Kelly Dowd - Yoga PT Videos

When we are working on building chaturanga strength, it helps to break it down into smaller pieces first. I like to start with a knee down plank to focus on the shoulder and trunk control and the main portion of the movement pattern in the upper body. Here’s how you can work backwards to build up your strength! 💪 1️⃣ Start with scap push ups to gain control over your shoulder blade position and stability through the ribs and trunk. 2️⃣ Move on to partial range of motion lowering to get that initial contraction in the shoulders without having to control yourself all the way down. 3️⃣ Add a landing pad to start moving through a bigger range - I like a folded blanket, but a block or two can work here as well. 4️⃣ When you feel good with this, try to control your descent all the way down with slow and controlled motion, being mindful of where your ribs and pelvis are in space.  Once you’ve got that, start again from the top with knees lifted and work your way up! If you want to learn the break down and some more techniques to build your strength to master your chaturanga, join me in person at my Chaturanga Basics Workshop at @hotpoweryogacenter at the end of this month! Link is in my bio. 😉 PS - If you’re interested in an online version down the road, shoot me a DM with the word “chaturanga” and we can chat!

✳️ Monday Movement Motivation ✳️ Listen, I know it's sometimes just tough to get going. I woke up today tired, moody, and with a cranky shoulder. But I knew I would feel better if I did SOMETHING instead of just sitting around. Here's what I did: ⚪ Decreased weight ⚪ Picked 4 exercise to get done that seemed feasible ⚪ Did a few rounds of those 4 with a 20 minute timer ⚪ Took longer rests in between ⚪ Went for a walk after It's not what I typically get done, but it's something! A movement practice doesn't have to always be you pushing yourself. Make it sustainable and just do one thing! Keep moving, my friends!

✳️ 3 Back of Shoulder Openers ✳️ Here are a few fun ways to create space in the back of the shoulder that you can add to your movement practice or yoga routine when you're feeling a little tense there: 1. Eagle Hug Lifts ➡️ Grab opposite shoulders and lift the elbows away from the chest. This helps create room between the shoulder blades and in the back of the arm. 2. Thread the needle ➡️ Thread the arm under the body and lower the shoulder to the floor. This pose can give you some arm stretch in the deltoid but also works thoracic and cervical spine rotation mobility! 3. Prone Cross arm Thread ➡️ Use a block to support the head while you thread one (or both) arms under the body to get a bit more of a passive stretch in a different shape. Try em out and let me know your favorite! Got some other shoulder issues? DM me and let's chat!

✳️ Moves for posterior scapular & shoulder control ✳️ Here are a few moves I love in the prone position (laying on your belly) that you can do at home or add to your yoga practice. All of these can help with scapular (shoulder blade) & general shoulder stability! They are pretty much exactly how they sound ➡️ ⚪ Extensions = lifting the arms backwards ⚪ Ts = lifting the arms from a 'T' position ⚪ Ys = lifting the arms from a 'Y' position ⚪ Is = lifting your arms while teaching them over your head like the letter 'I' Try em out and let me know which ones you love or hate 😉 If you're struggling with one of these, DM me for guidance! ☺️

✳️ Bear hover moves ✳️ Here are a few more moves from a bear crawls starting position you can use to switch it up! First is a bear hover tap back to plank, keeping the knees hovering when you return to the starting position. The second is a bear hover rotation and reach and another version with a bigger rotation and a hip drop. Both are great for shoulder stability and trunk control! Try em out and let me know which one was more 'fun' for you (by fun I mean which one did you hate the least 😆)

✳️ Bear Crawl Variations ✳️ I'm in a core kinda mood, so I'm throwing some more really fun core moves at you today! Bear crawls are also good for your shoulder stability, quad strength, and overall coordination and control! These 4 variations are exactly what they sound like - either front to back or side to side, but some involve moving alternating limbs (example: L hand and R foot together) or the same limbs (example: L hand and L foot together). Keep your knees hovering and shoulders engaged either way! Try them out and let me know what you had the hardest time with!

Happy Monday, friends! I know you can easily ignore me but you can't ignore the sweet Roo, am I right! 😻 Enjoy your week, plan your workouts, and don't forget to lift some kinda heavy stuff. 😉

✳️ 3 (and a 1/2) bird dog variations ✳️ Here are a few fun ways to add some variety to your bird dogs (or table top arm/ leg reaches depending on who you talk to) 🤷‍♀️ 1. Bird dog pulses ➡️ Add a little pulse to the lifted arm and leg to increase some control from the hip and shoulder. 2. Bird dog cross over taps ➡️ Add a little tap back, but cross the leg and arm to opposite sides to help challenge your coordination and train new movement patterns. 3. Same side bird dog (supported) ➡️ If you ever wondered if you can reach on the same side instead of opposites, the answer is yes! It will just change the challenge, the balance, and the load! Start with a foot down then go to version 3.5 to try a little lift and see if you can balance 😉 Try em out and let me know which one is your favorite/ least favorite! 👍

✳️Core Progressions from Table Top✳️ Who doesn't love a good little extra 'core' work in their yoga & movement practice. I love doing things from all 4s because it challenges trunk & pelvis control, spinal mobility, posterior chain strength, and shoulder/ wrist stability. Here's 4 ways to progress that so you can add or subtract as it feels good! 1. Foot tap curl ➡️ This is a good place to start so that you have both hands and shoulders to stabilize the upper body and you can focus on the movement of a single leg and a little crunch. Tapping the foot to the floor can help create a target so your brain knows where your leg is in space! 2. Leg extension curl ➡️ Lifting the leg without tapping the foot down will create more hip extension activation and requires more control of the leg and trunk. 3. Bird dog hold ➡️ Keep the leg extended and then reach the opposite arm forward. Now we've added a balance component and increased stability in one arm and one leg to up the ante! Try to keep the back flat to control the pelvis and torso in space. 4. Bird dog curl ➡️ Combine the balance and stability, but add a crunch. Curl the knee and elbow together and round the back to add a controlled spinal and 'core' movement. Try em out and let me know what you love (or hate 😆)

☀️ It's International Yoga Day While I have a plethora of things I can say about yoga, I wanted to instead offer some of my main reflections & insights on what yoga is and means to me: ✳️ Yoga is more than just a movement practice ✳️ 👉Seriously, though, I use more yoga off my mat than on. The teachings of yoga have helped me develop self reflection & awareness that helps me in my relationship with myself, others, and the world around me. ✳️ Your practice is unique to you, not what others tell you it should be ✳️ 👉There are hundreds & thousands of ways to 'practice' yoga. There are thousands of ways to combine or practice shapes just as there are thousands of ways to act on the other limbs of yoga. There's not a right or wrong answer, and you gotta find what fits YOU, both physically and mentally. ✳️ Yoga is a nudge for us to exist with more conscious awareness in our life ✳️ 👉 That's it. That's the whole thing. It's not to move better or do headstands or always be content or constantly be joyful. It's here to encourage us to create a connection (yoga literally means 'to yoke', as in 'to connect'). It's whole purpose is to connect our body & mind so that we become more conscious, present beings. You don't have to do all the fancy stuff, you just have to start by being aware and creating connection. ✳️The practice as a whole only asks that we try; it doesn't ask us to perfect ✳️ 👉 See the last bullet. You don't need to do all the things to 'practice yoga'. You just have to put in a little concious effort. You don't need to be 100% on all the time in your emotions, your body, your actions, your words. All it asks of us is that we try. That's all my musings for today. Practice your yoga however you please today. And if you want to join me on the mat in this exact space, shoot me a DM - I have a class outside tomorrow and next month. 😘

Adductor mobility moves are part of my regular routine! Here are a few of my favorites: 1. Kneeling side lunge ➡️ start kneeling and put one foot out to the side, bend into the knee and return back to center a few times to get a good stretch 2. Adductor rock backs ➡️ bring the leg out straight to the side with the inner arch of the foot and the big toe down. Use your hands in front of you for support & rock the hips back towards the heels to get a different sensation and stretch here compared to the first one 3. Gate pose side bend ➡️ stay I the rock back position but lift the torso upright over the hips. Reach up and over towards the extended let to add a little more at the pelvic attachment area AND get a good upper body side stretch goin on 4. Supported lateral lunges (or a skandasa variation for my yogis) ➡️ use hands for support on the floor or blocks, bend into one knee while the other stays straight. This one is a little more active but still a great way to get some motion through the tissues! Try em out, let me know your fave in the comments! 👇

✨ Restorative Yoga ✨ I love a challenging yoga practice, but sometimes we all need to slow down and give our bodies and brains space to re-set. Restorative Yoga gives us that opportunity to take it down a notch. These are some of my favorite benefits of a restorative practice: ⚪ Relaxes muscles - we spend a lot of time in very few shapes, enabling our muscles to stop actively working for awhile and rest ⚪ Eases tension - we use a whole lotta props to help our bodies feel supported, allowing us to let go of some of the tension we might cling to day to day ⚪ Calms the nervous system - long holds with support of props in darker spaces or with eyes closed can help us tune out from our regularly overstimulated lives If you want to experience the benefits of a restorative practice, I got you. I'll be doing a restorative workshop with aromatherapy & hands on assists at @hotpoweryogacenter on Feb 16th with my friend @tryyogawithjuliesaint (and if you can't make this date, Julie has another one coming up later on). 😉 Details can be found at the "workshops" link in my bio. Click to sign up or DM me for a link.

Oh hi! I've been off the 'gram for almost a year now, but I realized I have a lot going on in November that I wanted to share. I've been planning a lot of yoga related workshops and working on some non-yoga side projects involving honey bees (hint: there are some upcoming events where you can find things me & @veridianwoodworks are selling, more on that eventually in my stories). 😉 For now, I figured I would pop back on this platform to let you know about my current upcoming yoga & anatomy workshop offerings and plans! For a quick run down with more info to come: I've got yoga biomechanics workshops breaking down shoulders and hips this month (next weekend), a gentle yoga with guided meditation in December, and a restorative with Thai massage in January. And more in the works after that! 😍 All events are at @hotpoweryogacenter in Worcester so if you're interested in the deets or signing up, head to the HPYC website (linked in my bio). 👍 All right, that's all for now. Just wanted to say 'hey'! Keep your eyes peeled for continued updates on my workshops & whereabouts - I'll be updating them all here going forward. 😁

Laying around on this sweet Sunday with my dudes 🥰 And one of them always begging for attention 😂 Happy long weekend, friends! . . . @robwithdreads #lounging #sunday #beanbagchair #rest #layinaround #lilbeggar

We found the kween 🐝 today! Can you spot her?! 👀 We haven't been able to find her since the first day we had the hive so we are pretty stoked she was bopping around in plain sight on this #sundayfunday 😎 Have fun with this lil #queenspotting and enjoy the lovely day, peeps! ☺️ . . . . #bees #beekeeping #queenbee #queenspotting #hivecheck #savethebees #beekeepers #werenewatthis #queen🐝 . @robwithdreads

Gettin a good look at deez beez this afternoon with @robwithdreads 🐝🐝🐝 #sunday #bees #beekeeping #beekeepers #savethebees #hivecheck

My fur babies being nice to each other on mommas day 🤗 😍😍😍😍😍

On day 8 of a fitness challenge with @fitwith_nina (this is just one of the segments from today, which was multiplied x3 🤪). The struggle was real after doing similar workouts for 7 days straight (not something I'm used to 😳). Nevertheless, I modified a little and got that 💩 done! 👍 Thanks @krisc28 for convincing me to join you in this, even though I might be so grateful by end 😉.

Lifting Series: Single Leg Hip Hinge
I’m gonna start throwing in some single leg movements every now and then in this lifting series, starting with a single leg dead lift or hip hinge motion. I like to hold a weight in the OPPOSITE hand of my standing leg, but this is another one of those moves that you can do either and just change the way the load is applied. 😎 I think of it like those old duck toys - you know, the little drinking bird that sits on people’s desks, rocking back and forth like it’s “drinking” from a cup? No? Just me. OOOOOOK. Well, either way, it’s a similar movement if you want to google it, or just watch my video and follow instructions. 😉 Start off solidly standing on 1 foot, with the other a little bit behind you, big toe tapped to the floor. Try to keep your entire body straight, head to toe, then tip forward aiming your weight for something at least a few inches off the ground (start with something higher like the seat of a chair if you haven't done this before). The back leg should move up & back at the same rate the torso moves forward - this is a good indicator that you’re hinging at your hips and not just flexing your spine to reach for the target! 👍 This move takes a good bit of balance and control and is a lot of work for your hamstring and glute on the standing leg, so start with light weight and aim for a higher surface at first, working your way to surfaces closer to the ground eventually or more weight! Try it on both sides and see how the load is different. Are you better at it with the weight in one hand vs the other? How about leg to leg? 🤔 Keep working some lifting variations and build up the ability to lift however you want! Challenge yourself with some increased variability in your movements. 💪 Drop any questions or insight in the comments. ⤵️