Bird of Paradise Tutorial
Video
Bird of Paradise Svarga Dvidasana
Ally HamiltonA wonderful standing balance pose that opens the hips, hamstrings, shoulders and chest, while strengthening the core and legs.
Ready to work it?
Here are some classes featuring Bird of Paradise.
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Quads Going On
By Ally Hamilton on Oct 12, 2022
Need an energy-shifter? Grab your mat and let's go! We start with a moment of grounding and breathing and then we're off! Spinal mobility, cat-cows, lion's breath, shoulder opening, standing balance, hip and hamstring opening, core strengthening, arm balancing, back-bending and lots of love for those quads! This is the Wild Card Monday class and you are always invited to join me live at noon PST over zoom. I send the link out in the newsletter each week. I LOVE seeing y'all in real time, getting to chat after class and meet your dogs, cats, goldfish and an occasional foul-mouthed parrot! Plus your other humans. Local yogis are also invited (you'll see various body parts of Bob's in and out of frame if you look carefully ;)) Enjoy, yogis!
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Just Right
By Ally Hamilton on Apr 4, 2022
If you're looking fir an hour-long practice that has a good balance of energizing/heat-building and deep stress relief, look no further! We get to it pretty quickly with Series C variations to build heat, core strengthening to amp things up, hip opening to get ready for some fun standing balance poses, and arm balances and backbends before we cool things down. Lots of emphasis on paying attention to sensation and working with your own energy level. You can turn the heat up or down accordingly. This practice is not too much or too little, it is just right :)
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Seriously Open Hips
By Ally Hamilton on Mar 28, 2022
Well, if you're looking to seriously open your hips every which way from Sunday, here you go! We are working our way toward a possible grasshopper pose, but whether that arm balance happens today, or you end up working the building blocks, you will 100% walk away from your mat with open hips and hamstrings and freed up energy! Core strengthening, chest-opening, arm toning, hamstring-loving good fun all the way through. But the hips steal the show. Enjoy, yogis!
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Friday Feeling
By Ally Hamilton on Feb 17, 2022
Want that Friday Feeling regardless of the day? You know that feeling of freedom because the hard part is done and now it's just about releasing tension and finding ease? Focusing on what DID get done instead of whatever didn't? Then this is for you! A practice that's all about opening the hips, hamstrings and shoulders, building core strength, and working with your energy level to dial the heat up or down. Want restorative backbends today but looking for something deeper than supported bridge pose? I've got you covered. Want active backbends? You can have them! Want to play with handstands, or do you need to run your legs up the wall? Whatever it is, this practice is about having a conversation with your body from moment-to-moment and pose-to-pose and picking what feels right for you! That's the key to a Friday Feeling anytime :) Enjoy!
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Good Day Kickstart
By Ally Hamilton on Feb 7, 2022
Need a little kickstart? Hit play! This is a fun, energizing flow, an all-over opener and strengthener, and a great way to take care of your whole self!
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Hip Hop We Don't Stop
By Ally Hamilton on Jan 7, 2022
Hello, friends! If you're looking for an hour-long fun flow that gets your heart pumping, builds some nice heat and targets your hips...you've come to the right place! We have core strengthening along the way, arm balancing and inverting. The focus is on hip-opening and once we're really warm, I'll give you some options to take your bound angle pose (and your hips) to the next level. A block will be handy! Enjoy :)
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Happy Hamstrings + Core
By Ally Hamilton on Oct 20, 2021
This is a deep hamstring-and-hip-opening journey that may or may not lead you into astavakrasana (eight-angle pose). This pose has us moving in all different directions! You need open hamstrings, hips and shoulders, you need a fired up core. You need to be ready to play with balance and counter-balance and maybe even fall on your face or your asana a bunch of times along the way! But more than all of that you need an open mind and the willingness to play. Ready to move and breathe and see what happens? *Please note! There are advanced poses in this flow but there are also tons of variations and building blocks to help you explore where you are now, and how you might move your edge a little bit! And there is Yoga Nidra in savasana, so no matter what happens you'll walk away from your mat with bliss in your heart <3
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Self-Compassion Flow
By Ally Hamilton on Oct 6, 2021
Practice begins with a 3-minute talk about the importance of self-compassion. If you are a Type A perfectionist by default and live with a loud inner critic, my goodness this is especially for you! Please set the intention to replace any negative inner talk with a voice that roots you on as we move and breathe and make shapes together! We give lots of love to the hips, hamstrings and shoulders, fire up the core and then give extra love to the hips when we're warm. This is a feel-good flow that's all about cultivating compassion and developing a loving and respectful relationship with your body, and perfect for days when you have a moderate amount of energy! Once we can be compassionate with ourselves, we can do that for other people with a different kind of insight.
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Truth is My Name
By Kate Duyn on Aug 16, 2021
Sat Nam, yogis! Get aligned with your highest truth in this creative, flowing sequence that opens the hips, shoulders and hamstrings, fires up the core and gives you chances to play on your hands and upside down!
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The Essentials
By Ally Hamilton on Aug 9, 2021
For those days when you're shorter on time, this is a practice that will get you grounded, present and attuned to sensation early. Once you're present you can expect lots of deep, conscious breathing, and after a mindful beginning we will pick up the pace with some series C variations to get your heart pumping, build some heat and open the hips, shoulders and hamstrings. We fire up the core and open up the heart in backbends, and end in a nice pigeon pose that leads us into a twist, and then savasana. Guaranteed to shift your energy, clear your mind and open up every major muscle group!
