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7 Ways to Maintain a Home Yoga Practice

May 12, 2012 By 12 Comments

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Lindsey Lewis, yoga teacher and life coach, founder of www.libreliving.com.]

Getting going can be the hardest part. Some mornings, like today, I’ve been up late the night before, man oh man my mind is all over the place, and I’m convinced my body is telling me to go back to bed. “Don’t you think another hour’s sleep would benefit you more than meditation and asana?”

On days like this, I can spend almost a quarter of my allotted morning practice time just sitting on my mat, debating with myself. “Go back to bed; it’s okay.” “Don’t you get off your mat; you know how much better you’ll feel after you do this.” Then I sit and try to plan my flow, “Hey, at least I’m thinking about doing it.”

This morning, from beneath the banter, a powerful idea, which I credit to Danielle LaPorte, bubbled up: Just start. Stop planning. Stop debating. Stop over -thinking. Just start. I began with neck rolls. I moved on, to sufi grinds. Cat-cow. Downward dog. Surya Namaskar A. Aaaah, here it is. My flow.

7 Ways to Maintain a Home Yoga Practice

1. Do what feels right for you, not what your social self might think you ‘should’ do. Honour your body, mind, and soul. Yoga teacher Mark Whitwell recommends just 7 minutes a day, and figures it’s easiest to fit in in the morning. I prefer a morning practice, too, since once my day really launches I’m likely to get caught up in prioritizing other things. Plus, I like the peaceful vibe and quietness of the early morning. What amount of time and time of day feels right for you? Start with something that feels totally manageable.

2. Do some asana. Surya Namaskar A can be a nice place to start, but once you get going and used to doing a morning practice, I’d invite you to take some long yogic breaths and then move into whatever poses or series of poses you feel called to.

3. A bit of meditation. Ancient yogis and modern swamis tell us that the main point of asana is to be able to sit in meditation. Moving and breathing helps us to stretch our muscles, ease aches and pains, and calm our mind—which is the whole point of yoga—which helps us sit in meditation. There are lots of ways to encourage meditation, or dhyana and most of them are based on dharana, concentration. One of the simplest things to concentrate on is your breath. Just notice: Inhaling. Exhaling.

4. Breathe first. Let your breath guide your asana practice. If you’re not breathing, you’re probably not being mindful. BUT, don’t beat yourself up if you notice you’ve lost your deep yogic breath. Compassion and love is what it’s all about.

5. Your body knows best. Stay aware of your whole body during your practice. We tend to pay more attention to areas that are reaching—like hands lifting in the air. Remember your feet, or your sit bones. Feel everything. Breathe into it.

6. Mindfulness. Pay attention to your thoughts during your practice. What are you thinking? How is this making you feel? How is this affecting your practice? Just watch, without judgment. Simply notice. Remember compassion and love.

7. Most of all, don’t judge yourself. It’s your practice. Compassionate curiosity and self-inquiry will bring more self-enlightenment than trying to align with any kind of dogma or rules set by other people—no matter how experience a yoga teacher they might be.

Off the Mat. For every project we want to do, every dream we have, every goal we want to achieve, there comes a point where we simply need to Just Start!
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Overriding Lizard Brain: 5 Ways to Go Beyond Fear, Anger and Negativity

April 5, 2012 By 9 Comments

Editor’s Note: This post is written by yoga teacher and life coach Lindsey Lewis who blogs at www.libreliving.com.

THE WAY IN

The mind has a way of taking control. Scientists and life coaches call our Amygdala—the region of our brain pretty much in charge of feelings of anxiety, fear, anger and negativity—our “lizard brain.” Why lizard brain? Because this area of our brain evolved a loooong time ago, back when our primal lizard-ish concerns were much more prevalent. This is why our biological stress response to, say, a looming deadline, is still as dramatic as it was when we were facing, say, a looming tiger.

The Amygdala, two small organs in the brain each about the size of a small almond, can become overstimulated by ongoing stressors and begin to run the show—our lives. The more we feel the stress response, the more the Amygdala are activated. The more the Amygdala stay activated, the more we begin to feel that this state is normal. Fear, anger and negativity become our primary modus operandus. The lizard brain takes over.

THE WAY OUT

Life Coach revolutionary Martha Beck teaches clients to not only identify their inner lizards, but to name them. Queen B, Mack, Merv and Miss Thang. Just some options to get you thinking about what you might call yours. Where’s the benefit in naming your lizard? We work with thoughts and label them as “planning” “rehashing” “fantasizing” or “imagining” in order to help us remember we are separate from our thoughts and don’t have to jump on board with them all the time. Naming our lizards helps us let them do their thing, so we can continue to do ours.

And what’s ours? Finding our freedom. Living our dreams.

Examples? You got it.
“You might not make any difference as a life coach.” (This is what my inner lizard says)

Here’s some examples from other people’s lizards that I’ve heard them report along the way:
“If you quit the job you hate you’ll be poor and living in a box on the street.”
“You can’t start your own business. It will ruin you.”
“Saying ‘no’ to that invitation will make that person stop asking you.”
“If you act as smart as you are, people won’t like you.”
“If you rest, your competition will pass you by.”

5 Ways to Work With Your Inner Lizard Brain

  1. Name him or her. Giving your lizard a name helps us to remember these thoughts are coming from an area of our brain, not our whole self. They are not necessarily “Truths.”
  2. Treat them with compassion. Compassion is the only way through. Resistance breads persistence. Treating our lizards with love and compassion helps them feel they can calm down—and maybe take a nap long enough for us to do what we really wanted to, anyway.
  3. Witness what they have to say. From the compassionate place, we can witness and hear what our inner lizards have to say.
  4. Breathe deeply. Our breath is the greatest connection we have to our nervous system. Breathing deeper is the fastest, quickest, scientifically-proven way to get our nervous system back into a place of balance; and help ourselves come back to a place of less stress, anxiety, anger and negativity and more neutrality.
  5. Act. Practice doing it anyway. Act as if the fear, anger or negativity your inner lizard is feeling about whatever it is you want to do was never there. You haven’t ignored it. You’re not pretending you don’t feel it. You’re simply acknowledging its presence, and taking the leap anyway.
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Relieve Pain with Yoga for Arthritis

March 20, 2012 By 15 Comments

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Nathan Joynt from Gaiam TV]

Arthritis is more than occasional aches and pains. The condition is caused by inflammation of the joints and can lead to swelling, difficulty moving and severe pain. It can affect almost anyone, from children to the elderly, and may cause the simplest activities to become a challenge. Medications are often prescribed to relieve the pain and inflammation, but many health care providers now also recommend yoga for arthritis relief.

Yoga consists of a combination of gentle movements, stretches and breathing exercises. Researchers at John Hopkins University have determined that arthritis patients who regularly perform yoga are likely to experience less swelling, increased mobility and reduced pain. This is because the movements performed during yoga increase fluid around the joints.

Getting Started

There are a few things that arthritis sufferers should consider before beginning a yoga program. A visit to the doctor is necessary to make sure that the individual is healthy enough to perform the exercises and that other conditions won’t be exacerbated by yoga movements. It’s also important to choose a yoga class with a certified instructor, preferably one who is knowledgeable about the benefits of yoga for arthritis patients.  There are also chair yoga classes that are helpful for arthritis sufferers who cannot sit on the floor.

A beginner’s yoga class is the best choice in most cases because the movements are easier to perform.  Stretching, breathing exercises, or even chanting, may also be done before actual movements begin. These help the body to relax and are an integral part of many yoga routines.

A variety of gentle poses will be performed during the class. Some may be a bit difficult at first, but will become easier as muscles grow accustomed to the activity. Arthritis patients should only perform those poses that they feel comfortable with. A little soreness is to be expected after the first few classes, but any positions that cause extreme discomfort should be avoided.

Home Practice

While classes are essential to learning the proper yoga techniques, relief from arthritis pain is greater if the exercises are also performed on a daily basis at home. There are numerous yoga videos available, including some geared toward arthritis sufferers. Since the condition tends to flare up at particular times, such as during extremely damp or cold weather, it may be helpful to increase yoga exercises during these periods.

Here are a two gentle poses to try at home:

  • Cat/cow pose: The cat/cow pose strengthens and stretches your spine.   Begin on your hands and knees.  For sore knees, use a towel or blanket for extra cushion.  For sore wrists, make a fist rather than palms on the floor. Round your back up toward the ceiling, tuck in your glutes, and drop your head. Come back to neutral position, and then lower your stomach toward the floor creating an arch in your back. Keep your head up slightly, look straight ahead.  Repeat slowly with deep breaths.
  • Side stretch: The side stretch improves balance and stretches your hamstrings.  Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and take a big step back with one foot.  Clasp your hands behind your back, bend forward at the waist and relax your head and hold for a good stretch.

Yoga seems like an unlikely remedy for those struggling with arthritis pain, but it has very real benefits. Not only does it increase relaxation, which makes everyone feel better, it helps to lessen discomfort and increase muscle strength over time. It’s a wonderful way for even those with limited mobility to get moving and find lasting relief.

Nathan Joynt works with Gaiam TV, a leading lifestyle media company that produces a wide range of health and wellness videos including award-winning yoga videos and yoga for arthritis tips.

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5 Ways to Boost Your Intuition — and Why They Work

March 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Lindsey Lewis, yoga teacher + life coach who blogs at www.libreliving.com.]

RANDOM RUN-INS WITH NOT-SO-RANDOM INSIGHTS

I was sick of being tired, and tired of being sick. I had scored my dream job—assistant editor at a top-earning Canadian magazine.  Scratch that. It was all I’d dreamt it would be, it just didn’t feel like a dream. I wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t digesting food, wasn’t at ease, wasn’t happy. My anxiety was through the roof. One day I saw an ad in the magazine for a health and wellness company. I felt a tingling in my spine all the way up to the top of my head. I called the number, sent an email, met a dark-haired woman who hired me practically on the spot. I was out. I was free.

I had a thriving copy-writing, communications consulting business, where I scored new clients nearly always by word-of-mouth. I was teaching yoga, too (I’ll always be teaching yoga, too). The work was full-time. I wasn’t full-filled. I got an email from a friend, a forwarded job posting for an online yoga company. Work from home, be part of a great team, share the benefits of yoga, 15 hours a week. My mind said, “It’s 15 hours a week. Where would you find that time to add that to what you’re doing? And it’s not enough to replace what you’re doing.” My body and beyond all that said, “You should go for it. Good things will come from this.” I sent an email, met a strong-as-iron, gentle woman who hired me practically on the spot. Soon I was working every day for what I love. I was in. I was still free.

I was in line at the airport security check. It was long. I spotted the one to my right—much shorter. I took two steps over, looked back at the desk I had been originally headed for, and felt that I should stay put. I stayed put, the man at the desk for the line-up I was going to switch to shut it down, and everyone headed to the back of my line.

I was co-conducting an interview. After, my colleague asked me what I thought of the candidate. I felt that she would leave soon, had a visual image of her walking away. My mind asked me if I was crazy—the girl was perfect! I said I thought she was great and we should hire her. (I was tired of looking.) We offered her the job. She accepted. The next week she sent us an email with her apologies: she realized her heart wasn’t in it.

I was about to cross a street, had taken one step off the sidewalk and was lifting my other foot. The image of a dark grey sedan careening around the corner flashed through my mind. I paused. The dark grey sedan careened around the corner, narrowly missing my foot.

The stories go on. And yours might, too. If they don’t, and if you’re thinking, “What kind of woo-woo juju is this gal on?” then feel free to move along. If they don’t, and you’re thinking “I don’t care if this is woo-woo juju, I want some of it,” then feel free to read on.

Intuition isn’t weird, unusual, or strange. We’re biologically hard-wired to be able to know without knowing. That is, we can understand something and have knowledge of it without thinking we do. We take the knowing out of our rational mind. We go beyond it.

FACTS ABOUT INTUITION

The August issue of Oprah magazine has a comprehensive article on the scientific basis of our intuitive instincts. Here’s some facts worth noting:

  • Our bodies send us signals long before our mind catches on. Sweaty palms, a subtle increase in heart-rate or blood pressure, tension in our stomach, shoulders and throat.
  • We can see with our eyes closed. Fact: People who have gone blind because of brain damage can often still navigate an obstacle course.
  • Few wild animals were killed in the tsunami that crashed around the Indian Ocean in 2004. Researchers surmise they were alerted by sound waves or ground vibrations. Researchers also state that humans have this ability, but have stopped paying attention to it in today’s busy, distraction-laden society.

5 WAYS TO BOOST OUR INTUITION

  1. Meditate. A 2005 study found that people who meditate had more gray matter in the brain regions associated with sensitivity to the body’s signals and sensory processing.
  2. Do a somatic, mind-body practice. Yoga works here, but any physical practice done mindfully, where you become increasingly attuned to your body’s signals, will work, too.
  3. Trust your in-sight. Images that flash across your inner vision can be gone in seconds, but like in my case with the careening car, can also save you for the rest of your life. Paying attention to these images, combined with your awareness of your body’s signals, can lead to a smarter decision.
  4. Practice mindfulness. Simply practicing paying full, conscious attention—to whatever you’re doing—can help develop your mindfulness muscle. This is the muscle that will enable you to tune into subtle environmental changes—like the wild animals who survived the tsunami—so you can survive your next meeting with your unpredictable boss.
  5. Build your intuitive muscle. Take a somewhat inconsequential activity and practice using your intuition. For example: While grocery-shopping, and looking for a particular item, see if your instincts can tell you which aisle it’s in. Or, when observing someone, let yourself go with your gut in terms of what that person might be feeling at the moment, and interact with them based on that, rather than what they are consciously projecting. Or close your eyes and take a walk—in a safe space.

Good luck! You can do it!!

Lindsey

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The Ethics of Eating

March 11, 2012 By 2 Comments

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Melina Meza BS Nutrition, 500-RYT, with some advice on on how to live your yoga through ethical food choices. Bon Appétit!]

As unique beings we all have different hopes, fears, conditioning, expectations, and agendas around our health and our relationship to food and eating. Over the years of teaching and doing nutritional counseling, I have found it valuable to establish my own set of personal ethics in regards to my health and that of the planet. As Marion Nestle says, “We change the world by what we eat or chose not to eat.” I believe this to be true and am a firm believer that each person choosing with their fork CAN make a difference!

I’ve used the Yamas from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to make a wheel of ethics, which support and frame my holistic lifestyle. From my own experience I have found a great deal of benefit from weaving these principles – compassion, honesty, non-stealing, moderation, non-hoarding, cleanliness, contentment, heat, self-examination, and faith – into my daily life routines beyond the yoga mat. As a nutritionist, I find exploring these moral values in relationship to food and eating fascinating. UCLA Professor Peter Sellars poses the question, “Can you put your belief system into your body?” It’s a question like this that moves me to look deeper into my own ethics with food and eating. I often ask myself, “Am I putting my belief system into my body?”

[Read more...]

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How to Get More Exercise

March 2, 2012 By 4 Comments

[Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Dahn Yoga on how to bring a little more consciousness and movement to your daily routine.]

The modern professional is seemingly caught in a lose-lose situation. While these individuals may benefit more than just about anyone from exercise, the demands of their jobs often make it difficult to be as physically active as they would like to be. This underscores the importance of finding alternative ways to be physically active.

There are a number of ways individuals can increase the amount of exercise they get on a daily basis without squeezing in extra time at the gym. A few simple activities can be incorporated into a daily routine. While these methods may be very easy and almost incidental, they can add up to major health benefits when practiced regularly.

Taking the stairs is near the top of the list of simple activities that improve fitness. Whether you live in a third- or fourth-floor apartment or your office is located several stories up, you likely have many opportunities to add more stair climbing to your day. And what a workout it is!

Experts say that climbing stairs can burn a significant amount of calories. This means that the time you would normally spend avoiding awkward encounters with coworkers in the elevator can be put toward a major workout that improves your fitness. Everybody wins.

Of course, this is far from the only way to work more physical activity into your normal daily routine. It is possible to practice a few simple yoga positions right at your desk. Yoga can be a very good workout and finding ways to practice it while at the office may remove many of the barriers that often prevent people from pursuing yoga.

Traditional yoga classes can be expensive at times. Furthermore, many people have a difficult time devoting the necessary time to classes. These commitments turn many individuals off of the concept of yoga.

However, practicing yoga at your desk may solve many of these problems. One of the most relaxing yoga moves that can be done at your workspace is the neck roll. It can be performed while sitting in your seat by gently swinging your head from side to side in slow circles. Focus on your breathing while you perform this motion. This helps clear the mind, which is considered one of the primary benefits of yoga.

Next, try a position that will alleviate the tension in your shoulders. Start by standing up and bringing your arms behind your back. With your hands clasped, bring your arms up as high as you can without straining. Extend your chest out forward to maximize the stretch. Again, taking deep, slow breaths is an important aspect of this exercise.

These simple techniques only add a few minutes to your daily routine, but the effect they have on your overall health and fitness can be significant. Think of it as a small investment that will pay major dividends down the road. The hectic nature of your work life may make it seem like there is no room for exercise, but a few minor adjustments to your lifestyle can have you in top shape in no time.

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Dahn Yoga is one of the largest yoga and tai chi companies in the world with its own unique style and brand of yoga.  Dahn yoga is rooted in the rich history of an ancient Asian mind-body practice, Sun Do, and in the wisdom of the Chun Bu Kyung.

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Stressed? 10 De-Stress Yoga Tips

February 24, 2012 By 8 Comments

“Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just Be.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Lindsey Lewis who blogs at Libre Living.]

Yup, I’m a yoga teacher—among other things—and generally speaking an all-round happy-go-lucky gal. Life is FULL of wonder, peace, love, and flow.

“Oh sure, but you’re a yoga teacher. You have less stress than other people do.” I know, I know, I’m a yogi, so I spend all day on some mat or another, meditating, chanting, or deep breathing. In my hemp clothing. With my double-strand mala beads. Om.

In reality, I–like most  people trying to make a living being of service–am working my buns off, as I blog, teach, life coach, facilitate corporate lunch ‘n’ learns, market all these offerings, and do other projects to keep my income reasonable.

Here’s why I’m telling you this: my life now is busier, more demanding, and takes more energy and time than it did before I quit my former 9-5 dream job so I could “help people live healthier, happier lives.” But I’m way less stressed today. I spent a good chunk of my life struggling with pretty debilitating anxiety–basically an ongoing stress response that doesn’t go away–and finally got to the point where “the pain of remaining the same became greater than the pain of changing.” The pain of remaining the same translated into insomnia, an inability to digest food properly, regular panic attacks–even at the office–and a constant sense of feeling someone’s hands around my throat, squeezing tightly. Fun! At least I can say I developed a lot of strength.

I also developed a keen desire to feel differently–to feel peace, strength and happiness–and to share what I learned with other people. I’ve been boosting those skills since 2006, when I signed up for yoga teacher training.

Here’s some of my top take-aways I learned along the ever-calmer and stronger ride—and now teach to others.

1. Labelling thoughts. Thoughts are thoughts; it doesn’t matter if they’re worrying ones, planning ones, rehashing ones, or imagining ones. We can practice labelling our thoughts as simply “thinking,” or get more specific with “worrying,” “rehashing,” “planning,” or imagining. Either way, by labelling them we often find some space between our essential, ultimately calm and strong selves, and our worrying mind. The labels help us to recognize what’s happening and take charge of what’s happening in our head, rather than letting our monkey mind run the show. “I’m imagining, and I know I do that when I’m worried or feeling anxiety. It doesn’t actually help. So I’m going to let those thoughts go, and move onto something else.”

2. Be here now.The best something else we can move onto is this present moment. This moment, though it might seem overwhelming, can become a tool for anchoring into grounded stability and strength. Mindfulness techniques using our senses enable us to focus our attention and intention.

  • Sight. What do you see? If you’re supposed to be concentrating on talking to your son, daughter, or even a group of work colleagues but you feel unable to focus, try lasering in on one visual aspect: a forehead, pen, or friendly face.
  • Sound. This works the same way. Try lasering in on the sound of someone’s voice, or a sound outside the room.
  • Touch. What do you feel? Bring your intention and attention to one sensation you can physically feel–your toes moving in your shoes, or your fingertip on the table or presentation stand.
  • Smell. What can you smell? Try narrowing in on a scent that’s pleasing or even soothing to your aural palette. Lavender is a good one–you could even have some in your pocket.
  • Taste. This is my least favourite one, but it works, too. Pop a mint and keep on keepin’ on with whatever you’re doing, but noticing the tastes that arise on your tongue.

3. Walking meditation. Anytime you’re walking anywhere is a good time to practice mindfulness. Notice the sensations beneath your feet, when your heel connects with the floor and then your weight rolls to the ball of your foot. Just notice it, and you’ll notice yourself coming deeper into your physical experience of the moment, and out of your overwhelmed, anxious mind.

4. Multi-tasking myth. Nobody can truly do more than one thing at a time. (I like to talk on the phone while folding laundry or doing dishes, but, as my mom is quick to point out, when I do that the conversation is a lot less involved.) We’re most comfortable and calm when we’re mindful and that’s easiest to do when we’re doing one thing at a time. I know, it’s not always possible. But most of us can do less multi-tasking. Check email every 20 minutes instead of every time one comes in. Turn your cell phone alerts off so that you’re in charge of when you respond to texts or emails. Consider letting the phone ring if you’re in the middle of something. Give yourself permission to focus on what’s important to you.

5. Body boost. Our body is right here, right now. Bringing our attention and intention into our body is a highly effective way to counteract the overwhelmed response–where we feel scattered and unfocused. Simply notice what’s happening–especially around your neck and shoulders, chest and throat and stomach. Are your ears up around your neck? Is your throat constricted? Is your breath stuck in your chest and is your stomach tense?

6. Get physical. Once you’ve noticed what’s happening in your body, you’re already halfway towards counteracting the overwhelmed response. The mind and emotions are not separate from the body. They are somatic. So changing your physical reactions will change your emotional-mental reactions. Want proof? Smile. Hold it for at least six seconds. Notice the physiological reactions. So when you notice your shoulders up around your ears, let them drop. When your breath is stuck up in your chest, take your inhale and exhale all the way down to your belly. Feel the difference.

7. Use your breath. On that note, long, deep yoga breathing brings balance to your nervous system by activating the calming systems in your body, including our parasympathetic nervous system, while de-activating the activating systems in our body, including our sympathetic nervous system.

8. Use your breath II. Need something more powerful? When I need to really bring up and let go of some deep stress or tension I do a minute or two of rounds of deep exhales through my mouth.

9. Practice loving-kindness. You are who you are for a reason. We come into this life with mental and emotional patterns (samskaras, in yoga-speak) that I believe can help teach us how to be the best we can be—even ones we perceive as negative. Every worrying pattern, stress pattern, or losing your temper pattern is a tool that we can use to evolve towards our best selves. How? Loving-kindness. Surround that ‘negative’ reaction with unconditional love. Instead of beating ourselves up for feeling overwhelmed, anxious or angry, we just sit with that feeling, noticing everything there is to notice about it. Getting curious about it. “So this is overwhelmed. Huh. I feel this in my stomach, this way in my chest, this way behind my eyes. I seem to be having a hard time accepting the fact that I feel this way. I’m going to shift that into accepting that I feel this way—because feeling this way is an indication of my deeply open, ultimately loving nature.”

10. Lovingly let go. Once we get into the habit of practicing loving-kindness towards ourselves and our patterns, we can get into the habit of letting those patterns go. Because, as Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung said “What we resist persists.” When we stop resisting our patterns, and instead dive right into them, they minimize and sometimes even vamoose—all on their own.

Good luck! I sincerely hope you found these de-stress yoga tips helpful,

Lindsey

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Are you Weak or Tight?

February 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

{Isn’t this an amazing video of Joseph Encinia, 2011 World Champion of the Bishnu Ghosh Cup?
He subscribes to a slightly different yoga philosophy of 99% practice, 1% theory…}

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[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Mariska Breland, founder and instructor of Fuse Pilates, where she reminds us of some essential principles of muscle anatomy.]

A fundamental truth of anatomy is that an overly tight muscle (or connective tissue) will inhibit its opposing muscle’s strength.

What was once the result of MS-related weakness for me has become a structural issue from walking not-quite-right for years, to walking flat-out-wrong for a few years beyond. Structural issues are formed from habits. These habits can range from anything, for instance, from talking on the phone too much (creating that kink in the neck) to poor posture. Today, unless I’m standing, my ankle doesn’t come up to a 90 degree angle towards my leg and doing a calf stretch for 5 to 10 minutes twice a day at this point won’t cut it. I found that as much as I tried to strengthen the muscles to flex my foot, it wasn’t working because the tightness in the back of my leg wouldn’t allow it.

This can also happen in women (and some adventuresome gents…Prince comes to mind), that live in their high heels (another form of habit). Wearing high-heeled shoes will cause shortening of the calf muscles and Achilles tendons. In addition, heels shift the pelvis into an undesirable position, though simultaneously making your legs look awesome. Those trendy heels I used to love aren’t so good for balanced leg muscles which yoga and Pilates are ideal for maintaining.

Think about it like this: If your bicep is contracting, it shortens, so your tricep has to lengthen. If both contracted at the same time, your arm couldn’t bend.

Why do muscles get tight?

The simplest reason muscles become tight is that they aren’t stretched or taken through their range of motion sufficiently. The cause may also be neurological as a reaction to things like stress, or it could be a biomechanical problem where the body will tighten around a joint that it recognizes as unstable to protect from further injury.

Other causes of tightness include overuse, which can produce micro tears in the muscles. Those tears result in the muscles tightening to protect themselves. It is also possible to overstretch. When the body feels you are over-stretching, it activates the stretch reflex where the muscle contracts to stop you from injuring it during overly ambitious stretch exercises.

Of course, it could always be a combination of more than one thing.

How to fix a muscle that’s weak?

When you properly stretch a tight muscle (and the surrounding connective tissue), its antagonist muscle (the one that does the opposite job), theoretically can spontaneously increase in strength. In addition to regular Pilates and yoga, there are devices you can use to harness the stretch, such as the stretch brace that I now wear for hours and hours and hours on end, all with the goal of stretching out the tight leg muscles that are making my foot flexion difficult.

The ultimate goal: No pain and walking with a better gait, even when fashion wins over dorsiflexion and I break out the high heels.

A Tip: The next time you feel weak in one body part, look at the one that does the opposite motion and ask yourself, are you weak or tight? Or maybe both?

Stay hard core,

Mariska

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About Fuse Pilates

Fuse Pilates, developed in 2005 by fitness expert Mariska Breland, builds on traditional Pilates exercises and teaching styles with an original, fun, and highly effective twist on Pilates mat and apparatus classes. Prompted by the growing popularity of the Fuse Pilates method, Breland partnered with Roxanna Hakimi and Sormeh Youssefieh to open the Fuse Pilates Playground in Washington DC’s trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood in June 2011. Each Fuse class is different, uniquely customized to student requests and choreographed to upbeat music. Classes offer an intense yet approachable method of mat, tower, reformer and chair instruction, along with private coaching and wellness counseling for beginner to expert levels. Fuse Pilates’ highly trained and experienced instructors concentrate on 360 degrees of the body to shape and create beautifully-toned physiques while promoting overall health and wellness. To learn more about Fuse Pilates visit http://www.fusepilates.com/.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fusepilates  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FusePilates

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A Yoga Sanctuary with the Five Elements

January 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Sarah Oxley, who shares some insight on how to create a sanctuary for your home yoga practice.] 

I’ve been doing yoga classes for a year now, and soon after I first started I also began a daily yoga practice at home. This wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be since I didn’t have the space to do some of the asanas I really wanted to try out. Most of the time I was worrying about knocking something over or being too close to items in the room. I tried clearing rooms and moving furniture to make more space, which did the trick space-wise, but I still couldn’t find the same focus and calm I often experienced in class.

After some research into ways to find inner calm I discovered the concept of the five elements. This ancient Chinese philosophy consists of surrounding yourself with the entirety of the five elements of water, fire, earth, metal, and wood. It was these elements that got me thinking about other spaces and areas in my home where I might be able to enjoy my home practice. Keeping the five elements in mind, I decided to try practicing yoga in the garden.

Practicing outdoors does present some challenges, especially in a colder climate where I live, so the next best thing came to mind: maybe I’ll practice in the garden shed. I cleared the shed out, gave it a good cleaning, placed an old sheet on the floor with my yoga mat on top, and included a portable electric heater to keep me warm. Although the shed served quite well as a quiet and spacious area to practice yoga, I still wanted to incorporate the five elements into my surroundings.

From my research I discovered that the five elements have two cycles: 1) the cycle of creating;  and 2) the cycle of overcoming. They interact differently with each other depending on which cycle you follow. As yoga is a creative activity, I decided to focus on the creating cycle in which wood feeds fire, fire creates earth, earth bears metal, metal carries water, and water nourishes wood. The wood of the garden shed is my sanctuary, the heater and some scented candles represent fire. I often have the candles surrounding me in a circle. Some plants have been placed on the small window sill of the shed to symbolise earth, and I’ve bought a small water feature. I find the sound of the running water highly relaxing. Metal was a difficult element to include. I finally settled on following my water theme and focusing on sound. A wooden wind chime with metal tubes represents the element of metal in my humble sanctuary.

Although I realise this method of using the five elements is very loosely based on the Chinese philosophy of Wu Xing and is solely my own personal interpretation of it, I find it helps me not only in my yoga but in my daily life. I am more at ease and less likely to panic when faced with a difficult situation, and when a stressful event does pop up I think back to my time in my garden shed and visualise the flames of the candles, the sound and look of the metal chime and water feature, the smell and feel of the wood, and the company of my humble bonsai trees.

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A few resources on the Five Elements (Wu Xing):

A little inspiration for your own yoga sanctuary:

Filed Under: guest post, yoga Tagged With: , , ,

Yoga: A Natural Remedy for Back Pain

December 11, 2011 By 6 Comments

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OmLight Photography by Jim Campbell

[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Lexi of Lexi Yoga.]

Back aches and pains are pretty common these days. Pills and medications can bring immediate relief, but may not be enough to remove the root cause for such excruciating pain. The cause could be due to any number of reasons – being overweight, living a sedentary life style, crouching in front of your computer for too long, or even having an upset stomach.

Yoga is a natural remedy that cultivates a balance between flexibility and strength in your body, which is usually the root cause of back pain. Many people have tension along the spine, hips and shoulder area. Including yoga in your daily life can do wonders to any type of pain, either physical or emotional, as yoga helps to release all the stress and toxins within your muscles and organs.

Here are some specific yoga postures to help relieve back pain. Please consult with your doctor if you have any specific injuries or sharp pains. There are various variations and props that a qualified teacher can provide for any circumstance.

Supta Matsyendrasana/Supine Spinal Twist

Supta Matsyendrasana helps to release any cramps and tension along your back and helps to clear your bowels. Lie straight on your back, hands by your side, inhale through the nose and exhale through your mouth. Bring both knees to your chest. Turn both legs on one side while you turn your head and upper body towards the opposite side; breathe normally through the nose in this state for ten counts. Slowly come back to original position after ten and relax. You can repeat both sides a few times. This is a wonderful posture to do before you get up in the morning, and before bedtime, as it helps to re-align your spine.

Padahastasana/Hands to Feet Pose:

Padahastasana is a standing pose, so stand straight with bare feet on even ground. Raise your hands straight above your head, inhale through your nose and exhale through mouth. Now bend forwards and try to touch your toes, breathe normally in this position to a count of ten. Slowly come back to the standing position while you are exhaling, place your hands down by your side. Repeat this posture 2-3 times if you feel fine.

Anuvittasana/Standing Backward Bend:

The next posture is Anuvittasana, which flows nicely after Padahastasana. Remain standing up straight, grounding your feet to the floor, place the palm of your hands on your lower back behind you, inhale through nose and exhale through mouth; bend backwards as far as possible arching your body. At the same time try to bring both the elbows as close as possible behind you; stay and breathe normally for ten counts in this position. Do not swing back, but come back slowly and gently, to your regular standing position. You can repeat this 2-3 times, depending on how comfortable you feel.

Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose:

Bhujangasana is a great back strengthening pose. Lie on your stomach, rest your head on your hands folded under your head; rest on your chin, inhale through nose and exhale through mouth. Place the palms of your hands close to your chest with the elbows striving to meet behind you, now raise your head and bend backwards without lifting your stomach. Try to look back as much as possible. Stay in the position and breathe normally for ten counts and then gently come back to original position, put your hands under your head and rest it on one side. You can repeat this asana 2-3 times and even increase the counts if you feel comfortable doing it.

All the above asanas work to stretch out your back and release tension along the spine, shoulders and hips. The sequence of postures help to revive the blood circulation to areas where it is scanty or has been blocked. Blockage of blood circulation is almost always a primary cause for health ailments. Practicing yoga on a daily basis can be your natural remedy to back pain relief.

Yoga not only helps with aches, pains, and discomforts, it can also lengthen, tone, and stretch your body from head to toe, improving your posture, which can naturally make you look and feel taller. [For more, check out - Can Yoga Make you Taller?]

Written by: LexiYoga

Filed Under: guest post, yoga Tagged With: ,
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