The Time for Meditation is Now

If you have been thinking for some time about starting a meditation practice, but have yet to actually begin, there is no better time than now.  At It’s All Yoga, the April theme is Meditation.   All of the teachers will be including a five-minute sit following Corpse Pose in their classes.  And, as a boost, you can join me in accepting the Meditation Challenge by going to the It’s All Yoga website and signing up.  Once you have done so, there will be resources available including guided meditations.

Why Meditate?

The benefits of meditation are numerous and proven by a plethora of studies.   Findings include:

1.  Meditation reduces fear, anxiety, stress, depression, and anger.

2.  Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) actually changes the brain structure at both the cortical and subcortical levels enhancing perception and regulation of emotion not only in long-time practitioners but also for beginners.

3.  Meditation seems to free the mind to see what is without judgment and to generate new ideas.

4.  Meditation may improve immunity, lower inflammation and decrease pain.

5.  Meditation sharpens attention and improves memory.

6.  Meditation is linked to improved relationships and greater happiness.

Styles of Meditation

You will find that, just as in yoga, there are different schools or styles of meditation such as Vipassana or Insight, Zen, Guided and Metta to name just a few.  But rather than get hung up on rules of practice, I think it is better to just get started with some simple guidelines.  Later you might like to try out some different styles.

Don’t Wait, Just Start

1.  Plan.   It is helpful to find a regular time and place to meditate each day preferably early in the morning.  Avoid eating before meditation. Set a timer with a gentle sound for the length of time you wish to practice.  You may start with just five minutes and increase it by a minute each day.

2.  Stretch Your Body.  This will prepare you for sitting.

3.  Find a comfortable seat.  You can sit in a chair or in a simple cross-legged seat on a blanket or bolster.  You can straddle a block or bolster or folded blanket .  There are meditation benches and zafus (cushions) which may be helpful but not necessary.    The main things about being comfortable is that your pelvis is tilted forward slightly, that your bones are stacked, your spine is straight, though not rigid, and your head is balanced at the top of your spine.  The hands can rest comfortably in your lap.  This posture will help alleviate fatigue.  You may also sit against a wall for support without leaning into the wall.

4.  Relax.  Allow your eyes to soften and your jaw to relax.  Allow your lips to just slightly part and your tongue to rest on your upper palate behind the teeth.  Scan the body for holding of tension and invite relaxation.

5.  Focus.  Become aware of your breath; follow your breath without judgment as it comes in through your nose and as it is released.  Your focus should remain on your breath.  When you become aware that your mind has wandered away, briefly note where it has gone and then refocus on the breath.  In the beginning, you will have to do this over and over again.  With practice, you will be able to keep your focus for longer periods.

6.  Mantra or Not.  You may or may not have a mantra to focus on.  Your mantra might be something like:  “I’m breathing in.  I’m breathing out.”

7.  Metta.  Metta or Lovingkindness meditation is a specific meditation practice which cultivates compassion.   Loving and kind wishes are sent in the following order to one’s self, one’s loved ones, a neutral person, a difficult person and to all beings.   

Will you join me in accepting the Meditation Challenge?  It may change your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Our Yoga Community

We all belong to communities:  places where we live, work, and gather for play, learning, spiritual fulfillment or service.  These communities are often places where we feel happy, safe and content.  Within them, we share a sense of belonging or of feeling valued.

When I took my first class at Its All Yoga, I felt as if I had come home.   Now I understand why our community is so beloved.    Our Fairy Queen, Michelle, created out of love a studio atmosphere that is welcoming, tranquil, inclusive, accessible and immaculately clean.   The teachers are supported and nurtured so that they can pass along to their students their passion and enthusiasm for the practice of yoga.

At Its All Yoga and at Healthy Aging Yoga, we come together as a community of yoga practitioners, yet we experience so much more than that.  We meet and make new friends.  We chat with one another before and after class and trade information about that tunic that goes everywhere, about tap dancing, gardening, pottery, knitting and weaving.  Maybe we have tea or lunch after class.  We learn about each others lives outside of the studio.

March is as good a month as any to celebrate community, our mutual growth, our shared experiences, and our joy in being together.

 

 

Transitions

Here we are at the beginning of a new year.  A lot of excitement has been generated at the studio with the launch of monthly themes, and guess what the January theme is?

Right.  So what does the word “transition” mean to you?  The first word that comes to my mind is “change.”  Change, of course, is not always welcome.  Life often gives us lemons.  But just as a new day brings optimism, a new year brings a sense of new beginnings and feels like the perfect time to take stock of one’s life.  Asking the fundamental questions.  Am I travelling in the right direction?  Am I taking care of body and soul?  Am I living the values I stand for?

Are you someone who sets New Year’s resolutions?  I have given up that practice.  Recently, however, I have learned a method for setting and achieving goals that, at least for me, has worked very effectively.  The acronym for the Action Plan is SMART:  (S)et a behavior goal; (M)onitor; (A)rrange my world; (R)ecruit support; and (T)reat myself.  Having lost over 20 pounds to date using this formula, I am now applying it to other aspects of my life where I want to effect change.

Sometimes change involves facing the unknown or taking a risk in the interest of achieving a richer or healthier life.  Of opening up to possibility.  Recall when you last took a risk and faced your fears.  How did it turn out for you?  My guess is that it opened some new doors and proved enriching.  And if not, I bet you learned something about yourself in the process.

Transition applies on the yoga mat as well.  As we move from one pose to another, from one breath to the next, we can do so with awareness, with attention.  The point is not simply getting somewhere.  It’s an opportunity to actually experience what is taking place in the body, the mind and the breath.  To learn, to understand, and to make adjustments.

May we all experience wellness, peace and happiness in the New Year.

Namaste

Maintaining Healthy Feet and Ankles

A discussion of how yoga can prevent or ease the pain of foot or ankle problems should begin with a brief anatomical look at the complex structure of the foot.   The tibia (shin bone) and the fibula (calf bone) are supported by the talus (ankle bone).  The largest bone of the foot is the calcaneus (heel bone).  Together the talus and the calcaneus comprise the hindfoot.   The bones of the forefoot are the metatarsals or long bones and phalanges (toe bones).

The midfoot is a collection of bones that form the arches of the foot including the longitudinal arch (medial and lateral) and the transverse arch).  In additional, there are approximately three dozen joints in the foot and over 100 ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Some of the more common problems we experience in the ankles and feet are plantar fasciitis, fallen arches,  osteoarthritis, bunions, ankle sprains, Achilles tendon injury, heel spurs, and metatarsalgia.  And, yes, yoga can help prevent or lessen the effects of many of these problems.

Weak or fallen arches may result in tendonitis, bunions, and shin splits as well as affecting knees, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders.  Arch strength depends on tight ligaments and long, strong supporting muscles, particularly the tibialis posterior.   This muscle needs to be both strengthened and lengthened to correct both pigeon-toed and knock-knee stances and the pain and cramping that attend fallen arches.  One of the poses we commonly practice in Healthy Aging Yoga is Prasarita Padottanasana or Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend.  This pose is very effective in both strengthening and lengthening the tibilas posterior.  Standing poses in general and Warrior I in particular are great for the feet.

Perhaps the best place to start in yoga is in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), paying close attention to where our weight is, exploring weight shifts from front to back and side to side, lifting up the toes and then the heels.  As we become more aware of how we typically stand, we can make adjustments,  improve our posture and balance, and correct foot and ankle problems.

According to Robert Kornfield, a holistic podiatrist,”when you treat foot problems with yoga, you end up treating back pain, hip pain, all kinds of structural problems.”

 

Osteoarthritis of the Spine

The human spine consists of 24 vertebrae stacked one on top of another to form the spinal column through which the spinal cord passes. Within this column are specialized segments: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx each performing different functions.  The lumbar segment (waist to tailbone) is where osteoarthritis is most likely and earliest to occur.

Each vertebral segment consists of a bony ring, a cushion-like intervertebral disc and two posterior facet joints at the back, one on each side. The facet joints are small bony protuberances. A joint is formed where the knobs that connect two vertebrae meet. The alignment of the facet joints are what allow forward and backward movement of the spine. Like most joints, the surfaces of these facet joints are lined with cartilage which cushions the bones and allows them to glide during motion.

With age, the intervertebral discs and the cartilage lining the facet joints tends to dry out and thin. With certain movement patterns, repetitive use, stress and injury, this articular cartilage tends to erode shrinking the space between the vertebrae and, over time, causing the facet joints to press together. As degeneration progresses, bone rubs against bone and joints become inflamed causing stiffness and pain. This is the condition known as degenerative disc disease or facet joint osteoarthritis.

So where does yoga come into play?  Studies have suggested that gentle forms of yoga with mindful movement in and out of poses might slow the natural aging process in the discs by allowing more nutrients to diffuse or enter the spinal discs.  More studies are needed to provide further evidence and are presently on-going.  Until then, let us hope and continue to believe that gentle, slow yoga not only feels good, but is therapeutic.

 

Adductors and Abductors: Finding a Balanced Relationship

We hear a lot about the quads and the hamstrings so its surprising the adductors are not so well known.  Size-wise, they are larger than the hamstrings and nearly as large as the quadriceps.   They are a group of five muscles (adductor magnus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, gracilis and pectineus) that originate on the public bone or the ishial tuberosities (sit bones) and insert at the femur and, in the case of the longest adductor, the gracilis, at the upper tibia (shin bone).

Together with the abductors, another set of muscles in the outer hips and buttocks (gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fasciae latae), they stabilize the leg and pelvis permitting us to stand, balance and walk.  The adductors function to pull the thighs together, while the opposing abductors lift the leg out to the side.  How do you keep the actions of these two muscle groups straight?  Think “add” (bring together) and “abduct” (take away).

Imbalances may occur with any combination of  these muscle groups:  weak/strong; tight/flexible.  A typical imbalance occurs when the adductors are tight and the abductors are weak.  One cause of this may be sitting for an extended period, especially if the legs are crossed.  When groin muscles are tight and the gluteus medius is weak, it might manifest in difficulties with walking and balance,  hip pain while lying on one’s side at night or joint deterioration.    Another common form of  imbalance occurs when the adductors are weak but the abductors are relatively strong.

Balancing the strength and flexibility in these muscle groups will help prevent injury and bring greater awareness of the functioning of the legs, hips joints and pelvis.  Fortunately, yoga gives us the tools for this.

 

 

 

 

 

Preventing and Healing Shoulder Impingement

It took me over a year to recover from a frozen shoulder a few years ago.   This time the problem is in the rotator cuff and its been going on for months.   Thanks to my yoga practice, I hope to be able to heal and avoid a third event.

I’ve written before about my forward neck posture resulting from too much time at the computer in both my professional and personal life.   I have become very aware lately of how various activities affect my posture and my comfort.  I find myself gripping over the steering wheel while driving, straining my neck forward when watching television, and rounding my shoulders while reading.

Part of the problem with shoulder injuries arises from the structure of the shoulder joint.  This ball and socket joint is quite shallow and is held together by a network of muscles, tendons and ligaments, making it loose and allowing for a wide range of motion.

The downside of all this freedom of movement is a lack of stability, particularly after years of overuse and repetitive movements.  Add to this, the loss of elasticity of muscles and ligaments through aging.

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles which originate on the scapula and attach to the humerus:  supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.    The diagragm below illustrates the position of those muscles.

Of these four muscles, the supraspinatus seems to be the one most negatively impacted.  It’s function is to assist the deltoid muscle to lift the arm overhead.  The rubber-band sized tendon of the supraspinatus is the part of the muscle usually injured or pinched.

This gets us back to our postural habits.   When our shoulders roll forward, the rhomboid and levator  scapulae muscles which are close to the neck end up having to support the weight of the arms causing neck tension and shortening of the muscles.  This leads to overworking of the deltoid, a pressing of the humerus against the acromium process,  and a pinching of the rotator cuff tendon.

So how can yoga help?

We begin with awareness, noticing our posture, noticing our breath, noticing tension and pain.  We can take moments out of our day, perhaps hourly, inviting our muscles to relax and release.  Take mini-breaks, stepping away from the computer.  Or use time in the bathroom, in the car at a stoplight, or standing in line to practice shoulder shrugs, Tadasana, gentle twists, or self-hugs.

In my next post, I’ll look at some yoga poses that strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint and counter misalignment.

 

 

 

What The Heck’s a Psoas?

English: Anterior Hip Muscles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was the question one of my student’s asked after hearing about a class she missed.

The iliopsoas which is frequently shortened to just “psoas” is actually two muscles:  the psoas major and the iliacus.  The psoas major are long, tubular muscles originating on either side of the spine at the twelfth thoracic vertebra and at all five lumbar vertebrae.   The ilacus muscles are flat, broad muscles originating on the iliac fossa or curved bowls of the pelvis.  The two muscles run down and across the pubic bone and their fibers join together to insert at the lesser trochanter of each thigh bone.  Together they act as hip flexors allowing the trunk to flex as in sitting up from a supine position and the thigh to flex and rotate as in kicking a ball.

These deep core muscles lie below and cushion the abdominal organs and stabilize the spine.  Liz Koch likens them to guy wires holding down a circus tent.    In essence, they control our center of gravity.

Our lifestyles are generally unkind to our psoas.  We spend long periods sitting and slumping.  These muscles are also associated with emotions and breath.  Fear and stress cause us to protect or hold in.  These tendencies cause the psoas to become chronically tight or shortened.

In our yoga practice, we learn to release and lengthen the psoas, a process that requires subtle attention and awareness.    You can begin to feel the psoas release in Constructive Rest pose.

To learn more about the psoas, you can find all sorts of interesting information at the Core Awareness Facebook page, including a wonderful video of Fred Astaire dancing.  Watch that video and right away you can know the joy of a released psoas.

Caring for Our Knees, Part 2

In my previous post, I presented a brief description of the anatomy of the knee joint, the importance of both strengthening and stretching the leg muscles, and some cautions regarding movement and alignment.   In this post, we’ll look at some yoga poses as they relate to the knee.

Baddha Konasana (Bound-Angle Pose) – warm up and open hips before doing standing poses that stress knees

Utkatasana (Chair Pose) – this can be done with the back against a wall.  Lift toes and press equally into all four corners of the feet to insure that inner quads are working as strongly as the outer quads.

Sandy Blaine, yoga instructor at the Yoga Room, suggests balancing on one foot with the eyes closed to achieve the same effect.

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) – avoid hyperextending knee joint by pulling the kneecap upward or firming the muscles above the kneecap

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) – align bent knee over ankle and move knee cap in line with middle toe; press down evenly through back foot and keep arch of front foot lifted – practicing this pose may alleviate inner knee pain by opening internal hip rotators and strengthening external hip rotators

Virasana (Hero Pose) – utilize props (block and/or blanket) to raise seat

Balasana (Child’s Pose) – try placing a rolled-up cloth in knee pit to relieve pressure

Chakravakasana (Sunbird Pose) – this is a variation of cat-cow in which one leg is extended back and lifted above hip height, foot turned outward.  This pose corrects limitation in external hip rotation which might be felt in Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Pose or in Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose) – focus attention just above the knees to strengthen quadriceps

Salabhasana (Locust) and Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

These poses will improve knee flexion by strengthening hamstrings and stretching quadriceps

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I) – avoid squaring hips – hips should be in a diagonal line with knees and toes; upper ribs and shoulders move forward

Caring For Our Knees