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Hi Samuelson,

Indeed, the next course starts on the 25th February. Look forward to meeting you!

*m.f - in agreement with yer strengtheners. Other strengthening postures we practice are:

A sun salutation in which each posture is held for several breaths
Utkatasana
Vasistasana
Virabhadrasana I, II and III
Uttita Parsvasahita A, B and C
Purvottanasana
Salabhasana
Setu Bandhasana
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Dhanurasana
Urdhva Dhanurasana
Sirsasana
Pinchamayurasana
Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Allo all,

Thanks for reading greasy slag!Indeed, Pilates is also a great core strengthener. Were you practicing with machines? The mat classes are certainly cheaper and there are plenty around... Alternatively, maybe practice at home?

As for classes in the East, I would ideally like to be teaching a class in north, south and west london too. Just need to find the time to investigate spaces! Meanwhile, if anyone can think of anywhere, let me know.

Damo, have you tried the Buddhist centre in Clapham yet?

Great interpretation of chosen image *m.f! Indeed, I too was surprised by this particular choice!

If any of listen to the bikeshow, I was guest on Monday with physiotherapist Michael Crebbin who specialises in cyclists. I'm not convinced I did a great job, but Michael was impressive. Gets played again this sat - eek!

oops, thanks for pointing out Oliver - www.wintertraining.co.uk!

Greetings all,

No worries damo, will keep an eye out and let you know if anything comes up!

Have written a post 'Why is yoga good for cyclists' on www.wintercoaching.co.uk. Have a read if you're interested!

peas...

greetings all,

Just a reminder that the next yfc course starts ce soir. Details on first thread entry.

damo - I would be interested in teaching a class south of the river. I volunteer at 56a crampton st (near elephant) weekly which is frequented by mostly cyclists and certainly many people have made the same inquiry. I just need to find a place to teach it, so if you can think of anywhere, let me know.

Tolasana (scale pose) definitely part of the strengthening programme! Brilliant core muscle, arm, back and wrist strengthener. Although padmasana (lotus) is not necessarily recommended for those with knee injuries. So for those who initially struggle, try it with legs in ardha padmasana (half lotus), or place a block or book under each hand to increase length of arms and lift of legs...

Good point Oliver, there won't be a class on the 18th February.

See you on the 7th!

Indeed it will Dr. Sludge!

Happy New Year all, may 2010 be a good'n...

Greetings all,

Hope this finds you healthy and content...

Apologies for general absence - teaching lots of yoga at the moment!

El Chris - both are possible. The next course begins on 7th January. Hope to see you then!

Oliver, bon voyage today and hope you can manage to squeeze in some home practice over the festive zone!

*m.f - Course going well, last session tonight - will be focussing on the more strengthening back bends.

Indeed, that does look like a lovely sequence, will try it! I must say inversions and balances of all kinds are my favourite postures and my favourite for post-practice rides! So effective for getting the body well aligned. Am working with an ironman athlete at the moment who is keen to work on symmetry. Both balances and inversions are ideal - the student is both able to immediately identify and work on their body's asymmetries. Very useful!

'allo *m.f et al,

class last week good methinks, at least one lfgss member turned up, possibly three...

What with winter making its presence abundantly clear, this course is particularly addressing core strength. Bring on Navasana!

beautiful image *m.f!

certainly plenty of room for comedy in yoga! Edward Clark's 'Kill the Guru' pretty funny...

Greetings all,

Have been away in the beautiful lands in and around Lowther (near Penrith) nowhere near a phone line let alone internet, hence absence! 'Twas glorious I must say, despite wetness and challenge - had my first ever mountain biking experience (crikey!) as well as a valiant attempt at 'the struggle'! Anyone else succeeded on this one? Anyhoo, I'd recommend the area to anyone - some jaw-droppingly beautiful routes...

For those of you interested in the yoga for cyclists class, the new 7 week course starts tomorrow (further details atthe top of this thread). Look forward to maybe meeting some of you then!

textured rubber mat definitely better than a camping mat.

greetings all and pastry lover in particular!

Ta for pose of the day *m.f! Indeed, this is a great one. Lots of variations too to make it even more effective for cyclists. For example, getting one leg up the wall. That way you get all the adho mukha benefits as well as the added benefits of quadricep and hip flexor attention.

Having difficulty finding stability through the hands in adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog) is common. Often (but not always) to do with channeling too much weight into the hands. The idea is to send the weight back up through the sitting bones and into the legs by pushing into the hands. 'But my hands can't grip' I hear you say! This is a bit chicken and egg for a while until the strength and direction settle into your understanding of the pose. Suggestions - either as *m.f suggested, find yourself a stickier surface where your hands won't slip. If you do have a mat, hold the sides of it with your fingers. If no mat or sticky surface available, do it against a wall - hands on floor with thumb pointing inwards and first finger pointing outwards (sides of thumb and finger will be against the wall).

You mentioned lower back pain a wee while ago. Many postures that can help with this. Depending on what the lower back pain is due to, instant alleviation can be found in the bolster! Do you have one? For anyone with post ride back lower back pain, these are a godsend in terms of pain relief! You can place them anywhere in the back, for example, lengthways under the back with sacrum on floor and feet in baddha konasana (soles of feet together with heels drawn in towards groin). For long-term more permanent pain relief: any mild twists such as Parivrtta Siddhasana (cross-legged twist), standing forward bends such as Uttanasana (you can rest your head and arms on a chair for a milder version), any back-bends - again, if you want to start gently - Setu Bandhasana with a block under the sacrum is a good one. Balasana (child'ds pose) always very restorative. Supta Padangusthasana is a great one for leg and lower back connection. Again, do with a strap if you want to start gently. Lastly, Viparita Karani is a great final pose (lying in corpse pose with your legs against the wall) especially again if you can place a bolster under your buttocks.

Happy lower back practice!

thank you conservative values - very pleased it's working for you on various levels!

*m.f, i enjoyed your squiffy-eyed straight talkin' wombat!

Greetings Plurabelle and thank you Oliver for providing prompt answers to questions! Sorry, I teach all day on Thursdays...

Plurabelle, dropping in to check out a good idea. If you've done a fair bit of yoga before, feel free to drop in next week, otherwise I would recommend dropping in on the 5th november which is when new course starts. Next week is the last class of current course and we are trying out some relatively challenging postures.

As for bike parking, there are racks outside bodywise on the roman rd. Some may be tempted to bring their bikes in, but I would urge you to resist as I have heard of interior bike thefts and no exterior so far. But yes, I don't bring bling bike either!

Wow, that beach shot looks divine!

Yes indeed, I have that DVD and as you say, it does address the fundamentals. I must confess the last time I watched it was well over a year ago, should watch it again. As ever though with so many Yoga DVD's (with a few exceptions), whilst it bears in mind typical cyclist tendencies, it cannot cater too brilliantly for different body variations which I find key...

look forward to seeing you lpg! The classes are generally offered as 6 week courses (sometimes 5 or 7 depending on calendar) but can be attended as drop-in classes too dependent on level of experience. Tonight is week 5 of the current course which, if you're not a complete beginner, you're more than welcome to attend. Otherwise the next course starts 5th November.

good point pastry lover, Oliver pointed this out too, have moved it to Classifieds. I would obviously say Yoga is one of the best long-term solutions for many common back problems. Most of the back postures I use in class work on reversing the often 'prawn' like bike posture (particularly on bmx) and strengthening the core postural muscles therefore elongating the spine, avoiding compression, injuries etc. Would be happy to recommend preparatory back bend work as well as back bends if you were thinking of practicing again...

as for cycling after a yoga class, few things beat it! I realised whilst doing my training that some classes provoked even more epiphanous cycling experiences than others and that is in fact what inspired me to design a programme specifically for cyclists, for both short term and long term cycling pleasure!

thank you, practicing on the beach sounds grand indeed!

Greetings all,
I have been teaching a yoga for cyclists class in Bethnal Green for just over a year now. What started off as an experiment has over time become a successful specialisation that I would like to deepen and extend further to include all types of cyclists including fixed gear and single speed riders. So, this new thread has a few aims in mind, not just advertising I promise!
Firstly to inform you about the class which takes place every Thursday from 8.15 – 9.30pm (excluding Thursday 29th October) at Bodywise yoga and natural health centre (www.bodywisehealth.org) on 119 Roman rd, E2 0QN. Prices are very reasonable as the studio is in fact a charity, committed to accessing those who are financially challenged and/ or local.
Secondly, I would like to use this thread to offer advice on specific postures for particular complaints, adjustments/ prop advice for those with particularly tight group muscles, and home-based practice to those who may be interested.
Lastly, I am interested in teaching a donation based yoga for cyclists class in Hackney and/or Tower Hamlets. So this last aim is two-fold, wondering if anyone is interested and if so, if anyone has any ideas as to where we may be able to do this.
If you have any questions/ would like more information, feel free to PM or email me on gizzardbogue@yahoo.co.uk.
Look forward to hearing from you,
Warm regards,
Rebecca Bogue

Thanks Oliver! Here I am, hello everyone...