Core Strength in Navasana
Whenever I teach a Guided Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series class, there is one posture is almost universal in its ability to test the limits of strength: Navasana,…
View Full Post »Core Strength and Legs in Tittibhasana By Kino MacGregor
Many people think that arm balances are all in the arms, but every part of the body is responsible for lifting itself. When working on the strength postures in…
View Full Post »
A Cheap Trick: Handstand, Backbends & the Deeper Dimension of Yoga.
Magic trick or true spiritual practice? Stuck on a transit train in Dallas airport during a tight connection I found myself staring anxiously at the time above…
View Full Post »The Emotional Journey of Backbending
Backbending often brings up strong emotions when students first begin to practice it more regularly and go deeper. It often does not really matter whether you are…
View Full Post »
Let Her Fall: Pinchamayurasana, the Road Through Suffering & Pain into Balance
Ashtanga Yoga is first and foremost and spiritual practice. It is not an exercise where you judge your success by how hard you work your body or…
View Full Post »Wide Leg Handstand Press Prep Techniques in Yoga
When I first started practicing yoga I was not naturally strong. In fact I was so weak so that I could not do the push-up position known…
View Full Post »Open your Back and Knees in Bhekasana from Ashtanga Yoga Second Series
The two areas of the body that bring up the a lot of fear are the back and the knee. If you feel pain around your spine…
View Full Post »How to Jump Back
Jumping back from a seated position is one of the most challenging movements in the Ashtanga Yoga method. I can still remember the feeling when I first…
View Full Post »Bujapidasana: It’s Not Over Until It’s Over
All yoga postures that build strength are both a test of physical as well as mental and emotional endurance. The first true arm balance of the Ashtanga…
View Full Post »Open Your Hips in Trikonasana by Kino MacGregor
Some men think that women naturally have open hips and that they are just plain out of luck simply because they are guys. Yet in my experience…
View Full Post »