Hello
My name is Cecilia, and I'm a bit of a nerd. My connection to yoga didn't come when I was very young, or from an epiphany on a beautiful vacation, my yoga journey started with an injury, and trying to find something that could relieve the pain. It changed my life.
My yoga isn't a form of workout, it's a way of getting to know myself, and to honour my body and this life, while learning to accept myself.
The Bhagavad Ghita said it best: "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self."
Join me on this amazing journey!
My Story
When I first started my yoga practice, I instantly fell in love with the human body. I loved looking into different asana, and see how they worked in the body, what muscles were activated, what you could change to make it more accessible, etc. I studied a lot of functional anatomy, and a year later I took my first teacher training in Somatic Yin Yoga.
While I moved away from that kind of yoga once I started teaching, the idea of what happens in the body – and the brain – stuck with me, and a year later I took my 200 hours teacher training with Esther Ekhart, a training where I could deepen my understanding of the human body, and physical asana.
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In my class you'll never hear me say that the body should "fit inside a toaster" or "between two panes of glass". Not to mention skeleton variations, the body is made up of curves and spirals, it's not flat, and we shouldn't try to make it flat, that would be working against the body, not with it.
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I've always kept my interest for the body alive, but a few years – and a lot of different teacher trainings – later, I've started gravitating more towards the spiritual parts of the practice. A continuous teacher training with David Lurey and Mirjam Wagner gave me the tools to start working with the five elements, along with mantras, chanting, intentions, meditation, and pranayama.
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Today my practice mainly focuses on the more basic asana, more as a mean to an end, while the heart of the practice lies more within. It's more vulnerable, more open, and most of all more about reverence for life, for everyone that came before me, and for the wonderful thing that is yoga. This may sound deep, but it's actually very simple, and I hope you will give me the chance to share this practice with you.
"The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. Standing on your hands is not the goal. The goal is serenity. Balance. Truly finding peace in your own skin.”
- Rachel Brathen
Functional Yoga
My interest in anatomy very early brought me into the Functional Yoga Movement, which is still something I work with today. But what is functional yoga?
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It's quite simple. Functional yoga is all about seeing the function of what you do, and adapt it for your goal. Is the function of a certain pose to find stability? Or space? To relax? Or to look good on Instagram? There are no wrong answers, but depending on what you're looking for in a pose, the way you do it can be completely different.
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My rule for practicing any type of yoga is that it should never EVER be painful. It might be uncomfortable. It might feel a bit iffy. That's ok – pain is not. “We do not use the body to get into a pose – we use the pose to get into our body.” is a quote from the ultimate functional yoga guide, Bernie Clark, and it's so true! Trying to wrestle our bodies into poses that just don't feel great isn't what I would call yoga. It can be fun to experiment with different asana (as you can see in my Instagram account), but it's not what yoga is all about.
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When it comes to getting into different asana, I like to look at What Stops Me? If it's tension, it's a muscle that's a bit stiff, it can feel a bit sore, and it will get better with practice. But if it's compression, a part of the body actually hitting another part of the body (like your elbow, it stops bending because the upper arm and lower arm hit each other) you simply can't go further. This could be really uncomfortable, and in some cases even painful. So with a compression, you either have to accept that this is what this asana looks like for you, you can move and create a different shape, or you can chose another asana that has the same function you're looking for, but doesn't give you a compression.
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So, where am I going with all this? I want you to know that not all bodies are built the same. You won't be able to perform every asana the same way as the person next to you, or like I do, no matter how much you practice. Some asana you will never be able to do in a classically "correct" way. And some asana you'll be able to do easy peasy. The thing is, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the function.
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This is where I come in! I love guiding you through this, and see what works for your body. So even if a lot of my classes are taught online, you can always contact me with any questions you have about asana, function, or what other ways you can go in your body.
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And most importantly, it's about listening to your own body. How does it feel? Does it feel great? Then you're probably doing something right. Does it feel like pure torture? Then you might want to look at doing it differently. It doesn't have to be harder than that!
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Thank you for reading this massive heap of information, let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and I hope I'll meet you on the mat!
“Consider your will and your body as two dancers, moving in total unison. Too many beginning and even experienced yoga students make their yoga into a wrestling match—the mind contending with the body, forcing it into postures that the body is resisting. Yoga is a dance, not a wrestling match.”
- Bernie Clark
About Props
Although you don't really need anything other than a good mat, and your body to practice yoga, props can be super helpful! We use props to reach where we can't, and to meet our bodies where they're at. Here are the props you may encounter in my classes, how we can use them, and what we can replace them with. If you are serious about your yoga practice, these can be a good investment if you're planning to have a home practice.
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Blocks
My fav prop! We use blocks for stability, to sit on, to raise and open our bodies, and to make the floor higher when it feels too low. Blocks come in cork (which I recommend), and also foam or wood. They are hard to replace, but you could try some stable books or brick sized boxes to get the higher floor effect. Two blocks are recommended.
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Bolster
A bolster is basically a thick, oblong shaped cushion, usually stuffed with buckwheat seeds to make it less soft. We use the bolsters mainly in relaxing practices, to sit on, lie on, or lean on, but can also be used to put over the body for some extra grounding weight (the buckwheat makes it heavy). You can switch out the bolster for some heavy pillows, just bear in mind that pillows are usually smaller and softer than bolsters, so you might need a few. One bolster usually suffice in a home yoga practice.
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Strap
The strap is usually used to elongate the arms when needed. Imagine being in a seated forward fold with your legs stretched out, and you want to grab your feet for a little extra stretch. Now imagine your hands only reaching to your calves or knees. Instead of trying to force the hands to reach the feet, when they're clearly nowhere near, we use a belt around the feet that we then easily can reach with the hands. A yoga strap is easy to fasten and make into a loop of any size, but really any type of strap or belt can work. One strap should work for your home practice.
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Blankets
Now this is something we all have at home! The blanket can be warm and cozy, especially while relaxing, it can be used under the head as a pillow, or folded under your bum when you sit to get a little extra height, and make it easier to sit on the floor, especially if you feel like you're leaning back. I can also help to soften any compression between your body and the mat. Any blanket will do, but if you're going to use it to sit on, something that's a bit firmer is to recommend. You can never have too many blankets!
I am grateful to be part of an amazing yoga community on Instagram, working together, and inspiring and supporting each other! Follow me @cecilia.hartman, and get another view on my yoga journey, watch tutorials, join fun challenges, and take part in giveaways with some great yoga brands!
