Yoga Flow Sandra

Yoga Flow Sandra +500hour experienced & certified Yoga teacher & teacher trainer. Classes tailored for your needs. Yoga studio

16/10/2025

Part 3: Head, Neck, and Finishing Touches
The occipital dimples at the base of the skull sit over the sub-occipital muscles and the upper attachment of the dura mater, the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Gentle pressure here eases tension around the cranial-nerve exits- particularly the vagus and accessory nerves - indirectly supporting parasympathetic relaxation.
Slow, small head movements amplify vestibular input, balancing inner-ear and neck reflexes that calm the body’s orientation system. That’s why this feels so grounding and deeply safe.
Light strokes across the forehead or temples activate mechanoreceptors linked to the trigeminal nerve, which has a calming effect on the limbic system.
A thumb press into the centre of the ball of the foot stimulates deep-pressure receptors that complete the sense of full-body grounding. In traditional Chinese medicine this area corresponds to Kidney 1 (Yong Quan), believed to draw energy downward and settle the mind, so the anatomical and energetic effects align beautifully.
These Savasana adjustments aren’t about “fiddling” with stillness; they’re about teaching the body to let go through sensory, neurological, and fascial pathways. Each gentle action reaffirms safety, balance, and grounding- the biological ingredients for deep rest.
If you missed the earlier clips, scroll back for Parts 1 and 2.
Check out my resources page for yoga teachers - it’s packed with practical tools, upcoming CPDs, and teacher trainings:
https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-training
Or even better, sign up to my newsletter so you never miss out on new workshops and freebies.

16/10/2025

The space beneath the scapula is rich in sensory nerves and fascia that often grip from tension or stress.
Lifting the arm and easing your hand beneath the shoulder blade releases the subscapular fascia. It helps restore the natural glide of the scapulothoracic joint, improving shoulder mobility and breath expansion.
Adding small, supported circles at the elbow activates proprioceptive fibres around the rotator cuff, signalling safety to the nervous system so the arm can truly let go.
Lay the arm down gently; a sudden release can re-trigger the startle (Moro) reflex.
Try this with your students and notice how the shoulders soften and the breath deepens.
Missed Part 1? It covers lower-body releases. Part 3 explores the head and finishing touches.
Check out my resources page for yoga teachers - it’s packed with practical tools, upcoming CPDs, and teacher trainings:
https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-training
Or even better, sign up to my newsletter so you never miss out on new workshops and freebies.

16/10/2025

“You might know these Savasana adjustments, but do you know why we do them?”
In Savasana, small movements help the body transition from active tension into parasympathetic rest.
Option 1: Lift both legs slightly and sway side to side, slowly. This resets pelvic proprioceptors, tiny sensors in your hips and sacro-iliac joints that tell the brain, “We’re safe, you can let go.”
Option 2: Lift one leg, support behind the knee, and draw slow circles. This gently mobilises the hip capsule and stimulates the sacral parasympathetic pathways, encouraging digestive and nervous-system down-regulation. (Do both legs.)
These rocking and circling motions echo early self-soothing patterns, the same primitive reflexes that calm babies when held and rocked. They tap into deep wiring for safety and surrender.
Avoid “plonking” the legs down; that sudden drop re-activates the startle (Moro) reflex and pulls students back into tension.
Try it in your next class and notice how stillness lands more naturally.
Want more? Watch Parts 2 and 3 for upper-body and finishing adjustments.
Check out my resources page for yoga teachers - it’s packed with practical tools, upcoming CPDs, and teacher trainings:
https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-training
Or even better, sign up to my newsletter so you never miss out on new workshops and freebies.

Ever had an idea so ridiculous it made perfect sense at the time?Mine was to start a tiramisu business: The Emergency Pi...
10/10/2025

Ever had an idea so ridiculous it made perfect sense at the time?
Mine was to start a tiramisu business: The Emergency Pick-Me-Up Kit for “emotional turbulence.”

The business didn’t take off, but the thinking did. That head-down, lost-in-it, totally-absorbed feeling, losing track of time… that’s flow.
AI can map it all out for me now, much faster and slicker and on the one hand that is great. BUT it can’t replicate that delicious process of discovery. The satisfaction of creating and working things out.

This week’s blog is all about that: Flow: The Art and Science of Effortless Creativity.

But if you were on my newsletter, you’d already know the full tiramisu story and get the kind of reflections I don’t share anywhere else.
🐾 If you’re already signed up, you know what I mean. 🐾
Sign up via the link in bio for the next one, that’s where the good stuff lands first.

A one-breath, hand-to-head adjustment can teach length before shape -fast. Touch → brain updates → remove hand. If the s...
16/09/2025

A one-breath, hand-to-head adjustment can teach length before shape -fast. Touch → brain updates → remove hand. If the space stays, it’s learned. If not, don’t add force; fix the base and try again. Works beyond Triangle, too.

Adjustments Workshop for Yoga Teachers - Sat 25 Oct (London)
Link in bio. (And a FREE ‘Adjustments Toolkit’ PDF)

Hands on hips, chest wide, feet grounded - the superhero pose.Back in 2012, the research suggested it could change your ...
12/09/2025

Hands on hips, chest wide, feet grounded - the superhero pose.
Back in 2012, the research suggested it could change your hormones. Testosterone up, cortisol down, confidence up.

But when scientists tested it again, the results weren’t the same. The confidence boost was real -the hormones, less so.

It’s a good reminder: science evolves. And in the meantime, the simplest lesson still works -try it and see how you feel.

I’ve written more in my blog:
👉https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/blog/feel-like-a-superhero

What about you - do you notice your body language changing your mood?

Karnapīdāsana (Halasana variation) - the power of a whisper-light touchInversions can scramble orientation: vestibular +...
09/09/2025

Karnapīdāsana (Halasana variation) - the power of a whisper-light touch

Inversions can scramble orientation: vestibular + proprioceptive signals are different upside down, so students may simply not know where to lengthen from.

In this assist I place a feather-light touch between the shoulder blades and cue:

“Lengthenlift here - from between the scapulae.”

“Breathe into your back ribs.”

That tiny haptic input often restores axial length and eases pressure off the wrists/neck without pushing.

Teaching reminders:

Back of neck long; throat soft.

Ground through shoulders/upper arms rather than loading C-spine.

Inhale widens the back ribs; exhale lets the sacrum lengthen away from the crown.

If this kind of precise, low-force assisting is your jam, I’m running an Adjustments Workshop for Yoga Teachers -25 Oct (London).

Grab your spot here: https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-workshops-london-oct25

Free Adjustments Toolkit here: https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/adjustments-toolkit

Think Savasana is just a cosy lie-down at the end of class? Its origins are a little darker…In traditional Ta**ra, “co**...
05/09/2025

Think Savasana is just a cosy lie-down at the end of class?
Its origins are a little darker…

In traditional Ta**ra, “co**se pose” meant exactly that: sitting on an actual co**se. ⚡️ Drowning, snake-bite, lightning-strike - all had their own rules. (And some co**ses were off-limits 👀).

Don’t worry, my classes stick to the modern version - but I couldn’t resist digging into the interesting history behind yoga’s most restful pose.

👉 Curious? The full blog is up now :

https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/blog/2021/7/25/why-do-we-lie-down-in-yoga

Yoga teachers - when you adjust, where’s your focus?Most trainings teach us to look at the student’s body. But our own s...
02/09/2025

Yoga teachers - when you adjust, where’s your focus?

Most trainings teach us to look at the student’s body. But our own stance matters too. For example: Locked knees put more load into your back; bent knees recruit strength from quads and glutes.

In my Adjustments Workshop for Yoga Teachers (25 Oct, London) we’ll practise how to support students and look after our own bodies.

Book your spot here: https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-workshops-london-oct25
Or download the free Adjustments Toolkit to get started.

🧘‍♀️ One pose, endless adjustments…Downward Facing Dog is the one teachers adjust most often - but there are many more o...
26/08/2025

🧘‍♀️ One pose, endless adjustments…
Downward Facing Dog is the one teachers adjust most often - but there are many more options than the default.

I’m sharing a few examples. Some are simple and light, others more hands-on. Each has a different effect for the student.

If you’d like to explore and practise these in real life:
📍 Adjustments Workshop For Yoga Teachers
🗓️ Saturday 25 Oct, 1:45–6pm
📍 The Light Centre, Monument, London

Book your place here: https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/teacher-workshops-london-oct25
Or, if you can’t join, you can download my FREE Adjustments Toolkit PDF here: https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/adjustments-toolkit

Teachers often ask me why I sometimes cue students to “press OUT” instead of “lift UP” in this pose.The reason isn’t aes...
19/08/2025

Teachers often ask me why I sometimes cue students to “press OUT” instead of “lift UP” in this pose.

The reason isn’t aesthetics - it’s functional. Pressing gently outwards wakes up the glutes, stabilises the knees, and stops the arches from collapsing. It’s a small adjustment, but it changes how the whole body supports the shape.

This kind of cue is a contemporary, functional anatomy approach that helps students use their muscles, not just chase the look of a pose.

I’ve put together a free Adjustments Toolkit with practical ideas like this. (link in bio) https://www.yogaflowsandra.com/adjustments-toolkit

And on 25 Oct, I’ll be leading a hands-on workshop in London where we’ll explore adjustments in detail.

Yoga teachers - ever started an adjustment and instantly thought “Nope… abort mission”? 🙈Or looked at someone in a pose ...
12/08/2025

Yoga teachers - ever started an adjustment and instantly thought “Nope… abort mission”? 🙈
Or looked at someone in a pose and had no clue where to even start?

You’re not alone.

That’s why I put together The Adjustments Toolkit – a free resource packed with:
✔️ What to think about before you adjust
✔️ 4 types of adjustments and when to use them
✔️ How to read your student’s body (and breath) in real time
✔️ Consent that’s more than just a quick “okay?”
✔️ Real-world examples you can actually remember in class

So you can walk into your next class feeling clear, confident, and ready to help your students find their best shape - without second-guessing yourself.

📥 Download it free – link in my bio
Your students will feel the difference. And so will you.

Address

Egham
TW200

Telephone

+447768727449

Website

http://www.yogaflowsandra.com/120-free-themes-for-yoga-teachers

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Yoga Flow Sandra posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Yoga Flow Sandra:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category