Sri Lanka Retreats in March/April 2014

I am very excited to be heading back to Sri Lanka in March.  I will be stopping over on my way to and from India where I am undertaking some advanced training with Simon and Bianca (Yoga Synergy gurus that I mention a lot!).  I can't be in Sri Lanka and not teach yoga and have at least two retreats booked (details below). I am still figuring out my workshop, course, and class schedule while I am in Sri Lanka and will post that later.

These two retreats are great opportunities for people who are serious about yoga.  You do not have to be an advanced student, just curious and interested in moving and learning to how to move pain-free.  I will be teaching ways to use your internal power and energy to move gracefully and with ease.  When I say internal power and energy I don't mean magic. I mean very practical tips that can help you learn (or relearn) movement patterns for long lasting health.

Since last coming to Sri Lanka my practice and teaching has evolved further and I will be helping you find ways to come into (even more) effortless arm balances along with free flowing backbends, side bends and forward bends and some interesting new twists.  You will learn the importance of using active movements and how the key to better stability, mobility, and freedom is to learn how to firm parts that need to be firm and, significantly, relax what needs to be relaxed.  

I say all of this bearing in mind that the main purpose of the practice is to move energy through your body.  It is not to stretch.  It is not to sweat.  It is not to have great abs and firm thighs.  Perhaps these things will happen when you practice correctly, but they are not the goals.  In this retreat I hope to help you move closer to understanding and experiencing how this movement of energy will help every cell in your body to sing!

I have quite a bit of experience working with people with various injuries and am happy to spend time between yoga sessions working personally if you need.  I really encourage you to contact me beforehand if you do have some sort of condition so that we can figure out if the retreat is appropriate for you at this time and how I might be able to help you.  

I will loosely be structuring the classes around how to get the most out of hip opening postures, how to build up and enhance your arm balancing postures, how to free your upper back and shoulders, and how to free your lower back.   All in the context of moving safely and ensuring the free-flow of energy through the body.  These sequences naturally lead to a state of meditative calm so sessions will finish with optional meditation.  

Because I am interested in you learning how to be your own best teacher, I will be offering sessions between the classes for questions and answers and for us to think deeply about particular issues or postures if you like so come along with some of your own ideas and questions and I can help make the retreat more personal for you. 

We need confirmation of rooms with payment ASAP to ensure the venue can hold the rooms for us.  Because there are limited rooms I am encouraging people to please consider sharing so that as many people can participate as possible.  

RETREAT 1: Arrive Thursday 13th March afternoon - Depart Sunday 16th March after breakfast by Noon

Venue: Talalla Retreat

Classes: 6  x 2 hour classes

RETREAT 2: Arrive Thursday 24th April afternoon - Depart Sunday 27th April after breakfast by Noon

 Venue: Talalla Retreat

Classes: 6  x 2 hour classes

Aside from the usual yoga there is the opportunity to relax by the pool or at the beach (should be better swimming by then!), or get a massage.  I have done so much yoga study and have undertaken a yoga therapy course so I am also happy to make myself available for discussion in between as well if anyone thinks they need more yoga!

The weekend will start arriving Thursday .  First yoga class starts on Thursday afternoon at 4.30pm.  From then we will have 2 classes on Friday, 2 on Saturday, and 1 on Sunday.  We depart after class and breakfast on the Sundays by Noon. 

There are only a limited number of rooms available so please book early, confirming with full payment 30 days in advance.  Unfortunately we cannot refund once booked but if you can find another person to take your spot that is fine!  All of the previous retreats have been booked out so please do get

The rate includes:

•   All yoga classes

•   Full board (tea/fruit before yoga; buffet style breakfast served at table; a la carte lunch (there is a menu to choose an item from), buffet style dinner)

•   Accommodation

You need to pay for any extra drinks or snacks you might have if the mega breakfast and dinner leave you hungry!  

Normal timetable is as follows

7am                     tea/fruit (if desired)

7.30-9.30am         yoga

9.30                     breakfast

RELAX                  (have massage, swim, read, have lunch around 1 or 2ish depending on how full you are after breakie)

4.30-6.30pm         yoga

7pm                     dinner

Please contact me for more details!

Enjoy Moving!

What are you really trying to do when you practice?  It’s a good thing to think about, and, at different stages of our lives we might have different ideas about this.  Ultimately, however, I believe it’s a good idea to think of a simple aim such as to move and be free! 

The primary aim of my practice is to move.  To move my body.  To move energy and circulation through my body.  You can do this without practicing yoga but a careful yoga practice does help you learn to move circulation and energy in specific ways (and, indeed, a mindless practice can be harmful and perhaps even make you fat and weak, as Simon mentions in an interesting post of the same name). 

This is why when you come to my class you won’t see me getting us to hold poses for ages.  I won’t ever encourage you to stay there, hold, or feel the burn.  To me this is a sign that energy is stuck.  That you are stuck.  And it doesn’t feel good. 

This is why when you come to my class you won’t see me moving so deep into a pose that there is no ‘wiggle room’.   When I am in a pose, even one that looks difficult and complicated, you will see me still trying to wriggle around.  If I can’t wriggle around and move then I am stuck.  Energy will probably be stuck too. 

Stretching too much and tensing too much will block the flow of energy through your body.  The best thing you can do for yourself is to back off slightly and allow yourself space to move. 

As you watch and practice this short sequence, remind yourself that the aim is to move.  Even when it looks as though I am holding a pose for a few seconds, remind yourself that you should still feel as though you have the potential to move.  Most importantly, enjoy moving!  That is what your body is designed to do.  If you cannot follow me exactly don’t worry!  Who cares?  Make something up.  Something that feels good.  Move slowly, with awareness, without strain.  Relax and breathe, but breathe a bit less if you can.  Small sips of breath, as though at rest.

This short practice lasts less than 8 minutes.  But you should feel warm by the end (a sign circulation has moved), relaxed, calm, and focussed.  You should feel like you have done something but not exhausted yourself. 

These are things I have had the privilege of learning from my teachers, Paddy McGrath, and Simon and Bianca at Yoga Synergy, and I encourage you to get to them when you can.  If you are in Canberra or Sri Lanka though, I will do my best to convey my understandings of their teachings in their absence.

Happy and safe practicing!

Cultivating Ease and Timetable Update

I mainly use Facebook to post about yoga classes.  One of my teachers (Simon and Bianca from Yoga Synergy) posted an amazing practice on his page by a young Chinese artist performing extraordinary movements with elegance and ease.  I reposted it on my own page but if you are not linked to me (send me an invite if you want to be) you can see the video demonstration here.

When I watch this young man move the cells of my body sing and want to move.  What he does is well beyond me and my intention in reposting is not to suggest that any of us would be aiming for such poses (though let's not dismiss the possibility!).  What we might like to emulate, however, is to explore ways of moving that are help us feel effortless, light, and elegant.  In the end, it does not matter whether you can be in the full physical expression of a pose, it matters more that you find this way of moving so that you feel good.  

Remember, the main purpose of the practice is to move circulation and energy through the body and you will do this if you stretch less, tense less, think less, and, if you can manage, breathe less.  In the end you should find that you can move more (pain-free), and feel more relaxed, calm and focussed. This is a good thing to keep in mind in the new sequence we are starting, which includes hanumanasana (front splits).   

A few interesting points as you watch (or re-watch):

• Note the extreme clawing of the hands/fingertips in the extreme arm balances.  We really need to press down through our fingertips when performing arm balances.  Ours will not be so extreme but it is still an important way of generating power and preventing us from collapsing into the wrist joints.
• Note how he stands up again from the side splits.  This is exactly what we want to cultivate when we practice similar postures.  In hanumanasana rather than stretching out and deeper, you actually want to feel as though you are lifting yourself up from the floor.  Remember, there are no yoga poses (at least ones that I can think of) where you want to feel like sinking.  Especially in extreme postures like the splits you need to think of being strong in them rather than just stretching and collapsing.

Anyway, the timetable for the next few weeks:

Wed 8 Jan: 6.45-7.45am in front of flags at Lake BG

Sat 11 Jan: 9-1030am on Patrick White Lawn in front of Nat Gallery

Tues 14 Jan: 6.45-7.45 am in front of flags at Lake BG (NOTE TUESDAY NOT WED AS I AM AWAY ON WED!!)

Sat 18 Jan: 9-1030am on Patrick White Lawn in front of Nat Gallery

Hope to see you soon!

Much metta,

Samantha

Christmas Yoga Timetable

Merry Christmas.  Modified classes over the next few weeks:

Tuesday 24th December 0645-0745am in front of flags at Lake Burley Griffin
Saturday 28th December 0900-1030h Patrick White Lawn, Lake Burley Griffin (in the shade)
Tuesday 31st December 0645-0745am in front of flags at Lake Burley Griffin
Saturday 4th january 0900-1030h Patrick White Lawn, Lake Burley Griffin (in the shade)

Saturday Morning Flow Class - Change of Venue

Mr BKS Iyengar in parsva bakasana.  We will be  figuring this one out in our sequence!

There is a charity event on the Patrick White lawns this Saturday so class will move to the grassy plateau up behind the flags at Lake Burley Griffin between the High Court and Questacon.

Class is from 0900-1030h, $15.


Looking forward to seeing you there!

Three Adjustments To Invigorate Your Twists

There are many ways to twist.

I often see people perform twists in yoga by turning the chest in the direction they want to go and then getting leverage by by hooking or pressing or bind their arms in an attempt to pull themselves deeper into the posture.

If you twist this way you lose the potential benefit of active spinal movements and even risk hurting your back if you 'pull' yourself further than your spine can naturally go.

I use the principle of active spinal movements to twist.  First, it ensures I only moves as far as my body can go without external forces.  Second, by actively moving in a particular way it brings firmness to my belly without me having to think about tensing it, which helps to protect the spine.

Before performing any yoga pose it is important to lengthen your spine.  Melt the sitting bones down (see my earlier post) and then try the three tips I suggest below.  The video and these tips generally deal with postures that involve spinal twisting as their main component.  Of course, a posture can combine spinal twisting with spinal forward bending, side bending and/or back bending.

Remember, only do what is comfortable.  Practice safely and ask your teacher for guidance.  These posts are intended for my students who come to class and whom I can discuss these movements with.

1.  Turn From The Navel Up 
Move actively from the lower belly first.  Move the navel area of the spine towards the hip that you are trying to twist towards.  You should feel that the side of the belly between the navel and the hip you are turning towards becomes firm.  Some people find it hard to imagine moving this part of their body.  For those people it can sometimes help to imagine just trying to firm the side of the belly that you are trying to turn towards.   If you do this you should find that you have started to twist slightly.

Once the navel has turned, then try to turn the lower ribs as well.  Follow this with the chest and then the shoulders.  The idea is to turn from the bottom of the spine upwards.

Once you have actively moved the spine you should feel firm on the side of the belly that you are turning towards.  But firm in a way that you can still breathe into the belly.

2. Lengthen The Side Ribs/Waist
After performing the active twist you will probably find you need to lengthen the side ribs and waist of the side that you are turning towards.  Active spinal twisting tends to draw the lower ribs towards the hip (on the side you are turning towards).   If you bring your awareness to this area you might be able feel that the waist feels shorter or that you feel squashed on that side.

To resolve this (if it has happened) you can either think of lifting the lower ribs up if you are in an upright position or lengthening them away from the hip if your spine is parallel to the floor.  The idea is to maintain length.

Here I should make a special note that some postures (like parsvakonasana or parivrtta parsvakonasana) involve twisting and side bending.  In those cases one side waist will feel shorter than the other although neither should feel squashed.  The spine should never feel squashed.

3. Move The Hip
Twisting the spine also tends to cause the hips to turn with you.  When you turn to the right, the right hip will tend to also turn to the right so that it moves behind you (or above you if your spine is parallel to the floor).  I tend to allow a small movement of the hips when I am performing the active spinal twist and, when I have completed the spinal movement, I carefully adjust the hips.

In an upright position this means moving the hip of the side you are turning towards forwards.  If your spine is more parallel to the floor it generally means lifting the opposite hip, as I show in the video.

When you add this movement of the hip you will find that the belly on the side you are turning towards naturally becomes firmer.

Summary
Active movements are the safest movements for yoga postures.  Try not to lever yourself into twists and only ever bind the arms if the hands come together without strain.  Always lengthen the spine before twisting.  Move from the navel upwards, lengthen the side waists, and adjust the hips.  Feel natural firmness in the belly.  Relax, breathe, and be content!

I learned about active movements and free spines from my teachers Paddy McGrath and Yoga Synergy of Bondi Junction.  Please try to practice with them if you are ever in Sydney or Thailand!


Happy and safe practicing!

An Action To Decompress The Lower Back

Having a free spine is always something I think of when practicing.  If you walk away from yoga class with a sore back then there is something about your practice that is not right.  It should not hurt to do yoga. 

One of the most common actions I perform in my practice is to lengthen the lower back.  I do this by imagining that my sitting bones are melting down the back of my legs.  I like the idea and feeling of melting as it reminds me this is something done without force.  I once told a class to imagine their butt cheeks were like two scoops of ice cream atop a cone (their legs) and that the ice cream was dripping down the one (i.e., their legs).  A child, who happened to be in the class with her mother, whispered loudly, "My bottom is not an ice cream.'  Some visualisations are not for everyone I guess!

Anyway, the idea is to create some space in the lower back.  It is a small action done without strain or force.  If you overdo it, or misunderstand the movement as something more akin to what I call a pelvic tuck, then you might irritate nerves if you have an irritable nerve condition so be mindful and move slowly.  

I try to demonstrate the difference between the lengthening movement (melting) and the tuck in the video.  What you will notice is that no length is created in the lower back with just the tuck (the way I perform it in the video).  Whereas, when I melt the sitting bones down you will see that the space between my vertebrae is lengthened.

I use this melting of the sitting bones to prepare for standing poses, in my forward bends, and in my back bends.  It helps to prevent me from overarching the back or squashing it.  If you combine it with lifting the shoulders and arms overhead it will traction the whole spine.  

These videos are intended mainly for students who attend my classes as an aid to their practice and as a point of discussion.  Please be mindful if you are practicing any videos from any source without the guidance of an experienced teacher.  

Happy and safe practicing!