Yoga with Nikki Chau » Anatomy

Seattle Yoga News – A Cadaver Lab Course for Yoga Teachers and Body Workers

Nikki Chau — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:28:23 +0000

I have to admit one thing first, I always find the term “body worker” to be somewhat amusing, but I guess that’s the industry standard, so there it is.

Okay, as some of you know, I have been working with the director of the Basic Cadaver Anatomy course at Bastyr University for the past couple months. [...]

Strategies for Monkey Minds, Leaping Lizards, and Hasty Humans

Nikki Chau — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:48:46 +0000

You’ve probably heard of the Monkey Mind, or the Poodle Brain, that restless mind of ours that goes and goes, even when we sincerely beg it, “Stop, just please, for a minute or two, just stop.” Wherever we are, in a meeting, lying down in Savasana, sitting in meditation, the Monkey Mind is running, dancing, [...]

It’s Not About the Pose, It’s All About the Pose – Why Form Matters, and Why It Doesn’t

Nikki Chau — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:34:53 +0000

As modern yoga seekers, we are often bombarded with a million pieces of information about yoga, sometimes some of them downright contrast with each other. In this post I want to talk about two seemingly opposing viewpoints: the importance and unimportance of the fourth branch of Patanjali’s Classical Yoga: the Asanas.

One thing that you may have [...]

Meet Bob the Skeleton!

Nikki Chau — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:55:39 +0000

My teacher Kathryn Payne said that every yoga studio should have an anatomically correct human skeleton, and I cannot agree more.

Honestly, for a while, I avoided looking or touching Slim, the skeleton at Taj Yoga where I study, because … ahem, don’t laugh, but I was really scared of him, or I was scared of [...]

Free Yoga Workshop! The Zen of Down Dog

Nikki Chau — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:15:47 +0000

The red and yellow and orange leaves outside are so amazing right now that I don’t even mind the colder weather (yet). The dog days of summer may be behind us this year, but fear not, Seattle yogaites, there is still plenty of ease and joy to experience in our body and mind with the [...]

Seattle Yoga News – Asana Technique with Kathryn Payne at Island Yoga Center

Nikki Chau — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:17:41 +0000

If you’ve ever taken a Yoga Teacher Training from Pacific Yoga or a Sanskrit Weekend workshop in Seattle, you know Kathryn Payne. Otherwise, you may not have heard of her because she tends to fly below the radar, enjoying the island life on Vashon Island.

If you don’t live on an island (and yes, let’s forget for [...]

Alignment-based Yoga

Nikki Chau — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:21:07 +0000

I’ve had my car for over four years. After countless rock climbing road trips up and down the West coast, and crossing quite a few state and county lines this past August, my odometer is racking up some major mileage. I started noticing my car wanting to drift towards one side, and my brother pointed out [...]

Experiential Anatomy Training with Judith Lasater

Nikki Chau — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:11:52 +0000

Greetings from Feathered Pipe Ranch, Montana.

I’m currently half way through the Experiential Anatomy Teacher Training with Judith Lasater, who’s also the author of Yogabody: Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana. Apart from the beautiful setting, awesome food, and great people, the workshop is proving invaluable to my growth as a yoga student, teacher, and human being.

In her [...]

Anatomy: The Gastrocnemius Muscle

Nikki Chau — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:57:48 +0000

My teacher Theresa once said, “as yogis, we are flexible, and yet can be very tight”. This is certainly very true for me and my calves. I have been looking closely at the anatomy of the lower leg lately, due to a recent knee injury, and my ankles have always been weak, thanks to years of [...]

The Yoga Teacher Dilemma

Nikki Chau — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:43:46 +0000

But I’m Supposed to Be Good at This Stuff

When I began my teacher training certification, I had been doing yoga for a good decade and some change. I started going to yoga class at a health club during my sophomore year in high school at the age of 15, and went through a whirlwind tour [...]