While we marinate in our yoga postures, changes happen deep within us. Whether in a long held posture or performing rhythmic stretches, our muscles elongate, until they reach the maximum length they can tolerate without damage. One of many causes preventing greater lengthening is the connective tissues surrounding and investing our muscles and our joints. However, with continued stress these connective tissues begin to lengthen; they creep. How much and how fast our tissues creep may dictate what is a safe length of time we should linger in a pose, how much stress we should subject our tissues to and how quickly, and what movements we should do next.
Early reviews of Your Body, Your Yoga Bernie’s Newest Book!
Initial comments from around the world are starting to arrive for Your Body – Your Yoga. You can read some of these in the Early Reviews on the website. Here is one:
An exceptionally well-informed and interesting way of approaching the human enterprise of doing yoga. Full of beautiful and stimulating pictures and analogies, awakening a deep thirst to know more and think more yet. Loren Fishman, MD, B. Phil.(oxon.) U.S.A.
Author of Healing Yoga.
Your Body – Your Yoga is now out of the printers, enroute to book stores and available for ordering!
Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings
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
50-hour, 7-Day Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings May 9th-15th, 2016; July 25th-31st, 2016; August 22nd-28th, 2016; November 7th-13th, 2016; February 13th-19th, 2017; May 8th-14th, 2017; July 24th-30th, 2017; August 21st-27th, 2017; November 6th-12th, 2017.
All of these 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 May 15th-22nd, 2016;
November 13th-20th, 2016;
February 19th-26th, 2017;
November 12th-19th, 2017.
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!)
Creep and Counterposes
As we marinate in yoga postures, our tissues lengthen. Part of the cause of this added range of motion is something called “creep”. Knowing how this happens will help us decide what to do after the pose is finished.
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.
, MD, B. Phil.(oxon.) U.S.A.