A monthly newsletter that explores all things Yoga – from adjusting your asana to discussing philosophy – and how to make all of it your own.

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Happy February!

Hello Reader,

This month is short and sweet, which is exactly what I'm feeling up to writing right now. Brevity is the name of the game today!

We're in the countdown to my maternity leave – it's official. I'm phasing my classes out one per month through April, so if you want to practice with me in person, come see me soon. Official end dates are listed on my website.

I'm planning to have some offerings (newsletters, videos, etc) available to release while I'm on break over the summer. This will depend greatly on my energy levels and capacity, which is still in great flux right now.

Enjoy the season of candy, treats, and love in all its forms!

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Prenatal Yoga: Adapting the Practice for Pregnant Students

Hey yoga teachers! Have you ever had an "oh crap" moment when a pregnant person walks into your class? I have a workshop coming up in March that can help with that!

We'll talk about why and how practicing yoga differs in pregnancy, and you'll participate in a regular prenatal class. Plus, this may be the only time you can take this workshop while your instructor is pregnant 😁

Double bonus – Yoga Alliance CEs are available for this class.

Here are the official things you'll learn:

• How to adapt asana for pre and postnatal students using the support of props
• The contraindications of various asana and pranayama, and how to offer appropriate alternatives
• What discomforts and symptoms pregnant students may be experiencing during each trimester, including postnatal
• The anatomical and physiological changes that occur during each trimester, including postnatal
• How a prenatal class sequence differs from a regular class sequence
• Appropriate etiquette when asking questions, and how to hold space for this transformational time in a birthing person's life

Hope to see you there! (Or, feel free to pass this on to a teacher you know.)

Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
11am-4pm, at The Yoga Tree in Fremont

Click & Scroll to Join Me!

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Anatomy Spotlight: Ankle Bones

Once upon a time, when I was learning to draw feet and ankles, I was directed to observe the “ankle bumps,” or protruding bones between the lower leg and foot. Many of us continue to think of these visual bony references as the entirety of the ankle – when in fact, they are the outside pincers of the hinge joint. The mobile bone, which actually allows for movement, is located inside these outer bones, and protrudes slightly below to rest on the heel bone.

What we see visually is actually the ends of our two leg bones – the larger tibia on the inner side of the leg, and the smaller fibula on the outside. Between these hinges the talus, an irregularly shaped bone that allows the ankle to point and flex. The underside of the talus, which connects to the heel bone (the calcaneus), is shaped like an arch, allowing the heel to adjust side to side on non-flat surfaces. Although the talus can’t be seen from the outside, it’s the key bone mobilizing your ankle.

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Pose Breakdown: Warrior 2 Ankles

The back foot in warrior 2 is angled inward to allow the hip to rotate; often we’re cued to “root through the pinky toe side of the foot” to harness the ankle and knee joints. In more extreme collapsing cases, particularly those with ‘flat arches’, this makes a big difference in ankle and foot alignment (green example). But for some of us, attempting to do this makes no difference in foot activation.

Rather, if we focus attention on sliding the talus – that inner ankle bone – more towards the outer edge of the heel, we suddenly find a sense of lift and engagement in the foot. It can be very subtle (orange example), but will make a world of difference in ankle health over time.

(It’s also a good thing to check in with in tadasana – are your ankles sliding towards your inner arches?)

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Philosophy: The Gunas

Yoga’s ultimate goal is always to move us towards knowing our true Self; to do this, we must determine what we are not. Everything not-Self is known as Prakriti, or Nature, and it serves as our teacher. Nature is made up of three primary qualities (gunas): tamas, rajas, and sattva. Though these terms can apply to all things in Nature (rocks, trees, animals, etc), for our purposes we’re focused on their application to our mind – which is part of Prakriti, and thus not our Selves.

We won’t delve into much nuance here (no space!), but the rough outline is this: tamas is slow and heavy, rajas is rapid and active, and sattva is balanced clarity, i.e. the absence of the other two. When applied to the mind, each quality has its purpose (tamas mind helps us sleep, while rajas thoughts prepare us for lively conversation, for example), but our goal in Yoga is to spend more and more time in the sattva state.

When we mentally reside in sattva, we have the best chance of insight and the least chance of causing our own dissatisfaction. To distinguish our true Self, unique from Nature, the more clarity we can harness, the better!

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Thanks for joining me!

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