Category Archives: Yoga Therapy Videos

Yoga Belt Video Tutorial

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Yoga Belt Video Tutorial

Yoga Belt: How to Use Without Getting Tied Up In Knots

Yoga Belt – A Versatile Yoga Prop

I have noticed when it comes to using a yoga belt in class that many students get flustered. I have even encountered students who are so confused that they actually tie a knot in their strap, which is a pet peeve of mine. Here’s why: in the first instance, this is not as secure, in the second, it doesn’t allow for any movement, so if it is either too tight or too loose, you can then not improve that situation, and third, come on! just plain lazy! 🙂

The yoga belt itself comes in different lengths. This one is my favorite D-ring. I prefer the long 10 feet ones because I am tall and they also adapt to different uses. I prefer the D-ring because it locks well so I do not worry it will slip open.

A yoga belt can be used to stabilize your joints, and they can either encourage flexibility or help to create both traction and ‘space’ if you are inflexible (which is not a bad thing, it just is what it is). I find I use a strap both to warm up and prepare for postures, as well as for any number of postures – both active and restorative. They really do help de-compress and give a pretty immediate sense of length and relief. Check through some of my other yogatherapy blogs for other insight

Check out my yogatherapy blogposts for more insights
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Yoga Belt Video Tutorial

Learning to tie a yoga belt in this video tutorial should set you up for ease and success for your home or group yoga class practice  

How to use your yoga belt with ease
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Tips For the Visual Learner

Simple video on the ‘anatomy of the yoga belt’ and a visual explanation so you don’t get tied up in knots! 

Simple video tips on how to tie a yoga strap
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Men Enjoy Restorative Yoga

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Men Enjoy Restorative Yoga

I was fortunate enough to speak with this male student after my restorative class this Saturday. (For details on the time please check the Calendar..) This is a new student, who actually just dropped in on a whim, wearing jeans. He came in late, and I found out after that he has had back pain which was alleviated by the class.

back muscles

back muscles

Actually, pretty much all 12 students reported some kind of lower back and neck stiffness and discomfort to me when I greeted them. Now, NOT ALL back pain is created equal. However, “Back pain is the leading cause of disability in Americans under forty-five years old” (Dr. Loren Fishman) who also says “Back pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis…Yoga poses that cure one type of back pain might almost worsen an almost identical backache with a different cause”. This is why it is safest to have a private yoga lesson.

This being said, the restorative yoga class this particular evening focused on undoing some of the tension that we get from sitting at a computer, working out, carrying and nursing babies, and the emotional tensions that get lodged as pain in the neck.. Breathing exercises, relaxation, and postures that can help encourage flexibility, and eliminate some of the compression and tight, tenseness led to a positive experience for this student

Yogatherapy – the shoulder jacket

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Yogatherapy – shoulder pain relief: – the shoulder jacket for yoga shoulder pain relief. If you have a desk job, drive a lot, walk a lot or just plain shlump-a-lot, your shoulders may round forward and your head may drop. That is a lot of strain for the shoulders and neck, don’t you think? Headaches anyone? Probably that and other issues. Basically if you take that posture with you into everything else you do, it will not improve unless you teach yourself new muscular movement tricks.  Here is a simple but highly beneficial way to use a yoga strap to keep the shoulders seated on the back and open the front chest. You can even use it while you sit at your desk. It is a great yoga therapy tip for anyone who suffers from the shoulder shlumps ! I like 8ft or 10ft straps; you can get one here.

If you look like or are worried about looking like the kyphosis in this photo, yoga as therapy works wonders, I see it and work with it in private yoga classes all the time.

yogatherapy yoga shoulder pain relief

The steps for following along side this use of the yoga strap for a yogatherapy shoulder jacket are:

A ~ take belt buckle over left shoulder, leave tail down

B ~ take the tail cross the back under right armpit

C ~ loop the belt over the right armpit, take it with left hand

D ~ buckle up!

You can use this when you are sitting at your desk, or try a brief meditation with it.

 

Yoga Therapy for wrist discomfort

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Yoga therapy for wrist discomfort:

This infographic reminds us that – since we spend most of our day off the yoga mat, the movements we make repetitively, like typing on the computer can build up their own tension. “Working for long hours at the computer with improper wrist/hand posture can develop ache/pain/tingling or swelling of the wrist.  If ignored, this can become a serious condition…”

If you then bring that tension and the posture it has created in fingers, wrists, hands, to your downward facing dog, plank, chatturanga, handstand etc, it can build up into some serious issues.Some of the tips given in this infograph are to keep your wrists straight while typing and using the mouse.  As well, it is important to take min-breaks in your day. If you check out my video clip, you will find a few suggestions for this break. Finally, remember that your wrists are part of the entire arm and shoulder chain, so the posture you have in the upper trunk will indirectly and/or directly be affecting your hands.

I think it is important to know who you are in asana, as well as how you are in asana. For example, if your goal is to remedy wrist discomfort, then you may either need props or modifications. Going into a group class when you have carpal tunnel and just banging out 100 down dogs is neither safe nor mindful. As always, any remedy depends on the status of the practitioner. Unsure? I give private yoga lessons 🙂

Yogatherapy for wrist discomfort

Daily maintenance is good to keep neutralizing the little stresses before they become major issues (like carpal tunnel syndrome) ~ and I like a mindful minute here and there so that when I do get over to my mat, I know who I am, how to modify, what poses and warmups will help/heal rather than strain/compress…to watch a yogatherapy tip from my computer to yours click the link:   Yoga Therapy for Computer Hands

Hand placement – yoga therapy

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compassionate touch

Yoga Therapy Tip:
Here is a short video just so you consider stretching the fingers away from the center of the hand while maintaining a sense of hugging the bones in…we use our hands non-stop and they do hold tension ~ a nice hand massage, wrist circles, shaking hands vigorously… especially in colder weather can keep your hands strong and tension free..for more mindful movement, please consider co-ordinating with simple breathing

Legs Up The Wall

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Legs up the wall - Rana WaxmanLegs Up The Wall:  Legs up the Wall is a pose that is what it says it is! It is a really beneficial and basic restorative yoga pose. I am showing it using the ThreeMinuteEggs®      

Now, there are many many ways to do legs up the wall pose and it may not be suitable to do it this way. I happened to be travelling with them and I enjoyed the support.

Keep in mind that you should be able to relax into it for 10-15 minutes in the variation that does suit you, breathing calmly.

Click here to watch

In Sanskrit Legs Up The Wall pose is called: Viparita Karani:

(vip-par-ee-tah car-AHN-ee)
viparita = turned around, reversed, inverted
karani = doing, making, action

It is believed that Viparita Karani is good for most everything that ails you, including:

  • Anxiety
  • Arthritis
  • Digestive problems
  • Headache
  • High and low blood pressure
  • Insomnia
  • Migraine
  • Mild depression
  • Respiratory ailments
  • Urinary disorders
  • Varicose veins
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Menopause

Benefits

  • Relieves tired or cramped legs and feet
  • Gently stretches the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck
  • Relieves mild backache
  • Calms the mind

Chest Expander

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Chest Expander

Props: sticky mat, 4 inch cork block

Benefits of Practice:

helps teach external rotation of shoulders, expands chest, improves breathing, releases tension in shoulders
Inquiry: How are you presently feeling in your shoulders? Take a moment before you begin to check in with how you feel in the upper back, and discover how your breath is moving. What is your overall comfort level?
Once you have practiced this sequence, come into tadasana with hands in prayer pose and tune into any new sensations in the body, breath and mind.

Seated Tadasana

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Seated Tadasana

Props: chair/ piece of sticky mat/ folded blankets

Benefits of  Practice:  Learning how to sit without compression is essential for maintaining the health of your spine, mental alertness, rest and digest.

Inquiry:  Before setting up, take a moment to practice without support.  Pay attention to how you feel in the body, and to how your breath is moving.  What is your overall comfort level?

Once you have set up, and sat for a moment or too, repeat these same queries and observe any differences in body, breath and mind.