Hatha Yoga › Back and Shoulders › Lucy McCarthy
“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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45:00Awaken Energy with Vinyasa Flow
Awaken your energy and brighten your mood with this uplifting backbend-focused flow. Through heart-opening postures and mindful movement, we’ll create space in the body, boost vitality, and tap into our inner radiance. This practice is designed to invigorate, uplift, and leave us feeling open, strong, and full of light. Replay of 27/01/25
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45:00REPLAY - Summer Special - Balance to build Bone Density & Quiet the Mind
This class is focused on balancing poses, building strength in your legs and using body weight to build bone density. Balance poses naturally ask you to slow down, focus and quiet the mind.
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42:31REPLAY - Morning Vinyasa Yoga to Improve Posture
Do spend a lot of time seated at a desk, in a car, or looking at your smartphone? That can lead to tight shoulders, chest and a rounding in your back, and cause chronic tension and back pain. This juicy flow is designed to relieve problems caused by hunching over phones, laptops, or living a sedentary life. It includes chest openers, back bends, and shoulder releases, with the peak pose being natrajasana (dancers pose).
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45:20Morning Vinyasa Flow 3: Replay of Live Class
Wake up, move and breathe with the MFML community. This is an all-levels, well rounded vinyasa flow class to gently energise. There is plenty of breath work and movement to warm the body. The class focuses on back bending. It explores the delight of working on foundational alignment principles for backbends to create freedom in the lower back and expansion and ease in the chest and heart. This is part 3 of a 3-part online series of live classes with the MFML community.
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22:36Morning Mojo 2: 20 Minutes Morning Yoga
A short and sweet, yet juicy morning hatha yoga class which energises and leaves us feeling open, ready for anything and empowered - full of morning mojo! Focus on exploring the power and spaciousness of the shoulders.
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36:07Yoga for Beginners: Introducing Backbends
The third class of the yoga for beginners course has us build on the learnings of the previous classes and discover more new poses such as low lunge and locust, plus develop a gentle supported backbend with bridge pose. There will also be time for a seated meditation on the breath, and rest in Savasana.
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18:30Yoga for Desk-Bound Backs 2
This class focuses on releasing tension often held in the shoulders if we sit at a desk for prolonged periods as well as unravelling tension held in the hips, another frequently tight area for those desk jockeys out there. Great for unwinding the effects of prolonged sitting. This class is great to take as a break in the course of the day, or at the end of the day. You will need a strap.
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18:29Yoga for Desk-Bound Backs
This gentle, hatha class gives the back and neck some simple releases for those of us who have been stuck at a desk, on a train, plane or behind the wheel all day. You will find that you have new, oxygenated bloodflow to the spine and feel a million times better after these simple poses. You may need a block.
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20:38Yoga for Cyclists: Hamstrings
Lucy gives us some wonderful simple stretches for the backs of the legs, hamstrings, hips, shoulders and lower back - areas which can tighten up with a lot of cycling. With stretched muscles, you'll find you can go so much further...Try these stretches if you're a regular cyclist, if you're preparing for a cycling holiday or after a big ride. Props: Strap or belt.
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14:56Free the Spine
Free the Spine - the mind will follow! This short practice will give your back the welcome break it needs from hunching, rounding and slouching all day at your desk or in your car. Simple exercises give your spine and shoulders opening and length. I was at least 10 foot tall after doing this practice. All you need is a block or something to sit on.
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16:48After work - Energiser
This is the perfect class if you’ve been sat at a desk all day and want to move off the day. Lucy leads a nice simple practice to release the shoulders, spine and hips.
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23:05After work: Release & restore
This wonderful nurturing practice introduces the idea of restorative practice ”“ constructive rest - often the very best thing to do after a hard day at work. Lucy guides a practice using the support of blankets and cushions and finishes with the legs against the wall ”“ the most effective poses to rest the body and settle the mind.
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