In an increasingly Vinyasa-oriented yoga world, the lower body often doesn’t receive as much attention as it should. The feet, legs and hips are crucial elements of a well-rounded practice and need to be as strong, mobile and intelligent as the upper body. When we cultivate these elements, the effects can be felt throughout one’s asana practice, improving poses like Inversions, arm balances and backbends in surprising and sometimes dramatic ways.
In this course we will begin on the floor, examining a range of hip openers. In the second session we will build on this work as we come to our feet and discover how to apply these principles in an upright position. The two lecture sessions and two accompanying yoga practices will give you insight into poses that will have a dramatic effect throughout both your asana practice and your daily life.
Part 1: Floor Hip Opening – The hips are designed for stability and because they also carry the weight of the upper body, this can translate into tightness. Many students know their hips are tight but are mystified as to how to address this imbalance. In this session we will use a group of supine, prone and seated postures to systematically explore the alignment, modifications and props that can make these important poses accessible to everyone.
Part 2: Standing Hip Opening – Standing poses provide a rare combination of strength and openness in the lower body that can be difficult to access in other families of postures. Yet many classes with a flow emphasis spend very little time in these poses, sometimes barely a breath or two, making it difficult for students to understand the fundamental alignment and/or reap their benefits. In this class we will examine an array of standing poses, building progressively from the simplest to the more demanding. Your legs and hips will never be the same and you will understand why these poses are both foundational and essential.
Part 3: Yoga Practice Video: Essentials of Hip Opening – In this soothing hip opening practice, Natasha shows you how to build a gentle and accessible hip opening practice your students will love. Learn how to sequence a series of hip opening poses, progressing to more and more challenging poses while paying careful attention to the essentials of alignment that will keep the hips healthy and safe as you work to open and wake up this powerful foundation of structural balance in the body.
Part 4: Yoga Practice Video: Creating Openness and Stability: Hip Opening with Standing Poses – When practiced with correct alignment and awareness, standing poses can be powerful poses for both releasing tightness and creating more opening in the hips, while also building the stability and steadiness needed to lay the foundation for more challenging poses like arm balances, inversions, and backbends.
This Course Also Includes:
- Yoga Practice Video: Enjoy two yoga practice videos that Natasha will create for this course.
- Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of both webinar sessions (both MP3 – downloadable and MP4 – streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
- Transcripts of All Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 3.5 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
