Published on August 29, 2024
A medium intensity practice to help you build core strength and explore the range of motion of your hips and hamstrings. Enjoy!
By Brent Laffoon on Apr 1, 2025
Thought twice about whether to put this practice in the Meditation or Gentle Yoga section. Truthfully, it could be in both! This is a beautiful session that explores what happens when we sit and observe sensation in the body. The most consistent sensation is the breath. And the more we can attune our minds to noticing subtle sensation, the more we're able to be present, curious, and immersed in what's happening from moment-to-moment - in other words, the more able we are to suck the juice out of every moment. In this session, we intersperse deep stretching and breathing with periods of sitting quietly and breathing. There is hip opening with breath, then sitting. Shoulder-opening with breath, then sitting, breathing, and witnessing. There is hamstring opening and conscious breath, and seated meditation once again. Each time you stretch and breathe, and then sit and breathe, you may observe the mind as it quiets more easily and willingly, until the fluctuations cease, and your mind is smooth, like the most placid lake at sunrise, before even the birds are awake. Enjoy, yogis. You may want blocks, straps or blankets for any of the shoulder and hamstring opening.
By Brent Laffoon on Mar 3, 2025
Rainy days have their own vibes, don't they, friends? There's something cozy about being inside, on your mat, as the rain falls and your breath flows. This is a slow, sweet, stretchy practice that opens the shoulders, hips and hamstrings deeply, and really gives you the chance to feel your way into every moment. You might even walk away from your mat feeling a little sunshine in your heart. Two blocks and a strap may be helpful. Enjoy!
By Ally Hamilton on Feb 28, 2025
We start out with some grounding and breathing, a few minutes to "arrive" in the body and connect to sensation. We move into a slow and steady flow, and then a standing sequence that is foundational, with long holds so you can feel your way in and stay curious. We build enough heat to get to the floor and deeply open the hips, shoulders, and hamstrings. Please be sure to have two blocks and a strap handy. There are options for everything, and building blocks as well. Hip opening includes double pigeon, gomukhasana, and half lotus variations if appropriate, or knee-friendly poses if not. You may want the strap for shoulder opening or for some of the wraps. This practice is designed to calm your nervous system and open every major muscle group, deeply. Lots of love xx
By Brent Laffoon on Feb 18, 2025
A little bit of breath, a little bit of movement, and a meditation on sukha (an authentic, lasting state of happiness, pleasure, ease, or joy) versus dukha (the "mind-stuff" that can cause us suffering, pain, stress and dis-ease when we ruminate too much on the things outside our control). There's a tendency to focus on our physical state, and forget that most of our lives are experienced through our mental and emotional states. Spend some time finding ease in your body, and sweet steadiness in your mind. You may find it helpful to prop a blanket or meditation cushion under your tailbone, or to sit up on a block.
By Brent Laffoon on Jan 30, 2025
This is a short, sweet yin practice and the focus is...flexibility. There are always new studies coming out, but the general consensus is static stretching - meaning holding a position - for roughly thirty seconds while breathing deeply, is the way. We're going to be looking for that edge, that place where there's a lot of good sensation to work with, but we are not experiencing pain. Let your breath be your guide - if it's hard to breathe deeply and consciously, you've probably gone too far. Stay in the zone where you can breathe, and enjoy this exploration of sweet flexibility, friends. 2 blocks and a strap may be helpful.
By Ally Hamilton on Jan 24, 2025
I'm labeling this an intermediate class because I did not spend much time talking about alignment, so if you are newer, a beginner class will be better for you! Having said that, for those of you with an established practice, this is a foundational, steady session with longer holds and lots of time to breathe. It is a perfect end-of-day class you can even do in your pajamas right before bed like I did, it is not a sweaty flow (I know I used the word flow in the little introduction, forgive me). This practice is about calming the nervous system, and is good for any time you're feeling anxiety or depression, a loss of control, or just need to get in your body and breathe. Sending lots of love to all x
By Brent Laffoon on Jan 6, 2025
A classic power yoga practice designed to challenge both mind and body with a variety of deep core work, standing and arm balances and inversions... enjoy!
By Brent Laffoon on Dec 12, 2024
It's one thing to build core strength. It's another to learn how to engage your core in order to access the strength you've built. This practice will help you do exactly that. There's a little press handstand tutorial mixed in for those of you who want to work on that. You may just amaze yourself by what you're able to accomplish... enjoy!
By Angela Kukhahn on Dec 3, 2024
This is a workshop-style class designed for people who have a hard time hingeing at the hips, holding down dog with straight arms and a long spine, coming up to a halfway lift with a flat back, and generally finding freedom in the spine (and often the shoulders and hamstrings as well) as they flow. This is the kind of session that will make such a huge difference if you make it part of your regular rotation. Two blocks and some kind of pole (broomstick or anything along those lines) are needed. Enjoy, yogis!
By Brent Laffoon on Oct 31, 2024
A soothing, slow-paced practice to help you stay light and limber, with a bit of pranayama at the end to keep your mind calm and clear. Enjoy!
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