Many muscles make up the muscle group that we refer to as the core. This muscle group surrounds the abdomen including the front, sides and back. With so many muscles in the core, a wide range of yoga poses can
Stretching the psoas with a basic lunge
The psoas is a muscle that connects the lumbar or base of your spine to the front of your hips or pelvis. It can be a common cause of back, hip and knee pain. And it frequently ends up tight
The position of your hips in plank pose
The sun salutation sequence in yoga moves through a number of physical poses including plank and movements that resemble a press-up. We often mistakenly think plank and theĀ movement of lowering down and pressing up are about arm strength. But
Tipping your tailbone is really about moving your pelvis/hips
The position of your hips and pelvis can have a big impact on your muscles, affecting stretching and strengthening. It can be a hard movement to master, especially since we don’t often think about moving our pelvis. There are many
Different head movements for different neck stretches (video)
Over the last few weeks in my classes we’ve experimented with different positions of the head both while standing and laying down, to see how this changes the stretch in your neck, arms and shoulders. I thought it might be
Yoga@work mini videos
At the start of my weekly classes I always ask for requests. Lately, the shoulders, neck and wrists are a re-occurring theme. We can have tension in these areas for many reasons, but it is often made worse by sitting
Where do you put your hand in triangle pose?
Triangle pose or trikonasana is one of my favourites. Trampers will love the stretches for the side body and legs. Cyclists will love the core strength without a sit up. However there is one very small alignment decision that can
Proprioception, say what?
Proprioception is becoming a common buzzword these days in yoga and other types of movement classes. What is proprioception? It is your ability to feel how your body is positioned relative to space and the other parts of your body
Stretching the leg muscles (cyclists this one’s for you)
Several friends are riding the Tour Aotearoa, 3,000km of cycling from Cape Reinga to Bluff in 30 days or less. As their training rides have increased, so have the niggles of chronically tight muscles. The large muscles of the legs
Balancing on 1 leg is more than just your feet (video)
Whenever we think about standing balances – particularly on one leg, we tend to focus on the feet. It’s pretty obvious why. When you balance on one leg you can feel the muscles in your foot and ankle working hard