What is a thematic through line? A thematic through line is a term used by Chromatic teachers to convey the message or story that is woven into a yoga class. It is capable of taking an ordinary physical class to an extraordinary life-changing adventure. It either will come naturally to you or it will scare you completely and you will avoid it at all cost. For me? It scares me every single time, but I offer it anyway because it really isn’t for me, it’s for everyone that shows up to practice yoga. For some of you, this will be the easy part, and anatomy and sequencing will be the challenge. WE ALL have our struggles, and that’s what makes teaching so fun, if you allow it.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN OBSERVING:
Observe the class and write down notes about your experience. Include what you think the theme is.
What is the message I am trying to get across?
How does it make you feel?
What did I say that was affective and what inspired you? Write your answer so you have this for later.
What would you have phrased differently, either to be more effective or to be more authentically you?
NOTE: You might also go back to previous classes here or any other course that you know had a strong message. Observe and journal. If you know other teachers that do well with delivering a theme, observe their classes as well.
It may be helpful to read these pages prior to this meditation rather than after, although doing the meditation first might enhance and facilitate a deeper understanding of what the text is communicating. In particular, pg 172 discusses meditation for samskaras.
In this meditation, we go through the same template that I gave you for self-guided experience. After pranayama (or in place of), singing can be added while chanting OM. Repeating the sound of OM can help bring the nervous system into a state of equilibrium, which makes it easier to hold concentration long enough to relax the movement of the vrttis. When the vrittis are stilled, we can see what’s below the surface that give rise to the vrittis – our samskaras.
To intellectualize this process doesn’t really make sense. I can give you all the analogies in the world and try to describe what it’s like to see your samskaras, but the reality is that it can only be experienced through abhyasa – repetitive effort and practice. Once you see your patterns, you may react in a myriad of ways. For some, the revelation of a samskara can be incredibly scary and/or intense because it’s likely rooted in deep, past fears or trauma that we may not have even realized were the fuel behind what we do and don’t do. You may also feel a major sense of relief in the revelation of a samskara; it could leave you feeling empowered, light and joyous, because now you know what has been weighing you down.You may also come up against some major resistance; the samskara will likely defend itself as its entire existence relies on staying hidden, and you not doing anything about it.
This meditation is about 20 min. long. When I began meditating, it really wasn’t until the 30-40 min. mark that I would finally give up the major fight with my ego, lack of attention, and inner child. I would also go through a whirlwind of physical movements, known as kriyas. These are essentially involuntary movements that the body does to release whatever it needs to. Once all the movements of my mind and body ceased, I finally had an opportunity to see a samskara.
By the way, once you see a samskara, you can’t unsee it. In my personal experience, it has taken up to six years to dissolve certain samskaras once they’ve been revealed. It seems that I need to see the root of the samskara- how it was formed- for me to let go of its power over me. This may just be my personal nature. I have heard from others that upon seeing, they felt an immediate release form its hold.
The fight, flight, freeze response is a magnificent mechanism that humans are gifted with, and likely has played a major role in the evolution of the human race. It only presents us with a problem when the threat of physical danger becomes distorted by the ego and samskaras. How does this happen? When our identity and belief systems, thought or emotional patterns, are at risk of change, hormones trigger our bodies. Neurotransmitters like adrenaline and cortisol are sent in excess through the system, preparing you to fight, run away, or freeze/faint/checkout. So now you have these chemicals circulating through your body, yet there is no actual physical danger present. So that energy has to go somewhere, and often reveals itself in self-expression, actions, and behaviors. Yes, for some it will reveal itself through physical violence, but for most it will be “reactivity”. We will start blaming (fight), avoiding (flight), or check out/numb (freeze) ourselves.
Blame
Avoid
Numb
As discussed in the video, there are three forms of blame: blame others, blame ourselves, blame outside forces.
What to Do About it?
Being aware when this happens is part of the practice of self-inquiry: swadyaya. Knowing that these will be our responses when triggered, we can catch ourselves in the act of defending our samskaras and identities. We can wake up and get out of our own way. If we don’t wake up, our mind will work against us. The buddhi will intellectualize why we are right, the manas will either shut down its attention or only pay attention to what is validating its argument. The ahankara strengthens as it wins the battle, “You see, I am right”. The samskaras will strengthen. “See, this IS how the world is”.
Instead, you have the option to do something different. You can choose to catch yourself when you start blaming and you can say, “What is here for me?” or “Why is THAT my reaction?” NOW, your buddhi flips and begins to work for you. It makes a case for dissolving your samskaras and egoic constructs. The Buddhi is now reflecting the highest light within you instead of the darkness.
This mind chart is a visual to help you compartmentalize the various parts of the mind. According the ancient yogis, we have three parts of the mind: Buddhi (intellect), Ahankara (sense perceiver), and Manas (attention). I put them in this order specifically because we will be diving into the tattvas soon. The tattvas are essentially principals, or levels of reality, a map of how the universe is creating, sustaining and destroying itself all the time. More on that later.
Patanjali’s sutras are aimed at what we can do, or practice, in order to address the challenges of the Prakritik world. Tantra philosophy agrees with Patanjali on the do and practice, but affirms that we also need to know how the universe operates in order to exist within it. I assume Patanjali would agree as he does take some time to explain Purusha and Prakriti, but he’s far more focused on the “doing”. Some philosophies disregard all the doing, saying you can’t address the problems of your prakritik nature while doing prakritik things; one can only transcend the physical world through accurate knowledge. Tantra says you need both. Knowledge and action require each other. In addition, Tantra affirms that knowledge informs action and action informs knowledge. Tantra doesn’t argue that we should transcend anything for we are already transcendent beings; we simply need to wake up to the transcendence so we can live more gracefully in the world, and embrace the fullness of human experience.
This is why I am taking some time to really help you get a grasp on the structure of the sutras and tantric philosophy. The knowledge of understanding how things work can help us gain greater insight into ourselves, our behaviors, reactions, thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and so on. In this section, we go over the three parts of the mind. My hope is that this knowledge helps you to better witness yourself and develop a strengthened practice of swadyaya, self-study.
Tantra Illuminated by Christopher D. Wallis
Read Pp. 124-135
As much as I would love for you to read Tantra Illuminated in full, I don’t know how practical it would be. Honestly, that book could be an entire course itself, or three courses! Instead, I will use this book as a resource and it would be helpful to read certain parts. The challenge is that you may have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about in certain paragraphs without the context of previous chapters. I will try and bridge gaps for you as we go and highlight the more important pieces that I believe will be most applicable to teaching yoga in the modern world.
On pg 124, you will get a look at the tattvas. Don’t worry about grasping the whole thing right now. Just pay attention to Purusha, Prakrti, Buddhi, Ahankara, and Manas. This is where most of our study so far has been focused. When reading through the pages, I’d like you to pay close attention to the way he talks about these. You will be quizzed based on those sections (Tattvas 12-16).
Self-guided meditation plays a vital role in helping you establish a connection to your own experience within the practice and gives you a sense of ownership in that experience. Like asana, we often believe our success to be because of our great teacher. While the guidance of a teacher is excellent and can really ignite a fire within us, that same teacher with the same skillset cannot ignite the flame for everyone. That’s because each individual has free will to take or not take personal action. Self-practice is not necessarily better than guided meditation, but it is the necessary action that strengthens your focus over time. Once ego gives in and allows meditation to weave into your identity, then you will feel authentic and confident enough to share it with others.
So what are the steps to self-guided meditation?
Before we get to the exact steps to guide yourself, let’s first go over what you need to do in order to establish the practice:
Establish a time of day that you will meditate. This is so important. If you think you can fit in meditation “when you have time”, it’s not likely to happen. Everything else you have to do will take precedent.
Decide on an amount of time to meditate. I suggest 5 minutes to begin.
Use a timer. Set an alarm on your phone or use a meditation app with an incremental timer such as Insight Timer or Just Breathe.
I do not suggest music for your daily meditation. If you wish to sit with music, establish a separate music-based practice. Without music, you will be forced to guide yourself, and you are more likely to witness the challenging landscape of the rise and fall of thoughts in your mind.
Find a routine location to meditate and create a ritual around this time. When I started, I would meditate on my subway rides home from work in Manhattan. I would set a timer and go inward. It’s great if you have the opportunity to be in a quiet space, but it is not a mandatory part of the practice. In fact, if you can learn how to go inward within the natural chaos of life, all the better.
BODY: Guide yourself through the three major curves of the spine: low back arched, upper back rounded, neck arched. Be sure head and shoulders are in line with your pelvis (slightly back from most of our habitual postural patterns. (1-2 minutes)
BREATH: After guiding yourself through your seated posture, begin the sound of ujjayi breath. Establish a few rounds of subtle but audible breaths.
BREATH: Begin pranayama, there are many different pranayamas. Most basic yet likely the most effective for a daily practice is called Deergha Swasam (or Dirga)Pranayama or Three-Part Breath. Keeping your mouth closed, breathe into your belly (1), ribs (2), and chest (3) on the inhale and in that order. Breathe out in the opposite order. There is a slight ujjayi throughout so you can control and slow the tempo of your breath.
BREATH: Optional to add a kumbhaka, breath retention, or a lingering of inactive breath at the top and bottom of the breath. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to the space, the stillness between breaths. This is the easiest doorway into the experience of samadhi, ceasing the fluctuations of the the mind stuff (vrittis).
MIND: Release effort with breathing and allow your body to be breathed. Sit in observation of the experience of being alive. When thought or emotion or behavior arises, simply observe, label it, and return back to experience. Repeatedly you will be drawn out by the push and pull of the gunas within the mind. Simply observe it, label it, and return back to focusing on the experience of being alive.
RETURN: Return to breath. If you have an interval timer, you can set it for four minutes. At the 4 minute marker, you can return to intentional breathing for a few rounds.
RETURN: Return to body. Awaken fingers and toes, rub hands together and place them over eyes, heart, belly. Massage legs and feet, if accessible.
JOURNAL: I suggest immediately journaling your experience, even if it’s a few notes. This will clarify the effectiveness of your practice as it becomes cumulative.
Patanjali establishes that the universe presents itself in two ways, Purusha, and Prakriti, That which is always changing (Prakriti) and that which is unchanging (Purusha). Because we as humans are Prakritik by nature, and we live in a world that is also in constant change, there is a peaceful, Joyful, stillness in the state of Sattva (balance) that is considered ideal – it allows us to get closes to our essence, or the core of who we are as Purusha – unchanging. This philosophy from the tantrik perspective doesn’t establish that Purusha and Prakriti are separate from one another, but rather they co-exist simultaneously. Pursha is all prevading – which simply means that inside of all thinks changing and forming exists the Changeless and Formless. Because of this, we have the capacity within us to experience Purusha through the practices of yoga says Patanjali.
Tapas is one of the most important discussions in the yoga practice because it is the inevitable experience of transformation. Yoga, to yoke or unite, is about bringing together, or merging, the limited human perception with the limitless unbound potential of universal intelligence. Simply put, uniting that which is Prakritik with Purusha.
That is fancy language to say uniting micro with macro, or mind with infinite intelligence, matter with formlessness, human with spirit, etc. Anytime two things unite, there will be friction. It is that intensity of energy that Patanjali refers to as Tapas. It is IN THE FRICTION where we establish the ability for transformation to occur. Just as we take two sticks and rub them together to ignite a fire that transforms wood into energy, so too does a yogi use tools of asana and pranayama to ignite fires of transformation within the body and mind.
A beginner yogi is often resistant to friction, or cannot endure the intensity of it long enough for the flame to ignite. The advanced practitioner not only endures the intensity, but learns to find peace in the discomfort, understanding its potential to create the ultimate Union. They have stepped into the fire enough times to realize that on the other end of the intensity is the magnificence of transformation that leads to personal growth and the shedding of emotional and/or behavioral patterns that no longer serve them.
Consider the body builder vs. the average gym goer. The average gym goer lifts a weight until they feel tired and then puts it down and moves to the next exercise. The body builder knows their practice begins the moment they feel tired. Rather than putting the weight down, they kick into high gear and dig deep within them for two-three more repetitions, even if it means finding someone to support them on that last lift. The body builder knows that it’s in those last few reps that their muscles break down enough to be rebuilt into something stronger and more powerful. The yogi embodies a similar practice, instead using the body and the practice of asana to transform the mind.
The Guna’s from Patanjali’s view are forces of nature that are constantly occurring, and because of the strength of Rajas (energizing), and Tamas (decaying) we need to practice consistently and rigorously with purpose in order to maintain the state of Sattva. Sattva is the state in which we have the capacity to experience longer lasting Joy. In the Sattvic state we have greater access to higher intelligence that is in alignment with that which is unchanging. It is because this state of being is so challenging to maintain that the entire practice of yoga exists. It is the collection of practices that help us to maintain a more sattvic state of being both in mind and body.
Please take notes, and watch several times to get a strong understanding of “Guna Theory”
Patanjali’s Sutras and other texts like the Bhagavad Gita talk about the rigor of maintaining a sattvic state of being. Keeping mind and body in a balanced, optimal state gives us the greatest chance of not being thrown off by the push and pull of rajas and tamas. Alan Finger conceptualizes that the push and pull are natural states of being and when in balance, they lead to sattva. This is a contemporary Tantra interpretation. Vedantic interpretations. which is the lineage of Patanjali, would explain that tamas and rajas are not energies we want any part of, and yet like magnets we are so easily pulled toward them.
Each interpretation has its beneficial teachings within them. In any case, they both maintain that the sattvic state is the ideal human experience. In that place of equanimity, we can experience the microcosmic changelessness closest to the macrocosmic oneness that is changeless. Sattva is a guna, and it still exists in the Prakritic world of matter and change, so while it is not changeless, it is the closest to that experience that we get as humans. In the state of sattva, it is easier to sleep at night, wake in the morning, make better decisions, be productive, etc. But to maintain sattva, we must exert tremendous effort to withstand the storm of rajas and tamas that is always upon us.
In the above chart, I drew sattva as a big circle. I think to be more visually accurate, that circle would have to be much smaller in order to be indicative of how delicate this state of being is, and just how hard it is to maintain it. It is far easier to fall into the push and pull of rajas and tamas.
These three identity types can be used as ways to inquire about our internal patterning and attitude toward how we approach life. This does not mean that you are stuck in one way of experiencing; this is about discovering your tendencies and go-to mindsets. Likely the bulk of your core values are wrapped up in one of these three, and it can be useful to understand this so you can catch yourself before you have gone too far in that direction. Knowing that you are actually all three, thankfully, you can make the choice to weave in and out of them to your advantage once you’ve developed the capacity. For example, if you tend to be more of a doer, you can teach yourself to sit down and research, make a plan, contemplate, meditate, or engage in conversation that stimulates the thinker within you. Ultimately, this will likely lead to more accurate and effective action.
Please take notes while watching this video and self-reflect. You will be asked to submit your self-reflections in the final quiz of this section.
Many of you watching this may not care what your purpose is, you just want to learn and get into your practice because you like the way it makes you feel or how it stimulates intentional thought. Others of you will really want to know why the heck you are here on this planet, and what the purpose is for reading ancient text. Aren’t these ideas outdated?I thought I am supposed to be in the present; why read something from the past? The Ego within us rejects change because it spends so much time trying to solidify its identity and sense of “I”. It’s continuously looking to defend a false construct and belief system.
If your belief system doesn’t already include spiritual and philosophical deep-thinking, then the Ego will likely reject this entire Heart training. EVEN IF you know intellectually that this is what you need to do, the intellect and Ego are different parts of the mind so it isn’t that simple to know what is good for you and to get fully on board with it. With that said, your Ego is likely to reject much of this training; this is why I encourage you to keep a journal. You can be completely honest and clear when you write down your thoughts. After the training, or in two or five years from now, if you go back to your journal, you will undoubtedly be able to see just how much the teachings of yoga have affected you. They take time to settle in and they are FOREVER changing us; we will never be done transforming and learning from the yoga practice.
Please take notes during this video and listen to the key points that jump out for you.
Here we take a slightly different look at Abhyasa, asking ourselves to reflect upon the quality of our efforts and how we are exerting our will. Think of action as a finite resource – you only have so much of it in a day, week, or lifetime. How do you want to spend it? Where do you want to spend it? What exactly do you want to be spending it on?
Most of us waste energy on things that don’t really matter to us and don’t fulfill our soul. What’s interesting is we know we are wasting it, yet we continue to do so anyway. Haven’t you procrastinated doing the one thing you know you should be doing? Instead you wind up doing a billion other things. Yes, those other things need to get done perhaps, but this is an example of how we put our effort into actions that don’t serve our highest purpose- likely because they don’t have an effect on our ego, i.e. insecurities and identities.
These two teachings from the yoga sutras are perhaps the some of the more tangible and directly applicable of them all. Not only are they easier to self reflect upon in our personal life but they also match very well with the physical practice of yoga. I find that they make for magnificent themes throughout yoga classes and they are easy discuss in a very natural manner. Partially this is because they are less provocative than many of the other teachings – they dont directly attack our ego as much unless we are strongly identified with being a workaholic and we believe that that is actually an excellent thing for ourselves. On the flip side if we are strongly identified with the idea that hard work is a bad thing than the ego might get offended as well. The thing about it is, even those of us that are overachiever understand how easy it is to burn out. I almost always teach this two as a unit, because its more likely that the ego will get on board and the intellect won’t over complicate and argue whether or not one is good or bad for us.
When practicing handstand, it is very helpful to be aware of the 3 head positions and to deliberately practice one of them at a time. More often than not, we don’t even realize what our head and neck are doing, and yet it can drastically affect our balance and alignment. There isn’t one golden head position, but each one has its benefits and drawbacks.
L-POSE AT THE WALL WITH CHAIR
Using the chair will help minimize the required flexibility; without it, you will likely throw your body out of alignment through some form of twist of the hips or some other alignment, which would make things more complicated. Focus on the point and flex of the ankle that is on the chair. Do not underestimate the importance of this drill.
Side note: I apologize for the audio — I had to splice multiple cameras due to an issue with the microphone that I was unaware of during the filming process.
HALF TUCK & LEAN
Using the chair for this exercise, you will learn how to lean your body weight in a half-tuck position. Tuck is an excellent posture because it forces you to have a “hollow body” shape, which will help you keep your upper back rounded. With your upper back rounded, you will have the opportunity to learn how to shift your weight from the center of your chest/upper back instead of moving your pelvis, which is the most common mistake yogis make before they learn how to balance.
STAG JUMPS
One of the best priliminary balances is holding L-Pose, but it requires a great deal of hamstring flexibility, and it will also demand that you lean forward quite a bit. Stag Jumps are a great way to work up to L-Pose jumps because they will eliminate said challenges. In addition, Stag is actually closer to a straight handstand, so this drill is a great prep for that as well.
PELVIC TILT AT THE WALL
The most common mistake beginner handstanders make is that they balance from their pelvis instead of their heart. This is because our entire life is spent right side up, and our balance point has forever been at the pelvis (where the legs meet the trunk). Upside down, your balance point switches to where the arms meet the trunk — more or less, this is the shoulder blades. Unlike the pelvis, the shoulder blades are far too mobile to be a balance point, but where they rest on the rib cage is exactly where we need to shift our attention to — the back of the heart. In this drill, you will learn to controll your pelvis tilt while upside down, so you can learn to release the tendency to balance from there.
If you see a “Materials” tab at the top of the lesson, always click on it. This will include important information for the following lesson or the section that you are in. For example, if you click in now you will see the list of books I just mentioned and a written version of the reading assignments.
PLEASE NOTE THE HEART: ALL VIDEOS IN THIS COURSE MUST BE PLAYED UNTIL THE VERY END IN ORDER TO PROGRESS FORWARD. IN MOST CASES YOU WILL NEED TO MANUALLY MARK THE LESSON AS COMPLETE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD. WITH SOME LESSONS WHERE THERE IS NO CONTENT TO READ, IT WILL BE AUTO MARKED COMPLETE.
It is with great pleasure that I get to share this course with you. Along my personal path of yoga, I have always been drawn to the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the practice. I do not diminish the importance of the physical practice, but it is important to recognize that the modern western yoga practice has gained popularity based largely on asana alone. This is due in part to marketing: it is easier to sell something that is visually promising than something that cannot be seen. Another reason is the vulnerability required when approaching matters of the heart and mind. As with strength-building in the body, you cannot strengthen the mind if you are not willing to see where you are weak. We have the ability to use the mind to heal our body, but it is harder to use the mind to heal itself.
First, we must define the mind if we are to talk about it. One of my favorite authors is neuroscientist Daniel J Siegel. I had the opportunity to attend a seminar with him in NYC, where he spoke to students studying mental health. He opened the conversation with a question:
“You are all studying to be mental health professionals correct?”
“Yes!” said the audience.
“Who here can define the mind?”
…Silence….
He went on to explain that the entire mental health industry is formed around something we have no collective definition for. How can we bring health to something if we can’t even define what it is we are trying to heal? We can define the brain because it’s a physical entity, but the brain is not the mind.
Ancient yogis tell us the mind is consciousness’s way of processing the human experience, like a digestive tract for the input received in life. It produces thoughts and emotions as a way to take in, process, and digest everything that happens to us. Mental health to the yogi is like hygiene for the mind. The mind is an organ of perception and it must receive regular maintenance. When the mind is overloaded, we cannot see things as they are. The mind is like a lens on a camera; if not kept clean, it becomes tainted by layers of dirt and dust. How do we keep our mind clean so that our experiential digestion process can work optimally?
Self-Inquiry
Meditation
These two are the ultimate cleansing processes for the mind. Self-inquiry is done through active questioning of ourselves and our experiences. Meditation helps us to clean out the dirt and dust; self-inquiry helps us understand where the dirt came from and why we didn’t clean it sooner. Meditation keeps the dirt from building, self inquiry inspires us to keep meditating.
As yoga teachers, we are not not qualified as psychologists so we are not here to fix anyone or prescribe them medication. Just like we share a physical asana practice to help our students maintain healthy bodies, we share practices to support our students in maintaining a healthy mind. It’s a fine line, and so long as you are simply sharing a path with people and are aware that the path you share will work for some and not for others, then this is all you can do.
How To Teach Self-Inquiry
If self-inquiry is something that I do personally, how can I teach that to others? By sharing the teachings of yoga and other philosophies, we present context to inspire others to ask questions. By sharing our personal experiences, we may also inspire others to look within themselves. The teachings of yoga are like a road map, presenting mental exercises that guide us further and further inward, but we have to be willing take that journey. No matter how much someone else inspires us, we still need to travel the path and do the work ourselves. Same is true when we share the teachings of yoga. We are there to present the opportunity and shine a light toward the path, but ultimately it is up to the student to walk the path or not.
What you will learn in this course is something called Theming. You likely have heard of it, and perhaps already theme your classes. My intention is to support you in being more impactful with your themes by adding a layer of structure, vulnerability, and courage.
Do you need to theme a yoga class for it to be excellent?
No. As we already know, we can have a powerful experience in our body just from strengthening muscles and moving joints. But to support others in deepening their experience with self-inquiry, we must present ideas for them to contemplate. When you are teaching retreats or trainings, you can certainly separate asana, meditation, and the teachings of yoga by offering different time slots for each. The teachings can be shared in discussion format, the way I will share much of them with you in this course. But in contemporary yoga classes with limited time, we don’t always have the opportunity to share all elements of the practice, and people aren’t dedicating their entire days to yoga. To accommodate, we bring self-inquiry and meditation into our asana classes through a process I call layering. If you took Chromatic Yoga Level 1, you are already familiar with this concept. We will simply apply it to teaching the other aspects of yoga.
FIRST, let’s get into self-study. We will begin with the study of Samadhi.
First I want to take this time to congratulate you for the effort you have put in so far to your training and study. Thank you for putting your heart into this training and for taking on the challenges it may have presented along the way.
Soon you’re on to your next steps! Before that, you just need to complete the final exam. Your task now is to go back and re-take the short quizzes in this course. When you get a question wrong, go back and rewatch the video in that lesson to study and integrate the information that has slipped. It is completely normal not to retain and integrate everything you have learned. This process will solidify knowledge so you can take it with you the rest of your life. Don’t skip and just settle. This isn’t high school; you aren’t taking an exam to get a good grade. You are taking the exam to support your growth potential and increase your confidence and your ability to help your friends, family, and students.
Potential Strength: Glutes, Abductors, rhomboids, flexors of the wrists
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
pregnancy, low back hip or knee injury
ALIGNMENT POINTS:
Hands hold outer edges of feet or inner heals
Widen knees as much as possible, then pull them down toward the ground
COMMON PATTERNS:
Knees not widening – outer hips or external rotators not engaged enough against the tightness of the adductors
Upper back rounded/shoulder blades protracted/neck extended – due to lack of hip flexion, use rhomboids to pull shoulders toward the ground resulting in greater hip flexion.
Required Flexibility: Adductors, hamstrings, spinal extensors (unless deep hip flexion is present)
Potential Strength: Buttocks -external rotators (required as pelvis tips), Adductors, hip flexors,Abductors, Back extensors, glutes, hamstrings
CONTRAINDICATIONS: low back injury, torn hamstring, pulled groin
ALIGNMENT POINTS:
Feet wide (hips abducted) Tip the pelvis anteriorly with hand behind hips to initiat
Thighs/knees/toes face the sky – requires external rotators to activate as pelvis tips anteriorly
Option to fold forward with forwards on the ground, arms out in front or reach for toes
COMMON PATTERNS:
For Flexible individuals, Legs tend to roll inward – requires activation of buttocks
For individuals lacking range of motion in the adductors/hamstrings – thighs tend to roll out pelvis tucked: requires a blanket and activation of abductors and QL/spinal erectors , hip flexors
BLACK FRIDAY SALE!
Congratulations, your 30% discount code has been applied and will be reflected at the very bottom of the checkout page.
All Immersions & Immersion Bundles are included in this sale.
To get more info on each immersion click on the photo.
On Demand and Lifetime Access To all
BLACK FRIDAY SALE!
Congratulations, your 30% discount code has been applied and will be reflected at the very bottom of the checkout page.
All Immersions & Immersion Bundles are included in this sale.
To get more info on each immersion click on the photo.
On Demand and Lifetime Access To all
