Lisa on Yoga

Yoga and running (Part 2)

2006-03-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

In Part 1, I compared yoga in general with running in general and told you why I enjoy the combination. This time I want to go in to specifics about how yoga asanas can help those muscles and joints used in running function at their optimal level. My favorite source (so far) for yoga and running information is the book The runner's yoga book: a balanced approach to fitness. It contains many clear photographs and offers more challenging or less challenging variations of postures as well as clear instructions. The method used in this book is predominantly Iyengar; however, I believe it is valuable no matter what style of yoga you practice.

Movement can be defined as the repetitive contracting of muscles, but it also involves bones, joints, the nervous system and the vascular system (brings energy to muscles and removes wastes). In running, quadriceps on the front of the thigh contract, hamstrings lengthen and stretch on the forward leg, and on the back leg, quads stretch while the hamstrings contract. This contraction, which moves the leg pushing back, is actually what propels you forward. It is therefore important to have very strong yet flexible hamstrings (also called leg biceps) and strong and flexible quadriceps (to help you on hills and balance the leg so that the joints are kept healthy). Running affects the muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments of your feet, legs, low back, chest, shoulders, arms, and abdomen - or your whole body! Yoga helps with all of this and this entry goes into more detail about how yoga can help with problems caused by running in the knees, hips, and feet. The next entry will give specific asanas that strengthen and stretch hamstrings, quadriceps, shoulders, chest, and abdomen.

Healthy knees and hips are very important in running (and in yoga). Knees are vulnerable to ligament tears, meniscus tears, patella misalignments, and arthritis (which is the wearing down of the protective “padding” in the joint). To help prevent some of this and to alleviate discomfort if your knees already have some damage, make sure that the muscles supporting your knees are strong and balanced. Any movement that extends your leg in front of you, or straightens your leg from a bent position, will strengthen your quadriceps. Any movement that bends your knee will work your hamstrings.

When practicing yoga you need to make sure of your alignment in all of the standing asanas, i.e., never let your knee go past your ankle in virabhadrasana (warrior pose) and ekapada ustrasana (one-footed camel pose or lunge) and utthita parsva konasana (standing side angle pose). Also avoid deep squatting motions (utkatasana), padmasana (full lotus position - unless your hips are exceptionally flexible), positions such as virasana (hero-heroine pose) unless you use supportive props, and high impact moves like jumping in and out of positions in Ashtanga yoga. You can even adapt positions such as balasana (child’s pose) to make it more comfortable on sore knees (knees wider apart or put a rolled up towel or mat behind knee in joint) and use extra padding for any asana that requires the knee to be on the floor. Remember to never lock your knees in any position. Use the muscles around your knees to hold them in a straight position, lifting the muscles above your knee cap and doing a slight isometric movement with your heels, bringing them toward each other when standing to activate the muscles of the thighs. In lateral bending postures, like trikonasana (triangle pose), try to keep the hip, knee, and middle toe of the foot in a straight line on the leg that you are bending towards. This helps to re-educate knees and hips that tend to be inwardly or outwardly directed.

It is also possible to run with problem knees as long as you listen to your body and take a few precautions. Always run on a forgiving surface, such as a track or a dirt/grass trail, and try to avoid uneven surfaces or even steep hills. Wear good running shoes and reduce your weekly mileage. Remember, it is better to be able to run a little regularly without discomfort than not being able to run at all! Of course, always consult a good orthopedic physician (one well versed in sports medicine is helpful) before practicing yoga – or running – if you have pain in your knees.

Hips take a pounding in running but the muscles surrounding and protecting the joints are the biggest in your body. Again, alignment is important here, too, because leg imbalances, thigh muscle weakness or inflexibility, knee problems, and foot problems eventually affect the hip joints and consequently your low back. Yoga is fabulous for opening up the hips and strengthening gluteus muscles (buttocks), hip flexors (iliopsoas, etc) and hip rotators (piriformis, for example, which can impinge on the sciatic nerve). The healthier your hips are, the fewer problems you will have with your low back, at least before, during and after running, because many “hip” muscles are connected to points along the lumbar spine (section between the rib cage and sacrum/tail bone).

In running, your feet work hard to absorb the impact of each step, so many of the precautions from running with compromised knees also help keep feet happy. In addition, a good orthotic prescribed by a podiatrist can correct pronation or supination, high or low arches, ease pressure on bunions or hammer toes, help with heal spurs or plantar fasciitis or neuromas. Yoga is great for strengthening and stretching the muscles that keep feet functioning optimally. Yoga is practiced barefoot which allows the feet freedom to expand and grip when needed. If you bring attention to the feet (yoga is about paying more attention, isn’t it?!) you can begin to notice and correct any imbalances that you find. Square the feet and spread the weight of you body evenly on your heels, balls of feet, and the spot at the base of your little toe. If these areas are on your mat than there is less likelihood that you will be caving in your arches, gripping with your toes (can cause foot cramps during yoga practice) or leaning onto the outer edge of your foot (in this case weight the ball of the foot at the base of the big toe). You will also be stretching your Achilles tendon with asanas such as adho mukha svanasana (downward dog posture) or virabhadrasana I (warrior I pose), and your toes while doing caturanga dandasana (yoga push up or low plank). Balancing poses can also build strength and awareness in the feet and calves (even though it is better to balance using your core strength rather than just your feet).

Next blog entry: Yoga and running part 3 – Asanas for the hamstrings, quadriceps, hips and for strengthening your back, chest and arms

Additional Sources:

Kinetic Anatomy by Robert S. Behnke (Human Kinetics, c2001)
Yoga for Wellness: Healing with the Timeless Teachings of Viniyoga by Gary Kraftsow (Penguin, c1999)

Yoga and running (Part 1)

2006-03-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

I first experienced the yoga and running combination when I was an exchange student at the University of Oregon in Eugene – way back in the 1970’s. Eugene was nicknamed “Track Town, USA” and was the birth place of the Nike footwear company. Everyone seemed to run in Eugene! Also prevalent in Eugene at the time (and probably still is but I haven’t been back in a while) was the interest in alternative lifestyles and “new age” music, exercise, and diet. I encountered food coops, living coops (like a fraternity or sorority house for groups of students but not!), Birkenstocks, vegetarians – and yoga. If running tightened me up and strengthened my heart and leg muscles, than yoga would strengthen my belly and arms and loosen everything up again! It seemed like a natural combination, and boy did those running yogis look good! After many years and life experiences, I am again back to running and practicing yoga, so I looked into the combination a little deeper and here are some of my discoveries.

There are a great many similarities between the activity of running and the practice of yoga. Running can be a very competitive sport and it can be goal-oriented. It doesn’t have to be either of these, of course, but for many runners it’s all about going faster, farther, and winning the next race. Yoga is more about the process or practicing in a non-competitive way. On the other hand, there are yoga practitioners who feel very competitive and goal-oriented. Both running and yoga can be very good for you when done with attention to your body and its needs, and both can be very harmful if you disregard the messages and stop paying attention.

Running and yoga can be simply your body and the basics (a pair of sneakers and a sticky mat) or complicated with performance enhancing equipment! There are an amazing number and variety of running shoes, heart rate monitors, watches, clothing, hydrating beverages, and sunglasses to complete your running experience. In yoga, you can use an assortment of mats, blocks, straps, pillows, balls, music, incense, gongs, and clothing to round out your practice. Yoga and running can both be done indoors. Treadmills and indoor running tracks allow running in all weather and help soften the impact on problem knees and feet. Most of us practice yoga in a studio, gym, or in-home setting. If done outdoors in a natural setting, both experiences can be enhanced by the wonders of nature (although running in the cold rain isn’t great, neither is doing sun salutations on the beach and getting sand on your mat…)

Physically, running and yoga both affect your brain chemistry and increase your lung capacity. Running makes your lungs more efficient at taking in oxygen and sending it to blood vessels and muscles. Long distance runners tend to have lower resting heart rates because their bodies get so efficient that their hearts don’t have to pump as fast, even when not running. Yoga breathing increases lung capacity by re-training the muscles of your abdomen to allow the lungs to fill completely and empty completely with each breath. More oxygen comes in during each inhale and more toxins are released with each exhale, while the abdominal muscles are strengthened. This helps keep you in a comfortable upright position when running and further allows the lungs to function in their optimal position. Aerobic exercise increases the levels of serotonin in your brain (the “feel good” hormone”). Serotonin is an endorphin or neurotransmitter which acts as one of the body’s natural pain relievers. Serotonin regulates emotions and prolonged continuous exercise can increase production of serotonin and elevate mood. In this way running makes you feel good and elevates your mood just as yoga and yogic breathing do.

Running is not for everyone (unless you consider walking a modified form of running). It can be very hard on the joints and on the muscles of the legs and feet and low back. It is a very intense cardiovascular workout that requires developing your aerobic capacity over time. Unlike yoga, running is often more about winning a race, or at least making improvements in your speed, time, or distance. The goals of yoga are less tangible (in my opinion) than receiving a trophy or completing a ten mile race in under an hour, but no less important to the serious practitioner.

The joy I feel from running is very similar to the joy I feel from yoga. Yoga is freeing and uplifting and clarifies and purifies my mind and body. Running does the same for me. I am proposing here that you can run in a very yogic way, benefiting your mind and body and celebrating the miraculous human form – while still enhancing your yoga practice. Part 2 of Yoga and running will go into more details about the specific muscles used in running and how various yoga asanas can make you a stronger and more peaceful runner!

Resources:

Yoga mats

2006-03-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

There seems to be periodic reviews and “testimonials” on yoga websites and blogs about yoga mats. How much can one say about a yoga mat? It turns out to be quite a lot, actually. I want to mention a few web sites with good yoga mat commentary – and then I’ll add some thoughts of my own.

The February 24, 2006 blog entry on Yoga-space has a nice little summary of the different types of mats out there. Yoga-space also references Cara Jepsen’s very informative and entertaining piece of writing from the Yoga Chicago website called “How to Find (and Keep) the Perfect Mat - Revisited”. From a health perspective, Yoga Journal’s article about PVC’s and yoga mats is very interesting and the web site Health and Yoga has a brief article about why sticky mats should not be used for yoga at all! Who knew?!

My experience has been somewhat more limited, I’m afraid. I was used to using the standard “Tapas” brand yoga mat spread over a foam exercise pad to cushion my practice on hard wood gym floors. This was acceptable for a while – until my hands and feet started slipping (and the mat wore thin). I then splurged and bought myself a Nike Ultra mat. It is dark gray on one side and light blue on the other and has a honeycomb weave (closed cell foam). It is a cushy 8 mm thick but not sticky – and I do not budge, in any position, on this mat! I have to say, for now anyway, that this is my favorite mat. So far the mat is wearing well, and I just wipe it off with a Jo-Sha wipe when it gets dirty. It has its own carrying cord but I use a cute “Life is Good” brand mat bag (in dark blue) that holds the mat perfectly.

What is your opinion on mats?

The Yoga Teacher/Student Relationship and Why I teach Yoga

2006-03-04T08:17:00.000-05:00

The quality of the yoga teacher/student relationship determines the depth of the student’s experience of yoga. It is essential for the relationship to be one of mutual trust, respect, and openness because we, as students, are asking our teacher to guide us in our practice and our journey towards discovering our True self. It can be a very difficult journey and a good teacher will help us to ask the right questions, recognize the harmful habits and thoughts that we cultivate, and deepen our sense of who we are.

The yoga teacher/student relationship is similar to the connection between therapist and patient. Raphael Gunner, a yoga teacher and psychoanalyst, writes that yoga teachers need to be sensitive and respectful of their students’ emotional vulnerabilities and they need to be aware of the importance of this unique relationship to the student’s yoga experience. Therapists, however, have a lot more guidance, than yoga teachers do, in this area so yoga teachers have to be very careful about setting boundaries. A good teacher can deepen your experience and help you work through any physical and mental problems you may be encountering. Unfortunately, this relationship can also provide an opportunity for a bad teacher to take advantage of a student’s trust. There can also be the danger of a student forgetting that their teacher is human, with human shortcomings, no matter how deeply immersed the teacher seems to be in the yoga lifestyle.

The word “yoga” means union or bringing together two things into a relationship. There are many examples of union in yoga, like the union of body and mind, the union of yin and yang, the union of the individual’s energy with the cosmic energy – and the union or relationship of the teacher and student. I experience this relationship in different ways in my attempt to bring yoga into my life. I am always a student, coming to my mat for a yoga class, always practicing and hopefully getting a little better at pranayama and asana. I am a student every time I pick up a book about yoga (it happens pretty often, actually) to read about another teacher’s interpretation.

I am also a student with my own teacher who guides me in learning about the vast field of knowledge that is yoga and who has shown me how to be the best teacher I can be. And I am a teacher, who is privileged to be allowed to continue the process with my students. There is a tradition in yoga of passing information down from teacher to student – of taking the yoga wisdoms codified by sages such as Patanjali and expanding upon them, interpreting them, explaining them and making them accessible.

I teach because it makes me feel good. I teach to receive praise and I teach for money. I teach to reinforce the lessons that I am learning about yoga. I teach to help more people benefit from the healing powers of yoga and I teach to make people feel good about themselves (like it has for me). I feel the constant challenge to stay fresh with my teaching and offer something even just slightly new or different every time. I try to be flexible every class - even if conditions are less than favorable for yoga practice. (I teach some classes in a gym where the temperature can be really cold, or hot, or the floor dirty, or the little kids noisily waiting to play basketball outside the door.) I teach because I like to feel like I’m making a difference and I still remember what it was like when I was just a student and not a teacher and every class made a difference to me. And finally, I teach because the subject is so interesting that I’m just bursting with the desire to get it out!!

Yoga teachers have a great responsibility to their students. They pass on their passion for yoga. They teach from their own experiences and show their human side. They readily acknowledge that there is little difference, really, between, the student and teacher, other than one is a little bit farther along on the journey. A teacher should learn from his or her students.

Yoga and body image

2006-02-25T15:53:00.000-05:00

Body image or how we think about the physical body that we present to the world is a very interesting and perplexing topic. Yoga has some unique – both comforting and strange - approaches to dealing with the physical form. I believe in and have felt (as a American woman in the 21st century) the healing powers of yoga when my own “bad body fever” threatens to take over and consume me.

“Bad body fever” is a kind of self-loathing that many women experience on a daily basis. We walk past a mirror and we instantly think, “those thighs are disgusting…I look like an elephant…what was I thinking wearing those pants out in public!?” We are so fat phobic in this society that we think the amount of fat on our body reflects our value as a person and “too much” fat means we are bad, weak, unworthy, and disgusting. We get so caught up in this feeling that we subject our bodies to unhealthy and excessive dieting and exercise habits in our attempt to achieve physical perfection. We set ourselves up for countless bouts of bad body fever and we can never truly be at peace.

Yoga can help “treat”, “cure”, and “prevent” bad body fever. Tantra yoga tells us to accept all types of reality - spirit and matter - as being equally important, real, and true. Suffering comes from the illusion that there is opposition in our reality, while tantric yogis believe that weaving together spirit and matter in our own minds leads to union with the divine. Tantra teaches us to view the body as a manifestation of the divine, worthy of celebration! It tells us that we have a choice of living fully in this reality and that choice is a divine gift! Our bodies, therefore, should be loved and accepted for their very nature - they have value in just being – as well as providing a wonderful vessel for our thoughts and spirit.

The Yoga Sutras tell us to feel gratitude for what we have, to practice ahimsa (non-violence or non-harming) towards ourselves as well as others, and to observe satya or truthfulness (when it is non-harming). There is also samtosha, meaning contentment or being content with what one has, and aparigrapha (non-grasping or non-covetousness) or not always wanting what someone else has. These yamas and niyamas, if they are observed and honored in our every day lives will go a long way towards helping us get rid of harmful, bad body thoughts. (I realize that this is an over-simplification of the yamas and niyamas and I apologize to those Raja yoga students who have spent years studying the Yoga Sutras). If we are treating ourselves in a non-harming way, honestly recognizing who and what we are, content with that person and not yearning to have what someone else has, we will be more at peace. The bad body thoughts will disappear if you treat yourself with a little patience and kindness. It is then easier to make peace with the world when you make peace with yourself.

In every day yoga practice, there are also ways that your negative body image can be improved or eliminated. Many yoga studios do not have mirrors, or because your eyes are often closed, or the light is often muted, you become less concerned or even aware of what you look like. A good teacher will encourage you to approach your mat and practice in a non-competitive way, being mindful of the other students (and the group energy) but not being influenced by them. Yoga requires you to get reacquainted with how you feel, rather than how you look. It teaches you respect for your body’s abilities and patience with your body’s weaknesses. It is not results-oriented like an aerobics class, but it urges us to discover things we never knew about ourselves (e.g., we may have very loose hip flexors but tight hamstrings or we can sit still and breathe for a half hour but we can’t balance on one foot for even ten seconds…). Yoga can make you realize that there are infinite possibilities for movement and growth.

If your bad body thoughts are caused by stress or anxiety, yoga helps you relax. If bad body thoughts are caused by an unhealthy, unfit body, then yoga helps to increase strength and flexibility. Yoga is personal; it is something you do for you and no matter whom you are and what you look like coming to the mat, you will always benefit in some way from the experience. (It makes you feel so much better that you don’t really care that much what you look like!) The many different styles, variations, modifications, adaptations of yoga mean that there is something for everyone. Not everyone can climb a mountain or run a marathon, but everyone can do yoga!

We also realize when we come to the mat for our yoga practice that we are not alone in our journey. We are following in the footsteps of many, many people who have come before us, with the same kind of suffering and the same kind of desire to be accepted for who we are. Sometimes this can be very comforting.

Further reading:

Yoga and weight loss

2006-02-17T18:41:00.000-05:00

“Will I lose weight if I practice yoga regularly?” - I am always asked this question by students in my classes and by private clients. The answer is a bit complicated. It depends on whether or not you need to lose weight in the first place (and I believe many who think they weigh too much are really at their natural weight). If you are above your natural weight and are unhealthy because of it – or if you eat way beyond fullness or for reasons other than hunger like depression or anxiety or boredom, yoga can help you become more balanced and more at peace with food and eating. As a result, your weight will most likely inch its way down.

Yoga increases your awareness of what is happening in your body. You become more sensitive to feelings in your muscles and joints and internal organs. You follow the action of your breath as it moves in and out of your body and you actively increase the length of your inhales and exhales. You become aware of sensations you never had before because you are now paying attention! This mindfulness eventually moves beyond your yoga practice and into the rest of your life, affecting how you feel about your body emotionally and how you feel physically when you are re-fueling or nurturing yourself with food. Try and take time to notice if your belly feels full, empty, round, flat, or even “gurgley”! Expand it when you inhale and pull it in tightly when you exhale. Just become aware of all the sensations that are part of your stomach and digestive system. Now you can begin to notice when you feel full, when your belly has had enough, and when your body is telling you it is satisfied.

I have already written about some of the effects of yoga on the body’s hormonal system and emotions. Many of us eat because we are stressed, anxious, tired, sad, angry or just bored. Over or under active thyroids and parathyroids can slow our metabolisms down so that the fuel we consume doesn’t burn off. Our appetite is controlled by hormones; the amount of glucose in our blood that provides energy to our cells is also controlled by hormones. Yoga can help these hormones do their job better and relieve many of these harmful emotions that drive so many of us to eat. So try coming into a nice relaxing asana (inversions work well, too) while you take some deep cleansing breaths and see if the urge to eat something just goes away.

Yoga is not an aerobic exercise, but it can build heat in the body and burn calories! Certain series of asanas, sun salutations come to mind, can get your heart pumping faster and can even get you sweating. There are some styles of yoga that burn more calories than others, such as power yoga or bikram (hot) yoga. Depending on your level of fitness, holding some of the standing or twisting asanas can quicken your breath, too. There are a variety of breathing techniques and practices that also build heat and burn calories. A great one for this (and also for relieving anxiety) is kapalbhati (or bellows breath) which is a percussive diaphragmatic exhale followed by a natural inhale, done in series of three sets of 50-108 pumps, each set followed by jalandhara bandah (throat lock). The throat lock stimulates your thyroid, which also helps to increase your metabolism.

Another way yoga can positively influence our weight is when we adapt our eating habits to a yoga lifestyle. Some people, as they get more involved with yoga and its guidelines for living a more peaceful life, make changes to their diet. It is not an absolute requirement, of course, to be a vegetarian if you practice yoga, but many yogis do take that path. I will cover this topic in another blog entry because I want to be able to devote more time and energy to it. The reasons for becoming vegetarian, and the ways that yoga and a vegetarian diet support each other are numerous and profound, however, if you choose to purify and balance your diet while you are purifying and balancing your body and mind, you will probably lose weight.

On a lighter note, we may not lose a pound, but when we pull our bellies in and stand up really tall, we look so much better. We are also encouraged to wear more form fitting clothes so we can see what our bodies are doing, so we can have complete freedom of movement, and so our teachers can check our alignment. How’s that for a motivator to lose a pound or two (not to mention how cute some of those yoga outfits are)?!

Finally, it’s not really comfortable to practice yoga on a full stomach. Just try eating a full meal before a ninety minute yoga class and you’ll see what I mean. It encourages you to eat light, I guarantee it! If all of the above doesn’t motivate you to try yoga, at least it is ninety minutes when you are doing something good for your body that doesn’t involve eating!

Wrist issues

2006-02-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

Wrist pain, strain, and weakness is a problem that can really have a negative affect on your yoga practice. I first encountered this problem when working with private clients who were either new to yoga or had wrist issues from over use (carpal tunnel, too much golf or tennis, etc.) One client solved the problem by wearing wrist braces during the more active portions of her practice. I guess this is always an option, but I am here to offer some other possibilities. During asanas such as down dog or plank, dropping your knees (coming into “half dog” or knee push-up position) will take some of the weight off your wrists while still giving your back and shoulder a good stretch and your arms a workout. Also, moving your feet closer to your hands in down dog will take some weight off your arms. In cobra, dropping your elbows and having the weight on your forearms (sphinx pose) will allow your lower back and front of your torso to experience a back bend without wrist strain.

Sun salutations are always difficult with problem wrists. I have found that using a rolled sticky mat under your hands to allow your hands to curve or using two foam blocks to cup your hands around helps some. Gripitz makes foam dumbbells that are really helpful in reducing the stress on wrists (and elbows, too). I know yoga students and teachers who have greatly improved the quality of their yoga practice by using Gripitz blocks. (Note: I’m not associated in anyway with Gripitz). From a personal trainer point of view, keeping the wrist straight and lined up with the hand instead of flexing or bending a compromised joint makes more sense. These blocks take a little getting used to, but they may allow those of you with chronic wrist pain to fully benefit from upper body weight bearing asanas.

Yoga and hormones

2006-02-10T16:15:00.000-05:00

Early on in my relationship with yoga I became fascinated by learning that yoga postures and breathing techniques can actually have an effect on the function of my endocrine or hormone system. I first thought that postures just compress or twist areas of my body where the glands are and therefore the glands are massaged and stimulated. More blood is encouraged to flow through the areas distributing hormones more freely and completely throughout my blood stream. This understanding was a good start, but it is an incomplete explanation of the mechanisms involved. As I am a naturally curious yogini, I did some more reading and pondering and will share my thoughts and discoveries in this blog entry.

The endocrine system consists of hormones and glands. Glands release more than twenty different hormones into the blood stream. Hormones are simply chemical messengers that tell our bodies what to do and thereby greatly influencing the relationship between our minds and bodies. Hormones determine who we are and how we react to the world. They affect our moods, and how we sleep, how much energy we have, and how fast we burn fuel. A complete discussion of the human endocrine system would take too much time, but I need to give a little background on some important components.

Last week’s blog entry discussed the limbic system and the hypothalamus in relation to breathing. The hypothalamus is a link between the endocrine and nervous systems. It also controls the pituitary gland, often referred to as the master gland, which is a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain. The pituitary in turn controls several other endocrine glands, including the thyroid, adrenals and gonads (ovaries and testes). The ancient yogis seemed to have an awareness of this endocrine system and the yoga Chakra system corresponds pretty closely to it. The Chakra system is complex and a blog topic for another time, but I wanted to point out this particular relationship between our glands and the practice of yoga.

Breathing affects the function of the pituitary and so do various asanas that stimulate the brain. Any asana where the head is lower than the heart will result in increased blood flow to the brain and the most powerful in this regard is sirsasana (headstand). I have to admit that the headstand is not my favorite asana as I can’t do it well enough to feel the benefits. It makes my head and neck hurt (which doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it or love it) and maybe if I keep working on it I will be successful! Until then, however, and for all of us who can’t (or shouldn’t) do a head stand, there are other options. One I like is prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward bend) and if your head doesn’t rest on the floor (got to have loose hips, adductors, hamstrings, and back to do this) add some blankets or cushions to rest your head on when you bend forward. It’s restful and calming and stimulates the pituitary and pineal (regulates sleep) glands as well as stimulating blood pressure receptors in the neck and chest (helps blood vessels relax). Or, of course, you can do one of the many variations of sirsasana!

At the base of the throat (front of lower neck) is the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Metabolism, or how efficiently and effectively our bodies turn the fuel that we consume into energy, is regulated by our thyroid. It is also a major contributor to growth in children. The parathyroid balances the amount of calcium we have in our blood. There are many ways that the thyroid can malfunction and wreak havoc on our energy, appetite, and weight, and I am not claiming that yoga should replace a qualified physician’s care. However, certain asanas alternately restrict the flow of blood through this area of the throat and than flood it with fresh blood encouraging the distribution of thyroid hormones. The gland itself is also messaged preventing stagnation and sluggishness (a major cause of disease according to some yogis). Postures that stimulate the thyroid include matsyasana (fish pose), and sarvangasana (shoulder stand and variations including bridge pose which is one of my personal favorites for anything that ails me!)

The adrenals – one on top of each kidney – regulate the body’s salt and water balance, and produce adrenaline (increase heart rate, raise blood pressure, alert brain, and tense muscles) and cortisol (raises blood sugar, suppresses immune system, and suppresses inflammation). These are the stress hormones and are actually regulated by the pituitary gland (limbic brain and breathing link again!). To help balance adrenal function you can work with both the pituitary (see above asanas) and the adrenals. Since the adrenals are located in the abdomen along with the pancreas (regulates the body’s glucose levels) and lower down a bit, the gonads (for sex hormones) there are many wonderful asanas that stimulate this area. We can use forward bends, backbends, and twists to alternately squeeze and relax the torso. Some good ones are navasana (boat pose), paschimottanasana (seated forward bend), urdhva mukha svanasa (up dog), and parivrtta trikonasana (revolving triangle). One asana in particular that powerfully stimulates the adrenals is mayurasana (peacock pose), a very challenging pose where the elbows press deeply into the abdomen while the forearms support the weight of the body (some say, however, that this posture is not suitable for women…hmmmm).

Yoga’s influence on the sex hormones, particularly for women, is a little complex and is also connected to bone health. This topic deserves its own blog (and is one particularly applicable to me and many of my private clients). Male hormones are not so influenced by the action of yoga, other than the relationship between the pituitary and asanas that stimulate it. Prostate health, however, can be helped by asanas such as supta padangusthasana (reclining big toe pose), headstand and shoulder stand.

I read somewhere (and I apologize for not remembering exactly where) that the body can be thought of like a sponge filled with water. You can twist it and squeeze it getting rid of all the water, and then when you relax, the sponge slowly fills again. We are all sponges and with every squeeze, we are given the opportunity to absorb something new and clean. Think about it.

For additional sources of information, see:
Yoga Journal article
IndianGyan.com
Kids Health for Parents

Pranayama and the brain

2006-02-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

Using the breath to link the mind to the body in yoga is a concept rather hard to grasp by those new to yoga. I know it was with me. I used to “pretend” to watch my breath and do ujjayi (victorious breath or ocean breath). I would go through the motions of kapalabhati (percussive, diaphragmatic exhales) and nadi shodhan (alternative nostril breathing), impatiently waiting for the opportunity to get my body moving. Then, during the practice, while doing asanas, the last thing I would want to think about is my breathing pattern (other than not holding my breath). I have also had yoga students, and private clients who tell me that they LOVE yoga, but they just don’t get the breathing. It apparently seems like a waste of time to them and it did to me, too, even though I knew about the documented effects of slowing your breathing down to help combat stress and anxiety. Since those early days of my practice, I have learned a lot more about breathing and the actually physiological affects of the breath on the brain and body – and some of it is really very interesting!

I will not discuss the practice of pranayama or regulation of the breath (also called life force, chi, or spirit) here because I'm far from qualified to do it justice. The ancient yogis recognized that breathing was the key to our life and they developed many ways of using the different components of the breath to help purify and clarify the body and mind in order to bring about Samadhi (union with the divine, self-realization, ultimate goal of yoga).

From a physiological point of view, there are two parts of the nervous system that directly link to our emotions. In the brain, there is the limbic system located between the cerebrum (conscious intellectual thought) and the cerebellum and brain stem (regulates mechanical and unconscious processes in the body). A component of the cerebellum and brain stem is the autonomic nervous system which is comprised of motor neurons that control the internal organs and regulate the body’s response to stress and the body’s ability to relax.

The limbic components that connect directly to the cerebrum are the hippocampus and the amygdala. In addition, the thalamus and hypothalamus (also limbic components) are connected to the brain stem and cerebellum. The structures of the limbic system seem to be responsible for our emotional life and how we form memories and they create a bridge between our thinking brain and our unconscious brain. All input that comes into our brain from our senses goes through the limbic system before it is interpreted by the cerebrum. The hypothalamus instructs the autonomic nervous system to regulate things like breathing, heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure and it also tells the pituitary gland to send out hormones regulating growth and metabolism. The olfactory lobe or cortex, often grouped together with the amygdala and the hippocampus, evolved as a part of the limbic system responsible for our sense of smell. It warned us of danger, found us good things to eat, identified sexual partners, and in general affected many emotions that triggered physical responses. Today, we don’t need this keen sense of smell to protect us, but the link between what and how we breathe in through our nostrils, our unconscious physical responses, and our conscious thought processes is still part of us.

To really simplify this, you could say that the breath is part of the unconscious brain process as well as part of the system in the brain that gives us emotions. Breathing is a bodily function regulated by the autonomic nervous system as well as the conscious voluntary nervous system. It is the only mechanism like this in our body for most of us. In this way, too, breathing acts as a bridge between the two systems. We can’t always relieve anxiety by willpower alone, but we can slow our breathing down and thereby calm ourselves. If our breathing is uneven or labored, our mind is usually agitated. When we sleep or sit quietly reading, our breathing is slow and rhythmic. When our brains anticipate danger, our breathing rate increases so more oxygen is sent to the blood cells and muscle fibers to prepare us to fight or run away to safety. In addition, the breath rate needs to increase in order to clean the blood of toxins built up as by products of the body’s chemical processes (which also speed up in times of stress). This fight or flight response is how the body responds to stress and when the danger is passed we can try to relax by slowing down and deepening our inhales and exhales, thereby stimulating our relaxation response.

I believe, on some level, that the ancient yogis knew about this link between our different brain structures and the breath. They took this knowledge a step further and developed an extensive system of breathing methods and techniques. Some yogis even believe that the brain is the most calm and relaxed during the point of stillness between an exhale and an inhale. Individuals particularly adept at advanced pranayama techniques are able to greatly extend this breathless moment profoundly affecting their bodies’ other autonomic processes. When the brain and body are calm and still, fewer toxins are introduced into the blood stream and respiration is able to slow way down.

In conclusion, I have come to my own realization that there’s something to this breathing. It can feel a little strange at first, but it’s not a waste of time. Doesn’t it make sense to use a mechanism that is already a part of our brain’s structure to help us achieve more peace in our thoughts and actions?! I think so.

For more information about the limbic system, breathing and our emotions see:

Some words about Viniyoga

2006-01-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

When I first began my yoga teacher training, in addition to finding out how much I didn’t know about yoga, I felt overwhelmed with what I perceived as all of the “different types” of yoga. Then, when I tried to understand the type of yoga I was learning to teach (and why I felt such a connection to it), I had to further adjust my way of thinking! My teacher recommended several books for me to read and one that made a lot of sense to me (as a naturally skeptical and educated person – and a personal fitness trainer) was Gary Kraftsow’s Yoga for Wellness. Gary Kraftsow, Director and Senior Teacher at the American Viniyoga Institute in Maui, Hawaii, is a pioneer in yoga therapy and a renowned teacher of the Viniyoga methodology.

Yoga has always been for everybody and can greatly affect the degree of “wellness” in our bodies. Human beings are a hodge-podge of their conditioning or learned behaviors, resulting from genetic and environmental influences. These learned behaviors or habits don’t always promote wellness or health but we continue using them because on some level they allow us to function in a way that is comfortable and familiar. We are, however, capable of change and if we can learn how to acknowledge these “habits” and learn new healthier behaviors, we can be happier, healthier, more peaceful individuals. (And isn’t that what we all want – for ourselves and the world?!)

So why Viniyoga and not Ashtanga (power), Iyengar, Bikram (hot), Kundalini, Anusara, Kripalu or any other of the many fine paths and Western adaptations of classical yoga? (No disrespect intended for all of these wonderful and valuable forms of yoga.) It is the methodology that worked for my body and condition and I feel that it would work for many other bodies! Viniyoga emphasizes practicing postures (or asanas) in a way that suits the individual body’s capacities and needs. It doesn’t strive for an ideal external form (like a perfect lotus position or a perfect v-shaped down dog with heels pressed to the floor, or a forward fold with torso flat against the thighs and hands on the floor) but a form where the intent or purpose of the asana is realized and felt by the individual, no matter what it looks like.

Viniyoga methodology teaches how to recognize “common release valves” which are ways we compensate for weaknesses, lack of stability, lack of flexibility, or lack of understanding of the purpose of a particular asana. Again, this means, for example, while trying to do a forward fold, our legs are locked straight, our upper back is curved (with the chest collapsed over the belly) and our hands are reaching for the floor. Here we are compensating for tight back muscles, tight hamstrings, tight glutes, and/or tight shoulders (as well as trying to compete with the person on the next mat over) while straining to get our hands to the floor! Viniyoga suggests that we think about the intent of a forward fold - which is to gently stretch the low back (primarily) while maintaining as much length in the spine as possible. Secondarily, the forward fold stretches the muscles of the upper back and shoulders, and the muscles in the back of the legs. So - if we bend the knees slightly to compensate for tight hips and hamstrings, or if we watch the excessive arching of the low back (if we are very flexible) by contracting the abdominal muscles on exhale – we are noticing the bad habits we have and are beginning to try to change in a healthier way. We are adapting the movements of yoga to our unique and individual condition. I am just giving an example here, and the actual mechanics of forward folds and their subsequent techniques and release mechanisms are a little more complex, so I apologize to all of the Viniyoga teachers out there for my simplification.

Viniyoga also uses vinyasa flow techniques and repetitions. This means that there are sequences of asanas, linked to the breath, that work to warm the body up, move the body in all different directions safely and balanced, cool the body down, and then help the body and mind to sink into deep relaxation. Asanas are held after repeatedly going into and out of them. This repetition (which can sometimes look like dancing to the layman’s eye – I was once asked by a student if I used to be a dancer in a previous life!) prepares the body for holding a posture by increasing circulation to the large muscle groups and making them stronger and more flexible. Remember that asana translates as “steady seat”, so we should be trying to be comfortable and steady in our poses. Strong, flexible muscles help us to do this. (Here we have one of the basic principles used by personal trainers everywhere – sets of repetitions of exercises build muscle strength.)

Repetition also helps us to identify our release mechanisms (see above) so we can development new healthier movement patterns. During this movement in and out of a posture, we are linking the breath to the movement and can really surround the movement with the breath. For those of you who are having a hard time understanding envelope breathing (another blog topic!), using the breath with repetitive movements frees the mind to concentrate more on the breath.

Finally, repetition helps the body to overcome what is called the stretch reflex. The human body has a stretch reflex that prevents muscles from stretching too far and too fast and thereby preventing the injury of muscle tissues and joints. When a muscle lengthens too quickly, cells in the muscle respond by contracting in order to prevent the muscle and joint from becoming injured. During asana practice we want to stretch the muscle in a way that doesn’t trigger this automatic response or reflex. There is also an inverse stretch reflex that causes muscle to relax and lengthen. This reflex can be triggered by a strong isometric muscular contraction. Repeatedly moving into and out of a posture and then holding the posture for an extended amount of time stretches and contracts the muscle quickly. The stretch reflex is avoided. The extended hold then produces a strong muscular contraction which causes the muscle to relax and lengthen. Very clever, don’t you think?

Hopefully, I haven’t confused you too much with this explanation. Viniyoga has many more spiritual and psychological benefits and techniques than those I have mentioned here so I invite you to research the subject further if it interests you. Again, I emphasize that these opinions and interpretations are my own, and I mean no disrespect to all yoga masters, past and present, with my words.

Additional Reading

Facilitated Stretching

My story

2006-01-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

I am a yoga teacher and an ACE certified personal trainer. I have come to this career/lifestyle rather later in life then many of my contemporaries and I feel that that has given me a valuable advantage. I am older and wiser now and I have experienced (and am experiencing) many of life’s milestones. I am well educated and am not a religious person – but I am finding that I possess a deep level of spirituality that surprises me. I have a wonderful husband (of twenty one years) and two wonderful sons and have been blessed (truly) with health and strength and the opportunity to follow my passion. From this place I come to you with my thoughts, comments, and experiences while learning and teaching that ancient and living science called yoga.

I took my first yoga class in the fall of 1979 in Eugene, Oregon. I was attempting to become a runner (while being a student at U of O) like everyone else in Eugene and thought yoga would be a nice accompaniment. I liked the class but didn’t love it – but thought I should love it- so I took a few more classes. By the spring of 1980, I lost interest in yoga (and in running), and didn’t pursue it again until 1999. By that time I had finished college and graduate school, gotten married, worked as a librarian, tried bodybuilding, power lifting, and more running, had two children, and finally joined a local gym to get back “in shape”.

I began lifting weights again after a long hiatus and it felt like coming home. I tried various classes the gym had to offer and found myself in a Monday morning yoga class. I liked it. I know now that it was a moderate level hatha yoga class taught by a woman who was a little older than my self. Since it was a gym environment, the teacher toned down the spiritual aspects of yoga – and minimized the time and energy spent on pranayama. She would mention the chakras while we were relaxing in savasana! My interest was peaked - but again I didn’t love it. My body became more flexible but I didn’t really feel a connection to the yoga style or the teacher. I looked around for other yoga classes and talked to my friends who all had favorite teachers at other yoga studios and I tried some other classes. Then I happened to try a Sunday morning class at my local gym and I was transformed, if that is possible, by the 90 minute class taught by a (very) young but (very) wise woman. I went up to her after class and asked her what kind of yoga this was. Her answer was a little confusing then, but it gradually became very clear to me and I have been teaching that same Sunday morning class since April 2005!

The style of yoga that I connected with and now teach is a combination of hatha, raja, and tantra yoga, using viniyoga and vinyasa flow techniques. In other words, this type of yoga makes me (and you) feel better and more peaceful. If anything was tight or sore or anxious or stressed or tired before class, it always feels better afterwards. I find myself just smiling as I go through my day (it’s amazing how many perfect strangers will smile back at you when you do this!)

I came to yoga relatively fit and strong from running, spinning, rowing, weight lifting - and since 2002 - working as a personal trainer. I need to warm up my body thoroughly before attempting any vigorous activity – or I don’t feel right. Yoga does this in a way that warms me up and then challenges me to go even deeper in to even the simplest asana. I have learned to be patient with my body and not force perfection on it. I have learned how to recognize my limitations and accept that I will never be able to do certain more acrobatic asanas – but that it doesn’t mean that I’m not a yogi! And best of all, I have discovered that what brings me great happiness and satisfaction is sharing this knowledge with other people. I love to bring people in to the practice of yoga and I firmly believe that everyone, regardless of age or infirmity or state of mind can benefit and find joy in practicing yoga.

I now invite you to join me in my journey and share my thoughts about what I have discovered. I also ask you to have an open mind and realize that yoga is a very personal experience and my thoughts and comments are my own. I will, of course, give credit when appropriate to those individuals responsible for thoughts not my own (I was a librarian after all!). Namaste.

Future entry topics: Viniyoga and its philosophy; yoga and stress (hormone connection); yoga and weight bearing exercise for stronger bones; individual energy vs. group energy in a yoga class; ethical, environmental and health reasons for vegetarianism; yoga and a positive body image, etc.

General Disclaimer: The information presented in this and my other blog entries is not meant to replace advice from licensed medical practitioners. As always, I apologize to all yoga teachers past and present if I have misrepresented yoga in anyway. This blog represents my opinions and interpretation and I take full responsibility for the impact of my words.