KINESTHETIC REFERENCE TOUCH

A physical touch that reinforces a verbal cue. A reference touch is a way of bringing attention to a certain area of a student’s body that may otherwise be a blind spot for them. A great example of a reference touch is this: in plank pose, place your hand on the upper back of your student and ask your student to push upward into your hand to encourage protraction of their shoulder blades, or ask them to soften under your palm to retract the shoulder blades. 

You may hear me refer to these as “kin touch” or “reference touch”, for short. 

The Diaphragm and Transverse Abdominus 

A contraction of the transverse abdominus pulls on the linea alba, drawing the belly inward, forcing the diaphragm to release and create an exhalation of breath. In contrast, a contraction of the diaphragm presses the belly outward and pulls breath back into the body. To strengthen the diaphragm and transverse abdominus while simultaneously developing control and proprioception of these deep muscles, we can practice Bhastrika. This is literally a breath work practice that is the deepest core workout you can get. And like most things, the deeper you go, the more profound an experience.

Now for most people, there is little incentive to develop awareness of the deep muscles of the body. You gain no noticeable physical attributes on the outside. You don’t look sexier with a strong and controlled diaphragm; no one sees it. But what you may feel is an increase in vibrancy and connection to the magnificence of nature that is existing in the form of you. You may walk with more confidence.

There also may be great benefits in the form of feeling better in your back on a daily basis, but who really cares about that? (sarcasm). Practicing Bhastrika daily is far more exciting than sitting at your desk and contracting your belly inward all day long while you reply to your emails. So let’s jump in. 

The Power Of Breath

I wanted to share a little bit from Alan Finger (author of Tantra of the Yoga Sutras) on breath. I love his explanation about how the breath is the only autonomic system that we can override with conscious choice. That is perhaps what makes pranayama so powerful. 

Bhastrika

Bhastrika, sometimes known as “bellows breath” or “breath of fire”, is a challenging pranayama that strengthens and develops a masterful awareness of the transversus abdominis. It also helps to strengthen the diaphragm. Like most core strengtheners, this pranayama tends to be incredibly heating.

The Ego of Hamstrings

All muscles take time to develop elasticity and length, but for some reason, many yogis obsess over hamstring flexibility. As a result, these are often the most common to get injured.

No muscle should be forced to lengthen and most of us know that intuitively. However, because of the nature of hamstring stretches, which often utilize gravity and the weight of the torso as a the primary force for length, it makes it easy to overdo it.

Let’s take most backbends as a contrasting example. In order to overstretch hip flexors in a posture like Wheel Pose, the practitioner would have to be strong enough in the gluteus muscles to push AGAINST the weight of gravity AND the tightness of the hip flexors in order to put themselves at risk. In contrast, most hamstring stretches happen with the weight of the upper body and gravity makes it easier to lengthen and stretch the hamstrings. Because of this, many people tend toward injuring the hamstrings or the tendon attachments. 

The “go to” alignment cue for safety tends to be “bend the knees”, but a word of advice: this doesn’t protect the attachments at the sit bones; it may actually put these attachments at higher risk because bending the knees allows the pelvis to go deeper into anterior tilt, potentially targeting a stretch AT the attachment point. I am not saying that bending the knees is wrong, but you may be better served by keeping knees straight and adding blocks under your hands in most standing forward folds. 

OPEN HIP POSES

The above adjustments are all very similar in that the adjuster helps to stabilize the student by creating a brace between the student’s greater trochanter and their ASIS. If you have any questions where these two bones are, you can see the image below as a reference. 

The challenge of these adjustments is creating a safe space by providing more stability. However, in the approach, we run the risk of of knocking the student off balance. This requires a lot of practice In order to become more proficient in balancing on your own two feet while supporting the balance of others. The more you do it, the better you will get at it! 

LEARNING:

The number 1 mistake when learning how to give these adjustments is focusing on the ADJUSTMENT of the periphery (holding the hand or wrist, the neck, turning the chest etc.) Focus your practice on creating a stable base of support every time. Eventually it will become natural to adjust the student further. 

Quick Tip Guide for Filming

This section is primarily for the 300 hour students doing all four modules online. If you are not in the full 300 hour training, but taking this as a module, you may skip this section. HOWEVER, there is some incredibly useful tools here that will help you navigate the digital yoga space. There are a few basic things you need to know for filming yourself.

1. Camera Angle: The challenge of filming horizontally is having enough vertical space in the frame so as not to cut off your head. To maximize space, you can angle your camera slightly upward so long as you can still see your yoga mat in the frame. Take a test video and watch it back to make sure your angle works.
2. Vertical Video: For this training, I’d prefer mostly horizontal video unless you are struggling to get your body in the frame for a specific video. The challenge of vertical video is width. The only option to increase width is angling your mat more toward the camera instead of having it be perpendicular. The other thing you can do if you have the space is move the camera back further.
3. Lighting: You do not need lighting for this training, but you might be interested in adding it if you plan to teach online In the future. In this case, it is best to get it now and practice using it so that when it comes time to teach online for real you will already know how to light the room. If you have natural lighting from a window, be sure that it is coming in from a side or front, not from the back, if possible. Artificial lighting can be great on 45-degree angles or so – one light slightly closer or brighter than the other to make it more natural looking. For lighting I suggest a company called Neewer – LED lights of 660 bulb count is great.
4. Sound: For this training, all you need is your iPhone, but similar to lighting, you may want to practice getting through the challenges of technology now before you teach the public. Should you desire, you can look into microphones. Shotgun mics are great, as well as wireless lavalier systems. The company I recommend and use is Rode. Rode Mini Shotgun Mic for iPhone or just shotgun mic for cell phones (different adaptors). Rode Go for a wireless system. Below is a link to the Rode Go Wireless System. You need one of each to have a complete audio system to connect to a cell phone. If you have a Sony phone this may not work – they have specific audio setups – you will need a different patch cable than what is lifted. For Android and Apple devices, the TRS to TRRS patch cable listed below is required. For Apple you will also need the Dongle adapter that comes with the iPhone as well.

1. Wireless Go

B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1471382-REG/rode_wireless_go_compact_wireless.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9tbzBRDVARIsAMBplx-s3Ir_DbKAbTYJBqE6OTTlD92Xe73BshdFqCvCPURWJ3d0xv8C9gYaAl27EALw_wcB

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rode-Wireless-Go-Microphone-Transmitter/dp/B07QGGBNMN/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=rode+go&qid=1584800430&sr=8-4

Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rde-wireless-go-wireless-microphone-system/6351081.p?skuId=6351081

2. Lav mic 

B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1496007-REG/rode_lavgo_lavalier_go_omnidirectional_lavalier.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rode-Lavalier-Professional-Wearable-Microphone/dp/B07WM65GTF/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=rode+lavalier+condenser+microphone&qid=1584800258&sr=8-5&swrs=4BBC55B9A015843FF444A04C9F0F4631

Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rde-condenser-lavalier-microphone/6371456.p?skuId=6371456

3. Phone patch cable sc7 (TRS to TRRS) this is required to plug into smart phones and iPads. The cable that comes with it is good for real video cameras and laptops.

B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1048152-REG/rode_sc7_trrs_iphone_cable_for.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rode-SC7-3-5mm-Patch-Cable/dp/B00L6C8T22/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rode+patch+cable&qid=1584800553&sr=8-1

Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=trs+trrs+patch+cable&_dyncharset=UTF-8&_dynSessConf=&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=&sp=&qp=&list=n&af=true&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&keys=keys

300 Hour Trainees

Throughout the 300 hour training, you will be asked to submit videos for your mentor to review. The following videos will show you how to set up your own Youtube channel, and how to upload your videos to it. You will use this method for sharing any videos in the video submission quizzes. 

Creating Your Youtube Account

Why? 

Videos take up a large amount of space on devices, and sending videos can take an incredibly long time via text. Most email services will not allow you to transfer large files. Normally you would need to pay for storage of large files and send download links, but Youtube lets you store your videos entirely free. The best part is, you can download them at a later date should you need a copy. This is incredible. In addition, you will have the benefit of selecting whether your videos are public, unlisted, or private.

For the purposes of this training, you will set your videos to “unlisted”, which means anyone that has the link can view, but no one can find your video without you sharing it with them. Of course, if you want to share your videos publicly, then you may do that, but this is not required for this training.

Throughout training, you will be asked to share your unlisted video links in your Key Points Reviews, so that I can watch your videos. As you get deeper into the training, I will provide you with feedback on things that you can work on to develop your skills for your practice or your teaching. You will be asked to stick to a certain time limit with your video in order to make sure you are on track. If you need to trim your video, you can do so on your phone or in the Youtube editor after upload. 

Uploading and Trimming Your Videos

These quick tutorials show you how to upload and trim your videos in case you have excess time at the beginning and end. Please trim your videos to when the teaching starts and when it ends before sending your links to me.

Sharing

Here are the basics of how to share Youtube videos in general. There are many ways to share your videos. Ultimately, you need the link to send the video to me so I can offer support.

Final Test Review

The beauty of this online format is that you have already gone through all of the questions that are on the final throughout this training, and to study for the final all you need to do is go back and retake the key points review quizzes. The final will be multiple choice and fill in the blank style. To optimize your time be sure to focus on the quizzes in the areas that challenge you most. In addition to the quizzes you will be asked to write a few reflective short essays (1 paragraph)  for the final – these will be on one or more of the following topics – please review in your book and re-watch the correlating videos.

1. Yamas and Niyamas
2. The Koshas
3. The Kleshas
4. Samadhi: Review the analogy of the Ocean and the Drop
5. The 8 Limbs of Yoga

Observation #3

Observe class, take notes on verbal cues that stand out, physical actions and techniques, energy and tone of voice, the sequence, tempo and timing, etc. Please be prepared to submit your notes in the quiz to follow. 

ANATOMY REVIEW 

Below I have included a list of everything you have learned so far in anatomy. Part of the promise of this training was an integration of your knowledge. We are three quarters of the way through with anatomy, so it’s the perfect time to touch back on everything you have learned so far! Please spend 30 minutes reviewing this information below, both academically and in your body. The above video is a playful way of reviewing. Enjoy!

ANATOMY OF GLENOHUMERAL JOINT

Pg 151, 174-184 Part Three: Shoulder Girdle & Upper Arms and Rotator Cuff

Page 167, Chapter 16: Deltoids

Boney Landmarks

1. Humerus: upper arm bone
2. Clavicle: collar bone
3. Head of the Humerus: the part of the arm bone that connects to the shoulder
4. Glenoid Cavity: where the head of the arm bone sits 

The Movements

1. Flexion: lift arms  forward and up over head
2. Extension: reach arms back behind
3. Abduction: arms go out away from sides toward warrior 2 arms
4. Adduction: bring the arms back to sides, as in tadasana
5. Internal Rotation: rotating biceps in
6. External Rotation: rotating biceps outward
7. Horizontal Adduction: arms out in front, coming toward midline
8. Horizontal Abduction: arms move from out in front, back toward warrior 2

The Muscles

Rotator Cuff

1. Supraspinatus: abducts the arm out away from the midline
2. Subscapularis: internally rotates and stabilize the humerus 
3. Infraspinatus: opposes the subscapularis by externally rotating and stabilizing against the subscapularis. pg 151
4. Teres Minor: assists the infraspinatus in external rotation
5. Teres Major: in this book, this is considered a rotator cuff muscle but many books would say it’s not because it attaches to the body of the arm bone instead of the humeral head. That said, it’s very logically in the rotator cuff because it directly balances out teres minor by internally rotating the humerus. 

Deltoids

3 sections: anterior, medial and posterior. 

1. Anterior: flexes the humerus forward and up 
2. Posterior: extends the humerus back behind the torso and up
3. Medial: works with the supraspinatus to abduct the arm away from midline

Pectoralis Major: horizontal adduction of the humerus 

Lattisimus Dorsi: from flexion (overhead), the latissimus “lats” pull the arms back down to neutral.

Anatomy of the Shoulder Blades

READ: The Trapezius Pg 139-143, Rhomboids and Serratus Anterior 157-166

Bones

1. Scapula: Shoulder blade
2. Costals: Rib Cage
3. Coricoid Process: boney landmark on the scapulas where pec minor attaches
4. Humerus: Arm bone
5. Clavical: Collar Bone

The Movements

1. Elevation: lifting upward
2. Depression: Downward
3. Retraction: Inward
4. Protraction: Outward and forward toward front of body
5. Upward Rotation: Upward and bottom of shoulder blades protract
6. Downward Rotation: Back to neutral 
7. Anterior Tilt (upward tilt): Shoulder Blade climbs over the rib cage
8. Posterior Tilt: Shoulder Blade moves down, and bottom wingtips press lower ribs forward

The Muscles

Errector Spinae

1. Trapezius: Large trapezoid shaped muscle that has 3 sections to it creating 3 different primary joint actions: Elevation, Depression, Retration.
2. Serratus Anterior: large muscle that attaches to the medial boarder of the scapula from underneath the scapula. It pulls the muscles toward its other attachment points – the costars. primarily creates protration. 
3. Rhomboids: The Rhomboid major and minor retract the scapula
4. Pectoralis Minor: Creates anterior tilt of scapula
5. Levator Scapulae: Elevates the scapula toward head

Exercises for Strength and Awareness

Plank Pose: With shoulder blades protracted will strengthen the serratus anterior. 

Seated Rows: Its hard to target the rhomboids in yoga against body weight or resistance – this is because they are pulling muscles. While there are many ways to get creative, the most effective way to strengthen the rhomboids is to do some sort of pulling exercise – seated rows at the gym, or actually rowing in a boat will do the trick!

Down Dog Shrugs: Get into down dog and work your shoulders toward your ears to strengthen the upper fibers of the trapezius! 

Lower Trapezius: Upward dog will strengthen the lower fibers of the trapezius if you work your shoulder blades down your back.

Anatomy of the Back Muscles

Pg 128, Chapter 10: The Errector Spinae Group

Boney Landmarks

1. Spinous Process: The Back boney protrusion that sticks out – when you round your back these are what you see sticking out under the skin.
2. Transverse Process: You can’t see these, they are the part of the vertebra that sticks out on the sides
3. Costals: The Bones of the Ribs

The Muscles

Errector Spinae

1. Spinalis: One of the Erector Spinae – The Spinalis runs from one spinous process to the next. It runs up the center – it is to the other two Erectors. This muscle extends the spine.
2. Longissimus: Latteral to the spinals is another Erector Spinae muscles who’s job is to extend the spine as well.
3. Iliocostalis: The easier of the Errector Spinae to remember becuase the name defines where it is – it runs from the ilium to the Costals. Like the Longissimus and Spinals it helps extend the spine and perhaps more accurately it pulls the ribs down toward the ilium. It is more lateral than the other two.

When any of these three muslces activate on one side only they can serve to latterally bend the spine and potentially assist or initiate a twist. When both sides are active they extend the spine (create a back bend). Activating these also help to maintain upright posture when seated.

Quadratus Lumborum “Q.L.”: Not considered to be one of the erector spinae muscles but does a similar action of extension of the spine. This muscles I important in keeping the pelvis upright when seated. For supine back bends it is one of the most important to getting the body to rise away from the ground right there with the Gluteus maximus and hamstrings. 

Exercises for Strength and Awareness

Baby Cobra: I absolutely love this exercises. Going super slow and harnessing a focus and attention on each vertebrae can be so meditative. The goal is not to go deep but rather to build awareness of muscles that control each vertebrae. Please take your time with this one and repeat, there is so much wisdom to be gained from this. 

 Reverse Plank Pose: I used to avoid this posture, but I love it now because of how much strength is required int he QL and Errector Spinae. For some time I avoided strengthening my QL by constantly tucking my tailbone in back bends – thinking lumbar extension was bad. I didn’t know any better, that’s what my teachers told me. One of my teachers who was a Spinal Specialist noticed this pattern and put two fingers on either side of my lumbar in full wheel and said “these muscles are asleep, activate them”. Suddenly my hips shot upward and my posture deepened without any discomfort at all, infuse it felt magnificent. The area she touched had not been trained or paid attention to, and now I could finally feel it! That said, Full Wheel is an extreme pose to learn to activate the erectors and QL, Reverse Plank is far more accessible which is why I chose to share that with you here. 

Visual for Back Muscles

To give you a better visual of the erector spine I found this video that I would like to share with you. This helps to see the layers of back muscles include the erector spinae. Don’t worry about memorizing this video, this is more to give you a better “general” understanding of the back muscles. 

THE QL & PSOAS

I like this image to see where the Q.L. is in relationship to the Psoas, and Pelvis. Often we think of them to be on different sides of the body, but in the abdominal region there isn’t a big ribcage dividing the front side and back side, its just layers of muscle (and organs). 

4 Layers of the Abdominals

 There are 4 layers of Abdominals that are often referred to as the core. It’s important that for most anatomist, the core consists of ALL the muscles that surround the lower torso, not just the abdominals. The 4 Layers of abdominals primarily help to flex, latterally flex, rotate the truck, and compress the abdomine. Ech layers has muscle firber directions that help us to understand the line of pull. 

Muscles:

1. Rectus Abdominis : Most superficial (outer most) layer, responsible for flexing the spine. It is known for being the “six pack muscle”
2. External Obliques : Most known for latteral flexion of the trunk and for being that sexy side belly muscle – however it is much larger than it looks on the outside, and it is responsible for more than just side bending, it also flexes and rotates the trunk toward the opposite hip. 
3. Internal Obliques: Direction below the External Obliques, the internal Obliques have opposing muscle fibers – the direction is opposite which means that it has the opposite action. These muslce pull the trunk toward the same hip that they are on. The “Fire Line” is a term I created to talk about coordinating engagement of the internal and external obliques from the apoosite sides of the body – creating a diagonal line of pull from one side of the ribs to the other hip.
4. Transverse Adominis: The Deepest layer of the abdomine, this muscle is activated as a result of Udyana Bandha. It compresses the abdomine inward and upward, creating vacuum effect. This muscle wraps around the entire mid section, not just the front of the body. 

Internal and External Obliques

The primary reason I want to share this video with you is so you can see the diagonal fibers of the External obliques going down through the Lina Alba, and continued by the Internal Obliques on the other side wrapping all the way around to the back as she is pointing out. 

 Miscellanies:

1. Linea Alba :Tendon that runs down the center of the abdomen 
2. Concentric Contraction: Activation of a muscle while shortening it
3. Eccentric Contraction: Activating a muscles while it is lengthening 
4. Isomentric Contraction: Activating a muscle without any movement occurring. 

THE ILIO-PSOAS “The Bridge”

The reason I refer to the Ilio-Psoas as the bridge is because it is the muscle that crosses front he extremities to the trunk. It attaches to the femur bone and all the way up the low back and at the start of the mid back – that is a long span! But it is also wild to think that the alignment of our thighs in the hip socket can throw of the alignment of our spine. Most of us have one side of our psoas tighter than the other which can cause a lateral bending potentially resulting in scoliosis. I can attest to this myself – my right psoas is far stronger and shorter than the left, as a result my low back bends toward the right side. Knowing this has been helpful – I know if I have low back discomfort I can start with a thigh and psoas stretch on the right side. While I knew my right psoas was significantly tighter, an exray confirmed the effects on my spine. As you move through your practice of both studying anatomy and how it relates to you personal body you have a choice: let it drag you down every time you notice your imperfections, or let it inspire you to take better care of your self. This has been the key for me to develop into the teacher I am today. I have taken my injuries, muscular and structural patterns and used them as a form of study. I would invite you to do the same as we all go through injuries, chronic pain and discomfort – let it empower you and your students.

The Muscles: Page 57

In this section we work with 3 primary muscles, but discuss several others. Be sure to look each of them up for a better visual and intellectual understanding.

1. Psoas Major: One of the muscles of the Ilio-psoas: Attaches to the Lessor Trochantor, the 5 lumbar (low back) vertebrae and discs as well as T12 Vertebrae and Discs. 
2. Iliacus: The other Ilio-psoas muscle runs from the inner iliac crest pelvis to the lessor trochanter
3. Sartorius (pg 102): The Tree Pose muscle attaching from the A.S.I.S down to the inner tibia. Responsible for external rotation, hip flexion, abduction
4. Rectus Femoris: (pg 96) One of the quadriceps as perviously discussed
5. Pectineus: (Pg 79) a small adductor that adducts, flexes and internally rotates the hip.
6. Gluteus Maximus: (pg 64) The big buttock muscle that externally rotates the hip and extends it
7. Hamstrings: (pg 103) the three muscles that extend the hip joint and flex the knee joint

ANATOMICAL TERMS

Synergist: (pg 36) Muscle that helps the movement of the prime mover. In the case of the psoas being the prime mover the following are synergists

1. Rectus Femoris
2. Pectinius
3. Sartorius
4. Tensor Fasciae Latae 

Antagonist: (pg 36) The apposing muscle of the prime move and synergists. These muscles create the opposite action and therefor require a certain amount of relaxing these muscles is required for movement to occur. The following are antagonists to the prime mover of the olio-psoas

1. Gluteus Maximus
2. Hamstrings

Prime Mover: The muscle that is primarily creating the movement, also known as the Antagonist. 

Open Chain: (Pg 45) When the extremity is free to move

Closed Chain: (Pg 45) When the extremity is fixed by the floor, or any outside force

MOVEMENTS & SECTIONS OF THE SPINE

Movements (pg 116)

1. Flexion: Rounding the spine – like forward folds
2. Extension: Arching the spine – Back bending   
3. Latteral Flexion: Side bending
4. Rotation: Twisting

The Sections of the Spine (pg 19)

1. Coccyx: Tail Bone
2. Sacrum: Triangular Bone
3. Lumbar: Low Back
4. Thoracic: Middle Back
5. Cervical: Neck

Bones, Discs, Boney Landmarks

Please study page 12 for these terms amongst others regarding the spine

1. Vertebral Body
2. Intervertebral Discs
3. Transverse Proces

Anatomy of the Upper Thighs

THE BONES 

1. Femur Bone: Thigh Bone
2. Patella: Knee cap
3. Ilium: Two upper sides of the Pelvis
4. Ischial Tuberosity’s: Sit Bones
5. Pubis: Pubic Bone
   
6. Sacrum: Triangular Bone that site between the two sides of the the Ilium – it consists of 5-6 fused vertebra
7. A.S.I.S. (NEW): Anterior Superior Iliac Spine. Anterior – front, superior – upper, Iliac – pelvic bone, spine – boney landmark

TENDONS 

1. Pateller Tendon: Connects Patella to Tibia
2. I.T. Band: Ilio-tibial tract – connects ilium to the tibia. T.F.L and Gluteus Maximus both attach to the I.T. Band

MUSCLES 

1. Quadriceps: 4 Muscles that Extend the Knee Joint (straighten it)
2. Hamstrings: 3 Muscles that flex the knee joint
3. Gluteus Maximus: Large buttock muscle that externally rotates, Extends and Abducts the hip (abduction will be taught in the next video)
4. Tensor Fascia Latte (T.F.L): Muscle at the side/front of hip that Flexes, Internally Rotates and Abducts the hip.
5. The Adductor Group: Adductor longus, Adductor braves, Adductor magnus, Pectineus, Gracillis
6. The Abductor Group: Gluteus Minimus, Gluteus Medius, Tensor Fasciae Latae.
7. Rectus Femoris: quadricep that is also a hip flexor
8. Adductor Magnus: Like a 4th hamstring

ACTIONS 

1. Flexion of Knee: Bend the knee
2. Extension of the knee: Straighten the knee
3. Flexion of the hip: bring thigh closer to chest like marching.
4. Extension of the hip: Bring thigh back from pelvis as in the back thigh of lunge or when walking
5. Internal Rotation of hip: Turning the thigh bone inward toward midline of the body
6. External Rotation of hip: Turning the thigh bone outward away from the midline of the body
7. Adduction of Hip: Thigh bones move toward the midline
8. Abduction of Hip: Thigh bones move away from the midline

4 ARTICULATIONS OF THE ANKLES

1. Dorsiflexion
2. Plantar Flexion
3. Inversion
4. Eversion

BONES

1. Tibia: Shin Bone
2. Fibula: Other Lower Leg Bone or Calf Bone
3. Calcaneus: Heal Bone

MUSCLES

1. Tibialis Anterior: Dorsiflexion of the Ankle (muscle in front of the Tibia)
2. Tibialis Posterior: Inversion and Plantar Flexion (muscle behind the Tibia)
3. Fibularis Group: Eversion of the Ankle (3 Muscles outside the Fibula)
4. Gastrocnemius & Soleus: Calf Muscles that create plantar flexion. Gastrocnemius is closer to the skin (more “superficial”) while the Soleus lies underneath the gastrocnemius (more “deep”) to the Gastrocnemius.

Anatomical Terms

1. Anterior: Front of the body, or in front of.
2. Posterior: Back of the body, or behind
3. Deep: Closer to the bone or core of the body. “the bones are deep to the skin”
4. Superficial: Closer to the skin

TEACH MEDITATION 

Your next task is to teach a meditation. Below I have included the video to rewatch on the meditation template so you feel fully prepared. 

Meditation Template 

1. Body: Micro Adjust Posture for more optimal attention of the mind
2. Breath: Pranayama share a pranayama (in this case share Dirgha Pranayama.
3. Breath: Watch the breath without controlling it
4. Observe: direct attention to feel the sensations of energy (prana) inside the body
5. Body: Bring students back by cuing the breath and awakening fingers and toes – massage legs. 

PRE-MEDITATION PREPARATION

1. Guide students to a seated position – providing them with options 
2. Show required techniques for pranayama and or mudra’s
3. Pratyahara: begin the journey inward by asking students to close their eyes or “soften their gaze to one point”

Mudras

1. Gyan Mudra: or sometimes known as “chin Mudra” is widely popular across many traditions. In Sanskrit it translates to “Knowledge”. This Mudra is performed by placing the index finger and thumbs lightly together. In some traditions the 3 other fingers are stretched out straight, but this requires constant physical effort that might otherwise keep the mind distracted (opinion). So my suggestion is to relax the middle, ring, and pinky fingers

2. Dhyani Mudra: Dhyani is the 7th limb of yoga and it means the effortless focus that comes just before the total absorbtion into samadhi. Dhyani Mudra is performed by placing one hand on top of the other – fingers resting on top of each other, lined up so that fingers are not resting in palm of the hand. The thumbs lightly touch – this is a great way to keep the mind focused, you can use the tough of the thumbs as a meditation, if the thumbs press into each other too hard you are likely falling asleep, it they separate you have likely launched into some large thought process.  

Observation #2

Now that you have a little experience of observing a class you will likely start listening for specific aspects of the class be it sequencing, verbal cues, tone of voice, etc. Please take notes and prepare to share them in the quiz. If you have any aha moments please share in the facebook group. 

Branding and Marketing

The yoga business is something that most yoga teachers struggle with. A lot of times we practice yoga to get away from the mainstream systems of finance, marketing, and capitalism, and yet if we are to make a living within that system we have a choice: fight the system or learn to operate within it. I am not here to tell you which way to go but I would encourage you first to confront your own personal issues around finance and self worth prior to choosing a direction. On the other hand many of you may not struggle with charging money for services at all and it comes natural to you, in which case you will likely run within the system and have no trouble starting up your yoga brand, website, social media before even watching this video. Again, how you approach business and teaching yoga is entirely up to you, just be sure to do the self reflective work before you blame outside forces, other people, or your self. When something makes you uncomfortable, inquire about it, it may take years of contemplating but it starts now. 

Wild Thing

A personal favorite of mine because it provides an incredible opportunity to strengthen the external rotators of the rotator cuff What is interesting about many yoga postures is that they emphasize internal rotation – all binds for example, or postures with interlaced hands behind the back such as humble warrior. In addition our posture for most of our day tends toward internal rotation of the arms, so Wild Thing really helps balance out our norm.

Ethics of Teaching Yoga

Perhaps one of the most challenging subjects in the yoga community is Ethics. Each of us grow up with ethical guide lines for how we should show up for ourselves and each other. We have learned boundaries from our family and society. The Yoga sutras offers the Yamas and Niyamas as ways of existing in society such as Ahimsa (non-violence). Our ethical and moral compass tends to be as unique as the story of our life. That said I would like to invite you to contemplate what you feel are ethical boundaries. 

One conversation I didn’t address in the video that I feel is important:  I would like for us as a community to brainstorm is consent for adjustments. I came up in the yoga practice knowing that if I showed up to yoga I was going to get adjusted. It was an unspoken agreement. If I didn’t want to get adjusted by a certain teacher I had two options – tell them, or not show up. In recent years the discussion of consent has been a topic of conversation in the yoga community. How do you feel it is best to ask for consent? consider that you may have 20-50 students in your room in the next few years, is the approach the same or does it differ? Submit your opinions  int he quiz submission and how you plan to or would like to approach the subject of physical touch and consent in your classes. 

Working With Private Clients

Working with private clients may be one of the most powerful ways to share the practice yoga because it provides a space for one on one attention with your student.

The downsides may include:

1. It often requires more energy than teaching a class
2. You are only supporting one person with your time
3. It can be expensive for the student
4. It can put you as the teacher at physical, mental or emotional risk
5. It can put the student at risk if the teacher is physically, sexually or emotionally abusive.

The Upsides May Include: 

1. More accurate physical and verbally delivered adjustments
2. Pinpointed sequencing for students needs
3. More convenient scheduling for student
4. More financially profitable for teacher
5. Greater impact on our students practice

FINAL SEQUENCE

Creating your final sequence or better yet, creating your first official of many senquences ahead. From experience I know this moment may bring up feelings of anxiety, worry, fear or any other number of emotions for you. I would like to invite you to consider this to be a celebration of how far you have come. You will have time to design your sequence, refine it, and practice it before submitting. We are here to support you. 

Please start working on your sequence – you will have the opportunity to submit the written version of it at the end of this section.

The Business Of Yoga

To be honest with you I still cringe a little emotionally when it comes to the subject of yoga as a business, and yet intellectually I understand the importance of it. From a young age I was taught that money was about struggling. I watched my parents struggle to put food on our table and just barely scrape by in order to allow my brother and I to live in a town with a good school district. My brother and I, went in opposite directions from this experience. He went the path of “Not having money creates suffering” and so he dedicated himself to climbing his way out and became one of the nations top financial advisors. I went the other route – I dropped out of college and spent 8 years living in a van with 7 other guys trying to persuade my dream of passion and was ok identifying as the “starving musician”. After we disbanded my brother asked me “Are you going to go back to college?”, and I replied “No, I’m going to be a yoga teacher.” I could sense the worry in his heart. It was a long road but I put my head down and just kept teaching until I could afford renting an apartment. There were many victories along the way but eventually I realized one thing: there was a deep belief in me that I did not deserve money. At the studio I taught at I was the lowest paid teacher, and that was acceptable at first because I was the least experienced, BUT after many years I still never asked for a raise. I started burning out, and I became bitter, and I blamed it on the studio, yoga and everyone but me. My teaching began to suffer and I was looking for a way out but I had no college education and no work experience to fall back on. I finally realized I needed a perspective shift and I began unpacking my beliefs and self worth. It was around this time that I attended a sold out workshop with a guy who’s name I had never heard of. He had taken my class that week and I spoke with him only to find out he was teaching that weekend. At that time only the top teachers in the world were selling out workshops. His name was Patrick Beach, and he had become famous through a platform we now know as Instagram. In the video you will hear the full story of how this led me to take action. I wanted to add this back story so you understand the what you may see as an image of success started with years of struggle. I don’t say this for your empathy or because I am looking for an applause, I say it because my hope is that if you have limiting beliefs around self worth, know that this will only hold you back from sharing the gift of yoga with everyone that deserves it. Yes there are lots of people that won’t be able to afford taking classes from you, and finding ways to support those individuals and communities is a part of the business, but you will be better equipped to do so if you are financially, energetically and emotionally stable yourself.

The first thing I did when I finally felt financially stable was sponsor a child – I walked out of market on my way to class and got asked by one of those people on the streets if I had time to chat. I spent about 6 years saying no and walking away because I didn’t want to be asked for money I didn’t have. That day I had something to give and I said yes, and I still remember how surprised she was to hear that. It felt amazing that I was no longer trying to survive myself and now I could be there for someone else. 

This may or may not be your story, but going into the business of yoga is challenging. You may be the business savvy individual that knows how to brand, market, package an experience and sell that to others, or you may be just like me. Regardless, if you are in the business of yoga you will need to learn to wear several hats or hire the right people to wear the hats that you don’t want to. Here are a few “hat’s” or rolls you will need to play or hire someone to do for you over time if you want to be a professional yoga teacher and have this be your primary source of income

1. Yoga Teacher
2. Brand and Marketing Manager
3. Web Designer
4. Web Developer and Technician 
5. Graphic Designer
6. Tour Manager
7. Team Manager
8. Secretary and Administrative Assistant 
9. Accountant
10. Social Media Manager
11. Content Creator
12. Photographer
13. Videographer
14. Studio Manager
15. Customer Service

I could go on forever – the purpose is not to scare you but prepare you appropriately because most step in to teaching yoga with a romantic idea that its going to be easy. It will not be easy, BUT it will be worth it AND incredibly fulfilling on all levels of your being!

DANCER POSE

FROM MINDFULLY MOVE

Taken from Rebecca Rasmussen’s Online Program “Mindfully Move” Click Here to Learn More