KETCHUM YOGA

zeathefourth:

I saw scorpiandagger made a great gif for The Tate Britain’s 1840s GIF party. There was an open call for gifs based on a few of their 1840s paintings. I chose a beauty by John Singer Sargent.

I really like this woman. If I could do one thing, though, I would ask her to open her collar bones wide and melt the shoulder blades away from the ears as she’s flexing here. Then we could sigh a sigh of relief together.  

The postural influence of Hatha yoga, once used for a kind of physical self-destruction to release an immortal, post-human self, remains embedded within a contemporary movement practice that promis…

“Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”

~Mark Twain

Do more forward folds and give the back of your body a chance to open up and release. Here’s why from Tias Little:

"The fight-or-flight tendency, which I see a lot of, shows up as bracing—especially in the back body—feet, calves, hamstrings, buttocks, lower back, behind the heart, back of the neck. The back body is a real receptacle for this kind of bracing. Well, I guess we have to carry on. We have to stay present. So the back body ends up holding, like a buttress, in order for someone to stay in a situation—so that a fight or flight response can show up as bracing or gripping or really tight hamstrings. From a really young age, people are subject to threats of various kinds—physical, emotional, psychological and the body tissues respond on an unconscious level.”

Post Thanksgiving meal, this is where I’ll be. I’m longing for a silk dress/pantaloons combo like this - perfect for hibernating.

Found on the always inspiring Rachel Johnson Yoga site. 

This is the dance partner of my dreams. 

Inhalation engulfs the whole body, expanding from center to periphery. During exhalation, the tide recedes drawing back toward the center. The in-breath is a movement toward the peripheral consciousness; the out-breath moves into the core of consciousness. ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

"If you keep the back skin of the neck passive and the tongue soft, there is no tension in the brain." ~ BKS Iyengar

I think the word “stretch” might be a little misleading in this screen shot - I would replace with the word “move”. I just love Gil’s enthusiasm and poetic approach to the body. Please give this a watch if you have ever moved a muscle in your body. Ever.

Our jaws are overworked and underpaid. Give your jaw a break. Whether you’re opening that jar, texting your bff, or in a moment of deep concentration, unclench the poor thing. A release of the jaw translates into a sweetness and a calmness in your approach to life. No more clenching and gripping.

This photo is from the Stepford Wives Workout which very well may be sexist. So… gross on that. But just looking at this makes me feel better. She is opening the chest, shoulders, and collar bones without dumping in the low back and sticking ribs and belly out. Front ribs are incorporated into the body and her abdominals are gently engaged and tailbone reaches toward her heels to help lift up and out of the low back. 

I like the idea that ALL humans - not just house wives - should move in heathy ways throughout the day. When I sit at the computer all day I feel my body slowly hemorrhaging into a lethargic state.  When I get up every once in a while and do a little dance or stretch I feel awake and just plain better. So, if we are to learn anything from a sexist workout, it’s that whatever you’re doing during your day, incorporate some stretching and strengthening throughout and you’ll feel better.