Sun Salutation

OK, so this video is a gift to my students who have been asking for a moving image to follow along with! Have a HOOT! This series will turn on the inner fire and rev you up out of the winter dull-drums.  Maybe if we all do a lot of them, then spring sunshine will come sooner!?! 

This pose series goes like this:

Tadasana, Namaskarasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, (then reverse back out...) Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Namaskarasana, Tadasana.

Just remember these few secrets as you go flowing along:

• Lead with your heart, fire it up!!! 
• Breathe well, inhale with the extended poses, exhale with the flexed poses
• Start the series slowly, work each pose with intention to find the alignment, the strong root and the spinal extension  
• Again, extend the spine well, lead with the heart center open and lifted, collar bones wide, shoulders back and down   
• Keep your legs strong and straight as much as possible, use blocks if you cannot get your hands to the floor without bending your knees
• Hinge at the hips, not at the waist 
• Keep the legs lifted well in upward facing dog, tail tucked toward heels 
• Practice this series when you need a pick up, to get the blood flowing, to get the heart rate up, to improve overall circulation, and increase your energy (not a good idea to do at the end of the day or you will be awake when you need to sleep!) 

yoga for scoliosis, Adho Mukha and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Yahoo!  Another video to watch! I get to do the work to show you your work!   

Bring on the FIRE energy!

This sequence is a mini Surya Namaskar, the upward facing and downward facing dog poses linked in a sequence.  These are two key poses from the sun salute practice.  Remember with Scoliosis, you do not want to do a classic forward bend, the Scoliosis worsens.   Back bending in the upper back is beneficial for scoliosis as it lessens the vex. Remember to tuck the tail to keep the lower back neutral.  

Take hands to a chair seat, a counter or railing, or the back of a couch to do this sequence.  Use a higher surface if your convex area, or rib hump, is pronounced so you can extend the front body and get the chest through the arms well.  Go lower, hands to a chair and then hands to the floor as your practice progresses. Practice first with each pose held for a few breaths to study the alignment and then flow from one to the next. 

Key elements of the poses:  

• Breathe well, inhale to upward face pose, exhale to the downward face pose
• Extend the spine well, forward from the arm pits, backward from the hips/leg creases
• Keep the legs strong and straight in both poses, the root is strong    
• Keep the inner thighs and thigh muscles lifted    
• Keep the arms straight and strong and rolling the biceps out to the triceps so the shoulders are set and wide    
• Keep the tail bone tucked in upward face, and the tailbone back and lifted in downward face to protect the lumbar from over arching   
• Keep the heart extended forward
• Hinge at the hips not at the waist 

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Guidelines to Prepare for Your Yoga Practice:

(This is a copy of the guidelines I have written for all of my students.  If you have a copy of this, re-read it please!  This is important information to help guide any student into Yoga in a safe way.)

As with all types of physical training, it is recommended that you check with your physician before beginning Yoga.  Pregnancy, menstruation, chronic pain, and any other ailments need special consideration regarding the Yoga practice.   

Inform your instructor before class of any ailments.

• A heavy meal should be avoided at least 2 hours before class.  If necessary, eat a small healthy snack 40 minutes before class for energy.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day for hydration and cleansing before and then after class.
• Bare feet are required to fully exercise your feet.  Let them out to breathe!  Wear comfortable form fitting clothing that allows full range of motion. 
• Consider that you are taking a journey with Yoga.  You will not learn it all in a day or a class or a session.  It is a continual learning process with no end.  It is an ever increasing spiral of growth, not a line with a beginning, a middle, an end.
• You do not need to be flexible or strong to begin your practice.  Flexibility and strength will increase as your practice grows.
• Keep your mind open during practice. Listen to your body's cues.  Listen to your breathing.  Work slowly, smoothly and with purpose going into and coming out of a pose.  Never rush. Moderation and patience are key components in the beginning.
• ALWAYS BREATHE.  Never hold your breath.  Let the breath flow smoothly in and out of your nose at all times.  Mindfully breathe into and out of the area you are working and this will help to loosen tension in that area and actually help you to relax into the pose.
• Be safe.  Never work to pain, pain does not gain in Yoga.  If you feel any pain, slowly exit the pose. If you feel exhaustion, rest.  Rest in child's pose and return to your practice when you feel ready.
• You are an individual.  There is no competition in class.  Each person will learn to respect their own body's signals.  Move at your own speed. 
• Learn to accept and enjoy your practice, where you are in this present moment without judgement.  Rejoice in even the smallest accomplishments.  Work with JOY and allow Yoga to serve you! Give gratitude at the end of your practice.   Namaste.

 
Preregistration and prepayment required. Call DL to schedule a recommended preclass private to assess your scoliosis and curve pattern, and learn 3 poses to begin a personal practice. $100 for 11/2 hour session.

 

New Series Dates for Spring and Summer:

April 12 - May 25 (no class 5/3 and 5/4)

May 31 - July 6

July 12 - August 17 

Call DL to schedule a pre-class private to assess your scoliosis and curve pattern, and learn 3 poses to begin a personal practice. $100 for 11/2 hour session.

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YOGA PRIVATE SESSIONS AT ALL LOCATIONS

Schedule a private session with DL in Brookfield at her home studio, at Yoga Circle in Chicago, or at Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove.  Learn to work with a specific ailment, pain, back issue, Scoliosis, MS, and more, or just to deepen your practice.  These sessions are one on one.  Learn how to take that practice into your daily life.  

Private sessions are $100 for and hour and a half.