THANK YOU!
|
|
Short back-story ...
In 2019 we made quite a spontaneous decision and bought a piece of land in Italy (on the edge of Abruzzo National Park). In 2020 - during the non-lockdown months - we were living on the land, clearing bush, setting up a temporary off-grid caravan camp and dreaming up a future home. This land and the barn on it, is intended to eventually be our year-round homestead, the majority of it being based on sustainable practices such as permaculture, solar power, and cutting edge water conservation/ recycling/harvesting. We hope to even be sort of "teaching" these systems as we ourselves learn and create them. And of course we have already started to interact and collaborate with the local community (Pescosolido, Forcella, Sora, Frosinone, Lazio...and the little growing international group around us like Italy Farm Stay and the "Yoga Village" project). |
In the beginning of March we got a call that our barn in Italy was burning. The roof, the floor between stories and all the materials and tools we had stored in it were destroyed. We were planning on starting construction to convert it to a house this spring, but this setback has thrown us into a little uncertainty about all our dreams.
We decided to reach out and ask for help and so many of you showed up! With kind and encouraging words and financial support via GoFundMe. AMAZING! We are super grateful and even more sure now that we will bounce back from this event stronger and wiser.
As promised, as an act of reciprocity, I'm sharing below some yoga practices in hope that somehow what I do will serve and help you, as you have helped us. Use them yourself or share with anyone who might benefit!
With so much love and gratitude,
Liina & Eli
We decided to reach out and ask for help and so many of you showed up! With kind and encouraging words and financial support via GoFundMe. AMAZING! We are super grateful and even more sure now that we will bounce back from this event stronger and wiser.
As promised, as an act of reciprocity, I'm sharing below some yoga practices in hope that somehow what I do will serve and help you, as you have helped us. Use them yourself or share with anyone who might benefit!
With so much love and gratitude,
Liina & Eli
This is on our land, glimpse of the barn in the background!
RISE is a simple and short practice (that can be done outdoors!), no props needed, not even a mat. No downdogs, aiming for a simple sequence that uplifts and grounds at the same time.
In this practice the focus is on the spine. I'm borrowing elements for QiGong, combining them with yoga, breath and standing meditation. This one is part of my daily routine, see if you love it as much as I do.
RISE is a simple and short practice (that can be done outdoors!), no props needed, not even a mat. No downdogs, aiming for a simple sequence that uplifts and grounds at the same time.
In this practice the focus is on the spine. I'm borrowing elements for QiGong, combining them with yoga, breath and standing meditation. This one is part of my daily routine, see if you love it as much as I do.
One more from Italy - a yoga platform near Italy Farm Stay.
In this practice the focus is still on the spine, but we get more into twists and also giving some love for the hips.
In this practice the focus is still on the spine, but we get more into twists and also giving some love for the hips.
6 practices that you can do as a little break in your workflow! No special clothes, experience or equipment needed!
Combining simple movement and mindfulness.
Combining simple movement and mindfulness.
Combining together here some of my favorite hip explorations done on your back.
This can be used as a complete practice in and of itself or works super well together with either longer Yin holds or as a warm up (or cool down) for a more dynamic Flow practice.
If you have been practicing with me lately, you have noticed that different elements of somatic movements have snuck into both my Yin and Yang classes pretty consistently. Somatics is a term used for practices that cultivate body-mind integration through small, slow, gentle movements that help to feel and sense the body and movements from inside, improve interoception and how the brain maps the body, they help to access our body's natural sense of ease and presence. Somatics complements perfectly longer Yin holds and prepares the body for more dynamic flow practices.
This can be used as a complete practice in and of itself or works super well together with either longer Yin holds or as a warm up (or cool down) for a more dynamic Flow practice.
If you have been practicing with me lately, you have noticed that different elements of somatic movements have snuck into both my Yin and Yang classes pretty consistently. Somatics is a term used for practices that cultivate body-mind integration through small, slow, gentle movements that help to feel and sense the body and movements from inside, improve interoception and how the brain maps the body, they help to access our body's natural sense of ease and presence. Somatics complements perfectly longer Yin holds and prepares the body for more dynamic flow practices.
Everyone is busy these days, so I'm offering here shorter practices. (I say 5 minutes in the beginning, but in truth it is 12 minutes.) But that is still short and sweet, hopefully you can fit that into your day easily. I love these movements and stretches, especially after a day of sitting a lot, but also after a longer walk or a run.
It targets well your psoas, lower back and glutes.
It targets well your psoas, lower back and glutes.
Prop: belt/shawl/strap
Soothing, rocking, subtle practice of rocking, exploring, yielding, spiralling on the ground. Super nice gentle, subtle yet powerful tissue work for lower back and hips, upper back and shoulders.
Don't be fooled by the slowness and subtlety of this type of practice, the somatic softness and attentiveness really enables us to feel more nuances, taping into the flow of presence.
Playlist on Spotify if you want one
Soothing, rocking, subtle practice of rocking, exploring, yielding, spiralling on the ground. Super nice gentle, subtle yet powerful tissue work for lower back and hips, upper back and shoulders.
Don't be fooled by the slowness and subtlety of this type of practice, the somatic softness and attentiveness really enables us to feel more nuances, taping into the flow of presence.
Playlist on Spotify if you want one
This Yin practice will target upper body - as always with small gentle movement and longer yin holds. Cactus arms, eagle arms, hugging arms, broken wing, namaste rest along with a somatic sequence for upper back mobility. Sphinx pose and half-dragonfly for the front and backline and the spine.
One more longer Yin session with somatic movements ... I know some of you are teachers yourselves, so this is the direction my Yin is taking these days...
PROPS: cover you mat with a blanket, block/pillow /folded blankets under hips for bridge.
This is the second practice in the Winter Water Yin series and here I'm setting us off to embody and experiment fluidity-flow-movement (Water) and stillness (Winter) as separate and as co-existing.
I bring in gentle somatic, explorative, watery movements (some of them I've learned from Tias Little) with Yin forward folds and backbends. We will feel into the backline (urinary bladder energy channel - superficial backline fascial sheath) and frontline (kidney energy channel - deep frontline fascial sheath) both in motion and stillness.
Spotify playlist
PROPS: cover you mat with a blanket, block/pillow /folded blankets under hips for bridge.
This is the second practice in the Winter Water Yin series and here I'm setting us off to embody and experiment fluidity-flow-movement (Water) and stillness (Winter) as separate and as co-existing.
I bring in gentle somatic, explorative, watery movements (some of them I've learned from Tias Little) with Yin forward folds and backbends. We will feel into the backline (urinary bladder energy channel - superficial backline fascial sheath) and frontline (kidney energy channel - deep frontline fascial sheath) both in motion and stillness.
Spotify playlist
Here's a more active practice that focuses on hip mobility - a balanced movement practice provides is a good healthy balance of flexibility, strength and stability through full range of motion in a joint. That's what I'm building into my yoga sessions more and more!
We start off with some floor work and then coming into slow mindful flows. Shoulders and upper-back get their usual movement love as well.
Playlist on Spotify
We start off with some floor work and then coming into slow mindful flows. Shoulders and upper-back get their usual movement love as well.
Playlist on Spotify
A mix of restorative and slow movement, this class was part of Slow Winter Morning series.
You will need some props for this practice: 2 blankets, a pillow for the head, bolster or cushion.
A soft, grounding practice with self-inquiry.
Playlist on Spotify
You will need some props for this practice: 2 blankets, a pillow for the head, bolster or cushion.
A soft, grounding practice with self-inquiry.
Playlist on Spotify