Critical Alignment Yoga & Fascia Release

Liberate Movement in Your Lower Back, Pelvis and Legs! This session is bringing fascia release work into the perspective of Critical Alignment Therapy! We work around the lower back, pelvis, and hips. We start with warming up the lower back, in which we use gravity and bodyweight to release restrictions in the muscles just above the pelvis. From there we move further downwards and liberate movement in between the sacrum and the two hips. This opens the possibility of more fluid movements, in which we move the leg in different directions in relation to the hip joint. The continuous but slow movement allows the gliding capacity of the fascia around the pelvis, lower back, and hips to become more fluid and freer. We end the class with a stabilizing exercise for the lower back. If you have been sitting a lot, this is a wonderful class to do!

What is fascia release? Fascia is a connective tissue (mostly made from collagen) that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber, and muscle into place. Fascia release improves the sliding and gliding ability of the tissue and hydrates them through e.g., the act of compression and release, just like a sponge. The goal of the combination of CA and fascia release work is to bring the mind into the body, and re-map the movement patterns and range of motion in our brains (aka to update our body-map in the brain). This will help to increase the freedom of movement, in which our body feels more at ease, and creates a sense of comfort in the body and mind.

Props needed

Yoga mat, Critical Alignment black strip, Critical Alignment Felt mat, or 1-2 large towels

About Zita van Wees

Zita is a mover at heart. At a young age, she started dancing, which provided her a sense of aliveness. Later on, she sought other forms of movement. After various injuries and a chronic illness, she eventually turned to yoga to reconnect her to her wholeness.

Movement was and is what makes her feel connected, not only to herself but to the world around her. This awareness ignited a curiosity in the relationship between the body, mind, and heart. Zita develops her classes around the understanding that it is not control, but rather a release of gripping that leads to movement. Her drive is to support people who face chronic injuries and discomfort due to habitual posture issues & stress patterns.

Since 2008, Zita has been studying Critical Alignment (CA) with founder Gert van Leeuwen in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), both as a student and a yoga and therapy teacher. In 2016, she moved with her family to the SF Bay Area (US). There, she continued researching the interconnectedness of body, mind, and heart, adding fascia release work into her teaching.

The Practice