About Katherine Moore

“I feel very blessed to teach and share the knowledge I have gained over the years.  I have been teaching yoga for seven years and practicing for eight years. I teach Hot and Vinyassa Flow Yoga. I was trained by Bikram and Baron Baptiste so I am going to challenge my students and make them sweat.  I provide a safe, fun, playful space for students to explore, heal and open their bodies through the postures and learn to push themselves to their edge.

I believe in healthy living and spreading love to everyone and everything.  I love to see my body and mind shift through my yoga practice.  Yoga inspires me to dream big then dream bigger and it helps me to remember that anything is possible. I love teaching yoga to see myself and students grow and progress in their practice and in their lives.

When I am not teaching yoga I am training with the Vancouver Falcons long distance running club.  I also love cooking fabulous meals, laughing, and spending time with my two dogs Missy and Sheeba”. 

Standing Head to Knee Pose
DANDAYAMANA JANUSHIRASANA

Standing head to knee helps develop patience and determination

To begin:

Shift your body weight to your left leg and engage your left thigh muscle.  

Lift your right knee up, bend forward, lower abdomen pulled reach out with both hands, and interlace your fingers underneath the ball of your right foot, about three inches below the tips of your toes. Hold on tight.  

Inhale breathing kick your right leg forward as you lift your upper body back until your right leg is parallel to the floor no higher no lower (keeping abdomen pulled in).  Flex your foot so your toes are facing you.  

Engage and contract both quadricepses.  This is quite challenging and can take a lot of practice to be able to do it properly without cheating.

Only when you can achieve this - getting two legs locked with them forming a 90-degree angle - may you progress to the next part of the posture:  

Bend your elbows and pull the ball of your foot and the toes toward you with all your power. Elbows point down to the floor.  Before you attempt head to knee ELBOWS MUST GO BELOW THE CALF MUSCLE. 

Both legs are completely straight, both quads engaged. You are now ready to bend your torso forward, tuck your chin to your chest and touch your forehead to your knee.  Fix your concentration on one spot on the floor to help keep your balance initially, until you can keep your eyes on your belly button without falling out of the posture.  Stomach sucked in and stay for 60 seconds.

Slowly straighten up and come out of the posture in the exact opposite way you went in. 

Tips

When you fall out of this posture - which you will - you must start all over again in the first stage. WHY?  As with all the postures, learning Standing head to knee is a process.  

It’s the process that’s important - not the outcome.

Benefits

    * Improves circulation and flexibility
    * Massages digestive and reproductive systems
    * Strengthens muscles around the knee joint
    * Develops concentration, determination and patience
    * Increases pancreatic functions
    * Reduces diabetes
    * Relieves nervousness
    * Improves memory
    * Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve
    * Helps combat acidity and relieves flatulence
    * Strengthens back muscles and nerves, reproductive organs, abdomen, thighs, legs, upper body and arms