Elite athlete yoga practice is very nice for some folks. . . on the other hand, so is flopping around. And while handstands are alive and thriving, you could say, that flopping around has become something of a lost art.
I have a lot of respect for the time, energy, stamina, and sheer will power of elite athlete yoga. But what I teach has a different goal – nervous system resilience rather than athleticism. And to that end all of us, even elite athletes, can benefit from bringing a little more flopping around into our lives.
We’re really good at flopping when we’re babies.
We roll around, we flop on our parents, we flop on the kitchen floor, on the bed, on the dog. This kind of active flopping has a sort of springiness to it that’s very important developmentally. As we learn to flop around, we also learn how to work with gravity to develop better muscles tone, better proprioception, and greater kinesthetic awareness.
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen calls flopping around “yielding” and identifies it as the first movement that we learn as infants. It’s important emotionally too, if you can’t yield in relationship (cognitively as well as somatically), it’s difficult to deepen connection, trust and intimacy.
Don’t confuse flopping around with collapsing! Flopping or yielding actually builds muscle, coordination, and an ease of movement.
Here’s one of my favorite ways to teach flopping/yielding while seated.
Hope you enjoy it!
A new online teacher training! I’m excited!
I’m about to graduate from my YTT in April and your teaching is what I want to teach!
Thanks so much!
Kate
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Congratulations on your YTT graduation Kate and that’s great! Keep an eye out. I will have a webinar on Feb. 27 talking details.
xoxo
Will this be a 200 YTT or is it for those who already have their 200 hour certificate? I loved your neuroscience of yoga course and am looking for more.
Hi Beverly, the training is a 40 hour online training for those who already have a 200 or 500 hour training. It is big!
Here’s a sneak peak of what will be in it:
12 hours of Asana instruction – 27 postures with 5 to 10 accessible variations for each.
Asana manual with instructions for each main pose.
10 Full Length Classes videos with specific brain and nervous system benefits.
Stick figure hand-outs of all 10 videos that you can use when you teach.
Scripts of all 10 videos.
10 Interoceptive Prāṇāyāma practice video
10 Interoceptive Prāṇāyāma script
4 Subtle Meditations video
4 Subtle Meditations script
Short lectures on asanas, pranayama and meditation.
3 Sequencing Success lecture – practices to change your nervous system.
Structural breath video demonstration.
“Quick Energy Movers” video demonstration.
Exclusive FB group where you can ask questions, post comments, connect with other like minded teachers from all over the world.
And then I just had to stop! LOL!
I’m so glad I’m almost ready to birth this baby!
Please let me know if you have any other questions and thank you so much for your interest!
And then these bonuses too:
Bonus 1 – 7 Secrets of Sequencing Success ebook (14 pages)
Bonus 2 – “Micro-Asanas” video
Bonus 3 – Eye yoga video
Bonus 4 – Healing Sounds for Organs video
Bonus 5 – Soothing Sounds for Chakras video
Bonus 6 – Yama and Niyama workbook (34 pages)
Bonus 7 – PDF Power Point Slides of the Lectures
Thanks for the sneak peak, Kristine. This sounds fabulous!! I am a psychologist, currently researching 200 hour YTTs. This is definitely on my “wish list” for after I complete a 200 hour. I think this kind of yoga is so needed.
you’re so welcome! Thanks for the great work you are doing in the world!
I enjoyed the blog post and the video exploring the connections between yoga asanas and developmental movements. The Science of Slow has positively affected my personal practice and my teaching. I am looking forward to the launch of the online 40 hour TT, the course description looks amazing.
Thanks so much Linda! So glad the Science of Slow has been helpful for you and your students! And I hope you like the longer course too.
This is exciting news – I considered traveling to NC to your 300 hour course (I have 200) because of the focus and content, but the weekend travel seemed undoable from Michigan. I have been working through the Science of Slow and the Neuroscience course and am just so happy that all the ‘right’ materials and teachers keep appearing before me. And they are all inline with one another. Looking forward to learning more!
Thanks Daphne! I’m so excited to share this stuff! Keep an eye out because we should be announcing it as soon as this Wednesday and then releasing it next week.
This has been a godsend for me. I have my 200RYT (2004) and have always gravitated (and taught) toward ‘slow’ in a world where most come to yoga for a workout. Thanks to you I am now gathering wonderful evidenced based information to validate this and the tools to explain this . As a nurse this is really important to me. Here in Wyoming this is a tough ‘sell’ BUT I am persevering! I’m also going to look into your online courses and learn even more. From the bottom of my heart thank you
Hi Lorraine,
Thank so much for your kind feedback! I’m so glad this work is useful for you. And we just released our 40 hour online training today! Here’s a link. https://go.subtleyoga.com/training-1 Please keep the faith! This work is so important as you know and the world needs more of us!