The AY Practice: Creating Balance and Stability in an Unstable Environment

30 Mar The AY Practice: Creating Balance and Stability in an Unstable Environment

In Aquanimous Yoga, we believe that BALANCE and STABILITY are the cornerstone of quality movement, and AWARENESS and EQUANIMITY are the fundamental tools for conscious living.

Balance and stability are highly overlooked skills in the world of yoga and fitness. Most do not include it in their practice as they do not understand the importance of this training subtype. Yet, they are arguably the most important.

WHY?

Well, in a nutshell, we need them ALL THE TIME.

In Aquanimous Yoga, we offer a well-rounded and holistic balance and stability practices on the SUP that not only improves overall fitness and sport performance, but also addresses the deeper foundation muscles that form the scaffolding for a truly centered core and upright spine. This decreases the risk of injury, and enhances our quality of life. Simultaneously, the practices also provide a road map for awakening an inner life that can become a nourishing vehicle for a kinder, healthier, more attuned way of being.

The core itself is the root of our being, the center of our balance, and in a healthy body, it is also the root of our movements. The core is where we find our intuition, our inner source of knowledge (that “gut feeling”), the center of our souls. In Japanese tradition, the core/belly is referred to as the hara – where the vital energy resides. If we have a good hara, we are considered a centered, balanced individual. Hawaiians call this area the na’au (gut) and believe it connects to our innermost being. In the yoga tradition, this is where we find our root chakra energy and use mula bandha (a pelvic floor-based energy block) during poses to help contain that energy, stabilize it, and draw it up the spine.

In Aquanimous Yoga, we create stability in an unstable environment to have an embodied Core so that all of our movements are initiated from this powerful center. Then, we bring this stability to the unstable world so that we can respond more optimally to the stresses placed on us in healthier ways.

With the AY Practice, you will:

• Know and feel the difference between the inner and outer core, and develop strength and ease in both
• Improve pelvic stability to reduce lower body pain and strain
• Learn how to draw your root energy through your inner core and stabilize your back from the inside out
• Learn the importance of diaphragmatic movement to stability of the core
• Know the connection between poor core stability and injury
• Identify compensating movements and learn how to release and position yourself to allow the ease to flow
• Know how to recover from injury by improving core stability, and
• Learn practices that will progressively stabilize and strengthen your inner and outer core

Some of the positive effects you may notice from developing a healthy core include an overall increase in energy levels, a decreased occurence of injuries, improved posture, coordination, overall strength and athletic skill. Developing our core through the AY Practice will also keep us healthy as we age by helping to prevent dangerous falls. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 and older. It will also diminish muscle tension that is usually the cause of chronic pain, and it will improve your performance and quality of life.

Come and join us! Together, let’s create a truly centered and embodied Core, and bring balance and harmony in our body, heart, mind and spirit.

Metta!