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LAUREL BEVERSDORF

LAUREL BEVERSDORF

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Should I Feel This In My Neck?

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A common question I get from students about poses like low boat (ardha navasana), where you lift your head up while lying supine, is “should I be feeling this in my neck?”

My teaching thrives on student questions like this one. I’ll often base entire classes off of them. That’s why in Hollow Body, Happy Neck, a class in my virtual studio, I addressed this question about the neck in a variety of ways, namely, in supine, core-focused moves.

Depending on how you look at it, the core includes the neck. But because we tend to treat our body like a collection of isolated parts, the neck work part of core work can get left out. On top of that (and unfortunately), the neck has been turned into a fragile, precious body part kept on the top shelf instead of out with the other toys in the playroom. We avoid moving it out of “neutral” because someone decided neutral was the only safe position. We strive to keep it “relaxed” all the time, because some other person decided activating neck muscles was a bad thing. If we feel sensation in our neck, that’s a bad, scary thing, and we should take some time off to recover, said a third person in charge of the body rules.

Never leaving neutral, never activating your neck muscles (which includes strengthening them), will likely make your neck stiff and creaky. In that condition, it’s probably not going to do all the things you actually need to be able to do with your neck, like lift your heavy head—for boat pose or, you know, getting out of bed or standing up.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/543651753
The truth is, in order for our necks to start to feel good, sometimes we need to build up more neck control by moving our neck and shoulders in the ways we neglect to move them. In other words, we may need to strengthen our necks—which will mean bringing it out of a neutral and relaxed position.

How to Strengthen Your Neck

Moves like Hollow Body/Ardha Navasana are decent poses for some to work on neck strengthening because in order to lift our head off the ground, we need to use our neck muscles. And, to answer our original question, it might mean we feel that effort in our neck.

If your neck muscles are particularly taxed with an exercise, they will fatigue sooner than other muscles involved, in which case, you might feel it mostly in your neck. This is normal, and it’s potentially a good sign that you’re loading your neck in a way that will increase its capacity, especially if your neck muscles haven’t been used in a while.

You shouldn’t feel neck pain with an exercise, though. If you do, it’s time to reassess how much load you’re lifting (and decrease it), and the position you’re lifting from (and refine it). Position also matters, and sometimes exploring more optimal neck positions for the particular task is helpful.

Demystifying Neck Sensations

But, to begin to explore any of this, we need to dispel the many myths about “bad” neck positions or that you should never feel your neck working. We need to move our neck in more of the ways it can move, and find ways to strengthen it.

I liken this to opening up all the doors of your house and (imagining) discovering rooms you didn’t know you had. Discovering new ways your body can move can feel surprising, fortunate, and wonderful, too!

For many students these hidden “rooms” are:

full range of motion neck mobilizations

neck strengthening

shoulder blade positions that have been thrown in jail for being “illegal” (shoulder blade elevation and contracting upper trapezius)

It’s also important to let go of unhelpful, caked-on postural habits that we’ve adopted as “correct,” like always pulling your shoulders down away from our ears. (This can get old fast and cause a lot of neck discomfort.)

Here are some steps we took in Hollow Body, Happy Neck to prepare, load, and educate our necks:
  • We warmed up your spine (and neck) together ahead of time, because the spine includes the neck.
  • We loaded our shoulders in novel ways, like elevating (lifting them UP) them against resistance. We then mobilized our neck within that new context.
  • We refined the timing of our neck mechanics with our core work, and paid attention to neck position.
  • We used bands to offload the weight of the head in supine core work to down scale the load and further refine position.
  • We practiced full range of motion core work to explore neck mechanics dynamically.

Finally, we felt the effects of this prep work in Hollow Body at the end.

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laurelbeversdorf

Initial gains in strength in split lunge likely in Initial gains in strength in split lunge likely involve improvements in balance and coordination.Improvements in balance and coordination are not only outcomes of getting stronger, they are strategies for getting stronger.Since strength is specific, how we strengthen matters for what kind of strength we build.It makes sense we’d want to practice the shape that’s gonna be the most optimal to load (depending on our goal) because that shape then supports increasing load over time.Floppy lunge might be okay in Vinyasa flow, but it’s not balanced or coordinated for heavy weights.When we focus first on form and tension within that form, we make progress in our strength sooner. We build a strong foundation to load later.This does not mean our body position needs to be *perfect* before we load it—what does that even mean?In fact our body position likely won’t be the same (and shouldn’t be) in bodyweight versus loaded positions, just like we don’t look the same when we jog versus sprint.Form checks, like where the back knee goes in a yoga versus split lunge and proprioceptive cues to find more global tension can simply be a good way to prepare before loading.Try these 3 tips to de-floppify your split lunge.1️⃣ perch one tush on a stool and line your back knee up somewhere under its hip. Lift off, hold, then step forward and backward. Aim your butt to the seat, and your knee under your hip.2️⃣ squeeze a bolster to generate global tension and balance your trunk better between your feet.3️⃣ add a heavier thing to squeeze like a med ball.If all goes well, in time, add back that kettlebell! And then another. 😉 💪Pssst! I’ve created a new program.It’s called Kettlebell Progressive Program: Strength, Power, Plyometrics. 15 weeks, 3 training blocks.Classes + recordings start Aug. 16.This is one of many strength & conditioning programs, 100s of yoga, yoga with bands, self-massage, and somatics practices.Right now I’m running a discount on annual membership. Pay $360/year—all access. Offer ends 9/14. I won’t be offering an annual membership discount again in 2022.Link in bio 👀
Listen to the latest episode on the Movement Logic Listen to the latest episode on the Movement Logic Podcast about the best (not body-building!) exercises for strength, delivered to you by yours truly, Laurel, a non-bruh yoga teacher and strength coach.Short on time? Here are the 5 tips I name for *how to think about* strength exercises when making your choices:#1 — train movements not muscles, namely the squat/lunge, hinge, upper body push & upper body pull.#2 — decide how many exercises you can do in a session. Be realistic about how much time it takes for the sets (and rest in between). Typically for me, realistically, 1 set takes about about 3-4 minutes on average.#3 — based on your answer for #2, prioritize selecting multi-joint exercises over single joint exercises because they train more muscle mass and are a better use of your time (especially if time is limited.)#4 — train full body and hit all the “macronutrients for strength” (those movement categories I named in tip #1) rather than doing a split routine like leg day, back and chest day, biceps and triceps day. Split routines are a body-building thing, ya know? The benefit of full body is every session you train strength in the major movements and because of that, every week, you’ll hit those movements more frequently (every workout) which is key for building strength if you don’t have 4-5 days a week to workout.#5 — order your exercises strategically so that it’s logical in terms of the exercise demands, but also so you’re putting your individual strength priorities first (sorta like triage.)Listen to the whole episode via the link in my bio. 👀
Constraints are cues you give yourself.Constrain Constraints are cues you give yourself.Constrain a joint’s movement to move from another joint more. This is a key that unlocks deep understanding for movement in yoga, but also strength training! 🔑 🧠 💡Temporarily working with an incline (or negative heel) can make squatty deadlifts more hip hingey. This can help you work and feel more hip and hamstring effort (and less quad effort.)But let’s remember that a deadlift can work all of these muscle groups including the quads and it’s not wrong to have a squatty deadlift.After all, the deadlift is only an abstract concept like a yoga pose.You can’t hug a deadlift.Meanwhile, your body is not abstract. It’s huggable.There are many ways to deadlift depending on what you want your body to experience and what change you want to make. The deadlift can help depending on how you apply the concept. Squatty and hingey will each give you different results.Lots of yoga people want to strengthen their glutes and hamstrings. They want to feel those groups working more for strength.Here I’m showing how you can bias more hips and less knees by limiting ankle dorsiflexion and (then also) knee flexion. This constraint create more opportunity for your glutes and hammies.Try it and feel it in your body (booty!) 🍑Pssst! I’ve created a new program in my Virtual Studio. It’s called Kettlebell Progressive Program: Strength, Power, Plyometrics. Classes + recordings start Aug. 16.This fresh program is one of many programs and 100s of yoga, yoga with bands, self-massage, and somatics-based practices.Right now I’m running a discount on annual membership to my Virtual Studio. Pay $360/year (or $1 day) for all access. This offer ends Sep. 14 and I won’t be offering a discount on annual membership again this year.Link in bio 👀
Sort of funny sounding but one of the ways I pract Sort of funny sounding but one of the ways I practice self-care is that every year I get the interior of my car detailed.The person comes to my house and cleans every little nook and cranny inside my car. It is 100% worth the cost.As the mother of a toddler, this service creates significant, happiness-making enhancement to the interior look, smell, and feel of my car. It is absolutely wonderful.This year, before getting our car detailed Eli and I also cleaned the outside of the car together.It was easy—dish soap—effective, and also satisfying.I highly recommend this activity as a way to get your young children to work! 💪
In Episode 8 of the Movement Logic podcast I’m j In Episode 8 of the Movement Logic podcast I’m joined by my friend and colleague @TrinaAltman. Together, we discuss Trina’s experience with perimenopause. Trina shares her personal story along with tons of resources for women going through this change of life.
—What is perimenopause?—Doctors have a tendency to minimize women’s suffering—Brain fog and hot flashes—Challenges women face when navigating the medical system—Finding a doctor that spends more time with you AND is evidence-based AND is current on the research—The Women’s Health Initiative and fear they created (through highly questionable handling and interpretation of the data) around estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).—Weight gain and perimenopause—Scope appropriate advice for movement teachers working with perimenopausal and menopausal students
TRINA’S BIO:Trina received her training through STOTT Pilates® and is an E-RYT 500. She created Yoga Deconstructed® and Pilates Deconstructed® to show teachers how to take an interdisciplinary approach to foster an embodied understanding of yoga and Pilates in relation to modern movement science.Link in bio to listen and subscribe to Movement Logic: Strong Opinions, Loosely Held 👀
In Episode 8 of the Movement Logic podcast I’m j In Episode 8 of the Movement Logic podcast I’m joined by my friend and colleague @TrinaAltman. Together, we discuss Trina’s experience with perimenopause.Trina shares her personal story along with tons of resources for women going through this change of life. We discuss:
—What is perimenopause?—Doctors have a tendency to minimize women’s suffering—Brain fog and hot flashes—Challenges women face when navigating the medical system—Finding a doctor that spends more time with you AND is evidence-based AND is current on the research—The Women’s Health Initiative and fear they created (through highly questionable handling and interpretation of the data) around estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).—Weight gain and perimenopause—Scope appropriate advice for movement teachers working with perimenopausal and menopausal students
TRINA’S BIO:Trina received her training through STOTT Pilates® and is an E-RYT 500. She created Yoga Deconstructed® and Pilates Deconstructed® to show teachers how to take an interdisciplinary approach to foster an embodied understanding of yoga and Pilates in relation to modern movement science.Link in bio to listen and subscribe to Movement Logic: Strong Opinions, Loosely Held 👀
I started hurting while practicing yoga asana. I r I started hurting while practicing yoga asana. I realize now, my hurty joints weren't necessarily *from* practicing yoga asana.They were from *not practicing anything else.*After many years of practice, I no longer even broke a sweat during pretty strong Vinyasa flow classes. I’d plateaued in strength. I wasn't loading my body in a wide enough variety of ways. I wasn’t externally loading it. I wasn't doing any pulling, only pushing.The flip side of my issue with overload was my issue of under load. Overload and under load are two sides of the pain coin.Today, I'm practicing the asanas without pain. I didn't have to stop practicing. Instead, I started regularly lifting weights and incorporating resistance bands and weights into my practice.I added movement. I didn't subtract it.When we have pain, of course we want it to go away. To achieve this, we stop doing the things we think cause it. It makes total sense! The thing is, while often necessary in the short-term, this is rarely a long-term solution.The activity we put on pause is often not the root issue. Our body’s capacity to handle the loads of the activity is.And, unlike hobbies, sometimes it's not possible to put something on pause. If I suspect driving my car is causing me pain, I still have to drive to work. If carrying my toddler is causing me pain, I'm probably going to keep carrying my toddler.Instead of eliminating the activity that's causing pain, we can make our bodies more capable of managing the loads of that activity by adding loads that we’re missing progressively over time.Adding resistance bands and weight not only increases the magnitude of load my body is capable of managing, but also how I load my body in the poses—variability!Adding external load changes the practice for sure. You can also have a complimentary practice and that can also be your practice.
This lumbopelvic-focused progressive sequence (SWI This lumbopelvic-focused progressive sequence (SWIPE 👈) is called Gentle Hip Unwind.The lumbopelvic region is an “intersection” of our body where our low back & pelvis negotiate, coordinate, initiate, and control movement of our spine and lower extremities (ya know, so only about most of our whole body.)The lumbopelvic region is Grand Central Station for movement and load management!Since it’s such an important and often sore area of our body, sometimes it’s good to gently explore “unwinding”
it.There are many ways to go about unwinding this area. This series of short, sped up videos, shows parts of a progressive sequence I taught Tue.I note the general body position in each video (seated, crab, supine, standing). This is akin to “chapters”.The chapters are basic body positions and within them, I bring in and develop key movement relationships + points of awareness.My sequences often go from the ground to standing, but they often deviate too, like starting standing and moving to the ground. It depends. What’s often the case is an element of repetition of the same or similar movement relationships in each stage.If the body positions are like chapters, the movement relationships and repeat points of focus are like dialogue between characters.Because this sequence is relatively passive, I refer to it as ‘gentle.’ You could certainly make this sequence more active by changing some things, and that wouldn’t necessarily make the sequence whatever the opposite of gentle is. ( ;The word gentle is a shared language within communities that practice yoga, and people tend to associate it with more passive or “mellow” work that isn’t just static but mixes dynamic and static work.What do you think of when you think of a “Gentle” practice?If you’d like to try membership to my Virtual Studio, you can pay for one month all-access (sign up and cancel) or recurring subscription (sign up and stay.) $40/mo link in bio 👀
Remember when everyone was so 😱 about people me Remember when everyone was so 😱 about people memeing themselves.That was always confusing to me.Some folks hate the public intimacy of social media. I get it. It’s weird.But  a lot of folks also want to share what they really think on social, but are afraid to, and then get resentful when someone else does it. Hence the “can you believe so-and-so memed themself?”Fear is no fun at all.I’m glad I live in a bubble where I can pop off about shit (AKA meme myself) without too much second guessing.Here I go again!#RepostAs movement teachers, when we suggest certain movements and positions (that human bodies do) are bad, wrong, dangerous, or just less than, we perpetuate fear of movement, or this idea some ways of being in our bodies or not acceptable.Our words are powerful. We are highly influential. When students hear us imply certain positions or movements (things bodies can do/are built to do) are “less than” part of what we communicate is “don’t go there.” “Don’t learn about this part of yourself. Don’t explore it. It’s not safe in your body in this place. And, you need me (the teacher) to help you find the good places and avoid the bad places.”This fosters fear and dependence in our students, not curiosity and agency.The most effective teachers make themselves obsolete. They don’t TEACH students *what* to think, they MODEL for students *how* to think, which means they share their process, doubt, and uncertainty.Instead of pitting movements against each other we can imply BOTH have value and then organize learning the difference between.What if we created space for inquiry for students to explore befriending all of themselves? What if we fostered inquiry around those ways that feel better, worse, more/less interesting, more/less useful and asked students to decide?This is, I feel, movement optimism. It’s fostering inquiry, curiosity, courage, and playfulness in learning about how our bodies move, in addition to fostering acceptance of our bodies and other bodies’ existence, value, and right to be here. It’s teaching choices rather than teaching right v wrong, good v bad.That’s religion.I’d rather learn to move.
Episode 7 of the @movementlogictutorials podcast i Episode 7 of the @movementlogictutorials podcast is up! In this solo episode, @sarahcourtdpt tackles the tricky subject of pain, and whether it’s always bad if our clients and students have pain. She discusses the situations in which pain might be acceptable, and gives concrete tools and approaches for you to use with your clients who are having pain.
➡️What’s the difference between acute and chronic pain?➡️When might it be ok - and when would it not be ok - for your students to have pain?➡️How to avoid generating fear for your students around their pain experience➡️How much pain would be acceptable for someone to have?➡️How to tease out different sensations to help your client have greater discernment around what they’re feeling in their body🔗Click the link in bio to watch the episode on our website, or listen and subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts!#yogaclassesonline #onlineyogaclasses #mobilityclasses #bodynerd #yogatherapy #movementtherapy #liveonlineyoga #practiceyoga #movementlogic #pilatesinstructor #yogateacherconed #yogateacher #painrelief #movementteacher #physicaltherapist #strengthcoach #mobilitycoach #worksmarternotharder #movementlogicpodcast #laurelbeversdorf #sarahcourt
Episode 7 of the @movementlogictutorials podcast i Episode 7 of the @movementlogictutorials podcast is up! In this solo episode, @sarahcourtdpt tackles the tricky subject of pain, and whether it’s always bad if our clients and students have pain. She discusses the situations in which pain might be acceptable, and gives concrete tools and approaches for you to use with your clients who are having pain.
➡️What’s the difference between acute and chronic pain?➡️When might it be ok - and when would it not be ok - for your students to have pain?➡️How to avoid generating fear for your students around their pain experience➡️How much pain would be acceptable for someone to have?➡️How to tease out different sensations to help your client have greater discernment around what they’re feeling in their body🔗Click the link in bio to watch the episode on our website, or listen and subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts!#yogaclassesonline #onlineyogaclasses #mobilityclasses #bodynerd #yogatherapy #movementtherapy #liveonlineyoga #practiceyoga #movementlogic #pilatesinstructor #yogateacherconed #yogateacher #painrelief #movementteacher #physicaltherapist #strengthcoach #mobilitycoach #worksmarternotharder #movementlogicpodcast #laurelbeversdorf #sarahcourt
Hey, when @sarahcourtdpt tags you and tells you to Hey, when @sarahcourtdpt tags you and tells you to show her your kaftan because @yogawalla told her to show her HER kaftan, you do your best. You find your best kaftan and if you don’t have one, you find your best almost-a-kaftan, and you find a good wall, and you try to match the vibe.I nominate @caitlincasella @greatoakcircle and @nychristiane#movementlogic #showmeyourmumu #showmeyourhousedress #showmeyourkaftan
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