Strike A Balance: Katonah Yoga® Inspired Winter Practices

Name: Strike A Balance: Katonah Yoga® Inspired Winter Practices
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)

Active Hatha Yoga Balance Sequence, Restorative Shapes and Breath Exercises to Ground and Balance Your Energy

Created byRebecca Jo Phillips

Last updated 2/2024

English

What you'll learn

Support your physical and mental wellbeing during the winter season with Katonah Yoga® inspired sun salutations and restorative practices.
Stabilize your physical body for improved balance in standing postures and more efficiency in transitions.
Yoga Breath techniques to tone your nervous system.
Develop internal resiliency against the demands of the external stressors of the season.

Course content

1 section • 6 lectures • 1h 24m total length

Introduction2:30
A short introduction to Strike A Balance: Katonah Yoga® Inspired Winter Practices.
As mentioned in the video, this workshop was designed to reflect the contradictions of the winter (water) phase of the yearly cycle. During this time the natural world slows down and nature asks us to be more introspective, but society, family and work expect us to keep moving.
This class incorporates active Katonah Yoga® water salutations to warm your body and lubricate your joints, challenging (but adaptable) standing balance sequences to build resiliency, restorative release work for much needed relaxation and pranayama breath exercises to balance your nervous system.
While this series was originally recorded for the literal winter season, we also all experience metaphorical winters at different points of our lives. These videos are meant to help you find ways to balance your personal need to take a pause between growth cycles with the constant demands of the outside world.
You can enjoy the full course as one long class, or pick a video that balances the energy of your day.
Supportive variations will be shown using two blocks, a blanket a strap and a wall.
Standing Warm Up Sequence7:29
In this opening video we will use a folded blanket (or towel) to wake up our feet and stabilizing muscles. Place yourself near a wall for extra support as needed.
Katonah Yoga® Water Salutations14:37
Katonah Yoga® Water Salutations are a variation of Sun Salutation that uses a crossed leg position to increase your sense of "grounding" and stability during spinal extensions and folds. The legs weave around each other like flowing water or the strands of a braid.
Standing Balance Practice21:54
This video focuses on one leg standing balances, warrior poses and the way we support ourselves through challenges and transitions.
Restorative Floor Practice24:50
Seated floor stretches and reclined restorative shapes. If possible position yourself near a wall and have a couple blocks, a blanket and a strap available along with any other props you like to use.
Pranayama Breath Exercises12:48
Balance your nervous system with pranayama breath work. Energizing, centering, and grounding.

Requirements

No previous experience necessary. Modifications are offered to accommodate varying levels of ability. Optional props include 2 blocks, 1-2 blankets and a yoga strap.

Description

Everything in nature moves in cycles and seasons of growth, decline and rest. Our personal practices (how we support ourselves physically and mentally) should reflect these cyclical changes as well. There's a time to move and grow, and a time to be still and reflect.

While we can all benefit from learning to live in harmony within the season we're in - whether that be the literal season of the year or a personal phase of creative development - the very real circumstances and demands of our daily lives don't always allow for it.

This yoga asana (postures) and pranayama (breath work) based workshop was designed to reflect these often contradicting needs of the winter season - the natural need to rest and turn inward, and the external obligations of work, family and friends.

It includes an active standing sequence, restorative restful shapes and balancing breath work.

We will begin by warming up our feet and activating our stabilizers with a playful balance exercise and then move into slow flowing water salutations. We'll work on finding sustainable ways of holding ourselves in challenging positions and developing efficient movement patterns in transitioning between shapes. We'll finish with supportive stretches, restorative rest and a gentle pranayama breath series.

While this class was originally created for colder months of the year, it can be enjoyed any time. It is a great practice for when you need to challenge yourself to be present. It will give you tools to regulate your nervous system, focus your mind, center and ground your energy, and build physical resiliency within your body.

This videos in this course fit seamlessly together as one long Yoga & Pranayama practice or can be enjoyed individually as shorter, more focused practices. Supportive options will be offered using 2 blocks, 1-2 blankets, a strap and a wall.

Katonah Yoga® is a theory based movement practice created by Nevine Michaan in Katonah, NY. It combines traditional Hatha Yoga with Taoist philosophy, sacred geometry, Pranayama and the use of metaphor to develop imagination.

Who this course is for:

Anyone that wants to learn ways to move their body and breath in harmony with the energy of the winter season.