Yoga Teacher Training 100 Hour - Category Two

This lecture introduces the basic foundation postures we use in Sacred Spiral Yoga. Includes descriptions, photos, practice tips and cautions. The posture practice is further sub-divided into forward folds, back-bending, standing poses, inversions, balances, twists and supine seated poses. Each of our foundation postures is covered in a video workshop in the next section.

Childs pose stretches the back out in a harmonious and easy way, opens the shoulders, hips and knees and helps us 'change gear' energetically - mentally and emotionally with the forhead placed foirmly into the mat - in preparation for the upcoming class.

Join Ganna Iskander to get her perspectives and input on this common warm up pose.

Downward Facing Dog Pose with Caroline. Adho Mukha Svanasana.

This Hero Pose is one of those that look easy until we try and do it. This great workshop with Caroline gives us a good grounding.

Cross leg twisting and arm stretching is another excellent set of movements and postures for early in the class. They serve to loosen and ease us into the bodywork. I usually move far more superfically and briefly in the beginning of a class for warming up, and then later deepen into more challenging work and longer holds.

Caroline takes us through the basics of Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Supine Butterfly

I almost always start beginner classes with some mobilisation exercises to loosen up the knees, hips, shoulders, back and arms. These should never be forced but taken quite slowly and developed with good body awareness. Some folk can barely sit on the mat and may have to do them lying on there back. This usually works well and can always be adapted to suit the individual.

Two versions of the Spinal rolls are given, easier and slightly more challenging. The rolling action gently exercises the core muscle groups, lifts our energy harmoniously, tones the inner ear fluids and prepares us for the other posture work in the class. Rolling action is associated with many activated sequences and so is a valuable skill to develop in Asana work.

Join Ganna for insights into happy baby pose

Down facing Dog is a 'bread and butter' posture for your classes and is great for working on body alignment, strengthening, stamina, partial inversion, stretching, energy flow, breath control  and concentration. 

Join Ganna for insight into Down Dog Pose

Many folks have tight and even sore hips and this imposes quite a limitation when we come to many yoga postures. The workshop offers some good general hip exercise sto begin loosening up. The movements should be included as often as possible in your classes, especially in the early stages.

This second section of the hip opener exercises gives some extra tips and techniques for keen students. Watch out for excessive 'tweeking' on the knees as this can result in injury and is simply a wrong action. many new practitioners and students force the knees instead of taking the movements from the hip rotations.

Caroline takes us through a classic Boat Pose workshop

Caroline takes us through a Bound Angle Workshop (Bhadakonasana)

Frequent thigh stretching is usually called for to have good facility in many backbending and other poses. The workshop addresses correct technique and what to watch out for as well as a graded method from easy to more challenging.

Correct leg stretching technique is of huge value to serious body work practitioners and lays a foundation for many other yoga poses. The workshop addresses issues to watch out for, practice methods and some uses.

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Mountain Pose

Caroline takes us through a Plank Pose workshop

Tree pose is a great posture for working on our 'quiet mind', 'foscused breath' and concentration into the body. Not only balance is addressed, but energy flow and alignment in the pose.

Caroline takes us through the details of Garudasana - Eagle Pose

Triangle pose, as with all postures, is a great whole body alignment tool posture. The workshop addresses what to look out for and gives you the basic understanding to begin practicing this all important pose.

Building on the triangle posture, lateral right angle intensifies the lower hip opening and full extension through the  top section of the body from outer foot to top finger tips.

A comprehensive method to find alignment is addressed along with tips and advice. 

Known in Sanskrit as Prasarita Padottanasana - this is the Standing Wide Angle Forward Fold

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Standing Poses

As with all body work, it is essential to make sure you have a good medical and injury profile of your students. Folk with high blood pressure or neck and spinal injuries need to proceed with extreme caution or sit this posture out or practice a replacement posture. Always better to be safe than sorry and remember new students need to have signed there indemnity forms with you.

The workshop goes into the alignment issues and gives a safe, slow incremental method of gaining ability in this important posture.

Caroline takes us through the essentials of Plough Pose - Halasana

Classic standing forward folding with legs together or wide angle, give us a great opportunity to practice our backward pelvic rotation, leg musculature engagement, partial inversion and the energetically calming effects of forward folding.

Caroline takes us through a three stage workshop to help us establish Crow pose.

One arm balances, from easy to quite challenging level, give us the opportunity to develop strength and integrity in the body from a lateral or flank approach. Stamina can be built up by gradually learning to hold the postures longer.

Caroline takes us through a Side Plank workshop

Small Bridge is one of our basic backbends that is relatively accessible and safe for most averagely fit, healthy and non-injury and medical stsus folk. As with all postures and movements, the individual needs to be taken into account. So always check with new students regarding any back and neck injuries, other injuries and medical conditions.

The video workshop focuses on the 'how to' and gives some alignment tips and advice.

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Easy Backbending

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Supine Backbending

Ustrasana is Camel pose - Join Caroline for this workshop.

Corpse Pose (Savasana) is an extremely important Asana to get to grips with and not at all easy. This great workshop with Caroline gives us the essentials.

Hands on Assist Workshop with Ganna - Corpse Pose

Download these cards and keep them in a handy folder. They can provide you with a quick reference to Sacred Spiral's important postures. You can also print them out for quick physical reference.

Later in the program I will add the same style of cards with a handy reference for you when you begin teaching your own classes.

Namaste

This is a collection of downloadable Asana cards that give a quick overview of the main categories of Asana. Great for teachers or students wishing to reference at a glance for purposes of creating balanced classes or programs. In a category  we also have 12 sample classes with extensive program notes, for our new teachers to use as a reference.

Leg stretching practice is fundamental to many other Asanas. This follow along easy set is suitable for beginners. Alignment and even energy and mind distribution is vital.

Introduces the basic standing postures for beginners. Alignment, stamina, breath control and concentration are key.

Suitable for beginners, this follow along session introduces some of the key movements and postures that will move us towards a strong foundational understanding for all back bendings.

Join Paul Carlos for this short follow along video class in nature. All our videos are taken in as natural environments as we can manage. This promotes the peace, balance and harmony innately found in nature.

For a longer session you can create a playlist of your favourite or needed sessions. See our YouTube channel.

Use this set to develop your own basic practice as well as to draw material from when planning your own classes.

On our YouTube channel we have a separate playlist for 'Videos with Instruction' for the guys needing detail. We also encourage you to delve into our short Asana Workshops - also in a playlist on YT.

This advanced Pranic Breathing Meditation introduces the Five Element balancing work. The primary elements are represented in both our physical and Soul levels. By Integrating deeply with the Earth Being and holding the intentionality to restore and heal, we can align ourselves on all levels with balance and Harmony. Namaste

Pranic Breath-work is an advanced practice that includes Meditation skill coupled with breath movement and energy (Prana) harnessing. The technique has elements of Chinese Qi Gong and Yogic Pranayama. Used properly and trained over time, the method can greatly enhance our health and Meditation qualities. We suggest learning the Pranayama's given in Level 1 and the second program Level 2 (200 hour training) before making the Pranic Breathing a central focus of your practice.

These videos are given here to introduce the topic and broaden the range of methods available.

In all cases, listen to your body and nervous system and try to 'feel' whether the techniques are good for you and if so, by all means train and include these practices into your daily schedule.