Harshly judging one's range of motion is one of the greatest sources of unnecessary suffering in many people’s yoga practice. The asanas (poses) are intended to be a method to move healing life force. To do that, we must understand each of our own (or our students) unique structures and explore when we can move more deeply into a posture or when to acknowledge limitations with respect.
Although some restrictions in range of motion are related to tight muscles, and more are related to contracted fascia and ligaments, many significant limitations are actually due to variations in bone shapes and joint orientations that can differ dramatically from one person to the next. Understanding YOUR yoga anatomy is best learned through direct hands on experience - testing your bones/joints and witnessing them curiously and compassionately to the bones of others.
This experiential comparative anatomy workshop explores 14 major joint segments of the body that account for most of our yoga postures. For each joint intersection, we will perform bone range of motion tests on ourselves, compare with each other, and demonstrate how each varying joint will express itself in specific yoga postures.
Anatomy is a vast subject, but this playful, interactive workshop reveals the basics in a way that clarifies and simplifies the yoga practice - putting the attention back where it belongs - how the key action of each pose makes you FEEL and moves the life force. In this workshop, participants often experience an “ah-ha” moment about their body and their practice, which can be powerfully liberating and self-accepting.
This workshop is great for beginners, experienced practitioners and yoga teachers alike!
Schedule:
12:30-3:30pm Upper Body Anatomy and Pose Variations
3:30-4:30pm Break (food is also welcome in the studio during lecture)
4:30-7:30pm Lower Body Anatomy and Pose Variations
General Cost: $75 if you are taking this as a yoga student or teacher looking to enrich your understanding of your practice and are not looking for/requesting Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
CEU Investment: $105 if you are a registered yoga teacher and are requesting CEU documentation for Yoga Alliance
Wondering why an anatomy training is priced so low? These explorations are vastly more meaningful when we have a greater number/variety of people to compare bones . Thus, the workshop has been priced this to make it accessible for more people to attend and spread the word about comparative anatomy and how it shapes each of our unique practices.
Machelle has over 10,000 hours of yoga teaching experience and is a long time student of Paul Grilley, founder of Yin Yoga and teacher, who brought comparative anatomy in yoga asana to the forefront of the modern yoga culture. Machelle guest lectures in YTT 200 and YTT 300 hour programs teaching anatomy, Yin Yoga theory and practice and Meridian Theory of moving energy is asana practice.
Machelle Lee, MA, E-RYT 500, CMT, YACEP, Roots & River Yoga Founder and Instructor
Machelle has 27 years of experience as a yoga teacher, massage therapist, and childbirth educator. She holds a Masters Degree in Mythology and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and has completed a 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training in yoga psychology. With over 10,000 hours of teaching experience, Machelle has cultivated a therapeutic approach utilizing Yin Yoga as well as Gentle and Vinyasa styles in a way that weaves together yogic teachings with modern scientific research on tissue rehabilitation, traditional medicines, and psychology. This approach to the whole person aids one in feeling and understanding the bodymind connection both somatically and intellectually. Specializing in the health and rehabilitation of fascia, connective tissues, and joints, Machelle is committed to serving students in a way that best fits their unique abilities and anatomic structure. Machelle combines storytelling, archetypes, poetry, neuroscience, psychology, and Five Element Meridian Theory across a variety of yoga styles in a way that is always aimed at facilitating a creative and grounded approach to self-development for each participant.
This workshop is at full registration. Watch our schedule - We will be adding another anatomy workshop for this summer.