Hypermobility and Yoga Should hypermobile people do Yin Yoga?
Many people are considered hypermobile. Estimates vary from less than 1% of the population to as much as 25%. One very mobile yoga teacher was told by her teachers, “You are too flexible for a Yin Yoga practice!” When asked why, she was told, “Putting any kind of stress on the ligaments, is unhealthy and unsafe.” She was, however, encouraged to continue her Ashtanga and Iyengar practices. Should she do Yin Yoga? Her intuition gave her a very different answer – she loved doing Yin Yoga along with her more active practices, but she was in a dilemma – who to believe? Was any form of yoga safe for hypermobile students like her? The fear is real, but is the danger real also?
Coming Early 2016: Your Body, Your Yoga Bernie’s Newest Book!
To be available in early 2016, Bernie Clark’s new book Your Body, Your Yoga has been written to broaden the understanding of what causes our limitations to movement, and to highlight the unique structure of the body that each student has. Human variation is a critically important realization for all therapeutic interventions, whether in a yoga classroom or in a doctor’s office. Every body is different and this difference makes all the difference in how one should practice his or her yoga. Your Body, Your Yoga will help you understand your uniqueness and will help you find the postural alignment that works for your body. Volumes 1 and 2 will introduce the What Stops Me? Spectrum and the Lower Body in detail. Future volumes will cover the rest of the body and the topics of asymmetry and proportions. As a special bonus, there will be a foreword by Paul Grilley. Stay tuned for more information in future Newsletters.
Yoga at the 2015 Fascia Congress With videos of talks by Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark
The Fourth International Fascia Research Congress (FRC) was held near Washington, DC, September 18 – 20, 2015. The principal focus of this conference was the presentation of the latest and best scientific research on human and animal fasciae in all its forms and functions. On the Sunday afternoon, there was a special session entitled Fascia in Sports and Movement Therapies. The presenters included Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark. You can listen to their talks and see their slides!
Yin is In! Yin Yoga has been with us since the beginning of Hatha Yoga centuries ago. But since the early 19th century, yoga has become more and more yang-like in nature. Everything requires balance: yin completes yang. Yin Yoga is the balancing practice for the more active, muscular yang yogas. There are more and more teachers offering Yin Yoga today, and more workshops and opportunities to learn how to become a Yin Yoga teacher. If diving deeper into the yin-side of life is on your bucket list, there are lots of opportunities for you.
Upcoming Trainings and Retreats with Bernie Clark
A 60 hour, 8-Day Yin Yoga Teacher Training & Retreat June 26th to July 3rd, 2016
Now open for registration! Our annual retreat will be at the lovely Sea-to-Sky Retreat Center (SSRC) and it always sells out early. Visit SSRC 2016 for more information and comments from past attendees.
50-hour, 7-Day Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings November 9th-15th, 2015; February 8th-14th, 2016; May 9th-15th, 2016; July 25th-31st, 2016; August 22nd-28th, 2016; November 7th-13th, 2016.
All of the 50-hour trainings will be at the Semperviva Yoga Studios, in Vancouver, Canada. The Yin Yoga Teacher Training Program offered at the Semperviva Yoga College is a unique way to deepen your yoga practice and touch tissues rarely worked in a more active yang style of yoga. For 200 hour certified teachers the credits of the course can be applied towards the 500 hour certification offered by Semperviva, and are eligible for CEUs with Yoga Alliance. (CEUs = Continuing Education Units and are required to maintain your status as a Registered Yoga Teacher).
For more details or to register, check the Semperviva web page or call them at 604-739-2009.
MEDITATION REVEALED With Bernie Clark & Nathalie Keiller November 15th-22nd, 2015; May 15th-22nd, 2016
This course will examine what meditation is, why we do it (its many benefits, spiritually, psychologically and physically), and how to do it, from a variety of viewpoints: From Eastern Yogic and Buddhist views to Western Psychotherapeutic understanding. The course will include personal, one-on-one training in Deep Meditation, as well as group instruction, to give the student an experiential basis for the practice of meditation. Held at the Semperviva Yoga Studios – Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Learn More
If you are having trouble finding a Yin Yoga teacher near you, or if you are traveling to somewhere new, try checking out the Directory of Yin Yoga teachers. We have hundreds of teachers registered from all over the world. If you are a teacher and are not in the directory, just send us your information and we’ll be happy to add you.
Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers and Biff Mithoefer are each planning a full load of workshops all over the world. You can check out their schedules at their home web pages:
Many teachers around the world are creating Yin Yoga based workshops and retreats. Some of them are posting these activities on our Forum page. Check it out. There may be one happening near you. (If you are a teacher, feel free to add yours to the page!)
Hypermobility and Yoga Should people who are hypermobile do Yin Yoga? Should they even do yoga? Is the fear of going too far well founded?
Yoga at the 2015 Fascia Congress Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark both gave talks at the Fourth International Fascia Congress. Watch them here.
Your Body, Your Yoga Bernie’s newest book Early in 2016 Bernie’s long awaited book will be available. Discover why standardized alignment cues may not be skillful or safe for your body, but other alignment cues may suit you just fine.
Teacher Trainings & Retreats There are several Yin Yoga teacher training courses being held by Bernie Clark in the coming year, including a special 40-hour course called Meditation Revealed.
Checking out Other Interesting Events There are many teachers leading workshops, Yin Yoga retreats and Teacher Trainings. Click here to learn more.