Start with a focus on skeletal anatomy with a Daoist philosophical bent and add in the opportunity to experience anatomy through seeing and feeling the infinite variety of possible joint structures in arms, shoulders, feet, and hips. Toss in some intensity with love of subject and humor and you have an anatomy through yin yoga workshop with Joe Barnett, who teaches at Tucson Yoga and other locations.
Joe studies yin yoga with Paul Grilley and studies connective tissues through human cadavers with Gil Hedley. Well-versed in yang approaches to yoga, having practiced Iyengar yoga, Astanga yoga, Anusara, and vinyasa flow yoga, Joe asks students to learn anatomy through experiencing anatomy,
In the workshop, students gain the opportunity to learn about flexion, extension, rotation and other joint motions through working with other students. The study begins at the extremities and works inward towards the shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle. You observe, feel, do it yourself, and then have the chance to observe the extremes of movement represented in the class.
You can watch (or not) frank slide shows of the connective tissue in human cadavers. You can see how this unique body-wide tissue forms what Joe and Gil Headley call 'fuzz'. Fuzz is necessary, to hold us together, but when fuzz goes bad, it begins to hold us together too tightly.
Here's where the yoga comes in. Says Joe, "We keep fuzz in it's healthy state through movement, and through deep stretching of the connection tissues." Each student in the class experiences this through the yin postures that you hold, and hold, and hold. The long time held in the pose gives you the opportunity to experience your own bone anatomy.
Each of us is unique in our boney structure says Joe, each of us has our own unique alignment. Spending time to learn that unique structure through practicing yin yoga helps you to learn deeply about your own abilities and about the constraints imposed by your anatomy. You work your edge, but its a different, subtle, anatomy-based edge than you might be used to.
Next time Joe offers this class, sign up early - spaces go fast.
Yin classes at Tucson Yoga
- Tuesdays 5:30-6:45, with Michelle Marks, Tucson Yoga.
- Thursdays 7-8:30 with Joe Barnett, Tucson Yoga.
- Saturdays 9-10:30, (with Vinyasa) with Michelle Marks, Tucson Yoga
Yin workshop: Unfolding the Lotus, Tom Beall at Lyric Yoga on June 20, 3-5pm.
Comments
hxxp://pauliezink.com/taoist-yoga/
see Yin Yoga
Thank you for the link to your site, Paulie.
Where as each of us may have slight differences, the purpose of these various asanas are very very specific. They are designed to massage certain internal organs or invoke certain states of being or a host of other things. If the asanas are not done with correct alignment this will not happen.Watering down specific asana does no one any good. Asana is akin to mantra in that it must be done correctly. Just as mispronunciation of a mantra is poison so too is misalignment in asana. Everyone must work to their own edge whilst adhering to proper form. There is no way around it. Raja yoga is a difficult path to enlightnement, please do not make it any more difficult with misinformation.
Thank you so much counter-point!
While I think this article could have been written a little clearer, I don't agree that a static alignment is necessary for a perfect asana. Everyone's body is different. Bones, muscles, ligaments, etc. all line up differently. That's why this class is important and necessary for those looking for true alignment. Don't adhere and risk injury, explore and develop.
Thank you for your comments. Articles are intended to introduce people to concepts in yoga and to encourage people reading the articles to address their own experience with the direction of a good teacher. This an other articles are no substitute for experiencing yoga. Agreeing with Counter-counter point..."Don't adhere and risk injury, explore and develop."
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