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

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Be as strong as you need to be to do the things yo

Be as strong as you need to be to do the things you want to do. 💪 A full L-sit was a mystery to me until my late 40s. Took a whole load of progressive strength work and a trick or two that really helped me. ⁣
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⁣Tricks and tips that helped me⁣
⁣1. Get your hand position right for you - mine works well next to my upper thigh ⁣
⁣2. Started in a semi forward fold position ⁣
⁣3. Slide your pelvis BACK ➡️ ⁣
⁣4. PUSH into your hands as you slide your pelvis back. ⁣
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⁣L sits work for SO many areas! Wrists, arms, shoulder (protraction), abs and hip flexors 💪💪💪💪💪💪⁣
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⁣1. Strapped Boat pose to L sit. The version that everyone loves 💕. The easiest. Super helpful to understand that leaning forward and momentum can help you lift ⁣
⁣2. Strapped forward fold: helps you to understand that you need to add a big PUSH down into your hands.⁣
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⁣If the strap version is easy for you ....⁣
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⁣3. Pelvis up one leg at a time lift and hold - watch those quads cramp. ⁣
⁣4. Pelvis up and back, feet still down ⁣
⁣5. Everything up!⁣
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#armstrengthening
#lsits
#strongwomen

Be as strong as you need to be for your body to do

Be as strong as you need to be for your body to do the things you want to do. ⁣
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Fun Saturday things before teaching Peak Pose sequencing on our 200hr Teacher Training course. ⁣
⁣Finding different ways of playing in the rings and as always - thinking of how different movement relates to Yoga poses.⁣
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⁣I am very new to the rings and I love this little movement. I love doing movements that make more than one area stronger. Complex movements. ⁣
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⁣Moving from a ring shoulder stand, to a little tuck, to some good hip compression work. ⁣
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Normally in Yoga we would use our hands to pull our chest towards our legs so its great to explore this movement (hip compression) with out using our hands. And it can work well with poses like Tittibhasana (Firefly) and for Handstand press. ⁣
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⁣And wow, does it work your arms especially your triceps. The controlled lower from the little knees into chest position to fully hanging the legs down can feel a bit scary at first but it actually feels incredibly to explore working the arms in this way. ⁣
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⁣And Yoga loves strong triceps. So many poses, including arm balances, back bends and inversions as well as our normal plank and Chaturanga like our triceps to be strong. ⁣
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⁣There are so many things one can do in the rings - I am taking it slowly but it is really fun.⁣

#yogastrength
#yogaarms
#yogadrill
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⁣We need strong wrists for Yoga and for Handstan

⁣We need strong wrists for Yoga and for Handstand. It takes time to build up the resilience in our wrists for planks, Chaturanga, handstands, and arm balances. ⁣
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⁣Baby pseudo plank/planche lean training helps us to build up strength in shoulders and wrists. Some good ab work through in as an added benefit. And here we even get some quad work going as well. ⁣
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⁣You can do this on the ground or on the wall. Don’t be fooled - the wall version is very tough. Have a try. ⁣
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⁣The idea is that you begin to build up strength to lean slightly forward on your wrists. ⁣
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⁣Like any movement practice we want to train progressively. ⁣
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⁣So start on the floor in plank, lean forward several times, see how your wrists feel. If they are niggly back off a little - that means don’t stop your plank just don’t lean forward as much or at all, you can even lean a little back. ⁣
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⁣Find the place where you can work strongly but be wrist ok. Then move to your next step.⁣
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⁣Slowly your wrists will get used to the different loads, and you can move to the wall and do mini baby pseudo planche leans - the lean here is very small but a good place to start on the wall. ⁣
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⁣Be as strong as you need to be for your body to do the things you want to do.

#wallplank
#wallplanks

⁣Strength training for specific Yoga poses (of w

⁣Strength training for specific Yoga poses (of which Handstand is one of them). On our Yoga Teacher trainings we look at how to strengthen for individual yoga poses. Many trainees have asked for more strength work so we have been building a great database of all the drills I do, including the crazy, creative handstand drills. ⁣
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⁣But building stuff up, whether it’s handstand or a course, takes lots of time, dedication and perseverance It’s wonderful and Its a relief actually to have teachers in my life again. I think I might be a bit tired - its been a long, hard working (lucky me) year. So nice to be guided again. I feel the motivation coming back. ⁣
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⁣I have just started a program with Travis @fitness_pollenator and this Trikonasana (Triangle) was one of my first days exercises - the rest were push ups, Romanian deadlifts and sit ups - amongst others. Go check Travis out if you want an individual coaching program. ⁣
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⁣And I start the @themovementmaestro Instagram Intensive next week. I have bought the book The Go-Giver - it’s on audio when I exercise - go me on time management!! I haven’t quite had the courage to do a live instagram video but this one was done straight after exercising, so all sweaty and red, and done in one take. So its a start. ⁣
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⁣And I didn’t die.⁣
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⁣Lots of you asked what equipment I have so here is a very long video of the crazy (and probably useless equipment). So do NOT rush out and buy like the idiot I was. ⁣ You won’t need anywhere near this much to do the strength course.
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⁣Annabel @zest_yoga said it so well in her post on lacking exercise motivation right now, amidst the worlds troubles, its ok as long as we keep moving. ⁣
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⁣Keep going forward, but it’s ok to rest sometimes. 👍⁣ It’s a start.

#yogastrength
#strengthtrainingforwomen
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⁣ ⁣PROGRESSIVE Butterfly Jump skill work. Jump

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⁣PROGRESSIVE Butterfly Jump skill work. Jump as high as you feel comfortable doing so. ⁣
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⁣Jumping or kicking or pressing up to Handstand requires that we move the load (weight) that is our legs and pelvis up in the air. ⁣
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⁣Kicking up is easier as the load is split - one leg goes up first. ⁣
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⁣Jumping up is harder - 2 legs together but if we take the knees out to the side it can lighten the load a little. Like a straddle press compared to a pike press to handstand.⁣
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⁣Knees apart Jump to Butterfly pose Wall work ⁣
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⁣1. Come into a squat/Malasana knees apart ⁣
⁣2. Leave yourself enough space to jump up⁣
⁣3. Arms up - swing them forward Press your hands into the floor ⁣
⁣4. Keep the momentum going - the slower you go the harder it is. If you stop midway it’s even harder ⁣
⁣5. Spring UP NOT BACK to the wall⁣
⁣6. As you spring PUSH into your hands!!!⁣
⁣7. Slap the soles of your feet together - like Butterfly pose mid air.⁣
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⁣Have lots of fun. Be 💪💪💪💪

#butterflypose
#malasana
#learningtohandstand

⁣ ⁣Build strength, flexibility and skill in yo

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⁣Wide legged balancing poses. ⁣
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⁣Easier to create long holds. The idea is to build up the length you can hold for (and of course have fin😀) ⁣
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⁣Choose one or more versions ⁣
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⁣1. Try a jump up if you are there already. ⁣
⁣2. Or kick up and straddle legs, one leg off at a time ⁣
⁣3. Facing the straddle hold feet still on the wall.⁣
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#handstandprogress
#handstandprogression
#handstandprogram

On the subject of strength training in addition to

On the subject of strength training in addition to your Yoga Practice.⁣
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⁣Do it. ⁣
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⁣Swipe to see what my press to handstand looked like when I first met Gayle @inverted_g who bravely took me on in my early 50s.
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⁣And then it got better. ⁣
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⁣Gayle opened my eyes to body weight and weight strength training and I absolutely love how that training has changed my Yoga practice. ⁣
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⁣Gayle @inverted_g still helps me (or gives me a hard time which is also helpful!)⁣. In her lovely soft Scottish accent. 😍
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⁣Gayle’s take on what I thought was a good press AND with a Lotus thrown in - you still aren't pushing enough 😂⁣
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⁣Gayle: At the end of the press you must push up and through into the 'lock'. This will change a lot. You're still hanging in the joint and once you get more overhead and aligned you'll be MUCH stronger (yes it's possible) AND the transfer will crossover to many more arm balances.⁣
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⁣Just do holds against the wall and push up and through.⁣
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⁣Gayle is totally right. Thank you for all that you have done for me. The work never stops. Back to more shoulder push strength work again. ⁣
⁣Go check out @inverted_g Gayle’s page for tips and her training offerings.

#handstandpractice
#hanstandpress
#presstohandstand

⁣ ⁣Strength training for handstand and press t

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⁣Strength training for handstand and press to handstand.⁣
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⁣Shoulder shrugs at the wall. Another @inverted_g Gayle strength training drill that I still find so hard. I still bend my arms a bit. Just the shoulder blades should be lifting up to the ears. ⁣
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⁣Great exercise to make those upper traps stronger too. Since I started doing these I have no neck pain - strengthening upper traps may work better than stretching them endlessly. ⁣
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⁣This drill has got better but is still a big work in progress. I still can build more strength to push harder which will help me lift my heavy legs a little big easier. ⁣
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⁣Start standing with your arms up - reach up. As high as you can. ⁣
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⁣Then in a downward dog. Push into your hands. Lift the tops of the shoulders up to your ears ⁣
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⁣Then in a wall handstand ⁣PUSH really hard!

#armworkout
#handstandpresspractice
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