#simonborgolivier

Amazing few days hanging out with this super-brain, body expert yogi. The more you learn, the less you realise you know. It's humbling, and you have to wonder why it is that we generally make more effort to research a mechanic to fix our car or a builder to build our house than we do when we are essentially putting someone in charge of our body. Strange that despite the body being an incredibly complex machine, it's far less time and effort to become a body worker or trainer/Yoga teacher in the modern world than it is to become a chef or a florist and yet, it is a huge responsibility. Why do we not think this is important I wonder? 🤔💖🙏🕉 #yogamaster #simonborgolivier #alwayslearning (at Yoga Synergy) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzwXXneAKQS/?igshid=1t3cngd6wyhsn

Begin in Malasana or a low squat. Slide the elbows under the knees and find your rounded, flexed spine. The belly will activate, but make sure you can still breath easily into the lower abdominals. Press into the finger tips and the inner edge of the hand, thumb and index finger base, and relax the face, jaw, and tongue in the mouth. Relax the eyes and find a drishti point. Press down and lean slightly forward until there is a natural lightness in the feet. Once lifted, create resistance by pretending like you’re going to push your knees down and back. This will lengthen the crown of the head forward. The best way to keep a pose active is to feel how your body might come out of it. ... Resistance movements learned from @simonsynergy during the 300-hour teacher training by @yoga_synergy in Bali. I remain in gratitude for his immense knowledge. #simonborgolivier #yogasynergy #bakasana #resistancemovement #practicepracticepractice #smallclassesyourpractice #yogatoyoupdx #crowpose #alamedayogapdx (at Alameda Yoga Studio) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsnwRbSBlxb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m1s8vmh48gyd

#simonborgolivier taking a break on a lamp post. #yogainspiration #yoga #polefitness

Here are some fun transitions: 'Crow posture' (Bakasana) to ... 'Handstand' (Adho mukha vrksasana) to ... 'Headstand' (Sirsasana) to ... 'Inverted rooster arm balance' (Urdhva kukkutasana) to ... 'Twisted split leg arm balance' (Parivrtta eka pada koundinyasana) to ... 'Half lotus raised pigeon arm balance' (Eka pada galavasana) to ... 'Twisted sideways inverted rooster arm balance' (Parsva urdhva kukkutasana) to ... 'Inverted bow posture' (Urdhva dhanurasana) to ... 'Around the world walking standing on your head' (Mandalasana) to 'Inverted bow posture' (Urdhva dhanurasana) 'flipping over' to ... 'Handstand' (Adho mukha vrksasana) to ... 'Upward facing dog posture' (Urdhva mukha svanasana). *** 'Flipping over' (Viparita chakrasana): 👳To 'flip-over' from the 'Inverted bow posture' shift your body weight from your feet to hands and 'take-off' when the body weight is over your hands. 👳Lift your head as you lift your feet off the ground as I show in the video. Keep your knees bent throughout the flip in this transition. Learn to do it as slow and controlled as possible to achieve maximum strength and control over your trunk. I initially learnt to flip over from a back-bend (urdhva dhanurasana) on a soft grassy slope or a sloping sandy beach with the feet higher up the hill than the hands. In the beginning let your breath be natural but with time you can benefit by inhaling into your abdomen as you flip over. The trick is to stay relaxed and always be able to breathe from your abdomen so that your diaphragm is not inhibited. 👳 Thank you to Barry Nichols for this archival footage of when @biancamachliss and I opened our Yoga Synergy school in Bondi in 1997. Thanks to @space.tribe.clothing for their fun shorts. #yogasynergy #yogaanatomy #yogaphilosophy #corestability #yogateachertraining #spinalmovements #pranayama #yogaretreats #fitness #yogaworkshops #physiotherapy #simonborgolivier #asana #bandha #kriya #mudra #energytraining #strengthtraining #flexibility

Many people practice the salute to the incorrectly by not including the spinal forward bend that is defined by lolasana (the 'half tuck handstand'). In this video I show how each spinal extension (bending backwards) movement is preceded by, then followed by a spinal flexion (bending forwards) movement. The 'upward facing dog' (spinal extension) is preceded by the half handstand (lolasana) (spinal flexion), which may then lift to full handstand (as I show in this video) then to the 'push up' (straight spine). Then after the 'upward facing dog' the spine curves forwards (flexion) again (as I show here) in order to create the 'downward facing dog pose' where you can still see the navel (the drishti or place you have to actually be able to see to make the posture effective according to Sri K Pattabhi Jois). Dog pose is often practiced as a back-bending (spinal extension) posture that stretches the hamstrings and shoulders but then it will not be able to generate adequate power to 'jump through' (or better to float through) to lolasana (bending forward again). Also the backward bending downward facing dog pose, although I would not call wrong as such, tends to aggravate (and often cause) many hamstring tears and shoulder problems. The more traditional downward facing dog pose (especially in good Ashtanga vinyasa yoga) appears to give a more straight spine (or even slightly bending forward effect (as I show in the full version of this video on our blog) because of the combination effect of the sitting bones pushing forward while the thighs are pushing backwards in order to create an expansive and powerful mula bandha (which is actually a spinal flexor-extensor muscle co-activation). #ashtangavinyasayoga #yoganatomy #yogasynergy #suryanamskar #simonborgolivier #yogaphysiology #yogateachertraining #drishti #bandha

In this video I demonstrate how to do abdominal churning, which is incredibly health giving for your internal organs, and involves isolation of the rectus abdominis (sometimes called the 'six pack' muscles). It is referred to in hatha yoga as nauli kriya. I expand my chest as if I’m breathing (but not actually breathing). The expansion of the chest creates a partial vacuum that draws my abdominal organs upwards. Then I use the muscles of forced abdominal exhalation (abdominal obliques) and the muscles that are activated when I push my right hip and left hip forward alternatively (rectus abdominis). What I am doing is voluntarily activating the muscles that we all use in breathing and natural movement. The rectus abdominis muscle is meant to be active in many postures including all the way though the positions of the 'salute to the sun', but only if you practice as Sri Pattabhi Jois taught, with lolasana before and after each of the dog poses. The rectus abdominis (the main nauli muscle) will not be active and you will not really have understood ujjayi, bandha or drishti if you can cannot see the navel in the 'downward facing dog pose' and you are not regularly practicing (or at least attempting) lolasana (lifting slowing to a half handstand at the start and end of each vinyasa). The rolling exercise (nauli) that I demonstrate is done as a sequence as follows: (1) push the right hip forward (to activate the right rectus abdominis), (2) push both hips forward (to activate both rectus abdominis), (3) push the left hip forward (to activate the left rectus abdominis), (4) activate the muscles of forced abdominal exhalation (by pretending to exhale fully) to isolate and see the external abdominal obliques, (5) relax the muscles of forced abdominal exhalation (6) repeat steps 1-5 You can get more of this video at blog.yogasynergy.com or come to our intensive training in Goa India from 19 March - 17 April 2016 (yogasynergy.com/training) #yogaeverydamnday #funyoga #nauli #naulikriya #sixpack #rectusabdominis #pranayama #yogasynergy #simonborgolivier #yogaretreat #yogateachertraining #yogaanatomy #yogaphysiology #ashtangavinyasayoga #drishti #bandha

😇Firm but calm, 👳Sthira sukham asanam, 🙋🏻Balance on your hand, 🙉Then on your ear land, 🐳Don't fall in the pool, ⛄️But do keep your cool, 🎸Be strong like a log, 🐺And then pat your dog, #simonborgolivier #yogaphysiology #spinalmovements #armbalance #yogaanatomy #yogasynergy #mybadpoetry

Supine 'Salute to the Sun' (Supta Surya Namaskar): This is part of the Salute to the Sun I used to practice a lot when I broke my arm a few years ago and I could not put my hands on the floor for 5 months. I will publish the whole video which we filmed in Goa last week, soon. This version uses the core to move the entire body and makes the entire body work against gravity in a way that prepares the body with active movements to eventually lift to handstand effortlessly. *** Ekam, inhale, urdhva hastasana (arms above head) *** Dve, exhale, uttanasana (hands to the floor forward bend) *** Trini, inhale, lolasana (raise the head and perhaps lift the feet off the floor to handstand) ... And so on (I will share more later) This is one of the best ways to work to develop bandha, drishti and ujjayi pranayama for Ashtanga vinyasa yoga. If you would like to learn more please join our live or online training at http://YogaSynergy.com/training #simonborgolivier #yogaeverydamnday #yogasynergy #yogaanatomy #yogapysiology #bandha #drishti #ujjayi #ashtangavinyasayoga #corestrength