Spinal Health in Yoga

Yoga takes the spine and all the muscles attached to it into every conceivable position.  This is healthy for healthy spines.  If you have disc issues, osteoporosis, or other medical issues with your spine, you should always check with your doctor as to what movements you should and should not do.  And then... tell your yoga teacher.  Your teacher will then be able to adapt class to meet your needs.  This doesn't always mean that the teacher will no longer lead postures you shouldn't be doing.  Rather, they will be directing instructions specifically to you to help remind you to take care of your self.  I.e. if you shouldn't be rounding your spine in forward folds due to osteoporosis but the rest of the class is doing a pose that usually requires it, you may head your teacher say "Unless you have osteoporosis or other spinal issues, round your spine as you fold.  If you shouldn't be rounding your spine, please lengthen your spine while keeping it neutral."

One of my favorite warm-ups for a healthy spine (as my students can surely attest!) is to take the spine through its full range of motion with the "Six Movements of the Spine" - this include forward bending, backbending, lateral bending (to both sides) and twisting (to both sides), aiming to do just one movement at a time (i.e. no twisting and lateral bending at the same time).  If your back is a little achy or stiff, this sequence can be just the trick!  

I usually like to let it flow to encourage more ease of movement and better lubrication of the joints....

Inhaling into forward bend (Cat) then exhaling into backbend (Dog), moving between the two for at least 10 breaths. 

Cat

Dog

Moving to lateral bending - exhale to bring hip and shoulder toward each other, making a "c" with your spine.  Then inhale to center/neutral.  Exhale to the other side.  Moving between sides at least 20 breaths.

C-Curve

 Finally, twisting.  I generally let these be a little more static.  Reach an arm toward the sky into an open twist, bringing shoulders toward stacked.  Hold 10 breaths.  Then, take that arm underneath the other into a closed twist (threading the needle), bringing your shoulder toward the floor.

Open Twist

Thread the Needle

"Beginner's Mind" Class

I remember when I first started yoga and everything was a revelation... the poses and the challenge of staying present, the parts of my body that I never knew existed coming to the forefront, the joy of a newfound ease.  

Try this sequence to gain better awareness of sensation and the interconnectedness of your body's systems... just as you did when you started yoga.  

If you are new to yoga, use this sequence as an opportunity to dive in on your own, maybe even starting a home practice.  If you don't know the pose, just ask or google it.  Little known fact: many yoga teachers practice with books, notes and laptops strewn around their mat precisely for looking things up in the middle of practice :-)

Dirgha Breath throughout

Savasana
Feet to the floor, pelvic tilts
Puvana Muktasana
Active reclined Baddha Konasana
Bridge
Side stretch with arm circles
Maha Mudra
Supta Matsyendrasana
Figure Four
Cat/Dog
Lunges
Balancing table
Sphinx
Half Locust
Child
Gentle Twist
Savasana

Three forgotten yoga poses for the shoulders

Let's face it, life puts us in some awkward positions.  Many of them compromise our shoulders.  Whether we are holding tight to keep it all together psychologically or we are gripping a steering wheel, our shoulders can usually use some help.  So, we have an abundance of postures we do in yoga classes to try to bring relief.  Here are three poses that I find are super-effective but rarely done.  Try 'em out.  Work 'em into your routine.  Love your body.  Love your being!

1.  Sit or stand with your fingers interlaced behind your head.  
As you inhale, take your elbows back and lift your face toward the sky, head supported by your hands.  
As you exhale, take your chin toward your chest and bring your elbows forward toward each other.  
Repeat at least six times.
Be watchful of rising shoulders - this indicates disfunction in the Trapezius and through practice of this pose you can begin to correct it.

2.  Balancing mountain variation...
Stand in Mountain Pose, arms by your sides.
As you inhale, lift your heels (balancing!) while simultaneously lifting one arm into cactus arm and while turning your head to look away from that arm.
As you exhale, release back to where you started.
Repeat on the other side
Do at least six times on each side.
Don't go for a stretch in the neck or shoulder, this posture is about developing better communication between the neck and shoulders.

3. Warrior 2 variation...
Standing in Warrior 2, extend through your fingertips and s l o w l y rotate the back arm, moving from the shoulder, til the palm faces upward (more or less)  
Take at least 6 breaths to rotate the arm, then spend at least 6 breaths with the palm turned upward.
Repeat on the other side.

Stop and enjoy the sweet spots along the way, as you release connective tissues from one another and begin to stretch the lines of the nerves.

Stress-Relief Yoga Sequence

Stressful day?  Use the focus in this practice to let it go and come home to your self.

Let go of any holding, let each part of the breath begin to flow seamlessly into the next,  think of every exhale as an opportunity to let go.  

Complete at least 6 breaths in each pose.


Start seated with Dirgha Breath.  

Sun Breaths
Side Bends
Seated Cat/Dog
6 Movements of the Spine
Lunges
Tadasana
Tree Pose
Warrior 3
Arm Swings
Half Moon
Tadasana with Sun Breaths
Standing Forward Fold
Seated Twist
Supported Fish
Savasana - holding this pose longer than you think you should
Gentle Twist
Knees to Chest
Seated Meditation

How to do Cobra Pose in Thai Yoga Massage

Here's a little video action for you today... how to do a basic Cobra Pose in Thai Yoga Massage. This is one of the poses I usually teach in my Thai Yoga Massage workshops.  One of the things I love about Thai Yoga Massage is how it teaches you to use your bodyweight instead of muscles through the massage.  This creates a more relaxing massage for the giver which, in turn, creates a more relaxing massage for the receiver and allows us to create a greater stretch for the receiver than we would otherwise be able to provide.  Awesome all 'round!

(Heads up - I will be in Bentonville, Arkansas June 13 and 14. Sign up to learn this holistic bodywork form at www.nwahotyoga.com - hope to see you there!)

 

I just don't get meditation...

One of my students said to me recently "I just don't get meditation."  I can understand why he said that - there's often no immediate gratification when we start meditating.  Rather, beginning meditators often experience frustration, great discomfort, overwhelm.  It takes alot of trust that the process will yield results. With that said, I wanted to share what meditation does for me and some of the great research that has been done into the effectiveness of meditation. Who knows maybe it will inspire trust in your own process...

For me, meditation helps release the emotional attachments to thoughts so I can think clearly. I sit and the same thoughts cycle and cycle til they are almost meaningless, then a state of bliss descends. This is really nice!  If I stop then, I am happy for the rest of the day, but left feeling like I may have cheated myself of some meaningful exploration and am living in an illusion.    

If I stay past this blissful point, things change and I feel like rather like Dorothy entering the forest in the Wizard of Oz: scary creaks, darkness, unknown shadows all seeming to follow me... Except, unlike Dorothy, I KNOW this is all in my head and I know that the only way out is though.  That's not to say that its enjoyable, but I can watch it like I watch a scary movie - I feel my breath quicken, sometimes my body tightens, sometimes I cry.  Haven't screamed yet ;-).  But I can simply watch it.  And when its over, I can walk away; altered from where/what I was before but better for the journey.

In essence, my meditation practice most days is almost like I encounter the the Emerald City before the forest.  But that further (seemingly backward) journey, should I choose to make it, is like clicking my heels together and the magic of life happens in the most wonderful way!

There are HUGE health benefits to meditating on a regular basis, including stress reduction, lowering blood pressure, easing fibromyalgia, reducing anxiety, reducing insomnia and pain management to name a few.  Here are some resources to help you learn more:

Check out what the Mayo Clinic has to say about meditation, including the benefits to physical and mental health as well as some methods of meditation.

The National Institute of Health also has some great resources on the benefits of meditation, including links to reputable studies on the use of meditation.

For inquiring minds: No, I do not meditate everyday.  Self-discipline has never been my strong point and there is little that I absolutely do every single day.  Sometimes I can pull it off for weeks at a time, sometimes its a here and there practice.  But, you know what? I surely do notice the difference when I do sit, even just for 5 minutes.  ENORMOUS difference.  In times of great stress, I do find the discipline to do it at least once a day because it means the difference between being able to deal with the stress and succumbing to it.

Yoga for Strength and Balance

Each semester in my Slow Flow Yoga class at New Mexico Tech we work for weeks learning individual poses in depth and developing the skills for a breath-supported yoga sequence that culminates our semester's experience together.  This particular flow was especially challenging, requiring new dimensions of focus and self-acceptance as each day delivered a new challenge, even though we practiced the same poses.  More than any other semester, we needed some days to just step away and regroup.

This flow is based on a sequence I found online many years ago by Mark Giubarelli.  I think he called it Pigeon Flies to Tree.  Over years of practice, it evolved into my own unique take on that flow.  I think one of the parts of it that I like the most is the interplay between movement and stillness - holding a pose for *most* of the inhales and finding transitions on the exhales: the best of both vinyasa and static yoga :-)

For those of you, like me, that like to see a sequence written out... here you go...
Start standing - use your favorite pranayam throughout.  Use one leg as your dominate leg the first run though, then use the other for the second for a complete round and balanced flow.
Inhale arms up into Mountain
Exhale Half Moon
Inhale Mountain
Exhale Half Moon other side
Inhale Mountain
Exhale Lunge
Exhale Three Legged Dog
Exhale Proud Pigeon
Exhale Resting Pigeon
Inhale Proud Pigeon
Exhale Three Legged Dog
Exhale Lunge
Exhale Warrior 3
Exhale Standing Squat var. (cross ankle over thigh)
Exhale Tree
Exhale Lunge
Exhale Three Legged Dog
Exhale Proud Pigeon
Exhale Resting Pigeon
Inhale Proud Pigeon
Exhale Three Legged Dog
Exhale Lunge
Exhale Forward Fold/Uttanasana
Inhale Mountain
Exhale Half Moon
Inhale Mountain
Exhale Half Moon
Inhale Mountain
Exhale Arms Down