Searching for Stability

"We tend to become tense and stiff when we feel unstable but this is unhelpful - rigid structures topple more easily than responsive ones. The principle concern in balances is to develop poses slowly, steadily and with quiet stability."

-- Peter Blackaby Intelligent Yoga

Peter Blackaby

Intelligent Yoga: Re-educating Mind and Body by Peter Blackaby

Having been to a couple of brilliant anatomy workshops with Peter Blackaby a little while ago I knew this would be a must read when I saw it and it really is!

Peter has been greatly influenced by the work of Vanda Scaravelli (see yesterdays post) and his practice as an osteopath and this book is a thoughtful, interesting and thoroughly researched interpretation of Yoga with a focus on the enquiry you should be having with your body and your practice. 

I read a review on Amazon a while ago that described it perfectly, so i'm going to borrow... 'Blackaby has unpicked movement without fracturing it and teaches intelligent practice in the context of the known, the surmised and the lived, suggesting an approach to yoga that is rational, disciplined and fulsomely human and humane.'

Go read, and then go to a workshop...I have two booked for the New Year : )

Joints, technique and tlc

A few things I've found useful and inspiring recently, for students and myself...

This works a treat! It's worth having a good search through Kelly Starrett's archive, he's seriously knowledgeable and passionate about his craft.

Try this the next time you sprint for the bus!

And if you want to be running barefoot then those feet are gunna need some work. I'd recommend taking control of your feet regardless of your plans for them anyway.


SQUAT! It's important.
I have studied with Peter a few times, and what he has to say about yoga really resonates. I highly recommend his book Intelligent Yoga.

(found all over the place via Google serendipity, the magic of twitter, Facebook and other peoples generosity.)

"The highest form of human intelligence is to observe yourself without judgement." 

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Health

"Health doesn’t simply demand that we eat well and exercise, we need also to pay attention to how we feel physically and emotionally and act as intelligently as we can on those feelings.

...In yoga we are looking at how we move, how we breathe and how we feel. In fact, we are looking at how we inhabit our bodies. When we start to really pay attention to how we are, we notice more clearly the things that cause us discomfort and the things that make us feel better. If we stop noticing, we are more likely to move away from homeostasis. Think about how animals behave; when they are tired they sleep, when they are hungry, they eat and when they are wakeful they are active, they act on their feelings and in doing so they regulate their lives. Modern life often takes us away from the ability to respond to feelings, but if we ignore them for too long illness can be one of the consequences."

-- Peter Blackaby

Workshop

I spent my Sunday in a beautiful (cool!!) studio in South London yesterday for yoga a workshop with Peter Blackaby . It was brilliant. 6 hours flew by and it has sparked so many interesting ideas about my own practice and the way I teach. If you ever get the chance to go to one of his classes/workshops then take it! I also highly recommend his book Intelligent Yoga, it's been a favorite of mine for some time now.  

"...Drop people into their bodies and encourage them to be honest with themselves about what they feel.

All yoga postures are there to help us notice how we are as we act and we can use the practice to change from working/feeling/responding from our own histories to creating new, more helpful patterns, which ultimately gives you choice."

 

Breath

"There is no right way to breathe. There is only breathing appropriate for the particular situation an individual finds themselves in. Breathing needs to be responsive to variations in posture, to our emotions , and to our oxygen demands; it can only do this if the entire respiratory system is flexible and reactive."

-- Peter Blackaby Intelligent Yoga

Yoga, if practiced based on feeling and understanding your own body can help!

"Being led to conform to a teachers personal viewpoint is inevitably disempowering for the student, who becomes dependent on the teacher. All power lies with the teacher as the possessor of knowledge. This is the opposite of what teaching is supposed to do which is surely to facilitate learning as effectively as possible?"

-- Peter Blackaby Intelligent Yoga

Recommended Read

Intelligent Yoga: Re-educating Mind and Body by Peter Blackaby

Having been to a brilliant workshop with Chloe Fremantle and Peter Blackaby a little while ago I knew this would be a must read when I saw it and it really is! 

This book is a thoughtful, interesting and thoroughly researched interpretation of Yoga with a focus on the enquiry you should be having with your body and your practice. 

I read a review on Amazon since buying the book that described it perfectly, so i'm going to borrow... 'Blackaby has unpicked movement without fracturing it and teaches intelligent practice in the context of the known, the surmised and the lived, suggesting an approach to yoga that is rational, disciplined and fulsomely human and humane.'

Go read : )