Homework

  1. Intro to Connective Tissue (Fascia)

    1. We’re all one, and we’re many parts, both are true in the yogic tradition.

      1. This can only be understood from direct experience, and is beyond the mind.

      2. In the study of anatomy, we learn separate parts, but we also learn how they work together as a team. We are more like a plan than a machine, our cells grow and work together.

      3. When we don’t work as a team, injuries result, like Hamstring tendonitis, or yoga butt.

      4. These teams are united by connective tissue, a muscous-like lattice that connects every cell of the body, enabling both physical transport of nutrients and waste, as well as communication between cells. Overall, our connective tissue contains the most sensory neurons of any tissue in the body, it is our largest sense organ. Forward folds are an opportunity to feel a deeper aspect of your awareness, the background known as Turiya, or the witness.

  2. Fluid Forward Folds

    1. Focusing on fluidity in forward folds helps us connect with these strong and slower twitch muscles. It also helps us use forward folds to turn our attention to the background of our awareness, the witness or Turiya state.

    2. Forward folds are a direct experience of your back line muscle team. This team starts at the plantar fascia of the feet, runs around the heel to the Gastrocs, into the hamstrings and up through the erector spine.

    3. Try to write one interesting way you relate to each of these 4 muscles.

      1. Plantar Fascia>

      2. Gastrocs>

      3. Hamstrings>

      4. Erector Spinae>

    4. The back, and low back in general, is a sensitive issue in the world of movement. Its important not to teach out of our scope, and to always be sensitive when cueing this area of the body.

      1. With that said, rolling the spine up is considered a healthy movement of the spine, and when we stop doing it, we can only do it less and less. Therefore, finding a way to roll your spine sustainably could be a good long term goal as a yogi.

    5. Seated forward folds have a hidden geometry at play— we start from a forward fold. This means they require more modifications and dynamic approaches to keep our back line unified and working together.

      1. One of the most effective ways of working in a seated forward fold is to bend the knees, this offloads the back line and allows you to get the muscle team working as one in a fluid way.

  3. Homework:

    1. Make Cue Cards for each of the postures presented in class

      1. Utilize your personal experience, notes from class, the cueing scripts, as well as the GIFS and class videos to inform your cue cards

      2. Remember, you only need to pick one setup, one primary movement, and one exploration per pose— even though we offer lots of options, at first it’s best to simply focus on one of them to teach.

      3. Be prepared to teach without your cue cards for 8 minutes at the start of our next class together.

      4. Here are the forward folds you are responsible for learning:

        1. Utkatasana (Chair)

        2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)

        3. Prasarita padottanasana (Straddled Forward Fold)

        4. Parsvottanasana (Pyramid)

        5. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat)

        6. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat)

        7. Janu Shirshasana (Single Leg Forward Fold)

        8. Paschimottanasana (Double Leg Forward Fold)

        9. NOTE: You are NOT required to memorize of make cue cards for the restorative forward folds: Buddha Konasana, Apanasana, Pavana Muktasana, Bhaktasana, Balasana

    2. Review the anatomy for today

      1. Optional: Make a cue card for the anatomy to mix into your deck.

    3. Incorporate Foot Mapping into your daily or weekly practice as a way of continuing to awaken the sensory potential of your amazing feet.

    4. Optional: Read the full article from Tom Meyer’s Yoga Journal article that briefly introduces some of the deeper anatomy and implications of this tissue for a yogi and mover.

>>YOU CAN STOP HERE IF YOU ARE TAKING THE TRAINING IN GROUP FORMAT<<

The following assignment is only for those in the self-paced learning format only (meaning learning at their own pace, not in a group setting)…

This Module’s assignment is to record yourself teaching forward bending postures for eight minutes. You cannot teach all of them in this time, and don’t need to— this is just about breaking the ice on teaching in general, and getting some helpful feedback from us along the way. If the posture has two sides, be sure to teach both of them before moving onto the next pose. You do not need to do any counter poses, and do not need to do any sequencing— just teach some of the poses you have learned for about 8 minutes, that’s it.

So the assignment again:

  • Teach for 8 minutes

  • Teach both sides of the pose

  • Enjoy the process, sink in and be a teacher!

  • Don’t try to teach all the poses

  • Don’t worry about counter posing or sequencing

  • We look forward to seeing your video and will leave comments below!

  • Email the link of your videos to Konalaniyoga@Gmail.com

FLUID Forward Folds and Intro to Fascia

A Quick Review of what we learned, and your homework for the week…

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