Align with Jessica

We work with all these and adaptations, variations. Simple, clear, effective practise.

Neck, upper back or low back bothering you? These are 3 of my favorite supported poses for creating space through different areas of the spine: ✨ For the neck: Resting the chin on a block while using a belt around the wrists helps create gentle traction through the neck while encouraging the shoulders to roll back and away from the ears. ✨ For the upper back: Lying over a block at the thoracic spine helps counter all the forward rounding we do throughout the day, while opening the chest and creating more mobility through the upper back. ✨ For the low back: Supported Bridge with a block underneath the sacrum gives the pelvis and spine a chance to release into support, one of my favorites when the low back feels tired, tight or compressed. Sometimes one minute in the right position can completely change how your back feels. 🤍 Want my FREE Pain-Free Back in 10 Minutes practice? Comment BACK and I’ll send it to you.

Join us starting September 08th at the Saltair Community Centre

September-October first class by donation. 💚

All are welcome. alignwithjessica.com

alignwithjessica.com

Welcome to fall classes with Align with Jessica @ The Saltair Community Centre. . - https://mailchi.mp/alignwithjessica/daily-yoga-feel-freedom-18242756

THE SUN IS OVERHEAD. DO YOU STILL PRACTISE?

A student asked us this recently. It is a good question—especially here, where midday means real heat.

The answer is not simply yes or no.
It is intelligence.

Every Iyengar Yoga sequence is already a thermal plan.

Standing poses build heat.
Forward extensions calm the nervous system.
Inversions complete the integration.
Śavāsana seals the practice.

The sequence understands that heat must rise before it can release.

But when the sun adds its own heat—when the body is already warm from the outside—the internal fire may shift from nourishing to depleting.

You may feel the limbs becoming heavy. The mind begins to drift. What usually sustains you starts to feel draining.

This is not necessarily a reason to skip practice.
It is a reason to adjust it.

When the sun is overhead, the practice may include:

Fewer standing poses.
More seated work.
Forward extensions held a little longer.
A quieter inversion, such as Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana instead of Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana.
Śavāsana that is neither shortened nor rushed.

The tradition also offers cooling prāṇāyāma, including Śītalī and Śītkarī, for practitioners who have been taught them progressively by a qualified teacher.

Practice is not about finding the perfect hour.

It is about reading the conditions—the body, the room and the sun—and responding with intelligence.

That is what the method teaches.

💬 What time of day do you usually practise—and how does your body respond differently?

We read every response.

Interested in joining an Iyengar Yoga class in Kuala Lumpur? Comment “JOIN CLASS” and we’ll share the details.

"Each person carries a hidden poetic unity that reflects the mysterious continuity of the Soul of the World. In the depths of the soul, we are each an old soul able to survive the troubles of the world and contribute to its healing and renewal. The key to what we miss and secretly long for is hidden within us. Medicine men and healers of all kinds from cultures around the world have used various techniques to not only “heal” the soul, but also to restore individuals to their proper place in the world and in their culture. To heal means to “make whole,” and when we feel whole we are in touch with the whole world. When in touch with our underlying soul, we are naturally in touch with nature and the Soul of the World. We are the missing ingredient in the solutions needed for all that ails us, if we but awaken to the nature of our own souls."
- Michael Meade, "Awakening the Soul"

“To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.”

By Mary Oliver
From “American Primitive”

📸 Getty

A reminder - we are back to our Iyengar yoga classes starting tomorrow Thursday July 16th 10 am at the Saltair Community Centre

Pic of my garlic to remind us that a solid and clear, supported practise helps us harvest the nourishment of yoga 💚

alignwithjessica.com

This is me in 1991. Here's what I wish I could tell this young woman about the years ahead.

Being hard on myself would never make me better. It would only make me unhappy.

Perfection is an illusion. Chasing it is like chasing a rainbow. You never get there, and in the process, you miss the beauty of the one that's right in front of you.

There is enough time. Yes, life is short and worth savouring. But feeling like you're always behind, never doing enough, or racing to where you think you "should" be is exhausting. We are where we are. Knowing life is short should help us appreciate each day, not rush through it.

It's impossible to be in two places at once. When you're working, work. When you're with your kids, notice them. Enjoy them. Be present.

Yoga really does work. It eases pain, teaches us to notice our breath, and gives us tools for self-regulation that build over time.

It's okay to let go of people who no longer fit who you are today. Let them go with love, gratitude, and compassion. For them and for yourself.

Eat regularly. Move every day. Love your body.

Your body is a bloody miracle.