Posts tagged 60 Mins
A Touch of Yin - Nice Poses to Stay In

60 Mins

A Touch of Yin - Nice Poses to Stay In

Sometimes it feels good just to stay a little longer. Staying longer can happen when the conditions of feeling comfortable are met and we can give our body the time it needs to let go and become more passive. In order to stay longer the poses should be more accessible for all, comfortable enough that you can stay in them, as opposed to strenuous poses that you wish to rush through. The Yin element is connecting you to the body and breath that allows to a more peaceful state of being.

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HATHA FLOW, Front body lengthening, Abdominals, Breath, Breathwork, Chest opening, Hips, Restorative, YinGemma Nash60 Mins
Lotus & Binding

45 Mins

Lotus & Binding

When playing with the poses that lead to lotus and binding we look at poses that open both the hips and the shoulders. So whether we can catch the foot in a bind or bring our foot in to lotus or not doesn’t prevent us from moving through the steps on the way. Twists, shoulder openers and strengtheners, going upside down, chest opening, and then possibly twist with lotus where the body allows, other base positions are readily available :-)

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HATHA FLOW, Legs, Mobility, Hamstrings, Twists, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Inversions, ShouldersGemma Nash60 Mins
Crossing Over - Full Body Extension

60 Mins

Crossing Over - Full Body Extension

Here we extend the side body with a little bit of a twist. We make our limbs travel further by crossing them over, we also add in IT band and hip rotators working this way. We stretch and open the front body and flexors in this practice too. If it’s possible to play Yoga Twister this is it :-)

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HATHA FLOW, Legs, Hip Flexors, Balance, Hips, Mobility, Hamstrings, IT Band, Side Body Lengthening, Strength, TwistsGemma Nash60 Mins
Hip Compactness

60 Mins

Hip Compactness

Being held together is kind of how this feels. Moving with stability is key to increasing mobility safely and effectively. For this we need to learn how to feel our different muscles and how to engage them. Our focus here is mainly on the hips and how we can connect to them by how we position and use our feet. Lots of movement flow, hip openers and a delicious unwinding to close.

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HATHA FLOW, Legs, Abdominals, Hip Flexors, Adductors, Balance, Breathwork, Groin, Hips, MobilityGemma Nash60 Mins
Back bending - What's behind us?

60 Mins

Backbending - What’s behind us?

When we start to open the chest and front body we often do this with movements that place our attention behind us, where we cannot see what is going on. Whether this is with practices that open the shoulders, arch our spines or contract our glutes to effectively and safely master back bends, big and/or small. The primary focus here is actually the legs and the glutes, leading to ustrasana (camel), but the fun is on the journey, not the destination as we bring awareness to the unseen parts of our bodies.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Function, Legs, Abdominals, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Hip Flexors, Backbends, IT Band, Shoulders, Upper BodyGemma Nash60 Mins
The Front Body - Quads & Shoulders

60 Mins

The Front Body - Quads & Shoulders

A Yoga practice should allow you to move your attention around your body and direct this attention so the mind can attune itself rather than being scattered everywhere and outside of ourselves. A lot of the time when it comes to our movements, we fall in to habits and finding routes that are easy. I personally find my front body much harder to open than my back body. Posture shows us that this is true for a lot of people. So here we focus on poses that stretch our hip flexors and quads but also open our shoulders so our arms can sit where they are supposed to, well ideally where they are supposed, to the side of our body rather than at the front with palms turning back in to our body. It’s fun to explore and there are some easy daily practices we can all do to open up and be playful.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Function, Hips, Legs, Abdominals, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Balance, Hip FlexorsGemma Nash60 Mins
Crossing Over - Outer Leg Stretching

60 Mins

Crossing Over - Outer Leg Stretching

This practice for me gets in to all the hard to reach places. The outer leg can be really tight and a lot of yoga poses we practice most often work more on the inner line of the leg and the hip in external rotation. We also experience in this class how much stability we require to attain the most flexibility and this attention can be a reason we always head to practice the things we are most familiar with instead. Crossing over and stretching out, good for the body and proprioception too :-)

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Function, Hips, Legs, Mobility, Abdominals, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Twists, Balance, Hip Flexors, Side Body Lengthening, IT BandGemma Nash60 Mins
Twist, Lift and Extend

60 Mins

Twist, Lift & Extend

Twisting is a great prelude to opening the hamstrings, I’m not sure when I first learnt/experienced this but I have found it to hold true in my practice. It’s tricky to do standing twists, they require mastery over the hip joint to stabilise yourself, being centred in your core and also relatively free in your rib cage and upper back to rotate. It’s the ultimate meditative, mindfulness in action practice. Here we twist, open the shoulders and upper back alongside opening the hips and hamstrings. It’s a wonderful practice for sports people and anyone who needs to provide relief for the legs.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Function, Hips, Legs, Mobility, Abdominals, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Shoulders, TwistsGemma Nash60 Mins
Waist Extenders

60 Mins

Waist Extenders

Here we combine opening the hips and adductors with finding more length in the waist and side body. Freeing the ribcage and in turn creating more movement in the diaphragm and space for the lungs to breathe, to expand and open creating more space in the back and upper chest too. Strong legs, firm support in the hip joints and balancing the four ‘sides’ of the body to have support, stability, flexibility and strength.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Function, Adductors, Hips, Legs, Mobility, Abdominals, Groin, Side Body LengtheningGemma Nash60 Mins
360 Leg Movements

60 Mins

360 Leg Movements

The legs move from the pelvis; forwards, backwards, to the side and across. Not always with the same ease of movement on both sides but with the same possibility unless or until there are restrictions in the hip joint. I wanted to look at the different muscles involved in poses when we lifted the leg in different planes from differing base positions. By the end I think we would have explored movement in the hip joint and legs from a 360 degree perspective.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Balance, Function, Shoulders, Abdominals, Adductors, Hips, Inversions, Legs, MobilityGemma Nash60 Mins
Binding & Folding

60 Mins

Binding & Folding

Sometimes we omit things we should be practicing more often. Full range of motion and movements in all directions around the shoulder joint is crucial. Here we review the poses and practices which involve the shoulders; wrapping, binding. revolving, twisting and movements in different directions added in to our familiar standing poses. This then challenges our proprioception and balance when in space. We also explore at the end ways to approach headstand with or without the intention of fully going in to the pose.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Balance, Twists, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Function, ShouldersGemma Nash60 Mins
Revolving - Strength and Stability

60 Mins

Revolving - Strength & Stability

When we twist our spine dictates how much we can move in either direction. As well as the lats and obliques to name just two big muscles that help. We can deepen our twists with the breath and longer holds, slowly slowly unravelling the patterns and observing them. To aid in the twist mobility we also lengthen the inner line of the legs (adductors) and hamstrings to free the pelvis and waist. There is also fun to be had exploring arm balances, weight distribution and build strength for our ability to do this but also for the longevity of our bones and building density through weight baring.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Balance, Strength, Twists, Upper Body, AbdominalsGemma Nash60 Mins
Strong Abs - Core Centric

60 Mins

Strong Abs - Core Centric

Good movement through the body and a healthy spine is reliant on a strong and flexible core. The beauty of many Yoga poses, practiced carefully and consciously at the appropriate time, both occur together. The beauty of this class is we include, hip stretches, arm strength, balance, backbends as well as direct abdominal work to really stabilise the core of the body so we can move our limbs in all directions and across different planes without bucking in the middle.

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HATHA FLOW, Hips, Legs, Hamstrings, Hip Flexors, Abdominals, Adductors, Backbends, Balance, Shoulders, StrengthGemma Nash60 Mins
Psoas Lengthening - Body Lifted

60 Mins

Psoas Lengthening - Body Lifted

The psoas muscle originates around from T12 - L4 on the spine and wraps around the inner pelvis and connects to the lesser trochanter on the leg. When short or feels tight it can contribute to lower back pain or sciatica and prevent us from feeling as though we can stand up tall. Here we look at lengthening the hip flexors, in particular the psoas muscle and all the practices that help us feel as if we can lengthen out from the very distil points of the body (hands and feet) without restriction at our core.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hips, Mobility, Legs, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Hamstrings, Hip FlexorsGemma Nash60 Mins
Unwinding the Legs from the Hips

60 Mins

Unwinding the Legs from the Pelvis

Unwinding, essentially lengthening the muscles that stretch from the pelvis down the inner thigh (adductors) and the back of the leg (hamstrings). Combining glorious hip openers with poses that open the back of the knee with intelligent hamstring lengthening. This may lead you towards practicing padmasana (full lotus) for those who’s hips allow, and playing with many other variations that work on the same premise and can be practiced in preparation for full lotus or in place of it.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hips, Mobility, Legs, Adductors, Groin, Balance, PadmasanaGemma Nash60 Mins
Feel the Ground - Extend & Expand

60 Mins

Feel The Ground - Extend & Expand

When we practice and really connect our feet to the earth our powers to extend and expand in all directions increases. Lengthening the side body, arms, legs; everything feels stronger, more even and the ability to hold a deeper position in the pose is possible and more beneficial. Here we practice lots of arm movements and directions to liberate the shoulders and side waist, combined with hip openers we have a winning combination for length and space.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hips, Chest opening, Mobility, Legs, Adductors, Front body lengthening, Groin, Twists, Side Body LengtheningGemma Nash60 Mins
Backbends - Mobilising Our Open & Lifted Ribcage

60 Mins

Backbends - Mobilising Our Open & Lifted Ribcage

This is not a deep backbends class, it combines well with forward bends and focusing us on moving the torso in different directions. Posturally we underuse the spine’s movement in this direction and it is super important to counter the effects of dropping in the chest and rounding the shoulders. All these methods are accessible to everyone and vital to maintain healthy functional movement of the spine.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hips, Balance, Chest opening, Mobility, Hip Flexors, Legs, BackbendsGemma Nash60 Mins
Freeing the Ribcage - Twists & Binds

60 Mins

Freeing the Ribcage - Twists & Binds

There’s a little bit of everything in here. We connect hips, twists and binds for maximum rotation and also for the biggest transformation in freeing the ribs and the ribcage. Which in turn elevates the spine and chest from the front, sides and back, frees the lungs to breath more expansively and works to chink away at the upper thorascic spine which can be less inclined to move freely. Binds are optional, there are ways and means of creating the same effects in the body with the use of our props that are fuss free and easy to include so we can practice without discomfort or let restrictions hold us back from finding openness.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hips, Balance, Chest opening, Mobility, Padmasana, Shoulders, TwistsGemma Nash60 Mins
Hip Love and a Dash of Arm Balancing

60 Mins

Hip Love & a Dash of Arm Balancing

The majority of hip asanas in this practice are from the wide leg family of poses that open the hips, stretching the adductors and externally rotating at the joint. Our approach is to also create mobility around the whole joint and experience different ways of moving in and out of poses and creating a feeling of mobility even in the stiffest of hips. We add in a couple of weight baring poses based around the side arm balance to play and experience essentially the same pose from many different angles.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Hip Flexors, Hips, Adductors, Balance, Chest opening, Groin, Mobility, StrengthGemma Nash60 Mins
Binding Times - Rotation, Opening & Folding

65 Mins

Binding Times - Rotation, Opening & Folding

In our previous class we focused on twists and the movements that concentrated on what happened above the pelvis. This week we rotate and take it a step further, by including hip openers (external rotation) and the option to take some stronger binds or cross overs that require an even bigger rotation through the torso. By including some hip openers we can observe how this helps us to free up movement in the spine as well as testing out what’s going on in the hips and where we may need to open and or strengthen more. Please take extra lift for your seat when doing some of this work, do not ignore joint pain in your knees!! Always support and adjust or come out completely of anything that does not feel right.

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HATHA FLOW, Function, Twists, Upper Body, Hip Flexors, HipsGemma Nash60 Mins
Twisting - Global Rotation

65 Mins

Twisting - Global Rotation

I think when we twist it’s a good idea to view our body from a 360 degree perspective. Turning to the side or revolving our pelvis, waist, ribs, upper thoracic, collar bones, neck and head? Then there’s the response; how does it feel when we are twisting in the front of the body compared to the back, from the right side to the left depending on the direction we are going. In this practice we are not simply twisting or turning around, we are navigating the full circumference of the body.

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HATHA FLOW, Legs, Abdominals, Chest opening, Function, Twists, Upper BodyGemma Nash60 Mins
Lifting the ribs - Lengthening the Waist

65 Mins

Lifting the Ribs - Lengthening the Waist

This practice really highlights how much space we lose when we drop our ribs. The abdominal cavity needs length for all the organs to function optimally and for spinal health and mobility too especially if we are also dropping in to our lower back without the awareness of how to lift out of the pelvis. This practice shows you ways to lift, lengthen and strengthen so the ribs stay lifted when we are off the mat, as well as highlighting the connection to open the hamstrings and inner leg (groin and adductors) to facilitate the ability to lift more without the legs pulling you down. Enjoy, I love this practice.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Legs, Abdominals, Chest opening, Front body lengthening, Function, HipsGemma Nash60 Mins
Sahasrara - Thousand Petal Lotus

65 Mins

Sahasrara - Thousand Petal Lotus

Our 7th Chakra, Sahasrara is located just above the crown of the head, associated with the colour violet it’s element is thought. It is considered the thousand petal lotus, the jewel in the crown, the ultimate awakening and wisdom where our connection to spirit, sense of the universal, consciousness, unity and enlightenment are manifested. When balanced we have kind thoughts, actions and faith through meditation and prayer, able to transcend our physical world. When imbalanced we feel disconnected from those around us, apathetic and depressed.

In this practice we focus on the poses, mudra and sound that allow us to bring attention to the area where the crown chakra is located. Balancing our right and left sides, elevating through the central channel of the spine to the crown of the head is a key element to this practice.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Balance, Inversions, Legs, Strength, AbdominalsGemma Nash60 Mins
Ajna - All Seeing Eye

65 Mins

Ajna - The All Seeing Eye

Our 6th Chakra, Ajna is located at the third eye centre, between our eye brows. It is considered the ‘seeing’ chakra, our inner sight which guides our intuition and also clear sight in to the things we want and can visualise achieving. This is when it is in balance and also enables us to recall our dreams and past memories. When imbalanced we are caught seeing things from only one perspective, can’t see or imagine the future, could have nightmares, obsessiveness and confusion. In this practice we focus on drishti, where our gaze falls when we move as well as meditation focus and viewing our practice from inside. Affirmations to consider:- I see all things in clarity, I am open to the wisdom within, I can manifest my vision.

* Please note in my post covid brain this is not Hakini mudra (we review this next week). And we should have practiced eye ball movements instead of the neck practice. We review this next week as well. But consider practicing moving your eyes around as if following the numbers on a clock face, holding for 10 - 15 seconds at each point.

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Balance, Hip Flexors, Hips, Inversions, Legs, StrengthGemma Nash60 Mins
Vishuddha - Throat Chakra - Self Expression

65 Mins

Vishuddha - Throat Chakra

The 5th Chakra, Vishuddha is located in the throat. It governs self expression, communication and ability to speak one’s truth. To speak and be heard. When imbalanced we are prone to gossiping, interupting and dominating words over others. When deficient our voice is small and weak, there is a shyness and fear of speaking. It is the pathway of communication, it’s associated element is sound and it’s energetic colour is blue. In this class we use the physical practices that open the throat, as well as the breath practices, meditation and bija mantra that helps balance and open this chakra. I mention here but it’s important to note that the meditation and mantra practices will be most profound when practiced for 15 - 20 mins daily. Most likely for 40 days!!

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HATHA FLOW, Front body lengthening, Chest opening, Hamstrings, Twists, Upper BodyGemma Nash60 Mins
Anahata the Heart Chakra - Opening In All Directions

60 Mins

Anahata The Heart Chakra - Reaching In All Directions

The 4th Chakra is our heart chakra, considered the intersection between the upper and lower chakras. The element associated with this energy centre is air, like air, love is all around us and can disperse. We need to keep this area open to keep love flowing, it keeps us open to experience and helps us connect to our true selves, our loved ones and the natural world. When blocked on a physical level can cause issues with circulation, blood pressure and lung conditions and on an emotional level issues with unworthiness, loneliness and an inability to trust :( The colour associated with Anahata chakra is Green. Here we explore movement, mudra and mantra that lifts and opens the chest with arms reaching in all directions.

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HATHA FLOW, Abdominals, Front body lengthening, Backbends, Chest openingGemma Nash60 Mins
City of Jewels the Naval Chakra - Manipura

60 Mins

City of Jewels the Naval Chakra - Manipura

The 3rd Chakra is located at our naval centre/solar plexus and is considered the city of jewels, the energy centre that governs our sense of self; power, individuality and identification, our self worth and self esteem. ‘I am enough’ countering ‘I am not enough’ … knowing our inherent value. It’s clear passageway is also key to a healthy digestion and a balanced metabolism. In this practice we explore ways to open the space, connect to it with movement, mudra and mantra. The element associated with this chakra is Fire and it’s colour is yellow. Light it up!!

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HATHA FLOW, Hamstrings, Abdominals, Front body lengthening, Hip Flexors, Twists, HipsGemma Nash60 Mins
Igniting the Sacral Chakra

60 Mins

Igniting The Sacral Chakra

For the next 6 sessions we are going to approach our practice with an eye (or two) towards our chakras. We will look at the way mudra, seed mantra and physical postures can help us tune in to this center, awaken our understanding of energy and movement and how it may improve our daily lives if awakened. The sacral chakra (Svadhistana) is located at the lower belly/inner pelvis area. The associated element is water and it asks us to observe the fluid circumstances of life. It’s our creative hub, is pivotal to our emotional stability and overall enjoyment of life.

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HATHA FLOW, Hips, Function, Abdominals, Balance, Chest opening, Hamstrings, LegsGemma Nash60 Mins
Vertical Spine

60 Mins

Vertical Spine

I would say this was Part 2 to last week’s class entitled Up Up and Away but of course can be practiced alone. From teaching this in person I learnt that the vertical spine and being able to lift up out of the armpits is fundamental to balancing safely upside down. It’s also key to ease, I never felt as though it was strength alone that kept me balancing in inversions, it’s about strong fundamentals, foundations and a lightness that comes with practice and letting go of fear and knowing where and when to prop. This is preparatory, you absolutely do not have to do the full inversions, but can enjoy the process and the preparation along the way. Shoulder and upper back opening and side body lengthening in all it’s glory.

*Please note we had problems with WiFi when we recorded this so my phone had to do the Zooming and the recording.

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HATHA FLOW, Legs, Hip Flexors, Hips, Backbends, Front body lengthening, Function, Shoulders, Abdominals, Balance, Chest opening, Inversions, Strength, Upper BodyGemma Nash60 Mins
Overlapping Hands

60 Mins

Overlapping Hands - Effective Side Chest & Armpit Opening

I love experimenting and new ways to move and open up the body. Opening the arm pits frees the chest, sides and back of the chest and lungs. It also makes you taller! We open the palms, get super long through the arms and extend out, we also play with balance, tipping and extension, stabilising and strengthening the hip, knee and ankles joints.

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HATHA FLOW, Balance, Front body lengthening, Function, Legs, Abdominals, Chest opening, Hip Flexors, ShouldersGemma Nash60 Mins
Lengthening, Strengthening & Reaching Out

60 Mins

Lengthening and reaching out

Continuing what seems to be the theme for this series of classes this month we find length in the torso by extending and reaching out of the ribcage. Here we focus on doing this through twists and side body stretches. The benefits of lengthening our torso is improved postured, improved spine mobility, more space for abdominal organs and their optimal function. This practice also focuses on strengthening our hip joint for greater stability when it comes to wide leg postures, whist stretching out the adductors (and semitendinosus, our inner most hamstring) at the same time.

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HATHA FLOW, Balance, Front body lengthening, Function, Hamstrings, Adductors, Hips, Legs, TwistsGemma Nash60 Mins
Balancing on our Hands

60 Mins

Balancing on our Hands

Don’t be perturbed by the idea of taking more weight in to your hands and practicing arm balances. There are many stages along the way and ways to balance with support so the hands and wrists do not take too much weight or any at all. Strong legs, as well as strong arms and shoulders are key but to balance and create postures where we balance on our hands rather than our feet requires good hip and shoulder mobility so there’s lots of this preparatory work here as well as twists and forward folds. It is also key to maintain length in our abdomen, and protect the integrity of spine so we don’t get overly compressed in our endeavours.

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HATHA FLOW, Chest opening, Shoulders, Upper Body, Abdominals, Hips, Balance, StrengthGemma Nash60 Mins
Heart Leading The Brain

60 Mins

Heart Leading the Brain

We don’t often think of our yoga practice in terms of it’s coherence and integration. Or maybe you do, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. What is key as we start to switch on to the fact that everything is connected, is that we do not move in isolation and we do not exist in isolation. Most of the movements in this practice focus on us leading with the heart, opening and lifting the chest whilst remaining stable and strong in the legs and lower back/abdomen. One action doesn’t over take everything else, even if it is a focal point, the whole body needs to integrate to make the asanas feel coherent and so we don’t injure ourselves in the process too ;-)

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HATHA FLOW, Chest opening, Shoulders, Upper Body, Abdominals, Backbends, Front body lengthening, Hip Flexors, HipsGemma Nash60 Mins
Spiralling Arms

60 Mins

Spiralling Arms

This is like daily flossing for your shoulders. Our shoulders are connected down to our finger tips, to our collar bones and sternum at the front and to our ribs at the back. There are so many ways in which range of movement can be limited, whilst we often over do some movements and under do others we find ease and restriction sometimes in different directions. Take this practice easy and keep coming back to it, or take certain movements from the practice, little pieces and see if you can do a different one every day to keep the shoulders moving healthily in all directions.

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HATHA FLOW, Front body lengthening, Breath, Chest opening, Shoulders, Upper Body, BackbendsGemma Nash60 Mins