AcroYoga

AcroYoga blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of Thai massage, and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. These three ancient lineages form this practice that cultivates trust, connection and playfulness. There are 7 main elements that make up the practice: circle ceremony, asana, partner flow, Thai massage, therapeutic flying, inversions & spotting, and partner acrobatics. Our highest aim is to bring individuals into a state of union with themselves, with each other, and with the divine. From this place of mutual support the true self can be realized, celebrated and shared for the benefit of all.

Circle Ceremony
The journey ceremonially begins and ends in a circle. This most ancient shape represents our desire to come together as equals to co-create harmony, joy and community. Moving, breathing, and sounding as one, we open to one another and the divinity which unites us.

Asana
By practicing asana, we prepare ourselves both physically and energetically for interacting harmoniously with others. There are two main styles of Asana: Acrobatic Asana and Thai Yoga Asana. The Acrobatic Asana is designed to increase strength, flexibility and coordination in a safe progressive way. Students learn names of body positions and train spotting stances. The Thai Yoga Asana is designed to increase the sensitivity of the giver through the integration of self massage and asana which focuses on shifting body weight through the bones.

Partner Flow
Partner Flow is a creative sequence of mutually beneficial partner asanas and stretches which give us the platform to practice self-acceptance, receptivity and communicating our needs. Central to this experience are compassion and truth (ahimsa and satya), the first two Yamas of Yoga. When two become one, we become breath in motion together.

Inversions & Spotting
Spotting is the art of listening so fully that we can serve our partners by offering only what is needed to set them free. Inversions turn our world upside down and bring out our childlike nature. Inversions invite us to trust our spotters and ourselves to become more empowered and joyful. Spotting techniques develop deeper levels of confidence and safety, building the foundation for acrobatic partner skills.

Partner Acrobatics
Partner Acrobatics is the most dynamic expression of this work. Greater levels of risk amplify the need for heightened trust, concentration and presence. With proper technique, many seemingly impossible feats, become not only possible, but fun. Having established a firm foundation, we can celebrate the ease and joy of working together.

Therapeutic Flying
Therapeutic flying utilizes gravity to release and open the flyers' spine while grounding and empowering the base. Here the flyer receives all the benefits of an inversion without any of the effort. This is the nectar of AcroYoga, aka Anti-Gravitational Spinal Elongation Therapy

Thai Massage
Thai Massage is a healing art that restores balance to the body. It is rejuvenating for both the giver and receiver, as it focuses on the cultivation and transmission of metta (loving kindness). It uses passive yoga stretches to open energy lines in the receiver. After a therapeutic flying session, the flyer becomes the giver, offering all their gratitude for what they just received from the base in the form of Thai massage.

Yoga poses with animal names

There are many yoga poses with animal names. It's only natural, as the early yogis were influenced by what was around them.

·                     Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Perhaps the most well-known of the animal-name yoga poses, Downward-Facing Dog is a staple yoga pose of many yoga classes. This animal pose can easily be incorporated into a yoga flow series-for example, into sun salutations. Downward Dog is a great posture to increase flexibility and to help release tension and stiffness.

·                     Cat Pose (Bidalasana): Cat Pose is an important one for increasing spine flexibility, and can help with relaxation if you practice deep breathing while coming in and out of the pose. Cat Pose is also a nice pose for beginners because it does not require balance and allows every yoga practitioner to stretch only to the extent of where it is comfortable for him or her.

·                     Yoga Fish Pose (Matsvasana): Fish Pose is one that is frequently seen in yoga classes of the restorative type. Since it relieves congestion in the nasal passages, the pose can do wonders for yogis suffering from an illness.

·                     Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana): A seated yoga pose, cow face pose should not be confused with Cow Pose, which is done on hands and knees. Cow Face Pose is a seated stretching pose in which the human body, with a little imagination, looks like a cow's face. This pose is good for the spine (posture) and stretches both the legs and the arms.

·                     Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): A pose done with one's stomach on the ground, Cobra Pose is frequently practiced in flow yoga. An excellent pose to open the chest, Cobra Pose also strengthens the spine.

·                     Camel Pose (Ushtrasana): A great pose for stretching the abdominals, this asana is one of the lesser known yoga poses with animal names. Camel Pose is a kneeling backbend in which the hands reach the feet.

·                     Turtle Pose (Kurmasana): A favorite pose of female yogis, Turtle Pose is recommended for whittling away fat from the stomach. The pose gets its name from the fact that from above, the yogi looks like a turtle, with their nose to the ground and the arms sticking out the bottom and the legs sticking out the top. Sound difficult? It is, but it is still popular among women.

·                     Pigeon Pose (Rajakapotasana): Pigeon Pose is a sitting pose that stretches the upper legs, increasing flexibility. Pigeon Pose is found in many yoga DVDs and may be included in yoga classes as a gentle stretch.

·                     Crow Pose (Bakasana): This pose is clearly a birdlike pose, as it requires considerable balance: your feet are off the ground and bodyweight is supported by the arms. Sometimes called Crane Pose, Crow Pose is an invigorating and satisfying balancing act.

·                     Peacock Pose (Mayurasana): Like Crow Pose, Peacock Pose requires balancing on one's hands. Peacock Pose also requires considerable strength because one's legs are extended, increasing the force needed to keep them up off the ground and extended. This pose is good for balance and strength, but also aids the inner organs.

·                     Eagle Pose (Garudasana): Another animal pose that requires considerable balance, Eagle Pose is executed standing on one foot with the other leg wrapped around the bent knee of the supporting leg. Intertwining the arms in a similar manner completes this stretch for the upper body.

·                     Scorpion Pose (Vrischikasana): For another challenging balance pose, yogis can turn toScorpion Pose. Instead of balancing on one's hands or feet, Scorpion Pose balances on the lower arms, with the legs bent over the body in the air.

·                     Frog Pose (Bhekasana): In Frog Pose, the legs are bent and placed to the sides of the body, much like a frog looks when it's ready to jump. An excellent hip-opener, this pose is adaptive to many skill levels.

·                     Crocodile Pose (Makarasana): Crocodile Pose is an excellent resting pose for relieving stress and tension. While this pose, which has you lying on your stomach with head down on arms folded at the elbow may not really resemble a crocodile, it is a fun yoga pose to teach children about yoga poses with animal names.

Yoga for stress management

Yoga for Stress Relief:

Dating back over 5000 years, yoga is the oldest defined practice of self development. The methods of classical yoga include ethical disciplines, physical postures, breathing control and meditation. Traditionally an Eastern practice, it’s now becoming popular in the West. In fact, many companies, especially in Britain, are seeing the benefit of yoga, recognizing that relaxed workers are healthier and more creative, and are sponsoring yoga fitness programs.

Overview of Yoga:

Many of the popular techniques found to reduce stress derive from yoga:

  ·   controlled breathing

  ·  meditation

  ·   physical movement

  ·   mental imagery

  ·  stretching

Yoga, which derives its name from the word, “yoke”—to bring together—does just that, bringing together the mind, body and spirit. But whether you use yoga for spiritual transformation or for stress management and physical well-being, the benefits are numerous.

Yoga’s Effects On the Body:

The following is only a partial list of yoga’s benefits:

  ·  reduced stress

  ·  sound sleep

  ·  reduced cortisol levels

  ·  improvement of many medical conditions

  ·  allergy and asthma symptom relief

  ·   lower blood pressure

  ·  smoking cessation help

  ·  lower heart rate

  ·  spiritual growth

  ·   sense of well-being

  ·   reduced anxiety and muscle tension

  ·   increased strength and flexibility

  ·  slowed aging process

Yoga’s benefits are so numerous, it gives a high payoff for the amount of effort involved.

What’s Involved With Yoga?:

The practice of yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses, while keeping breathing slow and controlled. The body becomes relaxed and energized at the same time. There are various styles of yoga, some moving through the poses more quickly, almost like an aerobic workout, and other styles relaxing deeply into each pose. Some have a more spiritual angle, while others are used purely as a form of exercise.

What Are The Benefits Of Yoga?:

Virtually everyone can see physical benefits from yoga, and its practice can also give psychological benefits, such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being, and spiritual benefits, such as a feeling of connectedness with God or Spirit, or a feeling of transcendence. Certain poses can be done just about anywhere and a yoga program can go for hours or minutes, depending on one’s schedule.

How Does It Compare To Other Stress Reduction Methods?:

As yoga combines several techniques used for stress reduction, it can be said to provide the combined benefits of breathing exercises, stretching exercises, fitness programs, meditation practice, and guided imagery, in one technique. However, for those with great physical limitations, simple breathing exercises, meditation or guided imagery might be a preferable option and provide similar benefits

Partner Yoga

 

 

Wow! Life is wonderful! And how much more so when you share it with someone. Sunsets are beautiful…but how much sweeter are they when you watch them with a loved one?

Yoga is wonderful…and it is even more magical when you share the practice with a partner. Yoga works on many levels, and is a journey of discovery, of ourselves and our interdependence. Each one of us is a whole universe.

In partner yoga we connect to each other in new and fun ways, we touch and are touched, we stretch farther than usual with our partner’s help, balance in ways we could not by ourselves, breathe deeply together and dive into tranquility while we stare into each other’s eyes.

A partner yoga class can be a romantic experience… or just a way for family or friends to connect or simply to make yoga a more fun practice.

Yoga
Yoga is an ancient science which helps to create health and well-being by building awareness, strength, and flexibility in both mind and body. Yoga is an egalitarian practice, bestowing its benefits on every practitioner, regardless of his or her physical abilities. Yoga poses, or asanas, are practiced by people of all ages and in many different states of health and fitness.

Practitioners have long attested to the benefits of yoga including stress and pain relief, improved circulation and digestion, better body alignment, increased concentration, deeper, more relaxed breathing, and a sense of well-being and inner peace.

Yoga is a holistic practice, with an inner as well as an outer focus. But most importantly, it can be and should be fun!

How Partner Yoga is Different
“Traditional” yoga is an individual practice, but this new yoga is a way to expand our hearts and minds to include another person. In some parts of the class the practice becomes a communal one…it is community yoga.

If in the “traditional” yoga we withdrew within ourselves to find this inner joy discusses in the yoga scriptures, in this new yoga we learn to expand ourselves and discover that yes, happiness is within but it is also all around us. The more we expand ourselves to include others, the more fun and meditative the feeling is. Contraction is limiting and narrowing while expansion is freeing.

This is also where Tantra can come into the picture… in Tantra we learn to see our partner (and eventually everyone) as the God or the Goddess; we worship them with our body, each one of our senses, and with our mind.

Life is relationship, and those who have mastered the art of communication have mastered life. In partner yoga we learn to communicate in non-verbal ways (we communicate verbally too) through which we can many time connect on deeper and more profound levels.

In any relationship we serve as each other’s mirrors; we can see our reflection in the other and better understand ourselves. In partner yoga there is constant feedback between partners; as someone helps us to stretch, we not only enjoy a fantastic sensation, we also learn how to help them stretch in a better way. As we experience our partner’s touch we learn how to touch them. As we watch them listening and responding to our sensations, we learn to listen and act in response to theirs.

Benefits
We live in a fast moving world… so partner yoga is a great way to spend quality time together, enjoying a fun and healthy activity. Practicing yoga together helps strengthen the bonds between a couple, while supporting each other and having fun. These classes are especially pleasurable when taught as a private class.

Partner yoga is a great way to bring two people together because in relationships everything is reciprocal: the more we respect, our partner the more they respect us; the more we give, the more we get; the more we listen, the more we are being listened to. Even one or two hours of practicing consciously in a partner yoga class can serve as a great bridge over gaps that were created in the past.

In partner yoga classes we spend most of our time touching each other. Touch is the strongest and simplest way of giving and receiving love, support, warmth and trust. Babies who don’t receive touch do not survive, and kids, even adults who don’t receive enough touch might suffer from different special, emotional or mental challenges as well.

By practicing asana together, we learn how to touch, how to be gentle and kind, we learn acceptance and compassion, how to be respectful and trusting, and how to connect, communicate, and cooperate. It’s a great opportunity to open the heart and overcome past conflicts, as well as create new friendships.

When doing partner sequences, the pair is encouraged to breathe deeply throughout the joint practice and try to coordinate their breath. If the partners listen to each other breathe, they can better help each other to stretch further – on an exhalation the muscles relax more profoundly and the stretch can go deeper. The couple is also asked to connect more deeply by looking into each other’s eyes as much as possible. It’s a wonderful practice!

When we stretch together we can:
* Stretch further than usual
* Practice balance and counterbalance skills
* Move with more awareness, realizing that our movements affect our partner
* Get a constant feedback to our actions by communicating with our partner as well as by experiencing how it feels when they stretch us
* Enhance communication skills using words, facial expressions, touch, breath and even thoughts
* Develop trust and compassion
* Touch and be touched in a safe way
* Deepen our connection to our partner/parent/child/friend

When we help each other do yoga it is very important that we compassionately communicate how the stretch feels to us, and observe and listen to how it feels to our partner – if we fail to do this we might get hurt or hurt someone else.

In yoga for two, the partners are encouraged to communicate using questions like:
* How does it feel?
* Is it too much or would you like me to stretch you a bit more?
* Please tell me if I’m pulling/pushing you too hard/far.

Non-verbal communication is as essential, and partners are guided to notice the little changes in their partner’s breath, facial expressions and body reactions. You can also create a non-verbal language - for example: One squeeze with the hand means “that’s enough”, Two squeezes means “take me farther”

Partner Yoga:
* improves strength and flexibility
* increases self confidence and builds a positive self-image
* increases emotional strength
* nourishes creativity
* helps to balance body and mind
* teaches self-acceptance and self-love
* increases sensory awareness and also general body awareness
* builds coordination and balance
* expands self-awareness, and awareness of others
* develops self-discipline and self-control
* helps build concentration
* helps us to stand more erect and feel taller by supporting a long and flexible spine
* fortifies all bodily systems: the skeletal, nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, hormonal and muscular systems
* increases awareness of breathing and deepens the breath
* is non competitive
* encourages cooperation and teamwork
* teaches how to relax and reduce stress
* encourages compassion, generosity, and respect
* teaches how to find inner peace
* is fun!!!

 

For photos of people practicing yoga together visit the following page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7373&id=100001016832315

Baby Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for every type of person. Those who practice yoga can improve balance, strength, flexibility, and the mind/body connection. The practice of yoga is also welcoming for students at every level and every stage of life and holds benefits for expecting mothers as well. Mothers-to-be will find that yoga can maintain strength and functioning during pregnancy which can ease the difficulty of labor and postpartum recovery.

Conventional exercises during pregnancy, such as using the treadmill, abdominal strengthening exercises, or vigorous exercise classes can become uncomfortable or even dangerous as your belly grows and as your center of gravity shifts. However, when executed properly, yoga poses can conform to your growing belly and changing physiology perfectly.

Make Room For Baby
One of the most important tasks a pregnant woman faces is the need to create space within her for a baby to grow. Yoga can enhance flexibility which can allow a pregnant woman to gently stretch her body. This stretching of muscles and joints can increase available space within the pelvis and abdomen for the baby to grow, and may prevent tightness, maternal pain and fetal growth restriction. The "pigeon carrier" pose is a great yoga pose for pregnant women because it allows them to open up their hips and to stretch out their glutes and hamstrings. The pose counteracts tightness in the hips caused by the forward push on the pelvis in response to baby's increasing weight.

De-Stress
One hour of intense focus or meditative concentration can help any student of yoga to set aside the stresses and concerns of daily life. It's easy to imagine how these relaxation techniques can benefit a pregnancy. Yoga can help relax the mind and give you time to get away from the stress of being pregnant; many women find that pregnancy and the postpartum period is not the fairy tale it is portrayed to be in the movies. Effective yoga can help you shut off the uncomfortable emotional and physical stresses, at least temporarily, which can be very beneficial for maternal and fetal well-being.

The Power Of The Breath
Breathing and meditation training can be an ace up your sleeve during labor and delivery, especially if your goal is to have a drug-free or "natural" labor and delivery. During my own labor, I used breathing exercises and yoga movements along with tai chi as my main pain management tools during cervical dilation. The yoga movements helped open my hips and breathing served to alter my pain perception. I also used a labor ball, personal rituals, and a warm shower to help me through my labor. Though every woman is different, it is important to develop a "tool chest" of relaxation techniques ahead of your labor to help minimize pain at the time of delivery.

Getting Back Into Shape
A common concern of pregnant women is wondering if their abdominal muscles will ever be strong and look fit again. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for your abdominal muscles not to be altered during pregnancy because the muscle wall actually starts to separate down the midline to accommodate the growing baby. The good news is that yoga techniques can train and strengthen the deepest abdominal wall, the transversus abdominus (TA), which maintains strength through pregnancy and the recovery period. The TA is like a mini corset that pulls in the abdomen, while the top layer of abdominal muscles, the rectus abdominus, sometimes forms the visible "six pack" of the abdomen. Yoga and pilates strengthen the deepest layers of muscles upon which top layers can then be strengthened. The least useful exercise to reduce the "pooch" after pregnancy is sit-ups or crunches. These exercises actually make your belly look bigger by strengthening the top layer of muscles only, and do little to train the TA. It makes the most physiologic sense to strengthen the abdominal wall from deep layers to more superficial layers to most effectively to get back into pre-pregnancy shape.

Sleep Well
One of the biggest complaints of pregnant women is that they can't seem to find a comfortable sleeping position. Yoga addresses this complaint in many ways. Yoga teaches proper and comfortable positioning using the bolster and blanket as aides to the growing body. The very positions you learn while practicing can be re-created in your bed which helps promote utmost relaxation and sound sleep. Further, yoga teaches you poses that can help relax the areas in your body which keep you up at night. Last, yoga relaxes your mind through meditative techniques, effectively stopping images of strollers, cribs, and other baby accessories and allowing you to drift comfortably to sleep.

Stand Tall
You may have good posture now, but when you start to grow larger, particularly in the chest and abdomen, the extra weight pulls your center of gravity away from a neutral position. This shift can cause lordosis, an often painful condition of vertebral tilt that misaligns the spine. Yoga helps strengthen the weakened posture muscles of the back, and it stretches the tightened chest muscles. It helps keep the muscles of the body in balance.

Bond
When a woman practices yoga, she is always on a journey of exploration and of discovering her true self. Practicing yoga while pregnant is an especially gratifying experience; yoga can give a mother time to discover her deep, emotional bond with her baby even before he enters into the world. The connection felt with my baby, accentuated by every palpable kick and flip, made my practice of yoga during my pregnancy rewarding and unforgettable. I also imagined that my baby too was also practicing yoga in his floating watery world. Both of us connecting through the wonders of yoga, creating a special uniting bond.

For photos of mothers practicing yoga with their babies visit the following page:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6838&id=100001016832315

Prenatal Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for every type of person. Those who practice yoga can improve balance, strength, flexibility, and the mind/body connection. The practice of yoga is also welcoming for students at every level and every stage of life and holds benefits for expecting mothers as well. Mothers-to-be will find that yoga can maintain strength and functioning during pregnancy which can ease the difficulty of labor and postpartum recovery.

Conventional exercises during pregnancy, such as using the treadmill, abdominal strengthening exercises, or vigorous exercise classes can become uncomfortable or even dangerous as your belly grows and as your center of gravity shifts. However, when executed properly, yoga poses can conform to your growing belly and changing physiology perfectly.

Make Room For Baby
One of the most important tasks a pregnant woman faces is the need to create space within her for a baby to grow. Yoga can enhance flexibility which can allow a pregnant woman to gently stretch her body. This stretching of muscles and joints can increase available space within the pelvis and abdomen for the baby to grow, and may prevent tightness, maternal pain and fetal growth restriction. The "pigeon carrier" pose is a great yoga pose for pregnant women because it allows them to open up their hips and to stretch out their glutes and hamstrings. The pose counteracts tightness in the hips caused by the forward push on the pelvis in response to baby's increasing weight.

De-Stress
One hour of intense focus or meditative concentration can help any student of yoga to set aside the stresses and concerns of daily life. It's easy to imagine how these relaxation techniques can benefit a pregnancy. Yoga can help relax the mind and give you time to get away from the stress of being pregnant; many women find that pregnancy and the postpartum period is not the fairy tale it is portrayed to be in the movies. Effective yoga can help you shut off the uncomfortable emotional and physical stresses, at least temporarily, which can be very beneficial for maternal and fetal well-being.

The Power Of The Breath
Breathing and meditation training can be an ace up your sleeve during labor and delivery, especially if your goal is to have a drug-free or "natural" labor and delivery. During my own labor, I used breathing exercises and yoga movements along with tai chi as my main pain management tools during cervical dilation. The yoga movements helped open my hips and breathing served to alter my pain perception. I also used a labor ball, personal rituals, and a warm shower to help me through my labor. Though every woman is different, it is important to develop a "tool chest" of relaxation techniques ahead of your labor to help minimize pain at the time of delivery.

Getting Back Into Shape
A common concern of pregnant women is wondering if their abdominal muscles will ever be strong and look fit again. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for your abdominal muscles not to be altered during pregnancy because the muscle wall actually starts to separate down the midline to accommodate the growing baby. The good news is that yoga techniques can train and strengthen the deepest abdominal wall, the transversus abdominus (TA), which maintains strength through pregnancy and the recovery period. The TA is like a mini corset that pulls in the abdomen, while the top layer of abdominal muscles, the rectus abdominus, sometimes forms the visible "six pack" of the abdomen. Yoga and pilates strengthen the deepest layers of muscles upon which top layers can then be strengthened. The least useful exercise to reduce the "pooch" after pregnancy is sit-ups or crunches. These exercises actually make your belly look bigger by strengthening the top layer of muscles only, and do little to train the TA. It makes the most physiologic sense to strengthen the abdominal wall from deep layers to more superficial layers to most effectively to get back into pre-pregnancy shape.

Sleep Well
One of the biggest complaints of pregnant women is that they can't seem to find a comfortable sleeping position. Yoga addresses this complaint in many ways. Yoga teaches proper and comfortable positioning using the bolster and blanket as aides to the growing body. The very positions you learn while practicing can be re-created in your bed which helps promote utmost relaxation and sound sleep. Further, yoga teaches you poses that can help relax the areas in your body which keep you up at night. Last, yoga relaxes your mind through meditative techniques, effectively stopping images of strollers, cribs, and other baby accessories and allowing you to drift comfortably to sleep.

Stand Tall
You may have good posture now, but when you start to grow larger, particularly in the chest and abdomen, the extra weight pulls your center of gravity away from a neutral position. This shift can cause lordosis, an often painful condition of vertebral tilt that misaligns the spine. Yoga helps strengthen the weakened posture muscles of the back, and it stretches the tightened chest muscles. It helps keep the muscles of the body in balance.

Bond
When a woman practices yoga, she is always on a journey of exploration and of discovering her true self. Practicing yoga while pregnant is an especially gratifying experience; yoga can give a mother time to discover her deep, emotional bond with her baby even before he enters into the world. The connection felt with my baby, accentuated by every palpable kick and flip, made my practice of yoga during my pregnancy rewarding and unforgettable. I also imagined that my baby too was also practicing yoga in his floating watery world. Both of us connecting through the wonders of yoga, creating a special uniting bond.

article taken from: http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/library/chicago/yoga.htm

For photos of pregnant women practicing yoga visit the following page: 
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6838&id=100001016832315

Yoga for kids

Children today are under a lot of stress. Homework, pressure to compete with other children, endless after-school activities, over-scheduling - it all adds up. And just like their parents, kids today are turning to Yoga to help them relax.

But relaxation is only one of its numerous benefits. It helps them develop better body awareness, self-control,balance, flexibility and coordination, skills which they can carry beyond class and into their daily routines.

Yoga has also been shown to help the hyperactive and attention-deficit child. These children crave movement and sensory/motor stimulus and Yoga can help channel these impulses in a positive way.

Working with each other on poses, the children develop team skills and become more creative and imaginative. Partner poses also develop trust and foster bonding.

For photos of kids practicing yoga visit the following page: 
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5979&id=100001016832315