Tag Archives: Thursday Tune Up

Trigger Point Relief for Athletes

Tutorial, , , ,

Using a cheap tennis ball, find relief in common ‘knotty’ athletes’ muscles like the glutes and hamstrings. I often share these with athletes, especially runners, as part of a full yoga class. In this video, we have shared a simple dynamic sequence for self-massage, bringing tension release to the legs and hips.

It is simple enough to complete within 10 minutes and you can do it at home. Start with the rolling dynamic versions for each movement, then settle the targeted area on the tennis ball and stay for a few minutes, breathing and easing into it. The intensity of the sensation should fade to something more soothing after a while. If you’re grimacing, you probably shouldn’t keep at it. Come off the shape if that’s the case.

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Viparita Karani legs up the wall yoga pose

Restorative Yoga is Power

From the Sadhaka's Mat, , ,

Can We Do More with Restorative Yoga?

This post first appeared on the Yoga 216 blog. It is reposted here with permission.

In the previous post, we talked about why restorative yoga is a necessity for us urban folks!

While restorative yoga is about paring down to basics and getting us to slow down, take note… you can still get a lot out of restorative yoga! As we continue to explore this topic, we will focus on some ways to make the best of restorative yoga, through creative sequencing, mixing activity and stillness in your practice, and by working in sync with deep breathing.

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Continue reading Restorative Yoga is Power →

Do Your Own Twist

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Twists are great for keeping suppleness and tone in the trunk and for stimulating detoxification. But  are you doing them right? Are you creating long-term instability in your hips when you twist?

Your spine starts from your coccyx and sacrum, which fit snugly in the bowl-like pelvic girdle, the two structures connecting together at the sacroiliac (SI) joint. Soft tissue, ligaments and tendons further connect the two.

So it makes a whole lot of sense when you do twist, to allow your spine and pelvis to move in the same direction. Some poses, like the extended side angle twist, create too much torque as the two are forced by the nature of the shape to move at cross purposes to each other – the pelvis opening one way, and the torso moving in the opposite direction.

If this pose has never felt good to you in any way, there is no need to include it in your practice. Instead, work with these variations in this video tutorial. We want to minimise the pulling apart – and potential destabilization – of the SI joint. This way, you’d enjoy all the benefits of twisting, and for a long time too!

If you found this useful, please share it with someone who needs it!

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