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Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2013 5:32 PM
I have always been
fascinated with the “under layer”. As a child, a favorite activity of mine was
to design images on the Light Bright: a black screen covered with small round
holes. I loved exploring how the placement of the small component parts changed
the entire design. It was a jigsaw puzzle with endless variations and
incarnations. This fascination later became central to my approach to helping
students understand the complex movement patterns and poses found within the Pilates
repertoire. |
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Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:37 AM
Everybody does Downward Facing Dog. It is the bread and butter of a Hatha yoga practice and often and quite often the first pose in many flow-type yoga classes taught after warming up the spine with a few cat/cows. But did you know that not everyone should do downward facing dog? And if you fall into this category, you may be doing way more long-term damage to your shoulders than good....
There is hope however, if your body is not the right "fit" for down dog, but... before we go there, let's take the test to see if Down Dog is right for you: |
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Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:09 AM
Here’s how I apply my deconstruction principle to teaching a pose. Before I teach Vasistasana, I take my students through a step-by-step process that prepares the body-mind for the classical pose. Each gradation can be the final destination if the previous step is not yet fully mastered.
Here is the process:
1. Rest in Ardha Savasana- to down regulate the nervous system and connect to the breath.
2. Self-massage of the rotator cuff muscles with the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy balls- to palpate these tissues, and unwind tension and knots. |
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Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8:51 AM
I have always been fascinated with the “under layer”. This fascination later became central to my approach to helping students understand the complex movement patterns and poses found within the Hatha Yoga repertoire.
As a child, a favorite activity of mine was to design images on the light bright: a black screen covered with small round holes. By placing different colored pegs in the holes, you had limitless options. The finale was your own original design lit up before your eyes like a Fourth of July fireworks celebration! |
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Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2012 8:35 PM
Many schools of yoga have their own formula or recipe of “cues” to get students into Tadasana/ Mountain Pose. The purpose of Tadasana from a strictly anatomical perspective is to teach proper postural alignment, i.e. a biomechanical neutral position of the muscles, bones, joints and tissues. Once the structural anatomy of Tadasana is understood and embodied, it creates healthy breathing habits and positively affects your mood. Additionally, you can be calm, happy and healthy not just in the pose, but also when you stand in line at the grocery store reading Us Weekly magazine. |
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Trina Altman: Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012 4:56 PM
The cue “navel to spine” is used ubiquitously in Pilates and yoga classes. I don’t like it. I don’t use it. It is impossible to sustain, and does not sleeve your spine with the muscular support needed to prevent injury.
Your core involves so much more than just the muscles around your belly button. Your core is comprised of ALL the muscles that circle your spine with support, like a spiral staircase from the tip of your tailbone to the base of your skull. Furthermore, these muscles must work together with ALL of the muscles of respiration! |
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Trina Altman: Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 5:21 PM
During many yoga classes I have attended, the teacher would continually tell us to “open your heart” and “bring your shoulders back and down.” In Pilates reformer classes, the cue was to “place your shoulders in your back pockets,” or just the stern command: “SHOULDERS DOWN!” Wanting to be a good student, I did this… over and over again until my shoulder blades were so retracted (drawn together) and depressed (drawn down) that I thought I was destined for an “A” in the class. Full disclosure: Yes, I am a habitual overachiever. |
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Trina Altman: Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 4:42 PM
“Stacy” (not her real name) was my new private client. She arrived at the studio where I teach in a wheel chair. She was post–op and post her allotted amount of physical therapy sessions. With a torn Achilles tendon, horrible back spasms, and a broken right and subsequently left sesamoid bone, she was in a lot of pain, frustrated and depressed. This young woman was suddenly unable to drive her car or go to work. Simple daily activities like putting on her jacket or reaching for the toilet paper sent her into painful back spasms. |
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Trina Altman: Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 4:30 PM
What the heck is a neutral pelvis and why do I need to have one?
This is a question I often get from my students and private clients. In Pilates reformer classes, teachers are constantly reminding students to bring their pelvis to “neutral”. Understanding and embodying a neutral pelvis is imperative not just for your Pilates or yoga practice, but for everything you do in life. This is because neutral is the most stable and shock absorbing position.
There are many ways to help students find a neutral pelvis with verbal cues. |
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