WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM A CLASS OR TRAINING WITH ME:

• Juicy practices that include the 8 limbs of yoga. Pranayama (breathwork) and meditation are not extras but integral parts of every practice.
• An invitation to stay connected to your own rhythms.
• Laser-like vision of an experienced bodyworker that exposes new places in yourself and your practice.
• A meditative environment that is conducive to self-exploration, where you are encouraged to bring every part of yourself .
• Encouragement to view the practice as much as an opportunity to decompose as to compose.
• A rigorous yet safe environment where your particular body and mind will be considered in the construction and execution of each class.
• Varied flavors of practice that range from dynamic vinyasa flow to slow sustained yin-style to therapeutic viniyoga with some unexpected spices.
• A deep love, respect and reverence for the path of yoga.

WHAT IS THE BASIC PHILOSOPHY OF BODYWORK YOGA?

Bodywork Yoga is how I describe my approach to teaching both students and other teachers- the practice begins with mindful awareness of basic alignment as the foundation.

In Bodywork Yoga, we begin from the outside in. We start with the physical body, which we can feel, see and touch. Our bodies are deeply layered and fascinating, and we approach the technical aspects of alignment from a place of wonder.

Then we work our way inside, progressing to the subtler levels of yoga, including accessing and moving prana or life force, breath awareness and pranayama and meditation.

As our understanding deepens, we dance the interplay of the external form with the subtle internal organic energy. We create balance from the interconnection between the outer alignment and inner awareness- constantly linked by the breath and attention to the pulsation of life force as it moves through the spine, and all parts of us.

While this may sound elusive, it is a very practical approach to creating a sense of wholeness through practice.

Have you ever taken class where you felt like you were made of pieces and parts as you tried to respond to all of the alignment cues?

Bodywork Yoga offers a breath-centered approach to practice where the breath guides the alignment rather than a mental idea of where things are “supposed to be.” The natural intelligence of the body is called forth through deep listening and a slow flow so that habits can unravel and a new, deeper level of organization can emerge.

BODYWORK YOGA:
Outer Body Alignment & Sequencing for Internal Breakthroughs

Have you ever had a great massage or bodywork session and wondered, “How does this therapist understand my body so well?”

Now IMAGINE if you took a yoga class with a teacher who not only understood alignment and sequencing, but also understood that nuanced interconnectedness the way an experience body worker does…

As a teacher, have you ever wondered, “Where should I adjust this person and how? And thought: “I have no idea where to start!”

IMAGINE if you could develop that informed, intuitive awareness that a skilled bodyworker has and bring this intelligence to your classes. Imagine bringing that keen insight to help your students unravel old patterns through your observation skills and perceptive adjustments.

These dreams can become realities much more easily than it seems.

Here’s how:

LEARNING TO ACTIVELY OBSERVE

We all have natural observations skills. We have a sense of “what looks right” or “what looks off.” But a lot of yoga teachers get caught up in their own practice or come from rigid schools of yoga where leading a group experience can overshadow individual relationships and cloud the obvious.

What I teach is a return to simplicity. We return to basic alignment which often yields the most profound results.

STEP 1: Learning What to Look For

We start with observing our bodies. We look at the curves of the spine and how they change (or don’t change in each pose) We look at where the weight is placed on the feet . Through observation we learn to identify common patterns, like bow legs or knock knees, or hunched upper backs, or hyperextension in the joints. Once you can see these patterns, there are a series of corresponding tendencies that become obvious.

STEP 2: Unraveling the Interconnectedness of Body

Then we study the patterns (for example bow-legs and knock knees). We look at all the resulting strain and counter strains that result from basic postural patterns. For example, bow-legs place a lot of pressure on the outer knees and outer hip joints. And you can see how the placement of the bones change as a result.

STEP 3: How to Help

You will learn:

• alignment cues within the poses to address what you see,
• the most therapeutic and beneficial poses to change the patterns you see, and
• the most effective, powerful and enjoyable hands-on adjustments for your student with this pattern.

WHY LEARN BODYWORK YOGA

If you are in a teaching rut; if you have gotten a little lazy, practicing with your classes rather than observing and teaching; or maybe you have never been taught how to see individual alignment…

… then learning bodywork yoga can add a whole new dimension and depth to your teaching.

Now YOU CAN BE the resource your students need for understanding their particular body. You will be amazed at how quickly profound shifts occur when you turn your attention to both observing and sharing those observations on a body-specific level with your students.

Teaching this way is so refreshing, and you’ll actually get more energy teaching through… the satisfaction of a true energy exchange.

HOW I FOUND ‘BODYWORK YOGA’

I decided to become a practitioner of Structural Integration for two reasons. First, after ten sessions, chronic pain I had in my neck and upper back for years went away completely and has never returned. This seemed like magic to me, because my Rolfer did not actually touch my upper back or neck all that much.

Second, after working therapeutically with yoga students, I realized that they would see much more rapid results if they combined bodywork and yoga. Things that could take years to change with yoga could change in just one or two sessions with Rolfing.

When deciding on what bodywork I would choose to help my students, I returned to the work that had been most effective and fascinating to me.

What is Rolfing? The actual work is called Structural Integration. Since the founder’s name was Ida P. Rolf, people started calling the work Rolfing.

Structural Integration is a specialized method of hands-on manipulation of the body that stretches and shifts the soft tissue in order to improve human structure and function. This work diminishes unhealthy holding patterns that cause pain and vulnerability to injury and reestablishes comfort and freedom in the body. Structural Integration improves posture and respiration, increases flexibility and mobility, supports psychological growth, and enhances general vitality.

SO IS ROLFING A PART OF YOGA?

Yes and no.

Structural Integration can effect changes that are possible through yoga but take much, much longer. SI is a way to catapult yourself to the next level in your yoga practice and your life. Over and over again, I have been astounded and inspired by the huge transformations people go through while receiving the work of Structural Integration.

The power of the SI work is exponentially increased by a conscious movement practice. An intelligent targeted yoga practice along with the sessions is the most effective way to maintain the results and to continue to move towards balance, alignment and freedom.