Gentle Yoga Poses

Lara Benusis ar en larare som jag tog klass for pa DNA. Hon undervisade restorative yoga. Manga tog den klassen mest for att man kunde slappna av och t.o.m somna pa hennes klasser, vilket kunde vara skont om man hade tagit fyra klasser innan det. Men, hon ar en fantastisk larare, en underbar person med otroligt mycket kunskap och jag har lart mig massor fran hennes klasser. 
For ett tag sedan kollade jag upp om hon fortfarande undervisar klasser som jag skulle kunna ta. Hon jobbar mycket pa sjukhus och jag hittade en video med henne som jag tycker ar vard att dela med er.

Lara Benusis is a teacher that I took class for at DNA. She taught restorative yoga. Many took that class mostly because you could relax and even fall asleep on her classes, which could be nice if you had taken four classes before that. But, she is a fantastic teacher, a wonderful person with incredible knowledge and I have learned a lot from her classes. 
Awhile ago I tried to find out if she is still teaching classes that I can take. She works a lot on hospitals and I found a video with her that I think is worth sharing with you. 

“Yoga instructor Lara Benusis of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Integrative Medicine Service explains that yoga is a series of poses designed to strengthen and lengthen muscles, which can become weak or tight as you recover in the hospital or at home. She demonstrates a modified yoga sequence and breathing techniques that you can perform in a hospital bed or in a chair.”

Video from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center HERE

Beginner tips

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Forra veckan hittade jag en sida som jag vill dela med er: Beginner Tips from Yoga Instructor. Ni hittar den HERE.  

Last week I found a site that I want to share with you: Beginner Tips from Yoga Instructor. You can find it HERE

1. They’re not checking you out to see how flexible you are (or aren’t)
2. They don’t like when you push yourself too hard
3. They wish you’d ask questions or for assistance
4. They don’t care if you pass gas
5. They aren’t grossed out by your sweat
6. They want you to speak up if an assist hurts or makes you uncomfortable
7. They wish you didn’t come to class to “sweat out your sick”
8. They love when you bring your own yoga mat to class
9. They want you to practice at least twice a week
10. They don’t mind if you take class from another instructor
11. They like when you get to class a little early and prefer you stay until class is over

Jag ar inte yoga larare, men jag har undervisat dans i manga manga ar och dessa punkter galler for vilken dansklass man an tar (forutom punkt 8 🙂 ).
Lararen finns dar for att hjalpa dig att bli battre. Det ar manga elever som kanner sig obekvama med just beroring och att svetten rinner. Som larare vill man att eleven ska forsta och gora ratt for att undvika skador och for att forbattra sig sjalv och da ar beroring ibland det lattaste sattet att korrigera. Och att svetten rinner ar naturligt och det visar pa att din kropp arbetar. 

Jag skulle ocksa lagga till tre punkter. 1. Har du langt har ar det battre for dig att satta upp det sa att det inte stor dig under lektionen. 2. Valj klader som du kan rora dig i och kanner dig bekvam med istallet for att kla dig i det som ar trendigt. 3. Om dar finns en spegel i salen, anvand den som ett redskap for att korrigera dig sjalv och inte for att se hur din kropp ser ut. Manga dansare stirrar pa spegelbilden och glommer bort att kanna hur ovningarna ar i kroppen. Alldeles for manga dansare far atstorningar pga spegeln sa nar jag undervisar gora jag garna ovningar at andra hallet sa att eleven slipper tanka pa hur haret ser ut, om rumpan ar stor eller att jamfora sig med andra dansare. Yoga ska vara nagot som du gor for att ma bra, inte for att det later coolt och en dans-/yogaklass ar ingen modevisning. 

I’m not a yoga teacher, but I have taught dance for many many years and these points goes for whatever dance class you take (except point 8 🙂 ).
The teacher is there to help you to get better. There is a lot of students that is uncomfortable with for example touching and to be sweaty. As a teacher you want your student to understand and do right to avoid getting hurt and to improve themselves and then touching is sometimes the easiest way to correct. And that you sweat is natural and it shows that your body is working.

I want to add three things. 1. If you have longer hair then it’s better for you to out it up so that it doesn’t bother you during the class. 2. Choose clothes that you can move in and that you feel comfortable with  rather than what is trendy. 3. If there is a mirror in the studio, use it as a tool to correct yourself and not to check your body out. Many dancers are staring at themselves and forgets to feel how the exercises are in the body. Way too many dancers have eating disorders because of the mirror so when I teach I prefer to make the exercises in the other direction so that the student don’t have to think about how their hair looks like, if their butt is big or compare to the other dancers. Yoga should be something that you do to feel good, not because it sounds cool and a dance-/yogaclass is not a fashion show.

Yoga with a view

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Jim ar ute och ater med jobbet ikvall. Efter Thor’s middag var han trott sa jag passade pa att gora en timmes yoga. Sa harligt. Det ar sa mysigt att yoga framfor nya byggnaden, Freedom Tower, som lyser fint pa kvallen.
Jag anvande mig inte sa mycket av yoga-blocken ikvall (som ni ser ovan), men det ar alltid skont att ha dem nara om man vill anvanda. Tva bra saker med varfor man bor ha yoga-block vid en yoga klass enligt mig ar
1). ar man ovan eller om man har tighta muskler kan yoga-blocken hjalpa balansen eller att halla upp kroppen sa att man inte sliter pa musklerna
2). ar man som jag valdigt rorlig med langa muskler kan blocken anda vara bra vissa dagar just for som punkt 1, man sliter inte pa muskler i onodan och ibland kan balansen svika aven en avancerad yogi.
Kroppen har olika dagar och det ar viktigt att man kanner efter hur det kanns just idag, for det kanske inte ar samma som igar eller imorgon. Idag hade jag mjuka muskler och helt ok balans, sa jag behovde inte anvanda blocken sa mycket. 

Jim is out to eat with work tonight. After Thor’s dinner he was tired, so I took the opportunity to do an hour yoga. So lovely. It is very cozy to yoga in front of the new building, Freedom Tower, that is lit so nicely at night. 
I didn’t use the yoga-blocks that much tonight (that you can see above), but it is always nice to have them near if you want to use them. Two good things why you should have yoga-blocks on a yoga-class according to me is
1). if you are not used to it or if you have tight muscles, yoga-blocks can help balance or hold the body up so that you don’t tear on muscles
2). if you are very flexible like me with long muscles, blocks can still be good some days just like 1st point, you don’t tear on muscles and sometimes can balance let you down even if you are an advanced yogi. 
The body has different days and it is important to feel how the body is today, cause it might not be the same like yesterday or tomorrow. Today I had very soft muscles and totally ok balance, so I didn’t need to use the blocks that much.

Nice yoga

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Efter en skon yoga pa Gibney tog jag en promenad langs hudson. 29 grader och sol, underbart! Satte mig pa en sten vid vattnet bakom varat hus och laste en stund och drack en kopp kaffe. Nar min svettiga kropp var hungrig gick jag in. Tur var kanske det for nu ser det ut att snart bli regn.

After a nice yoga at Gibney I took a walk along hudson. 29 degrees and sunny, wonderful! Sat down on a rock by the water behind our house and read in my book and drank a cup of coffee. When my sweaty body was hungry I went inside. Maybe that was good cause now it looks like it will start to rain soon.

Tjingeling

Sixth day of seven

Dagens traning:
* Mind Body Dancer Yoga with Kristin
* Pilates with Jessica

Efter skon yoga och abs-abs-abs-pilates har jag nu mott upp Jim och har promenerat till East Village. Sitter och kakar lite mexican innan vi ska till parken pa 6th Street & Ave B dar Jessica gor en soloinstallation med en tuba-player. I kompaniet (Equus Projects) har vi olika forestallningar och vi ar inte alltid alla med i alla performances. Sa nu ska vi dit och se vad de har jobbat med:)

Tjingeling