Tag Archives: tips

tips and techniques for practice

Feet First: Yoga Therapy Tip Basic

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Feet First: Yoga Therapy Tip Basic

Let’s face it – our feet take a beating in daily life, whether it is the shoes we wear, the activities we do, or the way we stand, the feet are our foundations. If you already have a pre-existing condition, then you can use Yoga Therapy to strengthen and even prevent further damage to your feet as well as  learn to stand using better posture. It is always good to know, who you are and what you bring to asana.  Sometimes cues are for the general public.  I have found, through years of practice, that my bunions have gone from pain level 10+ to almost no pain ever (with the exception of walking in some shoes for prolonged periods).  However, I have to do a lot of work in my feet especially in standing poses. Great read on bunions by one of my teachers, Doug Keller

Tips

Yesterday at a client’s house, we didn’t have a tennis ball but they had some small 3 pound weights which we used to

-roll the feet over as a little preliminary massage before

-some ankle rolls

– toe tractions.

Don’t wait for your next pedicure to take care of your feet from the inside out. Try to distribute your weight on your feet (not so easy).  And don’t forget, the feet communicate with your calves so don’t expect to get tension out of the calves without working the tootsies…For more tips contact mefoot healthreflexes in the feet

The High Lunge

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Do you walk a lot? Sit a lot? This is a photo of the classic lunge taken up a notch thanks to the Hoboken pier. (No, I don’t mean because of my jeans and coat 🙂 ) Actually the height of this rock helped to add length while keeping my knees safe. The jeans made it a little harder to get the back leg straight but that is ok; if you are at home, you can use a chair, placed against a wall instead – the variations in using yoga as therapy are endless, depending on who you are and what props you have available.

Rana Hoboken 2

If you are doing a regular lunge, here are some steps to help you get into the pose:

From a standing forward bend you can bend your knees ,inhale, and step your left foot back toward the back edge of your mat, with the ball of the foot on the floor under the heel. Step back with enough distance so that your right knee can form a right angle.

Lengthen the torso. To soften your right groin, draw the thigh back. Look forward. Simultaneously, firm the left thigh and push it up toward the ceiling, holding the left knee straight. Stretch your left heel toward the floor.

Exhale and step your right foot back beside the left. Then repeat the above reversing sides. Finish in downward facing dog or another forward bend…

Yoga Practice For Patience

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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
patience

Yoga as a Way to Cultivate Open Mind, Body, Heart

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I had this in mind when I practiced today ~ yoga as a way to cultivate open mind, body, heart

I reflected that I was grateful for a space to unroll my yoga mat, stack my props and breathe.

The pose, ustrasana = camel pose, can jam the neck if done in a hurry or incorrectly so it isn’t the first pose in your sequencing. There is an art to opening your upper spine (mid-back) and chest fully and this not only frees the neck but also helps ihelps protect your lower back from compression and improves nearly every other aspect of the posture ~ that’s my yogatherapy tip of the day. It is a pose that really prepares you for pranayama too.

That and “make an attitude to be in gratitude”…an attitude of gratitude can help

Forcing Yourself Into A Yoga Pose #1 No-No

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Staying safe is something I believe in.  It is one thing to challenge yourself if you are exhibiting mindfulness and moving within your range of motion but forcing yourself into a posture just to feel pain, that I do not go for at all whatsoever. I teach skills to help train you and to help you work with the body you have.  There are so many levels of benefits to yoga! Let’s explore them. You can start breathing and relaxing with a few tips from my Yoga Mind Cd; – join one of my public yoga classes in Tenafly or book your private yoga class with me.

never force anything

Mind Full or Mindful?

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Mind Full or Mindful?

published on Greenster

Mind fulll vs Mindful

 29  5

What does your morning say about you?

This is a subject that was on my mind for a while, but especially so today. As I crossed the street on a green light, a car turned right to literally whiz by me, barely 10 seconds away from knocking me over like a bowling pin. It was obvious that the driver wanted to make the green light, but at what cost?  As it is, the street has 5 schools on it and so is a 30km/hr zone, not a 50 or 60 km/hr zone, which is what the average person does – unless the police are posted on a sting operation.

Like the speeder, most people hit the ground running in the morning.  They wake up with fifty different things on their mind, rushing around the house, to errands, and to work. The pace of today is crammed and continuous. When things happen faster than a tweet, it’s easy to get caught up in this go-go-go mindset.  In yoga sutra 1.2, Patanjali says: “yogascittavrttinirodhah” which is understood as “yoga is the ability to direct and focus mental activity.” In other words, Yoga is a practice aimed at taming the mind, which is considered to be a wild animal.

Assuming this racing mind is what’s driving you, you may tip the speed limit, and that has obvious repercussions. If you start your day rushing back and forth, stressed and scattered, what does it do to the afternoon and evening? How does it translate into your body language?  Are you someone who grips the wheel, clenches your teeth, drops your head and shoulders forward…? At any rate, these are habits that wind up causing headaches, stiff necks, back pain and more! The issues are in the tissues! The racing mind never drives the speed limit.

Calm your racing mind: start your mindfulness practice in the morning so that it will set the foundation for your day.

What can you do to stay relaxed while still making it to work on time, getting your workout in, taking the time to kiss your significant other good-bye, walk the dog, get groceries and all that jazz?  Here are a few tips to take you from mind full to mindful in the morning :

  1. Wake up a few minutes earlier- not to loud music or CNN but something quieter and melodic.
  2. Try a few yoga poses (cat stretch is always a great standby) and/or a short meditation
  3. Take a walk outdoors instead of doing cardio at the gym – time permitting… it really changes your perspective
  4. Repeat an affirmation, such as;  “ I am calm and centered as I begin this new day”
  5. Spend a few quiet moments alone and count your blessings.
  6. Start your day by taking a few centering breaths.  Get rhythmic so that your exhale tempo is twice as long as your inhale. You can do this sitting on the edge of your bed right after you wake up.
  7. Set your coffee or tea up the night before so it is ready for you to switch on, giving you time to do one of the above.
  8. Make a to-do list so you are focused, rather than frantic
  9. Eat something healthy for breakfast so you don’t crash and burn.
  10. Never leave home angry.  If you’re feeling angry, stop and count to ten. Be kind rather than right and let the issue go, or at least agree to shelve it til later.

Learning how to tune in to your own inner rhythm and relax is a skill set that has side benefits throughout your day.  Having a more inspired mindset and feeling connected to yourself is really powerful awareness.  Maybe you will get into the car, use the headrest, relax your shoulders, turn the ignition, and be driven by an alert relaxation that is an incredibly preventive medicine, not only against speeding tickets, but other health concerns. Leave your full, wild animal mind behind to a morning of peace and mindfulness.

Photo Credit: Ernest

published January 7, 2013