Forrest Yoga
Encyclopedia
Forrest Yoga is a modern yoga style created by and named for Ana T. Forrest. Forrest Yoga focuses on healing physical and emotional injuries as well as helping people connect with their feelings and spirit.
created by American master yogi, healer, Medicine Woman and author Ana T. Forrest. Forrest Yoga is known for "its long holding of positions, emphasis on abdominal core work, and standing series that can go on for 20 poses on each side."
Ana Forrest derived her practice from some aspects of Sivananda Yoga
, along with attention to alignment and use of props found in Iyengar Yoga
and the heat and flowing sequences of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
. As her style evolved, Forrest created a number of unique poses and sequences adapted to modern society, such as wrist stretches to prevent and relieve carpal tunnel syndrome
, shoulder
shrugs to relieve tension and loosen the upper back, abdominal exercises to tone internal organs and strengthen the lower back, and a number of poses that use a rolled-up yoga mat. A Forrest Yoga class happens in a warm room (80º-85ºF) and begins with pranayama
, then moves through seated poses and abs before arriving on to the "hot part" of the class that might involve sun salutations, standing poses, inversions, backbends and other asana
s that build up to a number of more challenging "apex" poses.
, a healer and Medicine Man of the Oglala Lakota
Sioux
. He's best known for sharing the teachings of the Sioux with a white man named John Neihardt
(who earned the name Flaming Rainbow), who published them as Black Elk Speaks
. In that book, he shared a powerful vision he'd received through a 'rainbow door' when he was nine years old, about his mission to protect a 'hoop of people' around a sacred tree on the 'good red road' that is the true good medicine of the native peoples. At the time Black Elk had his vision, the assault on the traditions of the Sioux was well under way; their culture and Spirit were dying out. Black Elk proclaimed, "The Rainbow Hoop of the People has been broken." He wanted to restore it, and this became his life's work...reading about Black Elk's life's work helped me to articulate my own- I call it Mending the Rainbow Hoop of the People."
Ana Forrest begins many of her own classes with a ceremony in which she calls in the Four Directions.
Similarly, Forrest Yoga is founded on four principles or "pillars". These are:
In an interview in 2011, Forrest explained, “I developed Forrest Yoga to address what I see as the needs of the people now—not something that was developed for people's needs, challenges, problems, desires thousands of years ago. So I looked around, and in dealing with my own issues and challenges—or absolutely not dealing with them—I began to realize yoga was doing something for me. There's a lot of value to it."
. Many of Forrest's Basic Moves resemble those practiced in other yoga styles, such as Ujjayi breath
and tucking the tailbone, while others are unique to Forrest Yoga, particularly the practice of relaxing the neck and wrapping the shoulders. Forrest's basic moves are as follows:
: "Forrest Yoga provides tools for active military personnel who regularly work under extreme physical and psychological conditions. Recently, I had the honor of working with members of the 48th Fighter Wing
of the USAF. Those working in fighter planes and with bombs need agile hands, so I taught them Forrest Yoga wrist stretches to promote that agility. Wearing body armor and bomb suits—up to 14 hours a day—sitting in a Humvee or standing on guard, and carrying up to 70 extra pounds of armor tightens the neck, shoulders, back, hips and pelvis and compresses the core. This results in neck and back pain and intestinal problems. Chronic pain compromises the high quality of attention that soldiers need. Here, Forrest Yoga shoulder shrugs, spinal twists and back releases are invaluable."
Description
Forrest Yoga is a Hatha YogaHatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
created by American master yogi, healer, Medicine Woman and author Ana T. Forrest. Forrest Yoga is known for "its long holding of positions, emphasis on abdominal core work, and standing series that can go on for 20 poses on each side."
Ana Forrest derived her practice from some aspects of Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga, after teachings of Swami Sivananda, is a non-proprietary form of hatha yoga in which the training focuses on preserving the health and wellness of the practitioner. Sivananda Yoga teachers are all graduates of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course, and students widely range in...
, along with attention to alignment and use of props found in Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga, created by B. K. S. Iyengar, is a form of Hatha Yoga known for its use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas . The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimising the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible...
and the heat and flowing sequences of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga is a system of yoga popularized by K. Pattabhi Jois, and which is often promoted as a modern-day form of classical Indian yoga...
. As her style evolved, Forrest created a number of unique poses and sequences adapted to modern society, such as wrist stretches to prevent and relieve carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an entrapment idiopathic median neuropathy, causing paresthesia, pain, and other symptoms in the distribution of the median nerve due to its compression at the wrist in the carpal tunnel. The pathophysiology is not completely understood but can be considered compression...
, shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
shrugs to relieve tension and loosen the upper back, abdominal exercises to tone internal organs and strengthen the lower back, and a number of poses that use a rolled-up yoga mat. A Forrest Yoga class happens in a warm room (80º-85ºF) and begins with pranayama
Pranayama
Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to extend, draw out, restrain, or...
, then moves through seated poses and abs before arriving on to the "hot part" of the class that might involve sun salutations, standing poses, inversions, backbends and other asana
Asana
Asana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union...
s that build up to a number of more challenging "apex" poses.
Philosophy
Forrest Yoga's vision and mission is "to mend the hoop of the people." Ana T. Forrest wrote, "I began to read about Black ElkBlack Elk
Heȟáka Sápa was a famous Wičháša Wakȟáŋ of the Oglala Lakota . He was Heyoka and a second cousin of Crazy Horse.-Life:...
, a healer and Medicine Man of the Oglala Lakota
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
. He's best known for sharing the teachings of the Sioux with a white man named John Neihardt
John Neihardt
Johnathan Gneisenau Neihardt was an American author of poetry and prose, an amateur historian and ethnographer, and a philosopher of the Great Plains...
(who earned the name Flaming Rainbow), who published them as Black Elk Speaks
Black Elk Speaks
Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story and spirituality of Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux medicine man or shaman. It was based on conversations by Black Elk with the author and translated from Lakota into English by Black Elk's son, Ben...
. In that book, he shared a powerful vision he'd received through a 'rainbow door' when he was nine years old, about his mission to protect a 'hoop of people' around a sacred tree on the 'good red road' that is the true good medicine of the native peoples. At the time Black Elk had his vision, the assault on the traditions of the Sioux was well under way; their culture and Spirit were dying out. Black Elk proclaimed, "The Rainbow Hoop of the People has been broken." He wanted to restore it, and this became his life's work...reading about Black Elk's life's work helped me to articulate my own- I call it Mending the Rainbow Hoop of the People."
Ana Forrest begins many of her own classes with a ceremony in which she calls in the Four Directions.
Similarly, Forrest Yoga is founded on four principles or "pillars". These are:
- Breath, to help connect in feeling with one's body and ignite passion for living.
- Strength, via intense core sequences and long holds of poses that generate heat and heighten the senses.
- Integrity, in working with the edges of one's practice, particularly around physical and emotional injuries, developing tools to deal with fear and struggle.
- Spirit, to create a sense of freedom and "courage to walk as your Spirit dictates."
In an interview in 2011, Forrest explained, “I developed Forrest Yoga to address what I see as the needs of the people now—not something that was developed for people's needs, challenges, problems, desires thousands of years ago. So I looked around, and in dealing with my own issues and challenges—or absolutely not dealing with them—I began to realize yoga was doing something for me. There's a lot of value to it."
Basic Moves
Forrest Yoga's physical practice uses a number of "Basic Moves" is every pose up until SavasanaSavasana
-Etymology:The name comes from the Sanskrit words Shava meaning "corpse", and Asana meaning "posture" or "seat".-Description:...
. Many of Forrest's Basic Moves resemble those practiced in other yoga styles, such as Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breathing is a breath technique employed in a variety of Hindu and Taoist Yoga practices. In relation to Hindu Yoga, it is sometimes called "the ocean breath"...
and tucking the tailbone, while others are unique to Forrest Yoga, particularly the practice of relaxing the neck and wrapping the shoulders. Forrest's basic moves are as follows:
- Active hands and Active Feet: For Active Hands, spread hand bones wide and extend finger bones fully to benefit arms, wrists and hands. For Active Feet, press through heels and balls of feet and lift toes to help strengthen the lower half of the body.
- Tuck Tailbone: Turn on glutes in order to lengthen tailbone downward. Takes pressure off of lower back.
- Telescope Ribs: Place hands on lower part of rib cage and inhale to lift ribcage away from belly. Helps to create space in back and in soft organs as well as increasing breath capacity.
- Expand Ribs: Place hands on sides of ribs and inhale so that the ribs move like an accordion—outward on inhale and inward on exhale. Enhances breath capacity.
- Wrap Shoulders: Move shoulder blades around toward armpits. Ensures shoulder girdle involvement andin poses using arms, creates muscle awareness in upper back and shoulders, conditions that part of your body.
- Relax Neck: Gently relax ear toward shoulder and keep neck relaxed during other poses. Opens up muscles that are typically tense and engaged.
- Deep breathing: Provides more aliveness to the entire body.
Use in Military
Forrest and her teachers have worked closely with the US Armed Forces. She discussed this focus in 2011 in an article about post-traumatic stress disorderPost-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
: "Forrest Yoga provides tools for active military personnel who regularly work under extreme physical and psychological conditions. Recently, I had the honor of working with members of the 48th Fighter Wing
48th Fighter Wing
The 48th Fighter Wing is part of the United States Air Force Third Air Force, assigned to HQ Air Command Europe, and is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only F-15 wing based in Europe...
of the USAF. Those working in fighter planes and with bombs need agile hands, so I taught them Forrest Yoga wrist stretches to promote that agility. Wearing body armor and bomb suits—up to 14 hours a day—sitting in a Humvee or standing on guard, and carrying up to 70 extra pounds of armor tightens the neck, shoulders, back, hips and pelvis and compresses the core. This results in neck and back pain and intestinal problems. Chronic pain compromises the high quality of attention that soldiers need. Here, Forrest Yoga shoulder shrugs, spinal twists and back releases are invaluable."