Tag Archives: relaxation

yoga and pain management

Posted on by

yoga and pain management: “A lot of the pain that we are dealing with are really only thoughts” hmmm….

There is a growing body of evidence that yoga can help with chronic pain. Now, if you are actually in pain then hearing that your thoughts are causing it will probably frustrate you. However, you will be among an estimated 50 to 75 million Americans who are living with chronic pain, and to know that your mind is involved, may actually help move you to a better place. This does not mean that your experience of pain is not real, but, what it does involve is that the source of pain is not limited to where you think it starts from or where you are feeling it.

Chronic pain is a complex issue. Fortunately, when you think of it as a mind,body,spirit ‘issue’, then you can treat it from the toolbox of the yoga system, which will include restorative yoga, breathing practices, relaxation, and meditation.

The body basically detects pain through a sensing of incoming threat- which then stimulates and stresses certain nerves in the spinal column and then travels to the brain and becomes a message of suffering/anger/fear/ and other reactions. When pain becomes chronic, our nervous system has been taught already what will trigger pain, and it may be so sensitized and protective that it is like dialing 911 all the time. It can be exhausting on all levels.

There is more to it, but certainly, since our brains can learn, yoga does steer us to train the brain to turn on healing responses – for example, slowing down the exhale, watching thoughts, being poses that offer a chance for the nervous system to recuperate..

pain-thoughts

proper breathing

Posted on by

proper breathing: “without proper breathing the yoga postures are nothing more than calisthenics” R. Schaeffer

Asana is a great forum to discover who you are as a breather. You know from past posts of mine that breathing is a vast topic, with many therapeutic uses and applications. I often work with private clients to dive into their breathing persona and uncover the areas that could benefit from specific asana to help them move toward “proper breathing”.

proper breathing

For some, and I think this is what the above quote refers to, the tendency is to hold the breath or use stressed out breathing (short and shallow) while holding a posture, especially in a challenging pose. This creates more stress and tension in the body. In yoga, we want to create a calm and relaxed body, breath and mind through the conscious use of the breath in asana.

In asana, the break is the link between the mind and body, so that as you learn the  coordination of breath and movement, your practice becomes harmonious, and your breath deepens of its own accord, therefore increasing circulation and stimulating metabolism … Also since there is a huge correlation between emotions, thoughts and breathing practices, one can direct the breath to enhance muscle relaxation by concentrating on tense areas of the body and consciously relaxing those parts with each exhalation.

 

proper breathing

proper breathing

stillness and the calming of the mind

Posted on by

stillness and the calming of the mind

stillness and the calming of the mind

stillness and the calming of the mind

Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How stil they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness. ~ Eckhart tolle

Seasons are changing, as we feel the colder temperatures, part of us wants to keep moving to stay warm, the other part feels more tired, and wants to rest.

There is definitely a shift, and this should as well, be reflected in your practice, and in your diet. According to yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, each of us, and as well, each season, is dominated by one of the three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha).

In Fall, vata is more dominant (notice the wind blowing the leaves off the trees?). Vata also governs movement in the body, such as activating the nervous system and the processes of elimination. Its qualities of vata are, not surprisingly, cold, dry, rough, light, changeable, irregular and moving. Vata is composed of the elements of air and space, and since it is associated with the nervous system, it can be reflected in our mental state. As you can imagine, if this element becomes so dominant in our psyche, we can become overwhelmed and out of balance. Are you may feeling unsettled, ungrounded ? We cannot ask Fall to settle down but we can make adjustments to maintain internal balance.

From salad, sometimes moving to root veggies. Remember to warm up for your poses, and choose a balance between boosting your energy, and restoring your energy. Relaxation is ever important, and an attitude that embraces the season – including some of its more hibernation based accents will get you far 🙂

smile breathe move

Posted on by

smile breathe move: these 3 cues can inspire your yoga today

1. Smile – research shows that smiling actually benefits the brain. That simple mona lisa moment activates neural messaging that turns on the endorphins and happiness molecules. This mechanism is what helps fight off the stress molecules, so the minute you turn your frown upside down, the feel good neurotransmitters (dopamine, endorphins and serotonin) are all released. This induces the relaxation response which can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and potentially act as a pain reliever.

2. Breathe – the breath is the link between the mind and emotions. For basic tips, I invite you to download the YOGA MIND cd. Diaphragmatic breathing is associated with the relaxation response as well.  Learning to breathe properly can lengthen life span, slow the heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and help you maintain a calm inner state during stressful situations. Good breathing increases energy, helps overcome headaches, helps restore emotional/mental balance, and helps decrease anxiety and sleep disorders

3. Go slowly. Well, mindfully and at your own pace. Everyone is unique so you need to learn to know and trust what you are feeling, and move from that place.

smile breathe move

smile breathe move

acceptance quotes

Posted on by

Acceptance quotes:

Acceptance quotes can be used in your quiet sitting time when your mind is freer of the habitual thoughts that bind itWherever freedom comes embrace it… This one is lovely; “When I accept myself, I am freed from the burden of needing you to accept me.” Sounds like the path to integrity if you ask me!

In yoga, the word jivanmukti means “spiritual release or salvation achieved while still alive”. We best experience this freedom when we are still, quiet, relaxed, and in a state of flow. This being said, if you cultivate this state of mind, it is easier to then foster a sense of self acceptance.


acceptance quotes

Yogatherapy for the parasympathetic system

Posted on by

Yoga for the parasympathetic system : Ah yes, TGIF ! Did you have a week of overthinking things? If so, your parasympathetic nervous system was likely shut down and your sympathetic nervous system was in high gear!. Did you even know that your autonomic nervous system had two branches?

Well, research is now showing the benefits of yogatherapy for stress management and disease prevention. According to a recent article by Dr. Timothy McCall,

“The SNS, in conjunction with such stress hormones as adrenaline and cortisol, initiate a series of changes in the body, including raising blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. These changes help a person deal with a crisis situation. They mean more energy and more blood and oxygen flowing to the large muscles of the trunk, arms, and legs, allowing the person to run from danger or do battle (the so-called “fight-or-flight” response).

The PNS, in contrast, tends to slow the heart and lower the blood pressure, allowing recovery after a stressful event. Blood flow that was diverted away from the intestines and reproductive organs, whose function isn’t essential in an emergency, returns. In contrast to fight or flight, these more restorative functions can be thought of as “rest and digest.” They are also sometimes dubbed the relaxation response.”

Today’s tip: If you have time to put your legs up the wall or even lay down with the entire back wall of the lower legs on a chair, cover your eyes, and breathe so that you start to extend your exhalations. Or listen to one of my relaxation practices. 15 minutes goes along way to reboot and free up some creative energy for your weekend

parasympathetic

moon salutations in yoga

Posted on by

moon salutations in yoga:

You may be familiar with ‘surya namaskar’, sun salutations, a vinyasa which is translated to mean: “bow to the sun.” There is much lifting of the arms and bending forward and stepping, hopping, or jumping back which is heating to the body and thus embodies the more ‘solar’ energy.

Sun salutations are one way to warm up, which is necessary and common sense sequencing. However, there are a gazillion warm ups and you don’t need to over do or just stick to one way. If you are feeling depleted, overstimulated, or overheated, which can happen to anyone – think : stress, emotions, lack of sleep, it is good to know that there are soothing practices in Yoga. Remember that the key word is balance not over-doing.

The whole concept of yogatherapy is to suit the practice to the person. Let’s say you don’t want to do a completely restorative class, you are looking for a slow flow. Here is Chandra Namaskar, or Moon Salutation. As the name suggests, Chandra Namaskar is more quieting sequence that invites you to cultivate the moon’s soothing lunar energy. This doesn’t mean that you are not warming up, rather, you are doing so in a less strenuous way. Think: conserve, it can still be intense, but not draining. Some days, you need a little more R and R. In fact, if you practice at nighttime, this would be a good little flow, adding a restorative child’s pose and savasana. For more info please contact me, I am here in Jersey City and available for private yoga lessons

moon salutations in yoga

sunrise yoga

Posted on by

sunrise yoga : Good morning! You did it! You woke up, got dressed, packed your yoga props and converged at this beautiful site in Jersey City. You were able to honour yourselves, and honour all the noises from the traffic, the random musician next to us and the daily drama of the mind in daily life. You started with a calm breath. You focused on learning the skills to work the knees in standing poses without overloading the joints, you gained stability.  You allowed yourself to notice where you are off balance and that self-reflection is now helping you make nourishing choices off the mat the rest of the day.

By the end of the class, after our warmups and doing poses, you allowed deeper levels of relaxation through our restorative segment. By the time this photo was taken (as I watched the clock on my iphone, having left my watch home) you were in Savasana. Since we had worked the legs, this ledge worked perfectly to rest the entire back leg from knee to ankle. I folded your mats up under your heads to keep the foreheads higher than your chins. Your back softened, you sighed, you forgot where you were enough to connect with your inner core of peace. You did it this morning at sunrise yoga. See you next time 🙂

sunrise yoga

restorative yoga poses

Posted on by

Restorative yoga poses: I chose this photo because in the Yapana® method, which is the style of yoga I teach, we call restorative yoga poses, the “being” poses.

Restorative yoga poses, “being” poses are asanas where the body and mind are supported, there is no struggle to hold or resist against gravity. This quiets the breath and thus supports a yoga mind and a feeling of rest and digest along with relaxation and recovery. The stretching is more passive than in the dynamic poses, and we use strategic prop placement so that the posture is brought to you and therefore has more of a therapeutic component. As I have written before, it isn’t just laying on a bolster, even though we do use them. There is an alignment involved, and actually, the better the body is supported, the more extraordinary the experience of peace will be. This is crucial. You don’t want to be constantly fidgeting because you are not comfortable, you are looking to just feel peaceful in all the categories of yoga poses.

Restorative yoga poses can be backbends, forward bends, twists, inversions and a few others that hopefully, by now you are curious enough to contact me for more information.

Restorative yoga poses

yoga – back pain relief

Posted on by

Yoga – back pain relief…we had a great day in Hamilton Park, New Jersey today. I brought a few ThreeMinuteEggs for my students, and they were loving the lumbar traction from this low bridge on the block. Sometimes low back pain – general variety – can be healed with this simple pose, in conjunction with others. The basic set-up can be done with a bolster or cushion as well.

You lie down on your back, knees bent

Lift the hips, slide your prop with the flat wide side supporting the sacrum and tailbone

Let your arms relax, palms up away from your body

Keep shoulders, head and front ribs relaxed

Breathe into belly, ribs, throat, softly allowing gravity to work for you

yoga and back pain relief

Since I carried the props, (walked over) these eggs were convenient and the length fits nicely across the tailbone/sacrum. If you have more than one you can stack the blocks for more elevation, but this variation was fine for this group and gave everyone SI joint stability. They were able to breathe and relax. It isn’t always about what you do in yoga for back pain relief, though there are skills for sure, postural awareness , body biomechanics…etc, but really, what you un-do. Back pain relief is also greatly eased by letting go, taking a time-out for yourself, carving out some quality peace time. Sometimes all we need is to re-balance the on the go mind and body with a little letting go. Hope you can join in next timeyoga and back pain relief 2