Overview & Key Concepts: Another vitally important aspect of Hatha yoga is the use of bandhas. The word “bandha” means “lock,” “bond” or “catching hold of.” Essentially, a bandha is an intentional muscular engagement, and while it is often said that various bandhas are used to lock vital energy into the body, or to channel […]

Overview & Key Concepts: Often forgotten about and sometimes overlooked altogether in the modern era is the notion of drishti, or focused gaze. Literally translated as “vision” or “insight,” drishti refers to where we’re directing our attention—not only externally with our eyes, but also intentionally with our minds—and along with the breath and the bandhas, […]

Overview: The human body is a marvel of creation, and one of its most remarkable features is the spine. As the axis of the musculoskeletal system and the protector of the spinal cord, it is integral to virtually everything we do—from thinking and feeling to moving and breathing. Understanding how the spine moves and learning […]

Overview: When most people think of a shoulder, more than likely they think of the part of the human body where the arm attaches to the torso. While this is not inaccurate, it doesn’t even begin to describe the intricate complex of muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons that come together to create not only the […]

Overview & Key Concepts: In a general sense, our hips are where our legs connect to our upper body. In a more technical sense, our hips are made up of two separate structures—the hip joint, where the heads of the femur (thigh bone) connect to the pelvis, and the pelvis itself, which is made up […]

Overview: If you were to ask most people what the purpose of our arms and hands is, they would probably mention picking things up, holding onto things, carrying things, maybe hugging or pulling on things, and also expressing ourselves, as in waving or making other gestures. What they would probably not mention is standing. And […]

Overview: As our connection to the Earth and the foundation of much of the movement we do both on our mat and off, our legs and feet are integral not only to our ability to function physically, but also to our sense of feeling grounded, which in turn contributes directly to our ability to feel […]

Two principles that will help you work toward your safest greatest range of motion in all of your joints are Reciprocal Inhibition and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, or simply PNF. More of a phenomenon than an actual technique, reciprocal inhibition is something the body does naturally to protect itself from injury, but it can nevertheless be […]

Sequence: 1) Melting Heart 2) Thread Needle Shoulder Stretch 3) Sphinx/Seal 4) Belly Frog 5) Deer & Deer Twist Windshield Wipers 6) Half Butterfly (Angled & Straight) 7) Fire Log 8) Saddle 9) Caterpillar 10) Cat Pulling Its Tail 11) Corpse

Savasana: The original restorative yoga posture