21 days to a Safe, Strong Yoga Practice - A Beginners Guide

A complete beginner level course on Mobility, Strength and Safety in movement when practicing Yoga

Created byKate Chapman

Last updated 3/2022

English

What you'll learn

Tips and tricks to add to your everyday Yoga practice or fitness routine that will assist in keeping your body healthy and safe
How to avoid straining your joints and muscles while you move
Techniques to add strength training to your practice
How to combat things like ‘text neck’, tension headaches, rounded shoulders and lower back pain from sitting
Joint and muscle mobility drills and exercises
Simple exercises that can be used as a stand-alone workout or added to your usual routine or yoga practice
Myths around certain cues and why we should throw them out!
How to tell if you have gone too far in some poses and what NOT to do!
How to avoid being bossed around in your practice and permission to say NO to forceful teachers!
Modified versions of Sun Salutations, Vinyasa and other standalone poses

Course content

3 sections • 27 lectures • 7h 45m total length

Introduction to the course1:53
Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for joining me on this wonderful journey to radically transform your yoga and fitness routines. In this short intro video we'll look at how you can approach this course and use each video as a stand-alone exercise or add the info to your yoga practice or fitness regime.
A PDF is also included that you can print out and use as an example of how to use this plan in your day to day life!
If you like any of my outfits in these vids, please feel free to check out my Redbubble page where you can find some funky legging designs! I'm also an artist :)
https://www.redbubble.com/people/katemakesshapes
See you soon for the next video!
Kate XOXO
Music: Kevin Macleod - Dreamcatcher
Disclaimer and Contraindications1:26
Hi all!!
In this short video, I will briefly discuss some things that should be avoided for certain folks and reiterate the fact that I am absolutely NOT giving medical advice ... I am not a doctor or a physiotherapist and as much as I want for you to be safe and happy in your practice, I also have to cover my butt too!
Yoga is for everyone.

However, when online, it is up to you, the individual, to assess whether you are ready for the movements shown.
Obviously, if you suffer from specific injuries or disease it is best to consult with your physician first.
Similarly if you are pregnant, follow the recommended practice only.

The practice of yoga movement requires you – the practitioner – to gauge the safety of your practice within your personal physical limitations. It is better to build up slowly than to force and strain. Yoga can be challenging but in this challenge you should also feel relaxed, be able to breathe and NOT FEEL PAIN!

The techniques and suggestions presented in this video course are not intended to substitute for proper medical advice.
Please consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Whew! Now that's out of the way ... lets start our journey! :)
Kate XOXO
About Me!2:31
Hey guys!
My name is Kate and I'm a highly qualified yoga teacher, a mom and an artist. I've been practicing yoga since 2007 and teaching since 2011. I've practiced with and learnt from some of the biggest names in Yoga over the years and had wonderful experiences on the way! I’ve also had my fair share of injuries too ... Some of which still bother me to this day.
However, I spent years healing and learning about intelligent, sensible movement and now I can honestly say that I have never been stronger and more pain free!
This plan is for all those who wish to move safely in their yoga practice. Perhaps you have been injured yourself and want to stay healthy after healing. Perhaps you simply wish to unlearn some of the outdated yoga cues that have led you to feel less than awesome in your practice!
Wherever you are on your journey, there will be something here for you. Enjoy, take it easy and see you on the other side.
Much love,
Kate

Day 1: Eyes and Face - 'Use that grimace!'17:53
Welcome to the next 21 Days where we will begin to move towards a radically healthy Yoga practice!
A journey into healthy movements and mindfully keeping safe in your yoga and fitness practice!

On day 1, we are focusing on eye movements to alleviate tension (byeee tension headache!) and build strength in the muscles of the eyes and face.
Day 2: Neck and Throat - 'Combatting text neck'13:19
On day 2, we look at neck tension and how we can move safely through our range of motion. No violent neck rolls here ... We aren't crazy!
Simple and easy movements you can take into your daily life to avoid tension headaches and alleviate 'text neck'.
Day 3: Shoulders - 'No more rounding'19:13
Today we are looking at shoulder mobility and how to combat rounded shoulders. We will take a few lovely openers for the shoulders and as always, please feel free to modify or skip anything that doesn't work for you.
Take care, have fun and don't worry about it!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 4: Biceps and Triceps - 'Get your guns out!'15:33
For day 4, we are looking at how we can incorporate bicep strength into our yoga practice. Triceps are already used a lot in yoga but we take a quick look at those too!
Enjoy, have fun and no stress! See you tomorrow!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 5: Elbows - 'Hyperextension, locking-out and hand placement'18:19
Today we are looking at elbows and things like hyperextension, locking out the elbows and how strong wrists and forearms affects things as well as hand placement for weight bearing poses!
Check out my FREE Chatturanga Tutorial for elbow, bicep and tricep strength - https://youtu.be/lQB5_adpfu0
Have fun, take care and see you tomorrow!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - www.doktoryoga.com
Day 6: Wrists, Forearms and Hands - 'Proper warm up and engagement'12:41
On day 7, we are looking at wrists and how important they are for a healthy yoga practice. Proper engagement of the wrists, fingers and hands will help prevent injuries to this overused, tiny joint!
ALWAYS warm up your forearms and wrists before any kind of yoga practice where you are on your hands a lot. Even if the teacher doesn’t offer any wrist warm up, you can still use the information in this video and add it to your practice before Sun Salutations. 30 seconds to 1 min of opening and closing the fists or a 20/30 palm lifts (from day 5) should be enough to make sure that your forearms, elbows and wrists are supported and strengthened before your class.
You can always add more throughout the class, or see my FREE wrist tutorial on You Tube (https://youtu.be/j2sUw14Q9Mc) for a very in depth wrist warm up.

Check it out, have fun and see you tomorrow!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 7: Shoulder blades and Between - 'Relax and engage'10:17
Today we are looking at the shoulder blades and how to relax as well as engage the muscles between them!

Have fun and see you tomorrow!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 8: Upper Back and Chest - 'Thoracic strength and length'14:26
On day 8, we are looking at the upper (thoracic) back and the chest and how to engage them to avoid dumping all of your weight into the lower back. If you have pressure in your lower back in poses like high lunge, today is your day!

Have fun and see you tomorrow!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga - www.doktoryoga.com
Day 9: Rib Cage and Breath - 'Pull in to breath out!'14:51
Today we are looking at how to pull the bottom of the rib cage in when in poses like high lunge and seated postures and we're also exploring a couple of breathing techniques used in the yoga practice.
As always, have fun, enjoy and don't worry too much about it! Just do your thing and if you ever feel a bit panicked whilst practicing breathing techniques, simply don't do them! Sometimes retaining the breath or even trying to control it can be triggering, especially for trauma survivors so please don't force it and stay mindful!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 10: Core - 'As advertised!'21:34
So today in our journey to a healthy practice we're looking at a couple of core exercises that will assist your yoga practice and help to keep your back safe!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 11: Lower Back - 'No dumping! Strength and length'19:09
Today we are working on a couple of exercise that target lower back strength. These exercises are suitable to substitute any 'up dog' craziness if that's just not your bag and the great thing about them is that pretty much anyone can do them!

As always, be careful! If you feel anything negative (pressure, pinching, crunching) in your lower back, stop, rest and don't push.

Filmed at Dokor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 12: Psoas - 'Keepin' em long and strong!'17:27
Today we're working on the psoas muscle (that big muscle that runs down the front of your hips). We're going to be doing a couple of active stretches that you can incorporate into your own yoga practice or workout routine.
Take care, have fun with it and no stress!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 13: Outer Hips - 'Work 'em and stretch 'em!'14:40
Day 13 and today we're working on the outer hips.
We'll work 'em and then stretch 'em!

Take care, don't push and if anything feels horrible, especially in your knees, just stop, come out and rest.

Filmed at the lovely Doktor Yoga studio in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 14: Butt and Hamstrings - 'Tone and lengthen'21:34
Today we are looking at a couple of nice exercises to tone and lengthen through the butt and hammies!
As always, take care of yourselves and don't push anything when it comes to the back of your legs. It's really easy to damage your hamstrings and once they're gone, it's a LONG, SLOW recovery ... believe me!
Have fun with it and see you tomorrow!
Filmed at the Doktor Yoga studio in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 15: Quads - 'Leggies for the burn!'13:45
Today we are looking at strengthening the quads or the big muscles in the fronts of your thighs. Get your burn on! But also don't, if you don't feel like it!
Filmed at the lovely Doktor Yoga studio in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 16: Knees - 'How to keep them safe!'19:33
Today is day number 16 of our journey!
We're looking at how to keep your knees safe as you move through your yoga practice. A short and sweet little reminder to take care of those knees!

Filmed at the beautiful Doktor Yoga studio in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 17: Calves and Shins - 'Help your knees out!'8:47
Strong calves are a great way to keep the knees healthy and can really help with posture too!
Here is my Downward facing dog tutorial, as promised - https://youtu.be/1cQQXFbWWfI

Enjoy, don't force and as always ... have fun with it!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 18: Ankles - 'Mobility, strength and length'9:48
Today we're looking at how to stretch our ankles a little and keep them mobile and strong. A short and sweet couple of exercises that you can do at home!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 19: Feet - 'Balance and posture'11:10
Welcome to day 19 of our 21 day journey to a healthy practice.
Today we're looking at our feet and toes and noticing how important they are for balance, posture and safety.

In this video I say to keep your feet facing forwards on your mat and kind of parallel ... if this simply doesn't work for your body, it's absolutely fine to have your feet facing outwards a bit or in any direction that suits your body! As long as your toes are inline with your knees and nothing feels twisted, nothing can really go wrong ... so don't sweat the whole 'keep your feet parallel' thing in any yoga classes!

Have fun with it and see you tomorrow for our penultimate session ... a short and beautiful vinyasa style yoga class where we will incorporate everything we've learned over the past 19 days.

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 20: Whole Body Reset - 'Very basic beginner level class, 45 mins'46:45
Thank you so much for joining me this far! On day 20, we're taking a bit of a different approach and moving our bodies a little. This is a basic, beginner level vinyasa style 45 minute practice where we will begin to apply the things that we have learnt over the past 19 days.
As always, take it easy ... if at any point your body doesn't want to anything that I suggest, please feel free to stop and modify your position using any of the variations we have learnt over the past 19 days, or simply sit down and relax for a bit!
You don't have do everything all at once :)
Have fun with it and lets start to reset our practice for healthy and safe movements!
Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
Day 21: Whole Body Release - 'Relax and restore, 20 mins'20:06
Welcome to day 21 of our 21 days to a healthy practice.
Well, it's the last day and I hope you have enjoyed this journey so far?
Thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey. I hope you found the last 21 days transformative and I hope to see you again soon.

Today, we are releasing the whole body! In a beautiful Yin style yoga class, we'll spend some time completely relaxing. Take a bolster or cushion under your knees if you have a sensitive lower back and enjoy the next 20 mins of bliss!

No contraindications here ... I don't think anyone can really hurt themselves lying down but hey, what do I know? I've managed to trap nerves in my neck by getting out of bed ... so just be careful with yourselves!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com

How to Easy Vinyasa :) A tutorial for beginners!11:54
Thank you for joining me for this beginner level vinyasa tutorial.
Here we will explore how to flow through a simplified version of the vinyasa, a series of movements that connects asanas together. We will learn how to modify the 'standard' vinyasa and make it accessible for beginner level yogis and if you just need a rest day.
I hope you enjoy yourself and remember to go with your body, only move into positions that feel good for you and if at any point a part of you says 'nope', just stop! No need to force anything!

Have fun, relax and remember ... it's only yoga!
Ps - if you like my leggings in this video ... you can get yourself a pair from my Redbubble store! Check out my other silly, funky and quirky designs at https://www.redbubble.com/people/katemakesshapes/shop :-)
How to Sun Salutation A :) A tutorial for beginners!21:02
Welcome to my Sun Salutation tutorial for beginners.
Here we'll dive into learning Sun Salutation A.
A warm up exercise practiced in Vinyasa and other styles of yoga classes.

Sun Salutation A is a wonderful way to warm the body up and even 5 minutes in the morning can radically change your morning routine!
Click here to see my Downward Facing Dog tutorial as mentioned in the class - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cQQXFbWWfI

Remember to work within your comfort zone and if anything in your body says 'nope' while you practice, just stop and take a moment to chill out! You can always come back and revisit it again when you feel like it.

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com
60 min Beginner Flow :)1:06:22
Flow with me through this beginner level, Vinyasa yoga class.
We'll look at Sun Salutations, some standing postures as well as some modified Vinyasas to get the blood flowing!
Even though this is marked as a beginner class, it can be quite strong if you are new to yoga or have never practiced Vinyasa before so just take it easy and do your best for today ... you can always revisit it tomorrow and the more you practice, the stronger you'll get!

As always, please work within your comfort zone and if something doesn't vibe with your beautiful body or feels uncomfortable or painful, simply skip it. There should NEVER be any pain in the body during a yoga class. Sure, it can be challenging ... but not painful :)
Everything in this class is optional and there is no pressure! Have fun and relax about it ... it's not that serious!

Filmed at Doktor Yoga in Vienna - https://www.doktoryoga.com

Requirements

Should have attended at least 1 Yoga class before, online or in person.
Relatively mobile and able to handle basic yoga props
A willingness to learn about your body and a desire to move a little!

Description

Adapt your Yoga practice to YOU instead of YOU to a Yoga practice with this complete, beginner level course.

Here you will gain the freedom to decide how you wish to take your Yoga practice by giving you the exact methods to modify or strengthen poses that are regularly done without much thought.

On our 21 day journey, each part of the body is considered, from the eyes to the toes. We work systematically through each area giving instructional, functional movement techniques enabling you to construct your own method and take it into your practice.

The last two days are full classes. A total body reset, where we incorporate everything we have learned over the past month and put it into practice in a short beginner level vinyasa flow class, and a total body release where we completely relax and allow the body and mind to rest, incorporating all we have learned over the past few weeks.

We will deconstruct outdated yoga cues and find ways of moving in your Yoga routine that take your unique anatomy, energy levels and body into consideration and build strength and mobility along the way!

Sometimes, the most 'advanced' thing you can do in your yoga practice is to rest and/or skip things ... you will learn how to say NO to forceful teachers and refuse to ignore your boundaries!

This course contains: -

24 informative video lessons packed with tips and tricks to revolutionise your practice (almost 8 hours of premium content!)
An easy to read PDF explaining tips on using the information in the course and how to add it to your daily routine!
A beautiful beginner level, full 1 hr vinyasa class
An extra tutorial on how to modify the vinyasa if you feel overwhelmed by the whole 'up dog, down dog' thing or if you simply want a rest day
A second Sun Salutation A tutorial so that you can start to practice this great warm up activity at home

Use this course in different ways: -

Take the exercises and modifications into your regular studio Yoga class to tailor the movements to your unique anatomy, body type and energy levels for that day.
Take the techniques and knowledge acquired here and use them in your home or online Yoga practice, making sure that you stay motivated, strong and healthy as you move.
Use these practices as a standalone workout or yoga routine and simply take as many repetitions of each exercise as feels good for you TODAY! Mix and match and have fun!

Learn the difference between intensity and pain and never push yourself into shapes your body isn't ready for again!

What are people saying about this course?

Here are some testimonials from folks who have already joined me for this 21 day journey!

'If anyone is wondering about this, it is MEGA good. I learned so much about staying safe and looking after myself while enjoying my practice. Plus ... it's so helpful how you explain different options, levels. Great! Love it!!!' - Kathi, Vienna AT
'Wonderful! I really love your mindful cues :) <3' - Vera, Vienna AT
'Kate - Wow, I am enjoying your course soooo much! I am literally looking forward to getting up so I can do my next lesson. They are just the right length so I can not worry when I have a lot to do, and I am learning so much every day. I'm incorporating my lessons into my every day movement, every time I place the cat's bowls down or put pans into a low cupboard or reach for something high is an excuse to enjoy the stretch. And I'm getting noticeably stronger really fast' - Janna, UK
'I really can't thank you enough, I had no idea how much I was "hanging in my bones" and locking my joints and generally messing myself up when I thought I was doing good. The pins and needles in my shoulder that I've now had for years are receding! I'm so grateful!' - Meghan, UK
'I love doing the oceanic breathing, I really miss the sea and I didn't realise I could make that noise like that!
The hands lesson was fantastic, fisty fun, hahahahaha. I noticed that rolling my wrists makes me gurn madly, it must be fun being the teacher of a proper class and watching everyone concentrating!
So thank you again my dear, I am very much loving your work and very grateful for the healing you are sharing with me' Florence, UK

Join me and revolutionise your Yoga practice today!

Who this course is for:

Are you a beginner Yoga practitioner?
Do you tend to push yourself into positions that your body isn't ready for, or simply quit when things get a bit more challenging in the yoga room?
Have you injured yourself whilst practising yoga, because of this tendency to force it? (You should have now completely healed and have the doc's OK to move again)
Do you feel that your body simply doesn't do the 'cookie cutter' version of some positions that are taught?
Do you feel that some yoga cues are outdated and don’t work for you but aren't sure how to modify your practice to include new movements?
Are you looking to add accessibility, value and mindfulness to your yoga practice or fitness plan?
Have you ever had a yoga teacher tell you that you are doing something 'wrong' or that your alignment is 'bad'?
Do you want to stay strong, healthy and connected as you move?
Are you relatively mobile and can manage basic yoga props?

21 days to a Safe, Strong Yoga Practice - A Beginners Guide

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 6min

21 Days to a Healthy Practice21 lectures • 6hr 1min

Extra Classes3 lectures • 1hr 39min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: