Pelvic Happenings Starting this week with Leslie Howard.

"Ruby"—Leslie Howard's female pelvis.

Hello. I'm just writing today to let you know about some pelvic happenings starting this week in Chicago with Leslie Howard. There are lots of great choices across six days and two yoga studios. You can go co-ed or with just women. There are open classes, and there are also special intensive classes for teachers and serious students happening early next week at Yogaview on Elston.

The fun starts on this Friday Feb. 10th at 6pm at the Yoga Circle with:

The Pelvic Floor and Mula Bandha 

Many men and women have issues (from incontinence to sexual dysfunction) rooted in the musculature of the pelvis. Come learn about the anatomy of the male and female pelvic floors, and explore locating, accessing and engaging these muscles in one’s own body. This foundation is essential for the more esoteric practice of mula bandha, an often misunderstood practice, originally meant for serious (and traditionally male) practitioners of yoga. Mula bandha is a deeper and fuller refinement of the process of learning where and how the pelvic floor muscles work. We'll unveil the mysteries of this practice historically and anatomically.

Instructor: Leslie Howard is a San Francisco-based yoga teacher, specializing in all things pelvic. She leads workshops and trainings nationally and is co-writing a book about awakening the female pelvis.Her own struggles with healing her pelvis led her to intense study of the anatomy, physiology, cultural messaging, history and energetics of this rich place. Her teaching is informed by over 3000 hours of yoga study with senior Iyengar yoga teachers, notably Manouso Manos.

Call or email the Yoga Circle to sign up for this class for MEN AND WOMEN. 312-915-0750 info@yogacircle.com

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For the rest of the pelvic workshops with Leslie Howard we move over to Yogaview where during the weekend there are open pelvic floor classes for women, and next week there are teacher/serious student intensives.

Yoga and the Pelvic Floor for Women with Leslie Howard at Yogaview.

Please visit Yogaview's Workshops page for more details about the classes on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12, 2012.

Now for the intensive classes...

The following three days, Feb. 13 - 15, at Yogaview will be deconstructing the Yoga and the Pelvic Floor workshop, going deeper into all aspects that were taught.

*History of the female pelvis: Cultural, medical and historical contexts of women and the pelvis and how they translate to our current understanding of the pelvis, sexuality, misconceptions and modern medical care.
*In depth anatomy of the pelvis, hip flexors and femurs and connective musculature and how they translate into pelvic health.
*Experiential anatomy
*How posture affects the pelvic floor.
*Identifying the difference between hypertonic and hypotonic muscles and the difference between a strong muscle and a tense muscle.
*The role of breath and emotion in the pelvic floor
*How to teach breath and asana to women who need tone in their pelvis
*How to teach breath and asana to women who have too much tone in their pelvis
*How to hold a safe environment for women
*What to do with the pelvic floor during all stages of pre and post natal
*Restorative yoga for the pelvic floor

For teachers, teachers in training, and serious students.

To attend the three day training you must have attended at least one of Leslie's pelvic floor workshops. There will be homework and participants are asked to read, Witches, Midwives and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and to bring with them a copy of The Female Pelvis by Blandine Calais-Germain. There will be handouts and a homework assignment to complete the training.

For more on this intensive training see Yogaview's Workshop page.
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Cheers to your healthy pelvis and yoga!