Now that I have relocated from Montreal to Jersey City, I am seeing just how fast-paced everything is!! Even Yoga.
All I know is that when impatience shows up on your mat, injury can prevail, and mindfulness can flounder. There is something to be said, and this is why I love a Yapana® Yoga practice, to practicing skills to improve the way your body navigates the postures, from warm ups (vinyasa) to static/strength building and restorative/flexibility inducing ones.
Practicing patience is hard! We want outcomes. For my top 3 tips click HERE and let us today just add a slight pause here and there between breaths, during poses, activities ~ and affirm to yourself that all will be revealed
This is an affirmation to keep in mind when you are on your yoga mat.
Sometimes as a yoga teacher we give adjustments and it is important to remember that these are meant in the spirit that you are perfect as you are; perhaps you might use them as you would a GPS – to navigate a path that needs a little direction so as to keep you safe in your range of motion and reach, or to help light up the path so your body can find its way.
Comparison robs us of joy and peace of mind. It is far better to just be the most excellent variation of our own self that we can. So today in your practice, tune into the rhythm of your breath, focus on your inner self – the light body – and repeat: I am perfect the way I am
You do not need to compare and or contrast yourself to anyone or any notion of what practice is
According to the Yoga sutras1.12-1.16: there are 2 concepts ~
practice/persistance (ABHYASA) and non-attachment/letting go (VAIRAGYA)
Practice leads you in the ‘right’ direction, while non-attachment allows you to continue the inner journey without getting sidetracked into the pains and/or pleasures along the way…
We tend towards thinking it is all about the body whereas the ‘goal’ of yoga is sattva/balance/peace…and cultivation of our innermost truest highest self…
As you can see, the load we put on our spine can create certain imbalances. We each have a postural core – so what is the role of yoga? As a psycho-somatic discipline it means that everything we think,do, feel is reflected in our bodies (body-mind-spirit=one)
Finding out who you are before you step onto a yoga mat is useful, especially in finding your path and practices to move toward symmetry. Beyond that, the more subtle aspects of yoga practice can show us areas and patterns of thinking and acting that only add more stress and load.
Awareness is the key. Even for something as simple – for this skeleton as stopping to hold the telephone with one ear…but you can see how even the basic pose – tadasana – standing mountain, would be a challenge to maintain.
Once we understand and make connections between muscles, posture, movement, impingement, we can then bring in a series of remedies to help create more ease for the individual. This is basically the goal of the therapeutic approach of yoga. I think that once a student is empowered through a private yoga class assessment, they have an increased knowledge base for practicing on their own, or in group classes where the cues may not address their specific situation.
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 🙂
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
This picture reminds me of Patanjali Sutra II.46: sthirasukhamasanam
We are a fitness culture, in the West, heavily focusing on the postural aspects of Yoga, sometimes pushing form over function.
The Sanskrit word, asanam – “posture” is actually linked to the seated posture itself, preparatory for meditation and the deeper components of the yogic system.
In postures, we look for physical firmness, and stability but also, and above that, presence, lightness, attention and stillness. In order to maintain this balance, you need to find an alignment that allows you to maintain this – without excessive force and agitation, since the goal is really to be in a state of equipoise – sattva.
Structural yoga therapy starts with an evaluation of posture and postural alignment to bring about better balance in muscle tone as well as attitude shifts that come about through this new relationship to a body that can be transformed in ways that allow better range of motion. We are not looking for what is ‘wrong’ with anyone, rather, we seek to help the individual understand how their posture has come about through their interaction with thoughts, emotions, and physical demands.
It does not always have to be about a long yoga practice; sometimes a short and sweet refuge from a busy day does the trick – as long as it is mindful, you have so many options to add a little yogatherapy into your day
I like this little post-it below. I also like one minute of:
-inhale through nose, exhale through mouth – AAAHHH
-watch the inhale come in slightly cool, and the exhale go out slightly warm
If you have a little longer, check out my Yoga Mind Cd and I am available for private yoga classes if you want to personalize your tips, tricks, techniques
LOL it seems everyone feels better with a little stretch in their day! Yoga is for everyone but not all practices suit everyone..BUT I hear people say they ‘stretched’ and my red flag goes off…is it an aligned movement? …did they stretch the belly of the muscle or tug at the insertions?…did they pull on the joints or stabilize. Please consider that what may seem to ease you out in the moment may not be the best solution for longevity. Consider that over-riding sensations of pain is not the way yoga practice is intended. The concept of ahimsa/kindness is central to an asana, and this means learning and appreciating that safety is key. Pulling on a hamstring to try to yank yourself into flexibility is foolish. If you are not sure, I am available for private yoga lessons because our bodies are unique and learning to see yourself helps determine what will be the practices that will be best for you…that is basically the key component to yoga therapy….and don’t forget, anyone can learn to breathe and reboot
This is a lovely quote. Too often I see students sacrificing form for function. There is a very close relationship between aging and yoga. A balanced yogatherapy practice is unique in its capacity to both prevent and reverse the most visible sign of ageing: the shortening and rounding of the spine! WOW! Posture affects all the systems of our bodies, so lengthening the spine to create space between the vertebrae is vital to our health. Remember that nerves connected to the structures of the body -including the internal organs- branch out from the spinal cord.
The things we do most often: sit, drive, hunch over a computer, and some of the movement patterns we repeat in our jobs, or workouts, can create more discomfort than comfort and range of motion, forward hunched shoulders, hip pain, neck pain and so on.
There is no time like the present to maintain the health and integrity of your spine, and this is the central theme of yoga poses – develop strength, agility, flexibility, and suppleness that help prevent degenerative disc injury and perhaps reverse some of the degenerative changes – like dowager’s hump. As always, I am available for a private yoga class which is an investment in long-term health.
