Health
26 entries in 2024 · oldest first

The Case for Functional Range Conditioning and Ashtanga Yoga
Unlock the Full Potential of Your Yoga Practice: Discover the Synergy of Ashtanga and Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)! Dive into our enlightening article where Michael Joel Hall reveals how the fusion of traditional Ashtanga Yoga with the groundbreaking principles of FRC can transform your practice. Experience enhanced flexibility, strength, and joint health like never before. Get ready to challenge your perceptions and elevate your yoga routine to new heights. Click to explore how this innovative integration can revolutionize your approach to wellness and movement. 🧘♂️
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Enhancing Ashtanga Yoga Through Systems Thinking
Enhance your Ashtanga Yoga practice by applying systems thinking. Learn how a holistic approach can lead to informed and sustainable decisions in your practice.
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From Violence to Vision: The Radical Potential of Ashtanga Yoga to Combat Systemic Oppresion
Using Ashtanga Yoga to dismantle systemic oppression and promote healing. Reflections from my enriching experience in Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee, alongside friends like Heather Sullivan and Cory Bryant. Explains the appeal of systems thinking after a life-altering hate crime. Ashtanga Yoga can be a vehicle for inclusivity and empathy, challenging entrenched systems of oppression. Lets talk about it.
Read the essay →These sessions are super fun —
You can book a session with me from michaeljoelhall.com — it’s very straightforward 🙂

Integrating Systems Thinking into Ashtanga Yoga Community Support
How tailored support networks and practical interventions can not only enhance individual practice but also strengthen our collective journey towards well-being. From fostering collaboration over competition to extending our reach beyond the studio, we explore innovative strategies that enrich our community interactions and extend the benefits of yoga to broader societal contexts.
Read the essay →As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club
As always, reach out if you want some in person or virtual coaching— or find me in the mysore room @theyoga.club

Illustrating the Principal of SAID in Ashtanga Yoga with Lat Pulldowns
Why do conversations about fitness get so weird when Ashtanga gets involved? Understanding how our bodies adapt to specific physical demands can significantly enhance our practice.
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cumulative strength: how a casual approach to chanting helped me appreciate my practice more
When my brother passed, I felt blindsided. It hadn't occurred to me that such a thing would happen, even though looking back I can see that with that kind of drinking, it was inevitably going to happen. You can't drink like that and not die…
Read the essay →"You think [that injury] just fell out of a coconut tree?
[That injury] exists in the context of all in which it lives and what came before it."
I'll see myself out.
Regional interdependence:
"You think [that injury] just fell out of a coconut tree?
[That injury] exists in the context of all in which it lives and what came before it."
I'll see myself out.
🤬 WTF Should I Do With My Shoulders in Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward-Facing)? 🤩
See caption for details 👇
Sex education, bullies and movies said Id die of AIDS
or loneliness. There were no sitcoms about older Gay
men (a "special episode" if I was lucky). My script was
written: Id be cast as "angsty, closeted teen
then
addicted, suicidal hustler then
sexless,
funny,
fashionable sidekick (no older than 35),
white picket
husband or creepy, flaming villain. Then I vanished.
Why would I argue or expect more? So many heroes
died by 40. My addiction and suicide rates are so much
higher than my straight counterparts. My own
community's ageism suspends youth and virility by
any needle, pipe,
an this culturalermi, ermpis te otter side ry
action movie bridge, broken and perilous.
I am 43 today. My need for sexual validation has
simmered (a little bit). The chips on my shoulder are
melting off and the scars of gay bashings look kinda
cool. I earned rights and built tools unimaginable to
my ancestors. What I sacrificed and valued means the
next generations will not need to start from scratch.
Audiences will not forget they've seen us. I no longer
need to buy or sell scripts about invisible men. In our
fatherless culture, my elders call me baby and my
children call me Daddy.
Iam the last First Generation.
Leo Herrera
@herreraimages
I love Leo's writing

How Breath Training Can Transform Your Sports Performance: Evidence and Techniques
Have you ever felt like your breath was holding you back on the field, court, or track? Just like a mischievous puppy chasing its tail, most athletes are blissfully unaware of how their breath can propel—or, heaven forbid, impede—their performance. Breath training, often overshadowed by the…
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Navigating Overtraining in Ashtanga Yoga: Signs, Solutions, and Self-Care
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? You dive headfirst into the wonderland of Ashtanga Yoga, blissfully aware of the transformative power of each pose—until one day, the thought of stepping onto your mat feels more like a chore than a joy. Overtraining can sneak up…
Read the essay →Adaptive Resistance via the electromagnetic platform is a game changer thats hard to explain but easy to see and feel. The results are, too.
We feature this cutting edge technology at @theyoga.club. Check out my latest article at michaeljoelhall.com/ to learn more about the benefits of adaptive resistance strength training.
I started training on the @vitruvian to help maintain my strength during recovery

Getting Great: Adaptive Resistance and Isokinetic Training: Optimizing Muscle Growth and Fat Loss
Ever wonder how that gym buddy of yours keeps sculpting their physique while juggling a dozen other life commitments? For this Ashtanga yoga practitioner, the secret sauce often lies in mixing the right ingredients of training modalities and intensities. I‘ve been particularly partial to adaptive…
Read the essay →Im so stoked to now get to experience the performance benefits of this technology in a new way. If you play your cards right, you’ll need 3-4 days between workouts, completing a workout in under 20 minutes.
Thats 40 minutes a week compared to 4 hours a week. Ive got packages available at michaeljoelhall.com. DM for a 20% off coupon for a resistance training or transformation package at michaeljoelhall.com

Financial Equity for Yoga Teachers: Building Sustainable Business Models
Lets define equity, shall we? The financial challenges that many yoga teachers face have been an enduring issue within the industry. For years, teachers have struggled to earn livable wages, often working long hours with little job security, no benefits, and limited opportunities for growth.…
Read the essay →OH, MAN.
MICHAEL JOEL HALL
Ashtanga Yoga Teacher, Shala Director, and Founder
EXPOSED LONG
michaeljoelhall

Transitions Workshop
Warm-Up Part 1: 20 Minutes A warm-up tailored to the demands of planche and handstand work, targeting shoulder stability, wrist flexibility, and core activation: Shoulders: Arm circles and shoulder rolls Wrists: Wrist rotations, stretches Spine Mobility: Cat-cow stretches Core Activation: Hollow body holds, rocks (engage…
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