Lowering Your Blood Pressure through Yoga

I am so privileged to be a yoga instructor! What a blessing to meet so many wonderful people and enjoy the practice with them! Yesterday at the Thornton YMCA and last week at our home studio of Tranquility Yoga, we did a full hour of restorative poses to help lower blood pressure.

While I have not struggled with blood pressure issues, I have struggled with being overweight, and I have found that yoga is a great benefit in weight loss, mindful eating, and simply a terrific way to exercise.

"The exercise and weight loss that accompany regular yoga practice tends to reduce blood pressure. Yogic relaxation, in particular, appears to lower elevated blood pressure." Dr. Timothy McCall, M.D. author of Yoga as Medicine (for more info, see http://www.drmccall.com/)

Here is a synopsis of what yogic postures we enjoyed in class:

1. We began our class with supine position in a restorative Savasana having a rolled blanket under our lower thighs just above our knees, a folded blanket under our heads, and rolled mat or blanket underneath our Achilles tendons at the back of our calves. I used the Yoga Nidra "Rotation of Consciousness" to encourage relaxation as we worked from our right side of the body to the left, bringing our attention to each body part (right thumb, right index finger,...), and consciously relaxing while inhaling and exhaling slowly through the nose.


2. Rolling over to our right side and pressing our left hand down into the mat, we came to a seated position lifting our hips a little higher than our knees by sitting on a blanket. We did a variety of asanas to oil our joints with synovial fluid and encourage range of motion. Some of the variations were: neck circles, seated cat/cow, waist rolls, arm and shoulder stretches, even hand flapping to release tension.


3. Coming to all fours with our shoulders over our wrists and our hips directly above our knees, the yogis and yoginis practiced Marjaryasana (cat/cow) and an extended version with one leg straightened, heel pushing away, and then knee bending, alternating sides. Puppy dog pose (Uttana Shishosana) was our next posture as we lifted our hips and moved our hearts toward the mats with elbows stretching forward - hands behind our heads. We returned to all fours and used Balasana (extended child's pose) to check out our breathing as we never want to sacrifice our breath in any yoga posture.


4. Bringing our right foot forward, we continued stretching and invigorating with a kneeling lunge (Anjaneyasana) to lengthen our hip flexors and then brought our front heel stretching forward to elongate our hamstrings. Afterwards, we changed to the left foot and came to a standing position by forward folding - walking our hands up our shins/thighs allowing our head and neck to be last to roll up.


5. Once in a standing position, our practice continued with Warrior I, Parsvottanasana (intense side stretch with blocks), Warrior II, Trikonasana also with a block (triangle pose), and a standing balancing pose against the wall - Vrksasana.


6. Continuing at the wall, we did a series of downward facing dog poses starting with Adho Mukha Svanasana - half down dog walking our hands down the wall, using blocks against the wall as we faced it and placing our hands on the blocks walking our feet back, and then our heels against the wall as we walked our hands forward.


7. Ending our blissful hour of yoga, the students came into a restorative pose once again, but this time it was incorporating the blankets with Viparita Karani (legs-up-the-wall). We stretched again using Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose) with heels together against the wall, Upavistha Konasana (wide legged pose), and Janu Sirsasana with one heel in and the other extended. Everyone was encouraged to find their unique position to enjoy our final 5 minutes of class with legs straight up the wall or one of the above mentioned positions.

If you would like to have more information on any of the yoga postures that I have listed, please go to http://www.yogajournal.com/ and look under the "poses" column to find detailed information on how to correctly align your body to find the maximum benefit. I hope that this practice for lowering blood pressure will be beneficial to you. Namaste'

What's a BMI and who stole the tapemeasure?

Being accountable just means saying, "Yes," out loud, to someone else that you are going to do something to change. It always, always starts with telling ourselves the truth. If we are not honest with our own thinking, we will join the 76 - 82% who start losing weight or exercising and just drop out.
The first step is finding a tapemeasure or getting on the scales. Because body composition is a health related component of any weight loss/behavior change, we have to measure first. If you can't find a tape measure, use a string and then find a ruler to write down what your waist measurement truly is. Use a paperclip to mark the spot where the string meets!
Here's how to find where to measure. Find your iliac crest, which is directly underneath your armpit and the highest part of your pelvis with a bony protrusion. Lay the tape measure or string right above it on a horizontal plane. After a normal exhalation (no sucking in), measure three times to make sure you have the same inch measurement.

Secondly, find a scale and take all your clothes off. Hopefully, this is not in the entrance of Wal-Mart or at a department store. (: Open your eyes and see what the scale says without holding onto the wall or standing on one leg. This will give you your starting point for discovering your B.M.I. or body mass index.
Write down these two numbers in a journal, a planner, a calendar, or log onto http://www.caloriecount.com/ (free site)

Here's our truth telling moment. If your waist measurement is less than 35 inches (for women) and 40 inches (for men), you are in the 35.5% of Americans were are at a normal weight. However, if your waist measurement is above those numbers >35 for girls and >40 for guys, you are considered overweight or obese. Not the time to freak out, just the time to get motivated. Most metabolic diseases (cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, etc.) have tell-tale signs, and waist measurement is a big red STOP sign on continuing what you are already eating and doing.

What in the world is a B.M.I. you might ask? Dr. Oz talks about it all the time, and I am going to show you how to find it. It is all about your weight in pounds compared to your height in inches. Find a calculator. This will take a little basic math, but don't worry I am a teacher and can walk you through it. After you weigh yourself, see how tall you are in INCHES. Stand next to a doorway and use that ruler to mark the spot.

Now, you have two numbers with your weight in lbs. and your height in inches. Get your calculator in ready position!

Step #1. Multiply 703 times your weight in lbs. (703 is just the number we use to convert from the metric system to the English system.)
Step#2. Divide your first number (703 x your weight) by your height in inches.
Step #3. Divide the second answer by your height in inches again.

For example: Your weight is 144 pounds. Multiply 703 times 144 = 101232.

Now, divide that number by your height (5 feet times 12 inches = 60 inches). My height is 5'5" so my height in inches is 65.

Divide 101232 (my first number) by 65 = 1557.4153

Finally, divide it again by your height in inches. 1557.4153 divided by 65 = 23.960235. Round it up to 24. That would be your Body Mass Index.

Decision making time! If your answer is below 25, you are in the green zone. If your answer is 25, 26, 27, 28, or 29, you are considered overweight. If your answer is equal to or above 30, you are considered obese. I know that is a really hard thing to see, but we are only finding our beginning point. Just weighing in doesn't always tell you the whole picture! You need to do the math.

Think of it as a monopoly game. We are at the starting point, and our goal is to make progress. Progress would be measured by our waist circumference going down or our B.M.I. getting closer to that magic number of 25. Our short term goal is February on Super Bowl Sunday. We are not trying to buy "Park Place" or "Virginia Avenue," we are just trying to move down that board.

In order to make that magic number of your waist measurement or your B.M.I. go down, decrease your normal calorie intake by 300 calories per day AND increase your calorie output by adding in 30 minutes of exercise (if you can't do all 30 minutes at one time, do 20 minutes now and 10 minutes later). We are just taking baby steps in order to feel better about ourselves and be healthier in 2010. If you are not sure of what your normal calorie intake might be, just take a normal day and add it up. For example, some people eat about 2,000 calories a day. If we were to delete 300 calories, we would not eat a pastry, fried food, etc., and then add in 300 calories of walking which depending on the speed of your walk would be around 30 minutes.

Calories in, Calories out! Join our accountability group and let me know how you are doing! We can do it together; the buddy system works!

Calories in; Calories out!

Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight is an important concern for many people during the holiday season. I personally am recovering from surgery; therefore, my normal exercise is limited, and the old fear of gaining weight is ever present in my thought processes. So, how do you keep from gaining, lose weight, or find a way to eat through the holiday season?

I have learned through my personal training certification at Cooper Institute that it is all about the calories that you consume. I know, I know. Many diets tell you that calories really do not matter; it may be (according to them) the combination of foods you eat or the absence of high calorie foods. The list goes on and on. How do I know that? I used to be very overweight, and I have tried them all!

Good nutrition is a must, first of all. As I have been resting more often since surgery last week, I have watched far more T.V. than normally. However, I have a new favorite--Dr. Oz. He really has some great advice. Now, granted I have only been his viewer for two days, but I am impressed! Dr. Oz has some great advice -- "Eat the colors of the rainbow every day in your food choices."

Two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of veggies should be a great starting point. Even if you don't really enjoy these types of food, make it a priority to get these foods in by noon, and you are on your way to eating healthier. Eat a red apple, orange apricots, dark blueberries, green broccoli, yellow squash or corn, and purple cabbage. Look at the colors that you have added to the normal American diet of everything that is WHITE!

Secondly, record everything you eat. You can choose a sticky note, a journal, a notebook, or a website like calorie count. This creates mindfulness of your eating (which is what yoga teaches us), sets a standard to help us know when we are full vs. loading our plates up with goodies of undetermined amounts, and it gives us accountability. Just write it down!

Remember, it takes 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound of weight, and 3,500 calories less to lose a pound of weight. However, these are accumulated day after day. Our goal is 300 calories less IN a day; 300 calories more OUT a day. If you cut out two ice cream sandwiches out of your normal daily eating, you have essentially taken out 300 calories of out your normal eating. Make that your goal every day. Substitute a high calorie food with a low calorie food in snacking or your afternoon or evening meal.

Now, the hardest part is always MAKING time to exercise. Once we are there, everything else flows. It is getting there that is the most difficult for us. I always tell people that participate in my yoga classes. Grabbing your yoga mat and showing up for class is the challenge. Once you are there; everything else will naturally evolve, and you will leave feeling proud of yourself for taking time out to be healthier and feel more confident due to your good choice making. Our goal is to burn 300 more calories a day. You can achieve this just by putting on a pedometer and walking 10,000 steps a day. You can do a jog/walk in your neighborhood or put your dog on a leash, strap on your tennies, and take off. You would be amazed at how much more ENERGY you have just by adding in 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. Give yourself a star every day you make this choice.

Join me in the 300 less calories in; 300 more calories out adventure this holiday season! We will weigh back in, measure your waistline, see if you can drop a jeans size (or just make a tight pair easier to wear) by the Super Bowl game! I would love to hear your daily comments or be able to encourage you through this challenge. E-mail me at jeannekaydoss@yahoo.com to share your daily count, your daily exercise log, or just let me know you are there endeavoring to make yourself healthier, more confident, and more functionally fit! Start today, and we will weigh, measure, or just look better - feel better by February 7, 2010.

Do you want to look younger, wake up feeling refreshed and energized? Try the Five Tibetan Rites.

Do you want to feel more refreshed, have a better memory, improved physical strength and vigor, feel and look younger, as well as, wake up being refreshed and invigorated? I have taught these five Tibetan rites at the start of several of my yoga classes, and some of the participants have asked me to put them into writing so that they can practice them at home. They are easy to accomplish, and you do not need to have any special equipment.
The five Tibetan rites are a set of five exercises that were shared with a British army colonel by Tibetan monks back in 1935 and brought to the United States through a book by Peter Kelder The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth. The Tibetan monks believed that these five exercises done on a daily basis would keep us young and awaken the energy systems in our bodies. It is also suggested that you combine these five movements with a 30 minute walk each day to improve your overall health and well-being.
Your breath is the MOST important part of any exercise; never, never, never hold your breath as you move into an isometric exercise. It will raise your blood pressure, and it is very dangerous to any person at any age.
Exercise 1:
Emphasis: balance
Stand a "T" position with your feet hip distance apart on the floor with no objects nearby. You can stand on your yoga mat or any flat surface. Focus your gaze over your middle right finger and keep it there until the exercise is complete. Inhale as you step into your right foot, exhale as you step into your left foot going in a circle as slowly or as quickly as you feel comfortable. The most important part is breathing and keeping your gaze focused on that middle right hand. 21 revolutions completes a set, but I have done them in my classes in 3 sets of 7 revolutions each to modify. This exercise strengthens the vestibular apparatus in your inner ear and keeps our sense of balance strong. When you have completed your 21st revolution, continue to stare at your middle right finger until the world stops spinning. Stretch out in standing extended mountain pose after you have completely stopped reaching your hands up towards the heavens and lengthening both sides of your waist; shake out your arms afterwards to relieve any tightness.

Exercise 2:
Emphasis: Core strength
Lying down on your mat or floor, bring your arms along side your body with your palms facing up. Inhale completely on the floor, and then you will exhale as you push your navel down into the floor and lift your head, neck, shoulder blades off the floor along with your feet and arms. It is similar to a crunch. However, the important part is not to over arch your neck and exhale as you lift. Keep everything in a nice long line and lift into a slight V position. Inhale on the way down; exhale again as you do the repetition 21 times. Remember you can always do 3 sets of 7 repetitions. Afterwards, stretch out in supine (laying down) extended mountain pose reaching your arms up above you and your toes lengthening away from you.

Exercise 3:
Emphasis: Upper body endurance
Come to hands and knees (quadriplex) on your mat. Stacking shoulders over wrists and knees under hips. You will do what I call the "inchworm" posture in yoga by dropping your chest and chin towards the floor with your elbows close into your sides. Lengthen your whole body onto the mat with your hands close to your ribcage and lift inhaling your upper body into a "cobra" pose as you claw all ten toes down into the mat. In cobra pose your head lengthens towards the top of the mat and then lifts off the mat to the front. Exhale back down onto the floor and push back up with a modified push-up into extended child's pose with knees slightly apart and your hips back over your calves. Remember the key here is elbows close to your body like wings as you keep your body into good alignment. Inhale as you lift into cobra; exhale as you come down and push back up into extended child's pose. Do this 21 times or in three sets of seven. Rest in extended child's pose afterwards.

Exercise 4:
Emphasis: Lower body strengthening
Come to a seated position on your mat with your knees in the air and feet flat on the mat hip width apart. Bring your hands back behind you, but this is most important! Your fingertips are towards your hips. Inhale in this neutral position, and as you exhale lift your hips, thighs, and abdominal region up towards the ceiling or sky as you keep your head in line with your spine (not allowing it to drop back and droop low). As you lift, tighten the muscles in your glutes, quads, and abs to strengthen your lower body. After 21 repetitions or three sets of seven, you may want to rest with your back on the floor and your knees on your chest as you circle your knees counterclockwise and clockwise in the air.

Exercise 5:
Emphasis: Improved physical stamina and vigor; better dorsal flexion and plantar flexion of the feet
This is the most energetic of all the exercises! I love it the best! From all fours or quadriplex, tuck your toes under and lift your hips into downward facing dog. Remember in down dog, your hands are flattened to the floor or mat with the weight bearing on your index fingers and thumbs (not the pinkie finger side of your hands) and on your feet which are hip width apart (about 2 fists distance). Your sit bones are lifted high into the air as you make an inverted "V" with your body. This is a great stretch for your hamstrings and gastrocnemius/soleus muscles in your calves along with your Achilles tendon. It is wonderful for runners, walkers, and cyclists. Make sure that your back is not the highest point. You exhale into downward facing dog, and on the inhale you roll over your toes into upward facing dog. If it is too much to roll over the toes, to start off with just, simply adjust your feet from toes down toward the mat in updog/heels and toes flat on the mat in downdog; you will get better at the roll-over with additional practice. In upward facing dog, your hands and the tops of your feet are touching the floor, your thighs and chest are lifting away from the floor as you gaze forward or up without crunching the neck.
Rest in savasana or corpse pose afterwards for five minutes as you close your eyes and completely relax your body.
These five exercises can be combined with a 30 minute brisk walk each day to enhance your cardiovascular health, your energy, and your total well-being. If you would like to see it in action, please "google" the Five Tibetan Rites and find Sarah Kline demonstrating it with a pro surfer and pro snowboarder. She does an excellent job explaining it, and a picture is worth a 1,000 words.
Namaste'
Jeanne

Running towards peace; not running away from life

I want to be someone who runs toward a peaceful, content spirit. Most of us, myself included, seem to be running away from sorrow, loneliness, shame, regret, frustration, unworthiness, etc. How can we be the type of people who stop the repetitive cycle of living in the past or worrying and dreading the future? The secret must be in living in the present moment and finding a deeper trust that wherever we are and whatever we face -- we can be free.
How does all of this relate to yoga you might ask? Yoga teaches us that we are more than our thoughts, more than our body, more than our physical, outward appearance. We are spirits, the inner being. This shines through our facial expressions, especially our eyes.
As we practice equanimity on the yoga mat through our breathing, our postures, our quieting of the mental chatter, we begin to find that inner tranquility. We let go of those things that do not serve us well, such as guilt over the past and fear or dread over the future. In the letting go, we begin to welcome in the silence of happiness and acceptance.
I read a story this morning during my quiet time with God of a man who grew up in an abusive home and found himself constantly wishing for someone to come and deliver him from the pain. He carried that shame, guilt, loneliness, and all of its components with him throughout his life. Through meditation and other yoga experiences, he began to deal with the trauma of his past and let go of its repercussions. From what he learned on the yoga mat, the lessons began to carry over into his daily life. Now, his life is dedicated to leading other people to find freedom from either the pain of childhood or adulthood; and despite the day to day situations that life offers, he helps them let go of the anxiety and depression that come from a broken and damaged self-image.
My prayer today for all of us is just like the Serenity prayer. Lord, grant me the serenity, the tranquility, the acceptance, the letting go of the things that I cannot change. God, please grant me the courage, the ability to overcome, the confidence to go on, the power to change the things that I can. Above all, I thank You for the wisdom to know the difference and run towards the light.
Namaste'

Where Are You on the Exercise Continuum?

As I study for my personal trainer's certification, I continue to be amazed at statistics about who exercises and how much they do or do not.
My Cooper Institute Handbook says that we are in one of five stages. We may not be aware that we have a problem or may not be interested in changing. Perhaps we have even tried to change in the past, but we have given up due to reluctance, rationalization, rebellion, or resignation.
The second stage of making a habit of exercise is having the intention to change. However, chronic contemplators are people who talk about it, think about it, but either the barriers to exercising are greater than its benefits, or they don't know how to get started. If you are in this stage, it will last less than 90 days before you move from thinking about it and doing it to just big talk and no walk.
Making small changes is the third stage of preparation. These people have a plan and enroll in some type of program. While they may not be regular or consistent, they are moving in the right direction.
Confidence and action with a mindset of accomplishing goals is the fourth stage, but it can also be the stage of greatest relapse. Six months of exercising regularly is symptomatic of the action goal setters. Why do they give up after making this new habit? I think time is the excuse that I hear the most often. However, we all make "time" for what is most important to us! How many people never miss their favorite TV show or take time to recreate?
The fifth and final stage is maintenance where someone decides that the benefits far outweigh the barriers, and the relapse rate is the lowest. After five years of exercising on a regular basis, these people are less likely to result in high risk behavior that causes metabolic diseases.
I can honestly say that life without exercise would be detrimental to my health, my weight, and my mental state. I want to be part of the 18 - 24% who begin and keep at it for the rest of my life. Whether you choose yoga, walking, running, cycling, swimming, or aerobic dance, remember this quotation, "The only remedy for mental fatigue is physical activity, and the only remedy for physical fatigue is sleep!"

Restorative practice that you can do at home!

Restorative Yoga Practice for Home
Here is a set of yoga asanas or postures that you can incorporate into your busy lives. I hope that you can use it at your own home, and yoga will help you feel more flexible, more calm and rested, and better in every way!
1. Moving Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) - Lie on your back with your legs bent and arms by your sides. Inhale arching your lower back up, and then exhale as you lift your hips and abdominal area up off the floor. Inhale again as you raise your arms to the ceiling and then to the floor behind and above you. Exhale as you bring your arms back to their original position down beside you and lower your back down to the floor one vertebra at a time. Repeat this motion using your breath as a guide inhaling and exhaling with each movement. Use your own discretion on how many times you move through the motion; breathing smoothly and moving with grace and sensitivity.
2. Windshield Wiper Feet - Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet as wide apart as your mat. Let your right knee fall in toward your left leg. Keep the left knee pointing up toward the ceiling. After a few breaths, replace your right leg and let the left knee fall in. Continue to slowly go back and forth.
A variation is to let both legs fall together to one side, like American windshield wipers. The first variation is similar to European windshield wipers--one at a time. In the second variation, continue work with the feet wide apart, keeping the pose a gentle twist. The pose we did in class is with both knees moving in the same direction. This helps neutralize your spine as you press your tail bone into the mat and extend your arms out in a “T” position.
3. Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose) variation - Draw your knees into your chest then release your left leg down to the mat as you hug your right knee into your body. Shift your weight slightly to the right side before you spread your arms out into a “T” position. Using your left hand on the right side of your right knee, draw this knee to the left side of your body. If you want a deeper stretch, lift your head and turn to the right as you breathe into the twist. Then, do the opposite side after releasing your right knee back to a neutral position and lowering it to the floor. If it is too much of a stretch to lower the opposing leg to the floor, bring your foot to the floor as a modification. This is a powerful way to let go of frustration, anxiety, and stress as it releases your lower back.
4. Cakrakvasana (Cat/Cow Pose) - Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Center your head in a neutral position, eyes looking at the floor.
As you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling like a cat arching its back, start by tucking your tail bone, and make sure you keep your shoulders and knees in position. Release your head toward the floor, but don't force (just lower) your chin to your chest. As you inhale, lift your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling, allowing your belly to sink toward the floor. Lift your head to look straight forward. Repeat several times to enhance flexibility to your spine. Remember to lead with the chest as you keep the chin slightly down and avoid compressing your lower back.
5. Bringing your body into a “C” position like a twist - From your tabletop position, inhale completely and then exhaling bring your right ear towards your right shoulder and both feet towards your right side as if you were looking back at them. Your left hip will naturally move to the left bringing your body into a “C” curve. Inhale back to the center with your gaze towards the floor. Exhale as you lean to the right, left ear to left shoulder, and feet move towards the left side. All twists help to realign the spine provided you inhale to lengthen the spine and exhale to twist.
6. Balasana (Child’s Pose) - Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck. Bring your arms overhead on the sticky mat, pressing your palms into the floor as you lift your elbows off the mat.
7. Circling Cat/Cow Pose - From Child’s Pose, pretend to push a marble with your nose up the mat towards your palms as you lift back up on the inhalation to Cow Pose. Then with your exhale, round your spine, while moving your hips back over your calves into Child’s Pose. Remember as you come forward pretending to push the marble, that you keep your elbows parallel to one another and do not splay out.
8. Parighasana (Gate Pose) - From your all fours position on the floor, slowly roll up so you end standing on your knees. If you have sensitive knee joints, take a flat blanket and use as a cushion under your knees. I like to turn sideways on my mat to have plenty of room to stretch out. Extend your left leg out to the side in line with your right knee. On an inhalation, reach your arms out to the sides, and as you exhale, slowly lean to the left, sliding your left hand down your leg. Reach your right arm overhead and towards the left side. Remain here for three to five breaths. Then do the opposite side.
9. Uttana Shishosana (Puppy Pose) - Come onto all fours. See that your shoulders are above your wrists and your hips are above your knees. Walk your hands forward a few inches and curl your toes under. As you exhale, move your buttocks halfway back toward your heels. Keep your arms active as you bend elbows and bring them into prayer hands behind your head. Drop your forehead to the floor or to a blanket and let your neck relax. Keep a slight curve in your lower back. To feel a nice long stretch in your spine, press the elbows down and stretch through the arms while pulling your hips back toward your heels. Breathe into your back, feeling the spine lengthen in both directions. This pose is good as a stress reliever stretching the spine and shoulders. It is a nice alternative to Downward-Facing Dog Pose if you have high blood pressure or glaucoma.
10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) - Returning to all fours or quadriped, tuck your toes under and spread your palms out flattening them on the mat with your index fingers parallel to one another pointing to the top of the mat as you lift your hips towards the ceiling. Keeping your knees bent and your heels lifted in your first inversion of the day. Raise the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins. Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis. Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang. You can gaze towards your feet or up towards your upper thighs or navel area.
11. Uttanasana (Forward Fold Pose with Rag Doll Arms) - Walk your feet towards your hands. Your feet are hip-distance apart. Bend your knees, and release your torso over the legs until your belly touches your thighs. Make fists and place them in the opposite elbow creases or hold onto your opposing elbows. Relax your back, neck and head, and roll your head and arms up one vertebra at a time with your head being the last to unravel. Bent elbows and holding your opposite elbows or making fists together are a central nervous system trigger that causes your back muscles to open. You’ll feel it after just a few breaths!
12. Rotating Shoulder/Neck stretching - In a standing position at the top of your mat and bringing your fingertips to your right shoulder, begin to rotate your elbow in wide circles clockwise and counter clockwise. Raise your left arm up alongside your left ear towards the ceiling and after turning your palm to the back plane of the body, take your arm back and lay it on your lower back near your waistline with your palm facing out. Release your right fingertips from your shoulder and clasp your left hand with your right hand on the right side of your waistline. Inhale nice and straight with your spine growing long, and then take your right ear towards your right shoulder. This stretches the left side of your neck. Now, do the opposite side starting with your fingertips on your left shoulder as you rotate your left elbow in a circling motion, then for the neck stretch bringing your right arm alongside your right ear and back behind your waist. Clasp the right hand with your left and bring your left ear towards your right shoulder. The neck is known as the bridge between the heart and the mind, and it is how we get the messages back and forth between the two areas in yoga.
(You can incorporate several Sun Salutations A into this section of your practice at this time. The directions for Surya Namaskar A are listed in an earlier post on this blog page.)
13. Standing Pigeon as a balancing pose - Standing in Mountain Pose, lift all ten toes as you lift the arches of your feet, your knee caps, your chest, your head and stand tall. Bring all of your weight into your right foot and lightly lower your right toes to the ground. Bending your left knee and keeping your toes lifted, you can just raise your left knee towards your chest. To begin your balancing postures, you may choose to stay here and find a quieting stillness before you move on and can even take your left hand to your left knee to open your hip as you guide the left knee to the side. Before you set your foot back down, always come back to the center before releasing. (Remember that all balancing poses are based on a steady gaze at a point in front of you that is still, a calm mind, and a constant inhalation and exhalation. Never hold your breath!) Then as preparation for standing pigeon, do the second side “easy side.” (:
Standing Pigeon is a modification of a standing lotus tree type pose. If you are ever in a power yoga class, you can opt for it instead of the more difficult Arda Baddha Padmottanasana. In Tadasana or Mountain Pose once again, bring all of your weight into your right foot, lower your right toes without gripping the floor or mat, and lift your left knee once again. Turn your left knee out to the side and hold that leg under the shin with both hands (almost as if you were cradling it). After a calming breath, slip your left ankle down so it is on your right thigh just above the right knee. Opening out the left knee to the side as you press your ankle into the right thigh, exhale and sit back into the pose as if you were coming into Utkatasana or Chair Posture. Your bottom reaches to the back as you place your weight into your heels almost like sitting in an imaginary chair. Inhale reach your arms up towards the ceiling bringing your shoulders over your hips, and hips over your ankles. Keep your inner thighs parallel to one another and reach your tail bone down tucking it under while pulling your belly button into your spine. To come out of the pose, inhale standing back up and uncrossing your ankle, then bring your knee back to center and release to the floor. Do the second side always. If we only do the side that is easiest, we are unbalanced and can actually make the weaker side even weaker!
14. Marichyasana III (Sage’s Twist) - Sit back down on the floor by doing a Sun Salutation or simply coming to the floor in Dandanasa (Staff Pose), then bend your right knee and put the foot on the floor, with the heel as close to the right sitting bone as possible. Keep the left leg strong and rotated slightly inward; ground the head of the thigh bone into the floor. Press the back of the left heel and the pull the toes towards your shin. Grounding the straight-leg thigh and bent-knee foot will help you lengthen your spine, which is always the first prerequisite of a successful twist. With an exhalation, rotate your torso to the right and wrap your left arm around the right thigh. Hold the outer thigh with your left hand, then pull the thigh up as you release the right hip toward the floor. Press your right fingertips onto the floor just behind your pelvis to lift the torso slightly up and forward. Remember you can use a block behind you to place your hand on as an assist. Continue lengthening the spine with each inhalation, and twist a little more with each exhalation. Hug the thigh to your belly with you’re your left arm or hook your left arm on the outside of your right thigh, then lean back against your shoulder blades into sitting up nice and tall. Gently turn your head to the right to complete the twist in your cervical spine. Then, do the other side. This accomplishes the following: it massages abdominal organs, including the liver and kidneys, stretches the shoulders, stimulates the brain, relieves mild backache and hip pain, and strengthens and stretches the spine. Twists are very beneficial!
15. Ardha Matseyandrasana (Half Lord of Fish Pose) - Sitting up straight and tall on your sits bones or on a thinly folded blanket in Dandasana, bend your left knee and cross it over your right side, planting the left foot on the floor outside of your right thigh. You can keep your right leg extended or you can bring it towards your left hip in a type of wrapping position; however, make sure you are grounded by sitting on your bottom and not on your ankle. Inhale to lengthen the spine as your raise your arms up by your ears, and as you exhale, wrap your right arm around your left knee or hook your right elbow on the outside of your left thigh. Your left hand is on the floor behind you just behind your sacrum (triangular part of your pelvis just below your spine) or can be on a block. Inhale again before you twist to help lengthen your spine before you exhale beginning the twist. Go slowly and feel how the twist begins deep inside you and starts at your lower spine moving up your back. Turn your neck or cervical spine last of all. Then, do the other side. (: Return back to your neutral sitting position.
16. Savasana (Final Relaxation Pose) - In Savasana it's essential that the body be placed in a neutral position. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and lean back onto your forearms. Lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and, with your hands, push the back of the pelvis toward the tailbone, then return the pelvis to the floor. Inhale and slowly extend the right leg, then the left, pushing through the heels. Release both legs, softening the groins, and see that the legs are angled evenly relative to the mid-line of the torso, and that the feet turn out equally. Narrow the front pelvis and soften (but don't flatten) the lower back. You may choose to use a rolled up blanket (like a burrito) under your knees. Then release the arms to the floor, angled evenly relative to the mid-line of torso. Turn the arms outward and stretch them away from the space between the shoulder blades. Rest the backs of the hands on the floor as close as you comfortably can to the index finger knuckles. Make sure the shoulder blades are resting evenly on the floor. Release all tension as you relax your jaw line, soften the root of the tongue, the wings of the nose, and the skin of the forehead, especially around the bridge of the nose between the eyebrows. Let the eyes sink to the back of the head, then turn them downward to gaze at the heart. Release your worries and wrinkles out of your face, neck, and head. Remain in this pose for at least five minutes. Take even longer if you have the opportunity. To exit, first roll gently with an exhalation onto the right side. Take 2 or 3 breaths. With another exhalation press your left hand against the floor and lift rolling up to a seated position. Sit quietly in Sukasana or Easy Seated Pose for a few breaths. Namaste’!