Darcie Clark Yoga
Corbett Ave Toronto, ON, Canada

Wishing you a peaceful and restful holiday season. #christmasmorning #christmascat

Whether you came to my online yoga classes, subscribed to my YouTube Channel, saw me for private yoga sessions, or liked and commented on my social media posts this past year, I thank you for being here with me! You helped make this year feel more rewarding and way less lonely. I teach three more online yoga classes next week before I take a two week break over the holidays to recharge and launch my new online membership platform. Stay tuned! Let me know if you can join me fo...r any of the following classes next week or sign up with this link: https://www.darcieclark.com/online-classes/ Gentle Hatha - Monday at 9:30am ET Chair Yoga - Tuesday at 10:00am ET Mindful Flow - Wednesday at 6:00pm ET #onlineyogaclasses #onlineyogaclassesforall #chairyogaonline #chairyoga #hathayogaflow #gentleyogaclass

New Chair Yoga practice is up on my YouTube Channel. This one will reduce computer slump as it loosens up the shoulders and spine to open the chest. Great for seniors and desk jockeys alike! https://youtu.be/aFLhBdokOBg

How many different ways can one move from downward dog into plank and back? Some days the movement is a wave that travels through my spine, other days it’s an exploration of the shoulder and hip joints only and today I let the movement travel through my knees and elbows, too. It’s a fun way to challenge my strength and increase joint mobility and stability in this particular plane of movement. Have fun in your practice and remember there are so many different ways to move from one pose to another! #yogaplaytime #changeitup #personalyogapractice #homeyogapractice

If you perform a search on Chair Yoga this variation of Warrior 2 pose pops up frequently. And yet, is this version actually more accessible to people choosing to practice Chair Yoga? I don’t think so. First of all, look at how much flexibility this demands from my hips and legs. Ouch. If I take the chair away as demonstrated in the second pic, and keep the stance that wide, it’s actually so much wider than my usual warrior 2 stance (that’s right, no thank you to the alignm...ent rule of keeping feet a leg’s length apart and a 90 degree bend at the knee - I’ll place my feet where I feel most stable and secure, thank you. And you should, too.). Plus, the proportions have to be just right between the height of the chair and the person in order to be able to have the front foot on the floor (my heel is lifting here slightly). Sure, you could place a block under your foot, but then it becomes rather fiddly and by then the teacher has moved on already. Ugh. Remember, just because the pose is taught in a chair doesn’t mean it’s actually more accessible for people. My approach to Chair Yoga is a little unconventional in that instead of simply translating the traditional yoga poses to be done on the chair, I prefer to let the practice speak for itself. How can we as teachers make the yoga practice relevant for more people? Dissolve the yoga poses into the smaller and simpler movements that need to happen to get us there more safely and with greater attention and skill. This approach will benefit all of your students, not only your chair yoga students. This way, our students actually learn how they’re moving and what they are capable of! And if you insist on teaching Warrior 2 in your Chair Yoga classes (or mixed level classes that include chair options), check out the third picture for one of my preferred variations. Stay tuned for when I announce my next online Chair Yoga Teacher Training course next spring! PM me your email address and I’ll add you to my mailing list so you’ll be the first to hear. #chairyoga #chairyogateachertraining #chairyogateachercertification #accessibleyoga #accessibleyogatrainings #yogaforall #yogaforseniors

Thank you to this dedicated group of yoga teachers (plus two who were absent when we took the photo) for taking part in my first online Chair Yoga Teacher Training as part of the 300HR YTT at YogaSpace. While I missed being in the same room with you all, doing it online meant people on the other side of the country and those from the US could join! Stay tuned for more opportunities to take this teacher training with me when I offer it again in the spring! #chairyogateachertraining #chairyoga #onlineyogateachertraining #accessibleyogatraining #accessibleyoga #adaptiveyoga #yogaforall #yogalliancecertified #continuingeducation #darcieclarkyoga

I’m excited to dive into all the ways that we as yoga and movement teachers can make the practice relevant for people of all abilities, body shapes and sizes, and those living with chronic illness. Chair Yoga Teacher Training course starts online tonight! Woot! #ChairYogaTeacherTraining #ChairYoga #AdaptiveYoga #AccessibleYoga #YogaForAll #YogaForSeniors #DarcieClarkYoga

Today I’m putting the finishing touches on my Online Chair Yoga teacher training course. If you’re a yoga or movement teacher keen to learn a more creative and accessible approach to yoga that suits people of all ages and abilities, you’ll come away from this course with the knowledge and confidence to do just that, both online and in person. There is still time to register! The 15-hour course happens online over six days from November 6-15 in partnership with YogaSpace Toronto@yogaspaceto and is certified by Yoga Alliance Check out this link for more info or send me a message. https://www.darcieclark.com/teacher-training/ #chairyoga #chairyogaonline #yogaforseniors #yogaforall #accessibleyoga #accessibleyogatraining #yogateachertrainingonline #yogaforeveryone #chairyogacourse #adaptiveyoga

Dynamic movement versus static holding. Is one better than the other? I find when people move slowly and deliberately through simple movements they’re more likely to gain clarity about which joints are moving, which areas of the body are helping to stabilise them, where they feel some muscular engagement, and most importantly they learn the point at which they’ve gone too far and no longer feel stable and strong. When we hold poses without this knowledge we’re more likely to ...fixate on trying to fit ourselves into a particular shape which may lead to excess tension in certain areas, too much emphasis on the stretch component, and may be more likely to lead to injury. I love teaching simple dynamic movements in my Chair Yoga classes for these reasons. It gives students greater feedback and reduces their risk of injury. One of my favourite dynamic Chair Yoga movements is moving slowly back and forth between plank and downward dog. As a yoga teacher you can use this movement to help teach the concepts of core strength, neutral spine, hip flexion, and shoulder mobility. Of course, you might start with even simpler movements that highlight each of these concepts first before diving in to this somewhat more complex and challenging movement. If you’d like to learn more about incorporating these concepts into your Chair Yoga classes, join me for my 15-hour online Chair Yoga Teacher Training that starts on November 6. It’s offered through YogaSpace Toronto and is fully certified by Yoga Alliance. Check out this link or send me a message for more info. https://www.darcieclark.com/teacher-training/ #chairyoga #onlinechairyoga #onlineyogateachertraining #chairyogaworkshop #chairyogacourse #accessibleyoga #adaptiveyoga #yogaforall #yogaforseniors