Deane Juhan and Yogakula are proud to present new 2023 webinars. Watch the previews below or watch all the full class videos over and over with a monthly Webinar Subscription.
Functional Anatomy of The Spine
The spine – is the core of our structural integrity and movement, and key to our bodies’ alignment in the field of gravity. It is the skeletal, muscular, respiratory and neural axis of our being. It is also the most complex of our skeletal-muscular structures, with 25 vertebra, 40 joint articulations, and hundreds of muscle attachments (including some of the largest and some of the smallest muscles in our bodies). Its alignment, structural integrity and freedom of movement is essential in everything we do.
- What are the details of the spine’s anatomy?
- How does the alignment of the spine effect all neural transmission to and from the brain and facilitate all of our sensory awareness and movement?
- How does the spine impact the expansiveness of our breath?
- How are the asanas (and other movement and meditation practices) designed to facilitate a healthy and vibrant spine?
Yoga and Breath Practices with Deane Juhan and Saraswati Clere
Explore ways to encourage balance and alignment in your body. In this series, we will focus on a different area of the body each session, addressing common issues and relating that area back to the whole. Learn about creating optimal strength, flexibility, posture and movement to support pain reduction, injury prevention and a freer range of motion. Leave with exercises and releases you can do at home to help you be your best self.
Yoga and Breath Practices: Explore movement and breath practices for stress management.
Foundational Anatomy of The Shoulder Girdle
The Shoulder Girdle – The musculature that empowers our arms is a very extensive group of synergistic muscles, extending from the skull to the pelvic girdle both posteriorly and anteriorly. It is a full “jacket” that encompasses our entire torso with attachments to every vertebra, the entire rib cage and the muscle of the abdomen. It’s freedom of movement is central to our existence and creativity in many ways.
- How is the free movement of the scapula essential for the arms’ range of movement?
- How do restrictive muscular patterns in the shoulders compromise our breath and the health of our whole organism?
- How does the shoulder girdle effect our posture, from feet to head?
- How are asanas designed to lengthen, strengthen and re-organize this shoulder girdle “jacket?”
Somatic Movement Release for Hips and Lower Back with Deane Juhan and Saraswati Clere
Explore ways to encourage balance and alignment in your body. In this series, we will focus on a different area of the body each session, addressing common issues and relating that area back to the whole. Learn about creating optimal strength, flexibility, posture and movement to support pain reduction, injury prevention and a freer range of motion. Leave with exercises and releases you can do at home to help you be your best self.
Functional Anatomy: The Feet and Legs – for Bodyworkers and Movement Teachers
The Lower Legs and Feet: Grounding, Balance, and Connection to the Earth
Our bipedal balancing act is the most complex and precarious in the animal kingdom. This is the evolutionary price we have paid for a spine that aligns in gravity and for the freedom of our shoulders and arms. Ultimately bipedal posture and movement are rooted in our feet, which bear the responsibility for supporting our full weight and for balancing our bodies over their platforms. To serve us well, they have to be exquisitely sensitive, extraordinarily strong, and mindfully monitored in their flexible functions.
This class will present the anatomy of the lower legs and feet, their neurological connections to the rest of our bodies, and the psychological impacts of being in either the state of dynamic ease or that of being chronically “out of kilter.”
- How does the structure of the feet mirror the complexity of the hands?
- What are the “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” muscles of the feet, and how do their roles interact?
- How do sensations in the feet interact with our vestibular system of our inner ears for the maintenance of balance?
- Why do injuries to the feet require radical compensation patterns throughout the rest of the body?
Functional Anatomy of the Pelvic Girdle
The pelvic girdle is the primary organizer of our center of gravity. It is the largest and densest bone in the body, and provides attachments for more muscles that any other bone—extending from the top of our torso to below our knees, and stabilizing us in the field of gravity. Because of the considerable forces of poor posture, chronic stress, and restrictive patterns of movement, the pelvis is vulnerable to many chronic imbalances, misalignments, and pain.
- What is the skeletal and muscular anatomy of the pelvis?
- How does the pelvic bowl support our internal organs, and how does this effect our process of breathing?
- How does the pelvis effect the entire spine?
- What are the typical skeletal areas and muscles that commonly contribute to stress and pain?
- How are the yoga asanas designed to both strengthen and lengthen the muscles related to the pelvis.
Breathing – the replenishing of oxygen and elimination of carbon dioxide—is our living organisms most pressing and constant need. This exchange in our lungs effects the metabolism of every living cell. You will repeat this tidal rhythm between 15,000 and 20,000 times a day, making it by far the most repeated movement you make. The Breath is one of the primary focuses of yoga.
- What is the extensive anatomy of the breathing process?
- What is the biochemistry of breath that brings the life force to all our six trillion cells?
- How is this crucial support of all living processes distributed throughout our bodies?
- How are the asanas designed to facilitate this process of distribution?