Online Audio Classes
Yogas citta-vritti-nirodhah
One-Hour Practices
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Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) is a balancing posture in which you raise one leg at hip level and hold onto its big toe with your hand. It is one of the postures of the standing series of Ashtanga and is often used in many yoga classes. It’s a pose that builds on your strength and flexibility, particularly in the back of your legs and your ankles.
If you have tight hamstrings and can’t straighten your leg while keeping your spine straight, use a strap, practice with a bent lifted knee, or hold your knee instead of your toe. Find the variation that works best for you—and your body’s needs and keep practicing. Once you find the right balance, the posture will emerge as strong and beautiful as it looks.
Below is a great overview of the posture from Kino (although I prefer to reach from outside the knee than inside the knee to keep in true flexion):
The knee is the largest joint in our bodies and one of the most complex. It is also vital to movement. Because we use it so much in everyday life, and in yoga class, it can be vulnerable to injury. It is important to make sure the knee is kept in the same line of movement of the ffot when doing postures such as Warrior One and Warrior Two. We should be aware that we are not adding rotation or lateral side bending around the knee joint. These types of movements can cause torsion at the joint and lead to pain or injury. Hopefully this class will give you some pointers to ensure that you are always aware of joint movement and approach your practice safely.
Below is a video link for a great overview of knee safety in yoga:
When thiunking about core engagement, it is important to consider all of the abdominal muscles that play a role in core strength and stability, not just what is visible to the eye. The transverse abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle, wraps around the lower torso supporting the internal organs. It is considered a prime core stabilizer as it runs from the hip bones up to the ribs. It also connects to the diaphragm, assisting in inhalation. In this flow, we will deliberately work the transeversus abdominis and you’ll see we actually do it all the time!
Have a block or hand towel available for this one!
Below is a video link for more information on the transverse abdominis:
Asymmetrical yoga poses actually refers to yoga postures where one side of the body is being worked differently from the other. These are mainly grouped based on the rotation and the position of the legs, hips, and feet. You can imagine one side of the body works to maintain balance and stability, while the other side stretches and lengthens. In this flow, we remind ourselves the power of the practice in promoting physical body health, lies in the asymmetry inherent to the postures.
The video link below provides more information on asymmetrical vs. symmetrical yoga postures:
The yoga flows that continue to bring us back to the mat, consists of compound movements. The sequences are designed to balance every movement with one that’s equal and opposite. It is helpful to remember that muscle balance – a crucial element when it comes to injury prevention – is not only referring to muscle mass but the interplay of different muscle groups. Yoga offers a smart and effective way that builds up strength in a manner that serves you to maintain and re-establish balance.
Have a block or hand towel available for this one!
The gluteal muscles, often called glutes, are a group of three muscles which make up the gluteal region: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium and sacrum and insert on the femur. The functions of the muscles include extension, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation of the hip joint.
Yoga can help to tone and shape all the gluteal muscles without having to use any weights, equipment or machines. Since yoga uses our own body weight to build muscle, it can be an effective way to shape your booty with a low risk of injury.
Here is a great primer on what each of the glutes do… click the video link below
Tightness and shortness of the psoas muscles are one of the most common causes of hip/low back pain. Someone with a short/tight psoas muscle can find limitation as well as pain in their hip movements. Sitting for extended periods of time can shorten the psoas, causing the muscles to tense and remain tense. If you are sedentary or work at your desk for hours on end, you might be at a higher risk for psoas pain or injury. Stretch the psoas out!
Here are some easy postures specifically for stretching the psoas….. click the video link below.
Say hello to your iliopsoas! The iliopsoas is a deep muscle group which anatomically connects the spine to the legs. The iliopsoas consists of the iliacus, psoas major, and, in some cases, psoas minor muscles. Here, I focus on the psoas major and iliacus. The iliopsoas functions as the primary hip flexor helping us to bend at the waist or forward fold. How many forward folds are in a single yoga class?!?!?! When we sit all day at our desks or computers, the iliopsoas can get tight and weak. Let’s take the time to strengthen and tone them so we protect our lower back.
For more anatomy on the iliopsoas, please see video below:
This class occurred the day after Black Friday 2022. When we travel, visit with family, and enjoy the fun and excitement of Black Friday, we can end up with poor posture, tightness, and stiffness throughout our body. In this class, we work all the major joints through all ranges of motion. Practice and get the sense of release and freedom from tension. Note: we do use a “yoga black” in the class but it is not necessary if you do not have one available. To destress post-holiday, get on your mat and move!
What a fun class! Everyone was in travel, mental, and emotional hangovers from the Thanksgiving 2022 festivities. For Black Friday 2022, we worked through a lot of tension and resistance through postures and core work. Activate your core to get through the holidays. Note: I do use a “yoga block” in the class, it is not necessary but will be helpful if you have one. Enjoy!
Proprioception is how your brain recognizes and responds to your body's position in 3-dimensional space. In other words, proprioception is sensing of the relative position of one’s own parts of the body and integrating the strength of effort being employed in movement. To me, one yoga posture that emphasizes proprioception (although they all do!) is Warrior 3 (Digasana). Warrior 3 is a classic balancing posture that works all parts of the body including hamstrings, quads, core, and back muscles. However, without proprioception and learning to level the hips, this can be a challenging posture. Links below will help you visualize:
The locks in the body, also called Bhandas, are intentional muscle contractions, with the aim of redirecting the energy flow within the body. In this class, we discuss the importance of engaging the root lock, or mula bhanda, and the navel lock, uddiyana bhanda. From an anatomical point of view, the root lock referes the pelvic floor and the navel lock refers to the diaphragm and abdominals. Just based on anatomy alone, you can see engaging the lacks, or bhandas, will super-charge your core and help you find strength, stability, and balance. The video links below are a great resource for understanding this often misunderstood energy locks.
Disclaimer: Although the videos do discuss some sensitive anatomical areas, it is crucial to understand how to fully engage your core, including the pelvic floor.
The tensor fasciae latae (TFL) is a muscle of the thigh. Together with the gluteus maximus, it acts on the IT band. The muscle assists in keeping the balance of the pelvis while standing, walking, or running. The basic functional movement of the TFL is walking. The TFL is heavily utilized in horse riding, hurdling and water skiing. Some problems that arise when this muscle is tight or shortened are pelvic imbalances that lead to pain in hips, as well as pain in the lower back and lateral area of knees. The TFL is a hip abductor muscle. To stretch the TFL, the knee may be brought medially across the body (adducted). Below is a nice video of a simple stretch for the TFL.
I don’t teach pigeon frequently as it can be more of a “learned” posture and care must be taken when trying to come in and out of the pose. I am including a great breakdown of entering and exiting pigeon in the link below. If caution is not practiced, one can lead to knee discomfort, or worse, injury. So please learn the basics, be mindful of your knees when practicing, and have fun with pigeon as you explore this beneficial posture to increase flexibility in the hips. It all about external rotation (one side) and hip extension (opposite side).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_zPqA65Nok
The focus of this class is to increase your awareness of what muscles are used in the same movement (eg..forward fold) depending on whether your standing, sitting, or lying down. Over time, this concept has helped me learn which postures to do when I need to work on specific muscle groups. But it is interesting to think we are always moving with gravity and our bodies are so smart to adjust as needed. We often don’t even realize the “switch” in muscle engagement when we change positions. Get to know your body better!
One posture we do in this class is “pistol squat”. It is a challenging balance posture but if you are unfamiliar, can be daunting to understand movement. Here is a great video breaking down pistol squat.
As many of you know, I turned to yoga back in 2006 to help with back issues I was suffering from. Yoga has transformed my health and my life. A key posture I do daily to keep myself from any back issues is back-bending. When you are performing a back-bend, the spine is in extension which helps with range of motion of the vertebrae. It also helps undo the extreme amounts of spinal flexion we do daily due to computers, laptops, and cell phones. Back-bends can improve posture dramatically. So get on your mat and give your spine some love!
One posture that I try to do daily is Camel Pose. Camel pose is a great way to not only get the spine in extension but also build the strength of your spinal erectae muscles which hold our spine upright. Here is a great video breakdown of camel pose. I really like her focus on the shoulder-blades and the movement upward rather than backward. This is very important. Enjoy :)
Binding the hands in certain yoga postures can sometimes seem daunting. Binds can actually help with shoulder flexibility and a basic understanding of shoulder joint movement so it's worth the effort! I love bird of paradise because it teaches me to move the body independently of the bind rather than using the bind to move the body. Teaches you to engage through your core and move with the strength of the spine. The recording starts at child's pose so get ready to move before you hit play :)
Here are two great video tutorials and breakdowns of Bird of Paradise. They are most helpful at showing the use of props if you are working on a ground-up approach. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/ExgyiaDmewI?list=PL7RBVL4MggmJRpgWoCz06XOzMogz2v3Rk
The essential task during each and every yoga practice ( or meditation class) is to have all awareness and focus on the breath. We should never let any posture or any transition remove us from our total conviction to our breathing. The main type of breathing (or pranayama) for asana practice is the Ujjayi breath or "breath of victory". This specific way to breathe keeps our diaphragm engaged to lower any "fight or flight" stress responses we may be experiencing. The video below by Kino is a wonderful introduction to Ujjayi.. Enjoy!
Flexibility refers to the range of motion we have in joints. This includes the vertebral joints and yoga can be a wonderful way to nuture your spine. The spine can flex, extend, rotate and laterally flex (side bend). This flow is all about the spine and finding flexibility all along the vertebrae. Enjoy!
The video below is great for breaking down Dancer Pose. Remember to keep the knees parallel rather than the top knee flaring out to the side. Or we topple :)
I often begin my classes with a tricky balance transition that requires going from Tree pose to Warrior 3. I include this during the sun salutations to help engage the core early in the practice. But over time this transition also helps with keeping hip orientation in space at the forefront of your minds. Hip alignment is critical for improvements in flexibility and safe execution of a posture. Keep hip position in mind and it will help a lot!
This video below is great at showing hip orientation and alignment in tricky balance transitions. Great information!
It is important to remember there are different types of stretching. Relying on passive stretching versus active stretching can impact the length of time to see gains. Keeping awareness of assuring muscles are active during forward folds will greatly enhance your path to flexibility improvements.
This video below highlights active processes in one of yoga's deepest forward folds. We do it every class! Hope this helps :)
I am finding myself more and more adding periods of seated meditation to my own personal practice. This is not surprising since the word for posture in yoga is asana. Asana literally translates into "seat". We should all strive to be still once we find our seat in any posture. However, the asanas were also developed to prepare our bodies for the seat in meditation. Follow along, find your flow, and establish your seat. Enjoy!
As y'all know, I love fallen triangle. However I often see people drop in the posture when you should be finding a lift! Here is a cool video breakdown of the posture that I like. Hope it lifts your fallen triangle upwards!
As we develop a yoga practice, we become more aware of our bodies and pay more attention to what we are doing with our joints! It is extremely important to always be aware of what position or alignment we are putting our ankles in as any poor alignment can translate to imbalances in both the ankle and the knee. Learning to lift the inner arch of the foot not only helps with balance but also develops strength and stability in the ankle. In this practice we focus on giving those ankle some love. Enjoy!
Here is a great instructional video on proper ankle alignment in virasana or "hero's pose". In virasana, always remember you should be on the top of the foot and the foot should never be flexed out to the side. Otherwise, you can create problems for the knee.
Working on the hamstrings takes patience and dedication. Finding deeper postures to address those stubborn muscles can actually be fun. In this class we explore Tittibasana, Kurmasana and Blooming Lotus.
Here is a great video breakdown of Kurmasana by Kino!
This is a very informative video on how to achieve Tittibasana. Enjoy!
I am finding myself more and more working on the psoas muscles in my personal practice. When we practice lunges we are really working this muscle group. There is a lot of articles relating to the psoas and emotions. So work on your emotional balance and practice, practice, practice....
Here are some good yoga moves to tackle the psoas..
The effects of yoga on the brain are constantly emerging in medical literature. The key is neuroplasticity which can essentially allow for new neuronal growth and patterning. We can really change our brains!
I am always looking for new ways to help describe alignment in chattaranga dandasana. Here is a good video clip I recently found:
Specifically targeting the hips can actually be beneficial for working on the low back or spine. The relationship between the hips and spine is often overlooked or not recognized. Finding fluidity in movement of the hips can help prevent low back pain. I hope this practice will help you find functional movement and release in the hips as you nurture your back!
In this practice, I have a transition from hands and knees directly to cow-face pasture or gomukhasana. To help see this transition more clearly, I am including the following video link. Great resource to see how it is done!
I am constantly analyzing my own personal practice. I look for inclusion of range of motion of all joints and inclusion of all muscle groups. Another way to look at the yoga practice is the elements a particular posture(s) represents. Each yoga practice I lead typically includes postures representing the four elements that make up universal existence; earth, air, fire, and water. This particular class was led on a rainy day, so what better atmosphere for a focus on the water element. Two helpful videos below. Enjoy!
The video below is a stunning demonstration of the four elements in yoga:
The video below breaks down the "wave" I describe in moving from down-dog to plank:
This recording is from a class I led right before I gave my new workshop on Yoga and the Brain (hence the topic). I think this class (and workshop) represents how far my yoga journey has led me to having a voice in the yoga community. To have the honor of sharing information on the wonderful health benefits of the practice is humbling. It is important to me as my practice is my medicine. I speak from a very authentic place. Thank you all for the encouragement! I can't wait to see what's ahead!
This video below inspired my curiosity in developing the workshop!
Finding length in the spine before a twist sets up for movement in the vertebrae appropriately. Avoid rounding the spine in a twist if at all possible. Your body will thank you!
This video puts this concept in a very simplistic form. It is great at getting the message across!
I love teaching about the concepts of abhyasa and vairagya in my yoga classes. I love teaching it because it reminds me to practice it! Abhyasa translates into effort whereas vairagya translates into detachment. These, combined, remind us to approach our practice with consistent effort without worrying or focusing on the outcome. Deliberate practice while enjoying the journey!!!
Here is a nice video by a teacher I respect as she helps define abhyasa nd vairagya from a yogic philosophy perpsective.
There is no question we are in very different times. We work longer hours, take fewer vacations and are always on the go meeting our commitments, responsibilities and our duties to others. This cumulatively adds up to stress that can consume our lives... sometimes before we know it. We are often "doing" without "being". Hit the pause button, roll out your mat and just BE!
Here is a great video to explain the side plank core dips I teach in this class. Feel free to do what variation speaks to you!
Sometimes the practice is all we need! Enjoy!
Hanumanasana, or the yoga splits, yes full splits, is a challenging and sometimes difficult posture to achieve even after years of practice. What the posture has taught me is acceptance, patience, dedication, and letting go of the "ego". I have never been able to go into the full expression of the posture but I still practice it. Not daily, but routinely enough so that I can look for progress, Noticing and accepting is the yoga practice in it's essence. Have fun! The 99.9% of the class that's not the splits is great too :)
Here is a link to a great video on modifying and achieving full hanumanasana. I return to it often. Thank you Kino!
I often teach about the connection between the asana practice and the creation of space or freedom in the body. What I rarely talk about is how much I love Half Moon Pose, or Ardha Chandrasana. This posture allows me to feel so open, long, and free. It was not always easy for me and some days it can still be a challenge. This posture is a good way for me to "check in" with myself. When my day has been busy or stressful, my balance can be way off or my hips revolt and stay tight. Encorporating Half Moon Pose in my daily practice teaches me understanding, acceptance , and insight in the crazy creature that is me.
Here is a link to great video breakdown of Half Moon by Dice Iida-Klein
The process of Santosha is noticing where you are in your pose right now and realizing that it is perfect. We should always look at the beauty of a pose and feel the wonder of it before trying to adjust it. We should see the perfection in each pose, just the way it is. This includes those postures we may do over and over such as Warrior 2. The link below is a wonderful video breakdown of the might power of this wonderful pose. Great alignment cues!
So often during the holidays it is tempting to let our practice fall to the wayside as we look at our busy calendars. Maybe tomorrow? Sound familiar? The concept of deliberate practice is one of teaching consistency and dedication. But as with all yoga we need an intention to our practice. Taking a break from all the craziness is crucial for self-care. Why is hitting the pause button for one hour wrong? Everything still moves forward even if we take a time out and we are better for it. Grab your mat! Deliberately!
I rarely have the time to break down Uttitha Parsvakonasana B or Twisted Side Angle enough in my classes due to time. But I almost always use it. Here is a nice breakdown of the deep spinal rotation that will allow you to place the opposite hand outside of the foot. Kino is great at explaining this!
Want a better way to return to the mat after a long Thanksgiving weekend? A 75 minute Flow! Enjoy :)
I do include chapasana in this practice and this video below is just beautiful in describing the approach and it's relationship to half moon pose. Plus, I love her anatomy!
This practice is personal for me as I often turn to my mat to reconnect to myself. Through all the busy-ness a day can bring on, it is nice to know a place I can return over and over for peace and refuge even if only briefly. The yoga practice teaches also us to connect deeply to the earth to maintain balance and steadiness in a hectic world. Enjoy! This practice includes parvritta trikonasana (revolved triangle) which is a challenging posture requiring strong connections between your feet and the earth. Knowing where spatially your hips are is pivitol to successful execution of the posture. Having troubles with balance? See the video tip below. David Garrigues is a certified Ashtanga teacher in Philadelphia and I had the honor of attending a weekend workshop with him. He is Awesome!
This has to be my most requested class to date. Thank you all for your inspiration. This is a wonderful practice to find freedom in your spine. I often include a Jivamukti Sun Salutation in my practices as they are so beneficial for opening and releasing the spine. If you are new to this type of Sun Salutation, I have include a video link below. It is spoken in Chinese but beautiful to watch!
https://youtu.be/-dVJYS5N9BA?list=PLJW9abVBHbAritkS2BSlIhujwCNS8BNZ2
So much of the Yoga asana practice is driven by the core. Some postures may feel it is all about the hamstrings or the spine, but they are designed to firm up and tone the core. Supta padangusthasana is a great posture to build core strenght although it doesn't feel necessarily like a core posture. Below are great links for either the full posture or a modification if needed. Firm up that navel!
This practice will help in leading you through side crow posture. Need a glimpse at side crow first? Click the link below....
This practice includes the posture Kurmasana. Need help with the posture Kurmasana? This link should help:
Paschimottanasana is always a challenging posture. Check this link to help understand this commonly included posture:
I often have a hard time teaching shoulderstand IN a class due to time limitations. Please take a moment and learn the fundamentals of shouldstand to make sure you are entering and exiting the posture correctly :)
Sun Salutations are a beautiful practice on their own. Especially when you are in a pinch for time. Know Sun A and Sun B? Here are couple of links to help:
Backbends can be very challenging, especially when you are new to yoga. Here are great breakdowns of getting into a full backbend: