That's a wrap! My last class of 2018 was last night. After Flows we focused on regression work for arms and legs with Presses and Shrimp squats.
Wait, what's 'regression'?
It's a method I like to use that was introduced to me by my good friend and trainer, Nigel Wills who owns and runs Cali-Club in Chelmsford, Essex. Initially, I started using it just for myself in my Yoga practice and workouts. There was a rapid change and progression in my abilities and recovery time! When I saw the benefits and studied it more, I brought it to my Yoga classes. The method follows similar principles as my style of teaching: Start off with beginners/foundation postures and help people progress into more challenging postures or variations that suit them.
We do this for a number of reasons:
1. Helps to avoid poor form
2. Decreases the chances of potential injury
3. Discipline.
Discipline?
I'm not a regimental Yoga teacher but everyone, no matter how long you have been doing Yoga, needs to continue practising the basic/foundation/beginners postures. Skipping straight to the harder postures increases your chances of injury and can make your practice sloppy, leaving you picking up bad habits along the way. It requires a lot of self-discipline for a seasoned practitioner to practice the easier postures as our egos can take the lead, making us want to push ourselves.
Just because something is easier, it is not to be confused with easy.
The benefits
As much as love Yoga, personally feeling the benefits and watching others benefit from the addition of reps and regression training has been incredible. It takes your practice to a whole different level and the most enjoyable part is seeing peoples faces when they accomplish something they never thought they could do.
It also means when it comes to learning new postures you will have the foundation and understanding of what areas of your bodies you need to engage. Which makes learning easier, safer and more fun.
I also encourage people to listen to their body and how they're feeling. It's not about how many reps you can do or how long you hold a pose for; it's all about feeling good, personal progression and making sure what you're doing is of value. It means when you step back on the mat, you come back stronger (both inside and out) each time.
Are there methods to your Yoga practice or do like to freestyle it all? Is there anyone else that likes to combine different methods or movements? Let me know.
Nam x
Next post coming up: Essential Yoga Postures to learn and do at home
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