Burn & Bloom

Somatic” is the new buzzword and whatever- that’s fine.
The practice of moving intuitively and mindfully isn’t new. I’ve been teaching yoga this way long before we had a label for it.

The word soma refers to the living body, as experienced from within. So “somatic movement” isn’t necessarily a specific movement or technique or style.
It’s just body focused.

In relation to yoga- it’s about bringing our attention more inward and being aware of the sensation- moving mindfully.
Instead of asking “what does this posture look like?” And “am I doing it right?” It’s more about “What do I feel? How do I feel it? What movement feels intuitive from here?”

I weave this into all my classes.

For example, here, instead of just a seated cat cow, focused on arching and rounding the spine, I will cue more about the expansion of the breath and the sensation in the body.
And maybe I’ll add touch- sliding the hands along the thighs for another way to really inhabit and FEEL the body while moving. Or bigger movement with the arms.
When we begin to move like this, the practice is becomes rigid. Because the truth is… there really are no rules.
It’s less about executing cat cow “correctly” and more about exploring what the spine and breath and body want to do- this is mindful movement.
& this is how I weave in “somatics” into my practice and teaching. And I started doing this long before we had a word for it and I’ll continue to after the trend fades.

Because I believe YOGA is the path toward liberation.
Somatic movement is a practice of finding freedom in the body.
This is what burn+bloom is all about.

High (and low) crescent/lunge & the transition from 3 legged dog.

We do this A LOT. And so in turn, we f**k it up a lot.

Hear me when I say this- I recognize not everyone can do this. It is very hard. But no, your b***s aren’t too big and your arms aren’t too short. Even if those two things are true and make it more challenging, practicing and working on the strength to push the ground away, create more space (even with a bigger belly) IS POSSIBLE.
I have seen all body types do this knee pull.
It takes strength. It takes work. And it will not look graceful at first (or maybe ever) and who f**king cares. That’s not what it’s about anyways.
But if you can’t do that transition. Please don’t say “I can’t” and give up. Work on knee pulls. (Use blocks for more space!) Work on the form. Strengthen your shoulders and abs. You can do it.

As for lunge… I really believe going too deep here made my hips ways worse. I will die on this hill. I don’t care how beautiful you think your deep lunge is- if you aren’t properly engaged in the inner thighs and supporting the joints- you are doing long term damage. And f**king stopppppo arching your back and pushing your belly out (if you are specifically doing a very bendy back practice and warming up for it-fine but 95% of the time- no. It’s not a backbend)
And low lunge doesn’t mean any of the engagement and cues from high lunge stops- it just means you have a little extra support- don’t collapse.

If you aren’t local, you can practice with me online- burnbloom.com/online or on the BURN&BLOOM app available on the AppStore 👍🏻

Downward f**king dog let’s go.

Let me know your thoughts on this series and if you have any specific poses you’d like to see!

Just a reminder that I am hyper mobile so the way I teach and cue is always through that lens.
Some yoga teachers do recommend locking joints and to be honest, I think that’s f**king insane so I don’t teach it.

My practice has drastically changed in recent years once I became more aware of my hyper mobility. And it makes so much sense.
I stopped having a lot of the injuries I experienced when I made these adjustments (and after I stopped taking classes where teachers gave me forceful hands on assists and told me to go deeper and lock my joints. Hmm 🤔)

Anyways. To each their own.
This is how I practice.
This is how I protect my joints and connective tissues. And this is how I teach and guide my students.

If you aren’t local, you can practice with me online- burnbloom.com/online or on the BURN&BLOOM app available on the AppStore 👍🏻

Cobra / Upward Facing Dog

Cobra is a heart opener and active. You should never feel like you’re resting (aka collapsing) here. Keep the elbows slightly bent. Draw them in towards your sides. Shoulders away from the ears. More SPACE across the chest.

Do yoga at home, they said.
It’ll be so relaxing, they said.
😒😒😒

Part 3:
I swear after this one I won’t wear black clothes anymore 😂

Reminder that this is my personal recommendations based on what I see in the yoga community and what I’ve experienced in my own body.
When students come to me and say “but my teacher says this ________” my question is “okay- and how does it feel in your body- let’s break it down.”

Yoga is not one size fits all.
Also- respectfully, I don’t actually care what the black and white photos of men in India doing poses look like. I’m more interested in using my asana practice to support THIS BODY.