“Sometimes when we believe in monsters, they take up residence under our beds.” - Shane Koyczan. For a long time, headstand (Salamba Sirsasana) was my worst enemy. Back bends? Bring them on. Splits? Yeah, I like a challenge. But headstand? No way. Why? I was afraid. I was afraid of falling. I was afraid of hurting myself. I was afraid that if my world … Continue reading Learn to Headstand in 4 Simple Steps
I love Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana (a.k.a Half Pigeon)! It is a great hip opener, working on both the outer hips and the hip flexors. Getting into the pose The traditional shape of this pose is quite tricky to achieve as it involves some serious back arching skills! But this variation is accessible to most of us and, … Continue reading Happy Hips, Happy you
Learning to balance on one foot is incredibly important for climbers. Pistol squats, tree pose variations, half-moon… all these Asanas have something to teach you about moving with control. So the next time you’re on a slab, balancing on a tiny foothold, you’ll know what muscle groups you need to recruit to move forward. STEP … Continue reading Tree Pose
A short sequence to help build up core strength A strong core will not only help you to keep your feet on the wall when climbing steep stuff but it will also help you with avoiding lower back pain, developing better balance and posture. Join Sandra for this short but fun sequence designed to help … Continue reading Yoga for Core Strength
Have you heard of the psoas? This is a major hip flexor muscle located deep in the core, connecting your spine to your legs. Due to the nature of our sport, tight psoas is very common amongst climbers. Tightness in the psoas will greatly affect your posture, causing pain in the lower back and pelvis. … Continue reading A Noble Stretch
We are delighted to announce that from January 2019 in addition to our Wednesdays Yoga for Climbers at HarroWall, we will be offering a second class on Saturday mornings. These classes will run every week from 10.30am to 11.30am and will be led by our new teachers Alice Gioia and Anna Ferla. They have been … Continue reading New Class!
I often call Heron Pose (or Krounchasana) the ultimate hamstring stretcher, as it is a great, and deep, way to open the back of your legs. Heron can be quite tricky for people with tight hamstrings, but there are a number of variations we can work on still achieving the same benefits this pose has … Continue reading Heron Pose
Build up your upper body strength with this super short sequence
Hip flexibility comes with a number of advantages. It will not only enhance your climbing performance by improving your range of motion, but it also contributes to the health of your body. It promotes better posture and releases the load on the spine caused by tight hips, reducing the risk of lower back pain. There … Continue reading Frog it!
This is a posture I often use at the start of my classes and my students love it! It is relaxing. You are lying on the floor, grounding yourself, setting up for class..... But the great thing about it is that this is also a lovely chest opener, ideal to gently relieve upper back pain … Continue reading A chilled out way of working on your posture
