My First Ever Kino Workshop!!

... Last Sunday I went to my first ever Kino MacGregor Ashtanga workshop. She's this wonderful, inspiring, gold dusted, prolific, youngest ever Certified Ashtanga teacher, vlogger, youtube channeler, author, world teacher traveller, co-owner of Miami Life Center, producer of 6 dvd's, and so on, and so on. AND the youngest to be practicing at one of the highest levels of ashtanga, the Fourth Series. Too cool! I even have her 3rd Series DVD. Well, too be honest I have to confess, I think I have all her DVD's, among them her Introductory to Ashtanga (beginner's Primary series), her Primary Series dvd, Intermediate Series dvd (or second series) and one of the pinnacles of asthanga, the Third Series dvd. All of those dvd's are a fount of knowledge, where she gives both a full practice that you follow along with her as she practices with her voiceover and the other part of her dvd she provides a break down of the postures giving modifications where needed. She can talk alot in voiceover BUT there is SO much information to be had in her prompts that it's worth every bit of it to hear it as you follow along. And despite that the pace is so good that I still find myself in a lovely yogic trance while practicing along with her. She's amazing!! Anyways, I digress ...

Kino's Arm Balancing Workshop

I took her arm balancing workshop and boy did she work us over! At first I felt envious that the others beside me had already attended her primary series that morning and her backbending workshop that afternoon before this class. However, by the time we got 15 minutes into the arm balancing workshop I was very glad I hadn't taken any other classes that day as she made us work our arms and core like no other! She's boot camp! She gave us a little taste of the work that she puts into her practice that got her where she is today.

She gave so many gems in this workshop, one of them was in believing in ourselves and not seeing things as barriers, but approachable challenges to possibilities. The other was not to be intimidated by hard work and a little pain to get gain. That that is life itself.

Also, one of the main things she taught in arm balancing and the key to lift is that it's NOT all in the arms BUT the lift happens in the core or the torso and shoulders that make the body taught and stable which will create the lightness and lift necessary to lift out of the arms. That the arms do NOT take all the work and weight. This was an awesome revelation and reinforcement. As I was getting the gist of this before but it all coalesced with her teaching. And she gave us many key exercise tools to gain this type of muscle/motor control. One thing I've started to learn and it was again reiterated in this class is that it's actually not all about strength, but just as important if not more, that muscle/motor control is key! I've distilled it to the term "muscle/motor control" even though she taught it as core control and lift ... Funny enough this was also brought back to me a day later when I watched a youtube vid on scapular contraction when the physiotherapist talked about that same thing being not about strength but motor control. Really cool! ... Anyways she has this really approachable way of teaching and her demo's and explanations are SO good that it's just light bulb moments all the time!

The Funny Thing That Happened on the Way to Pincha Mayurasana

Pincha Mayurasana is my nemesis! I do NOT have the shoulders for pincha! And of course among all the arm balances we practiced we had to practice that one. I dread it since I'm abysmal at it. I can do crow pose, forarm headstand, side crow (on my good days), astavakrasana into koundinyasana b (again on good days), but I can NOT do pincha. I feel that I can't get my forarms in the right position and at the right shoulder forearm angle which should be straight up and down and mine is at almost a 90 degree angle if forearms are parallel. With that I kinda give it a pass on practicing. Ha! Well wouldn't you know it, keener that I am, I positioned myself in the first row RIGHT at Kino's mat. So when she wanted to demo partnering this posture who does she pick? You guessed it ME! My eye's got all bugg-eyed and I stammered and stuttered "Oh no Kino, I can't my sports medicine doc said my shoulders aren't aligned in my sockets so I can't do this posture properly" as I shook my head. Well she was not taking no for an answer not even if the doc said so, as she calmly looked at me quizzically and said "Well, lets just give it a try shall we." And up I went in a perfect straight line, I must say, and held that perfect straight line as she supported me up with her perfect adjustment. It was dreamlike, a true dream sequence if I do say so myself!! And when I got down the room broke out in applause!!! Which they did not do to two other demo's before me and at which I bowed a couple of times to the room. Lololol!! It was a hoot!!! That girl is magic, I say, just magic!!!

... as Kino reiterated, practice, practice, practice, and all is coming.