Joanna Grace Yoga

10/29/2025

🫁✨🌬️ Ujjayi Pranayama is a highly effective breathing technique to aid in regulating the nervous system and preparing the mind for meditation 🧘🏻

How to Practice Ujjayi Breath (Ocean’s Breath) Step by Step

10/27/2025

Upper back, shoulder, and neck ✨

10/22/2025

https://www.joannagraceyoga.com/offerings

New yoga offering this January in the evening time 🌙

10/21/2025

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

1. Begin in Tabletop position on your hands and knees.
2. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips up and back, straightening your legs and spine as much as possible.
3. Form an inverted "V" shape with your body, keeping your knees bent if necessary.
• Aim for an inverted "V" shape.
• Press your heels toward the ground without forcing them to touch.
• Keep your ears aligned with your upper arms.
4. Engage your core and lengthen your body.
• Gently pull your navel toward your spine.
• Lift your sitting bones high while grounding your hands and feet.
• Soften your knees if you feel your back rounding.
5. Focus on your breath.
• Hold the pose for 3–5 breaths, feeling the length and stability in your body.

10/20/2025

✨🦵🏼 The Kinetic Chain: Hips – Knees – Ankles Connection

The knee doesn’t work in isolation. It’s deeply influenced by the hip and ankle alignment.

1. Hips Above the Knee
• Hip strength and mobility determine how the femur moves.
• Weak glutes or tight hip flexors can cause internal rotation of the femur → leading to knee valgus (knees collapsing inward).
• Strong, balanced hip muscles help the knees track properly over the toes.

2. Ankles Below the Knee
• The ankle joint affects how the tibia and foot align.
• Limited ankle dorsiflexion (the ability to lift the toes up) can force the knees to cave inward or heels to lift in squats and lunges.
• Healthy arches and mobile ankles help distribute weight evenly and keep the knee stable. Let’s explore poses of the ankles and hips to support our knee health 🦴💪🏼

10/19/2025

10/16/2025

I will be leading a guided breath work and meditation on Nov 6th. Come join us ✨

10/14/2025

Double Seated Pigeon Pose (also known as Fire Log Pose, or Agnistambhasana) is a deep hip-opening pose that targets the outer hips, glutes, and piriformis muscles.

1. Start seated in a comfortable cross-legged position.
2. Bring your right shin parallel to the front of your mat.
Flex your right foot.
3. Stack your left shin directly on top of your right.
The left ankle should rest on the right knee, and the left knee over the right ankle — forming a “stacked logs” 🪵
4. Sit tall through your spine. If your top knee is lifted high, you can sit on a blocks or place a block under the knee.
5. Stay upright or begin to fold forward slowly, hinging at your hips to deepen the stretch.
6. Breathe deeply into your hips, staying for 1–3 minutes on each side.

Seated with legs cross is a great option if this pose bothers knees.
🔥 Benefits
• Opens the hips, glutes, and piriformis
• Relieves tension in the lower back
• Supports emotional release
• Prepares the body for lotus or seated meditation postures

10/13/2025

Joannagraceyoga.com
In Studio and Online Classes ✨🌱🧡

10/12/2025

10/11/2025

✨🧡🌱 Therapeutic Vinyasa Yoga in Southampton, PA and Online with Zoom 💻

Joannagraceyoga.com

10/08/2025

Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) & the Parasympathetic Nervous System 🧘‍♀️

“Legs up the wall” is one of the most soothing poses in yoga — and there’s science behind why it feels so calming.

🌿 How It Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is our “rest and digest” mode — the branch of the nervous system responsible for slowing the heart rate, improving digestion, and bringing the body back into balance after stress.

Viparita Karani supports this in a few key ways:
1. Reverses the flow of gravity — Elevating the legs promotes venous return (blood flow back to the heart), which can lower blood pressure and ease the workload on the heart.
2. Encourages diaphragmatic breathing — As you settle into the pose, your breath naturally deepens and slows, stimulating the vagus nerve, the main communicator of the PNS.
3. Reduces muscle tension — The supported inversion signals safety to the body, helping muscles release and the mind quiet down.
4. Calms the mind — With eyes closed and the body supported, sensory input decreases, allowing the brain to shift from “doing” to “being.”

💪🏼 How to Practice
• Sit with one hip close to the wall.
• Swing your legs up as you lower your back to the floor.
• Rest your arms by your sides or on your belly.
• Stay for 5–15 minutes, breathing slowly and evenly.
• Option: add a bolster under the hips or a folded blanket under the head.