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THEYOGA WALL

First Issue April 2012 www.yogawall.eu

GAZETTE

Wall Plates are thefoundation of thepatented yogaWall system

eveRyTHing you WAnTeD To KnoW ABouT THe yogA WAll AnD MoRe

A spring loadedsocket receivesthe ball of the othercomponents

discover our

webshop

The principle behind the Yoga Wall has been around for decades, originally designed by BKS Iyengar in the form of ropes attached to wall hooks to assist students in vari-ous yoga asana (poses).

The training room at Madonna’s Hard Candy Fitness in Mexico City.

The Great Yoga WallTM is a newer version of this wall with a system of adjustable straps and more comfort-able pelvic swings to accommodate every height and body type. The new system was designed by Kedric Wolfe in the early 80’s after he injured his foot on one of the older system’s wall hooks. It occurred to him that there must be a ‘better way’ to use the wall with more ease and versatility. He de-veloped the innovative design of the Wall Plates which are the foundation of the patented Yoga WallTM system. It is a spring loaded socket that receives the ball of the other components. The plates are superbly crafted to mount flush into a sheet of veneer plywood. The more plates in your wall, the more places you have to put Yoga Wall Belts and the greater variety of

yoga postures you can do. There are hundreds of poses that can be practiced with the help of the Yoga Wall system.

Purna Yoga co-founder Aadil Palkhivala was one of the early adopters of the Great Yoga Wall. He developed and teaches the ‘Spinal Rejuvenation Sequence’ for the Yoga Wall.

Over the years not only yoga practitioners but also physical therapists, sports coaches, pilates practitioners and fitness instructors have discovered the benefits and limitless possibilities that The Great Yoga WallTM has to offer

The Yoga Wall Story

The Overall Benefits of The Great Yoga Wall

The principle behind the yoga Wall has been around for decades, originally designed by BKS iyengar in the form of ropes attached to wall hooks to assist students in various yoga asana (poses).

oRigin & evoluTion

Bryan Legere is the director of the Ventura Yoga Studio, holds a Inter-mediate Iyengar Yoga Certification and is a co-founder of The Great Yoga WallTM, Inc.

He has been a National Iyengar Yoga Certification Assessor since 1994 and has been to India many times to study yoga at the Iyengar Yoga Institute.

He began practicing yoga in the late 70’s and started teaching in 1984. He teaches yoga teacher train-ings, workshops and has led yoga retreats through out the United States and internationally.

Purna Yoga co-founder and Yoga Master Aadil Palkhivala was one of his masters and together they developped the ‘Spinal Rejuvenation Sequence’ for the Yoga Wall.

Bryan Legere

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.you can hold yoga poses

longer.

it will help you

improve your flexibility.

Progress faster in your

learning of yoga.

Become strong & reliable.

great for therapeutic

yoga.

easy to use.

Safe &

Fun.

THE YOGA WALL GAZETTE2 First Issue April 2012 www.yogawall.eu

In their SculptWorks® class, YogaWorks uses the Great Yoga Wall equipped with stretch bands to create resistance. The class promises to build, lengthen and stretch muscles as well as build strength: ‘You’ll recognize familiar sculpting exercises such as squats, lunges and bicep curls in this class, but we have a few tricks thrown in to keep you on your toes. Using a ‘Great Yoga Wall’ equipped with stretch bands to create resist-ance you’ll build, lengthen and stretch muscles creating a beautiful, agile body. Sculpt-Works® is a thorough workout that can help you build the strength you need to advance in your yoga practice.’

www.yogaworks.com

SculptWorks‰ classby YogaWorks

HITTING THE WALLYOGA VARIATIONS

utilising a wall to assist with balance and support

during yoga asanas is nothing new in itself, but the

latest development in this technique opens up

a world of possibilities says Christian Ruggeri.

Regardless of the discipline practiced, most yoga students are familiar with using a wall as a means to assist with balance or to provide sup-port during certain asanas (poses). But it’s the Iyengar practice of yoga, a style known for its use of props, which has pushed the idea of wall sup-port to a new level.

It might appear daunting at first, but the latest yoga prop to arrive in Australia – the Yoga Wall – is a safe and supportive apparatus that helps students expand their practice. With the first ‘walls’ now opening in Australia, this evolution of wall-yoga is set to increase in popularity among yoga practitioners.

HoW DoeS iT WoRK? As well as being a

dedicated wall space, the Yoga Wall is primarily made up of a system of belts that slide into wall fixtures set at three different heights – ankle, waist and above-head height. The belts can be adjusted to various lengths, are usually formed into large loops, and lock against the wall at the height required by the pose. Slings may also be clipped on to the belts when the body is suspended upside down during full inversions.

Most Yoga Wall poses are related to the floor work usually practiced in a regular class, so they feel very familiar. The key difference is that the apparatus helps participants achieve the correct action of the pose more precisely.

During a class the teacher or instructor should, naturally, provide verbal instructions and demonstrate the asana, before working through the class to ensure that students are executing the poses safely and correctly.

Depending on the theme of the day’s practice, the class can be structured with a combination of floor and wall work, or can simply be dedi-cated to using the prop. Most new students will get the hang of the Yoga Wall within one ses-sion, though of course they should be encour-

aged to work at their own pace and take longer, if necessary, in order to feel confident.

AWAReneSS, STABiliTy, TRAnQuiliTy The Yoga Wall offers myriad benefits to all

students from beginners to advanced. What really gives it the edge over performing a pose in a normal floor class is that it helps you understand the correct ‘action’ of an asana. This means that rather than simply forming the shape of the pose with the body, the practitioner is made more aware of how it should really feel – how to move the skeleton to achieve proper alignment and how to activate and release par-

ticular joints and muscles by making adjust-ments to the body.

It also helps create stability and tran-quillity in a pose. Because our minds are typically undisciplined, constantly roam-

ing and easily distracted, achieving this stability in a pose has a profound impact on

steadying the nervous system and the breath. This mind body connection is one of the most important benefits of a Wall practice.

SilenT PARTneR The Yoga Wall offers considerable versatil-

ity, and can be used to hang from, lean on or push against. In this respect, it acts like a partner, supporting the body while it lengthens, stretches and opens. This enables poses to be held for longer, increasing the flow of energy through the body, and facilitating a far more intense release than can be achieved without the prop’s support.

Experienced students often discover that a Yoga Wall allows them to do things they can’t usually do in a floor class, such as turn com-pletely upside down and hang Batman-style! Meanwhile, students with injuries, such as neck and back problems, may find that a wall liber-ates them from the limitations of unsupported floor work and provides remedial relief for their condition.

For athletes, a Yoga Wall practice may be

as good as a deep tissue massage, allowing for muscular and connective tissue release. And for office workers, working with the prop will help release areas such as shoulders, spine and joints. But Yoga Wall isn’t just for experienced yoga practitioners or athletes – it’s a fun and chal-lenging workout for yoga students of all levels or anyone who wants to benefit from a deep, restorative stretch.

PoSeS uSing THe yogA WAll 1. Downward Facing DogThe belt stabilises the pelvis while the heels

are placed up the wall. This allows for full exten-sion of the spine and unlocks muscular tension

from the back, shoulder and neck. The belt encourages the pelvis to tilt upwards, which al-lows the sit bones to open and, in turn, deepens the hamstring stretch. A steady, powerful and exhilarating pose that strengthens the cardio-vascular system and quietens the mind.

2. Standing Forward Bend In this pose you can lean your centre of grav-

ity forward into the support of the belt. This al-lows for a greater release through the spine and stronger leg activation. You also gain a sense of how gravity affects you in the pose and, accord-ingly, can make subtle adjustments so that some parts of the body hold firm while others release.

3. Full Inversion (Sirsasana) Here, the sling arrangement fully supports

the body, allowing the participant to receive the healing and remedial influence of turning

upside down. The gravitational pull opens and lengthens the spine and neck and

stretches the internal organs. The cardiovascular, circulatory and lymphatic systems, in particular, benefit from this pose.

4. Reverse Triangle Pose With the heel wedged against the

wall, the belt is able to stabilise and align the pelvis. With the pelvis held

square and stable, the torso has more free-dom to lengthen into the twist. The upper arm can hold the second belt which further accentu-ates the twist, creating space through the trunk of the body.

Christian Ruggeri With eight years fitness industry experience,

and 15 years of management to his name, Christian is general manager of Elixr Health Clubs, one of the first fitness venues in Australia to feature a Yoga Wall.

© Australian fitness Network (www.fitnessnetwork.com.au) Pictures © Elixr Health Clubs - Australia’s Leading Mind & Body Health Club

2

3

4

1

THE

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order online

www.yogawall.eu

101Standard Station

6 Wall Plates-

Teak

102 Standard 1 ½ Station

9 Wall Plates-

Teak

103 Deluxe Station10 Wall Plates

-Teak

104Deluxe 1 ½ Station

15 Wall Plates-

Teak

101Standard Station

6 Wall Plates-

Palm

102 Standard 1 ½ Station

9 Wall Plates-

Palm

103 Deluxe Station10 Wall Plates

-Palm

104Deluxe 1 ½ Station

15 Wall Plates-

Palm

101Standard Station

6 Wall Plates-

Okoumé

102 Standard 1 ½ Station

9 Wall Plates-

Okoumé

103 Deluxe Station10 Wall Plates

-Okoumé

104Deluxe 1 ½ Station

15 Wall Plates-

Okoumé

101Standard Station

6 Wall Plates-

Bamboo

102 Standard 1 ½ Station

9 Wall Plates-

Bamboo

103 Deluxe Station10 Wall Plates

-Bamboo

104Deluxe 1 ½ Station

15 Wall Plates-

Bamboo

THE

gReAT yo a

order online

www.yogawall.eu

Wall Plates 401

Small Wall Bar 406

Hanlde Set405

Wall Belt Brown 402/B

Wall Belt Green 402/g

YW Pelvic Swing404

Full Option Small Wall Bar Yoga Wall

Practice Package One Person

202

Therapy Yoga Wall Package

204

Basic Yoga Wall Practice Package

One Person 201

Full Option Large Wall Bar Practice

Package One Person 203

Keeper Strap 520

Large Wall Bar 407

Wall Rope Hook409

Double Hook Wall Belt

419w

Double Buckle Wall Belt

410

Lumbar Traction Belt 408

Over Door Hanger Pair425

Regular Wall Pelvic Swing

424

HeavyDuty Yoga Belt 501 (6 feet)

Fuzzy Sleeve 426

Heavy Duty Yoga Belt

502 (8 feet)

Heavy Duty Yoga Belt

503 (10 feet)

Stretch Band Set Pair 551

Benefitsin this unique practice, gravity can be appreciated and utilized as a natural form of resistance, which can help students develop strong core muscles.

The YOGA WALL:

can help improve overall flexibility and mobility in the joints and spine

builds strength in both the large and small muscle groups

aides in the ability to access various mus-cle groups in poses they are not yet able

to achieve on the mat

offers many therapeutic benefits helping individuals heal from athletic injuries, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and

Sciatica

can be used as a work-out tool to aid competitive athletes in cross-training and

preparation for competitions

allows one to do hundreds of poses

can help students work through fear, build confidence, etc, so that they are able to take what they’ve learned on the Wall,

to their mats and into their daily lives

uses specific postures and positioning, movement and breath, awareness to open

the joints, connective tissue and joints

allows standing postures, forward and back bends, twists and inversions

helps us feel great after doing yoga, because it is a balanced physical prac-

tice designed to open the spine in every direction

It is said in Yoga, that ‘you are only as old as

your spine.’ Thus, as long as you have a healthy and flexible spine, your ability

to participate in life is endless! To open the spine in every direction without compres-

sion =

hang upside down and practice yoga!

ColofonPublisher The Great Yoga Wall Europe/Impek nv, Poincarélaan 30-31, B-1070 Brussels, Product photography Toon Coussement, Printed by Eco Print Center

B.S.K. iyengar

The wall is my guru

‘Unlike a traditional yoga class, our Wall classes are highenergy and embody a lot of laughter and love. They helpstudents work through fear and build confidence so that

they are able to take what they’ve learned on the Wall ontotheir mats and into their lives.’

Patrica PietrzakShriKula Yoga

‘In therapeutic applications of asana, the Great Yoga Wall isa quantum leap forward in my work with clients. For those

times where therapeutics are not required, both alignment andstrengthening are facilitated by the wall rope system.

I don’t know how I managed without it.’Gordon Kaplan

Team Yoga

‘The Great Yoga Wall is a funand challenging workout for yoga students of

all levels or anyone who wants to benefit from adeep, restorative stretch.’

Christian RuggeriElixr Health Clubs

‘Once you have tried the Great Yoga Wall™, it ishard to resist coming back. It is unlike anything youhave experienced. The only side effect I have seen is

a smile that won’t go away.’Rachel Krentzman

Embody Yoga and Physical Therapy

THE YOGA WALL GAZETTE 3First Issue April 2012www.yogawall.eu

HANGING OuT the Yoga WayMany of you may have experienced both the exhilaration and peaceful state that a yoga practice provides. one of the reasons we feel so good after doing yoga is because it is a balanced physical practice designed to open the spine in every direction.Rachel Krentzman, PT, E-RYT

This is also what sets it apart from your average sport. Most sports are a function of repetitive movements that can often cause repetitive stress on the body or tightness in certain areas because of the posture adopted during that specific sport. In yoga it is said that ‘you are only as old as your spine.’ In other words, as long as you have a healthy and flexible spine, your ability to participate in life is endless. The spine is your vital-ity; it houses all the nerves that keep your muscles and organs

functioning optimally. It is also the home of the central channel or ‘Shushumna Nadi’ in the yoga tradition, which is where we hold our ‘Prana’ or life force.

For the spine and joints, gravity is not always our friend. It causes wear and tear over time, loss of height, osteoarthritis in the joints and loss of mobility. Imagine what the possibilities would be if we could open the spine in every direction without compression, in other words in a state of traction. The only way to do this would be to practice while hanging upside down. Impossible? Not so. The Great Yoga WallTM makes it possible.

What is a yoga Wall?The Yoga Wall has been around for decades, originally

designed by BKS Iyengar in the form of ropes attached to wall hooks to assist students in various yoga asana (poses). The Great Yoga WallTM is a newer version of this wall with a system of adjustable straps and more comfortable pelvic swings to ac-commodate every height and body type. The new system was designed by Kedric Wolfe in the early 80’s after he injured his foot on one of the older system’s wall hooks. It occurred to him that there must be a ‘better way’ to use the wall with more ease and versatility.

In San Diego, physical therapist and yoga instructor Diana Smith teaches classes and works with clients individually on the

Yoga Wall to help improve their overall flexibility and mobil-ity in the spine and joints. Diana describes the benefits of the Yoga Wall as twofold. ‘It (the Yoga Wall) can help a healthy Yoga practitioner find a new way to access different muscle groups in a pose that they were unable to do without the ropes,’ she said, ‘and it can be used therapeutically to help individuals heal from injuries, especially from arthritis and degenerative disc disease.’

She says that many of her private physical therapy clients have been able to avoid surgery and recovered from herniated discs with the help of the Yoga Wall.

There are hundreds of poses that can be practiced with the help of the Yoga Wall system. At Embody Yoga and Physical Therapy Centers in San Diego, we teach special sequencing including one called ‘Rejuvenation of the Spine Series.’ The series, which is taught by Purna YogaTM co-founder and Yoga Master, Aadil Palkhivala, incorporates flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation all while the spine is in traction. The beauty of the system is that the traction begins at the low back compared to inversion tables which first traction the ankles, knees and hip before reaching the spine. The Yoga Wall uses positioning, action, breath and awareness to open the spine and joints.

Other poses that are practiced on the wall include standing postures, forward bends, back bends, twists and inversions such as headstand, which can be done without any weight on the head.

Long time student and physical medicine physician, Dr. Lance Stone, said he liked it so much, he installed one in his house.

‘The Yoga Wall system has enabled me to reach deeper into each pose and experience improved alignment,’ Stone said. ‘It is a remarkable tool that has strengthened both my practice and motivation. I feel results that I generally only achieve with a hands-on instructor. It also looks good and doesn’t take up much space.’

Once you have tried the Great Yoga WallTM, it is hard to resist coming back. It is unlike anything you have experienced. The only side effect I have seen is a smile that won’t go away.

Rachel Krentzman, RPT, e-RyT is the Cofounder and Director of Embody Yoga and Physical

Therapy, a charming studio with a full Yoga Wall system in the heart of Bird Rock, in San Diego CA. She is a licensed physical therapist and a certified Purna Yoga Instructor who is passionate about integrating Yoga into Rehabilitation.

For www.active.com – March 19, 2010Photos by Tarja Stoeckel  at Embody Physical Therapy & Yoga in San Diego, CA

Take Your Pelvic Swing on

HolidayEasy to install Regular Wall Pelvic Swing for use without the Great

Yoga Wall. Can be hung from a door with Over the Door Hangers or clipped into two eye bolts you attach to a wall or ceiling.

THE YOGA WALL GAZETTE4 First Issue April 2012 www.yogawall.eu

The first series, Spinal Regeneration and Anti-Aging, focuses on healing the spine. The second series, Hip-Opening Series with Traction, focus-es on healing the pelvis and hips. Both of these series of therapy techniques are administered by a yoga therapist to the individual on a yoga wall, and they are potent healers for Anyone!

The Pathway of HealthThe spine is the pathway through which all

other systems of the body are nourished. By regenerating the health of the spine, through passive inversion and assisted range-of-motion therapy, we restore a youthful state of healing

to the organs and tissues of the body and brain. Back pain disappears over time, as the spine, itself, is repaired, and the pain and suffering from most chronic illnesses can be reduced or healed entirely.

Who Benefits?You do. By receiving on-going treatment ses-

sions on a yoga wall by a qualified yoga thera-pist, the detrimental effects of age, poor posture, shallow breathing, etc. can be exponentially reversed. Add higher consciousness to your nu-trition intake, continue a regular yoga practice, and learn mindfulness & healing meditations

that can be practiced daily to increase the benefits even more.

Sitting for hours a day? Working at your desk or computer, driving in a

car, or spending too much time on the couch all contribute to what I like to call Chronic Sitter’s Syndrome. Sitting long hours, day in and day out, causes the spine to degrade much quicker, and ages the body and organs prematurely. Sit-ting causes the hips to suffer deeply, as well, with extreme loss of tissue hydration, flexibility and oxygen circulation. Forward flexion, backwards extension, and internal / external rotation of the

hips are drastically decreased. Over time, this can lead to knee and ankle problems and joint-replacement surgery; circumstances best avoided.

Runners / Cyclists / Tri-Athletes If you put in the miles every week, you’ve

almost certainly begun to feel the compounding effects. These series on the yoga wall are amaz-ing for those who experience a lot of jolting compression to the spine and neck, and who experience extreme tightness and injury in the hips & legs.

FoCuS on TWo invAluABle yogA THeRAPy SeRieS

Chronic Health Issues Reversed by Yoga Wall TherapyLarissa Nicole Rogers

Michael Hayes

There are invaluable yoga therapy series that are taught to yoga therapists world-wide by master yoga teacher, Aadil Palkhivala. Here, we focus our attention on two.

yogA PoSTuReS WiTHouT STRuggle

I’m excited to announce that I have installed ‘The Great Yoga Wall’ in my stu-dio. After taking 2 teacher training program with Bryan Legere at the Ventura Yoga Center, I decided to incorporate ‘the wall’ into my work as a Buddha Body Yoga instructor.

‘The great yoga wall’ is the evolution of the Iyengar yoga wall. The wall uses various types of adjustable straps, belts and bars to create traction, stability, awareness, anti-gravity assistance and more. It has great benefits for people with ‘buddha bodies’ - the large, voluptuous, tall, muscular, or other non- stereotypical yoga body.

In my personal practice, working with the yoga wall has helped my postures and helped me to discover new things about my own body. For example, I found that a lot of my challenges which I had thought were coming from my legs and knees, were actually coming from my ribs and upper psoas tightness. By allowing my body to be supported in various ways by the straps while in postures (and using my breath), I was able to open up more of my ribs and feel more of my psoas in the upper quadrants. I believe it would have taken me a longer time to find these issues and get to this practice without the yoga wall.

Another personal practice with the wall is hanging upside down, which I do on a daily basis. Hanging upside down in a supporting belt not only works to slow and reverse the aging process, but it also forces me to breath in my ribs, rather than my belly, which helps me open up my ribs, shoulders, and arms.

Working with my clients with the newly installed wall, I see the excitement that they get from being able to do the postures without struggling so much with their weight. After 5 minutes working with a pose with the wall, then they try the same posture without the ropes. They notice that they are able to settle into the postures with a new ability to distribute the weight of their bodies more evenly throughout the body which increases the stretch and the ease.

This makes them more present within the posture. It’s like seeing a bell going off in their heads. And they are then drawn to the practice more.

A good example of that is practicing downward facing dog, which is for many big people a nemesis. Because they may have a lot of body weight, they are often either they are putting their weight too much in their hands or feet. When they come off of the yoga wall, they find that their downward facing dog is a lot easier; their weight is no longer too much on the hands or feet, but instead their body is elongated, and they are able to sustain the elongation through their pose. In this way the body is able to distribute weight so that the body is working efficiently and in a focused manner in each posture.

As well as teaching on my private yoga wall, Buddha Body Yoga will also be offering group classes on the Great Yoga Wall. These classes will use a studio that has a wall for many people at once, but the classes will be specifically for large bodies. I’m not interested in working with small people.

All my private yoga sessions are customized to the needs of the individual. The purpose of private sessions is to assist the client in developing a deeper explora-tion of their own bodies that is carried into their practice at home, and carried into the practice of moving through life. I find once you learn how to change the way you move in your process of yoga, you also change the patterns of thinking.

I look forward to seeing more people who have previously thought they can’t do the postures, move into the postures and know why they are practic-ing them, with the assistance of the wall and it’s offerings. Watching these new patterns of thinking and movement being carried into my clients’ daily life is a true pleasure.

www.buddhabodyoga.com

The Great Yoga Wall for Buddha Bodies

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. Parivrutha Thirikonasana with straps

2. Ardha chandrasana supported by straps - using traction and support to find more space and release

3. The wall is great for assisting large bodies with supported backbending

4. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana - Revolved Side Angle assisted by 2 straps