yoga at home: free your spine

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical attention. Luckily, for minor issues, there are ways to decompress the spine and improve the health of your back on your own.

For more experienced yogis, inversions like Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand) or Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) can help. But even beginners can enjoy the benefits of space in the spine. One of the best ways to counter the effects of gravity is to simply let the spine hang free.

Find a table or a bed in your home that is higher off the floor that the height of your torso. Then lie face down on the edge of the bed or table so that the tops of your thighs are supported while your entire torso hangs to the floor. Relax your back, your arms, and your neck. Allow your body to go completely limp. Breathe deeply and remain for several minutes. When you emerge, you'll feel taller and less tense in your spine.

(from Yoga Journal)

2 quick tips to destress

stressed out? mind spinning in all directions?

exhale.
One of the best ways to bring yourself back down to earth is to lengthen your exhalations. This form of breathing encourages the nervous system to become calm and quiet, moving the body into a more restful state of being.


focus.
Sometimes when the world sends us spinning, we want to do nothing more than drop everything and stare into space. But this approach often gives the brain free rein to continue its obsessive and agitated thinking. Instead, try focusing your mind in a constructive and engaging way: practice a challenging yoga pose or an absorbing breathing exercise. Or try a forward fold, hang loose there a bit, and let a fresh supply of blood give you a new perspective.

yoga + mindful eating = healthy weight

Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, and people who eat mindfully are less likely to be obese, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The study was prompted by initial findings reported four years ago by Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues, who found that regular yoga practice may help prevent middle-age spread in normal-weight people and may promote weight loss in those who are overweight. At the time, the researchers suspected that the weight-loss effect had more to do with increased body awareness, specifically a sensitivity to hunger and satiety than the physical activity of yoga practice itself.

The follow-up study, published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, confirms their initial hunch.

"In our earlier study, we found that middle-age people who practice yoga gained less weight over a 10-year period than those who did not. This was independent of physical activity and dietary patterns. We hypothesized that mindfulness - a skill learned either directly or indirectly through yoga -could affect eating behavior," said Kristal, associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

The researchers found that people who ate mindfully - those were aware of why they ate and stopped eating when full - weighed less than those who ate mindlessly, who ate when not hungry or in response to anxiety or depression. The researchers also found a strong association between yoga practice and mindful eating but found no association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating.

Read more...

yoga can help you stop work stress

the key to transforming your relationship to stress is to stop letting it overwhelm you. More and more people are discovering that mind-body practices such as yoga, qi gong, and meditation can be hugely helpful in shifting the way they react to stress.

So how do you shift your perceptions so you no longer feel like one big rubber band about to snap? That's where yoga and other mind-body approaches come in. Yoga teaches you to tune in to what your body is telling you and to act accordingly.

With practice, this awareness will spread into other areas of your life, including your work. As you learn to separate the urge to act from the reaction, you begin to find that something like a canceled meeting or having a last-minute project handed to you may not rattle you as much as it once did.

You can detect stressors—what Buddhists call the spark before the flame—earlier, then pause long enough to think, "Well, maybe I don't need to respond."
source: Yoga Journal

My tips:
Amidst your workday, if you feel overwhelmed, take a mini-yoga break. Get away from your desk. Breathe deep. Step outside, into the sunshine. Find something positive in your sightline to focus on. Move your spine - you can do this subtly if you're afraid colleages might find you crazy. Bend to the left and right. Fold forward, arch back. Twist your spine, gently, left and right. Do a few shoulder rolls forward and back. Return to work refreshed.

Keep attuned to your mind. If you feel stress creeping in, breathe deep. Remind yourself to live in the moment - stressing about the upcoming deadline or tasks is unproductive. Break down what needs to be done, and begin chipping away. Complaining or commiserating with coworkers is tempting, but that can lead you down a path of negativity. Stay positive. When life seems way too busy for yoga, that's when you need it the most. If you take an hour away for yoga, you will come back to your worklife recharged, centered, and you will work more effectively and productively. You might even have a new perspective. Great ideas and creativity can surface in your yoga practice, when your mind is relaxed.

yoga + weight loss

It's not high intensity, but a gentle yoga routine blasts fat as effectively as weight lifting does, says research represented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 2004 conference.

In one of the few studies that have compared these radically different exercise regimens, University of Pittsburgh researchers put 59 obese, inactive women, ages 25 to 55, on a low-fat diet. Everyone walked for 40 minutes 5 days a week; a third of the volunteers did additional strength-training exercises; and another third added a yoga routine 3 days a week.

After 4 months, the yoga devotees dropped an average of 27 pounds - the most!; the strength trainers whittled away 23; and the walking-only group lost 20. Study author Kara Gallagher, PhD, an exercise physiologist, warns that the differences aren't big enough to conclude that yoga is better than dumbbells. But it appears to be a soothing option with a surprising power to fend off excess pounds, equal or exceeding strength training with weights.

source: from Prevention.com

The yoga classes I teach have plenty of sun-salutations, which engages, flexes, and extends all of your major muscle groups. Additionally, you are consistently lifting your own body weight, building strength, burning calories. Many new students say, "I didn't think I'd sweat in yoga, but I sure did!" Yet, a yoga workout is much more gentle than doing reps in a harshly lit gym, pumping iron. I speak from experience - I've definitely put in gym time. But I must say, I never walked away from a session of lifting weights feeling as de-stressed, centered, and rejuvenated as I do with yoga. And that's all the difference in the world.

releasing tension

Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip, or scrunching your face, squinting your eyes when staring at a computer screen? Carrying a big handbag, briefcase, or computer bag on the same shoulder? Our unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and make you feel depleted.

As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension. It might be in your tongue, the muscles of your face and neck, or commonly, shoulders.If you simply tune in, you may be able to release some tension in those spots, leading to a more harmonious practice. In class, I often remind my students to melt the shoulderblades down the back, to relax shoulders away from the ears when arms are extended, and to soften and breathe rather than muscle through the more difficult poses. Then, as you move off the mat, remind yourself to soften and breathe into those areas in "real life."

yoga news: yoga makes you feel groovy

How does yoga improve mental health?

On a physical level, yoga postures are designed to massage the internal organs, increasing and decreasing blood flow to targeted areas. This circulates the blood and lymph, thus removing stale bodily fluids from vital organs and helping flush toxins. The physical movement can also stimulate certain hormones and neurotransmitters, leading to positive feelings and emotions.

Additionally, according to the Eastern medical model, yoga exercises are also designed to specifically move the “prana” or life force energy in the body (traditional Oriental medicine calls this “chi”). Keeping this life force fresh and alive is vital to well-being, according to Eastern philosophy.

Yoga poses stimulate certain aspects of the body's energetic system, comprised of “chakras” (energy centers) and “nadis” (the yogic term for “meridians” or energy channels). As stuck prana is moved and energized, old emotional wounds manifesting as blockages in the energy centers and channels can be released. This may explain why so many yoga practitioners experience a sense of emotional release from practicing certain poses, such as a spontaneous expression of tears, providing a sense of extreme relief and peace afterwards.

The special breathing exercises that go along with yoga (called “pranayama”) also serve to energize the body by bringing fresh quantities of prana in through the breath. These breathing exercises can also alleviate anxiety and create a sense of calm and well-being.

from naturalnews.com, read more...

anti-aging, upside down

Aging: flip it and reverse it.

After years of combating gravity, all the organs, especially the heart and the rest of the circulatory system, grow sluggish, which results in less nourishment to our cells and leaves us vulnerable to heart disease, fatty deposits in the blood vessels, varicose veins, and other effects of aging.

Though the effects of gravity are inevitable, we can do a great deal to counteract their impact. Like the original yogis, we can cleverly beat gravity at its own game by turning the body upside down. This simple action benefits the whole body. Early yoga masters stressed the importance of inversions and said that Headstand and Shoulderstand could conquer old age. Entry-level inversions: downward facing dog, or a half-headstand on the wall, or simply lying down with the legs up against the wall.

I was terrified of headstand for many years. For a while I even thought my head was too pointy to balance on. I would get into position against a wall, but I was scared to kick up -- I always thought I'd come crashing down. Then, a few years ago I had a breakthrough. I think partially it was due to better arm/core strength - the head is no factor, and also a moment of alignment enlightenment. Now I'm working on balancing unsupported, anywhere. My friend Alison, who lives out in Colorado, does a headstand on top of every mountain she climbs. Soon, that will be my peak ritual too. Hiking + headstand: beats any anti-aging remedy.

yoga shown to positively affect your genes

Researchers have discovered how meditation and yoga improve health, reports The Washington Post. "It's not all in your head," said Dr. Herbert Benson, president emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "What we have found is that when you evoke the relaxation response, the very genes that are turned on or off by stress are turned the other way. The mind can actively turn on and turn off genes. The mind is not separated from the body."

"We all are under stress and have many manifestations of that stress," Benson added. "To adequately protect ourselves against stress, we should use an approach and a technique that we believe evokes the relaxation response 20 minutes, once a day." - from YogaJournal.com

It always seems when we are "too busy" for yoga, that is when we need it the most. I am going to design a 20 minute yoga routine and post it here on my blog in the next few weeks. Surely we can carve out 20 minutes to rejuvenate and refresh amidst a chaotic day.

yoga one-on-one

why take private yoga lessons? here's 2 compelling reasons:

it's all about you.

In your private lessons, I create an entire sequence of poses that are tailored to your specific needs, on that particular day. If you are the mood for relaxation and stretching, then that will be the session's goal. If you want to be challenged with balancing poses or powerful poses, those are options as well. There is more time for me to answer questions and to provide you with more hands-on adjustments in a private setting.

convenience.

Your lessons can take place in a studio, in your home, or at your office, on your schedule. Private lessons are good for students who can't fit public classes in their schedules, have physical conditions that need special attention, want to progress faster, or just prefer the comfort of privacy.

yoga for seasonal allergies

ah, springtime in atlanta. the good news is the trees are blooming beautifully. the bad news is the trees are blooming beaurifully and spreading pollen everywhere. it's so thick here anything outside is carpeted in green pollen dust. sometimes i can feel a burn in my throat when i take a deep inhale outside. lots of us are feeling sinus blockage and breathing issues with seasonal springtime allergies.

yoga can alleviate some allergy symptoms. i'm going to share a few, starting with the most mellow:

supported savasana: lay flat on your back on your mat. place a bolster (see my sidebar for purchasing this prop if you don't have one - they're heavenly) under the spine. the bolster should run from the lower back up to your head so your head is supported. hips are on the floor. spread the arms out in a t, palms up. you should feel gently supported and can relax in this for a long time. the bolster helps to open the chest, and gently allows you to stretch the abdominal muscles, intercostal muscles of the side body, and the diaphragm, which helps breathing.

supported shoulderstand: see detailed description of this pose at Yoga Journal. shoulderstands and inversions open the nasal passages for improved drainage.

backbends:bridge or camel, for example, expand the chest and lungs, increasing breathing capacity

other options include using an eye pillow. (see sidebar at the right to purchase one) ususally filled with organic flax seed and a bit of lavender. lay down in savasana, or in bed and drape the pillow over the eyes and bridge of the nose. relax for 5 - 15 minutes. i find the gentle pressure on my sinuses is really soothing.

also, try a neti pot or nasal wash with saline solution. you can buy these at CVS. for me, it took a few tries to run the liquid through my sinuses instead of down my face, but it's a lifesaver during allergy season.

cultivating consciousness

reading today's "daily insight" email from the definitive yoga magazine, Yoga Journal, i was reminded of how rewarding and powerful yoga is, and how taking yoga off the mat into everyday life can positively affect many.

from the daily insight:

Our yoga practice can have a positive impact on our lives because it constantly asks us to become more sensitive, more conscious, and more aware of our bodies, minds, feelings, and emotions. As our sensitivity increases, life becomes more rich and enjoyable because we can taste the unique flavor of each individual moment. More important, we also become more aware of what moves us toward our dharma, or life path, and what takes us away from it. This awareness makes us clearer and more peaceful, more able to elegantly handle life's endless dilemmas without feeling overwhelmed or fearful. As a result, we become more effective in all of our actions, and our presence begins to inspire and bring out the best in people around us.

The awareness that we develop on the yoga mat, though seemingly small, affects all that is. As we become more aware in our yoga practice and in our lives, as we move away from force and violence and toward sensitivity, feeling, and awareness, we change our individual consciousness and actions. In turn, these changes influence the consciousness and the actions of everyone we meet.

Slowly, we shift the direction the world is taking.

As we practice each asana, whether it be a challenging twist such as Ardha Matsyendrasana II (Half Lord of the Fishes II Pose) or a simple standing pose such as Tadasana (Mountain Pose), we have the opportunity to become the embodiment of peace and to make our practice a prayer for harmony in the world.

i keep reading this over and over. the peaceful revolution can start with you and your yoga. wow, huh?

can yoga make you taller?

one of my yoga students' favorite sequences involves laying on the back and deeply stretching one leg at a time with a yoga strap. The sensation immediately following the stretch is that the leg is lengthened. Lengthening and extending through the spine is also a common theme in classes. Certainly I've walked out of many classes, as a teacher and as a student, walking taller and feeling lighter in my body.

can yoga make you taller? In subtle ways, yes. What makes up a person's height is largely the length of bones. And yoga cannot lengthen the bones (although weight-bearing poses may prevent bone loss). But, certain yoga positions help stretch and elongate your spine. This in turn creates space in the spine and with continued practice, you develop muscle memory and lengthened alignment, and you will most likely appear taller.

Perhaps more importantly, yoga also creates body awareness, and you'll notice how to carry yourself, how you stand and sit naturally and this factor alone will increase your awareness of your own posture. With continued yoga practice and more body awareness, you feel how you can breathe more deeply, more easily with strong, tall, posture. The difference between slouching and caving in around the lungs and heart, contrasting to positively opening the chest and extending in the torso are great to a practicing yogi. It becomes natural to have good posture and walk taller.

tuneup your mind/body fitness with yoga

Physical Benefits of Yoga
Gain Flexibility: Stretching your tight body in new ways will help it to become more flexible, bringing greater range of motion to muscles and joints. Over time, you can expect to gain flexibility in your hamstrings, back, shoulders, and hips.

Build Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in Tree Pose or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Facind Dog). Some sequences require you to move slowly in and out of poses, or hold them for a while, which also increases strength.

Tone Muscle: As a by-product of getting stronger, you can expect to see increased muscle tone. Yoga helps shape long, lean muscles.

Lose Weight: If you are practicing a vigorous, flowing yoga style regularly, you can lose weight.

Pain Prevention: Increased flexibility and strength can help prevent the causes of some types of back pain. Many people who suffer from back pain spend a lot of time sitting at a computer or driving a car. That can cause tightness and spinal compression, which you can begin to release with yoga. Yoga also improves your body alignment, both in and out of class, which helps prevent many other types of pain.

Better Breathing: Most of us breathe very shallowly into the lungs and don’t give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga breathing exercises, called Pranayama, focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body. Certain types of breathwork can also help clear the nasal passages and even calm the central nervous system, which has both physical and mental benefits.

Mental Benefits of Yoga
Mental Calmness: Yoga practice encourages listening to your body and feeling sensations of stretching, extending, bending, lifting, and dynamically moving. Focusing on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing a calmness to the mind. Yoga also incorporates meditation techniques, such as watching how you breathe and disengagement from your thoughts, which help calm the mind.

Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of yoga. Because of the concentration required, your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away during the time you are doing yoga. This provides a much-needed break from your stressors, as well as helping put things into perspective. The emphasis yoga places on being in the moment can also help relieve stress, as you learn not to dwell on past events or anticipate the future. You will leave a yoga class feeling less stressed than when you started.

Body Awareness: Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body. You are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body. This can lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence. Your outer, and inner strength is more apparent.

Ready to dive deeper? visit totallyoga.com or call (404) 312-4872 and sign up for a demo yoga session or package - we design perfect yoga sessions for your needs, and travel to your location in the Atlanta metro area, at your convenience.

This one's for all my office peeps

As I'm recovering from a severely desk-bound graphic design position, I know how it feels to become one with an office chair, eyes burning from spending unblinking hours at the computer, crumbs in the keyboard because you worked right through lunch.  So, in honor of that icky feeling, here's wisdom I'm passing on from a fellow yogi.

Five actions at or near your computer to do to Feel better Now!

1. Smile. Turn up the corners of your mouth for 2 to 2o seconds.

2. Move. Choose one or two of these movements or design your own:

Lift your arms over your head

Dance in your chair

Stand up and do a yoga pose

Stretch in any way that feels good

Walk around your office or to another room.

3. Drink 8 ounces of the best tasting water you currently have access to.

4. Take 5 deep breaths of the freshest air available. Open a window or go outside and breathe deep.

5. Think of five things you are grateful for in this moment.

-Gary Halperin, creator of the "Feel Better Now Yoga" DVD and author of "Feel Better Now Meditation"

benefits of yoga

1. building strength and toning + weight loss 

lifting your body weight in poses builds and tones lean muscle.

2. decreasing stress

forward bends cool the brain. 

deep breathing sends oxygenated blood through your bloodstream, calming the mind. 

3. deep stretching

after a hectic day at work, on your feet or hunched over a desk, 

there's no better feeling than unlocking tight spots in your shoulders and hips with a yoga session.

4. energy boost

the dynamic combinations of flowing poses and restorative stillness I love to teach leave you feeling recharged and refreshed.  Ever notice how much easier it is to motivate yourself to go to yoga rather than the gym?  Instead of just slogging away on a treadmill, you're exercising your mind, body and spirit.

5. conquering life's challenges

the poses that you find difficult, with practice, will become second nature. through yoga, you can reconnect with your physical and mental potential and apply that to obstacles in every day life.

  you are powerful.

6. the yoga glow

you feel so good after yoga classes it shines through you.  

your energy is positive, your heart is open. 

karma is cultivated when you share your light and spread the love!