Jessica Oldfield

🥂CHEERS TO MY US FRIENDS!🥂 The next few years will be hard. A change of president doesn't mean the nation is healed. An inauguration doesn't undo the trauma of the last four years and in particular the grief of the last 12 months. I have grieved and continue to grieve for the lives lost and the lives destroyed because of Covid 19. But today, I raise a glass to my US friends and students. Today is about hope and a fresh start. I had so much fun teaching this morning after Joe Biden's speech - I felt rejuvenated, light and hopeful. I love my US friends and they are like family to me. To everyone who has been part of my US journey I hope that you know I am here to support you all the way! Let's take some time to feel happy, to feel inspired and hopeful. We're going to need it to get through this year. I love you my US friends - I'm with you all the way.

HOW I USED TO... Trikonasana / Triangle Pose This standing pose is a staple in many yoga classes. It's a wonderful position for stretching the hamstrings, the hips and side body. BUT not all triangles are the same!! The top picture is how I used to practice Trikonasana - 🔺Knees locked and I'm allowing myself to 'dump' into my flexibility and hypermobility. 🔺I'm pulling my bottom hip back while allowing myself to come into a backbend. This always felt easy to me because it's the way my body would naturally want to move. My pelvis is anteriorly rotated and my belly is sticking out. I'm not really able to lift the bottom hand because it's taking some of the weight of my body as my muscles are not really engaged. 🔺I'm throwing my head back in order to turn the gaze up. The bottom picture is how I practice Trikonasana now - 🔺Front knee bent slightly so that I can pull up on the quads and keep my muscles engaged. I am also isometrically trying to pull my front heel to the back of my mat firing up my hamstrings. 🔺As the right hip pulls back I am allowing my left hip to roll forwards while keeping my tailbone lengthening down towards my back heel. My belly is pulled in and overall my side body is lengthening and feels much more stable. I'm thinking of creating length from my right hip to my right underarm. When I am engaged like this, I find it much easier to hover the bottom hand or extend that arm forwards. 🔺I'm keeping my neck long on both sides as I spin my gaze up. Some days I let my gaze fall wherever is comfortable, especially if my neck is feeling a little funky. How do you practice Trikonasana and what do you love/hate about the pose? ** I don't really believe that any one shape or pose is inherently bad or wrong. I guess it all depends on your body and your goals. Are you working towards aesthetics, strength, a specific pose?? These are all things to keep in mind when practicing. **

I've found it hard to express my feelings about 2020 especially with so much uncertainty still surrounding 2021. I came across these words last week and they perfectly encaptured how I feel. This is an excerpt from a prayer that I heard at @realityla Some of you may know that I am a Christian, some of you may be surprised to hear it. I don't talk about it a lot on my page simply because I don't think it's the best way to have deep conversations. Regardless of your faith or your religion, I think you will find something in these words which you can connect with. Feel free to DM if you wanna chat. **My soul is bereft of peace I have forgotten what happiness is So I say, 'My endurance has perished, so has my hope from the Lord.' Remember my affliction and my wandering My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me Oh Lord with the loss, grief and pain of uncertainty that 2020 has brought for our lives, we bring it all to you in lament. We lament Oh God for the way that Covid 19 brought sickness, pain and grief to the world and into our lives. We lament that our hospitals are full and that our medical workers are exhausted. We lament the isolation and loneliness that has come with social distancing. We lament the businesses that are closed and buildings that are vacant. We lament empty bank accounts and unpaid bills. We lament career opportunities and aspirations dashed on the rocks of a city in lockdown. But above all O Lord, we lament the loss of life in 2020. We grieve the death of 350000 people in America We mourn the death of 1.8 million people throughout the world. Sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. Every one of them made in Your image and loved deeply by You. We lament Oh God the racial injustice that took place in our country this year. We lament a history of racism in our country and its ongoing effects on people of colour today. We lament the violent deaths of people who were made in your image. Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor along with many others whose names we don't even know. **cont in comments**

HONEST YOGA TALK Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with two fellow yoga teachers who are doing the hard work. We were discussing that more than ever teachers are having to wear multiple hats - we are business owners, marketing execs, technology wizzes, teachers, creatives and athletes. It can be overwhelming to wear all of these hats and to do all of this work without the security of students showing up consistently or the support structure that working within a company/studio used to afford us. It was a real and honest chat. Showing up doesn't just matter for your own practice but it also matters for the teacher. Your attitude and communication matters - we are all trying our best. So today, I was excited to teach my zoom class. I set myself up with my good camera, I am wearing a mic and my lighting looks great. About 10 mins into practice technology starts to fail. I restart the meeting, we switch cameras, turn the mics off, quit every other application open on my computer. Alas, zoom continued to lag for the rest of the hour. But my students were so wonderful. They were patient and understanding. They stuck around, they helped me out. Thank you!!!! After a frustrating but good practice class wrapped and everyone smiled and was kind - it matters. Feeling a little low I decided to play around on my mat. Thanks to inspiration from @lexcreid @vickyupsidedown @_inversioness @gymnasttoyogini

YOUR YOGA & PICTURES DON'T HAVE TO BE PRETTY OR PERFECT I saw a post on @susievanessayoga wall and wanted to see if I could do the same thing. Today I rolled out my mat thinking that I would get a beautiful video of this tricky transition. Alas, after about 30 mins of playing around, I was no closer to getting a smooth or perfect video. The truth is, I haven't practiced my handstands seriously in a couple of days, my body was really tired from a very physical day yesterday and I honestly was not approaching the transition from a state of play but rather one of trying to be perfect. I was getting frustrated, I was annoyed at myself and my body. I could hear the little voice creep in saying negative things. How crazy is that!!??!! So as a challenge to myself I have decided to post one of these 'bad' videos as I labeled it. Now, a few hours later, I can sit back and see that the video is fine, who cares if my handstand was a little wobbly in parts - I'm freaking balancing upside down. Moral of the story - be kinder to yourself. You are amazing and your body is phenomenal. This is as much a message to you as it is to me. Regardless of how your practice looks this week, see if you can carve out some time to move! #jessicaoldfieldyoga #yogavideo #progressnotperfection #evilshittodowithblocks #yogabody #yogafitgirls #scorpionhandstand #yogaplay #getonyourmat #moveyourbody #handstandplay #handstandpractice #yogastrong #yogafit #yogapractice #yogaprops

💪ARM BALANCE PROGRESS💪 Are you frustrated by your (perceived) lack of progress when it comes to Arm Balances? To be sure, arm balances are complicated postures and there are many different elements involved in each pose. However, I often notice that students who are having difficulties tend to make this common mistake - When cued to draw the knee to nose from downward facing dog this is what happens - 1st video. Students tend to move through this familiar transition very quickly without really pausing to work the tiger curl shape - the rounded spine, the drawing up of the navel, the shifting of the weight further into the fingertips. This transition is not just a transition but also a way to train your body for holding arm balances. Try taking it slow, use less momentum and more control. Check out the 2nd video for an example of how to do this transition. It's not to say that doing tiger curls quickly is wrong or that drawing the knee to the navel in downward facing dog is wrong but if you are trying to work your arm balances then maybe try doing your tiger curls like this. Ps - how is it only the 8th day of the year 🤦‍♀️

HOW I USED TO... Uttanasana / Standing Forward Fold On the left is how I used to practice Uttanasana: 🦵Knees locked - my main goal was to straighten my legs completely and to fold in half 🦵Weight back in my heels 🦵Hips back I didn't always do these things consciously but it's just how I practiced the pose... On the right is how I practice Uttanasana now: 🦵Knees bent slightly while still engaging quads 🦵Weight further into the balls of the feet (not so much that my heels are lifted but so that the weight is more evenly distributed throughout the whole foot) 🦵Hips stacking over ankles rather than pulling back - this makes me pull up through my core more and helps to protect the hamstring attachments 🦵You can't see this action but I'm also driving my heels down while isometrically trying to pull them towards the back of my mat - targeting the hamstrings How I practice uttanasana now is also how I practice paschimottanasana and this helps immensely with pressing up to handstand. Everything is not always about lengthening the hamstrings!! This HOW I USED TO is a new series of IG posts I am going to create to show you some of the changes that I have made in my practice over the years. Let me know if there's a pose you want me to post about. Please keep in mind that my body's anatomy is unique and different from your unique anatomy so I will and should practice poses differently to you. ** I don't really believe that any one shape or pose is inherently bad or wrong. I guess it all depends on your body and your goals. Are you working towards aesthetics, strength, a specific pose?? These are all things to keep in mind when practicing. ** #jessicaoldfieldyoga #howiusedto #yogatutorial #uttanasana #standingforwardfold #hamstrings #yogaeducation #modernyoga #yogapractice #lowerbody #yogateacher #yogacommunity #forwardfold #modernyoga #yogaasana #yogapostures #yogainspiration #yogafit

🤸‍♀️REFINE YOUR HANDSTAND🤸‍♀️ Have you been working on your handstand, doing drills regularly and still not seeing progress? This is very common and it can be super frustrating. There is so much to learn and unlearn when it comes to handstands. One of the things I see all of the time is that people have the right set up. They carefully and mindfully place their hands down, organise their shoulders and upper back only to lose it all as soon as they kick up. Swipe left to see. It's hard to know if you're guilty of this, especially when all you're trying to think about is holding a handstand. Even if you're practicing at the wall you can easily lose the work of the upper body as soon as your hips start to move over your shoulders. See second video. This is why I think it's so important to either have a teacher working with you so they can point out these issues or film yourself so that you can see what your body is actually doing. There really is no fast way to learn how to do a handstand. It's about consistency, practice and knowledge. Even if you stay at the wall for a year just working on building the upper body strength to keep the shape of your upper back and shoulders in alignment without your chest pulling forwards then you'll be on your way to holding a full handstand. See third video. If you resonate with this then check out my latest class Refine Your Handstand - link to website in bio. In this class we focus on building core stability and upper body strength to help you hold a handstand - whether that's at the wall or in the middle of the mat. Take a 7 day free subscription trial or get 20% off your purchase by using HNY2021 at checkout. Have fun and please don't be afraid to reach out if you have any questions!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS!!! This is not an inspirational quote about what 2021 will bring but rather just a real snapshot of what I’ve been up to. Today I hiked Inspiration Point Loop - 11 miles round trip. Pic 1 - at the top, Henry and I enjoying the snow Pic 2 - spot the dog Pic 3 - my family Pic 4 - about 4 miles of this 😂😂😂😂😂 Henry got so much sympathy!! Let’s take the pressure off and let 2021 just be. Not to say we can’t strive to do our best but if 2020 taught me anything it’s to expect the unexpected. Thank you friends for you support and encouragement. See you on the mat soon. #jessicaoldfoeldyoga #losangeles #lacountyparks #hny2021 #2021 #lahiking #lalife #aussiesdoingthings #angelesnationalforest #itsallyoga #hikingadventures #outdoorlifestyle

It’s raining and cold in LA today so I totally understand not wanting to practice 🤪🤪🤪 Certainly Henry is not impressed. Anyway, if you do wanna practice I have just released a FREE class called Yoga Quickie 2 - Upper Body. Join me for a 20 min mixed level class and when you’re done take a long savasana and listen to the rain. Check the link in my bio to sign up and practice. Tag someone who may need this today!

🤸‍♀️PRESS PLAY▶️ Learning to press into a handstand is a complicated & long process. One class on it's own is not going to teach you the complexities of the press but it will help you to understand some of the actions. Some of the requirements to pressing are - *Hip Compression - the ability to do a deep forward fold is beneficial *Flexibity in the hamstrings - whether you plan on straddling or piking up to handstand, your hamstrings will need to be flexible. *Protraction of the Shoulder blades - You need to be able to do and hold a strong cat pose while keeping your arms straight and strong. *Straight Arm Strength - If you're working on press handstand then straight arm strength is definitely helpful. Strong shoulders will be needed if you're pressing to pincha or headstand. Today, I released an advanced practice on my website that is perfect if you're starting to explore these moves. Even if you don't feel ready to approach the press, this class is still valuable - work your core and hip flexors and feel the burn. You get a 7 day free trial when you sign up - link in bio. Tell me, are you working on your press and if so, what is the hardest part?

PRACTICING WITH INJURY If you’ve been following along you’ll know that I injured my ankle this week. Seems to be a sprain and not a fracture thank god. Now you may think that me practicing like this with an injury is crazy but I want to assure you that I am very in control of my body here. What would be crazy is doing pistol squats on my injured ankle or holding a long standing balance. I’m not doing any of these things. Healing isn’t just a matter of getting the physical body back to where it was but also keeping your mind and body active. You don’t have to do this! Everything is relative to your experience and level of skill. But I don’t always think that doing nothing is the answer either. Huge shoutout to @susievanessayoga for the inspo and for also sharing her journey as she practiced through covid. Ive also been resting plenty. Icing, elevation, compression - all the things! How do you deal with injury? #jessicaoldfieldyoga #yogatransition #yogavideo #chinstand #handstandpractice #handstands #handstandplay #moveyourbody #advancedpractice #handbalance #keepmovingforward #yogainspiration #yogaflow #yogastrong💪 #yogastrong

You'd think that as a yoga teacher I would be more coordinated but apparently not! I fell over yesterday on my run and rolled my ankle pretty badly. It's swollen and bruised 🤦‍♀️ So today for my workout (and yes it was more workout than yoga) I had to adapt and do things off my feet. Also, training in other ways will always benefit your yoga practice!! Here's some inspiration for you if you ever feel like you wanna workout but can't place pressure on your ankle/foot. 1. Clam Shells for Glute Med - working my glutes has been a focus of mine for a bit. I don't want a Kardashian 🍑- nothing wrong with that - but I do want strong glutes. As someone who is hypermobile I think it's really important to strengthen this area and clam shells are an oldie but a goodie. Do them right and they will burn! 2. Tabletop Glute Max Pulses - Oh the burn is real and I swear these never get easier. Make sure your ribs are in and that you are using your glutes to make the movement and not your spine. 3. Ab things #1 - so many ways to work your abs! Here's a few of my favs! I mainly train my abs with handstands and inversion work in mind so these are wonderful to add to your routine if that's what you're also trying to work towards. 4. Ab things #2 - This plank modification is perfect to do on your knees and certainly doesn't feel easy. Make sure you get the positioning of your hips and pelvis right otherwise you'll likely just be in a backbend. Again, also great for training inversions. 5. Inversion Play - Not using my injured foot!! Trying to do what @angelakukhahnyoga posted the other day - bringing the legs together quicker! Anyway, save these for a day when you can't use your ankle!!

🥳SMALL BUSINESS SHOUT OUT🥳 #spoonjunkie by @orveganic This is #notanadd I have no affiliation with this company but I wanted to give them a shout out because I am in love with their nut butters!!!! If you are on the hunt for an organic, raw and absolutely amazing nut butter then you have to try @orveganic I have always relied on nut butter to get me through a busy day. I love spreading it on a banana or eating it straight out of the jar - attractive, I know!! 🤪 Currently I am eating Figzilla by the spoonful and don't ever wish to be interrupted!! In October I started working at the @studiocityfm and it's been so wonderful for my heart and soul to be around so much fresh, delicious and nutritious food. I love that stall holders are there, bringing their product to the market because they are so passionate about it. Working at a market is hard. The hours are long, you get up super early and sometimes customers just want freebies. BUT I really love my job @sunriseorganicfarm I think my favourite part is getting to know the regulars and asking them what's on the menu each week. Just yesterday I had people telling me about onion tarts, stuffed eggplants, kale kimchi and much more. If you have the means to get out and support these small businesses please do so - they could really use it right now. As for me, I'm just going to continue to eat my Figzilla!! #jessicaoldfieldyoga #studiocity #nutbutter #smallbusinessshoutout #supportsmallbusiness #pigoenpose #rawfood #organicfood #healthyfood #veganproducts #supportlocalbusiness #farmersmarket

💕A snippet from my latest newsletter 💕 I don't want to presume how you are feeling as we edge towards the end of the year, maybe the unusual circumstances have actually left you closer to your goals, feeling creative and inspired. If that's the case, then that's amazing and I'd love to hear about it!! Truly. But, if you are more like me, then perhaps you are not feeling so hopeful. Those of you who have been practicing with me for awhile, know that I don't usually offer positive or inspirational quotes in my classes. I swear that I may be one of the only yoga teachers in LA who doesn't sprout self help and self improvement messages. It's not that those things aren't helpful or useful under certain circumstances but the truth is I know very little about your lives. I don't know what this year has been like for you, the challenges or pain you may be experiencing. At least when we practiced in the studio I could pick up on the ‘energy’ of the room or of a student and then offer feedback or help if appropriate. But, in this digital format, I don't think it's necessarily helpful to just say words that may actually be harmful or hurtful. What if the quote is actually more damaging? What if is causes more shame or brings up more hurt. I don't believe it is my job to make you happy or to ‘fix’ your life. It is my job to create an environment and practice which encourages you to do that for yourself. By creating a space where you move mindfully and pay attention to the present moment, you are permitting yourself to explore what needs to change in your life. My biggest hope as we finish off this year and move into the next is that you will continue to show up on the mat. That you will continue to confront those parts of you that are challenging and maybe not so nice. That you will put in the hard work of self reflection and betterment. Regardless of what 2021 brings, I am excited to continue to bring you weekly classes. I am so very thankful for your support throughout 2020 and I hope that we will continue to work and practice together for many years to come!!!! Sign up for my newsletter by clicking the link in my bio.