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Principles of Movement

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  1. Week One: Elementary Balance

    Lesson 1: Balancing Technique and Hands Position
    8 Topics
  2. Lesson 2: Tightening Core and Lower Body in Balances
    8 Topics
  3. Week Two: Strength
    Lesson 3: Engaging Multiple Muscles Simultaneously
    8 Topics
  4. Lesson 4: Lower Back Strength and Glutes Tightening
    8 Topics
  5. Week Three: Back Flexibility
    Lesson 5: Active Back Flexibility
    8 Topics
  6. Lesson 6: Side Crunch Flexibility
    8 Topics
  7. Week Four: Intermediate Balance
    Lesson 7: Techniques for Forearm Balance
    8 Topics
  8. Lesson 8: Handstand Balance
    8 Topics
  9. Week Five: Basic Dynamic Moves
    Lesson 9: Right Tuck and Basic Dynamic techniques
    8 Topics
  10. Lesson 10: Combining Static and Dynamic Tricks
    8 Topics
  11. Week Six: Intermediate Dynamic Tricks
    Lesson 11: Cartwheel Technique
    8 Topics
  12. Lesson 12: Walkover Technique
    8 Topics
  13. Extras
    Training Advice
Lesson Progress
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Responses

  1. I’m struggling with this pose. I do not have enough strength to raise myself and when I do I automatically fall forward on my head. What should I do to improve this? I did fingers, hands position, but still do not feel any balance support. Any tips please? Thank you

    1. Hi! My guess is not strong enough shoulders. Any regular push-ups (from the knees) with elbows close to your body (and always keep them on top of your hands) will help to increase strength. Do it very slow and pause in a lowest position you can hold. 1 rep – try your maximum (but no more than 8, if it’s easy, better pause for longer), brake 30 sec, 2nd and 3rd try to repeat 70% of previous rep. So, for example: 8-5-3 with same speed and technique. On 7th video in this class – modification for this push ups with balancing practice. Hope it will help ???? But if you will record a video- I will have more specific comments)

  2. Will definitely be getting my yoga blocks and resistance band to help with my crow pose. I can lift each toes briefly one by one but cannot do it with both feet up yet.

    1. I am sure it will help!???????? Do next classes, but give this pose a few tries every/every other time you practice, with no pressure but constantly trying- the best way for body to adapt.

    1. Don’t worry???? Achieve the trick it’s fun, but really not the point. First, conditioning is no less important than actual tricks. Second, and why I love acrobatics so much- to achieve one trick, you don’t have to working only on it, by trying other tricks even without succeeding them- you train you body the right way to eventually achieve all the tricks.

      1. This is literally what I needed to hear!!! Though I am struggling to keep my palms down and keep rocking to my hand’s heels is that a sign my wrist aren’t flexible enough or my arms are too close to my head??

  3. I’m really struggling to get my weight far enough forward on my hands and I end up putting all the weight through the heels of my hands. Is that a wrist flexibility issue?

    1. Hi! I think is not enough shoulder strength or just you not trust them. But I might be wrong. If you will send me a video (or at least the pic in your maximum forward position), I will understand better.

  4. I love this already!! I’m using the yoga blocks to get the position and hoping to gain the strength to move on to lifting my shoulders off the blocks! Should I concentrate on getting this pose before moving on? Thank you for the amazing lesson!!

    1. Thank you, so happy to hear ????
      Course instruction:
      If you can’t hold a crow pose (or any other trick) – move to the next class. But, every time you practice acro- give a previous trick/tricks a few tries. Attempting to do a trick counting as doing a trick, as far as you keep working on it, trying to achieve technique.

  5. My shoulders and head have always been rounded forward, and I’ve always had a pretty weak upper body, so I can’t do the pose yet, but after doing the first full lesson once and the first 4 topics another time, I can already see my shoulders/chest are opening and my head is starting align with my body. Thank you so much! I live how clear and detailed your instructions are. Should we continue working on the first lesson until we’re a little more capable or should we move on to the next one?

    1. Thank you very much for your comment ???? And a great question! I guess I need to create an official answer..????
      But for now:
      If you can’t hold a crow pose (or any other trick) – move to the next class. But, every time you practice acro- give a previous trick/tricks a few tries. Attempting to do a trick counting as doing a trick, as far as you keep working on it, trying to achieve technique.

  6. My hips/butt/thighs are too heavy for my arms and shoulders! I will keep practicing the strength and conditioning. Is it okay if I’m unable to do this pose before I start the second course?

    1. Hi, Laura! Yes, I answered earlier, but just in case:
      If you can’t hold a crow pose (or any other trick) – move to the next class. But, every time you practice acro- give a previous trick/tricks a few tries. Attempting to do a trick counting as doing a trick, as far as you keep working on it, trying to achieve technique.

      And I would recommend to buy yoga blocks, this way your shoulders and wrists will be slowly preparing to hold a weight????

  7. Hi Mari. This video is great. I have always had trouble with this pose and I’m thinking it my be due to my elbows, wrists, hips and knee’s being extremely hyper-extended. They have always been like this and growing up I was ridiculously flexible but not strong. (Back then Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome wasn’t even thought of).Now I’m neither and after seeking advice/approval from my treating medico’s I’m here. I am wondering should I be practising this trying really hard not to hyper-extend my elbows to just go with the flow of my body? I managed to hold the pose for an entire 3 seconds with hyper-extended elbows and then again without. I’m really trying to condition and build up strength around my joints to help with my health condition so then once again I can be flexible but this time strong as well. Thanks 🙂

    1. Hi! Do you mind sending me a pic or videos? I understand your issue, being flexible could be dangerous without strength and stability conditioning. One advice I gave with a resistance band might be very helpful for you, but in your case better to use flat wide band. But again, without seeing you it’s really difficult to give a good advice????

  8. what a challenge!! i cant do it with my arms alone but when i put my shoulders on the yoga blocks i can do it! but it sometimes feel that only 1 shoulder is on the block ha ha! where should the body weight go? to the hands or to the shoulders?

    1. Hi! Center of body weight should be on a hands, but only if shoulders are strong enough to support it. That’s why we use a blocks- to help them. But you made me thinking! If you feel weight on only one shoulder it could be a few reasons:
      – it’s your weaker shoulder and other is strong enough and no need this help.
      – You transfer the weight on your stronger side and this way you should feel opposite stronger shoulder on a block.
      How do you feel weight on your hands? Evenly?

  9. Wow, it was my first crow-pose-try-ever and I’m so excited and surprised, I did it! (just 2 seconds, but even that counts, right? 🙂 ) Thank you very much, Mari, for all your advices and tips and great videos, I never thought I could do such a thing!

  10. I feel so pathetic, I did acrobatics at my dance studio when I was a kid for over 10 years. Yes I know its been about 8 years since I have done acrobatics. But I never could do the crows position. I can hold myself up in the position but I’m not skinny, I have excess weight that seems to make this position difficult. The second I put my knees on my elbows or on my upper arms I’m in extreme pain (it’s like my fat is being ripped from my arms just by the weight of my body. I never had a ton of upper body strength but I can hold crows position I just cant figure out how to make it so my arms and inner knees/ calf aren’t in so much pain. Any suggestions????? I’m 100% going to get the yoga blocks to see if that helps at all but I feel like it wont help the pain of me ripping my skin off. Please any help or suggestions????

    1. Hi! First, it is painful.. but everyone has a different pain threshold and different types of pain they can and can’t handle. I found placing my knee joints on elbows joints is less painful, but I know the people who is opposite. Yoga blocks will be helpful for sure (I would recommend to buy more wide (4inch instead of 3) for more stability. Another equipment I practice this pose with my students is resistance band around your hips hanging on a door anchor. It lifting hips up and helps gradually prepare muscles. On this course we tried to avoid using extra equipment, but some of it would be very helpful to have for all levels of athletes.

  11. Thank you for responding to people! I can only hold Crow Pose for about 3-4 seconds and didn’t think I could move on until I held for 8+ seconds. But now I know I can keep going, and just keep trying!

  12. I didn’t realize that teeny bit of distance could make such a difference! Wow! I gave up on planking 3 years ago because it always felt like my ribcage was digging underneath my hipbone, and like my lower spine was about to splinter after 20 seconds. Turns out it was pretty much all because my hands were too far apart! Whoa!

  13. I do yoga for so many years and have not been able to do this pose once! Thanks to all your tips in this video, I could finally hold for a few secs! ????
    What would you say is the ideal number of times to practice this pose and maintain it (keeping in mind that I do other sports as well)?

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