Live Your Yoga: Making A Decision, Part 1

I have struggled with decisions. Especially the big ones.

Questions such as:

  • should I be a single mom
  • should I stay in this relationship
  • should I leave my job
  • should I end this friendship

Even if we’re not up against a “major” life decision, we face a myriad of choices every day. We all want to make “good” choices. But what does that mean? And how can our yoga practice help?

In this three part blog, we’ll look at the three tools that are unveiled in the The Bhagavad Gita, one of the yoga tradition’s most beloved texts. The Gita is a smaller part of a huge epic called The Mahabharata. 

To set the stage, in the Gita, our hero, Arjuna, is a warrior who is faced with a terrible decision: should he take up arms and fight a battle against his own family? Although his cause is just, the destruction will be great.

Arjuna is our everyman. Just as him, we too are embroiled in our own daily battles. Right now, think of a battle/choice that is currently in your “field.” Pause for a moment to consider your quandary. In our conflicts, the “right” choice is often obscured in ambiguity. All options seem terrible. The outcome is uncertain. How do we choose? And how can we be yogis when our actions may create pain?

Arjuna’s first instinct is to simply not act. He throws down his weapons. (Can you relate to this desire?) Arjuna turns to his friend, Krishna (a god), who is his charioteer to beg for guidance. Once Arjuna has opened himself to instruction, Krishna lays down some wisdom to help guide Arjuna to his best path. Through the Gita, Krishna lays out three paths for being a practicing yogi in the world.

Krishna represents our higher power, our inner voice of wisdom, our inner sage. Even in the midst of battle – perhaps most keenly in the midst of battle – we can uncover our highest self.

Path 1: Jnana Yoga

Simply stated, know your true self.

You are not your thoughts, your feelings, your body, or your ego. You are not the habitual thought/feeling patterns that make up your personality. Rather, the True Self is the power of Consciousness that lies behind all of these mini-dramas and fluctuations. Imagine that you have gone to a movie: as a spectator, you are caught up in the the drama of the story. But that personality on the screen is not you. While that little character is having its dramatic escapades, you are safe in you chair, watching. Your true self is the Witness, the Seer, the Observer.

Try it. You may set a 5-minute timer.

  • Come into a meditation seat and close your eyes.
  • Start to watch your thoughts and feelings arise and go.
  • Can you create space to watch them arise, without getting caught up in them?
  • Who is the Watcher?

When you can begin to watch your thoughts, you will begin to realize just how compulsive your mind actually is! It chases its own tail: reliving victories and defeats, anxiously scrabbling for control, and “hamster-wheeling” through thought cycles. The mind constantly compares. It creates names, labels, judgments and patterns. However, as soon as our minds begin to dissect reality, we lose our ability to experience the totality of what actually IS. Our minds are too busy comparing what we’re experiencing to everything that we have already experienced to take in the present moment unvarnished.

Try this: open experiencing.

  • Take yourself on a walk, preferably outside.
  • Breathe. Take in the world through your senses as it is. You will need to slow down.
  • Experience the world freshly, avoid stories and labels.
  • Stay in the space of open experiencing, without expectation or interpretation.

Once you have settled into the space of the Experiencer (rather than the experience), consider: how does your battle feel now? From your higher perspective, what choice is the most elevated?

Stay tuned for Part 2.

For Yoga Teachers: How To Have An Uncomfortable Conversation

How often do you put off or totally avoid having difficult conversations? You know the ones you’ve been intending to have:

  • asking management for more classes
  • taking time off
  • studio policies
  • addressing student complaints, or
  • replacing props

Does the mere thought of speaking up or asking the studio for what you want create a knot in your stomach? Last week, I was working with one of my favorite yoga teachers, Natalie, who was very upset with the studio managers:

I can’t believe the manager is trying to schedule me for all evening classes again. I’ve requested more day classes for the past six months.  I know other teachers were given more daytime classes. And….the studio still hasn’t gotten any new mats!! Obviously, I’m not valued or respected.

I asked Natalie if she had recently spoken to the studio manager about the issue and she responded,

I don’t know what to say. What if she gets upset her angry with me? I’d love to leave, but I really need a good relationship with this studio. Is there a nice way for me to phrase it?

As she continued expressing her concerns, I pointed out that her worries had little to do with the studio manager’s feelings. Natalie was simply looking for a way to avoid feeling uncomfortable. 

What do you mean?” she asked.

As we continued to talk, Natalie realized her number one fear is that her employer will not be happy with what she has to say. The conversation might also stir up conflicting opinions or feelings, and Natalie may even be on the receiving end of criticism or judgment.

Her discomfort deepened as she started to question if expressing herself or asking for something was simply just wrong. 

Am I being unreasonable?  Is it selfish to ask for a schedule change? I should probably just let it go and deal with the evening classes.

If you find yourself in this position – wanting to say something but feeling anxious and avoiding the conversation – realize the first step is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Recognizing and accepting what you’re feeling, versus running away and avoiding it, makes a big difference. These acknowledgments will actually make your situation less uncomfortable. 

Here are my top 10 tips to get you on the road to speaking up and pushing through the discomfort.

  • Don’t put off the conversation.  If you find yourself repeatedly promising you’ll address it next time, now is the time to speak up.  It’s much easier to tackle conversations as situations present themselves.  Not only can you resolve and move past the issue faster but you will also escape the inner chatter that continues as long as you stay silent.
  • Set up a time to have the conversation – no surprises.  You could say, for example,  “There’s something important I wanted to discuss with you.  Is now a good time or is there another time that works better for you?”
  • Be clear about your intention, concerns and feelings upfront.  For example:  “It’s awkward to bring this up and I don’t want to upset you, but I feel it’s important to talk it through.” 
  • Set up the conversation to put the other person at ease from the start. You are setting the tone for the conversation so they are prepared and open to listening. For example: “I want to share with you what’s on my mind and get your feedback. I realize you may have a different perspective and I want to hear you and understand.
  • Be graceful in the conversation. If the other person gets defensive or upset when you speak to them, it probably means you are using too many definitive statements. Qualify your statements with lines like, “I don’t know if it’s true, but this is how I perceived it.”
  • Focus on speaking directly and put your feelings and requests on the table. If you leave the conversation feeling you didn’t fully express yourself and ask for what you want, then you probably used too much tact.
  • When setting up the conversation, start with assuming it’s you. This has nothing to do with being right or wrong, but about never assuming you know what the other person is thinking or feeling. Come from a place of simply wanting to hear what they have to say so you have a better shot at being heard – it usually works.

When you communicate something difficult and it goes badly, it’s usually because there is an accusation in it or an assumption about something they did. If you start with assuming that you bear responsibility, it typically keeps the other person from getting defensive. For example, “I’m not sure if this is true but…”

  • Listen with an open mind, just as you’d want them to listen to you. Put yourself in their shoes and understand what they experienced. The point is to “get” their version. You don’t have to agree, you just have to understand. Acknowledge (and if appropriate apologize) for your part in their negative experience.
  • This isn’t about being perfect, being right, winning or avoiding a fight. It’s about being mature, honest and building better relationships. It’s about being a leader with your communication style.
  • Every conversation will not go as you planned or even as you wanted. It’s also okay to make mistakes at this. It’s okay to need more than one conversation to get it right. It’s okay to be successful with some people and not so successful with others. Remember this is like building a muscle so start with conversations that are slightly uncomfortable for you and build to the harder ones.

Need more help?

Contact me for a free 15-minute consult for additional or specific support!

Five tips for Practicing A Yoga Headstand Safely

Sirsasana, king of the asana!

Sirsasana and Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) have gotten a bad rap in the past few years. Teachers have become worried about placing pressure on the head and neck – and with good reason! The neck is not meant to bear the weight of the entire body, and certainly not when it’s crooked at a 90 degree angle (which is why you must always prop yourself in Sarvangasana! But that’s for another post).

Sirsasana is a doozy of a pose. Practiced correctly, it is both invigorating as well as calming. However, to protect your neck, you need to keep a few essential guidelines in mind.

Align Your Neck

Your neck should be in its natural, neutral alignment, that is, it needs a slight lordotic curve to be safe. Your neck is happiest when weight can be distributed evenly across the discs. Make sure that the spot where your head meets the floor is at the crown of the head, so you are neither tucking or overextending your neck. If you have a long neck, prop your arms up with folded blankets so you’re not crunching your neck (see video).

Use Your Arms

That said, don’t put weight on your head! Put the weight into your forearms and press them down like a crazy person. Your shoulder girdle should bear the weight of the pose, not your neck. Pay attention to the weight in your forearms, particularly when you’re coming in and out of the pose. You’ll usually get excited and distracted by the entrance and dismount. Move slowly enough so that you can pay attention and press your forearms firmly down.

Have Your Own Back

Recruit the power of your upper back to stabilize your shoulder girdle (see video). If you can’t get your upper back to stay in, then you’re not ready to take your weight up. Work on getting your upper back more into your body until you stabilize your shoulder girdle to create the necessary stability to support your body weight. It’s perfectly fine to stay in a dolphin headstand until you can walk the feet in without the back “falling out.” Yes, I know hamstrings can be an issue.

Use Those Legs!

Activate your legs. Don’t let them just hang there like dead weight, yo! Use your legs to pull your weight up. Squeeze your legs together and go up, up, up. And don’t be impatient to get your legs off the wall; the wall is a sacred friend and will help you find proper alignment.

Be Patient

Sirsasana is an elegant, quiet pose. Getting up into the pose may require patience and tenacity. If you become agitated or anxious while trying it out, then back out. Sirsasana is a pose of control rather than exuberance (handstand is a bit more exuberant). And your weight is on your neck. So no kicking up or wild movement. And in case I haven’t been clear, use a wall. You have enough to think about without worrying about doing a somersault! See this video for step by step instructions.

Let me know if you have questions by leaving a comment below. Happy inverting!

How To Demonstrate Poses Effectively for Your Yoga Students

Stopping a class to demonstrate a complex pose is an excellent tool to teach key alignment points, inspire your students, and convey important information. While providing a visual guide to your students can be very useful, there is an art to creating an effective demo. Check out these five tips to rock your demonstrations and inspire your students.

Move Your Students

The first step – and the one most often neglected by teachers – is to move your students to where they can see you. Oftentimes teachers get shy about stopping the class. Be bold! Moving students can be like herding cats; they often don’t want to move (or don’t realize that they need to). Be clear about moving your students to where they can see you. Take charge of the room.

Do It For Them

This is a no brainer, but don’t demonstrate for yourself. Make sure the demonstration is for the benefit of your students. Check in with them through making eye contact, nodding, and looking for affirmative signs of understanding. Make sure they get it.

Offer Stages

Break down the pose that you’re demonstrating into at least two stages so that there is something for everyone. Affirm the goodness of each stage (“this is already a lot of work!”) so that students don’t feel badly if they can’t do the final variation. Be clear about how students should know if they should move onto the next stage. For example, say, “if you can keep your leg straight, then you can move onto…” rather than a vague invitation such as, “if you feel comfortable…” The more specific you are, the more you will empower your students to effectively evaluate their own practice.

Inspire without being a jerk

Doing a demonstration can be an opportunity to inspire your students to a new level of practice. But make sure to inspire them without demoralizing them or showing off. Remember: the demonstration is for their benefit. You want them to think, “I want to do that!” rather than, “I could never do that.” You can inspire your students by being clear and specific about the steps they need to take to ultimately do the pose. Even if they can’t do the final pose, they will feel empowered that they can see the route to get there.

Give Three Takeaways

After a demonstration, summarize the key points of the pose by giving your students no more than three simple take aways that will help them do the pose well. They won’t be able to keep more in their head than three! The art of great teaching is knowing how to be simple.

Happy teaching!

Is Your Yoga Practice Working?

It’s not what happens during your practice that matters. It’s how it impacts your life that counts.

~ Gloria Latham

We sometimes have this idea that yoga should feel good.

I remember a few years ago, I was chatting with someone who found out I was a yoga teacher. She sighed wistfully, “Oh that’s so lucky! You must practice every day. That’s so nice.”

I looked at her askance. “My practice is not at all relaxing,” I said. I was practicing ashtanga at the time, making my way through the second series. “It’s not fun. I don’t really enjoy it.”

And I didn’t. Practicing ashtanga was incredibly uncomfortable and tested all my physical and mental reserves. I stood at the front of the mat before practice and felt creeping dread. My brain wanted to be anywhere else. But the practice shifted the rest of my day, and my life.

When we ask ourselves if our practice is working, we may first think about our mastery of the physical poses. Or about how strong and light we feel when we practice. But ultimately the practice isn’t about getting our heels to the floor in downward facing dog or doing a press handstand.

Instead, we should ask:

  • am I centered?
  • am I kinder?
  • am I focused?
  • am I more present?

If so, you’re on the right track.

Yoga is not to be performed. Yoga is to be lived.

~ Aadil Palkhivala

Do your practice. Just show up. In whatever you find. Some days, practicing asana will feel light and free; some days you will feel as if your insides have been replaced with lead. Your practice will not develop in a linear pattern; you will circle back, fail, spiral, start again. No matter. Just show up. For five minutes or two hours. Success of failure. Just show up.

Because the quality of your practice isn’t determined by the “success” of your asana, but by your evolving connection to your heart.

 

 

I’ve Known Yogis Who Are Assholes

I’ve worked in the yoga “business” for about fifteen years. In addition to being a teacher, I’ve managed teachers, administrated studios, and run teacher trainings. So I’ve seen a lot of personalities.

And some yogis are assholes.

Sweet as pie at the front of the classroom, dark as an eastern storm behind the scenes. And not just young yogis, but veteran yogis who you’d think would have reached enlightenment if their scorpion pose were any indication. To the point where I’d look at them and think, “hey, isn’t this stuff working on you?”

Here’s the deal.

Yogis are human. Now some of you are going, yes, duh, we knew that, but I think that there is still a bit of mystical reverence for yoga, as if the practice can’t help but make you more spiritually awakened. Surely these yogis who have been refining their practice for twenty years must know something a bit more than Joe, who just showed up in the class wearing socks. And yoga is better spiritually than jogging or doing Crossfit, right?

No, people, no.

It’s not just doing yoga that is important. It’s how you do it that counts.

Yoga is different from jogging and Crossfit in that self-reflection is built into the practice (that said, I think it’s perfectly valid to “jog as a yogi” and practice mindfulness in any manner of other disciplines). But as I have learned on the farm, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Just because self-reflection is built into the yoga practice doesn’t mean that everyone who does yoga – including these teachers – is self-reflective.

Are you doing yoga so that you can arrive in the moment, soften your heart, quiet your mind, and feel your feelings? Awesome. Afterwards, you will probably feel squishy inside and you might stop to help the little old lady cross the street. Are you doing yoga so that you can instagram your handstand? Well, you might be in so much of a hurry to put that puppy online that don’t see the old lady in the first place.

Let’s talk about fancy poses. Fancy poses are awesome. You try them, they kick your ass, and your consistent efforts eventually lead you to an achievement. You feel good and proud and you are a living demonstration of human potential. Awesome, I love you, I want to give you kisses and high fives. Yes, my darling, Instagram that shit and share your light.

But where I see the fruits of your practice is really with that little ol’ lady.

How are you in the world after you practice? How do you feel in yourself after you practice?

This is an internal reality check, my dear, that only you can do. To truly know if your practice is working, look to how you act in the world. As one of my dear (non-Instagram famous) yoga teachers said, “What’s the point of yoga if it doesn’t make you a kinder person?”

Use Transitions To Transform Your Practice

I stick my butt out.

I don’t mean to, but somewhere along the way in high school, I learned to stand up straight by lifting my ribcage up and forward rather than actually find axial extension. (You rib poppers know you who you are, my brethren).) My lumbar curve became more pronounced, my sitting bones flared back, and presto chango, thirty years later and I have tight hip flexors and a tight lower back.

I believe that yoga practice is not about fancy poses (no matter how much we like to drool on the insta-web), and a consistent practice gives us a foundation the chance to see our patterns in action. Not only do we see our physical patterns (oh! I’m popping my ribs again!), we see our mental patterns as well (oh! I’m dwelling on my ex again!).

Usually we get into a pose before we notice that something isn’t quite right.

I get into warrior two and then I “fix” it by lengthening my sitting bones. But this is a little like constantly training our bodies to do the sub-optimal action, then impose a layer of tension over it to “fix it.”

Here’s what I’m playing with:

Integrate your new body pattern before you transition.

Transitions are typically when we mentally check out. After all, we’re moving, we’re supposed to get all the way over to triangle pose, thank you very much, can’t you see we have stuff going on here?

But when we integrate before the pose, our body gets to set a new habit pattern in advance. Rather than “fixing it,” we arrive in it. And what this might do is change how you do the pose completely. Instead of doing it the old way and adding something on top of it, you’re arriving in a new way.

Here’s how you give it a try:

Choose a thing that you do habitually that you’re curious to change.

If you’re not sure what it is, consider some of the following possibilities. Do you:

  • flare your ribs (like me!)
  • overextend your lumbar (me again!)
  • over tuck your sitting bones
  • collapse your inner arches of your feet (a classic)
  • elevate your shoulders (I think this is all of us)
  • habitually tighten your jaw (I do this, too).

Maybe one of these rings a bell for you.

If you’re not sure, consider if there are any cues that your yoga teacher always gives to you. “Brenda, relax your forehead!” or something like that.

Now here’s the thing: just choose this one thing. You’re not going to pay attention to a lot of other stuff in your practice, and you may lose sight of some other alignment/breathwork temporarily in order to bring this one thing to focus.

As you practice, make this one habit change your focus. Find it in the transitions; incorporate it before you move.

All this may mean working more slowly through your asana. Enjoy the time 🙂

Off that mat: see if you can notice the habit pattern throughout your day. Before you go and “fix yourself” take a breath and see if you can relax into the more open and aligned position.

Curious about how to teach transitions? See here.

I’ll Meet You at the Door: Accessible Yoga

At the yoga center where I sometimes teach in New York City, a woman called wanting to register for a four-week introduction to yoga course. She asked to speak to the manager. She wanted to know if it would be okay for her to come to the course because she was blind, and she had a dog. The manager said, “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be okay?” The woman said, “Well, I called many yoga centers and I was told no, that I couldn’t attend.” The manager said, “Just come. I’ll meet you at the door and make sure everything goes smoothly.” The woman completed the course, and all went well. She has continued coming to classes, and she told other blind people about the yoga center and so, those other people came. In fact, the yoga teacher friend who relayed this story to me, also told me that she had recently been teaching a class and at the end, she was shocked to realize that a dog had been in the room the entire time. She hadn’t even noticed.

What does it mean to make yoga accessible? Can it really be as easy as saying yes?

Of course, there are reasons for the “no”: Insurance. What if she gets hurt? What if I don’t know how to teach her? What if something happens with the dog? Maybe the other students will complain?  What if…what if…. The mind can come up with a myriad of reasons not to do something. Maybe the reasons are justified. Maybe they are simply fear. I don’t know. I do know about the feeling when you hear no. No, you can’t come in. No, this is not for you. No, you don’t belong. Somehow, I think most of us know about that feeling in some context. For me, that feeling prompts questions: Who is yoga for? Who belongs in a yoga class? Who can be comfortable attending, and who is excluded? What is the purpose of your own yoga teaching?

In September 2015, I attended the first ever Accessible Yoga Conference in Santa Barbara, California. The conference was born out of an idea to come together and share knowledge and experience around teaching yoga to people who didn’t usually have access to yoga. It had wonderful speakers, like Matthew Sanford of Mind Body Solutions; panels, like What a Yogi Looks Like: Yoga, Body Image and Diversity; and classes and workshops about how to teach to specific communities and how to welcome difference in your class.

Two things struck me about this conference. One, I noticed again and again. It was the inspiration of the attendees. The joy of joining all types of people with all types of bodies, just being together without barriers. Practicing yoga, all of us, together. It wasn’t a problem. It was a relief. As the keynote speaker, Matthew Sanford noted, “this is humanity disguised as a yoga conference.”  

The other thing was that the conference itself engaged those questions of purpose and access. As Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga says, “if you have a body and a mind, you can do yoga.” He doesn’t say, “if you have this or that kind of body and this particular kind of mind.” The question arises, then, how do we open beyond our own conditioning and limited beliefs? For me, I was eager to discuss and grapple with these questions among people who were also thinking about and working with these issues. I left energized, inspired, and motivated, which was the true gift of this conference.

Accessible Yoga has tapped into a longing for community and a wish to share the offerings of yoga. From that first conference, the attendees and presenters have continued sharing their resources, stories, and ideas. It sparked a global network which has grown to over 450 Accessible Yoga Ambassadors and 21 Facebook groups in 10 languages. In addition to numerous Accessible Yoga Trainings around the world (over 20 in 2018), this year there will be two conferences: one in Toronto, June 22-24 and the other in Germany, October 19-21.

Sometimes in our zeal to be good yoga teachers, to be helpful, we sometimes forget that our students are people. They are not problems that have to be managed. We don’t have to have all the answers. We can ask questions. We can work things out together. Sometimes we can just be together. Maybe the best thing that we can do is to open ourselves, our heart to this humanity. And say, yes. Yes, there is a place for you here. There is a space open. Come. I’ll meet you at the door.

For information about Accessible Yoga, please visit:   http://www.accessibleyoga.org

Love-hate relationship with wheel? A physiotherapist explores one reason deep yoga backbends may not work for some bodies.  

Managing a love-hate relationship with wheel pose

Wheel was always one of the poses that came easily to me in yoga. Despite my internally rotated hips limiting me in hip openers, I could do wheel and I could go as high as I wanted. However, as my yoga practice progressed through the years, I began to feel a vague whisper at the height of my wheel…something wasn’t quite right.

Soon after this, while at a power yoga retreat in Costa Rica, my instructor trialed an adjustment in which he did a very high cat pose under me to push me a little higher…unfortunately without asking me first about how I was feeling in the pose and whether I was open to the adjustment.

So impressed by the aesthetics of the pose, my fellow yogis asked me: “How did that feel?” I hesitated to be truthful as I didn’t want to put my teacher down, but quite honestly, it felt as if I had been pushed past the point of safety for my body.

Backbends are a key part of yoga practice.

They have many benefits including countering the flattening of lordosis (natural sway curve of the lower back) that slowly happens with prolonged sitting, stimulating the discs of the spine, stretching ligaments and muscles, and on an energetic level, opening the heart, as well as many more. There is, however, a point for some spines where going to end range and accessing the highest point possible may not be wise.

A little too much range of motion

As you are likely aware, the spine is composed of 33 vertebrae that sit in a curved-column. The upper 24 vertebral segments are separated by discs, attached by ligaments (soft-tissue bands) that move and glide on top of each other, while the lower 9 are essentially fused in most adults (the sacrum and coccyx). The 5 vertebrae that sit on top of the sacrum are referred to as the lumbar spine and this is where I will focus the discussion on backbends here.

Bodies that can do yoga, usually end up in yoga

Yoga tends to be self-selecting, especially in the more physically “advanced” yoga styles such as power yoga. In other words, the more flexible one’s body is, the more likely they are to enjoy and gravitate to those classes because the poses are more accessible to them than to others who don’t have that range available in their joints.

Flexible bodies have the genetic make-up to be able to do a wider variety of yoga poses. There is much to be said about dedication to yoga practice, however how far we will get to in many yoga poses will be largely determined by our genetics and body-type.

The other commonality is that flexible bodies, especially females, tend to identify this ability early on in life. Therefore, if we look at the young girls and women training for gymnastics and competitive dance, they will have a greater than average range in their joints. Their joints will go further than most people’s when pushed to the limit.

These body types may present with a weakness at the lower two segments of L4-5 and L5-S1 (the first sacral vertebrae. This manifests as the top vertebrae slipping forward on the bottom one (see diagram) and happens in end-range extension of the lower back, such as deeper backbends like upward facing dog, camel and wheel pose.

This type of instability is termed a “spondylolisthesis” and can present in varying grades. Grade 1-2 being more minimal and grade 3-5 being more severe. The more severe forms can involve a weakening and fracture of the back portion of the vertebrae, called the pars interarticularis.

Explaining the slip

A certain amount of spondylolisthesis is likely congenital and pre-existing in one’s body. As much as 5-6%  of the general population has pre-existing spondylolysis, many of whom will be completely pain-free.  

However, it is possible that when they begin an activity which stresses this instability through repetitive backbends, they begin to reinforce the looseness in the joint and force it into a forward position where it begins to cause impingement of nerves and stretch ligaments that can bring on feelings of back pain, numbness in the buttocks and legs, and even nausea due to stress on the nervous system and internal organs.

As we age, our joints naturally begin to become less elastic and viscose, the repetitive trauma that our spines have endured through these stresses may start to cause weakness and we may not feel as comfortable going as deep into backbends as we used to.

Common activities involving such repetitive backbends are yoga styles with repetitive vinyasas, gymnastics, and some styles of dance.

Then what?

In my practice as a physiotherapist in downtown Vancouver, an area where there is probably more yoga available than any other city in the world,  I often treat young women presenting with lower back pain during and after yoga practice that I believe is due to some of this instability (explained above) and a mild to moderate spondylolesthesis in their lower lumbar spine

Diagnosing a spondylolesthesis

If you are beginning to notice pain, stiffness or numbness in the hours or days following a practice involving deep back bends, or if these poses are causing you pain, there are tests that a skilled orthopaedic physiotherapist can do to assess you.

Most of the time, there will not be a need for imaging or tests unless a more significant slippage or fracture is suspected.

Managing spondylolesthesis: The good news

Most yoga practice can be adapted and modified to care for these instabilities.

Here’s a few ways:

  • Practice a posterior pelvic tilt: tucking your tail posteriorly tilts your pelvis and helps to tighten and stabilize the lower few segments of the spine. Starting your backbends with a posterior pelvic tilt can help to protect you from shearing the joints.
  • Shift the focus in backbends up into the mid-back (thoracic spine): with all the sitting we do these days at computers and phones, shifting the focus on backbends you’re your upper back can help strengthen of the muscles there, taking some of the pressure off of the lower back.
  • Consider shifting to a style of practice that involves less vinyasas or sit a few out during your current classes.
  • Work on your abdominal muscles to counter some of the flexibility you have in your lower back. Having a tighter superficial core will allow you to better control your backbends and may help compensate for the increased range that you have in your back. Additionally, switching up your routine to include activities that strengthen your core muscles, such as pilates, may be beneficial. (A series of one-one pilates sessions prior to beginning classes if preferable).

These instabilities and the limitations they bring can be gifts in disguise. Yoga should, at it’s core, be about caring for ourselves and our bodies and developing a relationship where we can listen and understand the messages it is sending us.

As we age, so our practice must change and it is with this approach that we can still have a full, satisfying practice – even without deep back bends.

Five Reasons You Should Consider Introducing Your Kid To Yoga

You’ve probably attended a yoga class. Practiced prenatal yoga while pregnant. Maybe you even took your baby to a “mommy & me” yoga session or two after your little one arrived. But then they got older and your yoga practice once again became a solo activity – if you even managed to squeeze it back into your schedule amidst all the other duties of motherhood.

When we picture yoga and some of the more advanced poses, it’s easy to think that it’s an activity best reserved for adults. But did you know yoga is actually a great activity for kids?

Here are five ways yoga can positively impact your child, but the benefits extend far beyond this short list. You can learn about the rest in this in-depth guide by Mom Loves Best.

1. Yoga Helps Promote Lifelong Physical Health.

Between the standard American diet and our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, obesity has become a health epidemic in the United States. While yoga may not be a high-impact cardiovascular activity, incorporating it into your child’s daily life helps to instil the importance of regular movement and care for their body’s health. It not only has immediate health benefits but sets them up for a lifetime of prioritizing their physical health and regular movement by building this habit early.

2. Yoga Reduces Hyperactivity and Improves Focus.

More children than ever have been put on medication to manage hyperactive behavior. While there are certainly cases for which this is a medical necessity, many experts agree that ADD and ADHD are likely overdiagnosed, thanks mainly to rigid expectations in school as well as fewer opportunities to play outside as compared to generations past. A soothing activity like yoga can help your child calm down, decompress, deal with the overstimulation of everyday life, and help them learn how to tune out external distractions. Studies have even shown that yoga can be effective in improving the symptoms of children with ADHD.

3. Yoga Promotes Better Mental Health.

Today’s children are facing more pressures than ever before – like academic expectations, the increased competitiveness of sports, social media pressures, and navigating the changing social landscape of today’s young people. As a result, child and adolescent mental health has declined rapidly, with parents searching for ways to reduce their children’s risk and promote positive mental health. Yoga helps teach coping mechanisms that can aid kids in warding off anxiety and depression, and even helps them to improve their self-esteem. It also can help with stress relief, which also promotes improved mental health.

4. Yoga Helps with School Performance.

In addition to an improved ability to focus as addressed above, yoga can help with your child’s school performance in other ways, too. If your child is a kinesthetic learner, they can integrate yoga techniques into their study or homework time to improve their understanding and retention of academic material. It also teaches them the importance of discipline for skill improvement, which directly translates to their educational journey – while it’s not always easy, consistency yields results. It also helps to encourage creativity and self-expression, which is necessary for healthy child development.

5. Yoga Can Improve Sleep.

Sleep is absolutely critical for healthy child development, academic performance, and good mental health. Unfortunately, today’s children struggle with sleep more than any other generation. Whether it’s due to less time outdoors, fewer opportunities to run off energy, increased exposure to screens and sleep-disturbing blue light, high-level academic pressures, incredibly busy extracurricular schedules, or increasingly early school start times, today’s children are at serious risk for problems due to their lack of adequate, restful sleep. Participation in a regular yoga practice not only increases their opportunities for physical activity, but can also teach them skills to calm down and focus at night, helping to improve the quality of their sleep.

Stop thinking of yoga as an activity that’s only appropriate for adults. It’s great for the whole family, and there are plenty of poses your kids can do from their very first session. Give them grace at the beginning, don’t expect perfection, and keep it fun – and before you know it, you just might have a mini-yogi on your hands!

I’m sorry my yoga offends you: a defence of modern yoga

I’m sorry my yoga offends you…….

There is a divide in the yoga community right now and I feel like I have one foot on either side of a great valley.  The teachers, gurus, and practitioners who are seasoned and rooted in the traditional and classical styles of yoga stand on one side.  The newbies to the yoga scene, with their fast paced vinyasa, fusions styles, intense heat, loud music, Instagram poses, and flashy lycra stand on the other side.  I am somehow straddling the void with an understanding and appreciation of both perspectives and hope that this piece can act as an opportunity to bridge the gap.

I have recently been joking with some colleagues that I am the rock and roll of yoga, that there has been a shift in yoga culture brought on by a new generation of yogis to the scene. This shift is causing the classical yoga community to shake its head and cover its ears, and declare “that is not yoga!” It is not a far stretch of our imagination or memory to compare this scenario to arrival of rock and roll in the 1950s, the divide that was created and the defensiveness of the previous generation over what they believed the only definition of real music was.  It was music, just different music, that was connecting with a new generation that needed a different way to connect with and express what it was like to live in their world.

Yoga like music is evolving, and western culture is doing what it does best to anything popular by capitalizing, glamorizing, sexualizing and Hollywoodizing this ancient tradition.

I understand the uproar, because I know the beauty, art, science, tradition and mystery that makes the holistic practice of yoga so incredible. I understand the path that is so clearly laid out that does lead to evolvement of the self, harmonizing of the individual and collective, and the ability to live more rooted in that which is real. I am starting to step deeper into my own practice and understanding of all the limbs of this practice, though like many I started only intrigued by the physical. I too cringe a bit when I see images or new versions of asana practice, and the money making slant many are using. I have deep respect for the elders, the holders of wisdom and tradition and seek to learn from them as I become more and more ready for what they have to share. I have one foot deeply rooted with this side.

I understand and am part of the new generation of yogis who are living in a reality that is virtual, imaginary, and not at all rooted in the physical world. The reason yoga that is so physical, intense, difficult or hot catches there attention is simple, it reminds them what it is to feel. On the most basic level to create a sensation in the body and in the moment that immediately grounds them. It is like a gasp of air when you held it for too long. This reconnection with the physical is so foreign, yet so familiar, it sparks a moment of presence that becomes a seed.  Using asana to recreate that moment is what catches the attention of this generation, and holding attention is no small task.  Never before has the human mind been so tugged at, so over stimulated. Yoga gives us a taste of what it feels like to again be a real human. A seed is planted in the root chakra and then grows, because that is how yoga works.

One of my first teachers, Arlene Bjork, always reminded me not to concern myself with why people came to practice. The reasons/motivations could be a million different things and none would end up dictating what that person actually ended up receiving from that practice. Just know the more they come the deeper that seed will take root, the more it will be nourished, the more it will grow. We can all take something from this, to be reminded that each person’s path is their own. We can encourage people to come to the path and encourage them to continue, but where that path goes, what it looks like and where it ultimately leads is none of our business.

That being said, I do want to encourage more people getting on this path and perhaps that means opening our perspectives on how this looks for all of us. Perhaps we can see it all as a progression that will lead us in different ways to the same place.  Maybe this new generation needs the flashy, hot, and loud practice of asana to catch their attention in the beginning. But if you watch them beyond that you will see an evolution within them.  Their interest will spread over time to mantra, mudra, chanting, mythology, spirituality, meditation, and more sincere human connection.  I witness this all the time, but it happens over time. We need to see the bigger picture, the potential that exists within this illusionary “problem” with modern yoga. We have the potential of millions of humans becoming interested in their individual and collective evolvement. They may not end up on the list of the enlightened, but they may end up achieving human adulthood (thank you Jed Mckenna). To have a world filled with people who have learned to live in a way with more consideration will be of great benefit to the planet and all the beings who call it home.

My request to the elders: I respect what you stand for and what you have preserved, what you practice and what you teach, and I hope to learn all you are willing to share. I ask that you take a moment to consider a new perspective, to open your arms to me, to us, and our rock and roll yoga. To teach us when we are ready, to allow our path to where you are to be different than yours was.  To have faith that many of us will get there too. We will need you as teachers as guides to preserve the flame and carry the tradition, have patience and willingness to lead and not judge.

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, seek what they sought.”  Basho

Yoga Sequencing Skills: Sequence to Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana)

Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana) is a HUGE pose. It’s a backbend, inversion, hamstring opener, and shoulder opener all in one. To adequately prepare for this pose, you need to be aware of the following component parts.

Component Part: body parts that need to be warmed up or educated in order to do the peak pose

Video step by step to teach Forearm Stand

Component Parts of Forearm Stand

  • hamstrings (you don’t need these to do the pose, but you need the open to get into it
  • shoulder opening: arms above head, upper arms in external rotation
  • tricep /lat opening: part of the arms being above the head, and the elbows being bent
  • shoulder girdle stability: since you are weight bearing through the upper body, the shoulder girdle needs to be stable
  • backbend: focus education of back bending into the upper back (this includes getting the shoulder blades firmly connected into the upper back)
  • core: use abdominal core connection to prevent taking the backbend into the lower back
  • midline: hugging the legs together in order to maintain neutrality through the pelvis (rather than letting the legs turn out into external rotation, or the hips to fall out to one side)

Okay!

So the following sequence could be used for a variety of student levels. However, if you’re teaching a more hatha style class, then I would do less sun salutations, do very stable transitions, and likely not do the final pose (I’d make the peak pose dolphin rather than full pincha). For a flow or power class, I would use more vinyasa to link the poses.

Class Opening

  • virasana/ vajrasana: set up the neutral pelvis position here
  • cat/ cow, and dancing cat/ cow: general warm up, educate shoulder girdle
  • downward dog, forward fold, stand to Tadasana

Warm Up

You may link these poses or teach each one by one. This is a listing of poses that I would use to help prepare for forearm stand (and in the rough order that I would use them), but I have not included transitions or described specifically how to teach them. Also, this is not a complete list, just some of my must have faves!

[table id=1 /]

Peak

Forearm Stand, naturally! Optional props: shoulder width strap above elbow (to prevent elbows sliding out), and block between hands (to prevent hands sliding in). Video of step by step. 

  • Stage 1: sphinx
  • Stage 2: dolphin
  • Stage 3: dolphin with one leg lifted at a time
  • Full: at wall

Cool Down / Integration

Counterpose with poses that release muscles that have been worked (such as abductors and adductors) and bring spine into flexion. Options include:

  • Baddha konasana (cobbler’s pose)
  • Janu Sirsasana (head to knee)
  • Seated twists (Maricyasana or Ardha Matsyendrasana)
  • Outer hip openers (Thread the needle, “Swan,” Cooling Pigeon)

Have fun, look forward to hearing how it goes!

Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.

4 Enchanting Yoga Destinations You Can Escape To!

In order to practice yoga, you don’t need much in terms of equipment or space. Enough room to lay down a mat is more than sufficient. But the environment that you practice in does matter. Ideally, it should be airy, filled with light, energizing and calming in ambiance at the same time. Or in other words… your living room floor!

But once in a while, who doesn’t wish for a change in scenery? Moreover, an occasional getaway can be a good reminder of how important it can be to find time to do the things that we love. Even seasoned practitioners and trainers take off for a retreat or a teacher training occasionally in some far off, exotic locale like Bali or Spain.

All this should be reason enough for you to head off to a dedicated yoga retreat! With the recent boom in popularity for yoga across the world, there is no dearth of destinations that suit every lifestyle and budget.

If the thought entices you enough to look up your next holiday destination, we have the perfect solution for you. Without further delay, here is our list of happening yoga hotspots across the globe.

Benaras, India

Serious practitioners of yoga consider a visit to the birthplace of yoga an essential experience in a lifetime. But India’s singular magic can be as enchanting for laymen as it is for globe-trotting yogis —and what better place to start off than the spiritual holy town of Banaras (Varanasi).

An incredible place with sacred temples on the banks of the holy river Ganga is the right location to absorb real life experiences on various aspects such as devotion, service, and spirituality.

Rishikesh or the ‘world capital of yoga,’ is another one of the rare places in the world where you actually get to be trained by a traditional ‘Yogi’ dressed in robes! There are several ashrams where the traditional wisdom is imparted as well as resort’s off the beaten track devoted to yoga teacher training in the hills and also in popular seaside homestays.

Bali, Indonesia

There is much more to Bali than what’s depicted in “Eat, Pray, Love?,” the 2006 bestseller that has driven hundreds of thousands of (mostly) women to this obscure island in Asia. Bali is pretty much everyone’s dream vacation and also chock full of must-visit destinations for yogis of all hues.

A Balinese yoga retreat will let you escape to a beautiful and exotic haven away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You can work out, meditate, eat healthy food or simply relax day long.

There is no dearth of experienced yoga teachers, studios and holiday retreats. Small fishing villages that dot the pristine coastline of the island is home to a collection of chic beach resorts and some of the region’s best snorkeling and diving spots. You get to practice yoga in the open air – on platforms that either overlook the azure sea, or rolling hillsides and fields.

For those with an interest in the exotic, an exposure to Balinese culture can be enthralling, especially for westerners. Holidays see batches of tourists from all over U.S. as well as Europe.

Nosara, Costa Rica

Well known for its biodiversity, surf friendly shores, adventure tours and friendly locals, Costa Rica also happens to be a top destination for yoga enthusiasts. Several yoga retreats are open throughout the year, with daily classes that are open to both locals and guests. Some boutique retreats are elevated above the surroundings with spectacular views of the ocean, rain forests and waterfalls making for a surreal setting to practice yoga.

In addition to yoga, wellness and education centers conduct workshops related to health, sustainable living, spirituality and personal growth. Numerous Eco-friendly retreats host specialized yoga vacations that also include organic meals that are farm to table and served in communal settings. A truly marvelous opportunity to indulge yourself while benefiting from rejuvenation in the bargain!

Costa Rica’s wellness capital, Nosara is an ideal place to space-out, rediscover one’s balance and fully embrace the yogi lifestyle. It is home to a health and environment conscious expat beach community that has for years drawn surfers, nature enthusiasts and yogis from around the world. A vast selection of lodgings are available – ranging from budget-friendly hotels and hostels to more upscale resorts and luxury property rentals.

Ibiza, Spain

More famous for its clubs and nightlife, it’s surprising that Ibiza is also a top destination for aspiring yogis, particularly the quieter north-eastern coastline. As the new year festivities wind down, the party crowds leave the shores, making it the perfect time to explore the island’s gorgeous landscapes and indulge in the natural bounty.

One can start off with some ‘surya namaskar’ or sunrise yoga on a deck overlooking the ocean, progress to some high-intensity interval training workout and end the session with a cooling dip in the sea. You can also partake in guided meditation sessions at some of the world’s most sacred and enchanting spots. If you feel up to it, you can try out Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), the new fad great fad that’ll have you look at even standard yoga poses in an all new perspective. (If you’re interested in SUP retreats, check out Kite West.)

During the downtime amid all the hectic yoga teacher training or off-days you can discover the hidden treasures of Ibiza – the pine scented forest paths, obscure bays with crystal clear water, uncovering quartz crystals and witnessing magical sunsets in the cozy lap of nature. The surprisingly healing vibes energize you for further adventures ahead or calm you down as you stretch out and relax after a day of exploring.

Be it a beach, a hilltop or mountain side, in the middle of the rainforest or paddy fields, these exotic destinations have no dearth of ideal spots for those looking to relax, reflect and rejuvenate their jaded minds and tired bodies with yoga, healthy food, and meditation.

A word of caution though: while most yoga retreats host retreat and training programs throughout the year, it’s always a good idea to book ahead during the holiday season.

Five Yoga Poses in Five Minutes to Fight Depression

You feel heavy, dull, tired. Maybe it’s gray outside (or, if you live in the pacific northwest, maybe it’s been gray and dark for weeks). Perhaps a life event (sickness, heartbreak, lethargy, indecision) has you feeling the terrible weight of emotional gravity.

I get it.

Having struggled with bouts of depression since my early twenties, I understand how debilitating an affliction it can be. Whether it affects you seasonally or chronically, practicing self-care in depression can be difficult. And the hardest part can sometimes be taking any action to change. When I feel depressed, pretty much the last thing that I want to do is get on my mat. Let me curl up in my bed and sleep, thank you very much. Or cry.

First, you’re not alone.

Secondly, if you can make the journey to the mat for even five minutes, we can make a change. Set a timer. Step on your mat. Just do it. Because just five minutes will change something. And maybe five minutes today turns into six minutes tomorrow, which turns into ten minutes in a week. Small steps.

We usually think that our minds run our bodies, but the reverse can be true: changing our bodies can change our minds. Check out Amy Cuddy’s inspirational video (bottom) and you’ll see what I mean. By putting your body into a physical appearance of joy and expansion, your mind and your hormones start to get the idea that life isn’t all terrible. Over time, small little changes can start to add up.

Five minutes. Here we go.

Cat/ Cow

Cow

Cat

Simple movement. Depression is stagnant energy. Start to move the energy of your body through simple cat cow. Start moving in all direction, “Color outside the lines.”  Move your spine in all directions. Move your shoulders, move your hips. Get the flow going. Make noise, even if you just hum. Add some voice to what you’re doing. Move the energy.

Sun Salutations

Do three. Big Breaths. Rather quickly. Focus on taking expansive breaths, even larger than usual. Big wide arm movements to move the stuck energy. Audible sighs. Noisy sighs.

Not sure how to do one? Check this out from my friends at Do Yoga With Me. 

Warrior Two

Warrior 2. Be Big.

Get big. Get wide. Push your feet apart. Reach your finger tips apart. Take your shoulders onto your back and stretch. Draw your shoulders onto your back, then reach through your arms. Ten breaths on each side.

High Lunge

High lunge.

The ultimate pose of joy and expansion. Open your arms, press into your feet and fill your body with breath. Get wider, longer, deeper from your toes to your finger tips. Take up your space. Ten breaths on each side.

Ustrasana – Camel

Modified

Full

See my video on doing this safely. Lots of leg strength, lots of grounding. Core strong and engaged.

Lift your chest forward and open. Open heart. Five big breaths.

Repeat it three times, pausing each time to sit on your heels.

Now. How do you feel?

Small steps. Small steps. #smalldailyacts

Amy Cuddy’s video on how body language shapes who we are. A must see.

Also, check out this post, “Not everyone who does yoga is happy, and that’s okay.” From my heart to yours.

 

Slow Down: How Yin and Restorative Yoga Can Help You Beat Stress

I honestly don’t know where I’d be if the practice of yoga hadn’t entered into my life when it did. I was unknowingly walking around in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight for years. Unaware of what was at play within me, I believed it was perfectly normal, and necessary…to be afraid of everything, and everyone, all the time.

Now, I can write this article with a smile and catch myself before I get too deep into a spiral of stress and fear. I know we each have our own path, and I cannot promise that yoga will “save” anyone, or be “the answer.” But, in my studies and my experience, I’ve found invaluable depth in this practice. It’s given me so much more freedom and space in my life.

One of the reasons that I teach yoga is because I want to help alleviate the burden of stress in our world. 

With the development of technology, social media, and the internet over the past few years, our culture has become incredibly stressful. We are expected to multi-task, be extremely efficient, and remain in a constant state of alertness and activity. This vigilance causes continual wear and tear on our bodies, our minds, and depletes the amount of energy that we have available to contribute to our quality of life. This heightened state within the body is often unconscious; a lot of us are walking around in a state of “fight-or-flight”, or a stimulated nervous system response, without even realizing it, because it has come to feel normal. The human nervous system and the stress response has been functioning the same way for millions of years; however, many of the perceived stress in modern-day society is left unresolved, and the nervous system remains in a heightened state of “fight-or-flight”, rather than naturally returning to balance when the danger has subsided.

Stress is often accompanied by several adverse side effects. The more stress that we experience, the more its effects compound within us. When stress becomes chronic, there is an accumulation of stress hormones in the body, and this residue can lead to disease.

How our nervous system works

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a division of the peripheral nervous system that influences the function of the body’s internal organs and systems. The autonomic nervous system acts largely unconsciously, and regulates bodily functions such as the heart rate, respiratory rate, and digestion. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response: the body’s response to stress.

The autonomic nervous system has two branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The sympathetic nervous system is often considered the “fight or flight” system, and the parasympathetic nervous system is often considered the “rest and digest” In many cases, both of these systems have opposite actions where one system activates a physiological response and the other inhibits it. When we are functioning in a healthy way, the PNS will kick in and inhibit the stress response, and our body will return to balance. The PNS is actually our natural state; it brings the body to homeostasis and invites feelings of relaxation and contentment.

The good news is, if we notice that we are in a state of chronic stress, there are practices to help calm the nervous system, stimulate the PNS, and alleviate some of the effects of compound stress.

Dr. Herbert Benson identified the “Relaxation Response”:

“A physiological state characterized by a slower heart rate, metabolism, rate of breathing, lower blood pressure, and slower brain wave patterns.”

This state can be induced through relaxation and breathing techniques. A consistent yoga or meditation practice can help strengthen the PNS, and minimize the body’s tendency to activate the PNS.

Yin and Restorative Yoga

While all styles of yoga build awareness and help to balance the systems of the body, I’ve always been drawn to the slower paced practices. Yin and restorative yoga provide a much needed contrast to the constant activity, stimulation, and demands on the body that can occur as a result of a busy life by inviting the body to slow down. When I include Yin or Restorative yoga as a regular part of my practice, it’s both a nurturing and energizing experience, allowing me to continue with other more active and demanding activities in my life with a clear and consistent focus.

While both styles involve releasing into stillness, using supportive props, and remaining in the postures for a period of time, there are some fundamental differences in the intention and effects of each practice. 

In a Yin Yoga class, practitioners place a healthy and deliberate amount of stress on the more dense tissues of the body to encourage them to remain healthy and strong. This practice facilitates gradual lengthening and release in the fascia and deeper layers of connective tissue. The fascial web of the body is one seamless network, one connected system. It holds the shape of our bodies and carries the stories, memories, and patterns from our lives. Working with the fascial network can lead to lasting release of chronic holding and a powerful shift of the body and mind. While the yin practice is ultimately relaxing, the stimulation from holding poses can occasionally be mentally challenging. 

In a Restorative Yoga class, props are used to completely support the weight of the body, which invites the nervous system to shift from a sympathetic response to stress (“Fight-or-Flight”) into a parasympathetic response (“Rest and Digest”). Unlike yin, the restorative practice is not about stretching connective tissue (or any other tissue!), but is designed to restore a natural state of balance to the nervous system. Over time, restorative yoga can help alleviate the effects of chronic stress by eliciting a deep state of relaxation. The deep state of rest that is accessible through restorative yoga can enhance the health of the nervous system, lymphatic system, endocrine system, and organ function. 

If you have not yet tried one of these styles, consider adding yin or restorative to your yoga menu. They might begin to change your definition of how it feels to be “relaxed”…

References

 

A moment with Gil Hedley

Gil Hedley has been leading instructional and inspirational human dissections for over twenty years and is a thought leader in integrative human anatomy. A self-described “somanaut” who helps others to “explore the inner space of the body, and discover there the rich terrain of themselves,” Gil has also completed a “What’s the Fuzz,” tour through North America to share his most recent insights. (Don’t worry if you missed it; he has promised an online version!). Gil is an inspirational teacher: deeply knowledgable, relentlessly curious, and immensely reverent.

How did a divinity scholar wind up as a human dissection expert?

Ha! “What a long strange trip it’s been!” Short version: When I was doing my doctoral studies in theological ethics, I was starting to experience my body through practicing Tai Chi. That led me to acupressure massage, which I followed up with massage and Rolfing structural integration training. Once I was practicing, I had the urge to deepen my anatomy knowledge through dissection explorations in service of my clients, and before you know it I was teaching anatomy to groups of Rolfers, massage therapists, etc. Twenty-four years later and I’m still at it!

What inspires you to do what you do?

I am committed to becoming conscious and awake, to know “who I am,” and that for me has involved a deep exploration of the question, “What is my body?” Teaching dissection courses has been a means for me to study that question with ever increasing depth. I am also on a mission to democratize knowledge of the body, and expose the profound gift of it. That drives my sharing information and insight as broadly as possible, from the lab  – but far beyond it.

What has been your most surprising insight through your work?

There are no “parts” to our bodies. It is possible to perceive the different textures without mistaking them to be the stuff of separate entities. Everything really is continuous. And the application of the insight can be extended beyond the conventional limits of “a body” to relationship at large. We can deny or miss the connections, and, here we are nonetheless, in relationship!

What have you hoped to share with people through your “What the Fuzz” tour”?

I hope to share an opportunity to look into the human form and be blown away both by its grandeur, and also by its intelligence. The human form does the teaching on this course, the body itself has a lot to say if we plop down at its feet, observe, listen, and feel. It’s a pretty bottomless cornucopia of insight into the nature of human form, movement, and the particulars of our internal relationships. Ultimately I’m just inviting people to look into this profound mirror with deep appreciation.

Can a layperson understand your work, or should you have some anatomy background to attend?

Sure, a layperson can go. They will have a different experience than someone with some professional or personal interest in anatomy. Everyone has a body so can benefit, but the takeaway will be different depending on one’s intention for attending. The courses generally fill with folks who have devoted themselves professionally or personally to an ever growing understanding of the body. That having been said, mastery of anatomical terms is far less important than a willingness to explore with patient presence.

You’re also a writer. Can you leave us with a quote to contemplate?

“Notice the beauty

along the way~

fill with wonder:

all that is you.”

I highly recommend spending some time with Gil in person if and when you can. I have completed two six-day human dissections with Gil; while I learned a tremendous amount about the layers and anatomy of the human form, my most precious take away from the experience was a profound and giddy delight in my own embodiment. Gil is an excellent guide in the exploration of “what is means to be human,” and – if you are curious about your human body – his 6-day workshop is a life-shifting experience.

In the meantime, play with him online via his website and extensive (and generously shared) youtube videos!

Five poses to practice on Thanksgiving

It’s US Thanksgiving, time for turkey and thankfulness! But you don’t have to be slurping stuffing (or even be celebrating the holiday, oh my Canadian brethren) to take this as an opportunity for a moment of appreciation. Here are five poses to celebrate the day and connect more deeply to a sense of gratitude and well-being.

1. Cat / Cow

Start on all fours and slowly start to arch and round your spine. Go beyond the usual cat/ cow and move your spine in all directions. Use these simple movements to reconnect to your appreciation for your body. Enjoy the feeling of stretching your shoulders, spine and low back. Take some deep appreciative breaths and relish your body.

2. Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation)

Has it been a couch potato kind of day? Never fear. Do three rounds of sun salutations to get your circulation going and mobilize your joints. Sun salutations are a great way to increase your energy and connect to your breath. Sun Salutations were practiced facing east in the early morning. As you move, enjoy this opportunity to appreciate how the sun has lit our world and given energy to everything in it. From the brussel sprouts to the turkey, everything owes its existence on earth to that star.

3. High lunge with a backbend

Ahhh, time to stretch! Not only will high lunge stretch out your hip flexors (just in case you’ve been spending the day watching football), taking the arms up helps stimulate lymphatic drainage and create a welcome opening through your chest. Daily posture often encourages us to collapse the chest and close the front body, which can restrict breathing and diminish a sense of emotional openness. As you take your arms above your head, stretch your heart forward and up as you root strongly through your feet. Bring your upper arms back behind your ears and fully stretch through all your fingers. I call this pose the “full body yawn.” Enjoy it.

4. Seated Twist

If you’re going to be eating like a champion, then twisting is a must. When we twist, we give the internal organs a squeeze and massage, which can aid in digestion and elimination. As you twist, take some deep breaths to allow the diaphragm to move downwards into the abdominal cavity and move your viscera. Breathe deeply, and know that you’re giving your body some serious love.

5. Gratitude Meditation

Developing a practice of gratitude has been shown through research to enhance a personal sense of well-being. Come into a comfortable cross legged seat or sit on the edge of a chair. Place your hands on your thighs and let your shoulders relax. Relax your face and your jaw. Take a few, slow deep breaths to settle into your body. When you’re ready, bring to mind one simple thing for which you are very grateful. It could be a person, a pet, a place…or anything that you feel really brings value to you. Let yourself contemplate this source of gratitude for at least ten slow breaths, feeling any changes in your body. Take your time. Feel free to repeat the gratitude exercise with something else that comes to mind. When you’re ready, take a few breaths and transition back into your body. As you open your eyes, bring your gratitude practice with you off the mat and into the rest of your day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bonus:

A Thanksgiving present for you. I often say that my mind that has a lot of “hamsters.” (These hamsters are relentless thoughts that race through my brain like crazed furry creatures, including on holidays.)  If you need a moment of levity today, check this out. Watch for at least 20 seconds.

7 Signs you Should Start Practicing Yoga

Yoga is a low-impact form of exercise that still  gives you an excellent workout. It helps you to relieve tension, build strength and relax your mind. Wondering whether to take up a yoga class? Here are seven signs you should get on the mat:

You’re Feeling Stressed All the Time

We all feel stressed from time to time. Demanding jobs, busy social lives and constant connectivity can all take their toll. If you regularly feel your stress levels rising, yoga could help to calm you down. During a yoga class, you will focus carefully on your movements and your breathing, leaving you with less time to ponder your worries. And wherever you find yourself, the breathing techniques you learn in yoga will serve you well next time you feel stressed. Deep, concentrated breathing can help you to feel much calmer in stressful situations.

You Have Back Pain

Many of us experience recurring back pain. While back pain is sometimes caused by an injury or strain, often it can be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle; we spend far too much time sitting at our desks and driving our cars. Yoga can help with this type of back pain. In fact, it’s something that many physiotherapists would recommend. Yoga movements help to release tension you may be carrying throughout your back. They also help to develop muscles in and around your back to provide greater support and promote a better posture.

You Struggle to Focus

How would you rate your concentration? If you can’t watch TV without glancing at your smartphone and struggle to read anything longer than a couple of pages, your focus could use a boost. In yoga, you focus on different parts of the body, encouraging them to move independently, and work to regulate your breathing. The more time you spend concentrating, the better you get at it.

You Regularly Injure Your Body

Pulled muscles? Achy joints? Troublesome tendons? If you feel you injure your body regularly, there are some reasons why yoga could do you some good. Increased flexibility puts less strain on your body as you move. Yoga also improves your balance and stability meaning clumsy accidents are less likely too.

You Struggle to Get to Sleep

Insomnia is a common problem. If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep despite a regular bedtime routine, yoga could teach you some useful techniques. By focusing on your body, your mind won’t be able to ruminate over the day’s events or worry about tomorrow. And by practising yogic breathing, your body and mind will relax, making a drift into sleep much easier.

You Get Uncomfortable Standing or Sitting

If, when standing or sitting in the same spot for an hour or so, you begin to experience pain or discomfort, it could be that your posture is to blame. Poor posture puts unnecessary strain on certain parts of the body. Yoga helps to improve your posture and encourages you to spread weight evenly throughout the body.

You Want to Improve Your Performance in Other Sports

Yoga provides you with the basics that can improve your performance in another sport, be it football, gymnastics or skiing. Through yoga, you build strength, particularly in your core. You also develop your focus, your balance and your flexibility. Whatever other sports you like to practice, yoga could help you reach new levels.

Yoga is a great full body workout. It boosts your physical and mental wellbeing. It can also help conquer a variety of common niggles and ailments. If you suffer from any of the above, give yoga a try. You could be amazed at how much benefit you will feel.

Giveaway: Win a 5-day Spirit Pass to BaliSpirit Festival!

What is  BaliSpirit Festival?

BaliSpirit Festival is an international yoga and music festival, celebrating community and well-being in Ubud, Bali, April 2-8, 2018. 
Now in its 11th year and moving from strength to strength, the BaliSpirit Festival has become increasingly global, attracting international leaders and a surging audience of empowered attendees from across the globe. Growing number of Yoga-Dance-Culture lovers, Music, and Wellness fanatics are joining us every year from over 50 nations for this 6-day and 7-night event on the idyllic tropical island of Bali.

The Festival Vision

  • To awaken and nourish each individual’s potential for positive change within, leading to positive change in our homes, in our communities, and around the world.
  • Through beneficial and inspirational traditions of Yoga, Dance, and Music, the Festival illustrates the Balinese Hindu concept of Tri Hita Karana: living in harmony with our spiritual, social, and natural environments.
  • To nourishing our own home in Bali, the founders pledge to provide financial, logistical, and organizational support to local charities, with a special emphasis on children’s programs, multicultural education and performance, healthcare, HIV&AIDS awareness, and environmental conservation in Bali and greater Indonesia.

Giveaway Details

  • 5-DAY SPIRIT PASS
  • $650 USD value
  • The pass valid for April 2-7, 2018 – 5 days & 6 nights
  • Enter by November 20 (winner chosen by December 1)

Includes:

  • Pre-festival opening party – April 2
  • Unlimited access to all daytime workshops – April 3-7
  • Unlimited access to all music nights – April 3-7

By donation:

  • Access to Community Day & Closing Ceremony – April 8

Does NOT Include:

  •  Special Events & Shuttle Service
However, you can still get a $75 discount on the Festival by using the promocode RachelYoga!
Check it out.

How to do crow pose (bakasana) safely

Crow pose (bakasana) is the entrance to more challenging arm balances. (Check out this video on my favorite way to get into the pose.)

When practicing crow pose, you need a few key elements:

  • aware and educated hands
  • cat back
  • core and inner legs squeezing
  • hip flexion

The combination of these four component parts will help you – and your students – get there!

Component Parts

Hands

I like to do a little hand education before doing an arm balance. Weight in the hand naturally falls to the outer wrist, so we need to get the weight more into the index mound. You can practice good hand engagement (aka “hasta bandha”) at any point in your sequence. Here’s my trick:

When you are on all fours, lift the heel of one hand up so just the knuckles are pressing down. Then use your other hand to grab onto that forearm and pull up. Against the resistance of the pull up, slowly lower the heel of the hand back down. This little manoeuvre will help you activate the forearms and distribute the weight evenly into the hands and fingers. It’s also a lot more work.

Try this “lift the heel of your hand” thing in other poses such as downward facing dog. It’s a great reminder for optimal hand weighting in bakasana.

Cat Back

Your back is not flat in crow pose, it’s rounded. Practice finding this shape in positions such as cat pose. Use the core to scoop in and up strongly.

Core and Inner Legs Squeezing

Squeezing the inner things activates the adductors, which are the mainline to activating the transverse abdominis, your deepest abdominal layer. Find the midline. Squeeze the feet together, the knees into the arms, and presto, the core will start to light up. Finding levity in the upper body starts with strength in the lower body.

Hip Flexion

Most people take this for granted, but to do crow, you have to get your knees outside your shoulders! This is some pretty serious hip flexion. Get the body used to this “snuggle action” through poses such as side angle (parsvakonasana), lizard, and squat (malasana).

Peak Tip

Any arm balance can be done in a different configuration to gravity that will make it easier. Turn bakasana upside and do it on your back. Sit on your bum and do it by trying bent kneed navasana. These alternative versions of bakasana will 1. educate your students on the actions they need to get the pose without weight-bearing in the hands and 2. give them something hard to try as a peak pose if they can’t put weight on their hands for any reason.

Check out this video on my favorite way to get into the pose.

Happy exploring! Let me know how it goes!