“Students should never do Pigeon Pose!” True or False?
Frequently I receive emails or postings from yoga teachers and students asking for an opinion about some other teacher’s statement that a certain yoga pose is really harmful for students and should never be taught, or certain movements of the body in a yoga class should be outlawed. Dogma is dangerous! To say that something is always wrong or something should never be done feeds into fear and at best is unhelpful and at worst is harmful. There are two big reasons why some teachers will render these prejudicial statements:
1 – A common misperception about the nature and value of stress 2 – Ignorance of skeletal variations
To investigate how these deficiencies manifest in a yoga class and why they are not serving students well, read on.
Notes from the 3rd International Fascia Research Conference, held in Vancouver, B.C. in March of 2012.
A few months ago I had the chance to attend a conference all about fascia. As you know, fascia is fascinating, especially if you are interested in understanding why yoga is so healing and healthy for us. I thought I would share some of my notes from the conference and especially some speculations that arose in my mind listening to all these experts. These speculations range from the potential benefits of doing Yin Yoga in a hot environment to wondering if backbend are really advisable for pregnant students. If you would like to comment on these speculations and eavesdrop on my thoughts, read on!
Thanks to the fine folks at MyYogaOnline, all of Bernie’s online yoga classes, meditations and talks about the state of our planet can be found in one place, and these are available for downloading. Visit YinYoga.com and click on the “Bernie’s Videos” tab to be shown all the offerings, including the popular Dragon Dance video.
Of course, you can still view a couple of dozen videos explaining individual Yin Yoga poses via the YouTube Yin Yoga channel.
Yin lovers may be interested in this work of yin-art from Sebastian Pucelle. It is a poster of over 50 Yin Yoga poses. Sebastian discovered Yin Yoga in his early years in London through Sarah Power, undertook a 170 hours teacher training in Yin Yoga with Victor Chng in Singapore and also completed a 130 hours Yin-Yoga teacher training with Paul Grilley.
If you are having trouble finding a Yin Yoga teacher near your, 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.
The forum is available for anyone to ask questions about Yin Yoga in particular or Yoga in general, but the forum is not just for those who “don’t know” – it is also available for everyone who already know, and have stories and information to share with others. Recently the forum has been changed to make it easier to find the most common topics. Check it out and feel free to add your voice.
Yin is In! And, it is growing in popularity. 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 Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings with Bernie Clark
A 50-hour, 7-Day Yin Yoga Teacher Training August 20th-27th, 2012 or November 12th-18th, 2012 or February 18th-24th, 2013
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, 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.
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!)
The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga now in e-format Bernie’s newest book is now available world-wide in e-format! You can buy it for your Kindle or Ipad, etc. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment and offer reviews on Amazon.com.
The 2 Biggest Challenges Ignorance of skeletal variation and a misunderstanding of the value of all forms of stress cause many yoga teachers to insist on instructions and alignments that are not in the best interests of their students. By being aware of these problems you can customize your own yoga practice to be optimal for your body.
Fascia News Read some observations from the 3rd International Fascia Conference held in March, 2012 in Vancouver, B.C. Bernie’s thoughts on what some of the presentations might mean for our yoga practice invites commentary! Feel free to offer feedback via the Forum.
More Yin Yoga Videos are Available at MyYogaOnline YinYoga.com has been expanded to include a listing of all of Bernie’s videos available for viewing or downloading from MyYogaOnline.
Recent Forum Topics On the YinYoga.com website there is a forum where anyone can ask questions about Yin Yoga or other topics, and everyone is free to offer wise commentary. Click here to learn more.
Teacher Trainings & Retreats There are several Yin Yoga teacher training courses being held by Bernie Clark over the next 12 months. The last few have sold out early, but there is still some spaces available for the August training. Click here to learn more about these.
Checking out Other Interesting Events There are many teachers leading workshops, Yin Yoga retreats and Teacher Trainings. Click here to learn more.