Yoga Labs

Yoga labs include a brief warm-up followed by exploring a small group of similar postures - floor backbends, for example. In this workshop style class you may ask questions, see demonstrations, receive adjustments, learn modifications for your body, and learn the key actions and key alignment principles. These yoga labs are required for teacher trainers and are encouraged for all yoga students. It is a much less expensive way to get information usually learned in a yoga private. 

Drop-ins are most welcome at $30/class.  Half off with purchase of new student special or monthly unlimited.  A list of the rotating class topics is found here:

101  setting space to practice, beginning class

altar, preparing to teach, mat spacing, lead from front+side, teach from back, use experienced students as models, temperature, drop-in class vs. pre-registration, voice quality, counting, lighting, music should not distract, pacing (when to teach all poses in 60m, how to modify if needed, how many breaths in each pose), welcome, double breath with tension, invocation, OM

102  alignment basics

strength <-> flexibility, muscle energy, expressive energy, 3 focal points (root of pose), 7 body segments, inner spiral, outer spiral

103  assist basics

3 kinds of touch: stabilize the base, light touch for awareness, increase the key action; how to approach students, how to communicate during assists, chip use

104  basic warm ups

supine knees to chest -> leads into abdominal curls, rotate around sacrum, moving spinal twist, rock+roll, cat-cow, extended cat-cow, cobra w. no hands, moving grasshopper, extended cat stretch

105  stronger warm ups

plank, downward dog, lunge, side plank, spiral twist

106  standing crescent moon series

side bend (1 arm, 2 arms, versions hold head, lift opposite leg); back bend; forward bend

107  standing chair pose series

chair, balancing chair, rotated chair (extra -> knees together balancing chair, 1 leg chair, rotated crow)

108  standing hips > front

teach rooting the legs through the pelvis in the front plane: lunge, warrior 1, tracking in front plane, stretch the flank (held version of tracking), finish with wide legged forward bend for symmetrical end. [extra -> rotated lunge, rotated triangle, balancing rotated side cross]

109  standing hips > side

teach rooting the legs through the pelvis in the side plane: tracking in side plane (moving triangle), warrior 2, extended triangle, finish with wide legged forward bend and versions for symmetrical end. [extra -> extended side angle, side cross (balancing half moon)]

110  standing balancing

column, moving column, airplane, balancing stick, tree

111  supine

wind removing pose 1 leg, both; 1 leg series straight, wide, crossover; ab curls, crossovers, rock and roll, moving spinal twist (extra -> starfish, leg lifts, roll ups)

112  side bends

teach spinal lateral flexion and help explore the differences in the sides of the body (like liver/spleen): crescent moon standing side bends, side lying with leg lifts, side bend in cat stretch, side bend in wide legged forward bend, (Extra -> gate latch , rotated head to knee

113  prostrate back bends

strengthen the posterior core muscles, stretch the front body and place weight (encouraging movement) on the assimilation/elimination organs, and emphasize the inhale: cobra variations (no hands, regular, wide- legged), grasshopper (moving variations hands on sacrum, hands clasped behind back, arms over head), strengthening on the diagonal (alternate arm/leg lifts while prostate), bow

114  hips

rock the baby, cradle the baby, figure 4, head to knee, hero, (extra -> windshield wiper, one foot up the wall for deep lunge, reclined hero, preparing legs for seated spinal twist without twisting, one legged version of cow face pose, preparing legs for seated spinal twist without twisting)

115  floor forward bends

emphasize spinal flexion and the exhale: head to knee (jAnushirshAsana) with figure 4 as alternate, bound angle, star, wide legged forward bend, stretching the backside pose (paschimottAnAsana)

116  other back bends

crescent lunge, camel, bridge (variations moving drawbridge, elbows down with hands up, clasped hands, feet on wall), fish, supported fish, moving stretching front pose

117  twists

teach the deep cleansing from rotation through the spinal column: seated spinal twist with 1 leg straight (explore arm positions), seated spinal twist (extra -> moving reclined twist with knees bent and small rotations, full reclined twist (bent top knee or both knees bent)

118  closing class

kapaalabhaati, alternate nostril, bringing class to the next level - breathing techniques, chants, prayers, affirmations, readings

119  final relaxation

variations on shavAsana: bent knees, hands on belly, eye pillows, supported wrists, feet up wall, side lying with pillows, belly lying with hands under face and feet supported; teachers assists: using lotion on neck and shoulders, face acupressure for sinuses, endless hand, fallen leaf for legs/low back

125  pregnancy modifications

alternate limb cat-cow (extend/flex)+(adduct/abduct), pelvis awareness/hold the baby in all standing poses, wide leg forward bends, use wall for balancing (no falls), no belly backbends, wide twists

126  chair modifications

follow the flow - modify when possible, skip when needed, get out of chair as much as possible - it is there to try and get out of eventually if possible

127  prop use

blocks, straps, chairs, walls (hands up the wall, 1 foot up the wall, chest opening in warrior 1 with an arm back), when to use, how to demonstrate as a teacher - in sight line of class

187  sequencing

review the basics of how to structure a general attendance class: examples from levels 1-2-3 for different movement capacity and pace; sequencing of classes of poses - warm-ups, standing, floor; review the level 1 flow and describe how the postures prepare for each other or are counter postures to each other; give assignment for students to design 5 minute at work flow using 5 poses for a specific region (example: shoulder stiffness: 1) extended cat/cow emphasizing different hand use, 2) extended cat with hands in prayer and elbows lifted, 3) stretching the wing, 4) crescent moon series with hand on head for side bends, 5) standing forward bend with hands clasped behind back

188  inversions

legs up the wall/chair, standing wide-legged forward fold focus on inversion with chin squeeze, supported shoulder stand, plow supported

189  arm strength

downward dog, forearm downward dog, dolphin, downward dog lifting one arm/one arm and opposite leg, half-handstand

190  joint exercises standing

ankle rotations, knee rotations, hip rotations, hip abduction, irish dancing hip external rotation, long lunge steps, shoulder width stance with arm swinging spinal twist, abdominal clearing in/out, abdominal clearing waves, big arm circling from the shoulders, neck rotations with low tension

191  joint exercises seated

ankle/toes extend/grab and flex/spread, ankle rotations, knee/hip flex and extend, hip rotations holding 1 foot, butterfly abduction/adduction, lower back twist with breath, cactus/rock spinal extension/flexion, shoulder rotations touching shouldes w/ thumbs, elbow extension/flexion, wrist/fingers extend/spread and flex/touch all fingers toward soft forearm, wrist rotations with arms parallel to ground, neck rotations, neck lateral stretch, throat opening/squeezing

192  t’ai chi basics

arm swings in horse stance, arm circling in 70/30 stance, universal post - separating the weight and prAna- vyAna, beginning move, horse stance with wrists crossed and breathing/contracting into my eggshell