Back and Shoulders › Andrew McGonigle
“You are only as old as your spine”
Goes the saying. It’s really important for you to keep your spine moving so that it stays strong, healthy and flexible. But you knew that already. These videos are great if you have a desk job and don’t move as much as you could, or if you already have stiff spine, shoulders or hips. Just remember to do the practices in these videos. Every day. We have got videos of different lengths here so you don’t need to put your back out trying to fit it in your schedule.
We don’t guarantee that you’ll be ready to join the Chinese circus, but we think that your back will appreciate the extra loving you give it and will reward you with less pain. You’ll start feeling that your life has some backbone, quite literally. This will lead to you making better decisions, possibly leading a life from a position of courage. You may start to feel your back is longer, you may start to sit up taller, you may start to notice when you slump or st... Show more
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04:43Tutorial on Chaturanga
There's no 'right' or 'wrong' in any yoga pose, so long as movements are made slowly and in a controlled way, mindfully and with the breath, and of course so long as there is no pain or pre-existing injury! With that in mind, Chaturanga or low plank, is one of the hardest yoga poses to master. This short tutorial on the yoga pose Chaturanga shows the action needed for the pose. Do take heed, the pose needs a LOT of strength in the shoulders and abdomen, which you'll need to build separately and whilst you build that strength, or if the pose is not suitable for your body, do please practice with your knees to the ground, or simply do a high push up, rather than the low push of Chaturanga. Enjoy!
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39:32Mobile & Happy Spine
A well rounded class which focuses on keeping a mobile, happy and healthy spine with simple, easy movements for all levels. Twist, strengthen and lengthen, side bend and gently strengthen your core with this beginners and all-levels spinal health somatics yoga class. Focus on the neck, lower back, upper back and spinal mobility. You will need a bolster and a towel or blanket.
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33:52Strengthen & mobilise: The Upper Body
A strengthening and mobilising somatic movement yoga class which explores shoulder girdle, shoulder joint, elbow and wrist mobility. Move in a controlled, gentle and stable way, target specific areas with slow, somatic based movements, and focus on strength and gentle mobilising. Perfect for recovery from injury or simply getting mindful awareness to your movements with gentle, small, but effective somatic movements You will need a couple of blocks and a blanket or towel.
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26:11Abdominal Conditioning Workout
A tutorial and practice working on the different abdominal muscles including a full workout of of the abdominal muscles that support our core stability and the lumbar spine. This pilates-inspired class focuses on strengthening each layer of the abdominal muscles. You will need a blanket or a cushion.
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26:07Release Your Neck; Reduce Fatigue
This class is a workshop-style yoga class to target areas that hold tension in the neck, causing fatigue. The class focuses on head and neck alignment, jaw release and strength and shoulder mobility. With exercises to gain awareness of where we might be unnecessarily straining our neck and holding tension, we explore head aligment and then use neck and shoulder stretches and strengthening exercises to help release tension. You will need a blanket, foam block, cushion and a strap.
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39:31Release Tension in the Upper Back
This gentle, all level, alignment based yoga class will help you to release tension from your upper back and neck. Learn how to open your upper back gently and safely with some helpful alignment tips to stop you from bending from the most mobile part of your back, and to start to bend from the usually 'stuck' with tension area between the shoulder blades. Great to practice at any time of the day, this class will improve your energy levels and help leave you feel invigorated. You will need a rolled up tee-shirt, a bolster, foam block and eye bag.
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12:10Butt Conditioning to Ease Back and Hip Pain
This short yoga class brings awareness and strength to the glute muscles which can ease tight hips and help ease lower back pain by strengthening and toning the Gluteal muscles, therefore creating more balance and support across this hips and pelvis. Practice this twice a week to support your yoga practice. You will need a block and a cushion.
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25:02Shoulder Stabilisation Workshop
Dr Yogi gives us an essential series of movements for anyone with troubled shoulders. Shoulder stabilisation and strengthening is essential for all vinyasa flow yoga practices and for those of us who suffer from painful shoulders from poor posture, arthritis, instability or injury. This yoga class can improve your shoulder strength and stability when you practice this sequence regularly. You will need a strap, a block and a bolster.
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27:15Lower Back Workshop
In this workshop-style tutorial, Dr Yogi discusses why the lower back is so often prone to injury and offers general advice for supporting your lower back during your yoga practice. Following this, a short sequence focusing on the lower back and strengthening the core has been carefully designed to simultaneously strengthen and release tension your spine. This is perfect for anyone with lower back aches and pains. Try to do this video at least three times a week to really feel the benefits and as with any sensitive area of the body, seek medical advice where appropriate.
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03:12Shoulder Blades and Shoulder Girdle
A short tutorial class by Andrew, Dr Yogi, in which he shows us the importance of keeping strength in the shoulder girdle. This is a key piece of anatomy for all of us, and can be viewed as an anatomical explanation to Kristi Johnson's 'wrapping the shoulders' video, for the Forrest Yoga technique to keeping the shoulders stable.
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03:24All about the Shoulder Joint
A short tutorial class by Andrew, Dr Yogi, in which he shows us points of possible instability in the shoulder joint and how to protect our shoulders with external rotation in key yoga poses of downward dog and dancers pose.
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