Please Read:

This part of the tutorial isn’t technically a rule or a hack, but it’s very important. We’re talking about the possible dangers and contraindications of this practice.

There are three types of pain in Gravity Yoga:

1. Muscle pain
2. Joint pain
3. Emotional pain

Of the three, you only ever need to stop when you feel joint pain. And how do you know whether a sensation is muscle, joint or emotional pain?

Muscle Pain

• Feels physically uncomfortable.
• Tells you to complain.
• Burns, but heals.

Joint Pain

• Feels sharp and electrical.
• Tells you to get the f*ck out of the posture right now.
• Fries, and doesn’t heal.

Emotional Pain

• Feels like anger, grief, fear, overwhelm, etc.
• Tells you to scream or cry to release stuck energy.
• Roasts, and is the only way to truly heal.

If you are hypermobile, please only give 75% effort in Gravity Yoga.

Your working range is larger than most because your joints are more flexible. And joints — as we just pointed out — are irreparable when they are damaged. Just because you can go far, doesn’t mean you should. Always be patient with your body without prioritizing how things look.

If you are pregnant, please be very cautious practicing, as well.

During pregnancy the body produces a lot of relaxin (a hormone that helps your tissue stretch.) This fact makes it much more likely to accidentally stretch your joints — no bueno!

[Note: you should also know that I have never been pregnant myself, nor am I prenatal yoga certified.]

If you are on painkillers, please do not practice Gravity Yoga (yes, ibuprofen and alcohol technically count as painkillers).

These chemicals dull your bodily sensations, which makes it more difficult to discern between muscle, joint and emotional pain.

As always…your health is your responsibility! Please consult your physician before adopting health protocols from strangers on the internet. 🙂

Okay, that’s it for the outline of Gravity Yoga. Now we can get into the subtleties. The next 7 pages will explain different nervous system hacks you can use to speed up your flexibility progress.

Peace,
– Ethan ॐ

P.S. If you’d rather skip the extra nervous system hacks, no worries. Feel free to just unlock the class bundle below or join me on Zoom for my next live session.

P.P.S. Let’s talk a little bit more about pain in the practice section where we’ll be doing the intense “Toe Stretch”! 😲