Tantric Vinyasa Yoga with Jim Bennitt
Southeast Yoga Conference
October 4-6 
Southeast Yoga  
 Namaste Ya'll
I'm honored to be a presenter at the Southeast Yoga Conference for the second consecutive year. The 2012 conference was a blast and this year looks even better.

Registration for the 2013 conference is now live and some classes will hit capacity so register now to save a spot. It's gonna be great!

This event is located right in the heart of downtown Atlanta at the W Hotel. If you'd like to spend your weekend at the W, just mention that you are attending the conference for a special rate.   


At this year's gathering I'll be teaching three different workshops. Saturday afternoon I'll discuss the relationship between yoga, tantra, and ayurveda. Sunday morning I'll lead the group through my Shodhana: Yogic Purification workshop and Sunday afternoon will be a special lecture and practice that focuses on the Yoga Sutra. I hope to see you there!


 More details on the conference

Upcoming Workshops and Trainings

      

September 13-15

Cedar Falls, IA

Field of Yoga

 

September 22

New Lenox, IL

Sunshine Studio

 

October 4-6

Atlanta, GA

Southeast Yoga Conference

  
November 8-10
Madison, WI

November 30-December 1
Smithville, NJ

 

December 8

Buffalo Grove, IL

Avani Yoga

 

My 2014 calendar is booking up fast! Feel free to reply to this email and let me know if you'd like me to come to your studio.  


 

My Weekly Class Schedule

at

Tejas Yoga


Monday:

10am Open
3:30pm Pranayama*
New Class

Tuesday:

10am Vigorous

Wednesday:

6:30am Freestyle
10am Open

Thursday:

10am Vigorous

Saturday:

10am Vigorous



Quick Links 

 

My teacher's website: 

 Para Yoga

 

My website:  

Jim Bennitt Yoga 

 

Our studio's website:  

Tejas Yoga

 

Tejas YouTube channel:
 
Caution: These videos may cause you to laugh uncontrollably! Proceed with caution.
Yoga Etiquette, Part 1: Mat Attack, Outside Voices, Yoga Rush
Yoga Etiquette, Part 1: Mat Attack, Outside Voices, Yoga Rush
Yoga Etiquette, Part 2: Pick-up Artist, Coffee-To-Go, Say What?
Yoga Etiquette, Part 2: Pick-up Artist, Coffee-To-Go, Say What?
Yoga Etiquette, Part 3: PDA, FYI, OMG, RIP, TCB!
Yoga Etiquette, Part 3: PDA, FYI, OMG, RIP, TCB!

  Stop Stretching!
vishvamitra II

Greetings,  

 

I know what you're thinking. "He's nuts! Look at him stretching in the photo above!" Believe it or not, I'm not focused on stretching in this pose. I'm focused on engaging certain muscle groups to hold myself in this shape. For example, by engaging my left quadriceps to squeeze my leg straight, the nervous system sends a message to my hamstrings to engage LESS allowing my knee to slowly straighten. Also, engaging the muscles in my back around the shoulder blades sends a message to the muscles in my chest to slightly relax allowing me to spread my arms vertically. This principle is called reciprocal inhibition.

 

To create movement in a joint, one muscle group contracts and the nervous system sends a message to the opposing muscle groups to contract less. This allows movement to happen in a smooth, controlled manner. The muscle group that contracts MORE (like my quadriceps in the example above) is called the agonist, and the muscle group that contracts LESS (in this case the hamstrings) is called the antagonist. If I were unable to straighten my leg, you might think it's because my hamstrings were too tight. According to this principle, that is not the case. The inability to straighten my leg would be because my quadriceps are not engaging enough so my hamstrings don't get the inhibitory response from the nervous system to slowly relax. Confused? Below are a few points to keep in mind while trying to wrap your head around this idea.    

     

  • we lose healthy range of motion when the agonist muscle (group) is inhibited or weak

  • stretching hyper contracted (tight) muscles is an inefficient way to increase range of motion

  • stretching hyper contracted muscles without strengthening inhibited muscles creates no permanent change in joint mobility

  • we need to teach inhibited muscles to facilitate normal contraction to create full range of motion in a joint

  • tight muscles are tight because they are not getting the inhibitory response from the nervous system to let them know it's time to stop contracting so much

  • this gets complicated when dealing with more than one joint like most yoga postures

  • repetition is very helpful 

  • "isometric movements" increase results in static postures


Of course, finding the balance between agonist and antagonist muscle groups takes time and a lot of repetition. Just remember, if you only focus on passive stretching without strengthening the opposing muscles, your progress will be very slow and possibly non-existent. 


I hope you find this helpful in your asana practice. I've been spending time in my classes and workshops working with reciprocal inhibition and the students seem to be making quite a bit of progress!

Shanti (peace),

 

Jim 

 


 Prana Vidya Workshop

at Tejas Yoga

 September 7

2pm to 4pm

In this workshop we will learn how prana moves, what the functions are of each vayu (wind), how to tell if we are deficient in a certain area, and how to remove any energetic blocks we may have.

 

There will be no physical practice and a large portion of this class will be spent on breathing and meditation techniques. Appropriate for all levels of practitioners. To learn more, click on the link below.

 

For more info, check out
on our website.

Yoga and Ayurveda: 

Sciences Entwined 

Advanced Teacher Training 

at Tejas Yoga

 October 21-25


If you are a yoga teacher and are looking to further your education and take your teaching to the next level, consider our five-day training on Yoga and Ayurveda. Traditionally these sister sciences were studied together because without the knowledge of ayurveda, your yoga practice can actually feed your imbalances. In this module you will learn how to apply ayurvedic principles to your classes for a more holistic approach to overall health.

If you do not live in the chicagoland area, there are plenty of housing options within walking distance of our studio from five-star hotels to a state-of-the-art hostel.

For more info, check out
on our webstie.
Yoga Retreat in Belize!
 
ak'bol  

     Feb 15-22, 2014

    Ak'Bol Eco Resort 

           Ambergris Caye, Belize              

  

Now Accepting Deposits to Save Your Spot!

 

I'm thrilled to announce we will be returning to Ak'Bol for my 2014 winter retreat! Ak'Bol is Mayan for Heart of the Village and it is Belize's first Yoga Retreat and Family Eco Resort. This is my third retreat here so obviously I think it's a special place. 

 

A few highlights of our past retreats at Ak'Bol:

  • sleeping in a beautiful eco-chic cabana on the shore
  • watching our friend Johnny shimmy up one of the trees on the property to knock down a coconut for me to drink 
  • waking up at 6 a.m. to see the dolphins that swim in about 20 yards from shore
  • spotting huge stingrays swimming under the yoga deck while we are practicing
  • snorkeling at the second largest stretch of coral reef in the world
  • enjoying local cuisine made with an ayurvedic twist
  • catching the water taxi into town to mingle with the locals


Check out my retreat page for more details.

   

 

Thanks for your continued support in my journey. I hope to see you soon.

 

Shanti,

Jim