Great 2 weeks at Space in Shanghai!

Great 2 weeks at Space in Shanghai!

I’m really impressed with this company. Grateful to Robyn for inviting me to collaborate and teach at the studio. Thank you to all the amazing Space staff for being so welcoming and for all your support. And thank you to the wonderful students who have been coming to my classes. It’s been a pleasure practicing with you and helping you to deepen your practice and understanding of yoga. This weekend I’m leading my last 2 workshops — Handstand on Saturday and Backbending on Sunday!!! See you on your mat!!! Namaste.

Do You Really Love Yourself?

Do You Really Love Yourself?

I was talking with an old friend today over coffee about love and the deep Soul connection kind of love that is so hard to find. I think we often confuse love with the lust. Just like we often get confused about who we really are and the true nature of the Self. Do you really love your partner? Or are you seeking their love? Love is kindness and compassion. Love says I want the best for you and I want you to become the best person you can be. Love is two people walking down the road together, headed in the same direction. You are responsible for your own happiness. I am responsible for my own happiness. I enjoy your company but I don’t need you.

Backbending Workshop at Space Yoga in Shanghai!

Backbending Workshop at Space Yoga in Shanghai!

Backbends have never been easy for me. My hip flexors are incredibly tight. I’ve been working on opening them up for a long time. The progress is slow but I’m making progress. And it’s incredibly rewarding!
One of the challenges I see in our yoga community is the rise of yoga as a business. You have to be very careful as a yoga teacher. Many of the things that your students need are not the things that they want. You can see how they are out of balance and you can help them find more balance. But if your goal is to be popular or if you are running a business you have to be careful you aren’t just trying to please your customers and always giving them what they want. Swami Satyananda has this great quote where he says, “first I find out what my students want and then I try to give them the opposite.”

Urdhva Mukha Vrkshasana! Upward Facing Tree Pose.

Urdhva Mukha Vrkshasana! Upward Facing Tree Pose.

Yoga has been so good for me on every level. It’s exciting to see more and more people embrace the practice and see how it’s changing people’s lives. When I first started practicing there were hardly any men practicing. When I did my first Teacher Training program I was one of three men in the training and there were over fifty women. I love seeing more guys getting on their mat and experiencing the benefits of the practice. Yoga is not just for girls. Guys! This practice will challenge you on every level and will kick your butt.

A hot and sweaty Shiva Power class at Float Yoga!

A hot and sweaty Shiva Power class at Float Yoga!

A hot and sweaty Shiva Power class at Float Yoga! Thank you, Stella for inviting me to teach at your studio. It was a really humid day and, WOW, did we go into the fire!!! Strong students!!! Great job, everyone. It was fun practicing with all of you. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

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Dreamer Yoga Festival!

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Dreamer Yoga Festival!

This was a fun night. Grateful to have been invited and honored to teach with such a talented group of teachers. Some beautiful performances after the teacher introductions and a hot and sweaty Zumba class at the end of the night. I even got an award for being one of the students dancing with the most enthusiasm during the Zumba class. Not necessarily with the most talent but with the most enthusiasm.

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When did you first start practicing yoga?

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When did you first start practicing yoga?

Fun pictures at the Guangzhou Dreamer Yoga Festival.
My first yoga practice was when I was studying acting in the UK at RADA for a summer program. We did yoga in one of the movement classes. I don’t know if they were allowed to call it yoga back then because of the perceived connection to religion. I looked back on what we were doing when I started practicing regularly after I’d returned home from the program and realized we’d been doing yoga in some of our movement classes.

Shoulder Opening Workshop at Dream Space Yoga.

Shoulder Opening Workshop at Dream Space Yoga.

Learning about the shoulders in my shoulder opening workshop at Dream Space Yoga this past week. Shiva Yoga Intensive. Backbends are the primary poses in our yoga practice that we use to open the shoulders. We are usually focused on opening the shoulders in extension or flexion, in order to increase our range of motion. If we have full range of motion at the shoulder join we can prevent injuries to the neck and upper back. If you want to be able to do more advanced backbends in your yoga practice it is essential that you open your shoulders.

Final Shiva Power class at Haipoo Yoga

Final Shiva Power class at Haipoo Yoga

Our final Shiva Power class at Haipoo Yoga yesterday morning! A deep Twisting class with extra core work to prepare for our afternoon Handstand Workshop. This was a really fun group to work with and I’ve enjoyed watching everyone grow a lot in just a few days. We managed to cover some yoga philosophy and I had the students read and discuss five of my published articles on different aspects of the practice as well. I am confident that I shared as much as I could in our 3 days together. I think the greatest thing we can do as teachers is share everything we have with our students. If we do a good enough job they won’t need us anymore. Ideally, we want to eliminate ourselves from the equation altogether. Everything I have is yours! The way we honor our teachers and pay back the debt we owe to them is to share the teachings and become teachers ourselves. There’s an old yoga saying — “He who teaches and doesn’t practice is a fraud. And he who practices and doesn’t teach is a thief.” Better not to be either one.

Keep your mind open. Listen. There’s so much to learn.

Keep your mind open. Listen. There’s so much to learn.

Sometimes the students inspire me so much! This student came to my class on Sunday afternoon in Fuzhou. She worked so hard! She listened to everything I was saying and paid such close attention to my cues. And she tried so many advanced poses and variations, even though many of them were out of reach. I was so proud of her. And the whole time she smiled and even laughed a few times when she fell out of some of the more challenging poses. I love teaching students like this. They are so easy to teach. No ego. So much light. The irony is that these students are already practicing so much of what we are teaching in yoga. They don’t need the practice as much as some of the students who are the hardest to teach. Sometimes students are rude and disrespectful and don’t pay attention and don’t listen. It’s hard to teach these students. Their mind is closed off. But really they need the practice most of all. Master teacher, Krishnamacharya has a famous quote about only wanting to teach the beginners and the really advanced students because they both know that they don’t know anything. He said the ones in the middle, the students with a little bit of knowledge who think they know everything are the hardest to teach. Keep your mind open. Listen. There’s so much to learn. Be a good student. Learn as much as you can from the teacher. Are you done learning? Is there no more room for growth? Really? You’ve got it all figured out? There is so much more to learn. You just have to stay open.

Shoulder Opening Workshop today at Haipoo Yoga!

Shoulder Opening Workshop today at Haipoo Yoga!

We mostly work in our yoga practice on opening the shoulders in Flexion and in Extension. Having a full range of motion at the shoulder joint helps to prevent injuries to the cervical spine and helps release tension in the muscles of the upper back and around the neck. Most of our shoulder opening poses in yoga are backbends. Usually the more advanced backbends take the shoulders into flexion but not always. It’s important to also remember that yoga is not just about flexibility. We are always looking for balance. Too much flexibility can lead to injuries at the joints. Not enough flexibility can lead to injuries in the muscles. This picture is of one of my favorite shoulder opening partner exercises. In this position, you can help your partner take their shoulders deeper into flexion, you can use your hands to help them externally rotate their shoulders, and you can encourage them to find more core and pull their front ribs in making more space and lengthening their spine. When you engage your core while Backbending you lengthen your spine and you actually deepen the pose

Teaching student to wake themselves up!

Teaching student to wake themselves up!

One of the things I learned from my teachers was to teach the students to wake themselves up. I don’t do a lot of hands-on adjustments until I know students really well. Even then — I follow a few simple rules when it comes to adjusting students in class. If I can cue you verbally to find the adjustment yourself I think it’s more powerful than me simply using my knowledge of the pose to put your body in a better position. If verbal cues don’t work, then I’ll try to “mirror” for you what I want you to find in your own body. If that doesn’t work, light touch can be enough. Now, find it on your own.

Grateful for all the help in Guangzhou!

Grateful for all the help in Guangzhou!

There’s so many people helping me on this trip! I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, Wendy for all your help seeing me off to the airport. Appreciated you waiting for me.
At the end of my class, I always encourage my students to give thanks for everyone who helped them on their journey. I always take a moment and thank my teachers and my parents during this time, and sometimes someone else who has helped me that day comes to mind and I make sure to offer gratitude for them as well.
We are never doing it alone. So many people to be grateful for! Sending you all gratitude now. Thank you for your help, big and small. Know that you made a difference and it didn’t go unnoticed. Namaste.

Really fun class in Fuzhou yesterday!

Really fun class in Fuzhou yesterday!

Great group of students. We did a lot of hip opening and focused on going deep into the fire and staying calm. I talked a lot about getting out of your comfort zone in this class. It’s always so hard when you are a beginner. You don’t have the strength and the ability to focus and the minute things get uncomfortable you are trying to make yourself comfortable, fidgeting your body, and getting distracted. It’s a practice! You will get really good at the things you practice. If you keep practicing concentration, you get really good at concentrating. If you practice letting yourself become distracted, you get really good at distracting yourself. Feed what you want to grow!

4 Main reasons for doing Sun Salutations.

4 Main reasons for doing Sun Salutations.

I taught a big Sun Salutation practice this morning at the Zhejiang Yoga Cultural Festival. Good attendance! It was very early in the morning and a little cold. But we persevered.
Sun Salutations have been practiced by yogis for thousands of years. When we practice them we are walking in the footsteps of our teachers and their teachers.

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Backbending Workshop!

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Backbending Workshop!

From our Backbending workshop last week in Shenzhen at Dream Space Yoga!
I love this deep Shoulder stretch and Chest opener. It’s a great partner pose that is a real “feel good” pose for both partners.
I’ve been working a lot on opening my shoulders and my hip flexors to deepen my backbend poses.
If we are really honest with ourselves, the “yoga mirror” shows you everything you need to look at, all of your imbalances, all of your strengths and all of your weaknesses. Do you have the courage to look in the mirror — and are you willing to put the effort into making the necessary changes in your life — both on and off the mat to find balance?
What are you working on right now? What areas of your body need to open up or get stronger? What areas of your life need some attention?

The story of Vacistasana.

The story of Vacistasana.

The story of Vacistasana is a story about a Great Sage, a sacred cow, and magical powers. But it’s ultimately about the journey from darkness to light. There was no sacred cow that gave the Great Sage Magical powers.
The power is within you! You just have to do your practice. Be consistent! Be patient! Train your mind to focus! Keep waking up. Everyday, wake up a little more. And a little more. You can do anything you focus your mind on. Some people might think you have a secret, a sacred cow, or are lucky, or have magical powers. But you know your power comes from your practice, from your dedication and hard work. The power is inside you. It’s inside all of us. You just have to learn how to access it! And then you can do anything.

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mail@garthhewittyoga.com