Om Academy

25/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- Let’s Dance with Dr Bryan Yoga
Difficulty Level ⚫️⚫️⚪️ We are what we dance.

The hunger for more strength and power is general in 1980s, from personal to national. Hence we had the signature dance of Michael Jackson- requires a lot of abs and scooping downward tailbone, the posterior pelvic tilt which offers us extra stability. Same applies to a standing warrior.

The dancing vibe in the 21st century is different, more about feminine and sexy move. So we have the Jennifer Lopez famous electric butt- arching lower back with flexible hamstrings, the anterior pelvic tilt which offers us extra mobility. Same applies to a seated forward fold.
We are what we move.
“Action is movement with intelligence. The world is filled with movement. What the world needs is more conscious movement, more action.” B.K.S. Iyengar

Looking for more- http://omacademy.yoga

23/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- The Gift with
Difficulty Level ⚫️⚪️⚪️ Remember how natural the wheel pose was when you were just five years old, the time eager so much to explore every body potential? And what happen next which kill the curiosity and destroy the gift.
A lot of fast foods. Multiple ankle sprains, Angry teenage hormones. And the working lifestyle human develops after the Industrial Revolution. Sit, sit, sit.
Asana practice offers an excellent opportunity for us to restore all the natural physics. Once the deterioration stops, THE journey begins.
Sitting is the new smoking. ~Health catchphrase, c.2009

Photo Credit to

22/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- Relative Flexibility with Dr Bryan Yoga
Difficulty level ⚫️⚫️⚫️ There is a common assumption that both gluteus and hamstrings, the engine and horsepower for most of our daily movements, are equally stretched and hence healed in a good forward bending pose like Janu Sirsasana. In fact because of the intrinsic leverage of forward bending, Gluteus muscle (more precisely gluteus maximus) is not targeted as precise as the hamstrings.
The possible distortion in the relative flexibility could be a source of problematic biomechanics, causing abnormal global body movement pattern. Asymmetrical pressure exerted within the joint could lead to impingement syndrome too, presents as an earlier obstruction in our asana practice.
In the library of asanas, any poses involve internal rotation of hip with adduction are good choices to release too much tension in gluteus maximus, like Garudasana legs or Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes pose). Further Reading about Relative Flexibility – Shirley A. Sahrmann, Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes
“...stiffness in one muscle group or joint will cause compensatory movement at adjoining joints that are controlled by muscles and soft tissues that exhibit less stiffness.” Photo Credit to

20/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- Ahimsa in Asana Practice with

There were a lot of amazing discussions that transpired during the Anatomy workshops in the Evolution Asia Yoga Conference 2018, here is just one of many- Is the Chin stand pose a source of bad karma for the neck and shoulders?

Let’s compare the Chin stand with the Scorpion pose, pay attention towards the global body pattern in back-bending. Both of the poses share similar backbending angle over the whole back column, the neck is not bearing weight, the arms are. One who can balance on their arms and lift the head in Scorpion pose demonstrates the ability to sustain a self balancing backbend body in chin-stand without using the ground as a pivot point to hold the pose. There is risk of too much compression around the neck if the chin is used to bear weight instead.

In that sense, Scorpion pose becomes a good preparation pose for chin stand. Is the Chin stand pose a source of bad karma for the neck and shoulders? Depends on how you do it. And indeed this answer works so well to many other anatomy questions too.

19/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- The Splits with
We all have different kind of gifts. Not necessarily fall into our hip opening degree in the Asana practice.

Some of the naughty genes may build up a bony obstacle which obstruct us much earlier than some talented others in the splits.
There are three strategies to tackle with that bony obstacle- either keep going to break something, or realign to pass through the block, or smile and surrender to the karma from the past life. “Yoga is an internal practice. The rest is just circus.” Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Photo Credit to

18/06/2018

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Karma Clinic- Evolutionary Padmasana with Dr Bryan Yoga
At the moment in the whole human history, when we decide a squat position is not civilised enough for sitting and toileting, the ability to rotate our hip externally during flexion is gone.
This ability lost reflects well in the evolution of padmasana, which transform slowly from a general basic meditation pose into a more challenging advanced asana through hundreds of year.
Malasana hence becomes a very good preparation pose to blossom our lotus in the 21st century. Calm Amidst the Chaos.
Photo Credit to

17/06/2018

Karma Clinic- Evolution of Pachimottanasana with

Instead of putting three yoga blocks behind the feet, there are more and more teachers instructing micro-bend the knees in Pachimottanasana initially, which allow some room for us to tilt the pelvis anteriorly, a good way to protect our lower back and release hamstrings a bit first before we go deep from there.

Hamstring pulls is by far the most common asana-related overstretched injury, a tendon insertion injury causing sit-bone pain, which require around three to six months to heal.

Have I practise Ahimsa as a yoga teacher? The answer is here the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: Abhyasa and Vairagya, balancing effort and surrender.

Photo credit .yogahk

10/06/2018

Workshop Yoga Anatomy 101 and Workshop Essential Anatomy: Remove Bad Karma in the Physical Kosha with Dr Bryan Lau

10/06/2018

Awesome energy and smiles with our new yoga family ❤️ We love Yoga and we love Anatomy! Thank you for your participation and love this weekend for the workshops with Dr Bryan Yoga and .yogahk 🙏😍 Look forward to the next time we meet!

08/06/2018

Yoga anatomy 101 workshop with Dr Bryan Yoga was super fun! Thanks for all the energy and we can't wait for the next workshop on Sunday! @ Asia Yoga Conference

07/06/2018

Is yoga anatomy something reserved exclusively for yoga nerds or is it useful and beneficial for all yoga practitioners? Our resident expert Wendy Chan believes that yoga anatomy can benefit anyone and everyone in yoga practice. Read more about it!

Is it something reserved exclusively for yoga nerds (like your yoga anatomy teacher) or is it useful and beneficial for all yoga practitioners? I believe that yoga anatomy can benefit anyone and everyone in yoga practice, and here’s why:

06/06/2018

Trying to take your practice to the next level? Here at Om Academy we are constantly researching scientific and medical ways to understand our practice at the higher level. Sign up for our newsletter to receive news our passionate team curate just for you!

ESSENTIAL ANATOMY FOR ASANA PRACTITIONERSLearn more about tension and weakness within our bodies, common pattern of body movement which accumulates bad karma, and more.