August Newsletter

Welcome to Back to School Season! With summer wrapping up & school starting soon (if it hasn’t already), now’s the time to get a jump start on your fitness & yoga routine!

Here are three things I’ve found that help in creating a long lasting routine:

1) Show Up for Yourself, regardless the outcome

2) Create a Plan & Be Consistent

3) Trust the Journey

First, when you show up for yourself, even if you need a friend to help you get there, you’re really telling yourself, “I’m here & I’m ready!” Going in knowing each workout or practice is going to look different, that you’ll feel differently each time, remember that SHOWING UP IS 99% OF THE BATTLE! Congratulate yourself on this achievement.

Secondly, when you develop a schedule that’s realistic, you can become more consistent in showing up for yourself. MAKE THIS TIME A PRIORITY! Self-care is important. Every minute helps, as long as you can get it in consistently. Whether it’s 2x a week or 6x a week, create a plan that’s realistic for you individually so you can follow through consistently. You’ll discover your time hasn’t been wasted & will see results!

Lastly, trust the journey. Nothing that’s worth keeping happens fast. When you trust time, you decrease your chance of injury & setbacks. It’s okay to switch things up after 4-6 weeks. But please understand what during this time, your body needs this repetitive motion to develop strength (for BOTH fitness & yoga). Adding progressive overload to your plan will help you keep things fresh & prevent plateau.

Maybe a newsletter dedicated to progressive overload is needed, eh?!? Comment below if you agree!

Until then, please enjoy our “pose of the month” with its accompanying workout!!!

Utkatasana … Fierce Pose … Chair Pose … Hinge Position …

No matter what you call it, there’s a chance you might have been told one way, not knowing there are actually SEVERAL ways to do this dope pose.

Let’s expand our horizons with these two options 👇🏽

(a) Booty activation -

• Take that hip hinge loooooooow.

• Shift your torso forward - releasing pressure on the lower back.

• It’s okay if your knees track over the toes, as long as the knees are pointing in the same direction.

• Weight is generally placed in the heels (toes opens up another category of ways…you can call it a.1)

• Keep a neutral spine - you might feel the shoulder/spinal range of motion give a little with this deep hinge. Wrap the rib cage towards the center of the body.

• Breath & activate that pelvic floor.

• Quads act as supporting muscles

(b) Quad activation - here, your center balance is shifted!

• Less hip hinge

• Bring the torso up

• Maintain neutral Spine - lower the arms if it helps.

• Squeeze the knees together (once again, this is a general tip. There’s b.1, b.2 variations when you alter this)

• Weight goes through the entire foot

• Work towards knees directly above or slightly behind those toes.

• Glutes act as supporting muscles

Whatever muscle you want to target will determine which hinge you take. You can take this approach to basically every yoga transition or gym exercise you do. If you find yourself in Anjaneyasana (low lunge), try shifting your weight forward & notice the change of your quad activation in your front leg. Or, hinge deeper to obtain that double wrap in Garudasana (Eagle Pose) & feel the glutes firing up!

With a fitness approach, it’s very common to use these two hinges in strength training exercises. They’re usually part of compound exercises (utilizing two or more muscle groups). I’ve created these videos to show you some of my favorite upper body exercises with these two hinges:

UPPER BODY w’ GLUTE ACTIVATION

UPPER BODY w’ QUAD ACTIVATION

GLUTE ACTIVATION ON YOGA BLOCKS

QUAD ACTIVATION WITH YOGA BLOCKS

QUAD AND GLUTE ACTIVATION MOBILITY DRILL

You know I wouldn’t let my yogis outta the loop with drills you can do on your mat with these two hinges. So, here’s a mini flow you can incorporate into your next practice. Lemme know if you can tell a difference!

MINI YOGA FLOW FOR QUAD AND GLUTE ACTIVATION

With all the hustle and bustle that comes in wrapping up the summer, make sure to set aside some time for self-care. Whether it's at the gym, on your mat, journaling, meditating, or dabbling in a hobby, you'll be grateful for these moments you dedicate in filling your cup.

xo,

Katy