Yoga: Functional Flexibility & Strength

Yoga, Flexibility, Strength, Yoga Class, Yoga Workshop, Hatha Yoga, Scaravelli Yoga

Yoga: Functional Flexibility & Strength

What a mixed bag .. this week we've had hail, deep blue skies, blazing sun and monsoon rain.

Yoga has been similarly changeable. On Saturday, I delved into the complexity and beauty of the shoulder in my Shoulders & Upper Back workshop. If you missed it, it's sale on the website here.

The shoulder joint is a reminder of why it's important to maintain a balance between flexibility and strength. As we explored in the workshop, the shoulder is a shallow joint, built to allow maximum mobility. To enable us to enjoy that wide range of movement, the body has created a complex web of joints and structures to support the arm, connecting it to the spine and ribs. These joints need to work together efficiently to allow us to practice complex movements - for example, putting on a jumper, or pulling off a tight boiler suit.

As with the rest of the body, if we stop moving, we may eventually find that these joints become less mobile and it's less easy to make simple movements that were once familiar. This is not an inevitable result of aging - but it is an inevitable result of not moving.

Keep Moving - Stay Mobile

Yoga classes this week

The message this week is that we need to keep moving; load our bodies to maintain strength and look after ourselves to maximise the potential for enjoying easy movement throughout our lives.

In class, we've been playing with functional movement, noticing the difference between the two sides of the body (particularly the pelvis) and challenging ourselves to move in unfamiliar ways, exploring strong balances and the balance between strength and flexibility.