Alison West Yoga

03/19/2025

Finding Support in Trying Times
A few ways to keep the spine long, the body released and the breath flowing. Observing alignment in supported poses can clarify the work You can translate the insights to more active poses or you can continue with a fully supported class to promote deep relaxation.
• Right Side
- Standing Forward Bend with chair, to allow for trunk support and greater release of the spine
- Wide Legged Pose with the hands pressing into blocks to create lumbar traction/lengthening
• Left Side
- Supported Puppy Pose
- Supine Forward Bend with blocks to support legs in deeper flexion and pelvis off blanket to avoid to lumbar flexion (if that is what one is looking for—there is nothing wrong with flexing the lumbar spine)
 
Four Master Classes
Wednesdays, 2-4pm  March 19, 26 April 2, 9
 
Focusing on and being aware of the body, the breath, and the two together, are refined ways of both calming down and gearing up for life in this world. 
 
We are going through a massive national upheaval. As on an aircraft when the oxygen mask descends, we each need to take care of ourselves, draw deep breaths, compress, expand and rinse to bring fresh energy and strength to our being. Over the course of these four weeks, we will explore aspects of practice to bring greater structural support and movement insight to our work, have fun developing some poses to be determined together as a group, and create a community in which both serious and light-hearted work flows together in a healing way.
 
Among other things we will:
 
🌎 Study structure and play with props to support our both our asana and meditation practices.
 
🌕 Study breath to support our mind and our movement
 
🪐 Study adjustments as a powerful doorway to understanding our own practice while helping a partner
 
🌙 Relax deeply!

11/24/2024

Dive deep into Practicing and Cueing From The Inner Body: Bones, Muscles, Organs. Today11/24 .
🕊 1-3 Sensitizing oneself to and working form the inner body can produce new ways to move and be.

🕊 4 Bones, muscles, and organs can be asked to spread, fan, lengthen, broaden, spiral. The body is immensely collaborative and will organize itself around what one is suggesting, however implausible it may seem.

🕊 5 Video To give an example, if you tend towards hyper-lordosis, or over-arching of the lower back due to habitual patterns of standing in particular, suggesting that the back of the kidneys revolve away from each other can awaken you to new sense of effortless fullness and length without having to battle with front/back adjustments.


Asanas progress in difficulty. Stop at your level and explore more there.

This Sunday 11/24, 2-4:30pm , NYC. Link in bio.

11/15/2024

Deep dive into…
Working from the back body: fullness and breath
This Sunday Nov 17 2-4:30 pm. Link in bio.
 
🕊Practice from the back volume of the head, back of the back, hamstrings, knees, calves, even back of the heels, and back of the arms.
 
🕊Use props and poses to stimulate awareness of the back body, starting with the floor and wall.
 
🕊In an age of moving forward all the time, reaching into the future, engaging with anxiety,  reaching into the back body is centering, calming and illuminating.
 
🕊Experience yourself in a new way.

11/03/2024

What does “geometric limb length” mean and why does it matter? Join me Nov 10, 2-4:30 @ Kula Yoga Project to explore this material in your practice. Link in bio.

1 Photo of large mural at Eataly, NY, based on Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man.
The lifting left leg appears shorter in relation to the vertical line than the center standing leg. The lifting right arm appears shorter in relation to the horizontal line than the arm that is less lifted, but longer in terms of the vertical line! Learn how to apply these valuable insights to your practice.

I coined the phrase “geometric limb length” many years ago to help my students understand relative length depending on position, or the “geometric” length of limb or trunk, as opposed to its actual length or dimension. Understanding that a limb, or indeed the trunk, can change in relative length can open up a world of understanding regarding the difficulty of a pose for someone with say, a trunk longer in relation to the limbs than someone with limbs longer in relation to the trunk, although geometric limb length is more than just body proportion. It can also be called “positional” limb or trunk or body length.
 
Understanding the relative nature of limb length can help with pose modification and prop use, as well as defuse a sense of inadequacy when limb or trunk length (body proportions) might be the cause of a limitation. Even foot and hand length placement can affect their relative length and thus their effect on a pose.
 
Learn to think about asanas themselves in different variations and how those variations may affect other body parts and students with different body proportions. Once you master the basics, you’ll be in a new world of personal inquiry, teaching, adjusting and modifying.

11/03/2024

What does “geometric limb length” mean and why does it matter? Come share this exploration with me on Nov 10 at Kula YOGA Project NYC, 2-4:30pm Link in bio.
 
I coined the phrase “geometric limb length” many years ago to help my students understand relative length depending on position, or the “geometric” length of limb or trunk, as opposed to its actual length or dimension. Understanding that a limb, or indeed the trunk, can change in relative length can open up a world of understanding regarding the difficulty of a pose for someone with say, a trunk longer in relation to the limbs than someone with limbs longer in relation to the trunk, although geometric limb length is more than just body proportion. It can also be called “positional” limb or trunk or body length. Note: this not about body proportions, although that enters into this.
 
Understanding the relative nature of limb length can help with pose modification and prop use, as well as defuse a sense of inadequacy when limb or trunk length (body proportions) might be the cause of a limitation. Even foot and hand length placement can affect their relative length and thus their effect on a pose.
 
Learn to think about asanas themselves in different variations and how those variations may affect other body parts and students with different body proportions. Once you master the basics, you’ll be in a new world of personal inquiry, teaching, adjusting and modifying.








 

11/03/2024

Newsletter link for all new class series and workshop series starting this week!
https://conta.cc/3Cbdg0A

Sunday Nov 10 Geometric, or Postural, Limb Length in Asana Practice. Vitruvian Woman: Photo of large mural at Eataly, NY, based on Leonardo's Vitruvian Man. The lifting left leg appears shorter in relation to the vertical line than the center standing leg. The lifting right arm appears shorter in relation to the horizontal line than the arm that is less lifted, but longer in terms of the vertical line! Learn how to apply these valuable insights to your practice.

11/01/2024

It’s wonderful to be teaching a series of classes and workshops in NYC this month and a little into December!

In this in-person only Backcare Basics series, I look forward to sharing with you the tools you need to practice safely at home or in class while developing strength and range of motion, as well as a peaceful , steady breath. The main focus will be on generalized backpain and lumbar herniation, but I will address spondlolysis, spinal osteoporosis, and anterolysthesis as needed. This material is foundational for the Yoga for Scoliosis workshop/classes that I will be teaching.

🕊 Limited to six students.
🕊 Sessions take place at a beautiful rope- and prop-equipped studio on West End Avenue and 81st, NY NY. The address will be sent upon registration.

🕊 Level: Beginner and for those wanting to review.

🕊 Please email me if you have questions: alison@yogaunion.com.

11/01/2024

05/24/2024

Finding pleasure in small things: a flat chair at the sacrum.

Anantanasana, or Couch of Lord Vishnu
This is a delightful, peaceful pose when in balance. But the balance can sometimes be surprisingly elusive, especially in the beginning.
🍀 1 Here, a flat chair at the sacrum (position varies slightly) gives delicate feedback for pelvic position.
🍀 3 (Video on Instagram) Range of motion in the hip will dictate pelvic position to avoid falling forward or back. The greater the range of motion, the more vertically the leg can be without causing you to fall back. If, like me, your external/laternal movement is good but not extreme, your knee as you bend it will be a little in front as your upper hip moves back to compensate, distributing your weight on either side of your line of balance.
🍀 2 (Video on Instagram) Moving into the pose
The pose can be done with a blanket under the elbow to the waist to compensate for the width of the hips. The wider they are, the more challenging the balance.

More flat chair work from two years ago as my shoulder continues to heal, and it’s healing very well.
Down Dog, Headstand, Shoulderstand with a chair and so on are happening.

05/05/2024

From: “alison@yogaunion.com”
Date: Friday, May 3, 2024 at 11:56 AM
To: “alison@yogaunion.com”
Subject: FLAT CHAIR 4



Folded, or “Flat” Chair Part 4
While my left arm is regaining strength, I’m posting a series of posts of photos, videos and stills from short videos on flat-chair use that I made 1-2 years ago.

Post 4
A flat chair, or other chair-like item (here, a spare shelf) can help develop arm balances and make them fun if you feel challenged—and even if you don’t, or support movement from flexion to full extension and back again, or to release in a shelf-supported Down Dog counterpose.

1-2 Eka Pada Bakasana, or Flying Crow into Mayurasana, or Peackcok pose.
3 Cf with a flat chair
4-6 Flexion to Standing Extension (Standing Urdva Mukha Svanasana) and Back again, almost like flying into the air when you stand up and landing from a jump when you come down.
7 Adho Muka Svanasana, or DownDog, using a shelf on its long end instead of a flat chair. Here, the trunk and arms reach away from the support into open space, given the length of the support.







,

04/20/2024

Folded, or “Flat” Chair Part 2
While my left arm is regaining strength, I’m posting a series of posts of photos and stills from short videos on flat-chair use that I made 2 years ago.

Post 2
Some Standing Poses, chair at hip crease for support and especially to encourage spaciousness and length of spine. This spaciousness serves not only the musculoskeletal system but the organic and nervous systems as well. Proprioceptive tools and support bring stability and calm. The rolled yoga mat serves to brace the chair in case the mat offers insufficient traction.

1 Ardha Chandrasana / Half Moon
2 Warrior 3 / Virabhdrasana Three (leg a little low)
3 Standing Forward Bend / Uttanasana with released back
4-5 Revolved Triangle /Parivrtta Trikonasana with chair at hip crease for length and pelvic position and at side with arm hooked over top of chair for support and rotation. Hand can move to chair top and press down to increase rotation.
6-8 Extended Side Angle with chair both back and front, providing chest opening and organic and joint/labral support, as well as on the thigh to create traction from hip out.

04/19/2024

Folded, or “Flat” Chair
While my left arm is regaining strength, I’m posting a series of posts of photos and stills from short videos on flat-chair use that I made two years ago.

Post 1
1-2 Seated poses, chair to sacrum and thoracic spine
3-4 Virasana/Hero’s Pose seated on block with chair in two positions. The further away and the higher arms the more the back will want to arch. Here, the arms are low enough to help balance the back and front spine. The closer the chair, the easier it is to lift the back lower ribs and avoid over-arching.
5-7 Tadasana with chair in three positions. When unimpeded, the first chair position induces anterior pelvic tilt/back arch. This can be used to understand Natarajasana/Lord of the Dance, where the standing leg remains vertical while the pelvis tilts and the spine extends, very mildly here. The subsequent two, one at the p***c bone, the other at the sacrum, help to sense/increase pelvic neutrality if that is what is desired.
.