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Going upside down or trying to balance on your hands can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are quite a few tips and tricks that make these postures more accessible.Matt Buss is a professional yoga instructor, circus performer, and coach with over 15 years of experience teaching folks to do fun and interesting things with their bodies. In this all-levels workshop, Matt will introduce you to myriad ways to go upside down and balance on your hands and forearms.
Matt's teaching style is lighthearted, relaxed, and easygoing, because let's face it, all this stuff should just be fun! So if you'd like to start sticking your crow poses, or fearlessly hop into your headstands and handstands, this is the workshop for you!
*Price: $35/$30 for Ahimsa members
About our presenter:
Matt Buss
Matt has been exploring and teaching physical arts and yoga for over 15 years. He began his career as a yoga teacher after earning a BA in Philosophy (go figure!) His yoga certification in 2007 under Brian Granader at Red Lotus Yoga in Rochester Hills MI was the beginning of a long adventure learning how to do interesting things with his body and teaching others to do the same. After several years spending hours a day on the mat and teaching classes and workshops throughout metro Detroit, Matt branched out into aerial acrobatics and circus arts, which he has been teaching and performing professionally ever since. He moved to Oak Park in 2023.
Throughout his career as a performer Matt has continued to explore yoga and teach workshops to those interested in learning some of the “funkier” postures the practice has to offer. He has spent his career exploring the vast landscape of asana practice and his classes introduce students to the eclectic variety of poses within it, all in a lighthearted and non-judgmental atmosphere, and while delivering all the benefits of a well-rounded all-levels practice.
“Thou shalt not let your students become bored in class,” might be a good description of Matt's teaching mission. Beyond that, he strives to teach every individual student exactly where they're at, and he isn't attached to what they choose to do or what they look like when they're doing it. That said, anytime you see him at the studio, feel free to “workshop” a posture with him, or ask him for his spiel about handstands (he finally thinks he really gets it!) He deeply appreciates everyone who shows up to practice, especially when they could just as easily take a free class on YouTube.
Matt recognizes that every person is different, and he wants his students to understand that flexibility ultimately comes down to the shape of a person's skeleton, which they have no control over. He regularly talks about how obsessing over the postures and what they look like is pointless. The benefits yoga has to offer are available to everyone who practices, regardless of their strength or flexibility. Matt's years of practice, and numerous injuries (from both circus and yoga), have given him insight into ways that the strictly physical practice can be harmful. (He is quick to pull out a picture of his lumbar spine MRI for anyone who shows even a passing interest!)
Matt practices mindfulness meditation less than he should and has learned how to notice what his mind is doing throughout the day, which he considers a superpower. He recommends that everyone incorporate some version of meditation into their practice. (He also recommends that everyone lift weights, but there are only so many hours in the day!)
When Matt isn't teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family and being out in nature.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Ahimsa Yoga Studio (Oak Park), 441 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302-2924, United States,Oak Park, Illinois
Tickets
