MORE ABOUT LIINA YOGA
|
|
Hi! This is me, Liina.
I assume you are here because you are interested in movement, embodiment and yoga in some shape or form. I am originally from Estonia, but currently share my time between Berlin and Italy. I am forever curious about bodies and movement, I'm most at home when surrounded by nature and it's ridiculous how much I love dogs. I have recently graduated from a permaculture course and am in a process of building a food forest and sustainable homestead on our land in Italy together with my partner Eli and our dog Hassan. My approach to yoga is non-dogmatic, grounded in both extensive study of various movement and meditation modalities and in my own personal journey. My classes aim to empower, encourage exploration and offer a safe space to connect more intimately with both - the visible and the invisible, the mundane and the mystical (here's my longer bio) . At the very center of my teaching are somatic practices inspired by the Feldenkrais method, Thomas Hanna (Clinical Somatics) and Tias Little's S.A.T.Y.A (Sensory Awareness Training for Yoga Attunement) training. The term somatics refers to a wide range of bodywork, meditation and movement practices that emphasize your internal perception and the felt sense of an experience. Simply put, instead of just doing the movements, there is a strong emphasis on body-mind connection and feeling the movements in the body. I combine somatics with Yin Yoga, Flow, Restorative Yoga and meditation. My second big teaching lens is functional anatomy - I am motivated by getting my students to feel, know and be interested in their own unique anatomy, nervous system patterns, ways of moving and being. Both on and off the mat. And the third cornerstone of my teaching is forever being a keen student of yoga philosophy, as well as Buddhism, Taoism, the Chinese Medicine. And Nature - a magnificent teacher always! |
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