by Trisha Curling | Mar 14, 2024 | Main Page Display
Hip Flexor Health for Better Movement
HIP FLEXOR HEALTH FOR BETTER MOVEMENT
Healthy hip flexor muscles are associated with both stretch and strength. Although we’re going to focus more heavily on strength in this article, always note that both strength and flexibility are imperative for increased health within the muscles that make up the hip flexors and the muscles overall. Unfortunately, because the hip flexors are a challenging area for many, they are sometimes given short shrift or executed with little intention in our yoga practice. Matt reminds us that the hip flexors are the initiators of forward movement, so facing the challenge is essential in order to reap the benefits.
In today’s video, Matt provides accessible options to incorporate into our yoga practice. These actions and drills, when practiced consistently over time, transform our experience on the mat and in our everyday movement.
MOVEMENT IS A MUST
“Those who move more frequently have less occurrence of blood clots, frozen joints, cartilage degeneration, impaired digestion, metabolic disease and even skin problems”.
Humans Have a Basic Physical and Psychological Need to Move the Body: Physical Activity as a Primary Drive
We implement movement into our daily lives, so without even knowing any of the specific scientific benefits (as listed above), we still know what they are because we experience the positive aftereffects. Some of the benefits we experience include the following:
- increased energy levels
- better sleep
- improved mental health
Strong, healthy hip flexor muscles literally initiate movement and drive us forward. It’s the action of hip flexion that allows us to do things like walk, run, and skip. Strengthening our hip flexor muscles will ultimately help us to move forward in a more efficient way.
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HIP FLEXOR HEALTH FOR BETTER MOVEMENT: 5 DRILLS TO BUILD STRENGTH & LENGTH
DRILLS FOR PRONE PRESS AND BOAT POSE
Prone Press
The actions involved in this drill help us feel a connection to our hip flexor muscles. There are 2 variations to explore:
- In a prone position, we bend the first leg and press the knee into the ground. This promotes the sensation of activation. The second leg lifts but remains straight.
- The second variation adds more intensity by abducting the arms and lifting the torso.
Boat Pose Drills
The variations Matt teaches here offer a challenge for our hip flexor muscles.
- The first one calls upon us to move in a way that forces us to be very intentional about initiating the movement with the hip flexors, as opposed to emphasizing the core.
- Maintaining hip flexion while extending each leg all the way up is humbling. It’s also very telling about the amount of work that is required.
PYRAMID & “DANDASANA-LIKE” LEG LIFTS
Pyramid Leg Lifts
If it’s a challenge we’re looking for, this is it! Once we are set up in this Pyramid variation with dorsiflexion in the front foot, we then actively lift the front leg up towards the chest. Even if there is a generous amount of strength present, it will be possible but still challenging. If we have less strength here, the front leg may not even lift up. Something important to note is that even if the leg doesn’t lift, the movement will still activate the hip flexor muscles.
“Dandasana-Like” Leg Lifts
The variations within these leg lifts offer a nice controlled way of promoting strength in the hip flexor muscles. You’ll see in the video that a simple change in angle of the leg will help target the psoas, pectineus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, or gracilis.
STRETCH IT OUT
As much as strength is imperative for the health of our hip flexor muscles in terms of improved movement, we must also incorporate opportunities to stretch these muscles in our yoga practice, even between strengthening drills.
The delicious stretch Matt offers in the video is laid out in 4 stages, targeting first a stretch of the quadricep muscles, all the way up to the psoas in the final stage.
Selecting stages, or gradually going through all of them, can offer relief from the strengthening drills, but we shouldn’t underestimate the challenges that come with lengthening as well.
In Matt’s next workshop, Hip Release, he’ll guide us through specific postures, drills, and techniques for the hips. We’ll learn to stretch and to extend our understanding of our own bodies in order to have a greater effect on our yoga practice and to improve our movement overall.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Move Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Mar 7, 2024 | Main Page Display
6 Postures for Hips and Lower Back
6 POSTURES FOR HIPS AND LOWER BACK
When we’re interested in learning about postures that help us with our hips and lower back, it’s simply not good enough to find a video or practice that says that certain poses will help with these areas of the body. A statement like that is too broad—it doesn’t mean very much until we understand how to implement the poses in our yoga practice.
Yoga is a powerful tool because it provides us with the gift of awareness. In the context of a physical yoga practice, a teacher like Matt shows us how to get to know our own bodies in a deeper way. We learn how to exercise discernment so that a posture becomes tailored to our individual needs. In today’s video, we’ll not only observe 6 postures for the hips and lower back but also obtain the information to guide us in a direction that makes them helpful.
PELVIC TILTS IN WARRIOR II AND IN REVERSE WARRIOR
How can postures become helpful? We can get to know when and where stretching and/or strengthening is appropriate. We always have choices.
In Warrior II and Reverse Warrior, the discussion is essentially about the action of leveling or not leveling the hips.
In the video, Matt explains that in his experience, he has often seen the front pelvis dropped downwards in Warrior II. However, this position in the hips may actually be more beneficial in Reverse Warrior, if we have the intention of stretching the side of the the front waistline. The lateral pelvic tilt helps create a stronger lateral flexion of the spine and an increased stretch in the psoas. Maintaining a more leveled pelvis in Warrior II can eliminate potential compression in the front hip. Exploring these articulations of the pelvis can help us find what is valuable at any given time.
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6 POSTURES FOR HIPS AND LOWER BACK: HOW TO DECIDE BETWEEN STRETCH & STRENGTH
STANDING FIGURE 4 AND JANU SIRSASANA
Standing Figure 4
This variation offers another opportunity to explore the positioning of the hips for an increased stretch of the side body. Matt first cues a medial rotation of the hips and then, to again increase the stretch in the side waistline, he cues “hiking up the pelvis” for more lateral flexion when we’re bent over on the diagonal .
Janu Sirsasana
Here we gain more insight in terms of choosing whether stretch or strength is beneficial. Due to the lateral flexion of the spine, this variation offers a deep stretch for the quadratus lumborum (QL), which might feel good. If the opposite is true and there is more discomfort than ease, an upright version may be more beneficial. In the upright version of the pose, the back muscles are engaged. If they feel tight, we may lean towards stretching, but tight muscles are often an indication of weakness, so opting for strength may be the key to finding relief in the lower back.
FROG POSE AND HURDLER STRETCH
Frog Pose
Due to the intense shape of the posture, Frog Pose can reveal a great deal about our current experience with the strength and flexibility of our adductors. To encourage the optimal health and safety of the muscles, implementing a facilitated stretch offers stability while stretching. In the video, Matt shares how varying the angles of the pelvis will influence where we feel the stretch in the adductors.
Hurdler Stretch
This shape offers both stretch and strength for the QL. Matt offers two variations in the video to help us to find what is more accessible. In both variations, both the tilt of the pelvis and “finer” details like pressing the exposed side of the rib cage up and a small tucking of the buttock on the straight-leg side will assist in supporting the lower back and hips to refrain from strain.
THE FINER DETAILS CARRY THE WEIGHT
Throughout the exploration of these postures, it’s these finer details that help personalize what we experience in the hips and lower back. Thoughtful and careful implementation supports our individual goals regarding increased flexibility and/or strength in the lower back and hips. Paying attention to the finer details makes all the difference in what we feel sensationally in our bodies.
This is why practicing with Matt creates such a transformational experience. His upcoming workshop, Hip Release, will be filled with techniques to help with increased range of motion in the hips, effective strength and flexibility drills, and ways to avoid pain. Register at the link to enliven your practice today.
See you on the mat!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Blissful Hips
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by Trisha Curling | Feb 29, 2024 | Main Page Display
HIPS & HANUMANASANA
What a posture! Hanumanasana is such a beautiful expression of what is possible in our physical yoga practice. However, it’s not about “achieving” Hanumanasana but about the exploration of what is possible in terms of hip mobility and what we learn from the preparation for the posture.
When we practice with Matt, we learn about the “4 quadrants of the hips.” Some areas of the hips may receive more attention than others, so it’s vital we pay attention to all areas. This will allow us to boost our ability to attain better hip mobility overall. The four quadrants are the following:
- Front: hip flexors and quadriceps
- Back: buttock muscles (gluteus maximus and piriformis)
- Inside: adductors (longus, brevis, magnus)
- Outside: abductors (gluteus minimus, medius, and TFL)
When we understand what they are, we can focus on what to do. Strengthening (“the squeeze”) will ultimately allow us to expand, that is, increase flexibility in Hanumanasana.
HIP & PELVIC DRILLS
Crescent Pose with Pelvic Articulations
In the video, Matt layers in movements of the pelvis with a facilitated stretch in Crescent Pose. We see how the articulations (anterior and posterior tilts of the pelvis) offer different sensations. What remains constant is the pushing down of the ball mound of the back foot and the heel of the front foot, combined with the action of “dragging” the feet to opposite ends of the mat, which is the “squeeze” in. The hip flexor muscles of the back leg and the hamstrings of the front leg fire up, preparing us for Splits.
Hip-Flexor Block Drill
Activating the hip flexors is the goal here. Drills like these are very humbling! It may be much more challenging than it appears. With the use of blocks, we’re hiking the hip of one leg up, while squeezing the foot of the same leg forward to touch the yoga block.
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HIPS & HANUMANASANA: SQUEEZE IN TO EXPAND OUT
ARDHA HANUMANASANA
Ardha Hanumanasana provides a great opportunity to explore and activate the inner and outer hip muscles. This is important because it supports our ability to maintain a more neutral hip position in Hanumanasana. We may be tempted to veer towards a more open pelvic position as a way of compensating for a lack of control or strength. When we strive for a more balanced strength in all 4 quadrants of the hips, we can benefit from a safer alignment for our bodies in the posture. In the video, we see how the “windshield wiper” action of the front leg helps to activate the inner and outer hip muscles. Matt then takes the drills to the next level and offers additional variations that once again ignite the hip flexors and the hamstrings.
STANDING SPLITS AT THE WALL
In the video, Matt points out that this variation of Hanumanasana shows us where we have the most challenges. Without the floor underneath us, it invites us to be more aware of our alignment.
The variations in the video also offer some fun play with strength. Standing Splits can become more of a Warrior 3–like position: Because the top leg is straight, we have the option to press that foot into a wall. Next, we press down into blocks underneath our hands in order to lift the bottom foot off of the ground and squeeze towards the blocks. Again, the hip flexors (which may sometimes be neglected) are strengthened here. Strengthening the hip flexors keeps them safe in the back leg and takes some of the strain off the hamstrings in the front leg in Hanumanasana.
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by Trisha Curling | Feb 22, 2024 | Main Page Display
Tripod Headstand to Crow for Controlled Access
TRIPOD HEADSTAND TO CROW POSE
When exploring an inversion like Tripod Headstand, the shoulder muscles become part of the primary focus. Tripod Headstand on its own can be challenging enough, but adding a controlled and safe transition into an arm balance like Crow Pose creates a whole new layer of understanding that must be taken into consideration.
The rotator cuff muscles are great stabilizers of the shoulder girdle, so activating these muscles is key in the setup for both postures. Both a deeper grasp of the biomechanics of each posture on its own and an understanding of the specific movements, particularly in the area of the shoulders, help us maintain balance when exploring how to move between the two poses. In today’s video, Matt provides the details and step-by-step cues to master the transition from Tripod Headstand to Crow Pose.
THE VERY FIRST STEP
First, it’s simply about understanding what in our bodies we need to target in order to create the required stability for the setup in Tripod Headstand. At the beginning of the video, Matt offers an explanation for why the shoulders are important and how to effectively activate the appropriate muscles. When practicing with Matt, we understand that any time the hands are making contact with our mats, particularly in an inversion or arm balance, “gripping the ground” begins to send the correct channel of energy into the rest of the body. With this understanding, we can begin to see how this action affects what’s required in the shoulders: To activate the rotator cuff muscles, we take that grip of the ground and dial it outwards. This encourages the biceps to turn outwards and the elbows to turn inwards. Once these steps are in place, we can feel the rotator cuff muscles.
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TRIPOD HEADSTAND TO CROW POSE: SHOULDER TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLED ACCESS
TRIPOD CROW
Before the legs go upright in Tripod Headstand, we can explore Tripod Crow, which Matt demonstrates. Although there is no wall behind him in the demonstration, he recommends using a wall in the early stages of exploration.
Tripod Crow allows us to get comfortable with the hand and head placement. This is important because of the adjustments that are necessary regarding the neck muscles.
The hands are roughly shoulder-width apart, and the head is placed down just shy of an equilateral triangle. This way, when we roll onto our heads, it becomes more of that equilateral setup. From here, we switch on the rotator cuff muscles (as described above), and then instead of sending the legs all the way up, we bring the knees onto the outer arms. Sending our gaze towards the floor then turns on the rear neck muscles for additional stability.
LEAN INTO THE PROGRESSION
In this next stage, Matt demonstrates the entry into Tripod Headstand along with how to begin transitioning into Crow Pose. First, we can add onto Tripod Crow by hugging the knees in and creating an anterior tilt of the pelvis to then send the legs upwards. The next step allows us to explore the movement towards Crow Pose with some momentum. Instead of pausing, activating, and holding Crow Pose, we can practice “sitting the bum down” on the way out of Headstand and then leaning back to move more quickly towards taking our feet to the ground. Slowly progressing with more “hang time” and a bigger push into Crow will help us master this transition. A new shoulder action is also layered on in order to press into Crow Pose.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Finally, the shoulder action that brings the final pieces of the puzzle together is the protraction of the scapulae. Once we’ve leaned back and practiced hanging in the longer balances between Tripod Headstand and the initial stages of Crow, we push the floor away, which encourages the protraction. Coupled with the external rotation of the upper arm bones, this action assists in realizing the safe, controlled access and stabilization of Crow. The shoulder actions ultimately dictate the experience we’ll have when working on this transition between the two postures. Moving from Tripod Headstand to Crow Pose requires a steadiness but also involves precise movement.
In Matt’s 3-part workshop, Shoulder Mastery, he broke down the vital steps for the shoulders when it comes to arm balances. In the upcoming final phase of the workshop, Matt will focus on inversions and binds. Register here for lifetime access!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Shoulder Mastery
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by Trisha Curling | Feb 15, 2024 | Main Page Display
Shoulder Connections
3 Postures for Increased Mobility
SHOULDER CONNECTIONS
To increase mobility in our shoulders, we must first understand how they move, so we become more connected with their function and how they inform a variety of yoga postures. The exploration with intentional techniques is the key to gaining access to these postures.
In regard to heart-opening postures, “shoulder connections” are also about understanding how the retraction of the shoulder blades affects the chest, rib cage, abdomen, and spine. In today’s video, Matt demonstrates the shoulder actions needed to access 3-Part Cobra, Upward Dog with blocks, and Wild Thing. The way that the retraction of the shoulder blades is applied in these postures will not only create the desired heart-opening shape but also strengthen the muscles necessary for healthy shoulder mobility.
3-PART COBRA
The sequence of actions in this posture teaches us the ability to authentically stretch the front body and strengthen the back body. There’s a greater requirement for us to recruit the muscles in the upper body due to the decreased reliance on the hands to hold us up (if we allow it). In the video, Matt starts the sequence of lifting the upper body off the floor by first using the leverage of the hands; in order to reduce compression in the lower back, he sends the rib cage forward, then pulls the belly in and up. Here’s the key though: It’s the activation of the rear deltoids, the retraction of the shoulder blades, and the action of pulling the chest through the shoulders that creates the “bowing of the spine” required in all backbends.
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SHOULDER CONNECTIONS: 3 POSTURES FOR INCREASED MOBILITY
UPWARD-FACING DOG: PREPARATION WITH BLOCKS
If we pay attention to the smaller, more intricate details within the application of techniques in a posture, the benefits become more profound. First, Matt demonstrates the simple action of turning the fingers outward on the blocks. Lifting the shoulders up and back now becomes more accessible, which encourages the action of external rotation in the arms, promoting retraction of the scapulae and allowing for more opportunity to contract and strengthen the rear deltoids, rhomboids, lower fibers of the trapezius muscles, and the latissimi dorsi. The final action is to push the hands down into the blocks to access increased spinal extension along with greater heart opening.
WILD THING
In Wild Thing, there are 3 shoulder actions that help create more expansion and mobility in the shoulders. First, we lift the bottom shoulder up, move it back (retract), and then bring the bottom wing tip of the shoulder blade around. These actions send the chest forward and up. The posture is different, but the same actions apply here as in 3-Part Cobra. In the full class, Matt reminds us that it can be easy to lose the integrity of the positioning of the shoulder once we start to lift up into the pose, but if we continue to connect with the sensation of muscle contraction between the shoulder blades, there’s more success in maintaining the shoulder position. Ideally, the chest is above the height of the shoulder. In order to gain shoulder mobility, we must build strength and endurance in the muscles associated with and connected to the shoulders. Stretching alone will not have the same effect.
SHOULDER MOBILITY
Shoulder mobility means having the ability to move the joint through the full range of motion. We can see why this is beneficial when it comes to heart openers: In order to find expansion, we need to be able to move the shoulder joint freely and safely. Strengthening also means better stability. In postures like Wild Thing, where we’re balancing on one arm, stability and strength are a must for a solid foundation.
Exploring the shoulder actions multiple times within a practice helps us record the biomechanics in our bodies. This is the reasoning behind the layering of actions and postures in a Chromatic Yoga class.
In the 2nd week of Matt’s current 3-part workshop, Shoulder Mastery, he delves into shoulder strength for arm balances. Register and get access to this class and to last week’s class about the shoulders and heart openers.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Shoulder Mastery
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by Trisha Curling | Feb 8, 2024 | Main Page Display
Deep Dive Into Chaturanga
Shoulder Action Controversy
DEEP DIVE INTO CHATURANGA
Earlier this week, Matt posted a video on his Instagram page highlighting the shoulder blade movement that takes place in Chaturanga—moving from protraction to retraction. This can be a tricky subject, and it was cause for some discussion in the comments on that video. He goes into more detail here.
When we’re taught to do something (such as the execution of a yoga posture) a certain way, it may be difficult to consider an alternative. The Chromatic yoga approach, however, is a nondogmatic one and requires that we create our own understanding through action and being open to new possibilities. There is always room for perspective. Now, Chaturanga can be a challenging posture due to the strength it requires, but in today’s video, we see a breakdown of the steps and gain insight into the anatomy in order to make informed choices in our yoga practice.
SEQUENCING FOR THE SHOULDERS
The intelligent sequencing offered in a Chromatic yoga class helps us prepare our bodies for optimal positioning in a given posture.
In Chaturanga, there is a tendency for the scapulae to anterior tilt, causing the shoulders to punch forward into the anterior portion of the shoulder capsule. Over time, this can cause pain and/or increased wear and tear on the joint, not to mention the implications it may have for the neck, shoulders, back, and chest. What’s necessary is a healthy degree of external rotation. Matt demonstrates a few drills with a strap and blocks that help pattern the body in how to create the external rotation required for the pose. Why is this important? These drills teach us how to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles, which will help stabilize the shoulder joint and recruit the serratus anterior for a stronger descent in Chaturanga.
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DEEP DIVE INTO CHATURANGA: SHOULDER ACTION CONTROVERSY
STRAP SETUP FOR THE SHOULDERS
These drills help us understand the foundations of the shoulder mechanics for Chaturanga.
Pull the Strap Apart
Here are the four key actions:
- Take an underhand grip of the strap.
- Pull the strap apart.
- Move the shoulder heads back.
- Bring the elbows in and forward.
This drill is not static; when watching the video, we see that there is actually movement back and forth, which will help strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.
Block in the Palm & Between the Elbow and the Body
This drill can be done without a block; however, the block between the body and elbow adds that extra awareness of activation and reminds to keep our elbows more narrow.
Essentially what’s happening here are movements back and forth between the internal and external rotation of the humerus. Holding the additional block in the supinated palm of the same arm helps emphasize the required external rotation for Chaturanga.
STRAP SETUP FOR THE SHOULDERS
These drills help us understand the foundations of the shoulder mechanics for Chaturanga.
Pull the Strap Apart
Here are the four key actions:
- Take an underhand grip of the strap.
- Pull the strap apart.
- Move the shoulder heads back.
- Bring the elbows in and forward.
This drill is not static; when watching the video, we see that there is actually movement back and forth, which will help strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.
Block in the Palm & Between the Elbow and the Body
This drill can be done without a block; however, the block between the body and elbow adds that extra awareness of activation and reminds to keep our elbows more narrow.
Essentially what’s happening here are movements back and forth between the internal and external rotation of the humerus. Holding the additional block in the supinated palm of the same arm helps emphasize the required external rotation for Chaturanga.
CHATURANGA AT THE WALL
Transitioning to Chaturanga at the wall takes us to a closer setup of what position our bodies will be in. Of course, we are perpendicular to the floor in this variation, but we can negotiate hand and shoulder placement without the strength element. Matt has shown us variations at the wall before, and they are always helpful in navigating a posture.
One of the key points in this variation, however, is the push through the heel of the hands. This action both brings the bottom wing tip of the scapulae through the arm bone, which encourages the head of the humerus to pull back, and it helps recruit the muscles of the serratus anterior. We also gain a “band of stability” in the upper body once this is in place. Once we’ve explored here, it’s time to take Chaturanga to the mat.
WHY PROTRACTION TO RETRACTION?
In the video, Matt demonstrates how the shoulder blades come in towards one another on the descent portion of Chaturanga. This is what might conjure up some controversy. Matt explains that we’re not just easily allowing them to come together; instead, we’re still trying to resist the retraction in the lowering phase until we’re almost at the ground level. It’s therefore a “fight” between the actions of protraction and retraction of the scapulae.
Remember the “push through the heel of the hand”? This ignites the protraction. The goal is to allow the shoulder blades to retract at a slow pace. Too often, we find that if there is no retraction, we can fall into the anterior tilt of the scapulae more easily. If there is no movement of the scapulae, it can affect the muscles in the front and the back of the neck by causing more strain.
ALLOW MOVEMENT TO TAKE PLACE
In this full workshop (The Shoulder Reset), Matt explains that going from protraction to retraction means that we are allowing the shoulder joint to move as it was designed. We are allowing gravity to do its job. When allowing the movement from protraction to retraction to take place, we are creating an eccentric contraction, which will offer a smooth descent. It will also translate into creating lightness and ease in a jump back.
The good news is that Matt’s offering a 3-part workshop series this month, Shoulder Mastery The education we can look forward to will have a profound effect on our yoga practice overall.
Part I is all about shoulder mobility and heart openers, and Part II delves into shoulder strength and arm balances. Part III tackles inversions, binds, and neck & shoulder releases.
Click Shoulder Mastery to register.
See you on the mat!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: The Shoulder Reset
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by Trisha Curling | Feb 1, 2024 | Main Page Display
Strengthen Your “Shelf” for Mayurasana
How to Prepare for This Unique Arm Balance
STRENGTHEN YOUR “SHELF” FOR MAYURASANA
Let’s note that muscle groups do not work in isolation: The activation of accessory muscles, although not necessarily the focal point, are an integral part of the execution of a posture. In Mayurasana, the anterior deltoids and rotator cuff muscles may not be part of your first thoughts regarding how to execute this posture, but without considering the role they play, we simply will not be able to create the “shelf” required to create the balance we need in this posture. There is obvious core activation, not to mention strength and activation in the glutes and hamstrings, but the shelf Matt refers to in this class is the ability to hug the elbows in as tightly as possible so as to create an anchor for the pose. The anterior deltoids and rotator cuff muscles offer support, stability, and strength in Mayurasana.
BLOCK SQUEEZE DRILL
In terms of teaching Mayurasana, Matt notes that it’s not an easy pose to sequence towards. Not many other postures mimic the mandatory actions, but there are certainly creative movements and drills we can incorporate into our practice in order to cultivate the inescapable strength required for Mayurasana. Of course, Matt demonstrates the actions we can take to strengthen the appropriate muscle groups. Included in this preparation, in particular for the shelf in Mayurasana, are the biceps, pectoralis muscles, anterior deltoids, and rotator cuff.
Today’s video starts off with a “block squeeze” drill. The block is squeezed between the forearms with bent elbows, while the arms are externally rotated. Our palms are facing forward, and the upper back is rounded while we “sit” in a Chair Pose position. The pectoralis muscles are engaged, but it’s the external rotation that helps us target the rotator cuff muscles.
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STRENGTHEN YOUR “SHELF” FOR MAYURASANA: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THIS UNIQUE ARM BALANCE
MAYURASANA AT THE WALL AND ON YOUR BACK
Mayurasana at the Wall
Here, we can practice mimicking what we did in the block drill—squeezing our elbows in towards each other. In addition, the feeling of “trying to pull the wall up” turns on the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the biceps. We can’t lift our legs here, but we can practice the sensation of pulling our feet back to activate the glutes and hamstrings.
Mayurasana on Your Back
By pressing our feet into the ground in this variation, we can get more feedback and activation of the glutes and hamstrings. In the upper body, we practice the shape by rounding the back and placing our arms as if to set up the shelf on top of the rib cage.
MAYURASANA “MASTERY”
In the full class, Matt reminds us that creating the shelf with our arms doesn’t mean that we are resting on top of them. What we’re actually doing is setting up a strong base, our negotiating point for balance. To achieve the final expression of the posture, it’s the angle of the bend at the elbows, the grip of the ground with the fingers, and the strength in the shoulders and upper body that allow us to shift and find the sweet spot that supports the lift of the legs. In today’s video, you’ll see how Matt shifts his weight back and forth before he locks in to the next step, where he finds authentic balance and uses the strength of the core, glutes, and hamstrings to lift his legs. The trust in the foundation that’s been created allows for this masterful execution of Mayurasana.
KEY ACTIONS IN THIS ARM BALANCE
Here are the 2 key actions Matt outlines for Mayurasana (we’ll find them in most arm balance postures):
- Bending the elbows at an open angle (helps to stop us from falling)
- Intentionally leaning forward while trying to stop at the same time
For Mayurasana, more than building strength in the shoulders, biceps, core, glutes, and hamstrings, it’s about how to be very intentional in the drills we implement in our yoga practice. The only way to become masterful is to be informed and guided through drills like these and, of course, to practice the posture itself.
In Matt’s upcoming 3-part series, Shoulder Mastery, he’ll delve into more about shoulder strength for arm balances, along with a deeper understanding of the shoulders when it comes to inversions, binds, and even releasing the neck.
Strength without action offers no direction. Register for the workshop series today!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Anatomy of Arm Balances
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by Trisha Curling | Jan 25, 2024 | Main Page Display
What Are the Tilts of the Scapulae?
4 Postures to Help You Lock Into These Shoulder Actions
WHAT ARE THE TILTS OF THE SCAPULAE?
When we first dive into studying anatomy, it’s all about the basics. Once the foundation is laid, it becomes easier to scaffold more information. There will always be a learning curve, however, especially in the context of yoga. In Chromatic yoga, it’s about more than intellectually understanding anatomy; it’s also about how we integrate our knowledge of anatomy into our bodies from a non-dogmatic point of view.
When studying shoulder anatomy, we are introduced to the basic actions (protraction, retraction, depression, and elevation). In today’s clip, Matt introduces us to the idea of “the tilts of the scapulae.” He explains that it can be a difficult concept to understand, both intellectually and physically. Essentially, it requires the co-activation of opposing muscle groups in order to create a lock for maximum support around the shoulder girdle. We gain insight into the tilts of the scapulae via 4 postures in today’s video.
UPWARD VS. DOWNWARD TILT OF THE SCAPULA
Upward Tilt
To begin integrating the upward tilt of the scapula into our bodies, we can begin by sitting upright and sending the shoulder forward while drawing the elbow back. This naturally sends the scapula climbing up over the rib cage. It’s the pectoralis minor that initiates this action. This muscle helps pull the shoulder down towards the front of the ribs.
Downward Tilt
This can be harder to understand and integrate. The first step here may be to draw the head of the humerus back. When this happens, the bottom wing tip of the scapula pushes forward into the rib cage.
If we pull the rib cage back into the scapulae, as Matt explains in the full class, this creates a “suction cup” effect from the co-activation of opposing muscle groups. This is effective in our yoga practice when stability is required in postures like Chaturanga and arm balances like Side Crow.
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WHAT ARE THE TILTS OF THE SCAPULAE?: 4 POSTURES TO LOCK IN ON THESE SHOULDER ACTIONS
SIDE-ANGLE PREPARATION
Part of integrating and understanding the upward and downward tilt of the scapulae is to explore the actions in postures in which we can remove some of the balance and strength elements from the equation.
When Matt demonstrates the downward tilt of the bottom scapula in Side-Angle Preparation, he explains that there is a distinction between where retraction and protraction take place. The initial action is still to pull the head of the humerus back, but understanding that there is a degree of retraction in the upper border of the scapula but protraction in the bottom wingtip helps us to negotiate its placement. We create the protraction by pressing the elbow down into the top of the leg; this helps the bottom tip slide forward. From here, we can explore what the sensation feels like in order to record this pattern into our bodies.
CHATURANGA AND JUMP BACKS
In Chaturanga, it can be easy to fall into the pattern of allowing the head of the humerus to dip forward. When this happens, it’s very different from creating protraction. Repetitively allowing the head of the humerus to dip forward can cause strain in the anterior capsule of the shoulder. The goal is to create a play between the actions of external rotation of the humerus and protraction, depression, and retraction of the scapulae.
For Chaturanga Jump Backs, Matt presents a drill utilizing a towel. Again, we get an opportunity to practice the actions of external rotation of the arms, pulling the top of the arm bone back. Matt also reminds us that we can start by sending the scapulae into upward rotation to more distinctly feel the difference, and then execute the actions that will help us stabilize the jump back with the downward tilt of the scapulae.
SIDE CROW
In an arm balance like Side Crow, it’s imperative to feel more confident in our ability to “lock in” to the stability required. Because it’s required to send our weight forward in order to access the lift of the feet in the posture, we must be careful not to lean into an upward tilt—this would lead to imbalance in the posture and perhaps to a fall. In the clip, we see how the emphasis of pushing into the heel of the hands (which brings the bottom tip of the scapulae around) while sending the chest through (which draws the head of the arm bone back) and sending the weight forward into the fingers is ultimately what helps us access the balance required for Side Crow.
ALLOW YOURSELF TIME FOR FULL INTEGRATION
Ultimately, being patient enough to understand and integrate these actions will transform our experience in our practice. Exploring these actions in a variety of postures will take us on a journey of self discovery. We can tap into what comes naturally; at the same time, we can discover where we experience challenge and resistance. In the full class, Matt explains that upward and downward tilt of the scapulae can be difficult to comprehend. What this means is that it may require more persistence to uncover what is possible in our bodies.
Register for Matt’s 2-hour online shoulder workshop, The Shoulder Reset, where there will be an abundance of opportunities to more deeply connect to and understand the biomechanics of the shoulders and how these new understandings can be applied to our yoga practice.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Shoulder Revelation
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by Trisha Curling | Jan 18, 2024 | Main Page Display
Awaken Your Rotator Cuff Muscles
6 Exercises for a More Stable Side Plank
AWAKEN YOUR ROTATOR CUFF MUSCLES
The rotator cuff muscles carry a great deal of responsibility. When healthy and strong, they help to keep the head of the humerus inside of the glenoid fossa, the cavity of the joint. Because it’s a ball and socket joint, the shoulder joint can be quite vulnerable, so awareness of its positioning in postures that require stability is essential. On the mat, there are many opportunities to bear weight on the shoulders, which can prove challenging if we don’t know how to stabilize in postures that require this type of support. Moreover, if we neglect to maintain activation where necessary, we miss opportunities to build strength.
A posture like Vashistasana, Side Plank, requires a vast amount of stability and strength. In today’s video, Matt demonstrates 6 essential exercises that help strengthen our rotator cuff muscles for maximum stability.
ROTATOR CUFF: GET IN TOUCH WITH THE ANATOMY
There are 5 muscles in the rotator cuff group: the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, and teres minor. These are the muscles of internal and external rotation and of abduction.
The subscapularis and teres major are responsible for internal rotation, while the teres minor and infraspinatus are both external rotators. The last muscle, supraspinatus, contributes to the abduction of the arms.
When all of these muscles are co-activated, they suction and secure the head of the humerus into the shoulder socket. In the full class, Matt explains that these muscles are often stretched during our asana practice. For yoga practitioners, it’s therefore vital to create opportunities to strengthen these muscles for overall function, health, and longevity. This can be integrated into our practice on the mat, particularly if we understand the anatomy involved in performing a given exercise to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.
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AWAKEN YOUR ROTATOR CUFF MUSCLES: 6 EXERCISES FOR A MORE STABLE SIDE PLANK
6 EXERCISES FOR STRENGTH
Strengthen with a Strap
- Matt demonstrates ways to strengthen the infraspinatus and teres minor by pulling the strap apart into external rotation of the humerus, along with some retraction of the shoulder blades.
- Adding extra rotation and resistance will uplevel the activation.
Towel Rotations
- In Tabletop position, drawing circles with a towel under one hand will immediately activate the rotator cuff muscles due to the weight-bearing nature of the exercise.
- Here, understanding the difference between rotation at the radioulnar joint and the upper arm bone is key in connecting to the rotator cuff.
Block Raises
- Supraspinatus goes to work while holding yoga blocks and abducting your arms in slight internal rotation.
- Pushing the blocks back behind us while hugging in will again help activate the infraspinatus and teres major and minor.
STABILIZE YOUR SIDE PLANK
There are articulations and joint alignments that are essential in creating healthy stability in Side Plank. In this variation, Matt demonstrates Extended Side Plank, utilizing a wall as a prop. The wall creates feedback that helps us better negotiate where and how to align the wrist and shoulder and to determine the distance between the standing hand and the feet.
In order to create stability in this posture, it’s imperative to retract the shoulder blade and externally rotate the humerus, which activates the infraspinatus and teres minor. Moving our hips (and thus more weight) towards the wall takes the shoulder away from directly stacking over the wrist, which helps to reduce the load on the shoulder joint. Once the foundation is set, expanding into the rest of the posture becomes more accessible.
AWARENESS AND FOCUS FOR STRENGTH
If resistance bands or weights are unavailable, strengthening of the rotator cuff muscles can still take place with a variety of yoga props.
The exercises Matt demonstrates might appear to be simple in nature, but my goodness will they be a challenge! When executed with accuracy, they exhaust the muscles, which breaks them down in order for them to renew with increased strength.
It’s the well-placed effort (Abhyasa) that will inform our experience and translate into larger movements and postures like (Extended) Side Plank. Yes, it’s possible to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles with a variety of different tools and exercises, but when we apply technique and focus, our true potential unfolds.
Register for Matt’s upcoming Shoulder Reset workshop to learn and refine techniques to create strong, healthy shoulders.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Anatomy In Motion
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by Trisha Curling | Jan 11, 2024 | Main Page Display
Samskaras
What Have You Decided About You & Your Yoga Practice?
SAMSKARAS
Even though we uncover a great deal about our bodies in our asana practice, we actually unearth much more from the other areas of our yoga practice. If we get the opportunity to delve deeper into the philosophy of yoga, it can take us places that will challenge our sense of self. In Matt’s 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and in his recent The Power of Bliss immersion, he describes the teachings about samskaras. What are samskaras? He breaks it down explicitly in today’s clip by saying that they are patterns or grooves of the mind, developed through your life’s experiences. When something happens to you, your brain looks for similar circumstances in order to easily organize and understand them. What you’ll receive from today’s video is an opportunity to consider what patterns and beliefs you’ve developed in mind and body.
HOW DO SAMSKARAS PRESENT THEMSELVES?
A good example might be that when someone says or does something we’ve heard before or recognize as familiar, the brain, or the ego aspect of ourselves, jumps in with the opinion that the outcome will be exactly the same as it was in the past. Unfortunately, if the experiences are negative, it’s easy to get stuck in the pattern and continue to expect the same results. This may cause a sense of hopelessness, making it difficult to see beyond our current circumstances.
The beauty of the yoga practice is that, as the journey unfolds, we come to understand that we have the ability to challenge and transform the samskaras that do not serve us but have still become “our story.” This ability doesn’t mean that the process is easy, nor does it mean that there’s an end point. We are always experiencing new things.
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SAMSKARAS: WHAT HAVE YOU DECIDED ABOUT YOU & YOUR YOGA PRACTICE?
WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY?
Cultivating the awareness that we can be an observer of our thoughts is a step in the right direction towards transformation. Transformation itself, however, requires more than just changing our minds.
Taking command to cause an actual shift can be described as “burning samskaras,” which is a way to think about physiologically changing the neural pathways in our brain. This is also known as neuroplasticity:
“Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, is a process that involves adaptive structural and functional changes to the brain. A good definition is ‘the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections.’”
Puderbaugh M, Emmady PD. Neuroplasticity. [Updated 2023 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557811/
When this has taken place, our new intuitive response is to access what serves us.
SAMSKARAS AND OUR BODIES
As we age, we can fall into the pattern of thinking that we’re just too old to do certain things. We may also believe that if we haven’t been able to execute a particular posture or find more flexibility in the past, then this will always be true.
These samskaras are created through messages we’ve been told and through experiences we’ve had in our bodies, which convince us that this is our eternal reality.
In today’s clip, Matt skillfully walks us through the techniques to find greater access in Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana. This posture may seem completely reasonable and accessible already, or it may seem too difficult to attempt.
Consider for a moment that we actually have the ability to execute this posture by taking step-by-step action with Matt’s techniques. It’s possible to transform our experience and thus change our belief about what is possible.
EVOLVING OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS
So, what is it that you believe about yourself? Asking yourself a question like this can be scary.
We might encounter confusion and resistance when we first begin to probe.
Having the guidance of a teacher to assist us in gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to burn our samskaras and evolve our belief systems about our minds and bodies can provide a more fluid pathway.
For example, Matt’s upcoming online workshop, called The Shoulder Reset, is a great entry point to learn more about what is possible in your body. Shoulder injuries are common, but when we learn more about anatomy, technique, and biomechanics and about how to apply this knowledge to our own bodies, we can explore new possibilities.
New information may present itself as access to new postures, less pain after an injury, and a new story to believe about ourselves.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Power of Bliss Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jan 4, 2024 | Main Page Display
Headstand and Forearm Stand
Master This Imperative Shoulder Action
HEADSTAND AND FOREARM STAND
Getting straight to the point, the imperative shoulder action in Headstand and Forearm Stand is elevation of the scapulae. This is the best way to fully participate in developing your potential in these postures. It may seem like a simple action, but it’s important to understand the broader scope of what’s involved. More than just lifting your shoulders up towards your ears, it’s the activation of muscles like the upper trapezius, serratus anterior, and the triceps, along with freedom in the neck, that help support this action. In today’s video, Matt outlines a number of drills that will assist you in finding the appropriate amount of activation and strength to achieve balance, stability, and freedom in Headstand and Forearm Stand.
DOWNWARD DOG–DOLPHIN DRILL
This first drill can be approached in two different ways:
- The first approach to this Headstand drill starts in a shorter Downward-Facing Dog in which your body is still in a diagonal position. You then proceed to play with movement between moving your head gently down towards the ground, which requires a softening in the shoulders, and pushing the floor away with your forearms, creating more elevation of the scapulae and pushing your body back. Matt reminds you not to move back to a point where you feel pain in your shoulders as a result of greater compression in the joint.
- In the second approach, you’ll walk your feet in to become more vertical (closer to Headstand or Forearm Stand position). It’s important to note the slow lowering of your head towards the ground in order to build greater strength in the elevators of the scapulae.
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HEADSTAND AND FOREARM STAND: MASTER THIS IMPERATIVE SHOULDER ACTION
HEADSTAND PREPARATION
It may be simpler to understand why elevation of the scapulae is important in Forearm Stand: The goal there is to take your head completely off of the ground. Why is elevation of the scapulae also imperative in Headstand? Well, implementing this action will reduce pressure on your cervical spine, that is, in the neck.
If you are going forward with this exploration, then you will feel some weight in your head in the starting position (feet down). To reduce this weight, Matt advises you to take your gaze towards your belly button to get longer in the back of your neck and/or to take the opportunity to strengthen your serratus muscles, along with the trapezius, by pushing the floor away to the degree that allows you to lift your head further away from the ground. This movement may be slight or moving more towards Forearm Stand.
FOREARM STAND DRILLS
Once you’ve explored some of the added layers in Headstand from the video, you can move on to explore your potential in Forearm Stand. This of course requires increased elevation of the scapulae in order to lift your head off the ground.
This time, start with your head completely off the ground. Proceed by lifting one leg up at a time. If you’re close to a wall, like Matt is in the video, you’ll see how he demonstrates a controlled hop.
Now, if you’re looking for a bit more, you’ll see Matt’s demonstration utilizing a chair in the video. This can be more intense, but what Matt explains is that it’s helpful to remove the balance element from the drill because you can work on strengthening and deepening the connection to the awareness of the range required in the scapulae in order to lift.
PROTECT YOUR NECK
Keep in mind, the best choice to avoid injury or the aggravation of any known discomfort in your neck is to stay away from Headstand completely. However, what’s offered in the video tutorial, assuming it’s safe for you to explore, are ways to intelligently approach the practice of Headstand and Forearm Stand with a deeper understanding of how to prepare your body. The drills teach you how to build strength and mobility concurrently. You’ll learn how to strengthen muscles like the trapezius, serratus anterior, and stabilizers of the neck, but the basis for this strengthening comes from the important action of elevating your scapulae. This action is the catalyst for unlocking your potential in these inversions.
Register today for The Shoulder Reset, a 2-hour livestream workshop on January 28th, where Matt will dive into technique, anatomy, and the biomechanics of the shoulder joint.
See you on the mat!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Shoulder Mobility Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Dec 20, 2023 | Main Page Display
The Impact of a Hip Stretch on the Knee Joint
Are Your Knees at Risk?
THE IMPACT OF A HIP STRETCH ON THE KNEE JOINT
The knee joint can be quite vulnerable: “Of the lower extremity joints, the knee sustains the highest percentage of injuries, particularly among physically active individuals.”
Journal of Orthapaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. Published Online: February 1, 2010. Volume 40 Issue 2. Pages 42-51
In the full class from today’s clip, Matt begins with some great education about how hip stretches affect the knee joint. He explains that whenever we are stretching the hip, it not only places pressure on the hip itself but also on the knee. This of course can put your knees at risk of injury. The good news is that there are ways to help circumvent the potential for serious injury. In the clip, Matt teaches you how to approach hip external and internal rotation in 5 yoga postures with more integrity for the knee joint in order to keep it safe.
HOW TO PROTECT THE KNEE JOINT
The previously cited article goes on to clarify that when hip muscles are weak, there is a direct link to knee injury. This aligns with Matt’s emphasis on the isometric contraction of the muscles that support the hips, knees, and ankles when executing various yoga postures. He carefully cues specific joint actions for more optimal positioning during activation to reduce the stress on and stretch of the ligaments around the knee joint. Because the knee is mainly supported by ligaments, they need to be strong to maintain stability. Now, positioning depends on what’s required for your body at a given time: “Abnormal motion of the femur can have a direct effect on tibiofemoral joint kinematics and strain the soft tissue restraints that bind the tibia to the distal end of the femur.”
Journal of Orthapaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. Published Online: February 1, 2010. Volume 40 Issue 2. Pages 42 – 51
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THE IMPACT OF A HIP STRETCH ON THE KNEE JOINT: ARE YOUR KNEES AT RISK?
WARRIOR II
In the video, you begin to see this potential for the abnormal motion or positioning of the femur in Warrior II. First, the positioning of your pelvis influences the amount of internal rotation of the femur. Matt cues a movement of the heel that will aid in further external rotation of the hip, but he suggests that you also consider directing your focus to the shin so that you’ll be able to witness the knee rotating back: Pressing your outer heel down while dragging it back will activate the biceps femoris muscle (hamstring muscle) to access the rotation of the shin. Now, if you discern that this creates more torque on the knee joint, you can back off on the amount of external rotation of the hip (femur) by placing more force on the inner or center heel when pressing down and pulling back.
GODDESS POSE AND MALASANA
In Goddess Pose, you can really see the impact that the positioning of the femur and shin bones can have on the knee joint. There is a common tendency to internally rotate your shins when the knees are moving more outward, which may cause pain in the inner knees. You can avoid this by turning your feet more outward. Then, to create the isometric contraction and more external rotation of the shins, pull your outer heels towards one another—imagine each fibula (the outer shin bone) pulling in towards the midline of your body. And with a little extra anterior tilt, your pelvis stays back.
You’ll notice the parallels in Malasana, Squat Pose. Keeping the knee joint safe requires the same awareness of the amount of external rotation versus internal rotation of the hip, along with the activation of the adductor muscles through a facilitated stretch.
STANDING FIGURE 4 AND HALF LOTUS ON YOUR BACK
Standing Figure 4 Pose can place a tremendous amount of pressure on the knee joint of the top leg. Due to the way that the ankle presses up, the pressure is usually located on the inside of the knee. This causes the shin to almost push into and tweak the knee. Matt suggests rotating the shin down towards the ground while externally rotating at the hip joint. These two actions will help increase the space in the knee joint while creating less strain in the outer knee ligaments.
Hip external rotation along with knee flexion will support your ability to find Half Lotus on your back. As regards activation here, you can pull either the outer shin or the inner shin back. Generally, attempting to pull the outer shin back first is better for knee joint protection.
AVOID A FIXED MINDSET
It’s important to note that Matt’s Chromatic Yoga approach teaches you not to get fixed on specific positioning or alignment. Explore, so that you may discover what serves your body best in a given moment. In terms of the postures we’ve examined today, it may serve you to create more external rather than internal rotation. Wherever Matt cues more external rotation, you can explore the opposite, which may work better to decrease the pressure in the knee joint. Getting caught up in the idea that there is “only one way” may do more harm than good. For example in Malasana, more medial rotation of the shin bones has the potential to create more pain in the inner knees or to mitigate knee pain.
Register for the Blissful Hips Immersion to learn more about a practice that serves your body.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Blissful Hips Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Dec 13, 2023 | Main Page Display
Connect to Your Abductor Muscles
5 Unique Variations for Increased Stretch and Strength
CONNECT TO YOUR ABDUCTOR MUSCLES
Once you’ve been exposed to what’s possible in your asana practice, there’s no turning back. What I mean is that it’s possible to completely transform your practice once you realize just how many opportunities there are to implement strength. These opportunities exist in places you may not have considered before. As for stretching, it may seem easier to find opportunities to stretch, but implementing effective stretch methods is another thing entirely. Practicing with Matt opens the doors to both effective stretching and strengthening. In today’s video, it’s all about your abductor muscles. What you’ll see are 5 posture variations you can start implementing today.
One of the major roles of your abductor muscles is to provide hip stability, so it’s imperative that you implement effective stretch and strengthening techniques to promote the health of your abductor muscles and surrounding tissues.
ABDUCTOR MUSCLE ANATOMY AND PELVIC STABILITY
The action of the abductor muscles is to move your legs away from the midline of the body. These muscles also assist in stabilizing the pelvis. A telltale sign that your abductor muscles are extremely flexible or potentially weak is the presence of a significant hip sway when walking. Alternatively, when your abductor muscles are tight, it may be more challenging to adduct the upper thigh bones because of the pull from the tension in the abductor muscles. In order to create pelvic stability, you need suppleness in the abductor muscles. Engaging in opportunities to both stretch and strengthen will help you nurture more supple muscles.
There are 4 main abductor muscles: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae (TFL), and gluteus maximus. Even though TFL is a hip flexor and gluteus maximus extends the hips, they also abduct the legs when they work together.
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CONNECT TO YOUR ABDUCTOR MUSCLES: 5 UNIQUE VARIATIONS FOR INCREASED STRETCH AND STRENGTH
WARRIOR II AND SIDE PLANK TO PROMOTE STRENGTH
Warrior II
This posture can serve you in ways you may not expect. The technique to create strength in the abductor muscles here is to utilize a self-adjustment. Placing your hand on the outside of your front knee and pressing your hand into your knee and your knee into your hand will work to awaken and strengthen all four abductor muscles.
Side Plank with a Strap
Grab a strap for this one! The strap helps provide the feedback and the self-adjustment required to connect to your abductor muscles. You’ll see in the video that the trick here is to turn your pelvis slightly towards the ground as you push your legs apart (abduct) in order to create the required tension in the strap. Think about pulling the back of your legs apart as opposed to opening your pelvis.
CHAIR POSE TICK TOCKS
Now, this is a really creative variation! Once again, the strap is your best friend. Sensationally, it will provide more information from your body, which will help you discern which actions you need to implement so as to connect with and activate your abductor muscles. Matt emphasizes that the action of pressing your heels apart provides a slight internal rotation of the femur bones, which helps to ignite the TFL. As you “tick tock” from side to side, you maintain the abduction of the legs in conjunction with that internal rotation so that you can indeed feel the intended contraction and effort from your abductor muscles.
Practicing in this way builds neural pathways in the brain, promoting a healthy mind-body connection. The more you repeat actions like this, you’re teaching and telling your body how to respond more effectively in order to develop greater strength.
EFFECTIVELY STRETCH IN PIGEON AND EAGLE POSE
Pigeon Pose
To connect to your abductor muscles in Pigeon Pose, it’s about where you place your effort. If the right leg is forward, you’ll push your front thigh bone down and to the right, which will promote strength. This will also send your body to the left, which will also spark a stretch.
Eagle Pose on Your Back
In a standing Eagle Pose, the standing leg needs to be strong and the crossover leg flexible in the abductor muscles. In the video, Matt provides the variation on your back as a way to more easily negotiate the flexibility aspect of the posture.
A golden tip is to hike the hip of the top leg in order to gain more access to the bind, providing more stretch. In the video, you’ll see how Matt adds a lift of the legs to go even deeper with the stretch.
DO MORE THAN THE POSTURE
Throughout his classes, Matt continuously reminds us that it’s not about “just doing the posture” but about your particular intent and the purpose it provides for you as an individual in a given moment.
Ultimately, maintaining the health of your muscles—cultivating both strength and flexibility—will lead you to a stronger, more well-developed asana practice along with those same benefits in your daily life.
You can start practicing in Matt’s Blissful Hips Immersion and learn how to safely and effectively unlock these benefits.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Blissful Hips Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Dec 7, 2023 | Main Page Display
Pelvic Movement and the Hip Joint
Understand the Influence in Your Practice and Your Body
Pelvic Movement and the Hip Joint
The hips are a combination of challenge, ease, freedom, restriction, strength, and weakness. You could very well be experiencing all of these things simultaneously! The hip joint is quite complex—it’s a ball and socket joint that allows you to move in elaborate ways, in your yoga practice and your life off of the mat. This, however, can also make it vulnerable to injury. Understanding your hips and how other areas of your body affect how you move is imperative if your goal is to access your fullest potential in terms of your asana practice and/or movement as a whole. An entry point to such understanding can simply be how you articulate a specific part of your body. In today’s video, Matt highlights the positive impact certain pelvic articulations can have on what you experience in regard to hip mobility.
THE BENEFITS OF PELVIC ANTERIOR TILT IN DOWNWARD DOG
Downward Dog can easily become a posture that just feels like you don’t have to think about how to do it. After all, how many times have you done this posture? Probably too many to count, right?
Matt offers a new lens through which to consider Downward Dog. It’s no secret that part of the benefit of doing this posture is that you’ll get a stretch in your hamstrings. Increased flexibility in your hamstrings can allow for more freedom of movement of the pelvis around the hip joint. However, it is common for your glutes to take charge as soon as you lift your knees off of the ground to lift your hips up, which may create a more posterior tilt of the pelvis. Maintaining an anterior tilt of your pelvis helps strengthen your lower back and offers a hamstring stretch with more integrity for your body.
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PELVIC MOVEMENT AND THE HIP JOINT: UNDERSTAND THE INFLUENCE IN YOUR PRACTICE AND YOUR BODY
CONTROVERSIAL TRANSITIONS ON THE MAT
There are strong opinions when it comes to transitioning from Warrior III to Half Moon. Some will say you should NEVER do it, and others say it’s fine. The argument is that you’re bearing weight on the femur bone of the standing leg and that it destroys the hip joint. Matt points out that in fact, we do this action often. For example, in the transition from High Lunge to Warrior II, you’ll see him demonstrate the movement of the pelvis around the femur bone. Yes, there is slightly more weight in the Warrior III transition, but it is a natural movement. What you’ll know better than anyone who has an opinion is how the movement feels in your body. Matt explains that if there is pain, it can often be attributed to a lack of strength in the muscles that surround the hip. In the video, he shows you where to place your awareness to begin to minimize the pain.
HOW THE PELVIS INFORMS A STRETCH
The last posture in today’s video, a Pyramid variation, offers insight into how the direction of your pelvis can inform and transform your experience in a stretch. Instead of just squaring the hips, Matt cues a rotation of the pelvis (with left leg back) in which you turn the left side of your pelvis down towards the ground and towards your right thigh bone. The benefit here is a deeper stretch of the right outer buttocks and hips. Why is this action important? Deepening the stretch of these muscles, which may not be easy to find in your yoga practice, will contribute to the overall health of the hip joint. Achieving increased hip mobility involves increased flexibility. Keep in mind, however, that there are other parts of the equation. Overall hip health and mobility also require strength and body awareness.
HOW TO ACHIEVE OVERALL HIP HEALTH
In the full class, Matt explains that mobility implies that we have strength in a greater range of motion, no matter how elongated a muscle is. There are plenty of opportunities to stretch muscles in an asana practice, but activating them in the practice to build strength will also increase their flexibility over time. It is important to remember this when you are exploring the actions of the pelvis around the hip joint in order to create more flexibility and length in the muscles that surround and support the hip. Exploring these articulations of the pelvis promotes and improves your sense of proprioception and body awareness, helping you unlock your potential. Try these actions in your practice and watch it unfold!
Delve into the possibilities of this complex area of your body in Matt’s current immersion, Blissful Hips.
See you on the mat!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Blissful Hips Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Nov 30, 2023 | Main Page Display
Glutes and Hamstrings
8 Skills and Drills for Activation
Glutes and Hamstrings
How many times has your yoga teacher said “feel your glutes” in a particular posture in a yoga class, but you’re not sure exactly what that means or what it’s actually supposed to feel like? You can easily lose or misunderstand the connection to the sensations in your body unless you’re intentional about locking in to each action in your asana practice. It’s more than that though—it’s also about learning the techniques to actually make the connection. Learning effective techniques and implementing them can help you to get to know your body in a deeper way, and this can very effectively change how you move. In today’s video, Matt highlights 8 effective ways for you to connect to your glutes and hamstrings in order to strengthen them for better functionality overall.
LEARN THE TECHNIQUES
An excellent approach to connecting to your glutes and hamstrings is to learn technique. This provides a focus and removes the pressure of trying to randomly figure out where and how to feel what you may believe you’re supposed to feel. It also helps you explore your body in a safe way. In Matt’s approach, instead of just going through a variety of postures that are “prescribed” to fire up your glutes and hamstrings, Matt provides a direct how-to, which means there are articulations and repetitive actions that help you connect with certainty to the sensations in your glutes and hamstrings.
Strength is more than building muscle and resilience; it’s a skill. The skills and drills that Matt offers create a solid foundation for transformation and connection in your body.
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GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS: 8 SKILLS AND DRILLS FOR ACTIVATION
TRANSFORM THESE STANDING POSTURES
In Low Lunge, Matt demonstrates how to access your glutes and hamstrings effectively. To ignite your hamstrings in the front leg, drag your front heel back while creating a posterior tilt in the pelvis. When you also press down the front heel, your glutes will spark up.
In the video, Matt maintains the same actions in Warrior II, Goddess Pose, and the Pyramid variation he demonstrates. Pressing down through your heel and pulling your feet towards each other contracts and activates your glutes and hamstrings.
The Supported Warrior III “leg lift” variation offers specific pelvic articulations that are key to connecting to the sensations in your glutes and hamstrings, and Crescent Pose Slides are an effective glute and hamstring strengthener.
Incorporating these skills and drills will help you understand your body more deeply .
GLUTE BRIDGE AND TABLE TOP VARIATIONS
These potentially more “traditional” movements to activate and strengthen your glutes and hamstrings are also executed with different levels and unique articulations in the video.
One of the first ways to really find connection in these variations is to remove your yoga mat! Matt wears socks on his hardwood floor. Wearing socks forces you to dig in a little deeper into the floor to find steadiness.
Matt offers 3 variations of Glute Bridge and 4 variations of Table Top. What’s nice about exploring the different variations is that you have the opportunity to find out where your needs are on each side of the body. This is where growth and understanding take place.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
When it comes to the hamstrings, you may often think about how to become more flexible in that area of the body; what may be neglected is that to create integrity in your muscles, there must be a healthy degree of strength. Strength is often associated with glutes, but why, and how can you strengthen them effectively? If you strengthen your glutes and hamstrings effectively, you support your ability to propel your body forward in your daily movement. Applying these safe and effective techniques will contribute to your hip health and thus your overall health.
Register for Matt’s December 2023 Immersion Blissful Hips in order to learn and to expand your current toolbox for strength!
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Hip Mobility Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Nov 16, 2023 | Main Page Display
Bound Ardha Chandrasana
Technique, Accessibility, and Expression
BOUND ARDHA CHANDRASANA
As Matt shares the 5 Powers of Consciousness from Tantrik yoga philosophy in his current immersion, The Power of Bliss, he reminds us that they are powers that exist within us and are present all around us. You can see a brief breakdown here. These teachings can be applied when discussing Bound Ardha Chandrasana, and there is a lot to say. In the full class, Matt describes this pose as one of the most challenging (this is subjective of course), but that leaves room to interject discussion of the 2nd power of consciousness, Bliss (Ānanda-Śakti), into the conversation. When considering what Bliss means when it comes to Bound Ardha Chandrasana, you’ll also have to also make room for how technique (or knowledge, Jñāna-Śakti), accessibility, and expression play a role.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF BLISS?
I was asked this question once by my osteopath, and I gave an answer about a feeling, a moment in time when I felt happy. Starting to delve deeper into philosophy in my 300 Hour studies with Matt has definitely challenged my previous answer.
Matt explains the teachings so well, stating that Bliss (yes, with a capital B) is not a feeling of just finding happiness, or of “being in a state of bliss” because things are going the way you want them to at a particular moment or in life. Rather, it is the awareness (Cit-Śakti) that even in struggle, you can experience Bliss because you are here, in the human experience. Your mere being is an expression of Bliss itself and all that your experiences encompass.
If Bound Ardha Chandrasana is challenging and you’re feeling frustrated in the process, Bliss is actually present.
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BOUND ARDHA CHANDRASANA: TECHNIQUE, ACCESSIBILITY, AND EXPRESSION
GROWTH AND EXPRESSION
The same is true if Bound Ardha Chandrasana comes to you quite naturally. Bliss is also present in this state. This is where we come to understand that it’s more about where we are along the journey of Bound Ardha Chandrasana and not about the achievement of the posture itself. It’s about the knowledge we are gaining and about each individual experience. Your ability to express yourself fully in any variation of the posture is what contributes to the deepening of your relationship with the practice of yoga and the power that exists within you.
On the Chromatic Path to the posture, there are variations and preparations for you to learn from, sit with, and grow with. Matt’s classes offer a plethora of options for you to carve your own path.
VARIATION AND PREPARATION
In today’s video, Matt starts off by demonstrating the techniques involved in Bound Side Angle. Important cues like the internal rotation of your arms, along with bowing deeply forward, create an accessibility to the bind that you may not have thought possible. Now, working this way in Bound Side Angle or even Bound Triangle (which he also demonstrates) doesn’t necessarily make the pose “easier.” This approach just offers options and access points for you to explore. The postures are opportunities for you to explore the techniques, gain knowledge, and discern what is appropriate for you to express at any given time. Matt offers the option for you to explore a half bind, or none at all. When you play the video, you’ll hear him discuss the importance of finding the love within yourself to express outwardly in the form or variation you’ve chosen.
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by Trisha Curling | Nov 9, 2023 | Main Page Display
10 Sun Salutation Skill Sets
Polish Your Technique for Masterful Action
SUN SALUTATION SKILL SETS
The feeling you get from flowing on your mat to the rhythm of your breath can feel like paradise. There’s a freedom involved in seamlessly flowing from one yoga posture to the next. In a Vinyasa or Power Yoga class, you become intimately acquainted with Sun Salutation sequences. What may get lost, however, is the value of technique within your flow. Maintaining an underpinning of technique within your movements on the mat can drastically enhance the actions you take in your asana practice as a whole. If you’ve practiced with Matt before, then you’re more than aware that the techniques and philosophical guidance he offers within his classes can transform your yoga practice. Polishing your technique in Sun Salutation sequences will establish a solid foundation for your body to move with increased assuredness and ease in your Vinyasa or Power Yoga flows.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Today’s video is extracted from Matt’s first class in his current immersion, Power Of Bliss. He begins the class by providing a broad overview of the 5 Powers of Consciousness from the Tantrik yoga lineage.
“Knowledge,” or Jñāna–Śakti, being 1 of the 5 powers, is the acquisition of skill, technique, and understanding. This can be applied to any aspect of your life. On the yoga mat, it may refer to learning more about your body via the vehicle of yoga postures. It may mean learning about how to execute the postures themselves to maximize strength and flexibility. Matt stresses, however, that when you understand that all 5 powers are connected, then you realize that no amount of knowledge will manifest itself without action or without the will to learn in the first place, but knowledge is essential and helps you be more intentional with your actions.
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10 SUN SALUTATION SKILL SETS: POLISH YOUR TECHNIQUE FOR MASTERFUL ACTION
POSTURE SKILLS PART I
There is a plethora of techniques to be explored within Sun Salutation sequences. Fortunately, Matt creates an easily digestible process through which to attain these skills in today’s video.
Standing Chaturanga and Chaturanga
Standing Chaturanga removes the element of strength so you can first align your body for safe and efficient positioning. You’ll learn the placement of the hands and how that connects to the orientation of your shoulders. Practicing on a wall is the next stop before taking it to the mat.
Urdhva Hastasana
Matt teaches that when raising your arms up overhead, elevating your scapulae will help to minimize the risk of shoulder impingement. It will also train your body to utilize muscles like the serratus anterior and trapezius.
Ardha Uttanasana and Uttanasana
One of the most common tendencies in these poses is to misalign your pelvis and ankles. For increased strength, you can also isometrically contract your outer hips and buttocks in both postures.
POSTURE SKILLS PART II
Plank
Planks are inevitable in Sun Salutation A. They may feel challenging, but layering in the techniques Matt teaches will significantly change your experience.
3-Part Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog
3-Part Cobra is unique to Chromatic Yoga. It’s a great way to prepare for spinal extension and what’s required in Upward-Facing Dog. Each step is precise and reveals a true record of your spinal extension.
Downward-Facing Dog
After practicing the elevation of the scapulae in Urdhva Hastasana, your body is more primed for the same elevation here. The muscle activations create more intensity and more support around the shoulder girdle.
The Jumps
Both forward and back jumps allow for more seamless transitions. There are specific articulations of the ankles and knees that create more fluency when practiced.
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by Trisha Curling | Nov 2, 2023 | Main Page Display
3 Ways to Stretch and Strengthen Your Neck
Home In on the Awareness of Your Posture
STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN YOUR NECK
A common postural tendency or pattern for so many is slouching, which includes forward head posture due to the amount of time spent at a work desk or on a variety of digital devices. Functioning in this way may seem unavoidable due to work/life responsibilities, but welcoming in a level of awareness and actions you can take to shift this pattern will ultimately contribute to greater wellness.
If you’re holding tension in your neck and upper back, the techniques Matt offers in today’s video will help stretch and strengthen the appropriate muscles in your neck. It also means that you’ll find more freedom of movement, which may also lead to less tension. The key component is the awareness that you’ll nurture throughout the process. There isn’t any “fix” without awareness. This part of the equation must also be implemented.
SVADHYAYA AND AWARENESS
If you want to transform your experience, you must first be aware of your state of being. In my previous blog, Take Action in Flying Pigeon, we touched on the area of understanding the 5 Powers of Consciousness, which Matt explores further in his immersion The Power of Bliss and delves into in greater detail in his 300 Hr. Teacher Training. In Chromatic Yoga, Matt draws on the original teachings of the Yoga Sutras and beyond. He stresses that the key aspect is self-inquiry, Svadhyaya in the Yoga Sutras. This relates back to the first power in the 5 Powers of Consciousness from the Tantik perspective, which is Cit Śakti (the power of awareness itself). The power of awareness leads to the journey of Svadhyaya and therefore the discernment you need to take the right actions.
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3 WAYS TO STRETCH & STRENGTHEN YOUR NECK: HONE IN ON THE AWARENESS OF YOUR NECK
TECHNIQUES FOR THE NECK
When you’re experiencing neck tension, it can be quite challenging to shift your awareness from discomfort or pain to the possibility of ease. Part of the formula to create ease is to stretch and strengthen your neck. This is important because the muscles of the neck can become shortened, weak, and tight from constant poor positioning such as forward head posture. Pulling your chin in and your head back and up, without puffing your chest out, can help to stretch the sternocleidomastoid muscle. On each side of the neck, this muscle attaches to both the sternum and the clavicle and then to the mastoid process towards the rear side of your skull.
Adding in rotation can also promote strength and flexibility in your neck. These may be “simple” actions, but it’s imperative to be aware of the execution of these techniques within a given posture.
3 POSTURES FOR THE NECK
It can be easy to remain on autopilot in any given yoga posture, especially if you’ve executed the posture many times before. Matt outlines how to stretch and strengthen your neck in 3 “basic” yoga postures.
In Warrior II, you’ll see how Matt pulls his head up and back before initiating the next step, the rotation. When the rotation is added, along with the awareness to shorten one side and lengthen the other, what you achieve is an engagement of the sternocleidomastoid on the front side and a lengthening on the back side. What’s even more effective is the self-adjustment of pressing your head into your hand in order to get more in touch with the positioning and sensation. When exploring Pyramid Pose and High Lunge, the experience in both of these postures is changed by adding the same techniques (without the rotation).
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by Trisha Curling | Oct 26, 2023 | Main Page Display
Take Action in Flying Pigeon
Asana and the 5 Powers of Consciousness
TAKE ACTION IN FLYING PIGEON
Interesting about seeking and incorporating a yoga practice is that the entry point is quite different for everyone. There are many reasons you may be drawn to certain aspects of the practice, and they may satisfy you for some time. What usually happens though is an unfolding you don’t expect. The purpose or reason you went to your yoga practice shifts the more you delve into what it has to offer. It’s not uncommon to be drawn to the physical (the asana) first, but as you continue to have the desire to learn and the willingness to take action, your relationship with your yoga practice will change and deepen.
In today’s video, Matt demonstrates how to take action in Flying Pigeon, but when you examine it through the lens of the 5 Powers of Consciousness, your perspective opens up.
WHAT ARE THE 5 POWERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS?
If you study with Matt in any of his yoga teacher trainings or immersions, you’ll gain access to these teachings, which come from ancient Tantrik Yoga philosophy.
Christopher Wallis, author of Tantra Illuminated, outlines the 5 powers of consciousness:
- Consciousness/Awareness: Cit-Śakti
- Bliss: Ānanda-Śakti
- Will: Icchā-Śakti
- Knowledge: Jñāna-Śakti
- Action: Kriyā-Śakti
- Freedom (encompasses all 5): Svātantrya-Śakti
Each on their own have profound meaning, but it’s important to understand that they all exist within each other.
For today, we’ll look at Flying Pigeon primarily through the lens of Action (Kriyā-Śakti), but there is no action without the discussion of Will (Icchā-Śakti) and Knowledge (Jñāna-Śakti). It’s not that the others are not present, but we can start to gain some insight into the system as they apply to what it means to take action in Flying Pigeon Pose.
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TAKE ACTION IN FLYING PIGEON: ASANA AND THE 5 POWERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FLYING PIGEON PREPARATION
Hip opening is one of the key components of Flying Pigeon, and this is what Matt demonstrates in today’s video. Matt guides you through the Chromatic Yoga process by layering postures that will prepare your hips and facilitate your ability to “take action in Flying Pigeon.”
Keep in mind, however, that the action takes place throughout the entire process. The fact that you have the will to do it, that you take the time to learn more about how to do it, and then actually show up to practice—these are all part of taking action. Looking at it through the lens of the 5 powers of consciousness, you might become more aware of your reasons for wanting to do the pose and of how you respond to the process.
THE 3 STEPS TO FLYING PIGEON
In the first step, Matt starts you off by practicing a hip opener at the wall, and he begins to pattern your ability to evert your ankle. This knowledge can change your experience of Flying Pigeon altogether. When you add in the aspect of balance, it can be challenging to open your hip to the required degree without your foot wanting to naturally invert as a result, which may cause it to slip off your upper arm.
Without balancing, you still begin to position yourself similarly to the peak posture. For example, you get to practice just how close you need to bring your shin to your armpit, along with leaving space between your foot and tricep.
The third step is the “preparatory peak pose.” Here, Matt offers the option of practicing Flying Pigeon in a shape similar to Boat Pose. This again helps with patterning.
MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL
Within this system, the understanding is that in order to take action, there is an awareness that there is some desire (will) present to pursue a particular action. If will is present, the acquisition of knowledge must follow. What’s intriguing about understanding all of this is that the pursuit of a particular asana is done with the removal of the part of the ego that wants to prove, for external validation, that it can be done.
Bliss, as discussed in Tantra Illuminated, helps you be simply appreciative of the exploration, no matter the outcome of achieving the posture. Being conscious of this experience is also Bliss.
Making sense of it all requires much more than barely skimming the surface. Matt’s next immersion, Power of Bliss, will take you on the journey of understanding.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Chromatic Yoga 15-Hour Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Oct 18, 2023 | Main Page Display
Inversion Drills
Conquer Fear Through Technique
INVERSION DRILLS
Are you the type of person who avoids inversions altogether, or do you eagerly await the option in your yoga classes?
Matt infuses Chromatic yoga with the philosophies of ancient Tantric yoga to help you acquire a more in-depth understanding of your own thought processes, decision-making, and patterns. One of the ways you can more closely connect to the reason for either a fear (resistance) or an attachment (attraction) regarding inversions is through the conditioning (samskaras) you have about your ability to achieve inversions. This is why the Chromatic approach is always systematic—you’re encouraged to take incremental steps towards your desired actions and new patterning. Utilizing the inversion drills from today’s video is a step towards understanding your relationship with fear and learning about how technique can quiet your resistance towards them.
IS FEAR WORKING FOR YOU OR AGAINST YOU?
Feling fear about inversions or even inversion drills doesn’t mean that something is wrong with you. You’re not required to change your feelings about them just to work them into your asana practice. That’s not what understanding your relationship to fear means. Fear may be what protects you. You may have an injury or condition that may amplify if you don’t use your good judgment and stay away from inversions. In the full class, Matt discusses how fear is a kind of protective mechanism. It can help you to sort through whether or not the fear is valid. The thing is, it’s up to you to decide if working beyond it will create positive transformation, like confidence and strength, or if it might be more damaging. It’s quite alright to fear something and make a decision not to engage in that particular thing.
THE 5 KLESHAS
How does this relate to the Yoga Sutras? In Tantra of the Yoga Sutras, author Alan Finger states the following:
“The five kleshas are what cause the mind to become engrossed in the belief patterns that create mental disequilibrium and psychological distress.”
Here are the 5 kleshas:
- Avidya: Ignorance
- Asmita: Ego
- Raga: Attachment
- Dvesha: Aversion
- Abhinivesha: Fear of Death
Finger, Alan. Tantra of the Yoga Sutras. Pg. 42 (Yoga Sutra 2.3)
In this particular class, Matt points to raga and dvesha in relation to inversions and inversion drills. Raga here means that you are keen to practice inversions because, for example, they are familiar, or you already feel confident practicing them. Dvesha, being the opposite, may come from your fear or lack of confidence in your ability.
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INVERSION DRILLS: CONQUER THE FEAR THROUGH TECHNIQUE
HEADSTAND DRILLS
Once you look at inversions through the lens of raga and dvesha, Matt explains that there are 2 next steps to follow:
- Become aware of what you avoid and attach to.
- Practice taking action in the direction of what is appropriate for you.
In headstands, there may already be aspects you are comfortable with. If it’s appropriate for you to move forward, Matt offers techniques that will strengthen your confidence.
First, he makes a connection to Handstand by pointing out that whether you are practicing on your head or your hands, the same principle applies: lean and resist. You lean forward to go upright, but then you must resist to prevent yourself from falling. There are muscle engagements that will help you to find your balance. In the headstand inversion drills, pressing your head back into your hands while pressing your fists and forearms into the ground will allow your neck muscles to become your brakes.
HANDSTAND DRILLS
In handstands, one of the prominent activations comes from the forearms; this is done by gripping the ground. As in the inversion drills for Headstand, you can make use of other props to find better access to “lean and resist.” Keep in mind that it’s not all about strength. Hamstring flexibility supports your ability to go upright. In these inversion drills, Matt makes great use of blocks and a chair as a way to minimize the amount of hamstring flexibility that is required.
These tools play a role in the incremental steps he’s talking about. The props are used as a way to mitigate fear. You also become deeply immersed in technique, which creates a rise in ability and confidence. In the video, you’ll see the attention placed on things like the articulation of your feet, your pelvis, and even your distance from the wall. These are important specifics that will transform your experience.
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by Trisha Curling | Oct 12, 2023 | Main Page Display
Ignite Your Core
Add These 7 Postures for Strength and Stretching
IGNITE YOUR CORE
It’s no secret that you go to your yoga mat for a purpose, whatever that may be on a given day. It’s important, however, to marry that purpose with intention. When it comes to strengthening your core in your asana practice, this is vital. As your center, your core is involved in every movement, but that doesn’t mean you’re maximizing your potential for strength. In many yoga postures, you may be missing opportunities to intentionally move in a way that will truly ignite your core. In today’s video, you’ll see how Matt transforms the execution of 7 yoga poses. You will learn new ways to achieve strength in your core, and you’ll gain the benefit of a target stretch, which in Chromatic yoga can become a secondary focal point to support the desired action on the mat.
PREPARE WITH “CORE” CAT/COW
Igniting your core in Cat/Cow may not be exactly as you imagine. What Matt says in the video about defaulting to just allowing gravity to take over can be so true. He mentions that when moving into spinal flexion (Cat), you may just be dropping your head and the lower vertebrae, but flexing the entire spine is extremely important. The actions to take here are to pull your chin and throat back and to pull your ribs back, while lengthening the occipital ridge (where your skull meets your neck). By doing this, you’ll really feel the difference in sensation. You’ll get the activation of the core, receiving the benefit of strength while also lengthening the erector spinae muscles. These are also great foundational actions for arm balances and forward folds.
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IGNITE YOUR CORE: ADD THESE 7 POSTURES FOR STRENGTH & STRETCH
PROGRESSION AND PATTERNING
In Chromatic yoga, you’re directed toward a specific focal point or action. This not only allows you to practice it repeatedly to integrate it, but eventually, it also transforms the way your body moves altogether. After repatterning Cat/Cow to attain more core engagement, multiple opportunities will unfold in the rest of the practice. Postures like High Lunge and the transitions between postures change when you focus on the physical throughline. In today’s video, you’ll see how the same actions from Cat/Cow are repeated in High Lunge. Coming from Three-Legged Dog towards “knee to chest” requires more strength from your wrists, shoulders, and serratus anterior. So what should you do? Stay focused on the key actions. What’s interesting is that sometimes your body finds more connection on a different plane, so repeatedly exploring these actions is crucial.
CORE ACTIVATION—TRADITIONAL AND UNEXPECTED
Matt offers a variety of options in standing and seated Dragonfly.
As discussed, the key actions today are to pull your ribs back, pull your chin and throat back, and elongate your neck. In the last 4 postures in the video, Matt demonstrates some traditional and unexpected ways to ignite your core.
- Lizard Pose is a hip opener, but bringing your awareness to the key actions is what changes the dynamic.
- Forearm Plank may be a more typical posture with regard to strengthening the core, but pay attention to the plantar flexion (pointing) of Matt’s feet in the video—it leads to more emphasis on your trunk.
- Gravity can take over in Pyramid Pose, but it’s an opportunity again to engage.
- Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold) is the final pose in the clip. Although an intense hamstring stretch, it becomes effective as a core strengthener when you stretch your back muscles in spinal flexion.
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by Trisha Curling | Oct 5, 2023 | Main Page Display
Dragonfly Pose
Techniques for Hips and for Arm Balances
DRAGONFLY POSE
Recently, I was listening to a podcast where the founder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, mentioned the quote “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” He didn’t say it in exactly those words, but it was enough to see how well it applied to Chromatic yoga. Explaining what Chromatic yoga is in the first class of this month’s immersion (Chromatic Yoga), Matt says that instead of “achieving” a posture, you learn more about your body by understanding how to utilize it. You do this by executing the appropriate actions that inevitably make a posture accessible. How does this apply to Dragonfly Pose? Well, when broken down, the posture is a hip opener and an arm balance that also includes spinal rotation. Matt’s approach is about developing and strengthening the necessary actions within your body through practice and repetition.
APPROACHING DRAGONFLY POSE
Breaking it down into little pieces is the key to making this intricate and challenging pose less intimidating. If your body is not “ready/prepared/able” to combine the hip opening, spinal rotation, and arm balance all at once, you can explore the many variations Matt offers in today’s video. Exploring these variations is the perfect opportunity to kinesthetically learn and integrate the patterns for the pose in your body. With each step, more than just making the shape, you are strengthening the appropriate muscle groups in order to eventually find a more equal balance of both ease and flexibility in Dragonfly. In the full class from which this video is extracted, Matt reminds you that it’s not about making the pose easy, it’s about creating integrity during the execution. For example, if you are extremely flexible and/or hypermobile, you can make Dragonfly more sturdy with the right muscular activations.
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DRAGONFLY POSE: TECHNIQUES FOR HIPS & ARM BALANCES
TAKE IT DOWN
Creating these activations requires a generous level of exertion, making it effortful rather than easy.
In the first variation that Matt demonstrates, he removes the arm balance and takes you all the way down onto your mat. After creating the initial shape, he then introduces the use of a yoga block to assist in strengthening your adductors and hip flexors. While practicing the steps to develop strength, you acquire a deeper connection to and understanding of your body. You’ll find out where you already feel strong versus where you may need to spend more time building strength.
There are also a number of “tiny” actions that you can practice without the intensity of the arm balance component. The flexion and direction of your feet, for example, can greatly affect your ability to maintain the positioning of the top leg in Dragonfly Pose.
STANDING VERSUS SEATED DRAGONFLY POSE
What’s incredible here is the variety of options Matt offers in standing and seated Dragonfly.
Standing Dragonfly
In the first option, he layers the spinal rotation element on top of the hip opening. You also begin to introduce more of a balance component since you are standing on one leg in a “Figure 4” position.
The final standing variation is done at the wall, through which a certain degree of balance is dialed back; however, the connection to the arm balance can begin here.
Seated Dragonfly
While seated in a chair, you again create the Figure 4 position, along with the spinal rotation. When you’re ready to progress to the arm balance, Matt demonstrates how to use the edge of a chair. Your chair plays a vital role in that the height must be just right so as not to place too much pressure on your hip.
BEGIN AT THE END
Part of Chromatic yoga is looking at the “end point” (in this case Dragonfly Pose) so that you can work backwards by analyzing all of the necessary pieces to work through and explore. It’s the “shooting for the moon,” if you will. What ultimately happens as you explore and prepare your body is that you discover a great deal about your physical and mental self. You end up “landing among the stars.” You find out how you react/respond once you are faced with a physical challenge while exploring a posture. Do you work through it, or is your instinct to run? You also discover what physical actions you need to take to break through and achieve your fullest potential.
Register for Matt’s Chromatic Yoga Immersion to transform your relationship to your yoga practice so that you open the door to new possibilities.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Flow & Fly Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Sep 27, 2023 | Main Page Display
Bound Side Angle
2 Variations To Open Up Your Shoulders
BOUND SIDE ANGLE
You might either approach Bound Side Angle with excitement or with a sense of fear. If you adopt a certain perspective, it’s possible for the word “bound” to evoke a sense of freedom in the context of yoga. In postures like Bound Side Angle, openness is required not just in the shoulders but also in the hips. While on one hand, yes, the posture can seem limiting and closed (especially if there are constrictions due to pain or injury); on the other hand, through the use of props and specific articulations, there are ways to access increased shoulder mobility. In today’s video, Matt offers very explicit actions you can take to acquire more flexibility and strength. What you’ll also find is that the connection you gain to the rest of your body ultimately creates a positive influence on your ability to find more opening.
MUCH MORE THAN YOUR SHOULDERS
It’s easy to prioritize the amount of mobility required in your shoulders for this posture, which is necessary, but there is more that requires your attention. Once you learn about what Chromatic Yoga is all about, you come into a more expansive awareness of your whole self—body and mind. Within your practice, this awareness is expressed as an informed exploration. This means that you begin to learn that certain movements or actions will alter your access and experience in a posture.
Let’s examine what’s involved with the hips. There is a generous amount of abduction required, demanding a high degree of flexibility and strength in the adductor muscles. The wider the stance, the “easier” it will be to access the bind. In the video and discussion below, you’ll see how this supports your ability to find more shoulder mobility.
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BOUND SIDE ANGLE: 2 VARIATIONS TO OPEN UP YOUR SHOULDERS
BOUND SIDE ANGLE TECHNIQUES WITH A BLOCK
When setting up Bound Side Angle, some of the first cues Matt offers in the video are “hips back, groins back.” Emphasis on the positioning of your hips is addressed quite early. Taking these actions can immediately make way for increased space for you to drop your torso as low as possible. If the attempt to lower your upper body to a greater degree feels too ambitious, Matt suggests placing a block underneath your front foot. You can see how this elevation brings your inner knee closer to the back of your shoulder, which can allow more freedom for your arm to go underneath your inner thigh.
That being said, it is also the articulation of the shoulder joint that impacts your ability to wrap around for the bind. More protraction of the scapulae and internal rotation of the shoulders will assist you in getting your arm behind you.
BOUND SIDE ANGLE WITH A STRAP
In both variations, once you have the security of the clasp, of your hands or with a strap, you can begin to lift. There are still actions that need to take place before you invite in the shoulder articulations for expansion. Creating a posterior tilt in your pelvis will set off the action of pulling your shoulders back, therefore lifting the chest up.
Practicing all of this with a strap may at first appear to be less arduous than without one. Matt notes that it may actually be more challenging in the sense that it provides increased range of motion in the shoulders. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of the muscle activations that will create an underpinning of strength to support the flexibility. Activating muscles like the rear deltoids and the erector spinae (for spinal support), along with the glutes and adductors, will substantially bolster the integrity of this posture.
THE ENTIRE SCOPE
As the saying goes, “You can throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks,” or in terms of yoga, you can arm yourself with education to gain more distinct results. The beauty of Chromatic yoga is that Matt articulates the alignment and biomechanics of each posture with absolute precision. This allows you to make informed choices regarding your practice: At any given time, you’ll have multiple opportunities to select which variations and modifications are appropriate for you. Through practice and repetition, you’ll experience a transformation within your physical body. What you’ll also learn is how to adopt and integrate the philosophical teachings of yoga into multiple areas of your life. Bound Side Angle pose may be a physical posture, but when you are open to the entire scope of what’s available to you within it, your potential is limitless.
Register for Matt’s next immersion, Chromatic Yoga, for a transformative experience.
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Article by Trish Curling
Videos Extracted From: Shoulder Revelation Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Sep 21, 2023 | Main Page Display
Dancer Pose
The Chromatic Way
DANCER POSE
Dancer Pose is the kind of posture that embodies both grace and strength. In order to integrate these two things into your practice of this posture, there are quite a number of pieces of the puzzle to consider. You might argue that the “grace” portion of the pose comes from its heart-opening shape, while the strength comes from all that goes into finding balance. There are other components that comprise both. The journey of discovering these elements becomes quite profound and rewarding when you follow Matt’s Chromatic approach. In today’s video, you’ll witness techniques that support your development and observe how the “Chromatic way” is implemented to create deeper awareness and transformation. Dancer Pose, along with other “preparatory postures,” becomes more accessible in your practice.
WHAT IS CHROMATIC YOGA?
Before we look at Dancer Pose, let’s delve into what Chromatic Yoga actually means: “Chromatic Yoga is a systematic approach to teaching that provides a highly intentional and purposeful experience for students to cultivate awareness of their body and mind.” (Extracted from Matt’s 300 Hr. Teacher Training)
What does this look like in your physical yoga practice? In a well-developed class or practice, you’ll start by laying a foundation. This can be done by focusing on specific actions in “foundational postures” and/or shapes. This sets the stage and prepares your body for a “peak posture.” Each movement is executed with a specific intention. Remaining focused on these intentions helps you create more awareness of how you move and where you may need to add or edit a particular action. Everything is broken down, simplified, and repeated to support you in realizing your fullest potential.
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DANCER POSE: THE CHROMATIC WAY
START HERE
Dancer Pose is a heart opener and a balance posture all in one. Creating the shape of a heart opener requires that you create the action of retracting the scapulae; when done with well-placed effort, this will activate the rhomboids and lower trapezius. Matt demonstrates how to pattern this activation in Upward-Facing Dog. In today’s video, you’ll see that after retracting your scapulae and externally rotating the humerus on each side, you create more space for your chest to move forward. When you lift your rib cage up and out, you create more length and opening in your front body. These are all key actions to start with in order to find more heart space in Dancer Pose. This patterning continues in Twisted Monkey and in Tiger Pose. What you also see are the necessary actions in the pelvis and the activations that promote the lengthening required in the hip flexors and quadriceps.
DANCER POSE AT THE WALL
If you’ve worked through these progressions, your body is more physically prepared for the next steps. This variation of Dancer Pose is great because it reduces the effort required to stay balanced if you want to be more focused on the backbend and the movement of the pelvis. Here, Matt demonstrates the dance (pun intended) between the movement of the pelvis (more anterior tilt), which assists in lifting the back leg further up, and the action of increased external rotation of the shoulder. Once you have tipped forward with more anterior tilt, Matt advises you to lift your chest up on an inhale in order to expand through your front body. Going back and forth between these actions promotes greater opening altogether. The activation of the quadriceps and hip flexors is continued by pressing your foot into your hand and vice versa.
FIND YOUR BALANCE
The repetition of the actions created throughout the previous postures boosts your ability to find more balance in Dancer Pose. The same exchange between tipping forward and lifting up the chest, plus a greater awareness of the internal rotation of the lifted leg, will assist in cultivating more stability.
The definition of finding your balance goes beyond just taking Dancer Pose away from the wall. From a Chromatic Yoga perspective, it also means that in the process of exploring the biomechanics of a posture, you are learning more about your body and mind. Maybe there are vast differences between one side of the body and the other, or maybe there is room for a shift in your thought process during your practice. This can go in multiple directions! Ultimately, the relationship you build with yourself and your practice as a whole is completely transformed when you adopt the Chromatic way.
Sign up for Matt’s next Online Chromatic Yoga Immersion to deepen your understanding of this approach.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Vinyasa Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Aug 24, 2023 | Main Page Display
Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana
Where to Induce Strength
EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA
There’s no doubt that back-line strength (more specifically, strength from the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and erector spinae) is a requirement to elevate your hips off of your yoga mat in Urdhva Dhanurasana. Moreover, when the element of the lifted leg in Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana is added, the awareness of where to distribute your strength becomes heightened—you need to consider the strength to elevate your hips, and there’s a requirement to induce strength from the quadriceps and hip flexors in the lifted leg. The demand from the back line increases because you are relying on sustaining the elevation from one side of your body. In today’s video, you’ll see how Matt and his wife Rebecca Rasmussen (@dancinbecca) demonstrate exactly where and how to maximize your body’s ability to cultivate strength for this masterful posture.
INSIDE THE ANATOMY
In the top leg, the hip flexor muscles involved in pulling your leg towards your chest include the rectus femoris, sartorius, iliacus, psoas major, pectineus, and TFL. It’s important to understand the relationship between the strength of these muscles and how they oppose the tension of the glutes and hamstrings in the same leg. This tension will reveal itself even more when you attempt to straighten your leg, which also activates the quadriceps. Along with the weight of gravity, the tension will attempt to pull your leg away from your chest. Matt advises you to prioritize strengthening your hip flexors to draw the leg closer to your chest, rather than attempting to straighten your leg and allowing it to drift away. Opting to prioritize your hip flexors here simply means that you are stepping into the opportunity to increase strength rather than chasing the aesthetic.
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EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA: WHERE TO INDUCE STRENGTH
BRIDGE POSE AS YOUR BASE
As always, Matt’s Chromatic approach helps to pattern and prepare your body for each progression. In Bridge Pose, you’ll see the importance of generating strength from your feet: In order to light up the power in your glutes, you press down through your inner heels and the “three points of your feet” (big toe, pinky toe, and heel). With your glutes, hamstrings, and adductor magnus activated, you’ll have enough strength to lift your hips up. Another of Matt’s tips is to feel as though you are pushing your feet away from you on the diagonal. This will help to activate your quadriceps, which translates to even more hip height. Once you’ve explored here, you can layer on the lifted leg in Bridge Pose. This variation allows you to practice taking your top leg closer to your chest in a more controlled position.
WHEEL POSE PROGRESSION
As you progress towards Wheel Pose, you carry the same patterning you cultivated in Bridge (e.g., pressing through your heels). In Wheel, however, more awareness of the positioning of your hands, shoulder blades, and spine become vital. Before you even lift off of the ground, it’s important to create more extension in your spine, which you can initiate with an anterior tilt of your pelvis. In today’s video, Rebecca demonstrates the Wheel Pose setup as Matt cues specific articulations. With her hands wider than shoulder width, she presses up onto her head first, in order to draw her shoulder blades in closer before elevating even further. Drawing your shoulder blades closer towards one another will open the chest further, allowing you to press your chest in the direction of your fingertips and thus create a deeper heart opener.
PROMOTE THE PUSH
Beyond understanding where to push into your hands and feet for elevation, you can encourage a push into an imaginary wall for the foot of your top leg. Pushing into the sky offers a completely transformative experience in Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana. If you are working with someone (like Matt and Rebecca are in the video), you can utilize the resistance of your partner pushing into the foot or thigh of your top leg to fire up your hip flexors. If increasing strength is your goal, incorporating these actions will get you there sooner. Additionally, when you have a deeper understanding of the anatomy, it’s easier to know where to induce strength.
Sign up for Matt’s Yoga Anatomy Course Waitlist and build a closer relationship with yourself and your body via anatomy and your yoga practice.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Anatomy of the Heart
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by Trisha Curling | Aug 9, 2023 | Main Page Display
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B
Increase Your Range of Motion
UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA B
In my previous blog, we looked at how Matt prepares you for Standing Nose to Shin (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A). Although there are multiple similarities in regard to preparation between that posture and today’s (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B), there are obviously other points of consideration due to both the change in positioning of the top leg and the differences in the shape of the torso. What you can rely on is how Matt develops a clear narrative for you to follow. The buildup to a posture is like reading a book with first-rate plot development. The variations offered in today’s video include all of the vital elements (rising action/muscular preparation, climax/execution of the posture, falling action/the lessons learned and deeper understanding of your body, and resolution/reflection and awareness of how to approach the posture with physical and mental intelligence.
START WITH STRENGTH
To approach Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B with intelligence, you have to start with strength. Accepting this methodology means that increased range of motion is within your grasp. If you’ve practiced with Matt before, then you understand that the development of improved range of motion includes both strength and flexibility. Part of the rising action in today’s narrative is the cultivating of outer hip strength for both stability in the standing leg and active mobility in the top leg. To this end, Matt demonstrates a drill where you’re in a Tabletop position while repeatedly lifting/abducting one leg. In this drill, paying attention to the articulation of your pelvis (anterior tilt) and the positioning of the knee of the lifted leg (going directly out to the side and not trailing behind) is the difference between actually targeting the outer hip muscles effectively and just mindlessly going through the motions.
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UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA B: INCREASE YOUR RANGE OF MOTION
STANDING KNEE BEND
Once strength has been addressed as part of the foundation for this posture, moving towards the exploration of increased range of motion in your hips becomes possible. Here, Matt offers variations of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B that begin to lead you towards the climax (the potential of the pose that exists within your body).
Matt reveals that in a standing position, beyond the requirement of hip flexion and hamstring flexibility in the standing leg, you can actually increase your range of motion first by squeezing in the hip of the standing leg while creating a lateral tilt in your pelvis. This lateral tilt automatically sends the top leg higher. Immediately, you reduce the amount of constriction of hip flexion from the top leg. Maintaining a bent knee in the top leg also allows you to explore the pose with less demand on the hamstrings and adductors.
HALF MOON POSE LEG LIFTS
In the previous step, you also begin to foster a development of lateral flexion of the spine along with strength in the obliques and quadratus lumborum (QL) to support the lateral tilt of the pelvis when you’re upright in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B. In today’s video, Matt nurtures this with his “Half Moon Pose leg lifts” drill. Although this drill continues to develop strength in the outer hips, it also generates strength in the obliques and QL because you are lifting (abducting) the top leg beyond a neutral position. Additionally, just because the standing leg is static doesn’t mean that it’s inactive. You can still intentionally create abduction of the bottom leg. Together, these actions translate directly into a sense of stability in the torso, which comes from strong oblique and QL muscles.
VARIATIONS AT THE WALL
Matt keeps you at the edge of your seat as he unfolds what’s possible. First, he offers a drill that assists in mastering the lateral tilt of the pelvis. He also demonstrates more than one access point into Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B. Matt explains that if you have any hamstring and/or adductor concerns in regard to flexibility, it might be safer to straighten your top leg to its potential before tilting the pelvis. On the other hand, you can opt to tilt your pelvis first and then straighten. Further, you can create a Compass-like variation where you’re gearing towards increased lateral flexion in the spine in order to grab the outer top foot.
Exploring all of these variations guides you towards not only resolutions that are long-lasting within your physical body but also greater discernment within your mind when it comes to approaching your practice more holistically.
You can gain deeper insight into Matt’s Chromatic methodology within the “chapters” of his 200 & 300 Hour Teacher Training courses.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Splits Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jul 27, 2023 | Main Page Display
Standing Nose to Shin
Variations for a Solid Foundation
STANDING NOSE TO SHIN
Standing Nose to Shin is an exceptional preparatory posture for Hanumanasana, or Splits Pose, but it is an equally profound posture on its own. It also requires thoughtful preparation, particularly when considering how to optimize the prominent muscle groups that are involved. Your hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, back muscles, and calf muscles are just some of the highlighted areas of the body that require attention for you to realize your full potential in the pose. In today’s video, Matt lays out the path to increased strength, flexibility, and mobility via these 5 preparatory variations of Standing Nose to Shin. What you’ll see are ways to intelligently break down the posture into bite-sized pieces by attempting them in different planes. Working through these variations is not solely a gateway to the posture but an entrance to amplified body balance.
HAMSTRING, HIP FLEXOR, AND QUAD ACTIVATION
Both palpitation and the use of your own body as a prop are great tools in your yoga practice. In the first variation, Matt has you lace your fingers to grasp underneath the belly of your hamstring. Doing this will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of both the strength and stretch sensation in that area of your body. Pressing down into your hands creates an activation. Once you extend your leg, you’ll initiate the technique of reciprocal inhibition—activating the opposing muscle of the one you’re lengthening. In this case, your quadriceps activate while your hamstrings lengthen. This is important because it helps minimize the potential for overstretching the hamstrings.
Getting your hip flexors more involved means letting go of the grip on your hamstrings and allowing your extended leg to do the work of opposing gravity.
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STANDING NOSE TO SHIN: 5 VARIATIONS FOR A SOLID FOUNDATION
STANDING SINGLE LEG AT THE WALL
Using a wall as a prop doesn’t mean that it’s an opportunity to neglect the required muscle activation to prepare for Standing Nose to Shin. This variation is the training ground for the anterior tilt of the pelvis that encourages an increased range of motion. Matt reminds you that even though you fold forward in the final variation, there is still an incorporation of the pelvic tilt.
Along with this pelvic tilt is a lifting of the heart and a backbend, which help you strengthen and activate in order to prepare for the fold in the final variation.
Another important action for the final variation is the dorsiflexion of your foot. What’s taking place here is the strengthening and intentional activation of the tibialis anterior.
As you create these activations, the hamstrings can become more vulnerable, so it’s important to stay in tune with the sensations that are taking place there.
STANDING SPLITS AT THE WALL
This variation is interesting, because even though you are going more with gravity, there is still opportunity to activate, activate, activate! There’s continued emphasis on activating your quads and glute muscles. As regards the top leg, it’s almost as if you’re trying to lift your leg off of the wall with the glute activation. Doing this mimics the position of the standing leg when you “turn the pose upside down” by standing right side up.
Here, you can also welcome in the deeper fold towards the standing leg. In order to protect the hamstring of the standing leg, you tuck the same-side sit bone while taking your face closer to your shin. Tucking your tailbone produces an activation of the hamstrings and glutes (facilitated stretch) to keep the sit-bone attachment safe.
SEATED, SUPINE, AND STANDING
Getting onto the floor offers another chance to imitate the posture with less emphasis on balance. You’re able to continue to work on activating the quadriceps in the lower leg, just as you will in the standing pose.
In the video, even though Matt is leaning forward towards his shin, you can also see how long and “upright” he appears in his alignment. This gets more range but with increased protection of the spine and whole backline.
Attempting the final variation of Standing Nose to Shin adds layers of challenge. If you carefully complete the 5 stages Matt demonstrates, you’ll be able to uncover the articulations, activations, and ranges that require more attention.
Matt’s in-depth approach goes even further in his 200 & 300 hour teacher trainings. This is where you can dive deeper into the core of multiple postures and their variations.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Splits Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jul 20, 2023 | Main Page Display
Strengthen Your Adductor Muscles
Incorporate These Drills Into Your Yoga Practice
STRENGTHEN YOUR ADDUCTOR MUSCLES
The adductor muscles are commonly left as a lower priority when it comes to building strength in your yoga practice. It’s not that there aren’t opportunities, but more intention is required about when and how to incorporate the necessary actions that will actually strengthen this area of your body. The message from Matt is clear and simple: Engage your adductor muscles. You just have to do it! Taking action is the only way for transformation to occur. Now, when it comes to when and how, Matt outlines in today’s video a number of different yoga postures and drills for you to include in your practice with specific techniques. It may take you out of your comfort zone, but that is exactly how you’ll develop. It’s these actions and drills that will open up your physical yoga practice to new postures, and your physical body to improved functionality.
OVERSTRETCHING THE ADDUCTORS
In a yoga practice, the adductor muscles are often stretched without any engagement. I’m sure you can come up with a number of different postures where your adductors are in a lengthened position. Think of any wide-legged posture, such as Warrior II. How many times have you included this posture in your practice?
The length and stretch sensation of the adductors can feel like the solution to tension or tightness in this area of your body. Releasing tension and increasing flexibility in your adductor muscles actually involves strengthening. This is why it’s imperative to be more calculated in your approach. Finding opportunities to strengthen your adductor muscles will promote their resilience and minimize the likelihood of them becoming overstretched, which can in turn cause injuries. Engaging them, however, can feel challenging, especially if you’re not used to inviting engagement into your practice.
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STRENGTHEN YOUR ADDUCTOR MUSCLES: INCORPORATE THESE DRILLS INTO YOUR YOGA PRACTICE
REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT AVOID ACTIVATING THE ADDUCTORS
One of the first things Matt talks about in his 300 Hr. Teacher Training is the idea of resistance and how it will show up in certain areas of your life, especially with regard to creating transformation. You feel resistance when it comes to things you don’t particularly want to do, but this is also true even when it comes down to doing things you enjoy. You may love going to your mat to practice yoga, but incorporating intentional muscle activation to increase strength can be quite humbling and discouraging at times. If you want to strengthen your adductor muscles, or your whole body for that matter, Matt encourages you to lean into the resistance. It will reveal not only what’s taking place in your physical body but also more of what you need to know about yourself. This is the yoga practice.
TRY THESE DRILLS
Goddess Pose is the first posture in today’s video. Here, you have to abduct your legs in order to access the strengthening technique. Your adductors are in a lengthened position and feet are turned out, which will help target the adductor magnus in particular. In order to strengthen your adductors, Matt utilizes a facilitated-stretch technique.
The next drill requires props, a wall and either a yoga block or bosu ball. This time, you’re in more of a closed position, while pressing one leg into the block. It gets your hip flexors and pectineus active. The adductors of both legs are strengthening while performing different roles.
The final drills are really variations of one another, and WOW do they challenge you! In addition to what they demand of your adductors, they also require you to integrate more of your body weight with each progression.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF RESISTANCE
Transformation lives on the other side of resistance. Before this is experienced, however, it’s inevitable that you will encounter challenges. A yoga practice that calls upon you to engage your muscles is effortful and can feel quite discouraging. It can tire your body more easily and therefore entice you to incorporate these strengthening techniques a little less than what’s required for actual transformation. But what you’ll find on the other side of resistance is both an unfolding of increased possibilities in your physical practice and a deeper awareness of your own fortitude.
If you want to strengthen your adductors, you’ll have to take advantage of the opportunities within your yoga practice. You can see that there are many opportunities in what Matt offers in today’s video. Once you try out the drills Matt demonstrates, you’ll find doors opening in your practice that you may not have thought possible.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Anatomy in Motion
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by Trisha Curling | Jul 13, 2023 | Main Page Display
Plank, Chaturanga, Upward Dog
Shoulder Mechanics Simplified
PLANK, CHATURANGA, UPWARD DOG
How many times have you heard the cue “Plank, Chaturanga, Upward Dog” in a yoga class? If you’re a regular practitioner, it’s probably quite often (particularly in Vinyasa-style classes). These postures are often strung together in a sequence, and the repetition of this sequence can feel quite nice in your body once it becomes a more regular part of your asana practice. It’s easy, however, to become complacent in the execution of these postures and potentially miss opportunities to practice with more skill. In today’s video, Matt simplifies the shoulder mechanics within each posture and highlights how to effectively utilize the appropriate muscle groups for maximum efficiency in your body. You’ll come away with alignment insights that will uplevel your yoga practice.
UNDERSTANDING PLANK
Plank is the foundation and start of the sequence of Plank, Chaturanga, Upward Dog. It is the start of being able to understand some of the common tendencies you may have when it comes to stability. Matt explains that one tendency is the anterior tilt of the scapulae (i.e., the shoulders roll forward). This is not necessarily wrong, but if your body regularly defaults into the pattern, it may be an indication that your serratus anterior is weak. It’s your serratus anterior that works to protract the scapulae (a requirement for Plank Pose). If this area is weak, then your pectoralis minor will attempt to take over. A big indicator here is a “sagging” between the shoulder blades. In Plank, your torso is being weighed down by gravity, so the pull of the chest, or “sagging,” is almost inevitable if the serratus anterior is weak.
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PLANK, CHATURANGA, UPWARD DOG: SHOULDER MECHANICS SIMPLIFIED
CHATURANGA AND THE ROLE OF GRAVITY
In the full class, Matt discusses the importance of understanding the role of gravity and its influence on Plank and Chaturanga. In Plank, we now understand the tendency to close the distance between the shoulder blades. In Chaturanga, however, there is an element of going with gravity through the movement, while also opposing it. In other words, in Chaturanga, the shoulder mechanics change. You’re moving from protraction in Plank to retraction. This is where it gets tricky. Even though there is a level of retraction, it’s critical to note that the muscles that allow you to lower into Chaturanga slowly are the muscles that create protraction. There is still a level of effort placed on protraction so as not to just go with gravity and fall on your face. Essentially, you are fighting against gravity in order to maintain a slow stable descent into Chaturanga.
UPWARD-FACING DOG
Falling into the same pattern of anterior tilt in the shoulders is very easy here too. Upward Dog has the capacity to be a strong backbend, but this is achieved by creating a posterior tilt of the scapulae. Instead of thinking about how to manipulate this action from the top of the shoulder blades, Matt suggests bringing your awareness to the bottom tips. Bringing the bottom tips of the scapulae in towards your midline while sending them forward will help to create the shape. Lifting your shoulders up while also sending them back will ultimately send your chest forward to create the backbend. If this proves to be challenging, it comes back to strengthening both the serratus anterior and, in this case, the lower trapezius, which can help you break away from old patterns. It’s the difference between dropping into gravity and lifting up and out with more power.
TRANSITION
Plank, Chaturanga, Upward Dog—instead of just going through the motions, you now need a deeper sense of awareness in this sequence. Of course, your body will start to re-pattern, and there will be less thought once the pattern becomes ingrained in your body. The sequence of Plank, Chaturanga, Upward Dog will become more fluid, but until then, it will be a process of becoming more familiar with the timing of when to protract, retract, elevate, and depress your shoulders. In today’s video from Matt’s Alignment Immersion, he takes you on the journey of these 3 postures. If you’re interested in going even further, investing in his 200 & 300 hour training programs is the way forward. This is where you will go further into not only transforming your own practice but becoming certified to support and transform the practice of your students.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Alignment Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jul 6, 2023 | Main Page Display
Eagle Pose Legs
Pelvic Articulations to Find the Bind
EAGLE POSE
Eagle is a yoga posture that can really highlight the relationship between your pelvis and your hips. Of course, the more you understand your body and how it works, the more you begin to capitalize on its infinite potential. You can do this by utilizing not only drills to prepare you, but also specific articulations of various joints that help you build on strength, flexibility, and mobility in your physical yoga practice. It’s within this understanding that you begin to grow in your practice. Yoga postures that may seem unattainable actually become more accessible or even possible. Sometimes it’s a simple movement or sequence of movements that revolutionizes your experience. In today’s video, Matt shares a simple drill and also a sequence of movements that primarily involve specific actions of your pelvis and hips. Both will transform your Eagle Pose.
START WITH THIS DRILL
If you know that you are moving in a specific direction within a given yoga practice (e.g., practicing a specific posture), your body requires specific warm-ups to execute the posture as safely as possible. The drill that Matt offers in today’s video focuses on supporting the shape of the legs in Eagle Pose. In the drill, he demonstrates a “straddle and criss-cross” movement in a supine position that works to prepare for the deep crossing of one leg over the other. This deep crossing requires a generous amount of flexibility and mobility. In addition to that, however, a great deal of stability is involved because Eagle Pose is also a balance posture. The drill works to prepare both the adductors and the abductors. As the drill progresses, Matt demonstrates how to pattern the actual wrapping of the legs. Continuing to build is key!
WATCH THE VIDEO
EAGLE POSE LEGS: PELVIC ARTICULATIONS TO FIND THE BIND
ARTICULATIONS TO CONSIDER
You’ll see in the progression of the drill that the wrapping movements prepare you for the internal and external rotation of the legs. However, these movements are only enhanced when you invite in other joint articulations.
As you practice Eagle legs in the supine position, it’s imperative to consider the articulation of the ankle in the top leg. In order to find the bind behind the lower leg, you must create an eversion in the ankle of the top leg. This means that you send your toes out and, as Matt explains it, you “shorten the outer ankle.” This creates a hook or locking to hold the bind in place. Now, remember that nothing works in isolation. How do we enhance this action, or make it more accessible? This is when you can really dive into supine Eagle Pose.
SUPINE EAGLE POSE
With the aim of increasing the accessibility of the bind, following a sequence of actions is essential. Breaking things down into bits will help you deepen your understanding. It’s like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. As Matt begins to demonstrate more of what’s involved with the legs in supine Eagle Pose, he introduces you to movements in the pelvis, which then inform the legs and feet.
You’ll see in the video that he internally rotates the upper thigh bone, but to really emphasize this, he laterally tilts the pelvis (lifts the hip of the top leg). This will allow your foot to go behind the bottom leg with more ease. Want to go a step further? Lift your hips off of the ground first and then hike the hip while rotating your hips as if to twist.
EAGLE POSE ENTRANCE AT THE WALL
Eagle Pose at the wall may provide even more room to experiment with pelvic articulations and movements of the hip. Matt suggests that this is because you no longer have a surface beneath you that may potentially limit the amount of rotation available to you. What’s nice here is that you can initially take the balance portion of the posture out of the equation. You’ll see that you stand perpendicular to the wall with your hand resting on it for balance as you execute the hip hike. The rotation is much more significant as you turn to face the wall. What’s slightly different here is that in order to get your leg over top, you must first externally rotate your thigh before you internally rotate it to then find the bind. Once you find the bind, you can turn away from the wall and attempt to find balance.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Practicing these actions in isolation will help you to find the confidence to practice them in the perfect sequence. Following each step helps to unravel the pieces that need more attention alongside the pieces that feel strong. The most exciting part of it all is realizing what’s possible. When you attempt what may seem like a tiny adjustment, you’ll experience just how significant the shift is in a posture and ultimately your practice as a whole.
If you’d like to delve even further, I suggest Matt’s Alignment Immersion, where you’ll really break down each posture one step at a time.
The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Alignment Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jun 29, 2023 | Main Page Display
Neck Alignment
Techniques to Find More Ease in Headstand
NECK ALIGNMENT FOR INVERSIONS
Yoga postures typically start “from the feet up.” The same is true when it comes to inversions—it’s just flipped upside down. The positioning of the head and neck sets the foundation, so finding balance can be quite challenging.
Inversions can be scary stuff, and there’s plenty of legitimate fear to go around. With inversions, the neck becomes “the feet” of the posture, and neck alignment will directly inform your experience. Proper alignment, along with the technique of “pressing your head back,” will strengthen your neck muscles and provide you with the stability required for this posture. In today’s video, Matt breaks down how this technique will provide you with confidence and help you overcome your fears in Headstand.
PRESS YOUR HEAD BACK
The fear of going upside down and placing weight on your neck can be enough to put you off of the posture all together, but the technique of pressing your head back can restore your faith in your ability to execute Headstand with assurance. One of the best ways to practice this technique is upright. Before you consider the strength, consider the neck alignment. Pulling your skull up and back will bring your head more in line with your spinal column and pelvis. Matt explains that this will place your cervical spine into a more concave shape, rather than the common convex shape that occurs due to a frequently forward carriage of the head. At the beginning of the video, you’ll see that the next step is to press your head into your thumbs. These steps are important to explore before you place any weight on your head in inversions.
WATCH THE VIDEO
NECK ALIGNMENT: TECHNIQUES TO FIND MORE EASE IN HEADSTAND
HEADSTAND PREPARATION
Once you feel more comfortable with the neck alignment cues, moving on to the next step in Headstand preparation means exploring those cues in Dolphin Pose. What also needs to be discussed here are the options you have in terms of the amount of weight you opt to place on your head.
At the initial stages of the setup, creating protraction and elevation in the shoulders will help you find more length in the back of your neck and also assist in keeping your head off of the ground. This will make the shift towards taking the back of your head away from your elbows and closer to your hands much easier. The key step, however, is the plantar flexion of your feet in order to make this shift. Next, pressing your head into your hands (more specifically your thumbs) will assist in strengthening your neck muscles.
HEADSTAND WITH BLOCKS
You now know that pointing your toes will assist in stacking the pelvis over the shoulders, but hamstring flexibility is also required. Gaining the appropriate amount of hamstring flexibility will not happen overnight. This is where elevating your feet on blocks is extremely helpful. Using blocks creates a shorter distance for you to create the stacking you need in order to lift your legs. If you’re not ready to take flight in this way, then practice the stacking by moving back and forth between plantar flexion and dorsiflexion at the ankle joint. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of where your body needs to be in space.
UP AGAINST THE WALL
Not knowing where your body is in space is a reason you might choose to practice up against a wall, and this is a great decision, especially when you want to send your legs up in the air.
You may, however, feel like you are up against a figurative wall when trying to “crack the code” for Headstands. It is possible to start depending on the wall for security, which is why implementing the technique of pressing your head into your hands can completely transform your experience. Once you do that, you can feel everything else fall into place: The action encourages the bottom ribs to knit back, which can then send the pelvis over the shoulders. The beauty of using the wall is that you have time to more deeply understand the cues while it acts as your personal spotter.
Register for Matt’s Alignment Immersion to learn all of the cues that help you to safely practice Headstand.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Alignment Immersion
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by Trisha Curling | Jun 22, 2023 | Main Page Display
Pigeon Pose Possibilities
Actionable Steps to Refine Your Alignment
PIGEON POSE
The word “possibility” is so powerful—it’s deeply connected to the word “hope.” Possibilities is an even better word because that means there are multiple options, with more opportunities to find what aligns with you. Hearing this in a yoga class can really support your ability to be more at ease; there may just be an option that will assist you in your desired pursuit within a specific practice, which may turn into a favorable experience you weren’t even expecting. In Matt’s classes, you’ll find an abundance of possibilities to completely transform your asana practice in the most positive way. This can be attributed to the fact that he breaks down each posture in great detail. In today’s Pigeon Pose tutorial, you’ll come away with the knowledge of how to make appropriate adjustments for your body in various stages and variations of the posture.
ANKLE DORSIFLEXION
Pigeon Pose is an excellent hip opener, no doubt about that, but can we even enhance this effect and increase the benefits? There are some alignment cues that can help! For example, Matt directs you towards the articulation of the ankle. You’ll see in today’s video that he instructs you to dorsiflex both feet. You might also be propped up on 2 blocks, one under the front shin and one under the buttock of the front leg, with the front foot hanging just off the block to make room for maximum dorsiflexion. If you take your attention to the back foot, this is where you can increase the stretch in the front hip. It’s the dorsiflexion of the back foot—pressing the ball of the foot down, lifting your hips up, and pulling yourself back—that creates the deeper stretch.
WATCH THE VIDEO
PIGEON POSE POSSIBILITIES: ACTIONABLE STEPS TO REFINE YOUR ALIGNMENT
PIGEON POSE CHAIR VARIATION
Grabbing a chair and incorporating it into your Pigeon Pose practice can really revolutionize your experience. A good place to start might be to sit on the chair and cross one ankle over your knee. Leaning forward in that shape can boost the stretch sensation.
Let’s look at the other possibilities Matt offers. There’s a lot to explore. Other variations with the chair offer options if you need to be higher off of the ground. At the same time, this setup presents opportunities for you to achieve greater range in your hips. By adding blocks in your setup, you can achieve significant range while respecting various progressions.
PELVIC ROTATION FOR DEEPER STRETCH
Even though “getting a deeper stretch” is associated with being the “goal” when it comes to a hip-opening posture like Pigeon Pose, it’s important to be discerning when it comes to what is appropriate for you at a given time. Going into deeper range should only be considered when you can maintain a level of strength and stability in your positioning.
In the last variation, you are shown how to gradually and safely explore the range. As in the first variation, the back toes are curled under and you lift your hips up to more easily manipulate the movement of the pelvis. At this point, you rotate your pelvis towards the midline, which creates more of a twist and that deeper stretch.
In this and any variation, you can decide how much is appropriate.
INCREASED HIP HEALTH
Understanding hip health begins with increased awareness of your body. As previously mentioned, taking your time as you explore alignment and range in each variation can provide you with a lot of feedback. What is presenting itself? Is it hypomobility or hypermobility?
Healthy hips are made up of strength, mobility, stability, and flexibility. If you tend to be hypermobile, for example, incorporating strength into the ranges you explore can be extremely beneficial. On the other hand, hypomobility doesn’t mean that you neglect strength, which in this case may also be extremely beneficial. The key is to be even more cautious and patient when it comes to increasing stretch sensation and range.
In Matt’s Alignment Immersion, you’ll discover much about Pigeon Pose while building a deeper connection to your body.
The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date
The 300 Hr. Advanced Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date
Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Alignment Immersion, Splits Immersion & Hip Mobility Immersion
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