Author: yogideetz

National Yoga Month

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As we say goodbye to September, I’d like to note that September is actually National Yoga Month! To honor it, I’d like to present a few health benefits you can get from yoga:

1. Increases Flexibility

As you stretch and move through the yoga sequences, you’ll notice that over time, your body becomes more and more flexible. You’ll notice one day you were only able to touch your fingers to your shins, then a few weeks later your fingers grace your toes. Maybe after a few more weeks you can touch your toes to your knees!

As your muscles stretch and become more flexible, you may notice a decrease in pain in certain areas of your body too. Stretching and strengthening areas of your body, like your core, can help protect and reverse pain in other areas, such as your lower back!

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2. Builds Muscle

With flexibility also comes strength. Throughout your practice, especially those chatarungas, you’ll notice certain muscle groups become stronger. As those muscle groups become stronger, they’ll work to protect other parts of your body. Strengthening your thigh and calf muscles can help to protect your knees, for example.

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3. Improves Posture

This ebb and flow of strength and flexibility create a natural stacking in your spine and bones. Your alignment and posture naturally improve because each posture feels better when it is in proper alignment. Tuning into your body and really noticing how it feels in certain poses will help to improve your posture and protect your body from injuries and strain.

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4. Improves Breathing

The breath is one of the most basic and yet key aspects of the yoga practice, and of life! Through the melding of the breath and movement in each yoga pose, the practice opens your awareness allowing you to notice how you are breathing. This allows you to not only maintain but also improve your lung capacity. The longer you practice pranayama as well as the asana of yoga (that is, the breath and poses), the more you will notice you can breathe in for longer counts and exhale completely. This will help increase the amount of oxygen in your body.

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5. Strengthens Bones

Certain poses, such as chatarunga and headstands, help the strengthen your bones. These poses are weight-bearing poses which force the bones, as well as the muscles, to really work to hold up the body. Plank is a good pose not only to help improve bone strength but also to strengthen the core muscles.

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6. Improves Joint Health

Like Tai Chi, yoga can help with joint pain. The flow through the yoga asanas really help lubricate the joints by stimulating synovial fluid. This fluid helps in the movement of your joints, so you don’t get bone to bone friction.

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These are just a few of the health benefits of yoga. Yoga not only helps the body physically, but it helps the mind too. By allowing the mind to be more present, the practitioner, or yogi, can really observe their body through the yoga sequence.

Yoga is ultimately a holistic practice, truly helping improve mind, body and spirit.

So Happy National Yoga Month to you all! I hope you continue to choose your own yoga adventure!

*All images from Google Images

 

International Yoga Day

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On December 11th, 2014, the UN General Assembly declared June 21st to be the International Day of Yoga. The declaration was a result of a call by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to make June 21st the International Day of Yoga. To the Assembly, Mr. Modi stated: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition . It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. ”

June 21st, 2015 was the first official International Day of Yoga. Over 175 nations supported and sponsored the event. Celebrations included large scale community classes made available throughout many countries including the U.S., India, and Kenya. Making yoga available to the masses is one of the main goals of International Yoga Day. While many countries embrace yoga, access can be an issue. By providing free community classes, this day allows everyone to experience the magic of yoga. In 2016, the celebrations continued. Yoga studios around the world offered free classes the entire day as well as large scale community classes.

Let us hope this tradition continues to grow each year, allowing yoga to touch and heal the world around us. Embrace and celebrate the yogi within and remember to always respect where you are at. I look forward to celebrating each year and sharing yoga with everyone in my community.

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Yoga Props

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Yoga props can be a valuable addition to a yoga practice. BKS Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar yoga and one of the foremost yoga experts in the world, was a large proponent of using props throughout one’s yoga practice, especially beginners.

Yoga props can provide extra support and comfort when needed. They had also allow for deeper reaches in certain postures.

Props are usually straps (towels can be used in lieu of formal straps), blocks, and bolsters. Straps and bolsters are used to create extension and comfort, respectively. Straps and bolsters can also be used to allow for better alignment in specific poses. Blocks are used to support specific poses as well as to create more depth in them, especially in poses with twists.

I’ve tried three types of blocks each made from different materials, wood, cork and foam. The two best types were the cork and foam blocks. The wood type was best for supportive poses but not as great for creating depth. The foam block (purple pictured below) was great to use in poses which need more support, like seated poses, or poses which may require more depth, like half-pigeon pose. The foam material really allowed for both support and some give, so sitting on the block felt comfortable. The cork block (pictured left below) was best for support in standing, twisting poses as well as for creating depth in the twists.Displaying IMG_5332.JPGDisplaying IMG_5332.JPG

Overall, either block you chose will be helpful. All props are helpful in their own way and can really improve a yoga practice. Props will only help the yogi get the best out of his or her own practice. Props should not be seem as a crutch, but as a support method to help your body reach new poses and new depth.

Yoga for Back Pain

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Chronic back pain is a common issue attended to by many physicians. While there are many medications available to manage pain, there are also very simple, low impact exercises that can reduce or even eliminate mild back pain all together.

Yoga is a great form of exercise that can ease pain and discomfort throughout the body. The great thing about yoga is that it allows one to focus on specific areas of the body if needed. There are many yoga poses that focus on stretching out the back muscles, thus potentially easing or eliminating back pain.

Here are some poses that can ease and reduce back pain (images from Google images):

Cat-cow

Start on your hands and knees with your spine neutral (think of your back as a table top). Use your breath to move between the two poses, breathing in during cow pose and out during cat pose. Move slowly and with intention.

Benefits of cat-cow:

  • Improves balance and coordination
  • Strengthens and stretches the spine and neck
  • Stretches the hips, abdomen and back
  • Massages and stimulates the kidneys and adrenal glands
  • Relieves stress and calms the mind

Downward facing dog

Press equally between your hands and feet. Press back, pulling your chest towards your thighs. Bend the knees and elbows to reduce pressure in the shoulders. Pull your heels towards the mat or floor (it is not required for your heels to touch the mat/floor).

Benefits of downward facing dog:

  • Calms the brain, relieves stress
  • Energizes the body
  • Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
  • Strengthens the arms and legs

Half Pigeon (do pose on each side)

From downward facing dog take your right leg towards your arms and bring the leg down flat with your foot on the outer edge, facing the left hand. Square your hips and bend your right knee as much as is comfortable. Keep your torso up or fold it to the ground, being sure to listen to your body and making sure that your body isn’t feeling any pain. Repeat this pose with the left leg.

Benefits of half pigeon:

  • Stretches out hip rotators and flexors
  • Stretches out lower back and spine
  • Relieves tension

Standing forward fold

Stand with your feet together or slightly apart (about two fists distance), whichever feels more balanced. Gently fold from your hips, bending your knees as much as feels good. Take your hands to the floor or hold opposite elbows, using your arms to frame your head. Sway from side to side, slightly twisting at the waist. Settle into the forward fold, allowing gravity to pull your head and spine towards the ground. Stand in this pose as long as feels good. Roll your spine up slowly, one vertebrae at a time, coming into mountain pose (tadasana).

Benefits of forward fold:

  • Helps relieve stress
  • Stimulates the liver and kidneys
  • Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips
  • Strengthens the thighs and knees
  • Reduces anxiety

Supine twist (do pose on each side)

Lay flat on your back. Keep your left leg straight, take your right knee into your torso, and use your left arm to pull your knee to the left side. Take your right arm out to the right side, keeping your right shoulder blade to the floor, turning your head towards the right. You can take both knees bent together and twist them as well, whichever feels better for your lower back. Repeat this pose with the left leg.

Benefits of supine twist:

  • Helps release the lower back
  • Opens tight shoulders
  • Elongates spinal muscles
  • Calms the mind

Ease into each pose and create your own flow. Take time in each pose. Be sure to breathe deeply into each pose and if there is any pain adjust or come out of the pose.

Be sure to get professional medical advise before using these poses to treat any chronic or severe back pain.

Yoga for Weight Loss

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Weight loss is a common denominator as a reason to initiate physical activity. There are so many quick weight loss programs on the market, with diet pills and juice cleanses, it is surprising anyone considers becoming physically active in the first place.

Yoga can be a very good, easy transition from a relatively sedentary life to a more active one. Rather than rush to the gym and join a P90X class (note, I am not against P90X or any other high calorie burning activity) one can have a smoother transition into physical activity. Why not try doing some yoga? Sounds simple enough, right?

Yoga is the perfect blend of cardio and strength building which is highly recommended to lose weight, tone the body, and gain muscle mass. While a regular yoga practice won’t lead you to be completely ripped or muscle man competition ready, it will help you become healthier, stronger, and help tone your body.

The best way to use yoga to successfully lose the weight is to remember that yoga ISN’T FOR WEIGHT LOSS. The purpose of yoga is to meditate and relax. If you only want to lose weight, yoga isn’t going to be the miracle exercise. Also, start slow. Don’t jump into a 110 degree 90 minute Bikram yoga session every day if you haven’t already practiced some form of yoga (especially if you haven’t experience any versions of hot yoga). Start with slow, show flows to ease your body into the poses and the allow your mind to get used to the relaxation and meditation.

Ultimately, to lose weight you will have to change more than the level of physical activity. Losing weight is done by having a full lifestyle change. Changing all habits, from eating to physical activity is the only way you will get to the healthy weight you want. Yoga is a perfect addition to this lifestyle change as it will help balance your mental health and physical health.

For yoga sequences for weight loss, do a quick search on YouTube. You’ll find anything from a 10 minutes sequence to a 90 minute one. Try them out and find something you like! You’ll only stick with something if you enjoy it.

Meditation vs. Yoga

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The idea of sitting still for a fixed amount of time can seem fairly intimidating, even for yoga veterans. The popularity of meditation has not reached its peak as the physical practice of yoga asana (yoga poses) has. Meditation and yoga are actually supposed to be practiced simultaneously. The main goal of both meditation and yoga is to focus on the here and now. The separation of meditation and yoga may lead to one not receiving the full benefits of a practice. So many of the popular yoga practices, and even well versed yogis, don’t take enough time to simply be still and present.

The issue arises from our society’s emphasis on movement. We are constantly reinforced for multi-tasking, working harder, and just constantly being on the go. Even when it comes to health, the more you move, the better, right? What about balancing that movement with stillness? How can we balance our physical movement with mental stillness?

That is where meditation comes in. While stillness is unappreciated and undervalued, it is the one thing that can bring peace to our chaotic lives.

Meditation brings us many different benefits, both physical and mental.

Some of the physical benefits include:

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Reduces anxiety attacks
  • Decreases tension-related pain
  • Improves mood and behavior
  • Improves the immune system
  • Increases the energy level

Some of the mental benefits include:

  • Decrease in anxiety
  • Improves emotional stability
  • Increases creativity and happiness
  • Gain clarity/peace of mind
  • Increases focus

To experience the benefits of meditation, regular practice is necessary. Just like yoga, it takes only a few minutes every day. It can and should be paired with an asana practice. Beginners to meditation, like yoga, should focus on the breath. While thoughts may enter the mind, visit them then let them go, refocusing on breathing. This will help you focus on the here and now rather than things in the past or future.So take a few minutes at your work desk or at home, in the morning or evening, and just be still.

Starting Your Yoga Practice

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In today’s world of fifteen minute abs and diet pills, starting a healthy, physical exercise routine can be daunting. Between work, the kids’ soccer practice, dance recitals, and making dinner, who has the time to dedicate to a yoga practice. It’s hard enough to try and find time for a morning run, let a lone an hour to do yoga.

Well, first things first. You don’t need an hour! One can get the complete benefits of an hour long practice in a 15-20 minute time frame. The only caveat is one must be completely focused on their practice during that time.

The first thing you need to do when starting a yoga practice is learn to focus on the breath. By focusing on the breath, you will be able to be more present. As you move through each pose, allow your mind to wander as it naturally does in the moment, but bring it back to the breath. Focus on your breathing and you’ll find your mind will open and your body will start to relax. Try taking a few minutes out of your day and just focus on your breathing. Move from short breaths to longer, deeper breaths. See how that feels in your body, feel the changes in your muscles and joints. Really focus on how the change in breathing affects different parts of your body.

Another issue that always comes up is the poses. If you don’t feel like you’re a flexible person, yoga can be an intimidating activity. Trying to balance on your shoulders or your head can seem pretty impossible if you’re having a hard time simply sitting with your legs crossed. This is the vicious cycle that we fall into, we aren’t flexible so we don’t think we can even make an attempt at doing something that may help us become more flexible. The great thing about yoga is that there are poses and modifications for ALL LEVELS! If it’s your first class or if it is your 100th class, you CAN do yoga. If attempting to do your first downward facing dog hurts or feels uncomfortable, put your knees down. It’s okay! The goal of yoga isn’t to get into a specific pose, the goal is to create space, to release tension, and to open up your mind. Don’t judge yourself based on the person next to you in a yoga class, focus on yourself.

If going to a yoga studio is too intimidating, that’s okay too. There are so many great videos on YouTube or Yoga Social websites like DoYouYoga.com. They have series and single flow series. You can find pretty much any type of yoga routine you’re looking for, from the very basics to the most advanced!

So take a deep breath and dive in! You’ll never regret it!

Cervical Traction: One of Many Benefits

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Neck pain has become a growing problem in our modern day society as we humans become more sedentary. As people are working more on computers, our necks are being maintained in more sedentary and flexed forward positions for long periods of time. This flexed forward position puts continual pressure on the front part of the inter-vertebral disc in the neck see. This continuous and constant pressure at the front of the disc leads to mechanical failure of the disc. This mechanical failure causes degenerative disc disease and can cause the disc to bulge to the sides and backwards into the spinal nerves and into the spinal canal and sometimes can lead to compression of the spinal cord. This degeneration can then cause increased pressure on the facet joints at the back of the spine which can lead to degeneration or arthritis in the facet joints leading to more neck pain. Gravity then causes a continuous downward pressure reinforcing the degeneration in the cervical spine of the neck.

Moving the neck in the opposite direction, opposing the downward force of gravity with an upward force, can take the pressure off of the disc and take pressure off of the cervical facet joints. This will not only relieve pressure and pain but can assist with reversing the disc bulging and degeneration.
There is no blood flow into the cervical facet joints or into the cervical disc. The disc are known to be the largest avascular structures in the body. This means they are the largest structures in the body that do not have blood flowing to them. Almost all the structures in the human body (the organs, bones, skin, etc.) receive their nutrients from the blood and get rid of their waste products into the blood. The cervical disc and the discs throughout the spine receive their nutrients from diffusion from surrounding tissue. This occurs when there is negative pressure in the disc such as when the spine is stretched. When the neck is moved in the opposite direction of gravity or upwards this creates a negative pressure in the disc allowing the nutrients to be reabsorbed into the disc and the negative pressure will also cause reabsorption of bulging or protruding disc.
How can the neck removed in the opposite direction appropriately and safely?

Cervical Traction. Cervical traction can effectively and safely provide just the right amount of force and pressure relief in the appropriate direction to assist with reducing and relieving neck pains, improving degenerative cervical spine conditions, and potentially preventing the disabling neck problems which are becoming common in our modern day society.

Comfortably relaxing in a cervical traction unit for 15 to 20 minutes per day just 2 to 3 days a week is all that may be needed.