Good Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana is both an inversion and an arm balance. It is the resting point in the Ashtanga sun salutation sequence and serves to reset our muscles back to their optimum length. If you look at the photo above you can see we are trying to lengthen the complete back of the body while flexing at the hips. Here are some tips for you to do just that. Flex the hips by engaging the psoas muscle. Bend the knees at first. This releases the hamstrings and allows the pelvis to tilt forward when the psoas contracts. Your feet should be at least hip width apart as you want an inward rotation of the hips, this is archived by engaging the gluteus medius and tensor fascia lata to draw the iliac bones slightly apart. A cue for this is to fix the feet on the mat and then attempt to push them away from each other
Activate the triceps to extend the elbows and press the mounds of the index fingers into the mat to draw the shoulders forward. Now imagine trying to draw the hands towards each other to ‘lock’ the muscles in place. Draw the shoulders blades toward the spine and slide them down your back. Note how this opens the chest and lengthen the upper back. Now strongly engage the uddiyana bandha and abdominals to lengthen and activate the lower back. Engage the quadriceps to extend through the knees and lengthen the hamstrings. Now attempt to lift your toes toward your shins. This draws the heels toward the mat, stretching the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves and the flexor muscles of the toes. Finally, press the balls of your feet into the mat and stabilise the ankles by slightly inverting them to lift the arches and spread the weight to the outsides of the feet.
Shot at Tall Trees Yoga.
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People often think that owning a yoga studio is a cool thing to do, but a lot of the time i’m just making sure that there is enough toilet paper.
At the end of the pandemic it really was a struggle for studios. Some clients did not have the confidence to return to face to face classes, while others had grown out of the habit and found other things to do. To combat this I decided to go a little bit more corporate with the studio. Nothing big, just taking teachers into schools and businesses and doing some classes for the NHS and Multiple Sclerosis society. It meant a raft of paper work, becoming a service provider for the different organisations as well as sending out invoice after invoice. I think it was starting to get on top of me a bit, but last week I felt the pressure ease a little and I was able to get back to my normal morning routine of walking my dogs and doing my own yoga practice.
One of the things that has helped is starting our own Teacher Training program, and this month saw module six of our Tall Trees Teacher Training program, its great to see the progress the students have made but its been equally beneficial to myself and I was ready for the challenge of designing and delivering the course.
Other news at the studio…The employees at our local Lidl distribution centre have started a weekly class at the studio all paid for by Lidl. This is great to see and last week I was asked to take part in Amazon Mental Health Awareness week so it seems as if there is a growing trend of employers looking at ways outside of the box to enhance their staff general health. Yes more paperwork but it gets a little easier every time. And we have launched our plans for our first yoga retreat.
So, is running a yoga studio easy? No, its dam hard work. Would I change it? No, I love the studio and I love the life it gives me, and that my friends is all we need.
Much Love Michael.