Yoga with Andrew Wong

Hi Everyone! Apparently all the kids are using Instagram nowadays so moving this FB profile with 1m followers to Insta where I promise to post something! Join me there won't you?
https://www.instagram.com/yogawithandreww/

This is a great graphic I came across today and couldn't agree more. I've been touching on a similar topic this month - these asana (the physical poses) are to serve us and not the other way around. They are merely shapes the body may take - we focus and we try to experience them and then we let them go. The practice is mindfulness through these asana or any version of them. The moment we start to beat ourselves up about the pose, the yoga has stopped. If we get stronger or more flexible along the way, that's a bonus but the point is connecting with consciousness through our amazing bodies. Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/get.it.om/

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
2020 has been a trying year. It's in these uncertain times we need yoga and mindfulness to bring some peace and silence from all the crap whirling around us. I hope yoga helped in some small part to come back to yourself and refuel at the source. It is a wonderful practice that has given me so much and hope to see you on the mat soon.

Join me at 1730 (5:30pm) for a Christmas Day class at Urban Soul. Great opportunity/excuse to escape family, sense of obligations or whatever to move and breath for an hour. Also teaching on Mon Dec 28 and Fri Jan 01 as usual. End the year and start the new one with mindfuless. Andrew

Photo: Standing Pigeon (with a flip flop) in Spain Oct19.

Fascinating explanation of what stretching does to our bodies: 1) changes water content in ligaments; 2) stem cell differentiation; 3) changes sensitivity to pain; 4) changes length of muscles. The changes don't happen just for the amount of time you do it but the frequency in which you do it; eg a regular yoga practice!
I would consider flexibility to be a great benefit of yoga but it's not the goal or the purpose, at least for me. The physical movements and postures we take are to generate attention, breath and mindfulness with each pose being its own meditation -that's the hard part! We all come with different goals and yoga is the full package to experience it. This week's physical focus is hamstrings and standing balances with ujjayi breathing. Andrew

What stretching actually does to your body ft. Sofie Dossi Sofie’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=790uPstACBE Sofie’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF0_hwTeQ73IhJuEtsUbEtA You can learn more about...

The typical path of a yoga teacher starts with an initial 200 hour teacher training which is really the base level of knowledge required. Teachers then 'top up' their knowledge with accredited modules ranging from 25-100 hours each. I am really proud to have just completed an additional 50 hour module in Yoga Sequencing with my amazing teacher, Ari Levanael with over 20 years experience. This course deepens my knowledge in sequencing and leading my students safely and creatively into new and deeper poses. This brings my training up to 450 hours, Look forward to seeing you on the mat. Andrew 🧘‍♂️

This is a mess*. Remember, blocks are your friends!
This week we focus on one of my favourites - Arda Chandrasa/Half Moon pose. We work in stages to get to our peak pose - opening of hip, stretching of hamstring, stacking of shoulders, revolving the chest open, powering up the back leg. What 99% of us still need is a block - look at this photo! Look at the collapse of the top hip, look at the curve of the spine, look at the position of the standing foot. This is not Half Moon and none of its benefits are being achieved. See you in class and let's bust out some great Moons! *BTW, I am not shaming this yogi, this is from his own blog on his journey to Half Moon, see link below.

This week I'm focussing on a Fiesta of Triangles: extended, twisted, fallen and bound. All in all, we'll experience up to 42 in a variety of poses. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) is one we'll commonly find in a Vinyasa practice but it's likely your Trikonasana needs some fine tuning:

Both hips - turning to the side, the top one will have the tendancy to turn in - help guide it back with your hand;
Spine - nice and long, don't curve at the back and you'll likely need to lean back a little;
Ribs - revolve the bottom ribs upwards, like rolling a barrel;
Arms - forming a T shape with shoulders stacked over shoulder;
Back foot - anywhere from 90-45 degrees depending on what works for your body - no twinging of the knee!
Front leg - straight, but not locked.
Block - use a block or your shin to get height and length! Don't be hell bent on touching the floor - you'll lose the length in your back and crunch your shoulder.

Come join me for the Fiesta this week 12-18OCT.

There's a pretty good chance you have a Dopamine addiction. I do. We crave continuous bursts of Dopamine as part of an addiction to our devices: notifications, Likes, text messages, emails - always seeking these distractions, way too much screen time. There is such aversion to being quiet, meditative or the risk of being 'bored'. As a result, 'mindfulness' is elusive, concentration is hard, presence is nowhere to be found. I've been referring to our yoga practice recently as our "work" - quieting the mind without seeking distraction - it's hard but can feel so good because it's an hour long 'Dopamine Detox'. Have a watch of this quick video, it's fascinating. 🧘‍♂️

How I Tricked My Brain To Like Doing Hard Things (dopamine detox) Support Better Than Yesterday: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/uQKkXCF6B You probably don't have a problem playing video games or browsing social media on your ...

Great article from Harvard Medical School on the well known benefits of yoga. A portion that I'd really like to call out: "Yoga develops inner awareness. It focuses your attention on your body's abilities at the present moment. It helps develop breath and strength of mind and body. It's not about physical appearance." Yoga unfortunatley gets slotted into the 'fitness industry' and often gets confused as an athletic practice. Whilst there are athletic/physical aspects to it, there is no concept of 'performance' in yoga - it's not a team sport. See you on the mat.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-benefits-beyond-the-mat

Hi Everyone, it's great to be back in the studios! Come join me for one of my four new permanent classes at Urban Soul. It's a triple on a Monday night: Slow Flow, Dynamic Flow and then Yoga Foundations. Wind down your Friday night with another Slow Flow. Hope to see you soon. Andrew

Dear Students, Friends, I am taking a break from Facebook on my personal and professional page. Ever since lock down and an unplanned career break, I have more time than I have ever had. My biggest fear is that I waste this gift and not come out of this more focussed, mindful, skilled or at least relaxed than going in. Scrolling Newsfeeds, viewing postings etc are minutes taken away from these goals. Time gets lost so easily – FB is not serving me. Please continue to connect with me about yoga and to keep in touch including via FB messenger which is an independent app. Namaste, Andrew
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Hi Everyone, hope you're keeping well! Come join me at YogaRuka for online classes. I teach Dynamic Flow on Saturdays and more than 20 to choose from during the whole week. Online practice is a great way to keep the body moving and continuing to be present during these challenging times. Virtual hug, Andrew 🙏http://yogaruka.com/ YogaRuka