Dylan Werner - Ember | Genesis (Level 1 MIA - Myofascial Integrated Alignment)

Equipment Needed: Yoga mat, Strap Class Focus: Deep Front Line, Adductors, Psoas, Hip Mobility, Goddess This level 1 MIA yoga class takes a deep dive into the deep front line and hip mobility. We focus on opening the adductors and psoas through poses like goddess and deep lunges. We add some side bends into the mix to lengthen the quadratus lumboreum muscles which neighbors our psoas muscles. Adding movement through splits, adduction and side bends creates glide between the muscle and helps increase range of motion in all these synergistic areas. This class brings some fun challenge with binds and balance poses. The Deep Front line is a complex myofascial structure that serves as the body’s myofascial “core,” starting from under the foot, traveling up the back leg, passing behind the knee, and continuing through the inner thigh, then branching into the hip, pelvis, and lumbar vertebrae. It extends through the chest, branching into the thoracic viscera, and reaches the base of the skull. Unlike a simple line, it’s three-dimensional and envelops stabilizing leg muscles, influences the hip joint and walking rhythm, bridges the neuromotor chassis and chest cavity organs, and provides counterbalance in the neck for posture and alignment. 34 min MIA Level 1 Yoga mat . (Myofascial Integrated Alignment) is a holistic approach to sequencing vinyasa yoga with the primary focus of restoring healthy natural alignment through exercising fascial properties and adapting postures to balance myofascial meridians (tension lines of muscles and fascia.) Key Principles of MIA Yoga: 1. Fascial Focus: Fascia, the connective tissue surrounding muscles, plays a central role in MIA Yoga. The practice aims to stimulate and strengthen fascial properties to promote healing and overall well-being. 2. Holistic Alignment: MIA Yoga understands alignment as a dynamic state of harmony and balance within the body. It goes beyond rigid pose perfection and aims to restore the body’s natural equilibrium. 3. Alignment as a Tool: Instead of treating yoga poses as endpoints, MIA Yoga sees them as tools for creating balance and harmony within the body. The ultimate goal is not the pose itself but a state of balance achieved through the pose. 4. Sensation-Based Movement: Cueing focuses on moving towards a sensation rather than a destination. In MIA, poses are more fluid with their alignment. Pose shape is determined by sensation and the practitioner’s range of motion rather than trying to create a standard shape. Essentially, poses do not have inherent alignment and should be explored by feeling rather than visual aesthetics. 5. The Body’s Natural State: MIA Yoga recognizes that the body has a natural alignment or resting tension, better known as posture. Our natural alignment arises from a combination of factors, including bone structure, muscle tension, and fascial tension. Our body’s resting tension is best understood through biotensegrity, which describes the continuous tensions and compressions of the myofascial system. MIA systematically balances the myofascial system to restore optimal posture and functionality. 6. Sequencing with Myofascial Meridians: MIA Yoga employs a unique sequencing approach based on myofascial meridians, continuous lines of tension that run throughout the body. These meridians guide the creation of balanced and holistic sequences. 7. Tuning Poses: In MIA Yoga, poses can be “tuned” to modify the tension along specific myofascial meridians. Tuning adjusts joint positions through various types of movements to target different muscles and lines of tension within the myofascia. Tuning creates a more holistic or uniform stretch along the desired meridian. 8. Fascial Properties: MIA sequencing prioritizes the five fundamental properties of fascia: Elasticity, Plasticity, Viscoelasticity, Transmission of Force, and Remodeling. Each property is addressed through specific movements, as well as a time and force-dependent approach. Each property has its own benefits and movements that fit into specific parts of the sequence to promote the desired effect of the fascial property. For example, elasticity is used primarily in the warm-up, effectively increasing glide and allowing for more range of motion. a. Elasticity: Bouncing increases mobility, fascial glide, and proprioception. b. Slow viscoelasticity: We increase fascial glide, pliability, and creep through repetitive oscillating movement. c. Fast viscoelasticity: We use gentle impact movements to strengthen the joints and increase joint health. d. Plasticity: Longer holds, generally 30 seconds to one minute, to increase flexibility. e. Transmission of force: We increase tension along different myofascial lines by “tuning” postures to maximize the pose’s potential within the focused myofascial meridian. 9...