Moving From The Pelvis

In this long audio class (1 hour, 40 minutes), instructor Matt Harris emphasizes moving from the pelvis in every single pose. This often amounts to starting the posture by curving the pelvis into either a dog or cat tilt and then creating the posture from this place in the body.The first half of this class focuses on standing postures. Harris begins by having his students simply sit in hero’s pose to focus on and to observe the pelvis. The warm-up sequence includes pelvic rolls, cat/cow movements, and the practice of cat and dog tilts in both upward push-up and down dog positions. This incorporation of the cat/dog action continues into a lunge series and then right on into the standing postures. As Harris cues traditional standing poses such as standing forward bend, warrior 1, triangle, and wide-legged forward bend, he is constantly reminding the class to find both dog and cat tilt in each of these positions. He also shows his students how to cat tilt in cobra as well as how to use dog tilt to pull themselves back into down dog. Harris provides similar instruction for kneeling and lying postures, including variations on bow, camel, and half splits.With about 30 minutes left to the class, Harris has his students settle into the floor on their backs. He continues to urge the participants to feel the motions of cat and dog tilts as they first move into several bridge poses and then finally a single upward bow posture. Following this, Harris further winds down the practice, leading the group through hamstring stretches with a belt. Finally, with 5 minutes to go, he sets his students up for relaxation, suggesting that they keep their hands on the belly as an option. (Note: the audio cuts off just as Harris is bringing the class out of relaxation pose.)This audio delivers exactly what it promises: that is, a deep exploration of moving from the pelvis throughout one’s entire practice. It is ideal for those looking to come to their asana work from a fresh perspective, and it is appropriate for experienced beginner and above students.