Invert With EaseBALANCEINVERT WITH EASE Feeling good upside down begins before our feet ever leave the floor. It comes from knowing that we have prepared the body well enough to make choices once gravity changes the conversation. In today’s video, Matt helps us invert...
Side Angle Self Adjustment for Hip Strength
SELF ADJUSTMENT IN SIDE ANGLE POSE
ACTIVATE YOUR GLUTES FOR GREATER GAINS
SIDE ANGLE
SELF ADJUSTMENT IN SIDE ANGLE POSE -- ACTIVATE YOUR GLUTES FOR GREATER GAINS
Glute gains! Who doesn’t want those, right? When we think about glute gains though, our minds may go directly to the aesthetic appearance, when in reality, what we really need is the health and strength of that group of muscles (gluteus minimus, medius, and maximus) in order to have functional strength, balance, and endurance. We have the ability to create this reality within our bodies by way of adjustments and focused muscle activation in our physical yoga practice.
When we think about adjustments in a yoga context, it can be quite a lengthy discussion with many layers. Receiving adjustments from our yoga teachers can be a wonderfully supportive experience, while for some, it may be the complete opposite. There may be an aversion to touch for many reasons; no matter what the reasons are, they are to be 100% respected.
STRENGTH
Yoga For Strength: Strengthen Your Weaknesses • Maximize Your Physical Potential
- 12 classes: Each class targets a specific muscle group
- Strengthen your core, back, hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles, legs, and arms
- Learn creative ways to strength train within the context of a yoga practice
- Increase mobility by balancing your strength with oppositional muscle groups
- Joyful accountability to help you reach your practice goals
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The Power of Self Adjustments
Now, we happen to be in a time where so many of us are still not practicing in studios or in person with our private teachers. We are participating in virtual classes more than ever. If you weren’t utilizing self adjustments before, this unique time provides an opportunity to incorporate them. This can be a transformative addition to your physical practice, whether in the studio or at home. Self adjustments offer more than you may think they do. They can be a really great way to connect with our own bodies. When we maintain awareness of the breath and connect with the specific action in the self adjustment, we can truly transform the experience we are having on the mat.
Incorporating adjustments is more than just placing our bodies into a specific alignment. Taking gradual steps through the process helps us to feel safe, therefore helping us to progress.
3 STEPS TO TAKE BEFORE SETTING UP YOUR SELF ADJUSTMENT
- Pay attention to your breath, maintain a rhythm that sends a signal to your brain that you are safe and that you are ready to sync the next action with your breath.
- Find stability first. If you need additional support in the posture, then gather the props you may need. Utilizing blocks, a chair, and/or a wall may be just the thing that helps you to find the sensation or connection to the muscle activation.
- Go for it! Perform the self adjustment. First, find the appropriate alignment in your body and then apply the action/contraction in the muscle with your own assist.
In today’s video, we can see Matt take all of these steps for glute activation in Side Angle Pose. In his preparation for the posture, he has set himself up on a chair, making himself more stable, and then he presses the knee of the front leg out into his bicep in order to turn on the abductors and gluteus muscles. He adds the action of pressing down through the heel in the front foot to turn on the gluteus maximus. These actions completely change the experience in the posture.
300 HOUR ONLINE TRAINING
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- Master your skillset as a teacher
- Refine your practice techniques
- Learn anatomy, biomechanics, self adjustments
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- Learn to teach meditation and breathwork
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The 3 Main Benefits of Self Adjustments
- Gain a sense of awareness of where we are in space (proprioception)
- Develop muscular strength
- Gain access to increase range of motion
With better proprioception (body awareness), we have a better chance of activating our targeted muscles. In the example of Side Angle from the video, the act of pressing into the bicep provides feedback into the brain and body to activate the abductors. We can understand the sensation of this activation so much more. This feedback shows us how to come back to this activation with more confidence whenever we revisit this posture in our practice. The act of that isometric contraction in the targeted muscles builds integrity and strength in the muscles and surrounding tissues. With more strength, we find an opportunity to increase more active range of motion. With better active range of motion, we in turn unleash our access to new postures. We can truly see that self adjustments provide so much more than stacking bones and joints. We are changing our experience on the mat and in our bodies as a whole.
If you want to develop more strength in your yoga practice, check out Matt’s October 2021 Immersion, titled "Strength"
If you’re ready to unleash your true potential and develop greater strength in your yoga practice, then Matt’s new Immersion Strength for the month of October is perfect for you.
In this immersion, you will gain access to:
- 12 Classes: Each class targets a specific muscle group
- Strengthen your core, back, hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles, legs, and arms
- Learn creative ways to strength train within the context of a yoga practice.
- Increase mobility by balancing your strength with oppositional muscle groups
- Joyful accountability to reach your practice goals.
~Written and Edited by Trish Curling
STRENGTH
Yoga For Strength: Strengthen Your Weaknesses • Maximize Your Physical Potential
- 12 classes: Each class targets a specific muscle group
- Strengthen your core, back, hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles, legs, and arms
- Learn creative ways to strength train within the context of a yoga practice
- Increase mobility by balancing your strength with oppositional muscle groups
- Joyful accountability to help you reach your practice goals
SALE PRICE: [cl_product_price id="172226"]
Livestream Class Packages
STRENGTH
Yoga For Strength: Strengthen Your Weaknesses • Maximize Your Physical Potential
- 12 classes: Each class targets a specific muscle group
- Strengthen your core, back, hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles, legs, and arms
- Learn creative ways to strength train within the context of a yoga practice
- Increase mobility by balancing your strength with oppositional muscle groups
- Joyful accountability to help you reach your practice goals
SALE PRICE: [cl_product_price id="172226"]
SHOULDER REVELATION
Strength•Mobility•Biomechanics
- Increase strength and flexibility
- Decrease risk of injury
- Release shoulder tension
- Learn anatomy and biomechanics
- Access a wider range of postures
- Stabilize the rotator cuff muscles
- Learn binds, heart openers, and arm balances
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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VITALITY
RIGOR & RELEASE
- Get back to feeling energized
- Vinyasa-style approach, accessible to everyone
- Hips, twists, heart openers, shoulders, core, & more
- Guided meditations to de-stress, increase focus, and gain mental & emotional clarity
- Strengthen and lengthen the most essential muscle groups
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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BALANCE
INCREASE & AWAKEN YOUR BALANCE
- Learn over 12 balance postures
- Muscle strength and reactive patterning
- Increase proprioception and deliberate weight shifting
- Tree, Standing Hand-to-Foot variations, Warrior III
- Half Moon variations, Handstand, Side Plank, Headstand
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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Hips & Hamstrings
RECLAIM YOUR ELASTICITY
- Learn over 12 hip openers
- Step-by-step instructionals in every practice
- Techniques, biomechanics and alignment
- Pigeon, Eagle, Fire Log, Lizard
- Lotus, Flying Pigeon, Splits, Straddle
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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ARM BALANCES
FREEDOM OF FLIGHT
- Learn over 12 arm balances
- Step-by-step instructionals in every practice
- Techniques, biomechanics and alignment
- Crow, Side Crow, Titibasana, Ashtavakrasana
- Forearm Stand, Koundinyasana 1 & 2, Handstand
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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HEART OPENERS
DISCOVER THE JOY OF BACKBENDS
- Learn over 12 backbends
- Step-by-step instructionals in every practice
- Techniques, biomechanics and alignment
- Bow Pose, Camel, Dancer, Full Wheel
- King Cobra, King Dancer, King Pigeon
- 12 all-levels, 75-minute online classes
- Lifetime unlimited access to all
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MOVE • BREATHE • RELEASE
YOGA • BREATHWORK • MEDITATION
- YOGA: TRANSFORM YOUR BODY
- BREATHWORK: REJUVENATE
- MEDITATION: AWAKEN YOUR MIND
- THE TRIFECTA OF YOGA
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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THE DANCE
ALIGN • REFINE • FLOW
- MOVEMENT TRANSFORMATION
- ALIGNED TRANSITIONS
- TARGETED STRENGTH
- DEEP HIP OPENERS
- 12 CLASSES: INTERMEDIATE
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THE PULSE
BALANCE • STRENGTH • FLEXIBILITY
- SHOULDER STRENGTH
- HEART OPENERS
- HAMSTRINGS & BUTTOCKS
- INNER THIGHS
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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2020 IMMERSIONS
HIPS • HEART • HANDSTAND
- HIP OPENERS
- HEART OPENERS
- HANDSTAND TECHNIQUES
- BUILD COURAGE & STRENGTH
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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boundless freedom
- SHOULDER & NECK RELEASE
- SHOULDER BIOMECHANICS
- BALANCED STRENGTH
- INCREASE RANGE OF MOTION
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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BIRDS OF PARADISE
- FLEXIBILITY OF INNER THIGHS
- 4 GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- LIFETIME ACCCESS TO ALL
- LEADS TO BIRDS OF PARADISE
- COMPARTMENTS OF THE MIND
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BEST STARTER PACKAGE
- 6 YOGA CLASSES
- 2 GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- LIFETIME ACCCESS TO ALL
- 6 PEAK POSTURES
- 6 YOGA SUTRA THEMES
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THE SPINAL RESET
- BACKBENDS & SIDE BENDS
- TWISTS AND FORWARD FOLDS
- SPINAL BIOMECHANICS
- 4 POST-CLASS MEDITATIONS
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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JOURNEY TO BLISS
- PHYSICAL MEETS SPIRITUAL
- EXPLORE THE KOSHAS
- MIND-BODY TENSION RELEASE
- FOUR GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- 12 YOGA CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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BACK, NECK, & SHOULDERS
- 12 YOGA CLASSES
- 4 GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- LIFETIME ACCCESS TO ALL
- 12 PEAK POSTURES
- 12 YOGA SUTRA THEMES
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THE BREAKTHROUGH
- HIP OPENERS
- HIP BIOMECHANICS
- EMPHASIS ON ARM BALANCES
- 4 POST-CLASS MEDITATIONS
- 12 CLASSES: ALL LEVELS
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JOURNEY TO THE HEART
- FULL BODY RESET
- INCREASE BALANCE
- ARM BALANCES
- 4 GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- ELEMENTALLY THEMED
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KING PIGEON & HANUMAN
- FLEXIBILITY OF HIPS
- SHOULDER & SPINE MOBILITY
- 4 GUIDED MEDITATIONS
- 12 INTERMEDIATE CLASSES
- HAMSTRING RANGE OF MOTION
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