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Breathe into open hips with support. These pigeon pose variations will open up the whole body. Remember what ever chair you might try to use should be stable. This is NOT for a rolling office chair.
Foundation(s): Option 1- Face the back of the chair. Place a blanket over the edge of the chair. Step back 1-2 feet away from the chair. hold onto the back of the chair. Option 2- Face the seat of the chair. Place a blanket on the seat of the chair. Action(s): Option 1- Lift one knee up onto the chair and externally rotate the hip until part of the shin and thigh rest on the Option 2- While holding onto the back of the chair, bend one knee and as you externally rotate the thigh place the shin and thigh on the seat of the chair. Slide your free leg long behind you until it is fully extended. You may choose to keep the toes tucked to get more of a calf stretch or place the top of the foot on the floor for a deeper ankle and shin stretch. If you keep the arms straight and lengthen the spine you will get a deeper hip flexion stretch and a back-bend. If you bow forward and rest on the back edge of the chair you can focus on the stretch in the outer hip of the bent leg. Details/ Notes: In the first option students with a longer stride may feel more stable if they turn the foot out slightly. In the second option is a student is taking the back-bend variation be sure that they elongate the spine and add some firmness to the belly. It is common for students to simply push back too far too fast into compressing the low back. While a mild compression is fine we do not want students to overdo it where they may cause strain in the low back. This is for informational purposes only. Students should check with their doctors before beginning any exercise program and instruction is always best when under the direction of a qualified professional. Model- Chris Loebsack Blog by- Amy Annonsen and Chris Loebsack Want more Chair Yoga? Join Amy on Tuesday night at Boundless Yoga in Stroudsburg PA at 7:15pm Learn how to practice chair yoga sequences for your self or to teach others: Chair Yoga Advanced Studies with Amy and Chris November 2-4, 2018
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Warrior One: Essential- Full Body Pose
Take a break in your day or work into a full chair yoga practice. Either way you can feel great after this amazing power pose. Warrior one opens the spine and shoulders. The deeper variation stretches the hips. *The seated “L” Shape is a great adapted position for the warrior poses or for any seated pose that requires a straightened back leg. It is also a good starting point for students to assess their hip flexibility and to familiarize how their body corresponds in relationship to the chair. Foundation(s): Begin in Seated Mountain with “L” Shape legs with length in spine slide the front leg with bent knee and torso to face sideways on the chair straighten through the back place the sole of the back foot on the earth. Take hand positioning of choice: hands placed somewhere on the chair, at hips, heart center, bent elbows, overhead, or touching palms. Action(s): Preparing the foundation first which may be a variation of sideways L-stance or any degree of a straightened back leg being mindful to keep the sole of the back foot in connection to the earth in whatever position is chosen. Selecting the arm position that best serves. Details/ Notes: Pressing though both soles of the feet concentrating on bringing energy to the outer edge of the back foot. Find length in spine, soften the shoulders, relax the face. Breathe…. and rock your new warrior energy! Model- Chris Loebsack Blog by- Amy Annonsen and Chris Loebsack Want more Chair Yoga? Join Amy on Tuesday night at Boundless Yoga in Stroudsburg PA at 7:15pm Learn how to practice chair yoga sequences for your self or to teach others: Chair Yoga Advanced Studies with Amy and Chris November 2-4, 2018   Setting Up for Child's Pose aka Balasana: Foundation-Begin in table top. You may choose to have the knees together or have the knees wide with the big toes touching. Action- Send the hips back to the heels and place the belly over (or between) the thighs. Arms rest along the sides. Forehead rests on the earth Boundary- This pose has many potential points of tightness that may need to be supported with a prop such as a blanket block or bolster. Be careful in this posture if the knees are not generally happy in deep knee flexion. While You are There: Breathe, listen, feel yourself settle into the pose Modify- Tight shins/ankles/tops of feet: Place a rolled blanket under the ankles; Tight quads or tissue approximation in the posterior leg/thigh connection may require a blanket under the hips; Head can’t reach the floor place a block under the forehead. Deepen-The legs together encourages more rounding of the back and compression of the front body which sends the breath capacity deeper into the back ribs and superficial spinal muscles. The knees wider sends the belly and ribs between the thighs which shifts the stretch deeper into the hips. Walking the arms out in front of you will give a different stretch on the shoulders. Transition out of the Pose: Either use your hands to support your rise to seated or shift forward into tabletop and take a few slow cat/cow motions to release. Why (benefits)
When to Avoid (contraindications)
Yang Variation: The yang variation is exactly the same and is typically used as a resting posture between more vigorous asanas. About Chris Loebsack
Chris Loebsack, 500 E.R.Y.T, fell in love with yoga in 1995 and began teaching in 2003. Chris uses the power of yoga to create a space for students that cultivates trust, playfulness and Divine connection with themselves and with community. Living by her mantra, Clarity, Integrity and Love, she draws upon her partner yoga practice to share the healing power of touch and safe intimacy. A passion for discovering subtlety in movement has lead Chris to deepen her education with the Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers® kinesiology program. Her playful yet focused classes are filled with user friendly gems of applied anatomy leaving students with a greater understanding of how to find comfort and space in their bodies and smiles beaming across their faces. She encourages teachers to set a higher standard of excellence through knowledge and has become a valuable mentor to many upcoming yoga educators. Chris teaches privates, classes and workshops across the globe. She is currently the director of the Boundless Yoga 200 hr and 500 hr Teacher Training programs and an Adjunct Teacher Trainer for the Om Factory® School of Yoga NYC 200hr, BambooMoves, Bhakti Barn Yoga, Just Plain Yoga, and NearMe Yoga 200hr Teacher Training Programs. She has also been featured in Fitness Magazine®, Yoga Journal: Yoga Mentor, Good an Well, Local Flair Magazine and the New York Times. In addition to yoga you are likely to find her laughing with friends and family or quietly meditating with her cats (Sukha, Fuzz-butt, and Squirrel) or traveling and teaching with her husband Brian M. Davis as Boundless Motion. Restorative, Yin Classes and More at BYS: Mt. Pocono: (1444 Pocono Blvd, Suite 106, Mt. Pocono, PA) Sundays 6 pm Flow and Restore w/ Tracy Gross Tuesdays 6 pm Yin Yoga- Slow Stretch w/ Chris Loebsack Stroudsburg: (823-F Ann Street, Stroudsburg, PA) Wednesdays 8:15 am Yin Yoga- Slow Stretch w/ Tracy Gross Thursdays 7:15 pm Body, Mind, Meditation- Restorative Yoga w/ Karen Iracane Fridays 8:15 am Yin Yoga- Slow Stretch w/ Tracy Gross Sept 14-16th, 2018 Restorative Yoga Advanced Studies Weekend Training w/ Tracy Gross and Jessica Batha  What is Restorative Yoga? Restorative yoga is a style of yoga accessible to anyone at any time to create balance, quiet and restore our bodies and minds to a state of homeostasis. The system uses props and supports that allow the practitioner to hold poses for a longer period of time without strain, promoting deeper relaxation and creating a space for healing. Restorative yoga has a great therapeutic impact during times of illness, injury, pain, stress and overscheduled lives. Restorative yoga helps to cultivate a healing environment in the body by balancing the nervous systems’ optimal energy flow; restoring us at a physical, physiological, energetic and emotional level. Props may include, but are certainly not limited to, blankets, bolsters, chairs, blocks, straps and eye pillows. What are the benefits of Restorative Yoga?
Restorative Yoga brings balance to a fast paced lifestyle and has an enormous capacity to heal physical and mental symptoms that are stress related, and as we know, many diseases are stress related. The beauty of Restorative Yoga is that there is no muscular contraction involved. We believe we have to “work” to increase flexibility, but often we achieve more opening in parts of the body that we perceive as tight by softening and relaxing than through an active asana practice. During a restorative yoga sequence, you still mildly stretch, but you relax fully in the body with support so that tension can slowly be released. When the body and mind quiet and become soft, we create space to get in touch with our natural qualities of compassion and understanding of others and self. Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga: Are they the same? On the surface restorative yoga and yin yoga may look very much alike. The two forms have some similarities while remaining quite different in their intentions and outcomes. Both styles will hold poses for a longer duration, yet how these poses are held and the degree to which they are held will vary significantly. Yin Yoga is a style of Yoga wherein the poses are held in a challenging but comfortable space for a period of several minutes. The aim of Yin Yoga is to place an additional stress on the tissues using gravity as a tool for allowing the tissues to release with time. The goal with yin is to work the connective tissue called fascia, thereby opening up the range of motion and working to increase the general level of flexibility. Yin Yoga uses a moderate amount of physical stress in the form of static/active or static/passive stretch techniques without additional supports that would minimize the release into the pose to achieve a desired opening of the myofascial pathways in the body. One might receive some yin style benefit from Restorative Yoga postures as the poses are also held for a longer period of time. In Restorative Yoga, however the goal is relaxation and the props keep the body from being stressed to the same degree that they would otherwise be in a yin style posture. Restorative uses static/passive techniques with support for minimal stretch. The pure intention of restorative is to find relaxation and decrease stress at the physical, emotional, mental and energetic levels. Restorative yoga places the body into "rest and digest" mode by tuning into the parasympathetic side of the nervous system. Excerpt from:
Boundless Bliss: a Guide to Restorative Yoga by Chris Loebsack, Tracy Gross and Jessica Batha Amazon Release Fall 2018 Upcoming Restorative Yoga Advanced Studies with Tracy and Jess September 14th-16th, 2018  Setting Up: Foundation-Begin lying on your back. Draw the knees in toward the chest and reach up to take a hold of either the inner arches or the big toes. Action- Draw the knees a bit wider than the rib cage and allow the weight of the arms to pull the knees towards the space of the underarms. Boundary- Keep the feet facing the ceiling. Keep the head and neck relaxed. While You are There: Hold for 2-5 minutes. Modify- Work on one side at a time. The free side may have the sole of the foot on the floor with the knee bent for a softer option or fully extend the free side to increase the stretch. If tightness prevents you from reaching the feet you may hold the back of the thighs. If the neck arches deeply and the head has trouble relaxing toward the earth, place a blanket underneath the head for support. Deepen- Add a bit more pulling force to draw the knees to the floor. If one is super flexible you could shift towards foot behind the head. Transition out of the Pose: Release the feet back to the floor. It might feel nice to land the feet a bit wider and “windshield wiper” the knees from side to side. Why (benefits)
When to Avoid (contraindications)
Yang Variation: Same pose with the pulling force. This is also a prep for deeper yang poses such as feet behind head aka Yoga Nidra Pose.  About Chris Loebsack
Chris Loebsack, 500 E.R.Y.T, fell in love with yoga in 1995 and began teaching in 2003. Chris uses the power of yoga to create a space for students that cultivates trust, playfulness and Divine connection with themselves and with community. Living by her mantra, Clarity, Integrity and Love, she draws upon her partner yoga practice to share the healing power of touch and safe intimacy. A passion for discovering subtlety in movement has lead Chris to deepen her education with the Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers® kinesiology program. Her playful yet focused classes are filled with user friendly gems of applied anatomy leaving students with a greater understanding of how to find comfort and space in their bodies and smiles beaming across their faces. She encourages teachers to set a higher standard of excellence through knowledge and has become a valuable mentor to many upcoming yoga educators. Chris teaches privates, classes and workshops across the globe. She is currently the director of the Boundless Yoga 200 hr and 500 hr Teacher Training programs and an Adjunct Teacher Trainer for the Om Factory® School of Yoga NYC 200hr, BambooMoves, Bhakti Barn Yoga, Just Plain Yoga, and NearMe Yoga 200hr Teacher Training Programs. She has also been featured in Fitness Magazine®, Yoga Journal: Yoga Mentor, Good an Well, Local Flair Magazine and the New York Times. In addition to yoga you are likely to find her laughing with friends and family or quietly meditating with her cats (Sukha, Fuzz-butt, and Squirrel) or traveling and teaching with her husband Brian M. Davis as Boundless Motion. Boundless Yoga Studio Stroudsburg Classes: Alignment and Anatomy of Yoga (All Levels) Mondays 9:30 am Zen Flow (Level 1/2) Mondays 5:30 pm Flow (Level 2/3) Thursdays 9:30 am Flow (Level 1) Sundays 9:30 am Boundless Yoga Studio Mt. Pocono Class YIN Yoga (Stretch) Tuesdays 6:00 pm Zen Flow (Open Level) Fridays 9:30 am - Begins June 1st, 2018 Upcoming Workshops Events: 7/20-22 The Yin Approach Advanced Studies Program Only 7 spaces remaining as of 6/17 11/3-5 Chair Yoga Advanced Studies Program Fall/Winter 2018- 200 hr The Journey Begins Teacher Training Program 6 Spaces Remaining as of 7/15 Touring Schedule 2018 Contact Chris to register for any of the immersions 8/22-Sept 7th Level 2 AcroYoga Teacher Training- Greece 10/5-7 Divine Play- Portland Oregon November 10/11 and 17/18 2 Weekend Ontario AcroYoga Elemental Immersion December 26-30, New Years AcroYoga Solar Immersion Goa India: Info TBA next week! |
Boundless Yoga Staff & StudentsWe are continuously interested on how our reactions and responses to our personal journeys, albeit travel, adventure, new job, etc. mirror and reflect our social, emotional and spiritual ups and downs. We try every day to apply what we learn about ourselves on the yoga mat to our personal lives. Thank you for tuning in as we share some of those aspects with you. Archives
October 2018
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- Katie McHugh-Connolly, Teacher Trainer, E-RYT 200, 300hr Candidate
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- HOME
- Class Schedule & Online Registration
- AERIAL Yoga (Mt. Pocono)
- Book Club
- Contact Us: Stroudsburg
- Contact Us: Mt. Pocono
-
- Amy Aanonsen RYT-200
- Brian M. Davis, ERYT 500
- Chris Loebsack, Owner E-RYT 500,
- Devon Blakely 500 CYT, Restorative Yoga CYT
- Diane Stanton, RYT-200
- Emma Kate Keller - Student Support Representative
- Jamie Sullivan CYT 200, Restorative Yoga CYT
- Jenna Brown 200 RYT, Heck Yes Yoga!
- Karen Iracane 200hr RYT, Restorative Yoga CYT
- Kate Deangelo RYT 200, SUP, Restorative, Aerial Yoga
- Katie McHugh-Connolly, Teacher Trainer, E-RYT 200, 300hr Candidate
- Linnette Gomez 200hr RYT, 300 CYT
- Motina Austin-Watson 200 RYT, 500 CYT
- Tracy Gross 200 ERYT, 500 RYT
- Blog: Insights from our Staff and Students
- Studio Rental
- Community Resources
- Community Service
- Media and News
- Yoga Podcast: Chats from the Mat w/ Brian M. Davis
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