Whether it be physical or emotional, we have all experienced built up tension or trapped energy. Releasing whatever it is that’s “stuck” allows us to feel more calm, spacious and renewed. If not released, built up tension can lead to problems ranging from insomnia and irritability to heart disease and depression.
This week’s featured classes will help release physical and emotional tension by creating lightness and well-being.
- Melt Away Upper Body Tension with Jo Tastula: Melt stress and tension away from the head, neck and shoulders with this restorative sequence. Have 2 blocks and a blanket.
- Disciplined & Meditative Flow to Release Tension with Mary Taylor: A flow of postures, strung together through concentration on the sound of the breath and the release of tension through soft steady gazing allows for a practice that is at once disciplined and extraordinarily meditative. Props Suggested: Wall space, strap, block and blanket.
- Release Arm & Shoulder Tension with Tias Little: This guided sequence gently stretches and releases the musculature of the upper chest, shoulders and arms. Starting on the back, this sequence unwinds constriction within the shoulders through gentle rotations, and rocking movements. Then Tias guides students to stretch and open via the support of a strap. While this sequence is simple, it has profound effects on the shoulder girdle, good for students who have chronic tightness in the shoulders. Props Needed: A blanket, bolster, strap, and a block.
- Yoga to Relieve Tension with Jason Crandell: If you like having dessert first, press the play button pronto. This practice bypasses the hustle of chatturanga updog downdog and settles into a deep-practice of unraveling tension from the side-body and outer-hips. You will focus on building up to revolved head-to-knee pose (parivritta janu sirsasana) and revolved open-angle pose (parivritta upa vista konasana). You will—guaranteed—leave feeling clearer and more content.
- Eliminate Tension Class with Elena Brower: Ease your nervous system by opening the healing channels that lead to and from your organs. Eliminate toxic tension by revitalizing and softening your entire body. A few standing poses, sweet stretches and closing seat.
- Release Hip Tension Flow with Dice Iida-Klein: There are many ways to stretch and strengthen our outer hips (piriformis, gluteus medius and maximus) and in this flow we do so by crossing our legs and our ankles. Using uttanasana (standing forward fold) variations, garudasana (eagle pose) and its counter parvritta garudasana (revolved eagle pose) in the standing flow, we make our way into arm balances with eagle legs and its variations. Followed by a few backbends and ending with gomukhasana (cow face pose) for our final hip opener, this flow is sure to release the tension in your hips my fellow yogis!
- Relax Your Mind, Release Tension with Kia Miller: Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? This breath meditation will help to relax your mind and release stress and tension. Appropriate for all levels. Do at home or at your desk in the office!
- Release Tension Yin with Felicia Tomasko: Allow the body to drop into the earth in this practice that focuses on releasing tension in the hips, low back and shoulders through long, passively held poses. This class utilizes a block for variations of bridge with a block to decompress the low back and stretch the hip flexors.
- Unravel Travel Tension with Stephanie Snyder: Been sitting too long on an airplane or in a car? Hips tight? Low back tight? Digestion iffy? This is the sequence for you. A quick unraveling of tension will do the trick, we will encourage deep release and leave you with energy to enjoy your new destination!
- Relieve Neck Tension and Find Energy with Tiffany Cruikshank: This flow class focuses on releasing the neck in active & passive poses. In Chinese Medicine the neck points symbolize the gateway between the mind and the body and are a common source of tension especially in the moments of our lives when we’re running on overdrive. This class is great way to work through neck tension to unlock a deeper source of strength as well as tap into a source of energy to revitilize you. Prop: Block
- Relieve Neck & Shoulder Tension with Marla Apt: Relieve tension in the neck and shoulders with these asanas/arm variations done from Tadasana. This practice is a necessary antidote to the stress that accumulates in the neck and shoulders due to our modern lifestyle
