One pose, two methods: Parshva Konasana (Side Angle Pose)
Easy and practical alignment cues for Parshva Konasana (Side Angle Pose) by Ihana Yoga Founder Jenni Morrison-Jack As most poses, this seemingly easy and basic pose can be practised in many ways, including using several transitions into the pose. Variety adds...
How to: Downward Facing Dog Shoulders
A huge topic in the yoga, pilates and gym world has been whether to draw the shoulders away from the ears when the arms are over the head (shoulder flexion) like in Warrior I, Chair Pose and Downward Facing Dog. If you've been taught to draw the shoulders down, start...
Qualities of a ‘Good’ Yoga Teacher
Everyone who has practiced yoga knows that there are many different types of yoga teachers out there. This is great because we all connect with different types of people. Students who need strong discipline might be drawn to a warrior-like teacher, whereas others...
Happy Feet: Getting familiar with the feet
How often do you take notice of your feet unless they hurt? If you are not used to getting regular pedicures or foot massages, it is very likely that you don’t have a close relationship with your feet. Most of us tuck the feet into socks and shoes and only notice them...
Yogi: Question everything; learn something!
In our both 200hr Ihana Yoga Teacher Training and Post Graduate Yoga Teacher Training it becomes obvious very soon that we as yoga students, yoga teachers, and lecturers question everything. This includes questioning the common consensus of contemporary yoga teaching,...
Improve your Triangle Pose
Ihana Yoga´s Jenni Morrison shares tips on how to identify and avoid common compensation movements / positions in Trikonasana. Read the Australian Yoga Life article here >>
‘Figure-8 Loop’ for dynamic sense of spinal alignment
Despite the name, spinal column is not straight, but rather S-shape curved from lateral view. Upper back is naturally kyphotic or rounding to give space for the lungs, whereas the cervical and lumbar spine are lordotic or in a natural backbend. Just as there are many body types and shapes, there are also many different angles of the spinal curvature.
Setting the shoulder blades
I’ve started writing this blog for several reasons. Firstly for the pure love for writing about and sharing yoga anatomy. Secondly I wanted explain why at Ihana Yoga we choose to ignore some common alignment cueing and use very different and often opposing cueing than the prevailing consensus. And thirdly I hope to create a ripple effect in yoga alignment cueing and to raise the bar of yoga teaching standards.
Should we use the alignment cue ‘tuck the tailbone under’?
I often receive emails and FB messages with links to online yoga articles, asking my thoughts on the content. This is great, because it keeps me up-to-date on the ins and outs of the contemporary yoga scene. One thing that becomes obvious reading these articles is that there are a lot of absolutes in the yoga industry.
Myth busting the common cue: ‘Pull the shoulders down’
Shoulder joint is a topic that I’m truly, madly, deeply passionate about. This love relationship started when I realized I needed to learn to stabilize and strengthen my own shoulders that were so overstretched from many years of rhythmic gymnastics when I was younger. All the overstretching had left my shoulder joints so hypermobile that the range of motion would make contortionists envious.