One of my goals was to get my foot to the back of my head whenever I wanted it there. This is me practicing. (It's there!)

@livelyogini teaching folks how to use dat 🍑

Such
a simple
creature. @theyoga.club new toys

Gentle
late afternoon
shapes

This is really excellent

Enjoyment as a Discipline:

Hey y’all, it’s Michael here, bringing you some backbending inspiration from my workroom. My biggest tip? Stop making yourself miserable.

Incorporating enjoyment and gratitude into the discipline of yoga practice is in itself a transformative act. It shifts the focus from viewing practice as a duty or challenge to seeing it as a cherished part of daily life. This shift in perspective can significantly enhance a practitioner’s dedication and enthusiasm, making the practice more sustainable and enriching.

Commit to knocking the sh*t*y self talk off. Enjoyment is part of the process— be disciplined about its curation!

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Intermediate Intensive -Nashville @yogashalanashville - 6/14-6/16
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Primary Intensive- Washington, DC @theyoga.club - 6/21-6/23

@theyoga.club is so dope

Time Constraints are real. An efficacious practice at the 20 minute mark is worth keeping in your back pocket.

some backbending ideas for your practice.

Resistance bands are great for end-range strength training, and this can be especially beneficial for Ashtanga Yoga asana practice—here’s the “why” in both anatomy and Ashtanga terms:

1. Why resistance bands work for end-range strength

Resistance bands provide what’s called variable resistance: the further you stretch them, the more resistance they provide. This makes them perfect for training end-range strength—that’s the strength required when your muscles are either fully lengthened or fully shortened. Think of the top of a backbend, the deepest point in Supta Kurmasana, or holding your leg behind your head: these are all end-range positions.

Unlike free weights, bands make it harder as you move deeper into the range, which is the opposite of most real-life strength patterns (where you tend to be weakest at the extremes). So by training at those extremes with resistance bands, you’re preparing your muscles and joints to be strong, stable, and supported in yoga’s most demanding positions.

2. Why that’s good for Ashtanga yoga

In Ashtanga, especially the Intermediate Series and beyond, we are constantly exploring the limits of flexibility and control. But:
• Flexibility without strength is like stretching a rubber band with no tension—it’ll snap or sag.
• End-range strength helps prevent injury by supporting joints in vulnerable positions—like Kapotasana or Karandavasana.
• It also helps balance the nervous system’s stretch reflex. If your nervous system doesn’t trust you to be strong at end-range, it will limit your flexibility. But when it feels you’re strong and stable, it lets you go deeper—safely.

3. Systems Thinking

From a systems view, resistance bands act as an elegant feedback mechanism. They amplify the demand precisely when the system (your body) is most vulnerable—end-range. By strengthening the feedback loop between mobility, control, and proprioception, bands help shift the whole system (your practice) toward resilient adaptability—aka fewer injuries and deeper poses with less drama.

Full Body Workout for Rotational Stability.

A really fun circuit using the @vitruvian — with the isokinentic (echo) mode. The apparatus dynamically adjusts resistance so as to maintain a specific time duration at maximjm intensity over the travel distance defined in the firat 3 reps — theyre the ones that look easy. Watch the weight kick in and its no wonder it allows you to achieve incredible strength and mass gains quickly.

Repeat 4 Times, 45 seconds 45 seconds off.

Single Arm Reverse Lunges
Single Arm Reverse Lunges
Seated Shoulder Press
Kneeling Reverse Woodchop
Kneeling Reverse Woodchop
Single Arm Lawnmower Rows
Single Arm Lawnmower Rows

Full Body Workout for Rotational Stability.

A really fun circuit using the @vitruvian — with the isokinentic (echo) mode. The apparatus dynamically adjusts resistance so as to maintain a specific time duration at maximjm intensity over the travel distance defined in the firat 3 reps — theyre the ones that look easy. Watch the weight kick in and its no wonder it allows you to achieve incredible strength and mass gains quickly.

Repeat 4 Times, 45 seconds 45 seconds off.

Single Arm Reverse Lunges
Single Arm Reverse Lunges
Seated Shoulder Press
Kneeling Reverse Woodchop
Kneeling Reverse Woodchop
Single Arm Lawnmower Rows
Single Arm Lawnmower Rows

praxis