The Art Of Flow

Rewire your system. Set old habits free. 

“Inhale, and God approaches you.  Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you.

Exhale, and you approach God.  Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.”

~ T. Krishnamacharya

CORE STRENGTH VINYASA YOGA IS A PERSPECTIVE ON YOGA Making physical waves across yoga communities in the United States, Europe and Canada. I share Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga here in my hometown, Montréal.

WHAT IS CORE STRENGTH VINYASA YOGA?? CSV Yoga is a transitional style of yoga that moves into and out of poses using functional movement principles and biomechanics to move the body in an organic, non-linear way to access the physics press of the Deep Core Line myofascial meridian. 

CSV YOGA® is a transitional style. Revolutionize traditional yoga poses with cutting-edge holistic anatomy and new generation alignment cueing. Knowledge of the Deep Core Line (DCL) meridian is a primary tool for alignment, function and flow. It can be incorporated into any style of yoga. Learn how to engage the fascia and DCL meridians to decompress joints and use physics to gain more power with less effort. Activate and align the pelvis and lumbar spine to stimulate the metabolism, calm the central nervous system, and boost the immune system. CSVY founder, Sadie Nardini (Brooklyn), developed this style over ten years of independent study and alongside her mentor, and Master teacher, Leslie Kaminoff (The Breathing Project, NYC. 

WHAT TO EXPECT IN MY CSV YOGA CLASSES

CVSY offers a strong, yet fluid, heat building, breath infused practice to lively soul drenching music. Focus on transitions between poses, dynamic variations, kramas of asana, and creative sequences that link breath and movement to embody the flow of vinyasa. Dance the eternal dance between Sthira/Sukha or Effort/Ease, to bring harmony into Body/Mind. My Core Philosophy: Self-Transformation is at the heart of my practice and teaching. Inspired themes apply Patanjali’s 3 Steps to Transformation: Tapas, Svadhyaya, and Ishvara Pranidhana into real world language, asana, and the yoga of daily, improvised living. My classes are taught in english and french, or ‘franglais’. 

WHAT DOES CSV YOGA FOCUS ON ?

TRANSFORM INTO YOUR NEW NEUTRAL as you let go of surface tension in the outer body and access the deeper, softer power, of the inner body tissues.

BUILD THE FOUNDATION of your yoga practice and build more strength and flexibility in all poses using groundbreaking Deep Core Line Muscle Meridian anatomy and PNF Techniques (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) to align physical and energetic bodies for optimal health on all levels.

LIGHT UP & DETOX your Mind/Body/Spirit with cleansing, heating poses and kriyas, use the Belly Bonfire Breath, and do the Wave to enhance your inner core connectivity. 

RADIATE EXPRESSION from the Core of your being with creative sequences all around your mat. Gain a greater sense of Self as you move in rhythm with your breath, and cultivate the power of Presence. Create space for transformation with visualization exercises & restorative poses for immune system health and well being. 

WHAT IS VINYASA FLOW YOGA? 

• From the root word in Sanskrit Vinyasa means: Nyasa, to place. Vi, in a special way.

• Flow: Breathing, moving, and living in a state of unified consciousness.

• Yoga: To yoke, unite. Union. Balancing the energies of effort and ease.

MY DEFINITION OF A VINYASA FLOW CLASS

Vinyasa is a style of yoga that links postures sequentially into a continuous flow. The focus on a continuous flow of movement and breath creates a state of unified consciousness and profound presence. The deeper lesson is that Vinyasa teaches us the impermanence of all forms.  Vinyasa moves us from one pose to the next without holding or gripping before transitioning to the next pose, and the next phase. As we learn to let go of holding because we realize, essentially, there is nothing to hold onto.

Moments of transition make space for transformation to occur. Without transitions we become frozen. Given more space we access freedom to grow. Vinyasa practice plants the seeds of our Intention (Sankalpa) which is to remain connected to our breath and the awareness that the only permanent aspect of existence is the ever-changing nature of the present moment. Vinyasa guides us through the beginning, middle, and end of each breath cycle, of each unfolding moment, inviting us to flow within the quantum fluid space and energy of all existence. 

Vinyasa honours the beginning, middle and end of all life cycles. Each end is a new beginning. Awareness resides in the spaces between and within each breath, thought, word, and action. 

NAMASTE Xxx Alyson

CSV Yoga moves you from the ground up — and the inside out… every time.

The definition of vinyasa is “to move in a special way” — which can have many meanings. Coordinating breath and movement is one way that heightens your sense of presence and awareness.

CSV Yoga goes deep into the essence of vinyasa and focuses on how you get from one pose to the next.

Along with core spinal support from the breathing muscles (and bandhas), we use functional movement principles and biomechanics of the Deep Core Line (DCL) myofascial muscle meridian. Subtle awareness of the DCL activates Ground Reaction Force to transition you into and out of poses with more ease and less effort, decompress joints, and build strength while you develop a healthy range of motion. It’s Physics!

The Art Of Flow rewires your system to move in a special way — from the ground up and the inside out, every time.

Let yourself receive Ground Reaction Force… the power and grace of Earth energy is always present, and waiting to support you.

Deepen your practice with a rock solid foundation in Core Strength Vinyasa.

Make Space for Expansion & Contraction. 

Use Gravity & Physics to support structures of the body. 

Express from an integrated core. 

Core Sun Salutations: Consummate practice of linking breath and movement seamlessly in unified conscioussness, develop rhythm, endurance, lung capacity, stamina. 

Core Warm Up: Strengthen abdominal muscles to build spinal support, alleviate low back pain, move from a solid center, increase freedom and expression.

Standing Poses: Increase balance, build a strong lower body, develop concentration, emotional and physical stability, absolve fear. 

Arm Balances: Cultivate core strength, hip opener, muscle & organ toning, self-confidence, courage, manifest dreams. 

Back Bends: Encourage spine & shoulder mobility, thoracic expansion, compassion for self & other, strength in vulnerability.  

Twists & Side Bends: Promote shoulder mobility, core strengthener, organ cleansing & toning, stimulates metabolism, detox body of excess.

Hip Openers: Relieve lower back tension, improve knee alignment, release stored emotions, enliven & stoke creativity. 

Forward Bends: Acquire spine and hamstring flexibility, open the back body, release tension, calm the nervous system.

Cooling Inversions: Increased circulation, blood flows towards the brain, healthy heart, core strength, new perspective, stimulates glands in brain, awaken third eye.

Savasana Integration: Relaxation, meditation & integration for healing, enter the quantum realm of unified flow with the collective consciousness, connection with source. 

WEEK 4: CSV fierce lion’s breath

WEEK 4: CSV dancer pose variation

WEEK 4: DANCER POSE VARIATION

Deep Front Line Myofascial Muscle Meridian Activation

Bending the knee of the standing leg in Dancer Pose will open the hips and chest inviting a deeper backbend while keeping your spine in alignment. In this way your body, and spine, finds YOUR optimal alignment so you can back off to go deeper. The bent knee of the supporting leg will also fire up the quadricep and work the muscles differently than in a straight leg pose. Adding variations to your poses strengthens and stretches muscles fibres in ways that you may not normally move, removing habitual patterns, improving coordination and balance, and creating new neural pathways.

Bending limbs to enter and exit poses allows you to neutralize into the earth and use gravity to connect to your core for an integrated expression from centre. CSV uses transitions to break linear and move the body the way it was born to move.

Bending limbs allows you to access the Deep Front Line Myofascial Muscle Meridian. These meridians balance out forces within the body and distribute tension throughout the skeletal structures to decompresses joints, provide more strength with less effort and more ease, and keep you connected to the core of your core in all your poses.

WEEK 3: CSV Revolve triangle => Get centered. Twist & Balance.

* Soften your outer body, Neutralize your inner body: Inhale deep down to your lower belly. Exhale, wave the low front and back spine lift in and up for deep core support. Bend all your limbs. A few rounds of Broken Giraffe is a favorite way to get into this pose - it employs a resist- and-release (work/stretch) action of outer leg, hip & hamstring muscles .

* Feel your Foundation: Left hand under shoulder (or for more height do Gecko Fingers, Fist Of Fire mudra, or use a block). Press down into Trinity points of feet. Feel energy rising from the inner arches up the inner thighs.

* Light Up your Core: Lift belly and wave spine long first to make space for the twist, then begin to spin chest and head toward front leg. Bring hand onto waist or reach arm into the sky. Maintain hips & navel facing floor, and use bottom hand only for grounding & support, not to twist into your lower back.

* Radiate your Expression: When ready, circle top arm back, down & up, re-ground into floor and lift the core - NFCE. When the arm circles up, straighten front leg as much as you can maintaining Mountain Pose Template. Let your neck be free!

WEEK 2: CSV CROW POSE => CULTIVATE EARTH TO CORE CONNECTION AND BALANCE ON YOUR ARMS

* Soften your outer body, Neutralize your inner body: Inhale deep down to your lower belly. Exhale the low front and back spine lift in and up for deep core support.

* Feel your Foundation: From a low malasana squat, bring heels together, like a Charlie Chaplan-Asana. Place hands on the floor shoulder width in front of you. Draw your hands far enough back so that your triceps come into contact with your inner knees. Soften the weight of your torso into  your knees as they resist against your arms. Soften the superficial muscles of the body to spark the deeper inner core body. Neutralizing the weight of your body into the Earth connects you with your Foundation.

* Light Up your Core: As the weight of your upper body presses into your arms, press the arches of palms down into the Earth to rebound energy from Earth to your Core, your pelvis, then widen the site bones creating space to access the pelvic floor. Squeeze inner thighs strongly into arms while resisting arms against inner thighs. Low front sacrum lifts In & Up. Low back sacrum lifts In & Up. Pelvic floor connects with breath to lengthen spine from tailbone to crown of skull. Tips of toes hover on the ground. Release & return to a Charlie Chaplan-Asana low malasana squat. For strength building do my Yoga Reps => Repeat actions 3X: Palms press down, energy rises to meet your core, widen out sit bones, squeeze legs into arms & arms in to legs, lift front & back sacrum In & Up. Focus your gaze about one foot in front of you. The Earth to Core connection is established.

* Radiate your Expression: Now begin to lift one big toe off the floor. Alternate lifting one foot and the other. Hug In & Up even more as you press down into the Earth with palms and lift both feet off the ground. Keep the breath & energy circulating from Earth to Core, from Core to Earth, & back up, radiating from base of spine to crown of skull. Hover! Freeze up like a statue & you will tip over. Keep Ujjayi breath alive. Be conscious of the dynamic Energetic Alignment involved in the Earth to Core process. 

*Note: Repetition is Magic they say. Its not really magic, its fact. The more you practice your "Yoga Reps", not only will your superficial muscles & inner core body develop more strength, but your brain will begin to understand & seal the pathway needed to get you into Crow. Now Go FLY!

You can practice this in your living room with fluffy pillows in front of you to protect your face =)

WEEK 1: CSV CHATURANGA DANDASANA => AN ULTIMATE CORE STRENGTHENER AND WHOLE BODY ACTIVATOR.

* Soften your outer body, Neutralize your inner body: Inhale deep down to your lower belly. Exhale the low front and back spine lift in and up for deep core support.

* Feel your Foundation: From Plank Pose, come into Half Plank by lowering knees to the ground. As hands press down into the earth, wake up arches of the palms (Gecko-Asana), energy will rebound from Earth to your Core. Press toes down into the earth, and activate quadriceps as inner thighs spin In towards mid-line of body. 

* Light Up your Core: Internal Rotation of the thighs sparks the Pelvic Floor, and extends the entire Spine. To light up your core, Lift In & Up from the Front Sacrum (Psoas Wave) & Lift In & Up from the Back Sacrum (Lumbar Wave) to activate the Deep Core Line Muscle Meridian. Now, lengthen the legs while maintaining this  Core connection, and alignment of Pelvis, Ribs & Skull. 

* Radiate your Expression: Refine or tweek the Energetic Alignment within the pose. Lengthen from Toes to Crown for Axial extension of the spine, strengthen areas that require more support, release superficial muscles tension to open structures the body for a greater range of motion. Return to your Breath.