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1 Boskykloof Road Hout Bay Cape Town
cell 072 290 9203
catherine@ wellnessconnection.co.za

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Wellness Connection Yoga is a teenager! 13! I neve

Wellness Connection Yoga is a teenager! 13!
I never imagined that a little idea I had would become a business that is my absolute passion.

I was a Public Health Nutritionist and a Yoga Teacher who loved research and yoga. My 2 subscriptions (yes in the days of actual magazines🤣) were Yoga Journal and the Economist. I only consider one of those magazines good now.😂😂

My idea was to do ‘something’ in the area of health. Yoga, Nutrition, Corporate Wellness…I even wrote a book on kids nutrition. It was all very vague - hence the name Wellness Connection (there was no Yoga added)

It was the Yoga teaching that I loved. I freelanced, then built a little studio in my garden, taught 25 hours a week, taught a 200hr teacher training, then another, then a 300hr training, stopped teaching classes, built another studio…

Wellness Connection Yoga became a mini yoga university.
Combining health, research, geeky anatomy, movement science and all things Yoga Teaching.

I could not have done this without having tremendous support from many skilled and passionate Yoga Teachers.

My partners @lauranorton_yoga and @tarrynjames11. I cannot give @tarrynjames11 and @lauranorton_yoga enough praise both as teachers and human beings. They are hugely skilled, educated, committed, organised, reliable, kind, warm, funny (as in funny ha ha!) teachers who are an absolute joy to have as partners. We have each others backs. We laugh A LOT! It feels very good.

A big thank you to these incredible teachers who were there in the Wellness Connection Yoga journey - a little about each of them in My Stories.

@spine_shine
@beverleyslauck_yoga
@movememindbody
@tychoutbay
@yamayogadurbanville
@theluminouslotus

Be as strong as you need to be to do the things you want to do. 💪

There are many ways to help us to practice side cr

There are many ways to help us to practice side crow, from restorative side crow to side crow in headstand.

The first step in all yoga arm balances is……can you put YOUR body in the shape of the arm balance before you do the actual balance.

In side crow the shape is basically rotation (a twist) and hip flexion (folding our torso over our thighs in the twist) so we can get our hands down onto the floor.

Most of us can twist enough but the bringing our hands down onto the floor can be harder. Sometimes stuff gets in the way, like tummies, short arms (like me!) or a reduced ankle dorsiflexion range (when you find it difficult to get your heels towards the floor in a squat).

Here are some ways to play around with where you are at in your side crow practice.

1. Stepladder Crow. I got this great idea from @yogizain - fabulous to help you progress your feet higher with control.
2. Pillow Crow. A great way to feel safe so you can gently lift your legs
3. Heel block side crow. My squat feels so stable here - which makes the twist and fold easier.
4. Toes on block slide out side Crow. Our legs are higher up here which means less lean to lift our legs
5. Scissor side crow. For those of you who feel stable in the balance. Play a little with your legs
6. Headstand side crow. Playing with balance and proprioception.
7. Slow restorative side crow. Use more than one bolster or a chair.
8. Where to put stuff video: twist, lean far over, upper arms to thighs, come up onto toes, look and lean

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪

#sidecrow
#yogapracticemanual
#sidecrowpose

What motivates me to get up on a holiday and do a

What motivates me to get up on a holiday and do a movement practice in my pjs instead of finishing a book & eating biscotti?

My friend & backcare Yoga maestro @spine_shine had a long discussion about why she and I have always exercised regularly. And I had no real answer.

1. Because I enjoy movement and always feel like doing a practice? Rarely yes but often I find it tough, tiring, slow and repetitive. And mostly I DON’T WANT TO do it.
2. Because I want to be functional when I age? Well yes and no. At 56 I don’t think I need to do L sits to help me be functional. Regular hikes would probably do that
3. Because it makes me happy? Oh I wish I could say this is true. Sometimes exercises like bicep curls, yoga flow or handstands make me happy but sometimes I hate them and wonder why I do them
4. Because I reach goals? So rarely does this happen and when it does the improvements are so so so slow that most of us would have thrown out our toys and given up long ago
5. Because it makes me feel mentally and physically stronger? More of a yes to this one. I do often tell myself in my I DON’T WANT TO moments that I will feel better afterward. So that does help.

So what has made me move all these years, fighting that mental I DON’T WANT TO voice?

Just discipline I think. It’s good for me. Like brushing your teeth. I just have to, must move. It’s a contract with myself.

I think many people in these Instagram times see movement practitioners as having something they don’t have. Some hidden ingredient that makes exercise happy, exciting and easy. @tashas_handstands is a great example of someone who had to work so hard for years to do what she does so well

Its not easy. It’s repetitive, disciplined work that never stops. The work needs to be challenging sometimes so that I have to work hard and for years. And be ok with failing. And slow patient progress.

Once we accept that then all you have to do is put down the biscotti (temporarily 🤣) with a big sigh and roll out your mat.

There is huge freedom in the discipline

Be as strong and disciplined as you need to be to do the things you want to do 💪

Is Handstand 2 straighter than Handstand 1? Have t

Is Handstand 2 straighter than Handstand 1? Have these exercises improved my shoulder flexibility? A tiny bit?? What do you think?

I think they have. It FEELS like they have shifted my shoulder flexion (arms up) a HUGE amount.
But when I look at the difference in the Handstands picture I see the tiniest shift. My shoulder anatomy may dictate that I can’t increase my flexibility any more but I will keep going with the exercises because my shoulders FEEL so different - and the exercises have made my shoulders even stronger than before.

These exercises are for those of you who are like me, when you take your arms up in the air they don’t quite get to vertical without you flaring your ribs. The exercises may also help you with your handstand and your backbends.

You flexi shoulder people out there - I would stick to exercise 3 - the tuck slides from the Handstand factory Push programme. These build huge shoulder strength which will really help you flexi backbends people to balance in Handstand.

1. Backbend wall: I feel this stretch in my pecs. And I have to push very hard into the ground to get my shoulders up towards my ears which helps with the upward rotation and protraction I need for a straighter handstand.
2. Tricep/lats weighted stretch: I learned this great exercise from @fitness_pollenator and @strengthforyoga I use a 10kg weight but you can use a block or a lighter weight too.
3. Tuck slides from my @handstandfactory Keep Pushing programme. I love these and find them incredibly tough but I feel they work my shoulder flexion, and my upper back muscles.

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪
#shouldersworkout
#shoulderflexibility
#handstandsforbeginners

Your fullest expression of a Yoga Pose does not ha

Your fullest expression of a Yoga Pose does not have to be the perfect pose, or even close to the perfect pose.

Yoga poses are just shapes you make with your body. The shape YOUR body makes is dependant on YOUR range of flexibility, YOUR level of strength and where you are in the process of learning the pose.

I think a lot of yoga teachers and yoga teacher trainees buy into the idea that they have to be able to do a pose well in order to teach it.

I think the skill required by teachers is not to be able to do the pose well but to understand how every individual is different. If we as teachers can recognise ranges of differing flexibility, strength and experience of the pose we can help each person find THER way to express a pose.

My Wheel is not anywhere near perfect on the ground. I know that my shoulder and spine mobility isn’t great so that when I do Wheel from the ground I feel stuck.

I have never had that amazing ‘heart’ opening feeling that I hear so much about 🤣

Does this stop me teaching Wheel? No because I can see each person’s level of flexibility, strength and experience of the pose. So I can help them find THEIR fullest expression. Which may be Bridge Pose or walking their feet to touch their head pose or me helping them to push up into Wheel....

Or doing Wheel on a Chair. My fullest expression of the pose right now.

The last pic here is of our 59 year old Yoga Teacher trainee Dee Robinson. Dee had never worked on any arm balances before and was very nervous of Crow pose but was so open to finding HER fullest expression of Crow - and isn’t it beautiful 💜

Do you think you have to be able to do a pose in order to teach it?

#practicenotperfect
#yogapracticenotyogaperfect
#iyengarchairyoga

My absolutely FAVOURITE exercise for hamstring fle

My absolutely FAVOURITE exercise for hamstring flexibility AND strength for Yoga.

The Romanian Deadlift! Wow has this exercise improved my hamstring flexibility.

Until I started understanding movement science I thought that resistance/weight training may make me ‘tighter’ especially in my hamstrings. And that my Yoga forward bends would get worse.

However research has shown that weight/resistance training is just as good as passive stretching at helping increase flexibility. AND….there are a whole host of added benefits that passive stretching doesn’t have - building muscle and tendon strength being one of them.

I approached @fitness_pollenator Travis Pollen last year for a personalised weight programme to help me improve my Yoga (both flexibility and strength) and the first exercise he gave me was……

The Romanian Deadlift!

The Romanian Deadlift exercise is in the brilliant Strength for Yoga @strengthforyoga book by @fitness_pollenator and @jenni_rawlings - you lucky people - the book comes with a programme and so many more exercises that will improve your Yoga practice and make you stronger. And the book is on a discount for just a week!!!So hurry. Link in My Stories.

Oh and ps I am not making any money from recommending this book - I truly think it’s so important especially for beginner yoga practitioners.

So a Romanian Deadlift is now how I warm up for any forward bend yoga work. And wow has my hamstring flexibility improved.
Here I am using 2 weights - because they were there - but you can use a kettle bell or a barbell.
Or a bag of sand (which is what I make my yoga trainees do).
Or your dog or baby.

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪
#strengthforyoga
#sneakystrengthyoga
#yogastrong

The absolute JOY of changing our minds, relearning

The absolute JOY of changing our minds, relearning and refining.

I am always seriously busy refining, researching and updating our Yoga Teacher trainings. We do this before every single training we do. Because new research comes out and changes things.

That’s how knowledge evolves.

It’s ok to change your mind. For example we used to believe that having an anterior pelvic tilt and an over arched posture would cause lower back pain. Updated research has shown that this not the case. Mind and training changed.

Applying this attitude is so liberating. Know that what you know WILL probably change or at least refine. If it didn’t we would still believe the world is flat. And that not only is it ok to relearn and change your mind, it’s pretty much unavoidable.

We can apply this attitude to our Yoga and movement practice too. It is really mindful and open way to practice yoga don’t you think?

Different ideas, different ways, researching, refining, relearning and evolving.

Just started on a relearning and refining process in my Handstand journey.

Here I am working on my tuck handstand from the @handstandfactory Handstand Factory Keep Pushing program. I love this movement - building up some serious shoulder strength and I am hoping it will help with my poor shoulder mobility too. Check out the amazing Elise for what I am aiming for.

Got some serious refining to do in Tuck Handstand. Loving every minute of it.

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪
#handstandfactory
#beginnersyoga
#handstandjourney

Most of us think that we need a strong ‘core’

Most of us think that we need a strong ‘core’ to get into Headstand. But we don’t.

A great comment on getting into Headstand from the epic @thepilatesdifference ‘I work my core everyday, I know my core is plenty strong enough…that’s why I am sure it’s a technique that I need to understand’. Clever analysis.

We actually require very little strength to get up into a Headstand. It’s all about skill.

Knowing where your pelvis and legs should be placed and how to push into your hands or your forearms, depending on your version.

It’s all about shifting your centre of mass over your shoulders, and then PUSHING into the floor.
For us women, our centre of mass is around our pelvis - so think move your hips over your shoulders in Tripod or Forearm Headstand.
People like me with short arms, other people with less hamstring flexibility or longer legs may find it difficult to move hips over shoulders in forearm headstand because there is just less room to lean - my neck squishes and I get stuck.

Videos:
1. 2 straight legs up. Shift your hips as much as you can over your shoulders - you can bend your legs if you need to as having flexible hamstrings here really helps to walk in. When you feel you are as light as you can be on your toes - PUSH!
2. One bent leg. Bend your leg and take it as far behind your shoulders as you can. You will feel your other foot become light on the floor. PUSH!
3. 2 leg jump. Bring your feet behind your shoulders keeping your legs bent. No PUSH needed here.
4. One straight leg. This is hard if your hamstrings aren’t that flexible. Take your top leg high up and again you will feel the weight become less on your ground foot. PUSH!
5. NOT shifting my centre of mass with straight legs - nothing nothing nothing going up (concentric isn’t happening!). I managed a little lower to almost half way - abs burning - then collapse.

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪
#yogapracticemanual
#headstand
#headstandvariation

Swan diving in Yoga. Such a graceful AND strong mo

Swan diving in Yoga. Such a graceful AND strong movement. I love all the bodyweight strength work that relates to Swan diving.

We can Swan dive from Downward Dog to Chaturanga or from Handstand to Chaturanga. Both movements can be done in a controlled way as opposed to simply dropping into face smoosh on the floor. 😆

But as always - in pretty much every post I do - we need strength People! 💪 Especially us Yogis - we need to build up the strength to do many, many movements and poses in Yoga.

There are different bodyweight strengths required here. Negative push up strength - think lowering into Chaturanga slowly - and straight arm lean strength - think leaning forward in plank but way more.

Find where you are and work the progressions:

Video 4:
Swan dive from Downward Dog: This is such a great little negative push up strength builder for Chaturanga too. Keep your top leg tense. LEAN forward. Slowly slowly slowly bend arms - elbows can be in or out (yes yes yes - its fine 😂!).

Video 3:
Swan dive bodyweight strength work: Walk up the wall facing the wall. One leg off. Lean forward. PUSH with all your might to get back up.

Video 2:
Swan dive body weight strength work: Kick up to the wall. One leg off. Find your focus/dhristhi. Second leg off. Lean forward. PUSH EVEN HARDER to get back up. This is SOOOO hard.

Video 1:
Swan dive from Handstand: We need to lean forward here with straight arms. To control the drop it can be helpful to land with one leg first and then only bend the arms. Generally what happens is we bend the arms very quickly and…..face smoosh.

And of course add Chaturanga and push UPS too for your bodyweight strength work.

Be as strong as you need to be for YOUR body to do the things you want to do. 💪
#armstrength
#yogapracticemanual
#vinyasaflow

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