Vitality = Mobility
We work on easy movement in the joints, pelvic mobility, spinal health and lengthening the hamstrings and psoas.
It's possible to order a single yoga lesson from this bundle.
The Tena Yoga Method
How I guide this package
Every class in this package has a clear intention. I guide you through the pose, attention, and breath so you understand what you are doing and find your own balance of strength, mobility, and ease.
More on the lessons
The package contains a talk with an introductory class and eight yoga classes.
During periods of greater outdoor activity, hiking, walking and other sports, we use yoga as a counterbalance and work on mobility so that the body can reset after every activity. Mobility means comfortable, easy movement in the joints and healthy muscle tissue that is free from spasm. Yoga itself is synonymous with mobility.
We emphasise pelvic mobility as the foundation of a healthy spine, lengthening the hamstrings and psoas that become shortened through walking and running, and mobility of the shoulder girdle. These are key areas in which we accumulate stress. When we lengthen the muscles and move the joints, we arrive at a feeling of ease.
Themes covered:
- Spinal Breath
- mobility of the pelvis and lower back
- asanas for stretching and endurance
- yoga for the back and shoulders
- lengthening the hamstrings
- strengthening the kinetic chain
- self-massage for muscles in spasm
- the breath of vitality
The recordings were made during regular guided online yoga classes. The classes were recorded through Zoom at a resolution of up to 720p, so variations in video quality are possible.
Contents of the recording package
INTRODUCTORY TALK AND YOGA CLASS ON THE THEME
In the introduction, we explore the importance of mobility and free movement in the joints for quality of life, the directions in which our joints move and exercises for the motor joints that carry us. Vitality as a principle of health and vital energy is connected with how freely we move and how comfortable we feel in the body. The second aspect we explore this month is impermanence, known in Buddhism as Anicca.
1. COMFORTABLE JUNCTIONS
Our joints are points of transition from one position to another. This may seem obvious and we use them without thinking, but they are essential turning points in the body. This morning, we systematically mobilise them, giving the larger joints attention and Prana. After Sun Salutations that connect the whole body as one, we stabilise them through several standing asanas held a little longer. On the floor, we also practise several forward bends.
2. LINES OF THE BODY
Again, we mobilise the joints, move through Sun Salutations, several standing asanas for stability and calm strength, and a few floor poses with a yoga strap, all with a mindful approach.
We contemplate how we can respond intelligently to the nature of impermanence. What relationship do we establish as we enter an asana? How do we allow the nature of the body to tell us what is here before using what we feel to change it for the better?
3. LINKS OF THE WHOLE
We begin decisively with squats and Spinal Breath movements, then move into regular and slightly more dynamic Sun Salutations with a stepping knee action for even more effective mobility. We follow with several steady asanas that connect the whole body and lengthen the hamstrings. This is a pleasant, dynamic little class and an ideal preparation for a day of feeling comfortable in the body. At the end, we revisit a perspective on physical sensations that reminds us of impermanence and the vibration of nature’s flow.
4. DIRECTIONS IN THE HIPS
This morning, we mobilise thoroughly with an emphasis on the hips. We use poses and movements on all fours that move the hips in every direction, followed by Sun Salutations and several standing asanas for stability and rotation in the hips. Simply begin. We also use this time for yoga to shape the quality of our attention: relaxed, alert presence through the body. I know where I am because I feel the space around me, feel what is within me and embody that attitude.
5. MOBILITY FROM THE BASE
We continue dynamically and fluidly. Again, we warm up with several squats and Spinal Breath, followed by Sun Salutations, including those with a stepping knee to the floor in which we do not remain in Downward Dog but simply keep circling. Among the standing asanas, we repeat standing balances, today with a strap, lengthen the hamstrings and open from the hips. The principal focus is mobility of the hips and pelvis, and therefore the spine.
6. PRODUCTIVE MOVEMENT
From the opening mobilisation and Spinal Breath movements, we progress to dynamic Sun Salutations with additional Cat-Cow movements for the spine. You will see how beautifully these Sun Salutations flow continuously.
We contemplate determination and ask how to respond in the best and most appropriate way within every situation. The answer is to listen and remain within the body.
7. LIKE A BIRD
Today, we begin with general mobility but emphasise the shoulders. Using straps, we practise circles from the shoulders and several backbends that open the chest. We set an intention for the day: may we be present and see clearly how the body forms itself, more precisely how it responds to information that reaches us. Only when we feel can we choose, and we choose to relax, not accumulate contractions or carry unnecessary weight. This is emotional and mental vitality.
8. ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL
In this final little class summarising the theme, we practise a little of everything: plenty of movement and mobility, along with several static asanas for stability in the joints and lengthening the hamstrings. The body is a system in which no part can be separated and every part affects the whole. We can experience this directly in the body through yoga. We contemplate the ease of accepting the nature of impermanence.
