Power Comes From Devotion

I enjoy reading the stories behind some of the yoga postures that we do in class. Having read the story brings more meaning and depth to the pose and to the entire practice. One can move into their own yoga practice with greater intention.

I recently was reading about Hanuman, the Monkey God. The story goes....a demon king had abducted the wife of the king of ancient India. Rama, the Indian king, order his troops to rescue his wife, Siva. During the battle that occurred in this pursuit, Rama's brother, Laksmana, was gravely wounded. The only way that he could be saved was with an herb that grew in the Himalayas. But the distance was so far; how was Laksmana going to be saved in time. Hanuman, a great devotee to Rama, said he could complete the task. He took a mighty leap from the south of India to the Himalayas. Once there, he did not know which herb to return home, so he rasied the entire mountain, took another mighty leap back to India, and the brother was saved.

This story tells us that with great devotion, one can accomplish the impossible. YOU have the power to overcome any obstacle when your desire to help is combined with reverence and respect.

Hanumanasana
The pose is an intense hamstring stretch; you're essentially doing the splits. You made need at least three blocks and a blanket to help guide yourself into this pose. This pose embodies Hanuman's devotion and giant leap to save his king's brother.

This pose, while using the props, is best done with a yoga mat on a hard wood floor. Start by coming to your hands and knees near the top of your mat. Have a blanket (or towel) on the floor in front of you. Have a block on either side of you and one at hand's reach to use later.

Place your right heel on the blanket or towel in front of you. (Your knee can remain bent.) Then place the nearby block underneath this leg. Place your hands on the blocks on either side of you. Very slowly, begin to slide the blanket directly forward. This will begin to extend the front leg. As you slide forward, your rear leg (with the knee still on the yoga mat) will also extend. Move slowly and carefully. Take small movements forward and let each movement be supported and guided by your breath, particularly your exhales. Your front leg will eventually rest on the block so as not to hyper-extend your knee. Take 5 to 10 slow deep breaths here. When you're ready to move out of the pose, simply slide the extended leg back toward your yoga mat. Do the same on the other side.

If you are very flexible, you may not need the props. Further, if you have been working on this pose for awhile, try this little tip. You may find that you can go deeper into the pose when you produce an inner spiral (rotation) with the front extended leg. That is, the leg at the point of insertion in the pelvis, rolls inward. See if this allows you to create a deeper splits.

With Hanumanasana, you experience a moment where you accomplish something that seems nearly impossible. Transfer the same thought and idea to your everyday life. If you are faced with great obstacle, remember Hanuman's love and devotion for his king. That respect, honor, and love, allowed him to achieve what seemed humanly impossible. You may be surprised at the power you hold within yourself.

Namaste.

Back To The Basics

I had the pleasure and privilege to spend a weekend among other yogis with Jonny Kest. Jonny has a yoga teacher training program in Michigan and has a profound way of uniting his students as he gifts to them the foundations of the yoga practice and principles. He helped me to remember the origins of yoga as well as the many benefits of the practice. I was certainly humbled in his presence.

Jonny Kest is a classically trained yogi and reminded his students of the foundation of the practice. He showed his trainees how to teach the Ashtanga Vinyasa Surya Namaskura Series A. We even attended one of his classes and experienced the Primary Series of the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice.

To break this down for you, and why I am writing about this in my blog, is that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga sets the stage for many modern styles of the yoga practice. Ashtanga (meaning 8 limbs) was first made known in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. He saw the eight aspects of yoga as limbs of a tree. He states that "wisdom and spirituality unfold in the same manner as a tree grows.....every tree in the forest has the same goal; to reach the light."

K. Pattabhi Jois is the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. He was taught a particular system of yoga by Krisnamacharya. This system has been handed down to thousands of students around the world and continues to be the hub for the basic yoga practice. Jonny Kest is a student of Pattabhi Jois and has continued this tradition.

Surya Namaskura is simply the Sun Salutation that we all know very well. The asanas (postures) in this series are designed to energize the entire body as it flows with the breath. The is the basis of Hatha Yoga. The Salute to the Sun is the basic foundation of Hatha Yoga, so I thought it would be beneficial to remind ourselves, not only of the history of Vinyasa Yoga, but the basics of our yoga practice and how it can thoroughly effect and change our lives and how we view it.

Surya Namaskara A (The Sun Salutation Series A)
(This text is taken directly from "Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual" by David Swensen, an acclaimed Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga instructor and practitioner.)

Samasthiti - Stand with both feet together. Legs active. Spine long. Engage the bandhas. Breathe deep.
One - Inhale raising both arms. The lungs should be full just as the hands touch. Gaze at the thumbs.
Two - Exhale fold forward taking chest toward your knees as you look toward your toes.
Three - Inhale lengthen your spine as you take your gaze to the horizon.
Four - Exhale step or jump back. Lower down while gazing straight ahead.
Five - Inhale straighten the arms and roll onto the tops of the feet. Knees lifted. Toes pointed.
Six - Exhale as you push the hips up. Lengthen the spine from your sacrum through the top of your head. Press the heels toward the floor and lift the kneecaps. Gaze at your navel. Engage the bandhas.
Remain here for 5 deep breaths.
Seven - Inhale as you either jump or walk the feet forward. Lengthen the spine and take your gaze to the horizon.
Eight - Exhale fold forward taking chest toward the knees and gaze toward your toes.
Nine - Inhale raising both arms high over the head until palms touch. Gaze at the thumbs.
Ten - Exhale lower your arms in preparation for the next Surya Namaskara or Vinyasa.
Repeat this series 5 times.

This sequence should sound and feel familiar to you. It is the foundation of our yoga practice. Remember, also, in your daily life that we can wander away from our humble beginnings, sometimes forgetting our roots. It is important to often stop, turn around, and look back at where we came from. It helps us to see our growth and our progression forward on this life journey.

Namaste.

Wring It Out

In the last blog entry, I discussed Fish Pose, it's story, and how the posture is related to self healing. Staying on that same theme, I thought I'd write about another type of pose that can also help with healing: twisting poses.

Whenever I instruct a twisting pose in a yoga class, I have the students imagine that they are a wet sponge ready to be wrung out. When a sponge is wet, it is typically heavy - saturated with a substance that is ready to move out. When one wrings out a sponge, all the water is released, leaving it light and virtually empty - ready to absorb new content. Hold onto this image as you practice this next pose.

Twisted Chair Pose (Parivritta Utkatasana)
As usual, start your practice in Mountain Pose with your hands at your Heart Center to set your intention. Perhaps you have been sitting heavy with thoughts, worries, aches, pains, and concern that you are ready to release. Think of those ideas and sensations as the water in the saturated sponge.

Inhale to extend your arms overhead. Exhale and sit back into Chair Pose. Keep your arms extended alongside your ears. Sit back as if you are sitting in an imaginary chair. Shift your weight back slightly so the weight is in the heels of your feet. (You should be able to lift or tap your toes easily.) Also, your knees will begin to move to be more aligned over your ankles. (This will also take pressure off the knees and shins.) Next, bring your hands to Heart Center.

With the next few breaths, remain in this pose to further elongate the spine. With each exhale, draw your belly button up toward your spine engaging the Abdominal Lock. When you are ready, exhale and begin a slow twist to the right. You want to be sure to make this a full abdominal twist to simulate wringing out the sponge. Here are some things you can be aware of while moving deeply into the pose:

1) Be sure your feet are still firm on the floor with an even weight distribution between them. Notice if you have rolled to the inner or outer parts of your feet when you twist.

2) Look down at your knees. Be certain that your knees are still aligned with one another. If you are twisting to the right and your left knee shifts forward, then you have moved out of alignment and have decreased the fullest twist possible. (Feel free to use a Yoga Block between your thighs to help stabilize your feet and knees.) If your knees remain aligned, this also means your hips will remain aligned ensuring a full twist rather than a simple turning of your body to the right.

3) Move slowly. There is no need to wring out the sponge all at once. Use several breaths to reach your fullest depth of the pose. Inhale to continue lengthening through your spine and twist a little bit more when you exhale. (Remember to draw your navel in toward your spine.) Keep moving like this until you have reached a full twist. Hold the pose for an additional 5 breaths.


Return to Chair Pose then Mountain Pose. As you unwind from this twist, imagine the wet sponge is now free of it's contents feeling light and newly absorbent. Repeat the pose on the other side.

It is easy for us to walk through our days, weeks, even months feeling heavy with pressure and stress. We become saturated with these feelings and can no longer absorb any more leading to feeling overwhelmed and burned out. Practice this twisted pose to relieve yourself of these burdensome circumstances.

Namaste

Destroyer of All Diseases

I've been doing a little reading about some yoga poses and came across a story about Matsyasana or Fish Pose. Matsya means fish and is dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu. Vishnu is said to be the Source/Maintainer of All Things In the Universe. He could also transform himself. In one story, Vishnu takes the form of the Fish and overhears The Lord Shiva, who holds the key to the Universe and unlocks the mystery of Yoga, tell his wife about his discovery. As Vishnu, in the form of the fish, listens to Shiva, he becomes enlightened, thus, Vishnu becomes the first student of yoga.

Matsyasana is also known as the "destroyer of all diseases." Another story states that the world was becoming corrupt and was going to be destroyed by a great flood. Vishnu transformed himself into a Fish and is said to have saved the world from the great flood. Thus, the Fish Pose has restorative value for the human body particularly if one lives with back and/or neck pain. The nature of the pose provides spinal health which can aid in physical and emotional health. This story intrigued me and inspired me to write this blog entry.

As you set your intention, be aware of any physical pain or discomfort that you may be experiencing lately. If you're experiencing discomfort in your back or neck, this pose will provide great benefit. We often find ourselves in a constant state of hunching over: sitting at our computers, driving, etc. Your intention may simply be to add relief to your body. Allow the pose you're about to practice help move you toward greater relief.

Matsyasana: Fish Pose
Start by lying flat on your back on your yoga mat. Be sure your legs are straight out in front of you and your arms are alongside your body. Shift your body in order to bring both your arms completely underneath you. You may need to squeeze your shoulder blades together to help with this sensation. Your arms will remain straight: your hands (palms facing downward) will be underneath your buttocks. Point your toes to continue extending your legs. With an inhale, lift your chest/heart. Keep your bottom on the floor. You are actually arching your back. In order to help lift your chest, push your elbows into the floor. Once your head is off the floor, carefully allow it to drop back. Rest the very top of your head on the floor. You will be able to see the wall behind you - it will be upside down! Restrain from putting pressure on your head and neck. The sensation of staying in this pose comes from the lifting of the chest. You are now in the posture.

Remain in Fish Pose for at least 5-10 breaths. In the posture, you have created a minor back bend (often used as a counter pose after practicing Plow Pose.) As mentioned, it can bring relief to the back and neck. It further provides a re-alignment of the spine after being hunched over all day! If you do have regular back or next pain, practice this pose at least three times a week. If you experience other ailments, try this pose since it is said to be the destroyer of all diseases.

Namaste.

Binds

Ever find yourself in a bind? You know, you have to get the kids to soccer practice AND you have to be at an important meeting at the same time. Or you've been asked to speak at a benefit event on a particular evening AND you have tickets to see your favorite music group in concert the same night. Or even more simply, you don't know which outfit to wear one morning. These may not seem like very significant binds to be in. There are certainly more emotional and/or physical binds that we can find ourselves in: should I really be in this relationship? which college should I attend? do I get surgery on my knee or live with the pain? The question becomes....how do you get yourself OUT of these binds?

Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed when we are faced with such a question, especially when the decision appears to be quite confusing or nearly impossible to make. You may think, "how will this effect me and my life journey?" "How will my decision effect other people?" Before you have to make the decision, why not just take a moment, pause, and take a few breaths. A simple clearing of the mind may help your decision making to get out of the bind.

This yoga practice gives us insight into how we often put ourselves into our own binds, but it also shows how we have the strength and aptitude to get ourselves out of those binds.

Bound Extended Side Angle Pose (Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana)
Start by standing in Warrior Pose with your right foot forward on your yoga mat. Your torso will be long and tall, perpendicular to the floor. Here you may set your intention. Take a few deep breaths to clear your mind. From here, slowly extend you right hand and arm forward out over your right thigh. This will create an angle in the torso, about 45 degrees. Once you can no longer extend your arm forward creating this angle in the upper body, rotate your arms so your left arm is extending upward toward the ceiling and your right arm is extending down toward the floor. (Be sure your torso remains open to the side of the room rather than facing down toward the floor.)

Here is where you will create the bind in the pose. Bring your left arm down behind you. See if you can wrap it around your waist or have your hand up close to your right hip rather that along your buttocks. Next, reach your right arm underneath your right thigh. Bend that arm to reach up for your left set of fingers. (If you are unable to bring your two hands together behind you in this bind, using a prop like a towel or strap may help you get into this pose.) See if you can keep your right arm along your hamstring rather than directly between your legs.

As you are able, continue extending your spine so that the crown of your head is pointing directly forward just as your right knee is pointing directly forward. Your heart and torso will still be open to the side of the room. Hold this posture for 5-10 breaths. Feel the pressure this creates in your legs, arms, back, and hips. Allow this to mimic the binds that we sometimes find ourselves in. Squeeze a little tighter to experience how challenging some of those life binds can be. After your series of breaths, slowing begin to move out of the pose....out of the bind. Take your time, so you can fully experience the sensation of release. Feel how the body, mind, and breath feel free as you have now moved out of the bind. Make your way back up to Warrior Pose. Come to a full standing posture (Mountain Pose) before you do the other side.

It is common for us to face situations in our lives where we will feel overwhelmed with complicated decision making. We worry about the outcome and how it might effect other people like our partners, co-workers, children, and friends. Be mindful that whatever decision that is made, has been made with honesty, a sense of honor and compassion, and with intention.

Namaste.

Support

I had the unfortunate circumstance of experiencing a minor back injury last week which limited some of my regular activities like working out at the gym and my personal yoga practice. I found that it was a challenge to stand up straight, sit down for a long time without experiencing pain in my back, or moving quickly from a lying position to a standing position. It made me greatly appreciate and admire those that live daily in chronic pain. They have to live and work with bodily pain everyday of their lives. I know my circumstance is temporary, but even after a few days, it became, not only a physical challenge, but an emotional, one, too.

Because of my limited ability, I had to call on friends for help. Again, I am grateful for the friends who were willing to step up and help me; to give me support when I needed it most. The Back is associated with Community. The Back represents your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and all those you consider close to you. I'm sure you've heard the expression, "I've got your back!" It's those member in your inner circle you rely on - they are there for you whenever you need assistance or a shoulder to cry on. Not only can we rely on our Community for support, but we can also rely on ourselves. We can "have our own backs" when we may not have that strong circle of friends. By building a strong back-body, we also build a greater sense of self-support. This yoga practice will focus on a particular pose that will begin to build that greater connection to self.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana)
This is a lower back strengthen posture. I wanted to share this particular pose, as opposed to other backbends, since my personal back injury occurred in my lower back. Start by lying on your stomach on your yoga mat. Your arms will be alongside your body with your palms on the floor. Let your body remain completely relaxed before you begin. While relaxed, set your personal intention for your practice. Perhaps it will focus on building inner strength and self-confidence. Know that by having a strong spinal base, you also build a stronger core of self-support.

Position your head so you're looking directly downward at the yoga mat. Your forehead will rest on the mat. With an inhale, simply lift your shoulders off the yoga mat by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Exhale and begin to engage your core. This is important because you are creating a backbend in which you need proper support, strength, and space to be in the pose safely. When you exhale, push your pelvis more firmly in the floor. Another way to describe this is to lift your navel away from the floor and up toward your spine. (Your navel may never leave the floor in this posture, but just experience the sensation of lifting your bellybutton toward your spine.) The effort in this breath activates your core body: it strengthens the abdominal muscles as well as creates space in your low back so you can complete the backbend.

Continue to squeeze the shoulder blades together and allow this action to lift you higher. Keep your neck and head neutral. Try not to lift your upper body off the map with your neck muscles. Instead, use your back muscles to lift your body. Remember to exhale to be sure your core body remains engaged. As you are able, lift your feet and legs off the floor. Lengthen you legs by reaching toward the wall behind you with your toes. Meanwhile, the crown, or very top of your head, is extending forward toward the wall in front of you. Next, lift your hands off the floor and reach your fingers toward the back wall. You are now in Locust Pose. Hold the posture for 5-10 breaths. By holding the posture, your low back muscles are engaged in a supportive fashion. Also, your low back muscles are growing stronger. After your round of breaths, relax your entire body and turn your head to one side. Feel free to perform this pose once again with a final relaxation of turning your head in the other direction.

So, whenever you are in need of support, but your regular circle of friends is not available, remember that you can rely on yourself. You can become your own Community. "You've got your own back!"

Namaste

More Release

In my last blog entry, I talked about how the body becomes accustomed to holding onto stress. I featured two poses that can help relieve that tension in the body.

I thought I’d continue on that theme of “release” and post a second article about how to let go of tension.

Sometimes we hold stress, not only in our heads, but also in our hearts: emotional stress. The type of stress that makes our hearts ache, or feel sad, or burdened. Not only do our hearts feel heavy, but this weight can also settle into our hips. This next pose is a yoga posture that can help with releasing tension and emotional stress from the hip area.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
This is a great posture that not only opens the hips, but provides a gentle stretch and opening in the inner thighs.

Baddha Konasana is a seated posture that opens the hips, but requires you to sit tall with an extended spine. This variation, the Reclining Bound Angle Posture, allows you to lie on your back, keep your spine straight naturally, and focus on the hip opening.

Start by lying on your back with you knees bend and your feet flat on the floor. While keeping the bottom of your feet together, slowly lower your knees out to either side. Your knees may or may not touch the floor depending on your current range of motion and flexibility. You will immediately feel the stretch in your inner thighs. Move to your deepest stretch, hold the posture, then focus on the breath. On each inhale, feel a continual extension of the spine as you recline on your yoga mat. With each exhale, press your knees a little closer to the floor. You may also use your hands to gently press your knees downward. Again, if you have reached your deepest position in the pose, simply hold the posture and continue breathing. Gravity will continue to assist the hip opening experience.

If you need some extra support in this posture, please feel free to use pillows, blocks, bolsters, or other objects of support under each knee or thigh as shown in the picture.

While holding Supta Baddha Konasana, call to mind emotional stressors that you would like to release. If you’d like, breathe out through your mouth as a gesture of moving these energies out of your body. Hold this posture for as long as you like, but for at least 20 breaths.

Namaste