Written by Sam Sather and Aviva Tulasi
On Saturday June 15th, we will host our 3rd Art and Yoga Retreat: Heart of Wonder at the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill in collaboration with Beverly Dyer. Join us for a day (8:30am-3:30pm) of creativity as we embody the meaning of WONDER in mind, body, and heart. Registration is through NC Botanical Garden
Learn how to find your neutral posture and experience being able to sit and stand comfortably on May 8th for The foundation of Asana, Sitting and Standing Comfortably with Aviva. Sign Up for the Lunchtime Learning In Person or Online.
Learn the importance of spiraling within our daily functional movements and why "the weights of the body are our focus for mobility, balance and safety and not the connectors (e.g., knees, etc.) on May 15th for Part 2 of Spiraling for Healthy Movement with Sam. You can attend live In Person or Online. A recording will be available for 7 days if you can not attend live. If you missed Part 1, you can purchase it from the video library HERE.
Any posture can be “advanced” if it facilitates connecting to presence, awareness, and love. This functional practice mantra invites us to explore how we move with a sense of curiosity and compassion. Embracing a childlike wonder towards movement we can repattern habits and remember how we once moved using weights of the body to support healthy movements.
Babies learn how to move by accident. They become curious about what is around them and as different weights are lifted in the air, they find themselves in new positions. a A baby may lift their head and shoulders and when they shift their weight and reach across their body with their arms - they end up rolling over. Once enough strength and coordination is developed they learn to bend one knee and bring it toward their chest, followed by a rotation of the hips and torso in the direction they want to roll. This movement, coupled with the momentum generated by the arm reaching across, helps them start the rolling action. As the baby learns how to move the weights in the body, they are engaging various muscle groups, including the core, shoulders, and hips.
Babies experiment with the weights and muscles of the body and find that spiraling is the most efficient way to transition between positions. Through spiraling, they learn to engage various muscle groups, including the core, shoulders, and hips. Relearning and utilizing spiraling offers opportunities to reconnect with our inner child, mobility and vitality. Spiraling is a graceful dance between strength and flexibility, stability and fluidity. As you begin to shift your weight, you can feel the engagement of your muscles as they work in harmony to support you.
Spiraling allows one the ability to cultivate presence, awareness, and love. In each spiral, there is an invitation to be fully present—to inhabit every sensation, every nuance of movement. There is an opportunity to cultivate awareness of the inherent wisdom of the body and its natural tendencies. Spiraling allows for smooth transitions and avoids straining the connectors in the body.
When we take a functional approach to yoga and our daily movements we lead with Sensing, Feeling and Doing. We can learn more about our bones, fascia, connections, become aware of meaningful movement and identify patterns and explore repatterning.
Spiraling for Healthy Movement Part 1 is available for purchase on our video library HERE.
Reach out to us with your questions at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com. We are here to help. ❤️❤️❤️
Aviva Tulasi is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and studio coordinator at Dogwood Studios. Aviva applies the teachings of classical yoga (movement, focused breathing & meditation) to nourish the nervous system. Aviva’s classes empower students to explore their thought habits in order to promote greater wellbeing both on and off the mat.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and an Insight Yoga Institute (IYI) endorsed teacher. She individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.
