This was quite a challenge for my 60 year old self…the ab work in particular was 🔥!  I didn’t give up, instead I opted to employ modifications generously throughout and this way I was able to thoroughly enjoy the process 🥰 Half my lifetime ago I was still able to do drop backs and wheels with ease (leftover from my gymnastics practice) and I am grateful for the memories and also appreciative of my body in its current state of being as well.  Your journal prompts will be a wonderfully cathartic experience im looking forward to.  Blessings Maria ❤️🙏🏻

Jenny S that’s beautiful. I’m glad you took care of yourself and stuck with it!  Please let me know how the journaling goes!

I'm like Jenny S !! My 64 year old body did what it could - lots of modifications. It got me thinking: when trauma crashes into one's life, it sometimes feel like a sucker-punch to the gut. The strong core work opening this practice constitutes, in a sense, a counterpoint to that feeling. It offers the opportunity of creating strength in that exact area that might feel (personal experience here) under attack. A strong, resilient core stabilizes all movement in the body, allowing us to be thrown off balance but recover our stability. Thank you for this challenging practice, Maria Villella !

Kate M yes!  That’s exactly the point!  And to keep a strong connection to your core/ self!  Stable and grounded. 

Kate M Jenny S thank you for your thoughtful responses to this amazing class. Maria Villella thank you for the offering! So interesting to approach healing with a more vigorous practice. I love it, and my body and mind really respond to it. Thank you for being here with us! 🙏 

This was such a welcome change as I have been shying away from the challenging practices and leaning into more supportive slow tender practices that feel more like hugs after the loss of my sweet doggy. But this got me firmly rooted in my center and feeling so grounded and strong! Thank you Maria! I was wondering if you could offer a modification for the sit-up into boat pose move? I feel like I could really use an in between posture as mostly I'm just flinging my body up and not even making it lol. Is there a slightly more stable move that targets the same areas? Thanks! 

Summer I’m glad you enjoyed the change of pace!  You can try keeping your feet on the ground and taking your arms over head while lying down and rolling up just your upper body. Or stay lying on your back with arms along side your body and just do leg lifts. 

Thank you for this beautiful offering, Maria. It was the perfect Friday afternoon practice to wind down from my week and to also honor the process of all that was coming up for me. 🦋

Sarah Beston 💗💗🙏🙏🙏

Such a strong practice! Funny story, I had to start it over again because I got pulled out at 10 min in! Stacked up core work! Thank you for such an intelligent road map that built a solid foundation to play in.