I challenge you to complete your whole yoga practice by moving your body with your core. Consciously let your core move you into the next pose. The minute you feel your other body parts tense up, stop. Take a break, perhaps childs pose, and pinpoint your core again.

I really really want to be able to do a handstand using my core instead of kicking my legs up. The problem for me is teaching my injured neck to NOT activate and tense up when my core engages. I practiced Half Sun Salutations extremely slowly letting my core direct my movements, then played with planks and ended up here goodnight !! #yogini #yogateacher #plank #corepower #neckinjury #mindovermatter #himom #backbend #fitgirls

A photo posted by Shannen Roberts (@shannenrobertsyoga) on Apr 5, 2014 at 12:16am PDT

I chose to practice yoga tonight with this mindset because I am retraining my body to activate individually, so that eventually, my neck won’t feel the need to tense up to compensate for lack of strength. Also because my goal is to be able to do a handstand with the grace and ease of one of favorite yoga instructors – Mackenzie Miller.

Mackenzie Miller is one of the many yoga instructors that inspires me today. Her whole body is extremely strong and flexible, allowing her to do beautiful handstand variations and back bends with ease and grace. Her instagram videos (@mackenzieyoga), have inspired me to set my newest goal, and to find a new way to meet it.

Goal: To do a handstand by using my CORE instead of KICKING UP.

Obstacles: Avoiding muscle spasms and tension in the neck….

1. when my core activates
2. in weight bearing poses in general
3. and when I am upside down.

Tonight I focused on avoiding muscle spams/tension in my neck when my core activates with Half Sun Salutations, standing oblique stretches, and playing with variations of plank.

I literally went through each motion in Half Sun Salutation at snail speed…my core was burning, and my neck was learning to stay calm. I also did a few side stretches holding the wrists, focusing on letting my core move my body into the pose – into the side stretch. 

Took me so freakn long to lift my arms over my head using my core while keeping the neck relaxed. The muscle spasms in my neck loveee to act up once my core engages. It's a nightmare. But tonights practice helped so much!! I worked 1/2 Sun Sal and stretching to the side to work the obliques. #babysteps #progress #recovery #selftherapy #yogini #yogatothecore #confidence #obliques #subtlebody

A video posted by Shannen Roberts (@shannenrobertsyoga) on Apr 5, 2014 at 12:29am PDT

I ended up playing with plank, forearm plank, and side plank with my knees on and off the ground to begin working through my second obstacle. Also went from plank to down dog. My neck DID tense up a few times, and I took child’s pose manyyy times, but baby steps!! I know I will get there, and this is huge progress for me