Stemming from a discussion the other day about what part of the head you use for a headstand, Pilar and Ellie decided to make a few videos.  Below you will find Sirsasana A with Pilar and Sirsasana B with Ellie.  These videos are of course in addition to learning in class with your teacher present. Headstand is wonderful inversion that can stimulate the brain, energise the body and mind, and help you feeling strong.  It requires strength, flexibility, and practice.  So don't get discouraged if you don't come right up the first time you try.  When the body and mind are ready, the pose comes.

Typically we learn Sirsana A, before moving on to a tripod headstand.  Here it is:

http://youtu.be/UrpUmWwAeQ4

Here in Sirsasana B, Ellie answers the question of what part of the head rests on the floor, and how to find it. In pressure point terms it is Du 20, the top of the head just up from the ears. Check out tripod below!

http://youtu.be/51QM6IWu0J0

Ellie Coats is our Yoga for Athletes expert starting your day right on Tuesday mornings at 7:30.  Pilar teaches headstands and more inversions in her 2/3 classes.  Come along and have fun!

If you have just tuned in to the blog, check the many other videos we have made here at Camyoga under the video blog section of the site, and Subscribe on youtube.

We sometimes avoid the poses that we think we just can't do, the poses that maybe our bodies weren't "built" for.  Hanumanasana is just one of those poses. Full splits are something we feel we either can or can't do.  But even the naturally unflexible have hope in this pose.

Warming up the body and the key muscles is important as is the consistency of practicing.  The way to get better at hanumanasana is to do hanumanasana.  Sounds simple, right?  But then why do so many of us just avoid the pose altogether? Check out the following video for full split prep poses...

http://youtu.be/BgPTT6tQz20

Take inspiration from Hanuman, the monkey god for whom the pose is named before you take this leap of faith.  Hanuman leaped across an ocean in order to help a friend he loved.  And so this massive leap represents the expansion of his heart, the love that allowed him to take this step. In the full version of the pose we add in the expression of the heart opening. Take a look...and give hanumanasana another chance.

http://youtu.be/zUkMuJdOyZ4

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (downward facing tree) is most often known to us as handstand. There are some clues for us in this image of the tree to bring us into handstand. Imagine growing strong roots down into the ground and lengthening up through the body with a strong core. Handstand in the middle of a room can be a bit daunting.  Find your footing first at the wall. Going upside down can be an empowering experience as you build strength and confidence.  In order to move your Handstand away from the wall, practice engaging the core and taking the sway out of the low back.  With all things yoga...practice, practice, practice.

Take a look at the video below for some tips on kicking to the wall and then building strength once you are there.  Enjoy and have fun!!

http://youtu.be/GwXKKdLUcL4

Salute the sun ashtanga style.  Howard demos this key piece of many yoga practices. Having a hard time taking flight?  Look back at some past videos on jumping with Howard. Looking for modifications and conditioning for the salutations?  Check out Louise Lloyd's 4 part video series in the videos section of our blog.  Happy practicing! http://youtu.be/dg4MFHcGLDU

In our restorative video series with Beverley, we take a look at 'legs up the wall pose'.  If you only had time for one pose in a day this might be the one.  Experience all the benefits of a gentle inversion and restore health to your body and mind.

Benefits include:

• improves circulation
• calms the mind
• boosts immunity
• regulates hormones
• relieves mild backache
• reduces travel fatigue

This pose can be practiced with or without props.  Enjoy legs up the wall with all the fixings in restorative yoga with Beverley every Friday from 11:30 to 12:45.

http://youtu.be/qNgfuU56vTg

In previous posts and videos, Louise Lloyd has shown us some modifications to safely transition through parts of the sun salutation.  You were warned about the dreaded cobra dog and how it is to be avoided.  You were shown exercises to condition and strengthen the body by lowering slowly to floor. Now, as you can tell from the title of this post, we go the distance.

In part of 4 of Louise's Sun Salutation video series we take a closer look at lowering into chaturanga, inhaling into upward facing dog, and exhaling into downward facing dog.  Since we haven't covered jumping back, the video starts by lowering from a plank position.  When jumping back, it is advisable to land in chaturanga (rather than plank) to keep your shoulders safe and injury free.

The strength required to safely transition through your sun salutation requires regular yoga practice.  Be sure to look back at the previous videos in this series for tips on modifying and building strength.

Happy practicing!

http://youtu.be/bp4UokwlrVU

Tying your shoes, picking up your dropped keys, and sitting comfortably.  What do they have in common? You guessed it...your hamstrings. Much of our yoga practice is facilitated by gaining flexibility in this area as well.  Meanwhile, many of our other daily activities are working to tighten our hamstrings: driving, desk sitting, cycling, and running, to name a few.

Of course, regular yoga practice will keep you fit and flexible. If you are newer to yoga or you cross train heavily,  you might be looking for additional ways to stretch out your hammies.  Anna Jackson shows us some great stretches to do on a regular basis to see improvement in hamstring flexibility.

http://youtu.be/DtHdHtjXxZM

Beverley has been working as a yoga teacher and somatic movement therapist for years in the Cambridge area.  Her deep understanding of anatomy and the human body creates a very healing and informative environment in her Hatha and restorative classes.

Restorative poses are all about letting go of the need to be doing something so the body can feel renewed with energy rather than drained.  In today's world our nervous systems are always on "go" mode with our compulsive need to be accomplishing or acquiring.  What happens when the muscles don'y have to work, the mind lets go, and even the cells of the body are allowed to release? Take a look at the video below to see what supta baddha konasana can be like. Then, experience for yourself in a restorative class.

Beverley is one of our teachers' teachers. She is a part of the Camyoga teacher training program. Come learn from the best.  Try restorative, Hatha, and meditation with Beverley.

http://youtu.be/QCVOy7dopBk

If we take care during the transitions of our yoga practice we will limit injury and increase benefit.  In Louise Lloyd's previous video, we differentiated cobra and updog (beware the dreaded cobra dog!)  Here, Louise talks us through the transitions in and out of cobra during the sun salutation. How we move in and out of a pose has to do with control and mindfulness. Stay tuned for her video on the updog transition. http://youtu.be/bU-O-Nnc8zA

Cobra (bhujangasana) and updog (urdhva mukha svanasana) are two distinct postures.  A blurring of the line between these two poses might be uncomfortable for the low back or shoulders. Also, learning to move with intention and precision will keep you present in your body. In the second of Louise Lloyd's sun salutation series, she covers the key differences between the two poses.  Cobra and updog both look and feel different.

Don't be caught in the cobra dog pose!  Check out more in this video

Stay tuned for more videos on the transitions in and out of these two poses.

http://youtu.be/yf8ZgtpyJKs