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Profile
Adarsh Williams is a teacher of stretching, yoga, and meditation.
His background includes intensive study of these and related topics
involving health, nutrition and human potential over the last
15 years. Adarsh is certified as a massage therapist in Deep Tissue
& Neuromuscular (Trigger Point) Therapy. He has spent a total
of four years in India where he studied yoga and philosophy. Adarsh
has received a rare Ashtanga Yoga Teaching Authorization from
the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in India.
Adarsh
directs The Ashtanga
Yoga Shala of Palo Alto, CA and maintains a blog tracking
the adventures of parenting and yoga www.theyogacircus.com
He
can be contacted via email adarshwilliams@gmail.com
Adarsh's introduction to Active Isolated Stretching
"In 2007, I was introduced by a muscle therapist to a
sports training and therapeutic method of stretching called Active
Isolated Stretching (AIS). Although I'm generally open minded
to new modalities, I was a little skeptical that some type of
"sports stretching" could improve on my yoga practice
for gaining flexibility.
The therapist stretched my Iliopsoas (hip flexors) and a few other
key areas. The technique felt quite nice (it's always nice to
have someone help stretch!), but the proof was in the next mornings
yoga practice. The opening of my hip flexors not only made my
back bends much easier, forward bending was much deeper as well.
I was impressed by the seemingly simple technique of AIS.
About 6 months later I had a neck injury resulting in a nagging
nerve pain. This injury greatly limited the yoga postures I could
perform.
After adjusting my yoga to the circumstances of my injury, I began
to research in further detail the protocols set out by the creator
of AIS, Aaron Mattes. It didn't take very long to discover that
not only did I have a limited range of motion due to my injury,
I was quite stiff in other areas that I had overlooked in yoga
practice.
By working with AIS, I am now pain free and have developed a much
deeper and more intelligent relationship with my body and yoga
practice. I have gained awareness in my many "blind spots"
and slowly began to strengthen and stretch areas that had been
overlooked for too long.
AIS is an ideal adjunct to yoga practice. It is gentle and therapeutic
in nature. Over the last two years, I have completed a certification
course in AIS and have had the great pleasure of observing and
receiving treatments with Aaron Mattes at his clinic in Florida.
In addition to my daily yoga practice, I am practicing Active
Isolated Stretching."
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