by brightyoga -

What does the `It’s Yoga´ System offer you?

The It’s Yoga System, which was designed by Larry Schultz, has produced thousands of high quality yoga teachers all around the world since 1989. It’s Yoga’s mission is “to share the love of the practice,” and, as Larry Schultz used to say, “teach what you practice, and practice what you teach.” More than memorizing a script, we, at It’s Yoga Satellite, encourage our students to teach from their own experience and understanding of the practice as we guide them into understanding the true meaning and message behind the practice of yoga. How Larry taught according to his personal experience and understanding of yoga into his teaching is what made his style of teaching truly unique.

After studying under the guidance of Pattabhi Jois for seven years, Larry began to teach yoga to western students, and he soon realised that most of the postures (most especially the deep hip openers) in the Ashtanga Vinyasa Primary Series were not accessible to most of his students. Having prior experience in the Intermediate Series and some postures in the Advanced Series, he created the Rocket Yoga routines with the intention of giving his students an opportunity to experience the benefits of the practice in a deeper level by opening their bodies in a faster way.

Our system offers a full week schedule of practice, each day a different routine that works on different parts of the body, promoting a sense of harmony within the body and mind. The schedule is sequenced in such a way that the routines each day will help you to build up the foundation for the following day. Each week, we end with a Rocket 3practice, which Larry used to call “BBQ Rocket,” and this helps to recharge the entire body as it allows you to move, bend, and twist into many different directions by using every single muscle of your body.

Here is the It’s Yoga weekly schedule, which we encourage our students to follow as they do their daily self practice:

Sunday – Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Full Primary Series

Monday –  Rocket 1

Tuesday– Rocket 2

Wednesday – Rocket 2 (Modified)

Thursday – Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Full Primary Series

Friday – Rocket 3

Saturday – (day off)

During our 200-hour and 100-hour courses, you will have the chance to experience the benefits of two strong traditions – Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Rocket Vinyasa Yoga. Countless of practitioners who have trained with us have perceived the numerous benefits of these two yoga systems, all of them noticing a huge improvement in their own body and mind, even after just 22 or 10 days of practicing with us. We offer well-rounded teacher training courses that have a great balance between Asana practice, Anatomy, Yoga Philosophy, practice teaching, and so much more.

Here are some feedback we have received from some students that have attended our Teacher Training courses this year:

““These past 3 weeks really made a huge impact on me and helped to map out so many things and bring different ideas together. One of the most eye-opening messages for me was explanation of Karma and that nothing is about being good or bad; it’s just every action has consequences, and if something is not complete, you will get situations that will bring you back to work on whatever is not complete. It made me realize that we shouldn’t judge other people in any circumstances because everyone is going through their own journey.

I am aware that I am at the very beginning of this journey, and I look forward so much of what else it will bring me. And I am incredibly grateful to you, Joy and Ricardo, for all the beautiful knowledge and energy that you shared with us these three weeks. Namaste :)”” – Kseniina Lobanova

““Along with many corrections, memorizing the sequence front to end, and end to front, learning new techniques, my biggest and most special lessons came from those moments where Joy and Ricardo spoke about their philosophy and own experience with the practice, and how it can be a path to own spirituality. Yoga went from being this fun practice to a deeper philosophical and spiritual path. The lessons on self-awareness, Buddhism, the origins of yoga, among many others, brought a whole new dimension to my love for this practice.

Thank you Joy and Ricardo, my gratitude for your lessons go beyond what my words can express. I felt so much support from your energy, I felt you both cared deeply and were there to help me overcome physical and mental barriers. I feel so lucky to be able to call you both my teachers.”” – Ludmila Pontremolez

Take the next step in your yoga journey with wisdom, train with us and gain a deeper knowledge on the practice, wider your perspective about the practice, theory and philosophy behind this system

by brightyoga -

Dandasana Technique

This posture is like Samasthiti for seated postures.
After a vinyasa in the seated posture, come back to Dandasana will allow you to create stillness in the practice, come back to your breathing and Bandhas and build up the foundation for the next posture

The benefits of Dandasana are.
1. Help you to lengthen and strengthen the muscles in the lower back
2. Will train you in how to use your legs in order to lengthen your back when you seat
3. Build up concentration
4. Prepare your body for the next set of postures
5. This posture will constantly remind you that in seated postures your body have to be engage.
6. Because gravity will be working more intensely on you in seated postures. Activate the legs, pelvic floor and core will help you to lift up against this donward force. By doing this in each Dandasana you will be able to train your body in how to engage the muscles in order to seat

At the beginning the posture can be really challenging specially if your hamstring are tight, in this case feel free to bend the knees or seat in something higher will allow you to tilt the hips forward, this will help you to seat with your back straight without feeling pain in the lower back

Let us know how this work on you
Keep practicing
Ricardo and Joy

by brightyoga -

How Yoga Teacher Training Can Truly Support Your Practice and Teaching Skills

After almost 10 years of practice and having led Yoga Teacher Trainings over the last 5 years, I would like to share some of the things that I have repeatedly been observing through the countless hours of practice and training with yogis and yoginis from all over the world who come to join us to deepen and strengthen their yoga practice. I, together with my partner, Joy, are committed in sharing our love and knowledge of yoga, always leading our Teacher Trainings with the intention to support our students to help them truly understand their practice on a deeper level, and to help them build up a good foundation on how to teach yoga. Through this, we, as well our students themselves, witness many amazing transformations during and after our Yoga Teacher Trainings – transformations not only on their bodies, but also in their minds.

We have seen a number of students walking into the course with injuries, insecurities, inhibitions, and self-doubt – some with hardly any skill in their own practice, more so any skill in leading a class as a teacher. But we have seen these same students walk out of our course with a lot of new knowledge and confidence to continue on their yoga journey, for some as practitioners for others also as yoga teachers.

We believe that a committed self-practice is what can truly support your teaching skills by helping you deepen your understanding of the practice, day in and day out, as you get on and off the yoga mat. It does not matter how many yoga courses or workshop because neither of those will bring you deep enough. It is only through self-practice that you can truly look within you to find your own truth, whatever that may be – this is a path that you will have to walk alone; your teacher is merely there to point you to the right direction. In other words, your teacher is there to guide you where to look, but it is up to you to seek what you are looking for.

Even after our students have finished their yoga teacher trainings with us, we make it a point to keep communicating with them. We are always try to be open to answer any questions they might have about the practice or about teaching, as we know that this yoga journey – both of practicing and teaching – is a constant journey, that continues more importantly even when you have stepped off of your yoga mat. In the same manner, we always encourage our graduated students to come back and revisit us in order to have a closer look into their practice so that we can do our best to address their questions. More than a single encounter, we want to nurture a more long-term relationship with our students, and this is the kind of teacher-student connection we want to encourage our students to have with their students, as well.

Our yoga teacher training is a great starting point in delving deeper into the practice of yoga. Our students are able to experience deep transformations through 24 intensive days of daily learning and practice, which undoubtedly opens them to look into and reach a deeper part of themselves.

One of the things we offer during our course that reinforces the process and practice of mindfulness is meditation practice, specifically Vipassana Meditation. This type of meditation allows students to better understand their practice, and, if necessary, adjust their approach towards the practice. Asana practice, while it is a vital part of our teacher trainings, is just one limb of the true essence of yoga. The physical postures are not the most important aspect of the practice; they are merely powerful tools we can use to transform not only our bodies, but also our minds, which, in turn, will inevitably change our perspectives, our relationships, and the overall quality of our daily lives.

This is what we believe, and this is what and how we teach. My teacher, Larry Schultz, used to say, “Teach what you practice, and practice what you teach.” Since the day he taught this to us, it has been how we approached the yoga practice and life itself.

by brightyoga -

How to improve your Ashtanga practice

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is structured in a progressive manner such that your awareness, engagement, and attention in the previous postures affect the succeeding asana. For example, in order to support the seated postures, we must first work in building up awareness and attention through the standing sequence.

Here are some general tips that can help you improve your standing sequence practice:

1. Always follow your breathing. The breathing comes first, and then the movemement will follow.
2. Engage your quadriceps, toes, and inner thighs. This action will activate the Mula Badha and the lower abdominal region.
3. In symmetrical asanas like Padagusthasana, Padahastasana and the Prasarita series, always shift body weight towards the balls of the feet while keeping the heels grounded, the toes pressing down, the belly tucked in, and the quadriceps engaged.
4. In asymmetrial asanas such as Trikonasana and Virabhadrasana, most of the body weight must be on the back foot. Legs should always be active in order to avoid collapsing with gravity.

Keep these techniques in mind as you go through your standing postures, and eventually apply the same principles to the seated sequence. Your practice will surely feel lighter, allowing you to access more subtle aspects of the practice such as breathing and badhas in a more effective way.

Just keep practicing, and let us know how your practice progresses.

Ricardo and Joy
It’s Yoga Satellite

by brightyoga -

Backbends Practice

Backbends are very complex postures that require deeply getting into an extended spine. Ideally, when doing backbends, one should feel a deep stretch in the front part of the body without feeling compression around the lower back. A number of practitioners often report a lot of pain in the lower back and glutes after practicing backbends – if this kind of pain only shows up during the practice, there is something that the practitioner has to be aware about, and he/she must pay more attention to his/her foundation when moving into backbends. However, if the pain is reflected thoughout the day, it is a clear sign from the body that there is something that must change in the way the backbends are practiced.

In order to understand how to work into a backbend safely, it is important to have a look into the anatomy of the spine, and to find out how much flexibility and strength you need to have in different areas of your body to get into deep backbends.

Our spine is made up of many small bones called vertebrae, and in order to get into a backbend in a safe way, it is vital that we integrate all these vertebrae into the movement – this is how we can create space in our back before bending it into a deep extended position. A single vertebrae cannot move that much on its own; however, when we integrate the small movements of all 26 bones (including the coccyx/tailbone), we can create a big range of movement in our spinal column.
The human spine is in between two major joints – the shoulder joints and hip joints. If any of the muscles around these joints are stiff, backbends will be more challenging to achieve without feeling pain or discomfort. That is why it is a good idea to first practice asanas that can open up the hips and shoulders before getting into backbends.
Here are a few causes of lower back pain when practicing backbends:
1. Lack of mobility in the Thoracic Spine due to a lack of shoulder flexibility.
2. Tension on the hips, especially on the hip extensors (glutes). When the glutes are tense, these muscles will compress the lower back, creating tension around this area.
3. Tension in the hip flexors. This is the group of muscles that allow the leg to flex. If these areas are tense, it will restrain movement around sacrum and lumbar spine. This will create lot of compression around the lower back and a rounded spine position (kyphosis). In a long term this can produce shoulder and neck pain also.
One of the easiest ways to open the shoulders and hip extensors in to sit on something elevated (high enough that your feet do not touch the ground as you sit on it) – such as a sturdy and stable table that can carry your body weight. Sit on the edge of the surface, then lie down, allowing your legs to hang down. Relax, and stay here for 3 minutes.
To open the shoulders, one good technique is to lie down on the bed with your shoulders just at the edge of the mattress. Allow your head to hang down freely, and release your arms backwards. Stay here for 2 minutes or as long as you feel comfortable.
In order to improve flexibility in the hip extensors, postures such as Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose), Dwi Pada Rajakapotasana (Double Pigeon Pose), and Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) are excellent asanas to stretch out these muscles.
It is important to remember that it is just as important to build strength just as much as flexibility. Certain areas of your body must be strong enough to support you in your backbends. These areas are: quadriceps, inner thighs, abdomen, and pelvic floor.
Strength can built up through consistent practice. Even as you start your practice by moving through Sun Salutations, already bring your awareness to subtle activations in certain areas of your body – press the toes down firmly, pull the quadriceps up, squeeze the inner thighs inward – all of which will activate the pelvic floor.
Keep all these techniques in mind as you go through your practice, and observe how you will gradually build enough flexibility and strength to support your backbends. Give it a try, and let us know how you feel!