NESHAMA LIFE PRESENTS
Land & Spirit
KABBALAH TOUR OF
ISRAEL
20-30 OCTOBER 2019 | [email protected]
Kabbalah • Music • Tai Chi • Meditation • Nature • Sacred Sites
how you do some poses. Remember
the defi nition of functional includes
‘movement patterns’. Many of us have
unconsciously created movement
patterns that dump into our fl exibility
and use the muscles that are already
strong. We take the path of least
resistance, play to our strengths and
neglect the rest, exacerbating
inappropriate muscle activation
patterns. Think of Utkatasana, so many
people feel that burn in their thighs,
the same for Virabadrasana 1 and 2, yet
ideally it is the Gluteus muscles that are
working. This shows ineffi cient muscle
activation patterns, Quad dominance
and weak Glutes. This pattern changes
how we walk and leads to tight Illiotibial
Bands. This pattern also impacts how
well we connect to the core muscles. The
poses have the potential to be functional,
how we perform them may not be.
Alignment Tweaks
How we practice is highly dependent upon
our individual anatomy and the movement
patterns we’ve created. Functional yoga
“While it is true some
forms of yoga come close to
functional, they are not quite
there...allows for more individualised alignment
that encourages correct muscle activation
rather than sticking to traditional
alignment. In Utkatasana we can engage
the Gluteus muscles easier if we keep the
feet hip distance apart rather than feet
together as often taught. This alignment,
while making the movement more like a
squat, is also a more appropriate angle for
the hip joint and reduces pressure on the
knees. How the poses are cued and taught,
and the adjustments made to the focus can
make the poses more functional.Holistic Practice
Functional movements are integrated
movements, requiring many muscles
across multiple joints to work
synergistically, and they require coremuscle activation. This is how the body
naturally works, every movement in life
requires more than one body part or
muscle group to work together.
Functional yoga draws from, and adapts
other movement disciplines to create a
stronger and more balanced practice. In
order to introduce the pull movements,
transitions that engage the core, and
develop the gait pattern you may fi nd the
use of therabands, pilates or gym style
moves in a yoga class. A functional yoga
practice is more focussed on developing
this synergistic strength and connection
while still creating greater mobility and
fl exibility.
Yoga, as it is traditionally practiced
can be a great support for daily life.
The spiritual, meditative and even the
fl exibility aspects add to our quality of
life. Functional yoga allows for these
deeper qualities of the practice while
tweaking it to truly prepare us for life
off the mat, in every sense.Erin is a Gold Coast based
Level 2 yoga and Pilates
teacher and teacher trainer
http://www.yogamasterclass.online