I’m very excited to have written the featured article, “Upwardly Mobile” for the current (Oct. 2012) issue of Yoga Journal. My deepest thanks go out to my fantastic editor Charity Ferreira, my creative partner Lydia Mann, model Kate Holcombe, and yoga spotter extraordinaire, Jennifer Rodrigue.
In June I flew out to San Francisco for a day to help with the photo shoot, and I had a blast. It was a long day, and we shot a record number of poses for a YJ practice article (23), but since we were so efficient, we had time to shoot a video of the sequence, which is available at Yoga Journal’s livemag.
The sequence itself is one I’ve been teaching for about 20 years, and is the central piece of the DVD I released thru Human Kinetics in 2010. I’m really pleased to be sharing it with a wider audience. Below, I’m attaching the original drawing of the sequence from 1993, and some images of the photo shoot at Michael Winokur’s studio.
Give the practice a try and let me know what you think!
Bravo on a great article! I’ve been using the sequences in your DVD for my own practices and in my teaching and was really curious to see how it would translate in print. It’s wonderful! Since I share your views on arm balances and weight bearing, I hope your article influences other yoga teachers. Since I instruct beginning yoga students, I use your sequences (from the DVD) to build upper body strength and flexibility and it really does work. Most people have lots of neck and shoulder tension and not much upper body strength so your approach is much safer and comfortable. One of my favorite experiences as an instructor is to see the relief wash over students’ faces after practicing the arm spirals.
I am deeply grateful that you continue to share your wisdom with all of us in print, in person, and online (a plug for the phenomenal Yoga Anatomy courses).
Valerie Hauser
Congratulations, Leslie! I was thrilled for you and the yoga community when I saw the article and sequence in YJ. You taught this sequence during a workshop I attended, and it made quite an impression on me as it is deceptively challenging. I hope this is the first of many that you will contribute and the yoga community can benefit from.
Julie Zeringue
(Participant in your online Yoga Anatomy Principles Course)
Thank you for sharing this sequence! I love it!!… I have taught it to a couple of classes and plan to use it frequently and explore and experiment with it in my own practice. I really like your thorough instruction and comments on the YJ LiveMag video (and the accompanying text) and your straightforward approachable delivery style. I also appreciate that you instructed both sides. I’ll be looking for more!
I’m yoga teacher from St-Georges de Beauce (Québec).Congratulations for your firt article in yoga jounal.
I will buy this copy.
I am really thankful to you for the great information. Liked reading it. I appreciate you for sharing your efforts.
Is there a way to get the sequence from this article. I’ve tried every way I can think of. I don’t see it in this post.
Here is a link to a video of the sequence:
https://www.yogajournal.com/videos/upwardly-mobile