I wanted to review the various sessions I took (six in all) from last weekend's Yoga Journal Conference. To say it exceeded my expectations is an understatement. I had so much fun. I learned so, SO much. I fell in love with a master teacher. (Don't worry, Scott, you have no competition.) I did not, unlike some others, have a single 'dud' session. Every one was amazing. I also bonded with newer friends and reconnected with old ones. And of course made some new ones. It was just the best weekend.
Okay, enough gushing. I should clarify that all six sessions I picked were from the therapeutic track... meaning focusing more on yoga therapy, preventing and treating injuries, etc. So you may notice that I didn't seem to do a lot of actual practicing during the conference. That was fine for me. I had friends who got their butts handed to them doing really challenging sessions full of practice. They had something for everyone.
Session one. Called Shoulder Shapeup: A Down Dog "Makeover" this session caught my eye right off the bat by reading the description. "The shoulder girdle is one of the most complicated joint systems in your body. Uncover areas of entrapment and kinetic confusion so that the muscles, joints, and connective tissues repattern to create a "new normal." Awaken dormant strength and stretch routes through every conceivable direction of movement of the shoulders and arms until they are brought back into physiological balance. Learn a proven rotator cuff release technique that assists new awakenings for a better-fitting Down Dog and pain-free movement."
Dig that! So I was there, second row, just right of center, ready to take notes and learn. And boy did I. The instructor was Jill Miller, creator of the Yoga Tune Up therapy ball system. I will admit I kind of cringed when she wrote up on the white board, Yoga Tune Up (c). I get it, I get why, I get the need to protect her intellectual property. But it just felt so... yuck. Corporate.
Thankfully I got over that, because the information provided was truly valuable. She began by explaining how we all have body blind spots -- faults in our body's proprioception. This leads to bully muscles -- muscles that step up (or overcharge) to protect other weaker/compromised muscles. Problem letting them do that, though, is becoming dependent, asymmetrical, and just weakening the already compromised weakened muscles.
We used her copyrighted Yoga Tune Up therapy balls -- think a more dense version of a tennis ball - to help massage out, loosen, and release some key muscles needed for great down dog alignment. I know what you're thinking... why can't I just use a tennis ball? You can. It just won't be as strong, and the material of the yoga tune up balls is sticky on the skin (in the good way) giving traction. I dunno... after using them in two sessions they are worth the $10 investment to me. I've ordered three pairs.
Next up! Session two. My new yoga icon, Judith Lasater. Love. Love, love, love this woman. So much respect for her. I've already read and loved and used her restorative yoga book called Relax and Renew (available for purchase here). She's a physical therapist who turned yoga teacher in 1971. She's just... rad. (Proof of radness -- check her out chilling with B. K. S. Iyengar back in the day.) She is completely comfortable in her own skin. She is completely comfortable and confident in her knowledge, though clearly not expecting anyone to take her word for it, NOR is she closed off to reconsidering her thoughts. She looked every single person who asked a question in her sessions (yes, I was in three of them, and yes, I asked multiple questions) right in the eyes and asked their names. She was the most present person I've perhaps ever been around. She was completely in each moment. Interacting with everyone but then giving complete attention to the person broaching a question. Amazing.
Session two was called The Mysterious Sacroiliac Joint: Anatomy & Asana, and was described as follows:
Many yoga students suffer from sacroiliac pain, which interferes with forward bends and twists. We'll study the anatomy and kinesiology of the joint, and then practice in a way that can prevent problems.
The two hour session felt like 20 minutes. The anatomy, the skill, the logic she presented was transformative. In that session she focused a lot on the fact that most yoga teachers over instruct their students to "lengthen their tailbone," "release their coccyx," or "tuck their tailbone." All fancy sounding ways to say flatten out the low back. WRONG! I mean, it can be a good instruction if the student is in fact over-emphasizing the arch to the low back. But she demonstrated on us that few of us really do! Our low back SHOULD have a curve. The coccyx should come out at about a 30 degree angle from the spine. When we're constantly trying to flatten that out, elongate the spine down, all we're really doing is taking the spine out of alignment which just throws the whole balance out of the window, causing (uh oh!) bank pain. Brilliant! Since that class I've stopped the blanket instructions I was guilty of offering.
Lunch break! Met up with some friends, raved and oohed and ahhed about our respective sessions. Attended a freebie session during the two hour lunch break all about essential oils, that promptly led me back to the market place to buy $75 worth of delicious and incredible scents and blends. My students are loving them during their savasana adjustments!
Final session of day one. Back to Judith, my idol, for her restorative session. This was an absolute must for me. I was SO excited about this, and was made even more excited when, about ten days before the conference, I got an email saying we were to bring a bolster, two fat yoga blocks, five (yes five) blankets, a strap, and an eye pillow. God bless this woman. After about 15 minutes of discussing the need and the reasoning behind restorative yoga, we got to it. In an hour and a half, we did three postures... including savasana! She played no music, she did not talk once we got into the pose. We just got to be. While I would have loved to see her set people up in more poses (learned some great tips for each one), getting to experience her version of restorative has totally impacted how I teach it. Despite being in each pose for 20-25 minutes, the time just flew by.
Okay, that's day one! I left just bursting with energy, love, and spirit, being utterly grateful for being able to have been there that day, and absolutely ecstatic that I was able to come back the following day.
Next up! Session two. My new yoga icon, Judith Lasater. Love. Love, love, love this woman. So much respect for her. I've already read and loved and used her restorative yoga book called Relax and Renew (available for purchase here). She's a physical therapist who turned yoga teacher in 1971. She's just... rad. (Proof of radness -- check her out chilling with B. K. S. Iyengar back in the day.) She is completely comfortable in her own skin. She is completely comfortable and confident in her knowledge, though clearly not expecting anyone to take her word for it, NOR is she closed off to reconsidering her thoughts. She looked every single person who asked a question in her sessions (yes, I was in three of them, and yes, I asked multiple questions) right in the eyes and asked their names. She was the most present person I've perhaps ever been around. She was completely in each moment. Interacting with everyone but then giving complete attention to the person broaching a question. Amazing.
Session two was called The Mysterious Sacroiliac Joint: Anatomy & Asana, and was described as follows:
Many yoga students suffer from sacroiliac pain, which interferes with forward bends and twists. We'll study the anatomy and kinesiology of the joint, and then practice in a way that can prevent problems.
The two hour session felt like 20 minutes. The anatomy, the skill, the logic she presented was transformative. In that session she focused a lot on the fact that most yoga teachers over instruct their students to "lengthen their tailbone," "release their coccyx," or "tuck their tailbone." All fancy sounding ways to say flatten out the low back. WRONG! I mean, it can be a good instruction if the student is in fact over-emphasizing the arch to the low back. But she demonstrated on us that few of us really do! Our low back SHOULD have a curve. The coccyx should come out at about a 30 degree angle from the spine. When we're constantly trying to flatten that out, elongate the spine down, all we're really doing is taking the spine out of alignment which just throws the whole balance out of the window, causing (uh oh!) bank pain. Brilliant! Since that class I've stopped the blanket instructions I was guilty of offering.
Lunch break! Met up with some friends, raved and oohed and ahhed about our respective sessions. Attended a freebie session during the two hour lunch break all about essential oils, that promptly led me back to the market place to buy $75 worth of delicious and incredible scents and blends. My students are loving them during their savasana adjustments!
Final session of day one. Back to Judith, my idol, for her restorative session. This was an absolute must for me. I was SO excited about this, and was made even more excited when, about ten days before the conference, I got an email saying we were to bring a bolster, two fat yoga blocks, five (yes five) blankets, a strap, and an eye pillow. God bless this woman. After about 15 minutes of discussing the need and the reasoning behind restorative yoga, we got to it. In an hour and a half, we did three postures... including savasana! She played no music, she did not talk once we got into the pose. We just got to be. While I would have loved to see her set people up in more poses (learned some great tips for each one), getting to experience her version of restorative has totally impacted how I teach it. Despite being in each pose for 20-25 minutes, the time just flew by.
Okay, that's day one! I left just bursting with energy, love, and spirit, being utterly grateful for being able to have been there that day, and absolutely ecstatic that I was able to come back the following day.
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