Series 2 – Donna’s Classes Bundle
$111.00
Replay access for all classes in this bundle is for 90 days from your date of purchase.
Series 2 - Class #02 with Donna: Movement as Meditation
“The moment opens. In it are contained
Like tiny seeds a million more divisions.”
~ Jewel of the Moon, William Kotzwinkle
When we invite present moment awareness into our yoga practice there is an opportunity to saviour the granularity of sensation. What we might have once experienced as a blunt transition or a final end-point or threshold, can be transformed into a delicate and differentiated experience that opens doors into new possibilities and potentials. When we open into the moment, there are indeed many more divisions; made up of distinct, subtle and sometimes ineffable experience.
In this class we’ll explore a broad range of movements and yoga practices with the view to heightening our awareness of how we enter into a practice, how we sustain and explore it, and how we can expand our threshold for deepening.
Series 2 - Class #04 with Donna: Sequential Flow: Origins of Alignment
Through learning to initiate impulse from the ground and allowing this force to move unimpeded, we rediscover the organic origins of asana and its intimate relationship to the oceanic flow of the breath. As we learn how to use the ground as a springboard for movement, we begin the process of sending force clearly through the structure of the body, while keeping the joint spaces open and fluid.
The ability to intelligently sequence force through the body is the foundation of what we call “alignment”; alignment of the structure of the body; alignment of the energetic pathways that support the movement of prana and breath and an ultimate alignment of the human being in relationship to ground, gravity and space. This cyclic flow through the body is constricted when asana practice is practiced in a static and effortful manner. We’ll explore how containing and directing impulse through the body can be balanced by remaining suggestive to the subtle ebb and flow of the breath current.
Series 2 - Class #06 with Donna: Sequential Flow: Inner Currents
The ability to intelligently sequence force through the body is the foundation of what we call “alignment”; alignment of the structure of the body; alignment of the energetic pathways that support the movement of prana and breath and an ultimate alignment of ourselves in relationship to ground, gravity, and space.
Impulse not only relays through our bones and joints, impulse also travels through our internal organs in fluid waves. Learning to feel and utilize the support of the internal organs can create a sense of ease and remove unnecessary strain from our muscular body. In this way the contents of the inner body can shape and support the outer container of the body, creating the conditions for a sense of satisfaction and deep expressiveness in our practice.
In this class, we’ll focus on two key relay points in the body: the pelvic diaphragm and the thoracic diaphragm.
Series 2 - Class #08 with Donna: Gentle Back Bends–Strong Spine
Being able to do deep backbends seems to be the ultimate status symbol in Yoga Land, but is deep extension really that great for the spine? Are there safe and beneficial ways to maintain spinal integrity, strength, and graceful upright posture . . . especially as we age? In this class we’ll explore what makes for safe spinal extension and the incredible benefits we can gain from regular, gentle, and targeted back bending.
If you tend toward stiffness and immobility in extension, this class will be a delightful way to release and unwind spinal tension. If you tend toward hypermobility, you’ll come away with new tools to stabilize the most vulnerable shear points in your back and restore the strength and stability of your vertebral column.
This class is an investment in lifelong upright posture and what this means for our ability to remain active and healthy into our twilight years.
Series 2 - Class #10 with Donna: Channeling Your Inner Fish
So much of modern postural yoga practice is oriented in the to-and-fro of the sagittal plane. The rectangular shape of the standard yoga mat reinforces this linear dimension: inviting us to bend forwards, backwards or to stand sideways. While working in the sagittal plane can build strength and cohesion in the core and spine, overemphasis of movement in this plane can also create rigidity and lack of fluidity and differentiation in the spinal column.
Lateral movement shifts us out of yes and no answers and moves us into the dimension of choice and possibility. We begin to see the world (and ourselves) from a different perspective.
In Anatomy Trains, Thomas Myers describes lateral movement as “the kind involved in the swimming of a fish, consisting of reciprocal reflexes flowing down the musculature in waves.”
Through playful movements and variations on more traditional yoga asanas we’ll explore how rediscovering our inner fish can release the deep intervertebral muscles of the spine and restore fluid ease to our movement. Swimming costumes optional.
Series 2 - Class #12 with Donna: Restorative Reset
In this Restorative deep dive, we’ll explore how the baroreceptor reflex (a carotid artery sensor that registers blood pressure) can support a downshift in the nervous system; slowing the heart rate and calming the activity of the mind. The baroreceptor reflex is a physiological phenomenon specific to postures such as Supported Bridge, Shoulderstand and Legs Up the Wall. To maximise the potential benefits of these practices we’ll first prepare the body through gentle cervical, upper thoracic and shoulder opening movements.
We’ll also investigate the oculocardiac reflex whereby gentle pressure in and around the eyes slows the heart rate. This class will be of particular interest to yoga teachers wanting to more fully understand the physiology of inverted Restorative postures and how to maximise benefits through tailor fitting postures to individual structure.
Replay access for all classes in this bundle is for 90 days from your date of purchase.
Please note: As these are bundles of single 90-minute classes, the 15-day money-back guarantee that applies to longer-duration courses is not applicable.
