Article By Simon Borg-Olivier: ‘Using your diaphragm to simultaneously enhance power, core stabilisation, relaxation, digestion, immunity and sexual function’: The diaphragm is a major muscle that is the key to internal power, as well as an often forgotten but very important contributor to core stabilisation. In addition, the diaphragm has important neurological control over the autonomic nervous system. Diaphragmatic breathing is …
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Core Stabilisation
This is a beautiful video of Derek Ireland, who was an advanced Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga practitioner and a very noble man. Derek inspired many people in this world i think. When I went for my first trip to Mysore in the 1980’s to meet with Pattabhi Jois Derek was the first person I saw practice in the old Shala. He …
Surfing Kids Yoga: Do you let your kids walk all over you?
I have two passions in my life, family and yoga. What is better than joining them together. Playing with the kids while doing your yoga practice and they get a bit of exercise yoga at the same time. The video (best is to play it large so you get music) is of our son Eric (aged 3) playing on my …
How to move your arms and shoulders easily into bound lotus postures
The following two minute video is an extract from one of our lectures from our 120 hour Online Course ‘ The Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga’ showing how you can practically use theoretical information to make your yoga practice better. Essentially the video shows you how to make it easier to for a relatively stiff person to get into …
Secrets of advanced breath-control (pranayama) with internal locks (bandha), energy-control gestures (mudra) and internal cleansing (kriya)
This is a video segment on breath-control exercises (pranayama) and in particular breath retention (kumbhaka) with internal locks (bandhas) from a workshop I was invited to teach in June 2012 in Moscow by the really amazing teachers and students of the Yoga 108 School in Moscow and Wild Yogi Magazine. Along with fellow physiotherapist and co-director of Yoga Synergy, Bianca Machliss, I …
Underwater Yoga: Fish pose (lotus) swimming
This is a short video of underwater yoga freediving of two types of fish pose (lotus) swimming by me (Simon Borg-Olivier in the black Stingray suit) and Christopher Morey (in the blue Orca Suit). The video was shot at William Truebridge’s Freediving Master Class (brilliant) at the Blue Hole Long Island Bahamas, September 2009. Thanks to Freediver Photographer Alfredo Romo …
How to slow the heart from 88 beats to 32 beat per minute in 45 seconds
This video was shot in the Bahamas in October 2009 at William Truebridge’s Freediving Masterclass where I had the honour of being invited to teach these amazing elite athletes yogic techniques of how to be relaxed in stressful situations. The video shows me using breath-control techniques (pranayama) to slow my heart beat from 88 to 32 beats per minute in …
Ancient secrets of the breath
In this short video I am talking about pranayama and what I learnt from traditional yoga teachings and also from western medical science.
Tips for Developing Arm and Core Strength for Arm-Balancing Postures and Push-up Positions
Arm balancing postures and positions such as the Cataranga Dandasana (the push-up) can be very exhilarating. They can energise you by increasing your circulation and they are also good at developing chest, arm and core strength. When done correctly they can really help relieve and prevent back and neck pain and can give direct stimulation to the heart and lungs. Click …
Pranayama at its highest level in the practical sense: William Truebridge’s world record free dive to 124 metres with only one breath
by Simon Borg-Olivier A few days ago my inspirational friend, amazing freediver and inspirational yogi William Trubridge has just broken his own world record twice in two days by diving down 124 metres and coming back up with just one breath. This article describes the event and lets you hear from William himself. You can see two short videos of this below. In the …