Online yoga

1 January

Everyday mindfulness

From Sunday 8.1. - Sunday 5.2.

In the first month of this year, we are understanding how to apply mindfulness in everyday life and establish the quality of wakefulness and relaxation through the practice of yoga.

Wakeful relaxation is a state in which we elongate the spine and express alertness with the body, while at the same time relaxing the facial muscles and the layer under the skin. We hold this attitude with yoga positions in which we strengthen the spine as an axis of alertness and strength, and at the same time we remain with a smile and softness. This is the Buddha's middle path - that we are neither too relaxed and sleepy, unconscious for our lives nor rigorously tense, under stress, this is the attitude in which we are "responsive" (we know how to react well when we need to and relax when it's time for it). We practice holding that attitude with our body and remembering it throughout the day, straightening up and relaxing at the same time - being mindful.

Topics that we cover in January:

• the body as the field of the present moment
• leg and pelvic strength
• upright posture
• strength and relaxation in the same experience (in asana)
• meditation
• facial muscle relaxation, facial yoga
• breath along the spine
• every day motivation

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2 February

Open chest and heart

From Sunday 5.2. - Sunday 5.3.

This month we deal with opening the chest, stretching the shoulders and upper back, and expanding the heart space. The so-called upright posture is nothing else than the elongation of the front pectoral muscles and the strength of the upper back muscles, which lower the shoulder blades down. When these muscle groups are activated in this way, we naturally stand upright and emotionally open to live our truth.

Each of us has what makes us happy, where our "heart opens", when we live in accordance with this, we are happier, less sick, have meaning and love the people around us. This month we are guided by our heart compass. The movements we make start from the heart, so that we express with our body the attitude that keeps us on that personal, honest path. If you have kyphosis, your shoulders hurt, or you hold yourself hunched over, this is the month of yoga for you.

Topics that we cover in February:

• stretching of the shoulder girdle
• chest muscle relaxation, stretching
• strengthening of the upper back muscles
• upright posture, open chest
• surrendering to the experience with trust
• meditation of love
• acceptance and gratitude
• meaning and faith

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4 April

Breath of health

From Sunday 2.4. - Sunday 7.5.

We continue the detox we did in March, but in April we focus more on deep abdominal breathing, a little less fiery yoga practice and a greater flow of fine Prana. We will go into the layer under the skin and travel through the fascia to feed your tissues. This approach of yoga and mindful movement helps with depression and anxiety. We work with light and comfortable movements supported by the breath to see how we change the chemistry of the body. Yoga is a natural remedy for depression and anxiety. More about yoga for mental health on the blog.

Topics that we cover in April:

• deep breathing exercises
• light yoga practice
• compassionate attitude
• yoga for depression and anxiety
• asanas for stability and stretching
• mindful yoga
• everyday motivation

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5 May

Vitality = mobility

From Sunday 7.5. – Sunday 4.6.

May is a time of outdoor activity, perhaps hiking, walking and other sports, so this month we work on mobility with yoga to "reset" after each outdoor activity. Mobility means healthy joints and good quality of the muscle tissue (that they are not in spasm). Yoga itself is a synonymous with mobility.

We emphasize the mobility of the pelvis, which is the basis for a healthy spine, the stretching of the hamstrings and psoas, which are shortened by walking and running, and the mobility of the shoulder girdle. These are the key zones where we accumulate stress, when we stretch our muscles and move our joints we get a feeling of lightness.

Topics that we cover in May:

• spinal breath
• mobility of the pelvis and lower back
• Asanas for stretching and endurance
• yoga for back and shoulders
• hamstring stretch
• self-massage for muscles in spasm
• sympathetic breath

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6 June

Yoga for the spine

From Sunday 4.6. – Sunday 2.7.

In June, we strengthen the muscles along the spine, move the spine in 6 basic directions, rotate around that axis, breathe along the back, and do targeted exercises for scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis, as well as recovery after hernias. Of course these problems require different exercises but yoga has secret tools that help everyone, placing your attention in a certain way with gentleness does the magic.

The spine is our "electrical energy line" because it is where the information of the nervous system travels and it is a lot of energy that is why it is a central energy channel (also called sushumna). When we target that channel, we directly affect the nervous system. This month we calm that nervous "current" and relax in yoga Nidra - yogic sleep, for deep peace and better sleep.

Topics that we cover in June:

• the spine as the axis of the present moment
• back muscle strength
• directions of movement of the spine
• yoga for back pain
• targeted exercises for the back
• breath along the spine
• yoga for better sleep
• yoga Nidra

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7 July

Spaciousness of breath

From Sunday 2.7. - Sunday 6.8.

In yoga, the breath is a guiding thread, a barometer of our inner state and a means of communication between physical and mental experience. When we are agitated, our breath shortens and becomes incoherent (irregular rhythm), and when we are calm, our breath can be long and even. Given that breathing is a function of the autonomic nervous system that we can change by will, it is the most effective and fastest way to self-regulate. The lungs hug our heart, and the rhythm of breathing directly affects the rhythm of the heart and the entire nervous system.

The feeling of emotional pressure is like a narrowed space of the heart, when we release our breathing, the heart moves in a wider, more comfortable space. This month we are dealing with allowing greater spaciousness of breath, metaphorically and literally. Let's be self-confident, improve communication with our body and self-regulation in order to face with confidence what life brings us.

Topics that we cover in July:

• increasing lung capacity
• work with respiratory muscles
• yoga backbend positions
• yoga against anxiety
• emotional regulation by breathing
• yoga breathing
• meditation of love
• trust and security
• breath through the heart space

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8 August

Time for myself

From Sunday 6.8. - Sunday 3.9.

We will dedicate a month of hot days and holidays to resetting the "working" year. We do Mindful slow flow yoga in which we try to consciously follow the movements and perform them the way we need at that moment. We become aware of the present moment and our inner atmosphere while holding restorative yoga positions.

We will emphasize work with the hips and the psoas muscle that "holds" the accumulated adrenaline in us. Emotionally speaking, the hips are the part of the body through which we ground ourselves and "let go into the ground" everything unnecessary. This month we give ourselves time to let go of what we no longer need, to take a break, rearrange our priorities and move forward with a new base.

Topics that we cover in August:

• Mindful slow flow yoga
• restorative asanas for the hips
• link of psoas and adrenaline
• yoga for relaxation
• relaxation and antistress
• Mindful yoga
• letting go of the past
• yoga Nidra

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9 September

Right intention

From Sunday 3.9. – Sunday 1.10.

Intentions shape our lives. Whether they are aware of it or not, they govern our thoughts, words and actions and thus make up our personality. Karma (the law of actions and the consequences of actions) is nothing but a series of intentions that we react to, so it is very important to be aware of them. This month we look at where we operate from and set clearer intentions to start the autumn season with new motives.

In the practice of asanas, we work with determined still positions, longer stays, asanas for balance and stability in order to hold the space of determination and clarity with your body. We ask questions that illuminate the sparks of our actions. We sensitize ourselves to see where the habits we want to release/change come from and introduce affirmations for new ways of acting.

Topics that we cover in September:

• standing asanas
• positions for stability and balance
• a calm quality of power
• slow stretching
• upright posture
• determination and clarity
• mindfulness meditation
• positive affirmations

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10 October

Rhythmical rutine

From Sunday 1.10. – Sunday 5.11.

Good routine is a useful thing, it sets a schedule for duties and free time. Our nervous system likes routine, the body knows when it's time to eat and looks for food around the same time every day. It is the same with time for sleep, work, concentration, exercise and other things. We manage in our routine, it is a familiar, productive terrain. It is important to include yoga in the regular flow of our routine. They say if you don't have 10 minutes to meditate, meditate for an hour.

We will dedicate October to establishing a routine with a morning yoga practice that is repeated, becomes familiar and safe, and gives us a great base for all the daily challenges that come with returning to a schedule with other members of the community. Also if you are a beginner in yoga now is the time to start as will cover some yoga basics.

Topics that we cover in October:

• basics of yoga and details of asanas
• salutation to the sun
• ashtanga yoga base
• rhythm of movement repetition
• a healthy yoga routine
• silence of mind
• coherent breathing
• meditation for better concentration
• affirmations for willpower

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11 November

Inner fire

From Sunday 5.11. – Sunday 3.12.

In November, we warm ourselves with the best power, the inner fire of our belly. In yoga, this does not only mean strengthening the superficial abdominal muscles, but also deep activity of the abdominal cavity. We prepare for yoga jumps, lunges, chaturangas, twists and asanas that connect the strong center. We add a massage of the organs, hands and internal muscles - yoga kriyas for cleansing the body.

We will focus our attention on that part of the body so that they can use the fine muscles of the abdomen better and better. With these exercises, digestion becomes highly functional, and as soon as we metabolize food healthily, we process other problems, relationships, information, etc. more easily.

Topics that we cover in November:

• speeding up the digestion
• jumps in yoga
• asanas for center strength
• twisting asanas
• massage of the abdominal cavity
• uddiyana bandha kriya and kapalabhati
• an inexhaustible force field
• healthy emotional release
• proper eating and chewing

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12 December

Antistress yoga

From Sunday 3.12. – Sunday 31.12.

Yoga practice can relieve anxiety or stress. We practice by choosing to return to the physical aspect of anxiety and feel the flow of that energy through the body. The body always has a tendency to let go, restore balance, strive for health and balance, like everything in nature. With thoughts of fear and identification with difficult emotions, we trap anxiety in our system, and in fact, by fighting for it to pass, we do not let it pass.

With yoga exercises, we work on stretching muscles and creating space that is lost in "anxiety" and stress, and restoring openness and flexibility. We learn to see things from a different, broader perspective and little by little experience experiences more through the body and less through ideas and concepts.

Topics that we cover in December:

• stretching asanas
• regulation of the nervous system by breathing
• increasing lung capacity
• light yoga practice
• yoga for mental health
• mindful yoga
• somatic meditation
• compassionate attitude
• positive affirmations

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