Seane Corn talking about Yoga and Off The Mat and Into The World

Yogawomen trailer

Quote of the day……

letter press on antique map Amy Rice Art

Yoga reaching out to help young kids

Rod Stryker | Honor the seeker

Rod Stryker | Yoga International Exclusives.

Postnatal ab exercises for mums

Post- natal checklist for teachers and students.

As a teacher I have to admit, it’s easy to overlook a post-natal student in a mixed class. I’m always busy keeping an eye out for the pregnant ladies or those working with an injury, that I don’t often ask if anyone has recently had a baby. It does takes time for your body to recover and hormones are still quite high after the birth so here are a few points/questions to note when teaching postnatal students in your regular class.

 

For teachers, quick questions/advice to student before class starts

* How many weeks since the birth?

* Did you have a C-section?

* Has your doctor signed you off?

* Are you breastfeeding? (If possible try and breastfeed/express before class)

* Are you suffering any discomfort anywhere in your body?

* Be mindful stretching (relaxin stays in the body for many months after  

   the birth, especially if still breast feeding.)

* Go easy on abdominal crunches (teacher check for diastis recti, if there is more

   than the width of two fingers, no crunches and go easy)

* Early days go easy on the back bends, the muscles have been stretched deeply

   during pregnancy allow some time for the muscles to shorten.

* If breastfeeding check if student needs alternative to lying in a prone position.

 For students post-natal checklist before class starts

* Has your doctor signed you off?

* Notify teacher even if it’s five/six months since the birth and any side effects

* Try and feed or express before class.

* Take it easy in your practice and build your practice and strength gradually

* Be mindful when stretching, muscles and ligaments are still very loose and flexible

   especially while breastfeeding.

Dear yoga mat

Thank you for supporting me all this time and being versatile enough to fit in anywhere, for being light, for helping me re-charge without needing a plug, for taking the heat, for being cool, for having a strong grip,for holding me when I fly. Thanks for teaching me about boundaries and when it’s OK to break them, for waiting for me, for not expecting too much, for being an easy travel buddy, for holding the space, for carrying me, for going the distance, for being down to earth, for being my magic carpet, thank you dear dear mat.x

Get yourself a bit of Hammok Enlightenment

Vinyasa, WD40 for your body!

My brother once persuaded me to by an old classic car. She was a beauty, red, shiny and with a soft top you could put down to let the wind blow in your hair. We even shared the same birth month and year, but in car years that meant she’d been around the block a few times and had a few rusty parts here and there. That’s when I found out about WD40, a magic grease spray that helps undo and ease into parts that have been well and truly seized closed. If only it was that easy in my practice I thought. I could so have done with a can of WD40 recently. One squirt for my hips, one for my quads and one for my spine and hello eka pada rajakapotasana (king pigeon) let’s shine. The truth is I am reacquainting myself very slowly with this pose after almost a year’s pregnancy, birth and recovery break. For me it’s always been the hip poses that challenge, that bring up the ‘I can’t’, the ‘I’m not made that way’, the wrestle, the tension. “Meet the resistance with softness” I hear in my head as my hips clamp shut in agni stambhasana (fire log pose). As uncomfortable as it feels these are the poses where I learn to accept myself, to listen to what comes up in my mind, to physically work through the tightness, to let go physically and at times emotionally.  There are neuro-transmitters called neuro-peptides that have a specific role in memory storage that can be found not only in our brains as traditionally thought, but also in our blood, muscles, bones and organs.” (Dr Candice Pert). How lucky we are to be able to work out some of this stuff on our mat.

This morning the vinyasa was my guide. I turned up the heat in my practice. Plank hold breathe, chaturanga hold breathe, vasishtasana hold breathe, hasta padangustasana breathe, handstand breathe. Muscles warming up, breath flowing and synching. When I got down to the floor the sun salutations and heat building poses had made way for the softness. The movement had made way for stillness. The power and purpose of the vinyasa prepared my body for the deep stretches. If anyone has ever taken a Seane Corn workshop you’ll know just how effective this can be. If you can use the vinyasa to build heat and keep it steady it can really pave the way for the deeper work when you get to the floor. You can hold, breathe and get into the deep connective tissue. The nooks and crannies of your practice. Here you can tap into the softness beneath and create the space for release. It can almost feel like a yoga fairy has come around and sprayed a little WD40 just where you need it. There are many different ways to work in yoga, many different styles, but this to me is the beauty of vinyasa. I like the description I found of the purpose of WD40 too: lubricates, cleans, protects and penetrates. This is what vinyasa did for my practice today.