Karmic Seeds Body Mind & Spirit

Want to find a new sense of balance and freedom in your practice? Learn how to skillfully stretch and strengthen the mysterious psoas muscle. JUNE 7, 2013       BY JULIE GUDMESTAD Most yoga students are aware that the psoas is a central player in asana, even if the muscle’s deeper function and design seem a mystery. A primary connector between the torso and the leg, the psoas is also an important muscle off the mat: it affects posture, helps stabilize the spine, and, if it’s out of balance, can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain. The way that we use the psoas in our yoga practice can either help keep it healthy, strong, and flexible, or, conversely, can perpetuate harmful imbalances. The psoas is a deep-seated core muscle connecting the lumbar vertebrae to the femur. The psoas major is the biggest and strongest player in a group of muscles called the hip flexors: together they contract to pull the thigh and the tor...

DECEMBER 24, 2015        BY JILL MILLER There is a global health issue that the greater fitness community can either address or continue to ignore. Musculoskeletal pain is on the rise, and movement educators are at the precipice of providing solutions or accelerating damage. The easy sell of “weight loss” and “fast results” drives people and dollars toward unhealthy bio-mechanical practices. Students flock to classes and trainings because of these lures, and studios, gyms, and clubs repeat exercises and drills that fail to address foundational imbalances, weaknesses, or postural faults. Students walk in with dysfunctional posture and aches and pains, then work out in a way that reinforces their poorly coordinated blind spots, unknowingly perpetuating their imbalances. Their workouts set them up for further weakness and injury until one day their bodies give out. This is not a dig at any specific format or method. This is a ca...

The Koshas: 5 Layers of Being JULY 8, 2014 BY  LINDA JOHNSEN  https://yogainternational.com/article/view/the-koshas-5-layers-of-being           If you’re a typical health-conscious Yoga International reader, you've probably already exercised today. Whether you went for a brisk walk, played some tennis, or worked out at the gym, you recognize the importance of keeping your physical body in shape. But have you exercised your subtle body yet? Or your causal body? According to the yoga tradition, every one of us has five bodies, each made of increasingly finer grades of energy. And if we intend to live a fully balanced, healthy life, it tells us, all our bodies need to be kept in good condition. According to the yoga tradition, every one of us has five bodies, each made of increasingly finer grades of energy. The five progressively subtler bodies that compose our personality are described in a yoga classic called the...