​After you fill up your ribcage you can freely spread your wings. Take your arms wide, forward, and up. This creates even more space around your heart, and you can tone the muscles on all sides of your hands, arms, and shoulders (your "wings"). With the spreading of your wings you are freer to pulse, to move, maybe even fly! :) 

When we feel that our roots are strong we feel capable of actively engaging in life. Feeling rooted helps us weather the ups and downs of life. In class we build strength in our feet, legs, and hips (what we refer to as our "roots"), and we are able to move and express ourselves more in our poses and positions.

How do we strengthen our roots in class?

- The dig-drag action of our feet engages all sides of the legs.

- We bend our knees and sometimes hover our heels to build strength in the backs of our legs.

- Pulsing with our breath makes our legs and feet stronger.

- Lightly hopping side to side, back to front, and wide and narrow strengthens our feet, ankles, and legs.

- Standing on one bent leg strengthens our leg muscles on all sides.

Build strength in your roots! Come practice with us this week! www.matthewsyoga.com

In Bowspring alignment we begin by opening our central channel long from the pelvic floor to the top of the head, connecting earth and sky.

Then from the heart in the middle of the central channel, we expand the ribcage evenly in all directions and lift it toward the sky.

Keeping our central channel long and our heart radiant we then move on to align our hips and head. But we always begin with Radiant Heart.

Come learn how this week as we begin a new 8-week session.
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Photo is Courtney and Bonnie embodying Radiant Channel and Radiant Heart near the Cullasaja River in North Carolina.

We all want to be free -- free from pain and suffering, free to move and do what we want to do in this life. In our Bowspring classes we align our body so that our movement is light and free. With practice this alignment comes more naturally.

Here's a simple sequence we'll include in our practice this week:

One-Leg Standing Pose, Open Leg
Tribal Lunge
Half Moon Pose
Hip Tips
Squat
Earth Pose

Photo is Sue, feeling free and open, in Waipu Cove, New Zealand.