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LAUREL BEVERSDORF

Yoga Courses and Teacher Training with Laurel Beversdorf

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laurelbeversdorf

Yoga with Resistance Bands
Body of Knowledge
Online Classes
Workshops & Trainings

Rest In Peace, RBG Photo credit @npr #vote

Rest In Peace, RBG

Photo credit @npr

#vote

Camera B view of the 15 min. foot massage sequence

Camera B view of the 15 min. foot massage sequence going up soon to the on demand library of my virtual studio.
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Video speed 6x 🐇 the massage ball is Yoga Tune Up®️

Forward fold check and re-check + lots of nerdy context included - observe the gesticulating shadow. 😉 🦶 🤓
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I’m going to be sharing free content like this in my next newsletter. Wanna make sure you don’t miss it? Join my list via the link in my bio 👀

These are the props you need for today’s Balls &

These are the props you need for today’s Balls & Bands Flow class Fluff & Firm your Buttocks.
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Swipe L for how to make “stirrup” bands.
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Check my last two posts for some of the stuff we’re gonna do.
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Link in bio to become an all-access member to my virtual studio — get all live and on-demand yoga and kettlebell classes for a low monthly subscription (cancel anytime) or drop-in to today’s live class for $15 and get a 7-day replay.

We say “glutes” like we don’t have 6! We do!

We say “glutes” like we don’t have 6! We do!
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We have a right and left gluteus maximus. And then there’s medius and minimus which have right and left sides, too.
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None of these 6 glutes *usually* work the same way for all us, so we’re gonna pay extra attention to each tomorrow in Fluff & Firm Your Buttocks, Tuesday 12-1:15p EST.
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We’re zeroing in on the glutes — all 6 of them 😮 6️⃣ — with balls & bands!
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I love the balls + bands combo because both self-massage and working with resistance bands improve proprioception, just in different ways.
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We might think of this difference as passive vs. active.
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Self-massage influences our structures more passively through pressure and tension. It applies pressure and creates passive tension (stretch in our soft tissues) - which turns into “data” our brain uses to make sense/perception of our body position.
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Our skin and soft tissues are loaded with little data receptors (proprioceptors) that receive this stimulation of pressure and tension and message it to our brain which forms a clearer inner portrait (AKA somatosensory map) of what our body position is.

Similarly (but quite different!) work with resistance bands influences our active structures (contractile ones, think muscles) through load that requires them to generate more *active* tension (the kind that requires ATP).
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This active tension is data, too.
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In totality, all of this tension - active and passive - helps our brain refine our body awareness.

Wanna play with these banded ideas tomorrow? Come to class (you can drop-in for $15 but the best deal is membership to my virtual studio which includes all live classes and class recordings + other shorter content I film and upload every month.)
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Click the top link in my bio 👆and read more about my virtual studio and how to take live classes with me!

5 hours left to lock in $30/mo membership (cancel

5 hours left to lock in $30/mo membership (cancel anytime with a click of the mouse) before the price goes up to $40/mo 9/14 (tomorrow.)
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I won’t be offering a $30/mo rate again, and I won’t be offering free trials.
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For $30/month, your membership includes:

UNLIMITED LIVE CLASSES
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Kettlebell Gym (Thursdays 12-1:15pm EST)
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Yoga Blend masterclasses (4 class series every 6 weeks on Tuesdays, 12-1:15pm EST)
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ACCESS TO THE ON-DEMAND LIBRARY
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Currently 30 classes with new classes uploaded each month.
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Edited recordings of all live Kettlebell Gym classes (11 classes & growing!)
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Edited recordings of all Yoga Blend Masterclasses, new 4-part series with a different theme every 6 weeks.
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Yoga with Bands classes (13 classes, 60-70 min each)
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Yoga Express classes (15-40 min classes)
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Kettlebell Express workouts (15-30 min workouts) coming soon!
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Self-Massage Sessions
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In-Depth Tutorials, coming soon!
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Q&A community meet up each month via Zoom (aka The Studio Lobby)
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💪 Link in bio 👀

Maybe you didn’t know this about me, but I was a

Maybe you didn’t know this about me, but I was a jock in high school.

I got good at volleyball, but looking back on years of athletics, it was really being around my teammates that was most beneficial. They taught me girls are tough, competitive, and powerful.
 Actually, as a teenage girl, volleyball gave me an outlet to explore being *a whole person* instead one of the shallow female characters I'd see depicted in movies, with narrow emotional, professional, and aesthetic range (but lots of sex appeal 🤷‍♀️ .)

During this formative period in my development, my teammates and I learned to smash a ball, leap up to block that same rocketing bullet, dive our bruised bodies to the floor and deftly pass the ball off to our teammate who would spike it back at the other side. We cried tears of joy for our hard fought wins and tears of disappointment through our tough losses.  We learned that empowerment isn't popularity, beauty, or boyfriends.

It’s skill.

And it’s skill we build collectively through competition (yes) but also camaraderie, accountability, and community.

Teaching kettlebells has re-awakened the athlete in me. The side of me that has always loved a physical challenge, and the process of working on improving skill. It's also been wonderful to reclaim the athletic spring in my tissues, the speed in my force production. It’s even more wonderful to help other womxn do that, too.
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Which is why I’m happy to be able to create opportunities to build strength daily in my virtual studio, which includes an expanding library of on-demand class recordings, but also the opportunity for accountability, community, and teacher feedback in LIVE classes weekly - Kettlebell Gym, Thursdays (12p EST) and Balls + Bands Flow, Tuesdays (12pm EST)  There are also over 25 on-demand Self-Massage Sessions, Kettlebell Gym, and Yoga with Bands classes available to view immediately.

Aaaannd if you sign up before Sep. 14th (this Monday) you will lock in a $30/month founding member rate (you can cancel anytime.)

The price goes up to $40 after Sep. 14th. After that, I won’t be offering this $30 founding member price again. Link in bio to learn more and sign up 👀

Swipe 👈 for the wooden spoon variation. Sound

Swipe 👈 for the wooden spoon variation.

Sound on 🎙 for talk of a ladle between the legs and an explosion. 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️#shitkettlebellteacherssay #questionable
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Anyhoo...we worked on the 1/2 rotation switch in Kettlebell Gym today.
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Side note: it’s great when you teach at home on Zoom and you have a wooden spoon right there in your kitchen to highlight handle rotation in a KB swing. #brightside

Today is the first Kettlebell Gym LIVE of the seas

Today is the first Kettlebell Gym LIVE of the season. Thursday, 12-1:15p EST.
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Live classes are included with membership ($30/month, cancel anytime).
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You can also drop-in for $15 and get a 7-day replay.
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Links in bio to find out about becoming a member and dropping in. Or learn more here — https://laurelbeversdorf.com/membership/

My interest is in mixing modalities to find cohere

My interest is in mixing modalities to find coherence between stimuli.

It's common sense. Our body needs a variety of loads (like nutrients) to be healthy and pain free. Part of this coherence-making is in promoting self-care.

But blending sensory-motor learning strategies helps us know more of ourselves, too. In this way, the aim is self-knowledge, coherent with the practice of yoga.

I started incorporating resistance bands directly into my asana practice to help students dose their practice with strength. I incorporated therapy balls for self-touch and self-regulation.

I was swinging kettlebells during this time, and harbored a desire to teach it.

"Breaking into" the fitness scene gave me pause. I feel like an outsider and frankly, the fitness scene turns me off.

Then a global pandemic struck. I called up the Imposter Syndrome Fairy and told her we needed to mentally distance.

I created my own scene and started Kettlebell Gym.

My friend and collaborator, @sarahcourtdpt took one of my Kettlebell Gym classes and sent that text (swipe L)

What she says is key, I think. I interpret kettlebells for yoga people. I find relevant crossover and emphasize it. I know what will feel new and demystify it. We lift heavy bells but the atmosphere is light, playful, and sometimes silly.

All of this is why I'm excited to say that my virtual movement studio is open and thriving.

This space is everything I wish I’d had when I was trying to integrate my yoga practice with strength-training in a way that felt coherent, creative & playful.

Classes are designed to leave you with a feeling that becomes the way you see yourself - strong, powerful, fully relaxed. I hope you’re left wondering, “What else is possible?”

This membership offers the opportunity to practice daily, on your own schedule to an expanding library of on demand classes, and the opportunity for accountability and community in live classes weekly.

Wanna learn more about how to become a founding member and save $$$ on membership? Top link in my bio!
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PSSST...Kettlebell Gym is ON for tomorrow 12-1:15p! See you there?

KETTLEBELL GYM Live! - Tomorrow, and all Thursdays

KETTLEBELL GYM Live! - Tomorrow, and all Thursdays. (12-1:15p EST)
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A recording of class is available to members of my virtual studio permanently in their on-demand library.
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This week we’re kicking off with a KB GYM that covers a little bit of everything - AKA whole body.
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This flow which I’m calling “Pump Up The Jam” will be our grande finale. As always, there will be a dumbbell (and non-swing, slower) version taught first and offered as the alternative, as well.
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If you’ve never been to KB Gym, here’s how it works:
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I demo, give group and individual feedback, and take questions throughout. All bodies and all levels are welcome.
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We start with a thorough warm up that also pre-teaches some of the moves, and transitions of the peak flow. #planwiththeendinmind #targetedwarmup
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After that is an activation circuit (usually 3 sets of 3 lifts to get our bodies in gear, and potentially practice some aspects of the flow.)

Then we skill build and home in on particularly technical aspects of a lift or swing.
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After that is a power circuit, 3 sets of exercises to target muscles for strength and power (usually with a type of KB swing).

Last part — flow breakdown and then we flow. (Get some dance music ready to play at home!)
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If you want in you can sing up for founding member rate on membership to my virtual studio for 30/month. This offer lasts until 9/14 and then the price goes up.
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As a founding member, you get:
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This class live + its recording + 13 more Kettlebell Gym class recordings.
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+ Live yoga masterclasses and over 10 Yoga class recordings that combine bands and therapy balls.
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+ 3 Self-Massage sessions
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New content added every week to a rapidly expanding multidisciplinary movement library.
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Sign up now for all live classes and immediate access to the in-demand library via the link in my bio. 👆
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Don’t want a membership? You can also drop-in to any live class ($15) and get a 7-day replay link (link also in bio!)

See you at Kettlebell Gym!
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🎶 Pump Up The Jam, Technotronic 🎶

A lot of yoga people think strength and conditioni

A lot of yoga people think strength and conditioning (aka fitness) is this really scary, awful thing.

For good reason, I'm not gonna gaslight you. Like the yoga industry, the fitness industry has some pretty glaring problems with inclusivity.

Namely, its messaging can be overtly and covertly fatphobic, misogynistic, and racist. These messages harm everyone, but most acutely they alienate and harm womxn, people in bigger bodies, marginalized folx, and people of color.

And in feeling like an outsider to the fitness industry, while also having added kettlebells as a modality I teach (definitely more fitnessy in nature) I've not yet expressed my opinions on this problem, even though I'm no stranger to sharing my opinions on the internet.

On one hand, I'm a little disappointed in myself. I feel like I should be in here swinging.

On the other hand, what I've learned over two years of maintaining my social media presence while being a new mom is I've become less of a conversation disrupter and more of a conversation topic-changer.  For me, controversy on social media, or just posting in a way that directly challenges the status quo, can be very exciting to my nervous system. As such, it often cuts into my sleep (ask me how I know).

I can't balance that expenditure of energy with raising a toddler.   Which brings me to something else I've noticed about myself:  Rather than pushing back against a dysfunctional scene, my gut says to create my own.  Rather than joining into a conversation where the premise is built on supremacy culture, I'd rather (attempt to) change the conversation entirely.  I'm not saying I want to avoid tough conversations. Rather, at this time in my life, I'll cheer on the brave ones who are in the arena pushing back and disrupting that noise, and then work to create the experience that I've always wanted.

And this is exactly what I’ve done with my virtual studio.

If you’re looking for fresh content that blends strength, yoga, and self-massage, then you might love what’s going on there.

More in comments 👇

Today! LIVE Ball & Bands Flow Class # 1 — Cross

Today! LIVE Ball & Bands Flow Class # 1 — Cross Pattern Your Core, 12-1:15p EST.
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✳️ Swipe LEFT for the props and bands you need. ✳️
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This class is included in the founding member deal $30/month all-access to my virtual studio, live and on-demand classes (until Sep. 14, when the price goes up.)

Members! An edited recording of this class will be uploaded to your on-demand library 48 hours after class ends today.
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Can’t swing a membership? No problem! You can also drop in and get a 7-day replay emailed to you after class ends.
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Learn more about becoming a member and dropping in via the top two links in my bio 👆
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❇️ In today’s Balls & Bands Flow class, we’re exploring the theme Cross-Pattern Your Core. In today’s class we’ll play with different input and stimuli from balls and bands to map and move through spinal diagonals and rotations, and cross-body stabilizations.
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I’m excited to get back to live teaching and seeing everyone after being away. See you at 12p EST.

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