Hey gang,

Balance is a sensation with endless faces. It is an invitation to more, a doorway to learning and wisdom. It is also continuous. The empty spaces that surround and envelop us are already in balance, already empty and full at the same time, already complete. This is not a thought or belief or a goal. It already happened. The question is one of realization, not creation.

This may sound like mystical talk, but practicing balance is incredibly practical. The question is whether we can fully realize the opportunities in what may feel mundane. At MBS, we teach balance as a sensation that is accessible to everyone, not as a physical accomplishment. We ask our adaptive students to explore its transcendent aspects like what does balance feel like without possessing coordinated movement or, even more paradoxically, what does balance feel like when one is physically off-balance. We do NOT ask our students to imagine or visualize balance to overcome physical facts. Instead, we ask them to explore more deeply into balance as an integrative sensation that unifies mind and body, one that recruits the entire nervous systems into a coordinated whole. This level of exploration must travel from body to mind without attachment to controlled success, in other words, without being led by the mind. Huh? Exactly. Our students are pioneers.

Does anyone else feel off-balance living in this world these last few years? Might you also benefit from exploring the transcendent aspects of balance, to realize the simultaneous sensation of balance while everything else feels out of joint? Smile, the practice begins simply. Sit up straight and tall, soften your gaze, the inside of your mouth, connect to the emptiness within. Balance your head over your neck, learn to gently lift your chest without disturbing the stillness, connect to your sitting bones, feel your legs and feet. What is ‘inside’ is already in balance with what is ‘outside.’ Smile. Witness the miracle of the emptiness and fullness of your moving breath.

We're thrilled to unveil a project that's been a long time in the making -- the MBS Teaching Technique Video Library! It's the most comprehensive and compact body of our work to date.

In this collection, you'll find fundamental teachings of our method distilled into 13 videos, all readily available on our website. Separated into chapters for easy viewing, each video is designed to help teachers and students alike, both in classes AND for home practice.

Our aim is to provide no-cost, 24/7, on-demand access to the principles of adaptive yoga, thereby positioning our website as a user-friendly, go-to resource. Check it out.

ps. Stay tuned for audio recordings where you can access even deeper dives into our groundbreaking method.

Let’s explore two versions of Virabhadrasana I with the authenticity of a child or animal. Both versions have the opposing alignments of grounding and lifting, and strengthening and lengthening. 

Seated or standing: Direct the heels and sit bones towards the earth while the chest, arms, and forehead lift towards the sky. Extend with curiosity just as children and animals reach to explore anything of interest. Like babies' trunk and back muscles develop through play, allow the strength of the natural curves of the spine to support the asana. The femurs slightly rotate towards one another, while the biceps rotate away from one another. The spine negotiates between these opposing links. The front hip points are lifted, creating space and length in the low back, which enables energy to be sustained. Soak in the asana. Make small adjustments to realize the balance of effort and ease.

Standing Pose: From Tadasana, take one leg back and pivot that heel so the foot forms an angle directed toward the edge of the yoga mat. Keep the back leg extended while bending the front knee, keeping it over that ankle. Anchor through the feet while sweeping the arms overhead, drawing awareness from the feet through the legs, spine, and arms. 

With the hands shoulder distance apart and the palms facing one another, feel the connected course of the whole body, with the feet and tailbone directed downward, and the torso, chest, and arms lifted upward. Breathe naturally and settle into the asana with joyful exploration. 

Read on for options and benefits

Once a month, MBS-trained teachers gather in our virtual "Sandbox" to share all kinds of ideas about adaptive yoga -- from sequencing classes to cultivating community. 

Led by MBS faculty teachers Amy Samson and Bethany Hutchinson, the hour-long sessions (12-1PM CT) offer attendees the chance to learn from one another while taking deeper dives into the MBS adaptive yoga approach. Shared wisdom and energy fill the Zoom room, re-invigorating the commitment to sharing adaptive yoga with everybody!

Check out the fall lineup and register. Sessions are free to attend and open to anyone who has trained with MBS.

Come be with friends old and new! Share ideas, and leave with new insights for your next class.

READ MORE

ICYMI

(In Case You Missed It)

Recent MBS social media posts

July 19 / "Watching Your Attitude" meditation with Jennie Ross. The attitude of the mind is what determines what our experience is; so even though there's a weight to how my mind felt, the stressor was my resistance to that weight. How I was relating to it, the attitude that I brought to my relationship to that heaviness is what was causing a problem" ~ Jennie Ross PRACTICE HERE

Sept 1 / Making Space... It's a Pose Play Day! Let's explore the sensation of space through offering a hand behind the sternum. Special thanks to Mary Pat FitzPatrick for this teaching.

Here's a link to this POSE PLAY pose. Also find a link to an 8 minute audio teaching led by Matthew W. Sanford.

Sept 6 / Yoga Disability & Transformation Too often, living with a disability is like being in a community of one, even among our closest friends and family. In this session, we share stories of epic successes and failures when attempting to make ourselves truly heard by people who cannot easily listen. WATCH the replay

Come Join Us!

All adaptive yoga classes are taught by MBS-trained teachers and offered at no-cost.