YOGA UNWRAPPED© SERIES 

 5 X WORKSHOP PACKAGE 

Yoga Unwrapped 5 Workshop Series With Heather covering Chaturanga, Lotus Pose, Arm Balances, Backbends, Inversions! Purchase the complete package of all 5 workshops for £125. (£35 each when booked separately)
First session starts 6th August and the final session is on 5th November.

Chaturanga (Updog- Downdog!)

Sunday 6th August 2023 11am – 1:30pm

A fun, thorough & informative 2.5 hour workshop with Heather untangling Chaturanga, and the transitions in and out of this pose, build necessary strength & stability in the shoulders, arms & core, and work towards & deepen your practice and understanding of one of the most practiced yet misunderstood poses within Sun Salutations, and Vinyasa & Ashtanga Yoga.

How many times do you hear the teacher saying – “Chaturanga – Updog – Downdog”…?

Yet Chaturanga Dandasana, the journey into it, and moving out of and onwards to the next pose are for many practitioners the most commonly misunderstood & misaligned parts of dynamic Yoga! It can become blurry & confusing as we tend to flow at pace between them, and rarely separate out and practice each pose individually to really understand what’s happening throughout the body.

 OPENING THE HIPS FOR LOTUS 

 Sunday 3rd September 11am – 1:30pm 

Focus on unlocking tension, creating freedom, and improving mobility in the hips through a wide-range of postures, and helping guide you on a progressive & experimental journey towards Lotus Pose!

Padmasana (Lotus Pose) is a serene looking seated posture that we might associate Yoga & Meditation with. However, when it comes to approaching and moving towards the pose it can seem challenging, elusive & unattainable – and you may even have found yourself saying something like “There’s no way I can do that” or “Not in this lifetime”!

This workshop will help to demystify the pose and debunk your limiting stories around it!

You will gain the confidence and clear understanding – both anatomically & structurally – of the journey towards the pose, with a knowing how to address areas of tightness in your hips and legs, explore both the hidden limitations and potential in the specific areas of your body to practice in a safe and enjoyable way.

Lotus pose encourages a profound opening physically & energetically in the lower body and creates the firm steady foundation of the pelvis & spine. Through an effective and progressive sequence – we’ll place a 360 degree emphasis on the hips & legs to carefully prepare these areas, address the key concepts and actions through other poses, and learn how to correctly approach Lotus with greater safety, comfort, and skill – especially important for keeping the knees happy and out of danger! The blend of dynamic & restorative work will help your path towards clearer, more accessible, and injury free.

Along with a deeper sense of understanding of Lotus pose, taking this time to work thoroughly into the hips will help to clear out the pent up tension & stress which is stored in this area of your body – so you will leave the session feeling like a mental weight has been lifted and you can move out into your weekend with spaciousness & freedom in the body and mind. This workshop is suitable for all levels of yoga practitioners. Your tight hips will thank you for it!

 LICENCE TO FLY FOR ARM BALANCING 

Sunday 24th September 11am – 1:30pm 

This session will help you build the physical and mental strength, and gain the confidence and skills, to approach arm balance poses safely and help you fly gracefully & fearlessly into them. Learn about the different arm balancing groups, and explore foundational postures from each including crow, side crow, side plank, tolasana, and eight angle pose.

Arm balances build core & upper body strength, improve balance reflexes, improve the function of the shoulder, wrists and hands whilst mentally they can boost confidence, stamina, and concentration whilst changing your perspective. But for most people arm balances can seem terrifying and confusing – how often in our daily lives do we balance on our hands?! This workshop will help to remove the fear factor from the seemingly impossible, developing strength in your abdominals, hip flexors, shoulders and arms, so you can be strong & confident in body & mind when becoming airborne.

Designed to teach you the fundamentals, proper alignment, key technique & preparatory steps of arm balances with detailed, easy-to-understand instruction – so you know the essential actions & movements, and how to effectively prepare your body, find the sweet balance between strength and flexibility that makes arm balances achievable for everybody, and learn how to safely support weight on the wrists and shoulders with modifications and variations to suit where you’re right now.

They’ll be plenty of knowledge & inspiration to fill you up whether you’re just starting out with arm balancing or have been spending time on the mat with this type of work and want to level up.

This workshop will invigorate you, challenge you, and educate you. For all levels however not suitable for people with serious wrist or shoulder injuries.

Come with an open mind and be ready to fly!

 CULTIVATING EQUANIMITY IN BACKBENDS 

Sunday 1st October 11am – 1:30pm 

Explore exactly how to open and strengthen your legs, hips and spine for effectively, skillfully & safely guiding your body towards balanced backbends, learning and refining key poses including Floor Bow, Camel, and Wheel for a greater space, freedom and integrity in each.

Backbends can be powerful and refreshing with a whole array of wonderful benefits, but are physically, mentally and emotionally challenging, especially as a result of postural issues from sitting, driving, or slouching over the computer. They are a perfect counterbalance to this – releasing tension, guiding the body into alignment and brightening our mood! They strengthen the spine and core, amplify the lungs to receive more breath, and create space and openness throughout the shoulders.

The designed sequence will give you an understanding of these poses both anatomically and structurally, addressing the tightness and restrictions in the key areas of the body and how to prepare for and move towards them without struggle or strain.

Experience how to cultivate an attitude of effort without tension through practicing poses that lengthen and create space in the whole front side of the body, upper back and hips to free up the spine, and address strengthening the legs and core to harness stability for safe balanced back bending.

Through this workshop you will know how to practice with grace and ease, feel better in these revitalising poses and discover their empowering & uplifting effects on and off the mat.

 CHANGING PERSPECTIVE WITH INVERSIONS 

Sunday 5th November 11am – 1:30pm

A thorough and fun introduction to inversions to help you work towards some of the key poses and deepen your yoga practice. We’ll explore the fundamentals & techniques of the major inverted poses ( Handstand, Forearm Balance, Headstand, Shoulderstand,) and understand how to invert safely with correct set up and alignment.

Inversions can be challenging and daunting, and can sometimes seem near impossible to get in and stay there! This workshop will give you the guidance & courage to challenge yourself, and help you gain a proper understanding of the poses and how to implement them into your yoga practice.

We’ll spend time preparing the body by developing greater strength in all parts of core, the shoulders and legs including the inner thighs and hip flexors, and lengthening the back body especially the hamstrings – building up to the poses and in preparation for entering and exiting, and balancing upside down with mindfulness, safety and trust.

We’ll pinpoint the common issues that make inversions challenging, and show you effective ways to address them and make the journey towards them and the experience in them enjoyable and safe.

This session is a great way to advance your yoga practice – Physically by strengthening the upper body & increasing balance, and Mentally & Emotionally as you relieve stress, change your perspective, overcome fear, gain confidence.

It will be full of teaching tips & tricks to refine your Inversions or approach it for the very first time.

Come and learn how to get upside down and reap all the wonderful benefits from getting your heart above your head!

Purchase the complete package of all 5 workshops for £125.

(£35 each when booked separately)