August Workshop in Punta Gorda 2011

At the Yoga Sanctuary’s new premises in Punta Gorda, Florida, I taught my second summer workshop, beginning on Friday evening, August 11, with a class for breast cancer patients and survivors.

Pelicans at the Peace River Wildlife Santuary, Punta Gorda

On Saturday, we moved to the Punta Gorda Women’s Club, a ‘heritage’ building next door for the menopause and post menopause workshop, as the class was too big for the Yoga Santuary. I have taught (and continue to teach) this workshop around the world, and it’s always interesting to see how this subject plays out among women in the various regions and countries. Despite the drug companies bombardment with products to make menopause ‘go away’, women are very much open to taking charge of themselves using natural methods and learning how to navigate through any disturbances brought on by hormonal shifts during this transition with yoga.

Supported Paryankasana

Curving the dorsal spine around the front of a chair

Sunday was backbends, which are always a joy to teach. The workshop built up from the base; we looked at all of the components of a good back bend. Strong arms and legs definitely help if you are going to be pushing up from the floor — but there are other ways of achieving a back bend. In this workshop, we came to an understanding that we need to bend more from the upper (dorsal) spine and less from the lower (lumbar) spine. As these pictures show, variations of Paryankasana strongly featured in this workshop, as well as using chairs to curve over. I have been featuring these poses over the last twelve months or so in all my back bend workshops for women.

Here is my Viparita Dandasana demo, with chair and block. The key to a good pose is the extension through the legs and heels

Urdhva Danurasana with blocks under hands

© 2011 Bobby Clennell.

Tags: backbends, Punta Gorda, The Yoga Sanctuary, workshop