Dawn Collective Shala

We sit for a few moments and observe our breath. the natural flow of inhalations turning into exhalations turning into inhalations… without changing the breath. But becoming VERY interested in every detail.

That is focus. So simple. Yet so hard to do.

It lasts a few seconds maybe, then the mind wanders off. to our next appointment, to coffee & croissant or shoppinglists.

After being lost in dreaming for moments or minutes we realize “oh, I was about to focus on the breath, but was thinking a thousand other things instead”

It is okay. That is the process of meditation.

We gently place our mind back on the breath and try again.

->> This act of redirecting the attention will get better. Like training a muscle in the gym.

->> The stronger we get at steering back, the more control we get over our mind.

—>> The more we pratice the easier it becomes to recognize unhealthy habits quickly and break free. Like fone usage.

Let’s never skip ‚leg day‘ again 🤞🏽
Or is there no proper leg work in yoga anyway?

Standing postures in yoga are usually exactly that — you are standing, nothing more — no bending and extending, working the muscles in a concentric way like in a strength workout. We stand, balance on one leg at best, and usually fold forward to lengthen and stretch the back of the body, the whole line of fascia in the posterior chain. Now, if you want to do that safely and more effectively, we recommend having the legs engaged, active!

In the beginning of our yoga journey, the job of finding balance usually does its work to make the legs “work.” Proprioception is improving, legs sometimes shaking. However, soon enough, we get familiar with the posture, balance comes more easily, and now we see most yoga students standing in the posture with the legs kind of dead, muscles completely loose. They’ve just figured it out, right? Sort of. Because they are missing out on some essential benefits here… while skipping leg day again.

Using the legs in a functional way in yoga starts with awareness of the feet. The weight distribution between heel, ball of the big toe, and ball of the pinky toe. You ground your feet so that the connection — and the flow of energy, if you wish — can travel up to the knee, where you make sure it’s not swinging inwards and never hyperextends. Like this, you can create a spiral of strength in the whole leg.

We are not talking “lift the kneecap” here. But a real connection from the ground up. The tension in your quads, for example, will not be rock solid but functional and very evenly spread around your whole leg. It requires a fair amount of focus and work to get there, but then it feels amazingly stable. And it goes all the way up into your pelvis and can inspire the most practical feel for **Mula Bandha** in the pelvic floor.

The easiest posture to try this out is **Prasarita Padottanasana / Wide-Legged Standing Forward Fold**.

You’d like to try that out? We’ve got the cues that get you there 😊



📸

From physical to magical. By focussing on the inhalation moving up the spine, the exhalation out the front of the heart. The yoke / union of shakti & shiva in the heart chakra. Moving shakti, or lifeforce/energy with the inhalation from the pelvis up the spine to meet shiva / consciousness, coming down from the top of the head, in the heart ✨ 

just one way of practicing the concept of yoga in a physical asana practice.

There can be many mindful in-and exhalations in a vinyasa practice and once the body is sorted out in a posture or a transition, our focus can always come back to this idea of moving energy along the spine. Amongst other amazing benefits, one postural result might be that we can get nice and long in the spine with each in-breath and we can stay tall and open in the chest when we imagine breathing out through the front of the heart. .. staying nice and grounded at all times by having muladhara bandha in check of course ;)

Try it out let us know how that feels 😌

thehumanyogini .yoga_ .sitarayoga

📸 .place__

We lookin pretty good as a photo studio too ;)

- great light situation
- high ceiling
- good sized room
- easy access / parking
- best coffee & food .shop next door

If you are looking for a space to shoot your product, fashion, ceramics, jewlery, online yoga-content or artwork, you are welcome! Just get in touch. We find availability 🙌🏽

big 🫶🏽 to

A BIG thank you to Silvia!! For more than 6 years now she‘s been the beautiful soul in the background taking care of our facilities, every single week keeping the vibes high. Such amazing consistency and good energy is such a BLESSING 💚

The path of gentleness. Being of genuine service to others requires unapologetic self-care. High vibe boundaries with zero room for misunderstanding. Every day 🤍



📷✊🏽

We welcome you to join our weekly classes at the Dawn Collective Shala 💚

Established in 2018 close to Arrifana beach (Aljezur) we continue to host a variety of local and international yoga teachers and facilitators - a lovely bunch of people dedicated to guiding you on your path to self care, health and personal development.

We are trying to be as inclusive as we possibly can offering the classes based on a sliding scale, inviting everyone to choose from their genuine capacity to pay between €12 / €15 / 18€.

If you like to join a session please visit our website and book directly with the teacher (contact details are provided).

We are excited to see you soon ✨🤗



place__
powerflow
yoga_

health

About claiming agency. Getting into the drivers seat… Your heartbeat. Your breath. Pure magic, life! Happens just like this without making an effort. Understanding, becoming more aware of the breathing, however, can be very empowering. The breath and knowing how to regulate it can become your most powerful ally when you want to navigate and heal your emotional and mental state. From being a playball of the circumstances to being able to control and self-regulate.

An easy introduction to breath-awareness? Movememt Practices which emphasize proper breathing. Yoga can be one.