself and pushing the edges of my comfort zone consciously, just like in yoga. I’d like to teach communities that can’t afford yoga and aren’t as exposed to yoga but could benefit greatly from it. YTT has deepened my own practice externally and internally in powerful ways. My practice will never be the same again, and that’s a good thing.

Kim: 

I don’t plan to teach but I will continue to attend several classes a week at Yoga One. The teacher training has been so comprehensive in its scope from philosophy to anatomy and the business of yoga, too. I especially appreciate the detail that Diana and Amy gave to every pose, the alignment and their benefits. I’ll have a much more thorough approach in my own practice when I’m led by any of the great Yoga One instructors. I’m also more confident with partner practice after all of our experience throughout the training!

Sabine: 

It’s amazing how much of what I’ve learned so far about alignment, yoga philosophy – the balance of opposites, mindfulness and being present in the moment – has infused my daily life and has already changed how I feel and how I handle challenging situations. It is as if yoga is everywhere! I feel so blessed to have such inspiring and amazing teachers: Diana, Amy, Michael and Rachel and Wren. You can feel that they are teaching from a place of truth, inspiration, integrity, love and grace. All of us teacher trainees form this kind and supportive community that fosters the emergence of wonderful future yoga teachers; each with special gifts to share. I am so grateful to be part of this experience.

Corinne: 

I’m most excited about the people I’ll get to meet through teaching yoga! I’ve already met so many fantastic people just being at Yoga One for two months and I know there’s a whole wide world of amazing people out there already practicing yoga or wanting to begin! If I can bring even half of the love, kindness and support to my teaching as Amy and Michael and the teachers at Yoga One have shown me through their teaching, then I’ll be doing something right!

When I started teacher training my biggest fear was that I wasn’t flexible enough to be a yoga instructor and that I couldn’t twist myself into a pretzel. As it turns out, flexibility is only a part of the yoga practice and can be increased with time and dedication. The most valuable lesson I learned throughout the training was that nobody’s practice looks the same and that everyone’s bodies are constructed in different ways. Over the course of the these 8 weeks, my fears have been replaced with the knowledge of proper alignment, linking my breath to movement and listening to what my body needs.

We asked our Yoga One Teacher Trainees for their reflections from week four of the course.

Janssen: What I love the most about teacher training is how immersed I feel in all of it – it’s like my whole life starts on Fridays!

Lynne: What I like most about TT is getting to spend hours and hours and hours with inspirational people in an inspirational space for eight weeks without losing my inspiration for it.

Amy: Being a student!  I love all the information I am learning.

Kim: I love the group support by all the trainees. Everyone gets along well. After a weekend together and what seems like a short four days in between, everyone is happy to be back together the next weekend, focused on the asana, meditation, anatomy and philosophy teachings.

Anna: As a beginner yogini, Teacher Training has commenced my yoga life in right posture, with all the information I need to maintain health and balance!

Romy: The awareness it has brought to my own practice, my life, myself, that everything is BALANCE. Love and Balance!

Dina: The best thing I have loved about training is what kind of person it is shaping me to be. Of course, learning so much about yoga, alignment, philosophy, and anatomy has been an incredible and vital part of the program but truthfully, I am better for having taken part in this journey. I think about everyday items differently and am becoming a more understanding person.

I leave each weekend feeling more inspired than the last to teach with even half as much love as my teachers and it always amazes me how beautiful and thoughtful our world can really be.

Amy, Michael and Diana have put together a program unlike any other and I feel blessed just to be able to learn from such gifted, gracious yogis. Oh, and the beautiful yogis, fellow trainees, are incredible people too!

Yoga One Celebrates the Release of iYoga Premium, Tops the Best-Selling Health and Fitness Applications Worldwide

iYoga Premium is the exciting new application released by 3D4Medical in collaboration with Yoga One, an award-winning yoga studio located in downtown San Diego. Over a year in development, iYoga Premium combines technical anatomic information with precise alignment in over 190 yoga poses. In less than a month, the iYoga Premium application reached the number one spot for best-selling health and fitness applications worldwide on Apple’s app store.

Amy Caldwell, co-founder and head instructor at Yoga One, worked closely with the Scotland-based company 3D4Medical to bring yoga postures (asanas) to life under a detailed anatomical gaze. Using 3D motion capture technology, Caldwell’s movements were recorded as she moved into and out of yoga poses then technicians animated the movements to create a life-like muscular-skeletal avatar.

The journey began with Caldwell donning a motion capture suit covered with electrodes. She was then filmed in 360 degrees on Pendulum’s 2,500 sq/ft optical motion capture stage over a 3-day period where she performed nearly 200 yoga poses. Caldwell who has twice appeared on the cover of Yoga Journal (the number one yoga publication in America) was tasked with executing the poses with optimal anatomical alignment for up to 8 hours a day.

“It was surreal to see my movements in real time displayed on a huge screen,” Caldwell said. “The whole process really reinforced for me that yoga is as much a moving meditation as it is a physical activity. The stage was freezing and the motion capture suit a little constricting. The conditions where challenging to practice yoga, but I quickly got into a rhythm and focused on my breath to stay centered.” Caldwell admits that by the third day she was exhausted but exuberant about the project’s future. “It was such a unique experience and the technicians at Pendulum were very professional and helpful.”

The next step for Caldwell was to identify the muscles as they contracted and stretched in each and every pose. 3D4Medical is a leading medical visualization and education software developer and a longstanding contributor to AppleStore’s medical application market. They wanted the app to give the user a more in-depth look into the major muscle groups that are exercised during a yoga routine.

Caldwell and anatomy expert Rachel Krentzman of Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga meticulously reviewed the footage and notated when each muscle turned on and off. Caldwell says “It was a pleasure teaming up again with someone as knowledgeable as Rachel. She leads the anatomy portion of Yoga One’s annual teacher training course. Rachel and I agreed, the process reaffirmed how much we love this practice!”

The voice over instruction that accompanies each pose was recorded at Studio West. Caldwell re-visited each posture and the pre-set sequences of poses recording anatomical notes as well as alignment-based instruction. “I have a pretty deep voice and really got to hone my enunciation and tone. I think I might have a career in the voice over field,” Caldwell joked.

More info on the process:

San Diego based Pendulum created 884 high-definition videos for the iYoga Premium application, featuring Caldwell’s 3D anatomical model performing over 190 yoga poses from multiple viewing angles.  This was made possible thanks to Pendulum’s incredibly accurate active-LED PhaseSpace motion capture system. Ultimately, Pendulum processed over 340,000 frames of motion capture, rendered over 50 MILLION frames (yes, you read that correctly), and delivered 8.7 hours of final video to bring the virtual yoga teacher to life!

We’d like to introduce the wonderful and amazing Lauren Bosworth! Many of you may not have had the pleasure of meeting her and taking her class since she has been leading many of Yoga One’s corporate classes at various companies around San Diego.* Lauren is taking over the Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow on Monday nights at 5:30. Come experience her challenging and warming flow with deep holds to help you find that ideal alignment while testing your endurance. Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

My favorite style of yoga lately has been a blend of flow-y Vinyasa and deep Hatha, all wrapped up with therapeutic alignment principles. I like to keep it fun and active, but also very safe so that I am able to do what I love forever.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

I was a ballerina for many years while growing up. My flexibility made yoga very fun, easy and intriguing to me. The thing that pulled me in further was realizing how difficult it really was and how much more work it took to have stability and strength rather then just being flexible.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

My favorite pose right now is eka pada rajakapotasana (pigeon pose). It used to be very easy for me to find rest in this post but lately it has been much more challenging. The challenge makes me want to practice it more often!

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Adho mukha vrksasana, or hand stand, is very challenging for me because my back and spine are very flexible and it’s difficult to stack my bones just right for balance!

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a mermaid; in fact, I’m pretty sure I was one in my past life. 😉 I love the ocean and all the magic and healing that it brings.

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Balance. Clarity. Vitality. Rejuvenation. Invigoration. Appreciation.

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

I think they would be surprised to learn that my strength surpasses my size. I pack a mean punch!

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

My advice would be to not compare yourself to anyone or anything. Enjoy the feeling of your body in movement while you practice without self-judgement. Don’t be scared to try new poses or to fall. If you do fall, just pick yourself up and try again.

Find what feels best in your body and stick to that – don’t push past pain and risk injury, be respectful of the body’s limitations. Most of all, practice because it makes you feel good and because you enjoy the sensations that result from your practice, not because you think you should.

* If you would like to learn more about Yoga One at Work for your company or organization, contact Michael at 619-972-8185 or michael@yogaonesandiego.com

Join us on Sunday, July 1st, for a fun-filled and challenging practice with Jo Zukovich from 3 until 5pm. Jo has been teaching yoga for over 30 years and has taken five journeys to India to study with the Iyengar family. She recently moved back to San Diego from Hawaii and she’s excited to offer this workshop at Yoga One. Be sure to sign up soon because space is limited! $35 in advance, $40 at the door. To register, follow this link and click on the “workshops” tab.

To entice you even further, here’s a little bit more about Jo and her upcoming workshop:

Jo writes, “I love yoga and I love teaching yoga as an art. My own practice feels like an art form to me. My teaching comes from my heart and it is full of joy. During the workshop, I hope to introduce you to better alignment and more freedom in twists and standing forward bends. Yoga is a journey and just like the journey of life, it’s important to have some fun along the way!

“I started my journey with Iyengar yoga in 1979. Almost immediately, I was sure I would practice yoga the rest of my life. The impact it has had on my own life is amazing. I feel so blessed to have had such truly great teachers and mentors to help me along the way. Yoga is something that opens you to new experiences. The work may start physically, but travels to the mental and spiritual. It is with great gratitude for B.K.S. Iyengar that I teach and practice. I hope we can all become more compassionate through the practice of yoga.”

This week we’re checking in with what the most recent Yoga Teacher Training alumni have to say about the course! They spent eight weeks putting their intention into action: learning about yoga’s history, philosophy, practice and many varied styles. Through lectures, readings, classes and time spent practice teaching, they’ve grown as individuals and teachers and we’re excited to share some of their experiences here on the blog. It’s never to soon to act on your intention. Click on the following link to find out more and sign up for the 2013 Yoga One Teacher Training Course.

Liz H: At Yoga One, I really feel like we were encouraged to explore the uniqueness of our own yoga. We were taught to tune in and honor what was going on inside of us as individuals, moment to moment, day to day, without judgement. What yogic paths appeal to us? What kinds of practice work best for us in this moment? Who are we and what do we bring to class as yogis? Yes, we’ve learned proper alignment, how to appropriately adjust poses- these are important things, without a doubt, but at Yoga One I learned that wherever I am in my practice is a beautiful, honorable place. When I honor my own practice with sincerity and if I share this in my teaching, that right there is a powerful, inspirational class. I can take this with me for the rest of my life and I believe it will never cease to serve me.

Karen A: I’m so grateful that I had the amazing opportunity to be part of the 2012 YTT. Amy and Michael have always been so welcoming with students at Yoga One; they make you feel as family and are always encouraging you to push your limits. In order for this to become a fulfilling experience you need great mentors, both Amy and Diana were amazing. They helped us learn a lot about yoga, its philosophy and proper alignment, but this experience goes way beyond the physical body, it encompasses the spirit and your true connection with what lies within. It was a life transforming experience that has taken me to a more spiritual and mindful way of life.

Mariellen M: Yoga One’s teacher training course was exciting, exhausting and exhilarating! I recently experienced a trying time and was surprised at this stage of my life to feel insecure, doubting myself. The course provided me with self confidence and reminded me that I do not need to doubt myself: I am capable, I can learn new things and face challenges. The challenge, the support and nurturing nature of the teachers and other students will stay with me always.

Valerie H: The YTT program is transformative, pure and full of love. I had many expectations because I typically have very lofty and imaginative expectations; all were met and surpassed. The bonds that are made are everlasting and priceless. The experience is only what you make of it, enjoy it while it flashes by you. It’s an extremely intense program with more information than you’ll ever ask for, with an overflowing combined knowledge of Diana Beardsley, Amy Caldwell, and Michael Caldwell. As always with very potent situations for growth there are even more difficult obstacles to overcome. Without fail I faced more challenges during these eight weeks than at any other time in my life! It was as if life wanted to not only test me but this teacher training and the practice of yoga itself. The web of life is spun in incredibly magical ways, you just have to open your eyes to see it.

Missy D: Yoga One’s teacher training course can be summed up in three words: dedication, community, compassion. I would definitely recommend YTT to a friend! Try to set aside your expectations and go along for the ride. Every weekend you’ll uncover another level of your self. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, exactly when I was supposed to be there at the first information meeting. Amy, Michael, Hillary, & Diana just felt like family and the people that I was supposed to spend an important part of my life with. And every class, no matter how exhausted I was, it felt right, it felt like this was an experience that would affect me for the rest of my life. The welcoming nature of everyone at Yoga One makes me feel like I’m at home. No other studio makes me feel this way. And I hope to continue to make people feel at home through my interactions with them, too!

Shawna F: The yoga teacher training at Yoga One was one of the most transformational experiences in my life. I’ve always been naturally flexible, able to twist and bend into many poses without strain. I thought this was great and my ego definitely got a boost from this natural “ability.” What I didn’t realize prior to the training was that I lacked the strength to find safety and stability in most poses. As a result, I frequently injured myself or felt slightly unbalanced after practice. Throughout the training, I realized that this aversion to strength was a common thread in the way I lived my life. I remember once hearing a yoga teacher say, “people do their yoga in the same way that they live their lives.” I started to notice how I lacked strength in my life in small ways. I didn’t always speak up when I was hurt or I buried my feelings when I felt them inappropriate. The basic principles of alignment gave me a new perspective on the physical poses as well as new inspiration for way I want to live my life. I realized that I need a balance of flexibility and strength. For me, that means moving past fear of judgment to make decisions from my heart, speaking up about what’s important to me and doing things that may be a bit scary – like teaching yoga to a room full of strangers!

I also realized how much I love to help people feel good about themselves. Following the training I’ve discovered more than ever that teaching and sharing yoga feeds my soul. I feel like I’m serving my purpose in life when the session is over and the student is glowing. The experience of the training helped me realize that there is so much more that I want from life. From the alignment concepts, to pranayama (breath control), to the wonderful people who shared my experience, the training was truly an event of coming home for me. I’m so grateful to Amy, Diana and Michael for sharing their love and skill of the yoga practice. I hope I can continue to learn from them and many others.

Yoga One will hold a free and informal Yoga One Teacher Training informational meeting on Sunday, May 6th from 5:00-6:30pm. Please RSVP to info@yogaonesandiego.com or 619-294-7461 and let us know if you will be able to attend by Thursday, May 4th.

Light refreshments will be provided. Meet instructors and previous and potential participants. Check out the manuals and texts. Begin to act on your intention to be the change you wish to see in the world.

It’s that moment in downward facing dog, or triangle, or side plank when I hear the instructor’s footsteps coming towards me and I know they’re going to adjust me. Instantly my brain takes a body scan, trying to identify what I’m doing wrong, I fidget my hands, shift my hips or flex my feet a little bit more. Instead of allowing the instructor to guide me in the right direction, my whole attention is focused on how I can fix myself. I used to think that if I’m doing the pose correctly, I won’t be adjusted and conversely, if I’m adjusted in class, I must be doing the pose incorrectly; but I’ve come to realize that neither conclusion is helpful to me or my yoga practice. Below are some thoughts on how to keep your zen during and after an adjustment!

1. Surrender the ego. It’s number one because it’s the hardest and the most important. If you’re worried about how you look or what the instructor/other students think, you’re missing out on the whole experience! Do your best to follow instructions for how to get in and out of a pose safely, then focus on how your body feels and the quality of your breath. Remember that yoga is a non-competitive and non-spectator sport.

2. Adjustments are your friend. If an instructor comes to assist you, chances are it’s because they see a mis-alignment in your body with a potential for injury. Often the instructor will be able to see your alignment more clearly than you can feel it. Any adjustment that doesn’t address safety concerns is simply a refinement for a pose, so don’t worry about “doing it wrong,” you’re right on track!

3. Stay Steady. The temptation is strong to try and fix yourself, but if the instructor is already nearby and ready to assist you, hold your ground and listen to their instructions. A good adjustment will establish a deeper connection between the mind and body, allowing you to find the same precise alignment later and carry it through your practice.

4. Keep an open mind. There are no set rules for instructors on how to make adjustments and many variations exist within the yoga community regarding how the poses are meant to be practiced. Allow yourself to be open to experiencing something new. Ultimately, you are your own best teacher if you truly listen to your body and breath.

5. Communicate.Every instructor adjusts differently – some will only intervene for safety concerns while others are more hands-on and help to deepen your posture. Know whether you’re comfortable being touched and don’t be afraid to talk to the instructor before class or while they’re giving the adjustment. It ‘s okay to opt out of hands-on adjustments. Just try to save any lengthy questions for after class so you don’t interrupt the flow.

6. Reflect. After class or the next day, think about how you felt during the adjustment and whether the teacher’s assistance enhanced your practice. Whether the adjustment was beneficial, didn’t feel quite right or if you still don’t understand the alignment of a certain pose, bring it up the next time you come to class. Instructors offer adjustments to instruct and enhance their students’ practice, so feedback is always welcome.

Thanks for checking in,
Laura