Hello Dear Souls,

I hope this email finds you well!

This week I'm preparing to depart my for next adventure, a 300-hour yoga teacher training in biomechanics with Jules Mitchell. I've been planning and preparing for months, and still sometimes it feels overwhelming. I was feeling the stress in the middle of packing and had to leave to go teach my last private for three weeks, when an Abigail Adams quote came to mind:

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence."

I stopped, took a deep breath, then repeated it one more time before walking out the door to meet my client.

When we make time in our busy lives to learn something new or deepen our knowledge in a field we are passionate about, we are investing in ourselves. We are telling ourselves that we matter and that our ideas matter. We are practicing self-compassion.

The reason why I chose this particular training program is because Jules Mitchell is one of the best when it comes to approaching yoga with a scientific lens. I've always been fascinated by the human body, and I've been yearning to learn to what actually happens inside our bodies as we move through poses and perform exercises.

The term for this field of study is biomechanics, and it's all about analyzing how and why living bodies move in the way that they do. Biomechanics incorporates the laws of physics with the working principles of engineering, and in doing so, tries to describe the forces that act on the body. It takes into account not only the structure of bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and the movement they can produce, but also the mechanics of internal bodily functions like blood circulation and renal function. It also attempts to explain or predict the way an outside force will effect the body, which is something that is of great interest to me as a movement teacher.

One of the best examples of this comes from a question that Jules posed to me: why do most yoga teachers instruct students not to put their knee past their ankle in Warrior I? For more than 14 years I thought it was because it was harmful to the knee. I was taught in classes and trainings that it was harmful, but I never questioned why or how it was harmful. But is it true? The real answer is: it depends on each individual human body, but in general, no. 

Think about what happens when you climb up or go down stairs. Your knee goes way past your ankle, correct? The average person climbs stairs more frequently than they practice Warrior I, but have you ever heard a warning about how you should climb stairs? I haven’t.

That query from Jules made me realize that I needed to get clearer on why I teach certain things. I still teach ankle in line with the knee in Warrior I because I am honoring the tradition of the pose, not because my students might harm themselves if they aren’t in alignment.

I still have a lot of questions and a desire to know more. I'll be digging deep into science and asana over the next few weeks and I can't wait to come back and share what I've learned!

I'll be teaching yoga and Pilates sessions May 18th - May 30th at Yoga Heights Georgia Avenue, Yoga Heights Takoma Park and Past Tense Yoga Studio, then I'm off to lead my Greece Retreat in June! If I don’t see you in class next month please email me to stay in touch. I'll be back in July and look forward to practicing with you when I return. 

Love, light, deep breaths, and gratitude,
Liz

Be humble.
Be teachable.
Always keep learning.

SUPPORT WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY

As many of you know, I am very involved with N Street Village, a women’s empowerment community and homeless shelter. I wanted to let you know that through the month of May, new members will receive one free month at VIDA Fitness with any donation of $50 or more to N Street Village. This is a wonderful way to support our community because your gift of $50 can provide up to 40 nutritious meals for women in need. For existing VIDA members, donate $100 or more and receive a $100 gift certificate to VIDA. Everyone wins!

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