Mobility Training
Targeted Mobility Training
Gravity Yoga is like no other Yoga you will experience, it is pure targeting mobility training. This helps you access full range of motion and in turn maximises your full potential. People ask me ‘Shur why do I need more mobility?’, ‘Does it prevent injuries?’
The answer is, there hasn’t been specific studies done on this type of mobility training in injury prevention, and the studies that have been done would suggest that certain stretching does not affect injury prevention. However, with low load long duration stretches and using the breath there is a way to increase our mobility.
Long-hold stretching practice is designed specifically to increase mobility. Gravity Yoga is practice completely relaxed, passively, so gravity does most of the work, hence the name. The practice is meant to supplement – not replace – other forms of yoga or exercise.
Gravity Yoga is:
100% focused on mobility
Slow, deliberate, and uncomfortable
More challenging mentally than physically
Targeted mobility training
No energy medicine, meridians, or chakras
Not a meditation class
Not physiotherapy or rehab
Not a restorative class
I was once a stiff office worker when I tried my first yoga class; I haven’t fully embraced the practice until the recent lockdown and even though I still struggle with a lot of the poses, the benefits are ten-fold.
The reason I say this is because a lot of other classes I went to, the instructor was like a rubber band. You’ll see from the videos I’m no rubber band but I have made significant gains and I suppose that is the main point I’m trying to make here. You can increase your flexibility at any age, flexibility gains DO NOT happen without targeted training.
Our modern lifestyles are making us stiff. We spend four hours a day hunched over our phones, six hours a day on a computer, and typically an hour a day in the car. And studies would suggest with working from home becoming the norm due to the pandemic, we are spending some additional 2.5 hours sitting.
There are 3 Main Principles in Gravity Yoga
WET NOODLE
The intention is to relax into the stretch as much as possible. In some poses, that means total release. In other poses, it means to use as little muscular energy as possible to stay in position.
4:8 BREATHING
By slowing the rate of breathing to three (or less) breaths per minute and by extending the length of the exhale, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, turns off the stretch reflex, and creates a simple point of focus during the long challenging postures.
MEET OR BEAT YOUR HOLD TIME
Your body will always trend towards inertia, so a stopwatch is a way to measure, match, and eventually exceed your previous results. For flexibility results, the amount of time under passive tension is the key factor, so stretch times cannot be random or intuitive.
‘The Routine Is The Practice’
Movement is medicine and the better we move the less medicine we will require. There is no point in having a car with six gears if you can only access three or four of them. Assume your body is capable of so much more and with the appropriate range of motion the right muscles fire in the right sequences. Take your average runner, in particular one who hyper extends the lower back instead of extending the hip. This pelvic movement has devastating effects on the body both up and down the kinetic chain.
Gravity Yoga is not relaxing or calming. It is a targeted mobility program so be prepared to get uncomfortable. If you are struggling to hold each stretch then you are definitely not alone. Join us and learn the art of mobility training. Let us help you find your extra gears.