Core strength and stability are critical for success in any type of training, whether it be running, training for races, cycling, weight lifting, or just overall fitness. Weaknesses in the spine and pelvis affect your form with every stroke or step, which over time often leads to injury. Yoga poses strengthen core musculature, encourage a greater range of motion through the spine and pelvis, plus help you balance from your center. Read on at the end of the schedule for this coming week's classes for core strengthening planks.
*******************************************
Tranquility Yoga Schedule for the week of November 27 - December 4, 2010!
Today, Friday, November 26th, we have a power yoga class planned for 9:00 a.m. We will call it "Burn the Bird!" as we burn off the calorie consumption from yesterday's celebration.
Saturday, November 27
9:00 a.m. Vinyasa Flow yoga with core strengthening (Level 1 and 2)
Monday, November 29
4:30 p.m. Yoga with Pilates working on lower body strength (Level 1 and 2)
6:30 p.m. Family Yoga with balancing for concentration (Level 1)
Tuesday, November 30
4:30 p.m. Yoga for Weight Loss/Toning with standing postures (Level 1)
6:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga with emphasis on chakra opening (Level 1 and 2)
Wednesday, December 1
5:30 p.m. Power Yoga with Astanga Flow (Level 2)
Thursday, December 2
4:30 p.m. Yoga for Weight Loss/Toning with arm strengthening (Level 1)
Friday, December 3
5:30 p.m. Power Yoga with "Wild Thing" pose (Level 2)
Saturday, December 4
9:00 a.m. Yoga Plus Pilates using weights and a stability ball to strengthen and tone (Level 1 and 2)
Level 1 is more of a beginner class; however it's still a great way for more advanced students to get back to the basics. Classes for Level 2 can always be modified to move at a less intense pace and format. No matter your ability level, age, strength or flexibility, yoga is for everyone.
****************************************************
Do the Plank!
When you include these postures in a complete practice, you work each muscle in the core from just about every possible angle, says Valerie Kit Love, a licensed occupational therapist, a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher, and the owner of a yoga and Pilates studio in Oklahoma City. But yoga's comprehensive regimen of abdominal work adds up to much more than a firm, flat belly. Because your abdominal muscles support the proper curves of the spine, a strong core can both improve posture and reduce back pain.
In addition, Love says, "since the abdominal wall wraps around and holds the abdominal organs, adding support to this area will improve digestion and elimination." And as you condition your pelvic floor muscles (located at the base of your core), you may notice a boost in your sexual desire and enjoyment.
Finally, as you build core strength, you may find it easier to tap into your third chakra, the power center just above your navel. Often this connection not only leads to greater muscular strength but also brings more energy into your creative life, work, and relationships.
Plank - start from hands and knees. Check that your hands are directly beneath your shoulders, with your fingers spread wide. Reach your legs back and turn your toes under to assume a push-up position. Remember in a yoga plank the arms are closer together, and the elbows come in towards the rib cage instead of out at a perpendicular angle.
Find your mountain pose (Tadasana) alignment where the spine maintains the natural curves, the shoulder blades remain in a slightly engaged position as you firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Your tailbone is tucked slightly like a cat tilt, hips are not sagging or in an inverted "V," legs are active and long with the knees pointing straight forward towards the floor, and a slight inward rotation of your thighs.
When your hips are too high, you will add a stretch down the legs and strain the upper back while creating more pressure on the wrists.
Use your abdominal muscles to help you feel stable as you draw your navel inward to the spine. Engage your pelvic locks to engage your transverse abdominus and hold the plank position or lower to the floor. I always remind the yogis in class to let your nose come to the floor before your belly touches. (:
Variations on Plank:
Dophin Plank - lowering down to your elbows (directly under your shoulders) and bringing your hands together interlacing your fingers.
Side Plank - pressing one hand (let's say your right) into the floor directly under your shoulder while rotating to the left and raising the left arm. You will come to the outside of the right foot either by stacking the feet (more intense) or staggering the feet. You can modify this pose by coming to the right knee; you can intensify the pose by lifting the top leg.
Incline Plank - sitting on the floor with your legs extended and your hands behind you on the floor (about 6 inches more or less) with fingers pointing towards your hips. Use an inhalation to reach your toes down to the floor as you push the soles of your feet to the mat, open up your chest, and lift your front body upwards and toward the ceiling. Head stays in line with the spine. This works your entire front and back side. To modify come into tabletop position with feet on the floor and knees bent in a 90 degree angle.
Much like the top position in a push-up, the traditional Plank Pose strongly works the abdominals as they stabilize your torso. But you can take Plank to an even greater level of difficulty by elevating your feet on a stability ball. If you're up for yet more of a challenge, try moving into Bakasana Prep (Crane) on the ball; lift your hips and draw your knees in toward your forehead, so you come into a deep C-curve. This takes a great deal of strength in all the abdominals but especially engages the rectus. Yoga Journal - Alisa Bauman
If you have any questions or are interested in the early morning classes, please call me at 918-855-6459. I would love to have you in our wonderful practice - the only yoga studio in Owasso! I am indeed blessed and thankful to work with such terrific people.
Namaste'
Jeanne Kay
Certified Pilates Teacher
Registered Yoga Instructor - 200 hour with Yoga Alliance
Certified Personal Fitness Trainer with Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX
Our Tranquility Yoga Studio is conveniently located off 116th Street North in Owasso. The low price for classes is $45.00 for a punch card of 8 classes (expiration date one year) or a $10.00 drop-in fee. There have been some questions about early morning classes. I am available on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 5:00a.m. for Power Pilates type of class where we lift weights, do some cardio yoga, and toning for abs. If I can get three people to commit to this time frame, we will begin our Sunrise Pilates classes in December. We have restroom and shower facilities available if you need to go on to work from here at 6:35. Please let me know if you are interested. Thanks!
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." Patangali (author of Yoga Sutras)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Today is the Day!
My personal goal is to be fit and feel good about myself. It sounds like a selfish goal; however, I spent so many years just doing for others, trying to please, and regarding my body as my enemy that now I have made it my priority. I think being in your fifty-somethings changes your whole perspective. Brian, my dear, handsome, funny husband, says, "We have worked hard to get this old. Now it is all about us." (:
I love to run, walk, work out at the gym, and especially practice yoga. Afterwards, I feel like I have really accomplished something and am proud. Exercise has to become something that you do every single day in some form or other. If it isn't a habit, being fit turns into spring or fall cleaning. Something that you need to do, something you ought to do, but definitely, it is something that you will do later or when you have time.
Today is the Tulsa Run. I have prepared for it. Training can always be more often, more expensive, and more intensive. However, today is what it is, and I am going to just enjoy it. When did we begin to look at exercise as something that we dread, but we know we have to do? I am choosing today to look differently at my running. I will enjoy the beautiful fall day. I will admire the other runners. I will enjoy the excitement of the crowd. I will have a good time. I will not be embarrassed that I have to wear a knee brace due to a twisting, weight bearing motion in zumba. I will cherish the moment and NOT be concerned about my time, my lack of speed, my competitive nature. I will do it, and in doing it, I will honor my body. I will breathe in a steady way. If it takes me three hours, so be it. I know this wonderful gorgeous smile of my husband will be awaiting me. He thinks I am amazing, and it makes me feel better about myself just knowing that kind man's opinion.
Afterwards, I will relish yoga stretch and hot tub time.
I am a little older, a little wiser (now I know not to drink water at all the QT stops), and a little more fit despite the knee issue. Amazingly enough, yoga has taught me all of this and so much more. Most of all, I will be a runner filled with gratitude at all God has blessed me with: a husband who loves me, five beautiful, wonderful children, two lovely daughters-in-law, one hard-working son-in-law, three amazing grandchildren and one on the way, and friends who believe in me even though I am not perfect.
John Wesley once said, "Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
Namaste' and Amen to that!
I love to run, walk, work out at the gym, and especially practice yoga. Afterwards, I feel like I have really accomplished something and am proud. Exercise has to become something that you do every single day in some form or other. If it isn't a habit, being fit turns into spring or fall cleaning. Something that you need to do, something you ought to do, but definitely, it is something that you will do later or when you have time.
Today is the Tulsa Run. I have prepared for it. Training can always be more often, more expensive, and more intensive. However, today is what it is, and I am going to just enjoy it. When did we begin to look at exercise as something that we dread, but we know we have to do? I am choosing today to look differently at my running. I will enjoy the beautiful fall day. I will admire the other runners. I will enjoy the excitement of the crowd. I will have a good time. I will not be embarrassed that I have to wear a knee brace due to a twisting, weight bearing motion in zumba. I will cherish the moment and NOT be concerned about my time, my lack of speed, my competitive nature. I will do it, and in doing it, I will honor my body. I will breathe in a steady way. If it takes me three hours, so be it. I know this wonderful gorgeous smile of my husband will be awaiting me. He thinks I am amazing, and it makes me feel better about myself just knowing that kind man's opinion.
Afterwards, I will relish yoga stretch and hot tub time.
I am a little older, a little wiser (now I know not to drink water at all the QT stops), and a little more fit despite the knee issue. Amazingly enough, yoga has taught me all of this and so much more. Most of all, I will be a runner filled with gratitude at all God has blessed me with: a husband who loves me, five beautiful, wonderful children, two lovely daughters-in-law, one hard-working son-in-law, three amazing grandchildren and one on the way, and friends who believe in me even though I am not perfect.
John Wesley once said, "Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
Namaste' and Amen to that!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Challenge by Choice!
Our wonderful P.E. teacher, Michelle, taught us a skit the other day with her version of challenge by choice. The theme of the skit honored a Great Expectation implementation of the 17 practices in which "Practice 3. Students are taught as a whole group, thoroughly and to mastery, with intensive and specific modifications insuring success for all." I thought that this practice should be the theme of my boot camp class that I teach at my home studio on Saturday mornings.
Michelle called it "Challenge by Choice." I liked the idea so much that I have named the Boot Camp class the same name. Thanks, Michelle, for your inspiration! You are an awesome teacher.
What happens in a boot camp class? First, we walk, speed walk, or run for 15 minutes. It is the choice of the participant. Who comes to boot camp? We have the young, the middle 30's, the older, the thin, the average, the slightly overweight, and those who struggle with their size. Where does this take place? At our home yoga studio, Tranquility Yoga, in Owasso right off 116th Street North. When does the class meet? It meets on Saturday mornings at 9 (rain, cold, sleet, snow, or beautiful weather). Why would you add this class to your yoga schedule? I personally believe that balance is best in all fitness. This class gives cardio, core, muscle strengthening, and stretch. How do you dress? Comfortably with tennis shoes is the best idea.
After our 15 minute warm-up, we move inside the studio or outside on the yoga patio for our workout. A one to two minute sequence begins with sun salutations to stretch and keep our body heat going. Then, cardio for two minutes, plank for two minutes, abs or core workout for two minutes, and weight lifting for two minutes. This continues for about 45 - 50 minutes. Believe me, we actually look forward to the weight lifting portion on the stability ball because it is a resting period.
After the 15 minutes of warm-up, the 45 minutes of hard work (challenging your own body at your own pace), we begin a 10 minute yoga stretch and end with a 5 minute savasana or yoga rest. Most of the people say that is the best part; however, I find the whole time invigorating and fun! We laugh, groan, and tease our way through. I end the time with a positive meditation thought of encouragement. 75 minutes of challenging your own body at the pace that is best for you.
Many of the boot camps in our area have a big expenditure, but Tranquility Yoga's cost is the same as for all our yoga and Pilates classes. It is $5.62 for each class. Challenge by choice - what an terrific idea! Deciding for two minutes whether you do one, five, or twenty-five; it is all your own decision, and afterwards, you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Come experience it for yourself! Our next session of boot camp on Saturday mornings begins November 6th!
Come work out with me; the best is yet to be!
Jeanne
Michelle called it "Challenge by Choice." I liked the idea so much that I have named the Boot Camp class the same name. Thanks, Michelle, for your inspiration! You are an awesome teacher.
What happens in a boot camp class? First, we walk, speed walk, or run for 15 minutes. It is the choice of the participant. Who comes to boot camp? We have the young, the middle 30's, the older, the thin, the average, the slightly overweight, and those who struggle with their size. Where does this take place? At our home yoga studio, Tranquility Yoga, in Owasso right off 116th Street North. When does the class meet? It meets on Saturday mornings at 9 (rain, cold, sleet, snow, or beautiful weather). Why would you add this class to your yoga schedule? I personally believe that balance is best in all fitness. This class gives cardio, core, muscle strengthening, and stretch. How do you dress? Comfortably with tennis shoes is the best idea.
After our 15 minute warm-up, we move inside the studio or outside on the yoga patio for our workout. A one to two minute sequence begins with sun salutations to stretch and keep our body heat going. Then, cardio for two minutes, plank for two minutes, abs or core workout for two minutes, and weight lifting for two minutes. This continues for about 45 - 50 minutes. Believe me, we actually look forward to the weight lifting portion on the stability ball because it is a resting period.
After the 15 minutes of warm-up, the 45 minutes of hard work (challenging your own body at your own pace), we begin a 10 minute yoga stretch and end with a 5 minute savasana or yoga rest. Most of the people say that is the best part; however, I find the whole time invigorating and fun! We laugh, groan, and tease our way through. I end the time with a positive meditation thought of encouragement. 75 minutes of challenging your own body at the pace that is best for you.
Many of the boot camps in our area have a big expenditure, but Tranquility Yoga's cost is the same as for all our yoga and Pilates classes. It is $5.62 for each class. Challenge by choice - what an terrific idea! Deciding for two minutes whether you do one, five, or twenty-five; it is all your own decision, and afterwards, you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Come experience it for yourself! Our next session of boot camp on Saturday mornings begins November 6th!
Come work out with me; the best is yet to be!
Jeanne
Sunday, August 1, 2010
New schedule in August
Dear Friends,
What does "perfect peaceableness" look like to you? Is it the absence of trouble, stress, strife, and worry? Is it a vacation site, your couch with popcorn and a good movie, a lonely desert island, or calm in the midst of life's happenings? Is peace really possible? How do I acquaint myself with this kind of peace in the beginning of August with Oklahoma heat, new intimidating circumstances, and a hectic schedule all the while trying to improve my teaching skills by mirroring my students?
When I had the dream of having my own yoga studio and business, I asked myself one morning while in Connecticut practicing on my daughter's back porch.."What is the one thing that I want people to leave my classes having?" My answer was tranquility, peace, and contentment in spite of the swirling winds of life away from our yoga mats. Thus, came the name Tranquility Yoga.
"Contentment is a requirement for peace of mind, yet we live in a culture that fosters discontentment."
Santosha: The Ease of the Heart
by Shraddhananda
While having my meditation and study time this morning, I think I found hints of what peace and santosha may be about. Consider these thousands of years old statements. "Acquaint yourself with Him and be at peace," "I will listen with expectancy to what God will say for He will speak peace," "Guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace," "My peace I leave with you...do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled," "Peace shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds," "Peace at all times and in all ways (whatever comes)," and "Why are you timid and afraid?...a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness) came in the middle of the storm." I believe peace and contentment (santosha) come from confidence in a Source greater than ourselves and breathing through difficulties, disasters, and disappointments. It does not come through a single ideal place or time or situation because life is always right behind it arriving at a gale wind force.
Right now, exactly where you are sample peace and contentment. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and simply breathe. Take a moment to experience a break from the obligations and schedule of life by quieting your mind, inhaling and exhaling as you pause. Peace is there behind the thunderstorm, but you must make time to find it.
Namaste'
Jeanne
P.S. By the way, I do know my right from my left, but really good teachers (according to Yoga Journal) mirror their students in class. Next time you practice with me smile when I face you because I am on your same side but calling it on my body differently.
Tranquility Yoga Classes for this Week include the following:
Home Studio (by reservation only)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
7:00 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Asymmetrical Poses)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
7:00 p.m. Boot Camp Is For Sissies (new class with fun cardio)
Friday, August 5, 2010
5:30 p.m. Astanga Power Yoga
Please note: Beginning Yoga classes start again next week on August 10 at 4:30 p.m. at our home studio on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons.
Thornton YMCA
Today, August 1, 2010
1:30 p.m. Pilates MVE Chair Class (free first class to members)
2:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Exploring the Bird Postures)
Monday, August 2, 2010
6:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Backbending to Open the Heart)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
7:30 a.m. Personal training
9:00 a.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Emotional Balance through the Breath)
10:30 a.m. Beginner's Yoga (emphasis: Eliminating Fear through Quieting the Mind)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
1:30 p.m. Pilates MVE Chair (emphasis: Sculpting with Weights)
2:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Turn Obstacles into Opportunities)
American Airlines
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
11:00 a.m. Office Yoga
Subbing for other teachers
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
South Neighborhood Y at 5:10 p.m. subbing for Sue Moore
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
South Neighborhood Y at 10:30 a.m. subbing for Jenny Dungan
Hope to see you soon! If you are an Owasso Public School employee, remember our Power Pilates classes start on Monday, August 23rd at 6:00 a.m. and Wednesday, August 25th, at 4:00 p.m. in the new Wellness Center. E-mail or call me at 855-6459 for more information.
Jeanne K. Doss
Registered Yoga Teacher/200 hr. level
Cooper Institute: Personal Fitness Trainer
YMCA Pilates Instructor
Contentment is serenity, but not complacency. It is comfort, but not submission to fear; reconciliation, not apathy; acknowledgment, not aloofness. Contentment is a mental decision, a moral choice, a practiced observance, a step into the reality of the cosmos.
What does "perfect peaceableness" look like to you? Is it the absence of trouble, stress, strife, and worry? Is it a vacation site, your couch with popcorn and a good movie, a lonely desert island, or calm in the midst of life's happenings? Is peace really possible? How do I acquaint myself with this kind of peace in the beginning of August with Oklahoma heat, new intimidating circumstances, and a hectic schedule all the while trying to improve my teaching skills by mirroring my students?
When I had the dream of having my own yoga studio and business, I asked myself one morning while in Connecticut practicing on my daughter's back porch.."What is the one thing that I want people to leave my classes having?" My answer was tranquility, peace, and contentment in spite of the swirling winds of life away from our yoga mats. Thus, came the name Tranquility Yoga.
"Contentment is a requirement for peace of mind, yet we live in a culture that fosters discontentment."
Santosha: The Ease of the Heart
by Shraddhananda
While having my meditation and study time this morning, I think I found hints of what peace and santosha may be about. Consider these thousands of years old statements. "Acquaint yourself with Him and be at peace," "I will listen with expectancy to what God will say for He will speak peace," "Guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace," "My peace I leave with you...do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled," "Peace shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds," "Peace at all times and in all ways (whatever comes)," and "Why are you timid and afraid?...a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness) came in the middle of the storm." I believe peace and contentment (santosha) come from confidence in a Source greater than ourselves and breathing through difficulties, disasters, and disappointments. It does not come through a single ideal place or time or situation because life is always right behind it arriving at a gale wind force.
Right now, exactly where you are sample peace and contentment. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and simply breathe. Take a moment to experience a break from the obligations and schedule of life by quieting your mind, inhaling and exhaling as you pause. Peace is there behind the thunderstorm, but you must make time to find it.
Namaste'
Jeanne
P.S. By the way, I do know my right from my left, but really good teachers (according to Yoga Journal) mirror their students in class. Next time you practice with me smile when I face you because I am on your same side but calling it on my body differently.
Tranquility Yoga Classes for this Week include the following:
Home Studio (by reservation only)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
7:00 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Asymmetrical Poses)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
7:00 p.m. Boot Camp Is For Sissies (new class with fun cardio)
Friday, August 5, 2010
5:30 p.m. Astanga Power Yoga
Please note: Beginning Yoga classes start again next week on August 10 at 4:30 p.m. at our home studio on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons.
Thornton YMCA
Today, August 1, 2010
1:30 p.m. Pilates MVE Chair Class (free first class to members)
2:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Exploring the Bird Postures)
Monday, August 2, 2010
6:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Backbending to Open the Heart)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
7:30 a.m. Personal training
9:00 a.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Emotional Balance through the Breath)
10:30 a.m. Beginner's Yoga (emphasis: Eliminating Fear through Quieting the Mind)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
1:30 p.m. Pilates MVE Chair (emphasis: Sculpting with Weights)
2:30 p.m. Vinyasa Flow Yoga (emphasis: Turn Obstacles into Opportunities)
American Airlines
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
11:00 a.m. Office Yoga
Subbing for other teachers
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
South Neighborhood Y at 5:10 p.m. subbing for Sue Moore
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
South Neighborhood Y at 10:30 a.m. subbing for Jenny Dungan
Hope to see you soon! If you are an Owasso Public School employee, remember our Power Pilates classes start on Monday, August 23rd at 6:00 a.m. and Wednesday, August 25th, at 4:00 p.m. in the new Wellness Center. E-mail or call me at 855-6459 for more information.
Jeanne K. Doss
Registered Yoga Teacher/200 hr. level
Cooper Institute: Personal Fitness Trainer
YMCA Pilates Instructor
Contentment is serenity, but not complacency. It is comfort, but not submission to fear; reconciliation, not apathy; acknowledgment, not aloofness. Contentment is a mental decision, a moral choice, a practiced observance, a step into the reality of the cosmos.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
- Harriet Tubman
Years ago back in the 90's, I began practicing yoga in my living room with a simple T.V. show. I found that yoga was calming to my mind, energizing to my body, and beneficial to my spirit. At the time my weight was high, my environment was destructive, and my self-esteem was at an all time low. Dreaming to be someone who was different and proactive, I continued to practice despite the impossibility I felt of coming into some of the yoga postures, especially downward facing dog.
The great dream of being a changed person began like a small seed in a deep crevice. As my weight came off through yoga and a walking program, I found the courage to start attending exercise classes, step-aerobics, kick boxing, and what I truly enjoyed yoga. The frustration of not being able to do all the moves was overwhelming at times, but my passion drove me on toward accomplishing the goal. I began running and loved the feeling of strength and empowerment that exercise gives.
As my precious children were moving on to their own individual lives as adults and finishing my master's degree was on the horizon, I needed a new passion to dedicate my extra time. Exercise became the vehicle that moved me forward, empowered me with confidence, and helped overcome my bad habits of overeating to compensate for the stress in my life. The small dream of becoming an exercise instructor lay in that deep crevice partly due to a desire to share my story and help others who struggled with similar issues.
Through several major life disappointments, the seed continued to grow roots despite the adjustment of moving to a large city, changing jobs, and starting all over again in my forties. Yoga classes were like a haven of peace where I felt tranquil as my life moved forward into new places and experiences. The more I practiced, the easier it became to get into the harder postures. The easier the yoga classes were, the more I liked it. Thus, liking it more made me want to practice more frequently, and the dream began to be a seedling as it was watered by encouragement from others.
Instead of criticizing me or making fun of me for yoga, these precious people, especially Brian, helped me to believe in myself and have courage that this tiny seed could grow into a full blown dream. One day early in 2006 as I prepared dinner, Brian came in and laid his entire paycheck on the counter top and said, "This is for your first yoga training. I believe in you! I know this is your dream, and you cannot afford it. Sign up, and if you need more money, let me know." I was amazed by his kindness and generosity for we were only dating. As a public school teacher, my salary only covered my basic needs for housing and car payment and would never have allowed me to pay the high cost of yoga training.
June 17, 2006, I walked into the Thornton YMCA in Tulsa with my little lunch box, in my new yoga clothes, and full of excitement like a kid going off to her first day of kindergarten. When they asked for our names and a little about ourselves, I told them that dreams really do come true. At the time, hardly did I realize how true these words of self-affirmation really were. Our words are such a powerful force.
This past Friday, July 16, 2010, Brian and I completed stage 1 of converting our garage into a yoga studio. Now teaching 15 - 18 classes a week, I am still overwhelmed with gratitude at where I began in my frustrated, overweight past, with such a tiny seed of a dream. As a personal certified trainer, 200 hr. Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance, Pilates instructor, I know that dreams really happen not just over the rainbow but in our own lives. I do so appreciate all of the people who have encouraged me and watered my seedling of a dream which has become "Tranquility Yoga" studio in Owasso, Oklahoma. The Thornton YMCA was part of that dream taking classes there and my first training, and I will always want it to be part of my life's work. However, having a yoga studio in my home where peace and tranquility reign is such a precious gift from God. Thank you, especially to my loving husband, Brian, who has believed in me and helped to make this dream come true. Thank you to all the wonderful people who come to my yoga classes here in my home and at the Y; you mean so much to me, and I truly love seeing yoga make a difference in your life. Thank you to God, the Giver of dreams, and the Ultimate One who makes them come true!
- Harriet Tubman
Years ago back in the 90's, I began practicing yoga in my living room with a simple T.V. show. I found that yoga was calming to my mind, energizing to my body, and beneficial to my spirit. At the time my weight was high, my environment was destructive, and my self-esteem was at an all time low. Dreaming to be someone who was different and proactive, I continued to practice despite the impossibility I felt of coming into some of the yoga postures, especially downward facing dog.
The great dream of being a changed person began like a small seed in a deep crevice. As my weight came off through yoga and a walking program, I found the courage to start attending exercise classes, step-aerobics, kick boxing, and what I truly enjoyed yoga. The frustration of not being able to do all the moves was overwhelming at times, but my passion drove me on toward accomplishing the goal. I began running and loved the feeling of strength and empowerment that exercise gives.
As my precious children were moving on to their own individual lives as adults and finishing my master's degree was on the horizon, I needed a new passion to dedicate my extra time. Exercise became the vehicle that moved me forward, empowered me with confidence, and helped overcome my bad habits of overeating to compensate for the stress in my life. The small dream of becoming an exercise instructor lay in that deep crevice partly due to a desire to share my story and help others who struggled with similar issues.
Through several major life disappointments, the seed continued to grow roots despite the adjustment of moving to a large city, changing jobs, and starting all over again in my forties. Yoga classes were like a haven of peace where I felt tranquil as my life moved forward into new places and experiences. The more I practiced, the easier it became to get into the harder postures. The easier the yoga classes were, the more I liked it. Thus, liking it more made me want to practice more frequently, and the dream began to be a seedling as it was watered by encouragement from others.
Instead of criticizing me or making fun of me for yoga, these precious people, especially Brian, helped me to believe in myself and have courage that this tiny seed could grow into a full blown dream. One day early in 2006 as I prepared dinner, Brian came in and laid his entire paycheck on the counter top and said, "This is for your first yoga training. I believe in you! I know this is your dream, and you cannot afford it. Sign up, and if you need more money, let me know." I was amazed by his kindness and generosity for we were only dating. As a public school teacher, my salary only covered my basic needs for housing and car payment and would never have allowed me to pay the high cost of yoga training.
June 17, 2006, I walked into the Thornton YMCA in Tulsa with my little lunch box, in my new yoga clothes, and full of excitement like a kid going off to her first day of kindergarten. When they asked for our names and a little about ourselves, I told them that dreams really do come true. At the time, hardly did I realize how true these words of self-affirmation really were. Our words are such a powerful force.
This past Friday, July 16, 2010, Brian and I completed stage 1 of converting our garage into a yoga studio. Now teaching 15 - 18 classes a week, I am still overwhelmed with gratitude at where I began in my frustrated, overweight past, with such a tiny seed of a dream. As a personal certified trainer, 200 hr. Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance, Pilates instructor, I know that dreams really happen not just over the rainbow but in our own lives. I do so appreciate all of the people who have encouraged me and watered my seedling of a dream which has become "Tranquility Yoga" studio in Owasso, Oklahoma. The Thornton YMCA was part of that dream taking classes there and my first training, and I will always want it to be part of my life's work. However, having a yoga studio in my home where peace and tranquility reign is such a precious gift from God. Thank you, especially to my loving husband, Brian, who has believed in me and helped to make this dream come true. Thank you to all the wonderful people who come to my yoga classes here in my home and at the Y; you mean so much to me, and I truly love seeing yoga make a difference in your life. Thank you to God, the Giver of dreams, and the Ultimate One who makes them come true!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Hot body cool mind or hot body stressed out mind
Dear Yoga/Pilates People,
Summer greetings! I am excited about adding new classes, new opportunities, and meeting new friends. Power Yogilates, Boot Camp for ages 8 - 15, and Tulsa University classes are on my horizon. I love the challenge of making each class that I teach new, refreshing, and helpful to the age group, fitness ability, and wide variety of personalities. I consider each new face a friend in the making, and it is my goal to make you feel welcome, at ease, yet challenged in every class that you attend. Although yoga will always be my first love, my focus is fitness and flexibility for every body at every age.
One of the things I have noticed in the gyms that I teach or sub include stressed out people working out at a frenzied level leaving all sweaty and just as stressed if not more from their daily or weekly time in an effort to develop a healthy body. I believe that yoga can teach us a new perspective to our workout time. This is my take on it.
“However, what I have seen so far, both in the gym and online, are lot of training to tire you out but little if any awareness of how to position the body or maintain proper alignment in the execution of these exercises.” Johnathan Urla
Hot body, cool mind. Hot body, busy-overstressed mind. How many times at the gym do you see someone on the exercise machines who is watching t.v., using an IPOD with headphones, and talking? Does it make a difference in our workout?
I personally believe that yoga and Pilates teach that being mindful in the exercise helps in many ways. First, you learn to be present instead of distracted. Secondly, you concentrate on your breathing which not only promotes the mindfulness, but it also helps you find the rhythm of your breath and invites the prana (life giving energy). Finally, you pay attention to your alignment which encourages good posture and muscle alignment and prevents repetitive stress injuries.
So, it’s not always what you do, but how you do it that really counts. Alignment, action, and attitude are the three keys to a beneficial workout in yoga, Pilates, cardio, aerobics, and weight-lifting. Quantity is not always the most important. Quality workouts following the three “A’s” (my attitude follows my action; my action follows my alignment) are far more beneficial. Hot body, cool/focused mind relieves stress every time.
Brooke Siler, author of Pilates Body Challenges, says, “When performing the 10-minute challenges (for example: 10 minutes on the treadmill +15 minutes on the elliptical +10 minutes on the bike, and the rest of the time on the yoga mat) remember to work with concentration and control. Find the movements you feel work best and that provide the greatest results for you. Remember too that the postures you hate are probably the ones that are best for you and the ones your body needs. Always keep your brain inspired, and your body will follow.”
Let's keep our brains inspired, our posture and alignment in check, and our bodies fit. Join us in class this week!
Tranquility Yoga Schedule for June 27 - July 4, 2010
Sunday, June 27 at 2:30 Afternoon class Thornton YMCA - WILD Thing!
Monday, June 28 at 5:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Power Yogilates - Arm Balancing
Monday, June 28 at 6:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Turn Your World Upside Down!
Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Kundalini Challenge
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:30 Evening class - Subbing for Gretchen at the Owasso YMCA - Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Thursday, July 1 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Backbends to Open the Heart
Friday, July 2 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Friday, July 2 at 5:30 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Power Astanga Yoga
Saturday, July 3 at 9:00 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Yoga + Pilates = Great Workout!
Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Pigeon One and Pigeon Two Beginner's Yoga
Sunday, July 4 - Happy Independence Day! No classes scheduled - Thornton YMCA is closed (opening again on Monday, June 5)
Gentle Chair Yoga and Kid Yoga classes are not scheduled for this week. If you would like to arrange a small group class during the daytime hours, please call 855-6459. Small group classes by arrangement are for a regular punch card price ($5.62 each class) this summer = special discount.
(8 classes = $45.00 Tranquility Yoga Punch card with an expiration date of one year from date of purchase)
*All Tranquility Yoga Home Studio classes are by reservation only in order to know how many to plan for; if you can attend, (or something comes up and you cannot attend), please let me know. Thank you!
Namaste'
Jeanne
Jeanne K. Doss
Registered Yoga Teacher/200 hr. level
Cooper Institute: Personal Fitness Trainer
YMCA Pilates Instructor
Also certified in Zumba, Aerobics, and Step-Aerobics
"If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." William Penn
Summer greetings! I am excited about adding new classes, new opportunities, and meeting new friends. Power Yogilates, Boot Camp for ages 8 - 15, and Tulsa University classes are on my horizon. I love the challenge of making each class that I teach new, refreshing, and helpful to the age group, fitness ability, and wide variety of personalities. I consider each new face a friend in the making, and it is my goal to make you feel welcome, at ease, yet challenged in every class that you attend. Although yoga will always be my first love, my focus is fitness and flexibility for every body at every age.
One of the things I have noticed in the gyms that I teach or sub include stressed out people working out at a frenzied level leaving all sweaty and just as stressed if not more from their daily or weekly time in an effort to develop a healthy body. I believe that yoga can teach us a new perspective to our workout time. This is my take on it.
“However, what I have seen so far, both in the gym and online, are lot of training to tire you out but little if any awareness of how to position the body or maintain proper alignment in the execution of these exercises.” Johnathan Urla
Hot body, cool mind. Hot body, busy-overstressed mind. How many times at the gym do you see someone on the exercise machines who is watching t.v., using an IPOD with headphones, and talking? Does it make a difference in our workout?
I personally believe that yoga and Pilates teach that being mindful in the exercise helps in many ways. First, you learn to be present instead of distracted. Secondly, you concentrate on your breathing which not only promotes the mindfulness, but it also helps you find the rhythm of your breath and invites the prana (life giving energy). Finally, you pay attention to your alignment which encourages good posture and muscle alignment and prevents repetitive stress injuries.
So, it’s not always what you do, but how you do it that really counts. Alignment, action, and attitude are the three keys to a beneficial workout in yoga, Pilates, cardio, aerobics, and weight-lifting. Quantity is not always the most important. Quality workouts following the three “A’s” (my attitude follows my action; my action follows my alignment) are far more beneficial. Hot body, cool/focused mind relieves stress every time.
Brooke Siler, author of Pilates Body Challenges, says, “When performing the 10-minute challenges (for example: 10 minutes on the treadmill +15 minutes on the elliptical +10 minutes on the bike, and the rest of the time on the yoga mat) remember to work with concentration and control. Find the movements you feel work best and that provide the greatest results for you. Remember too that the postures you hate are probably the ones that are best for you and the ones your body needs. Always keep your brain inspired, and your body will follow.”
Let's keep our brains inspired, our posture and alignment in check, and our bodies fit. Join us in class this week!
Tranquility Yoga Schedule for June 27 - July 4, 2010
Sunday, June 27 at 2:30 Afternoon class Thornton YMCA - WILD Thing!
Monday, June 28 at 5:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Power Yogilates - Arm Balancing
Monday, June 28 at 6:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Turn Your World Upside Down!
Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Kundalini Challenge
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:30 Evening class - Subbing for Gretchen at the Owasso YMCA - Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Thursday, July 1 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Backbends to Open the Heart
Friday, July 2 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Friday, July 2 at 5:30 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Power Astanga Yoga
Saturday, July 3 at 9:00 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Yoga + Pilates = Great Workout!
Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Pigeon One and Pigeon Two Beginner's Yoga
Sunday, July 4 - Happy Independence Day! No classes scheduled - Thornton YMCA is closed (opening again on Monday, June 5)
Gentle Chair Yoga and Kid Yoga classes are not scheduled for this week. If you would like to arrange a small group class during the daytime hours, please call 855-6459. Small group classes by arrangement are for a regular punch card price ($5.62 each class) this summer = special discount.
(8 classes = $45.00 Tranquility Yoga Punch card with an expiration date of one year from date of purchase)
*All Tranquility Yoga Home Studio classes are by reservation only in order to know how many to plan for; if you can attend, (or something comes up and you cannot attend), please let me know. Thank you!
Namaste'
Jeanne
Jeanne K. Doss
Registered Yoga Teacher/200 hr. level
Cooper Institute: Personal Fitness Trainer
YMCA Pilates Instructor
Also certified in Zumba, Aerobics, and Step-Aerobics
"If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." William Penn
Monday, May 31, 2010
Running and Yoga Go Hand in Hand or Foot to Head
How many times does your foot strike the ground while you are running or jogging? According to Baron Baptiste, power yoga teacher, your foot strikes the ground over 1,000 times during an average mile. Compounded by your body weight, the continuous motion causes a force of impact three to four times of what you would normally place on your body. This creates issues with your feet, ankles, knees, and hips, not to even mention your lower back.
In yoga our practice is always based on our alignment, our attitude, and our actions that follow. Our alignment starts from the ground up towards the crown of our head bringing every area into a beautifully created stack of shoulders over hips and hips over ankles. Even with the forward propelling motion of running, conscious alignment helps us to protect the vulnerable areas of possible injury in our knees and ankles. Our attitude of honoring our body and finding the rhythm of our inhalation and exhalation keeps us present in the moment and prevents competitive behavior from over-riding our body's wisdom of what pain is. Our action of preparing for our run with Sun Salutation C (the lunge salute) helps our muscles, tendons, and ligaments to warm up gradually before beginning our morning, afternoon, or evening run. Completing our daily activity with deep stretches not only prevents further injury, but it also helps with repetitive stress injuries that occur over time. Tight muscles, such as our hamstrings or I.T. bands, just continue to get more inflexible, hard, and even brittle without long held stretching at the end of a run.
However, my question is can running help our yoga practice? I believe that it can, and that is one of the main reasons why I run! Running, a terrific cardiovascular exercise, improves our VO2 maximum (the maximum capacity of our body to transport and use oxygen in exercise). Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Founder of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, based his V02 maximum formula on a run of 12 minutes. His formula was conducted for the United States Air Force in the late 1960s. One of the results of this was the Cooper test in which the distance covered running in 12 minutes is measured. Based on the measured distance, an estimate of VO2 max (in ml/min/kg) is:
where d12 is distance (in metres) covered in 12 minutes minus 505 divided by 45. Maximum oxygen intake is widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power. This affects our yoga practice by giving us the endurance ability to accomplish long held yoga postures, increasing your oxygen intake in a flowing vinyasa or power yoga class, and maximizing the amount of fresh blood pumping through your body during a practice.
Whether you are training for a run, such as the Tulsa Run in the fall, or conditioning your body to take a power yoga class, running and yoga do go hand in hand. Here is my personal recommendation for yoga, run, yoga.
First, do 5 Sun Salutations with the lunge variation (knee on the floor). Give each pose one breath. This corresponds to be: Inhale - sun breath standing in Mountain pose. Exhale - Forward Fold bending your knees to keep from overstretching your hamstrings; hands touch the floor or blocks. Inhale - Half Forward Fold looking up or forward neutralizing your spine. Exhale - releasing back into a fold, stepping back with your right foot, and inhaling into a Low Lunge with your right knee on the floor, left knee directly over your left ankle, and arms beside your ears. Exhaling arms down, stepping your other leg back, and coming to a Plank position as you lower to the floor with bent knees or straight strong legs, shoulders over wrists. Inhale -Cobra pose with bent elbows; hips, thighs, and toes on the floor as you lift your chest, neck and head. Exhale - Downward Facing Dog or Child's pose. Inhale - bending your knees as you step forward with your right leg and coming back into the lunging position. Lift your hands up with arms alongside your head finding your Crescent Lunge with modified left knee on the floor and right knee directly over your right ankle. Exhaling your hands down, looking forward, step forward to the front of your mat. Inhale halfway up, and exhale down in your forward fold. Then, with bent knees sweep your arms up, and you will return to Upward Salute arms overhead and "Sama Stitihi" hands to your heart in equal standing position.
Each time you forward fold and step back, you lunge back with the opposite leg to balance out both sides.
After completing your 5 Sun Salutes, start a brisk walk or slow jog to warm up your legs gradually, building up your speed and finding a good rhythm with your breath. In yoga we learn to keep our breath primary, and in running it is the most important prevention to teach us to find our pace without overdoing or compromising our body. In order to get a good heart rate established, run for 20 - 40 minutes. For weight loss or race preparation, run for 60 - 70 minutes at a pace that works for you. A new beginner can always use the walk for 10 minutes, run for 10 minutes, walk for 10 minutes in an alternating pace. For those starting out in a running program, you can keep running a little longer distance each time and after a week, begin to lengthen the running time as you shorten your walking time.
Finish your run by slowing down to a brisk walk or slow jog allowing your heart rate to find a more normal beat and most importantly, add these stretches to lengthen your muscles, improve flexibility, and prevent repetitive stress injury.
1. Intense Side Stretch - This pose stretches tight hamstrings, the outer hips, and the iliotibial bands that run along the outer legs. Start in Mountain pose or Tadasana about 2 to 3 feet in front of and facing a wall. Bring your hands to your hips and step your left foot back 3 1/2 to 4 feet (a little wider if balance is an issue). Turn the left foot out 30 degrees. Align your right heel with your left heel. Tone your thighs and align the right kneecap with the right ankle. Exhale and square your hips to the wall. Exhaling, hinge at the hips, leaning your torso forward over the right leg. Expect a big stretch in the right hamstring and the left outer calf muscle, especially after a long run. Bring your palms or fingertips to the wall for support. With the arms steady, move the shoulder blades down the back. Be sure that the neck is in line with the spine, and then gaze at your front foot. Hold for up to a minute. To come out, return your hands to your hips or walk your fingertips up the wall and raise your torso back to center. Repeat on the opposite side.
2. Downward Facing Dog - This pose will also lengthen tight hamstrings, which can be caused by time spent with legs bent. Come onto your hands and knees, with your knees directly below your hips and your hands a few inches in front of your shoulders. Press down evenly through the four corners of both hands and spread your fingers evenly bearing most of your forward weight in the index fingers and thumbs. Tuck your toes under and, on an exhalation, lift your knees away from the ground but keep them slightly bent. Gently lift your sitting bones toward the ceiling. On an exhalation, slowly lengthen your legs. Remember your legs are your anchors and use the heels moving down towards the floor as your main weight bearing. Move your awareness to your shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades on your back and broaden them away from each other. Notice which side of your body feels longer and breathe into the shorter side. Visualize it lengthening in both directions. Hold for up to 2 minutes.
3. Low Lunge - Almost an extreme exaggeration of the running stride, the Low Lunge addresses tight hip flexors and, by evenly strengthening the collateral ligaments on either side of the knee, makes the knee joint more stable, says Sage Rountree, yoga instructor. From your hands and knees, with toes tucked under, bring the right foot between the hands, lining up your fingertips and toes. See that the right shin is perpendicular to the ground, and place the right knee directly in front of the hip. Exhaling, lower the hips and take the back knee to the ground. Runners' hips are notoriously tight, so if you need to, start with a 90-degree angle between your front and back thighs. Eventually you can lower your hips so that the angle increases to about 180 degrees. Square the hips from front to back, making them parallel to the short sides of your mat. Hold here for 30 seconds. For a stronger stretch, bring your hands to your knee for another few breaths. Switch sides.
4. Half Balancing Moon pose - This pose can give you muscle strength as well as a better awareness of the position of your body in space. Practicing this balancing pose with your raised foot against a wall or door frame to help steady you. Set a block about 6-12 inches in front of your right foot and slightly to the right of it. Rest your right hand on the block, positioning it beneath your shoulder. Lift the left leg and put your foot against the wall or door frame. Runners tend to collapse in the chest and shoulders, so stack the left shoulder above the right and extend the left arm above the body, palm facing the same direction as the front of the body. Feel the external rotation of both legs opening the hips as you open your hip outwardly. Keep the right knee and toes pointing in the same direction flexing your right foot. Hold for a minute, breathe about 5 - 10 breaths before switching sides.
5. Hand to Foot pose on the floor with a belt or strap - I do this pose every day; it'll make a huge difference in hamstring and calf flexibility. Plus, it helps tight I.T. bands and can ease stiffness in the lower back. Using a strap, lie on your back with legs extended, big toes touching, and heels slightly apart. Continue to reach through the left heel as you inhale and bend your right knee. Draw the thigh in toward your torso. Feel your lower back and right hip release toward the ground. Place a strap around the ball of the right foot. Now slowly lengthen the right leg while allowing the strap to slide through your hands until the leg is fully lengthened and the elbows fully extended. Relax the upper neck and shoulders until they are lightly pressing into the ground. Press the ball of your right foot into the strap while pulling the strap into the ball of the foot. Keep the back of your left thigh pressing into the ground and the left foot flexed. Hold for 1 to 2 minutes on each side and then open the hip by bringing the extended leg out to the same side. Bring the leg back to center on the inhale, change hands holding the strap, and stretching out the iliotibial band on the outside of the leg, stretch the extended leg in a diagonal or oblique line across to the opposite side of the body. It is very important to keep the foot flexed with your toes pulled slightly in towards the shin.
So, run, yogi, run! Or yoga, run, yoga. Either way, I believe that you will find strength, alignment, cardiovascular improvement, and a terrific stretch! You will feel great on your way to a healthier heart, mind, and body. Namaste'
In yoga our practice is always based on our alignment, our attitude, and our actions that follow. Our alignment starts from the ground up towards the crown of our head bringing every area into a beautifully created stack of shoulders over hips and hips over ankles. Even with the forward propelling motion of running, conscious alignment helps us to protect the vulnerable areas of possible injury in our knees and ankles. Our attitude of honoring our body and finding the rhythm of our inhalation and exhalation keeps us present in the moment and prevents competitive behavior from over-riding our body's wisdom of what pain is. Our action of preparing for our run with Sun Salutation C (the lunge salute) helps our muscles, tendons, and ligaments to warm up gradually before beginning our morning, afternoon, or evening run. Completing our daily activity with deep stretches not only prevents further injury, but it also helps with repetitive stress injuries that occur over time. Tight muscles, such as our hamstrings or I.T. bands, just continue to get more inflexible, hard, and even brittle without long held stretching at the end of a run.
However, my question is can running help our yoga practice? I believe that it can, and that is one of the main reasons why I run! Running, a terrific cardiovascular exercise, improves our VO2 maximum (the maximum capacity of our body to transport and use oxygen in exercise). Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Founder of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, based his V02 maximum formula on a run of 12 minutes. His formula was conducted for the United States Air Force in the late 1960s. One of the results of this was the Cooper test in which the distance covered running in 12 minutes is measured. Based on the measured distance, an estimate of VO2 max (in ml/min/kg) is:
where d12 is distance (in metres) covered in 12 minutes minus 505 divided by 45. Maximum oxygen intake is widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power. This affects our yoga practice by giving us the endurance ability to accomplish long held yoga postures, increasing your oxygen intake in a flowing vinyasa or power yoga class, and maximizing the amount of fresh blood pumping through your body during a practice.
Whether you are training for a run, such as the Tulsa Run in the fall, or conditioning your body to take a power yoga class, running and yoga do go hand in hand. Here is my personal recommendation for yoga, run, yoga.
First, do 5 Sun Salutations with the lunge variation (knee on the floor). Give each pose one breath. This corresponds to be: Inhale - sun breath standing in Mountain pose. Exhale - Forward Fold bending your knees to keep from overstretching your hamstrings; hands touch the floor or blocks. Inhale - Half Forward Fold looking up or forward neutralizing your spine. Exhale - releasing back into a fold, stepping back with your right foot, and inhaling into a Low Lunge with your right knee on the floor, left knee directly over your left ankle, and arms beside your ears. Exhaling arms down, stepping your other leg back, and coming to a Plank position as you lower to the floor with bent knees or straight strong legs, shoulders over wrists. Inhale -Cobra pose with bent elbows; hips, thighs, and toes on the floor as you lift your chest, neck and head. Exhale - Downward Facing Dog or Child's pose. Inhale - bending your knees as you step forward with your right leg and coming back into the lunging position. Lift your hands up with arms alongside your head finding your Crescent Lunge with modified left knee on the floor and right knee directly over your right ankle. Exhaling your hands down, looking forward, step forward to the front of your mat. Inhale halfway up, and exhale down in your forward fold. Then, with bent knees sweep your arms up, and you will return to Upward Salute arms overhead and "Sama Stitihi" hands to your heart in equal standing position.
Each time you forward fold and step back, you lunge back with the opposite leg to balance out both sides.
After completing your 5 Sun Salutes, start a brisk walk or slow jog to warm up your legs gradually, building up your speed and finding a good rhythm with your breath. In yoga we learn to keep our breath primary, and in running it is the most important prevention to teach us to find our pace without overdoing or compromising our body. In order to get a good heart rate established, run for 20 - 40 minutes. For weight loss or race preparation, run for 60 - 70 minutes at a pace that works for you. A new beginner can always use the walk for 10 minutes, run for 10 minutes, walk for 10 minutes in an alternating pace. For those starting out in a running program, you can keep running a little longer distance each time and after a week, begin to lengthen the running time as you shorten your walking time.
Finish your run by slowing down to a brisk walk or slow jog allowing your heart rate to find a more normal beat and most importantly, add these stretches to lengthen your muscles, improve flexibility, and prevent repetitive stress injury.
1. Intense Side Stretch - This pose stretches tight hamstrings, the outer hips, and the iliotibial bands that run along the outer legs. Start in Mountain pose or Tadasana about 2 to 3 feet in front of and facing a wall. Bring your hands to your hips and step your left foot back 3 1/2 to 4 feet (a little wider if balance is an issue). Turn the left foot out 30 degrees. Align your right heel with your left heel. Tone your thighs and align the right kneecap with the right ankle. Exhale and square your hips to the wall. Exhaling, hinge at the hips, leaning your torso forward over the right leg. Expect a big stretch in the right hamstring and the left outer calf muscle, especially after a long run. Bring your palms or fingertips to the wall for support. With the arms steady, move the shoulder blades down the back. Be sure that the neck is in line with the spine, and then gaze at your front foot. Hold for up to a minute. To come out, return your hands to your hips or walk your fingertips up the wall and raise your torso back to center. Repeat on the opposite side.
2. Downward Facing Dog - This pose will also lengthen tight hamstrings, which can be caused by time spent with legs bent. Come onto your hands and knees, with your knees directly below your hips and your hands a few inches in front of your shoulders. Press down evenly through the four corners of both hands and spread your fingers evenly bearing most of your forward weight in the index fingers and thumbs. Tuck your toes under and, on an exhalation, lift your knees away from the ground but keep them slightly bent. Gently lift your sitting bones toward the ceiling. On an exhalation, slowly lengthen your legs. Remember your legs are your anchors and use the heels moving down towards the floor as your main weight bearing. Move your awareness to your shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades on your back and broaden them away from each other. Notice which side of your body feels longer and breathe into the shorter side. Visualize it lengthening in both directions. Hold for up to 2 minutes.
3. Low Lunge - Almost an extreme exaggeration of the running stride, the Low Lunge addresses tight hip flexors and, by evenly strengthening the collateral ligaments on either side of the knee, makes the knee joint more stable, says Sage Rountree, yoga instructor. From your hands and knees, with toes tucked under, bring the right foot between the hands, lining up your fingertips and toes. See that the right shin is perpendicular to the ground, and place the right knee directly in front of the hip. Exhaling, lower the hips and take the back knee to the ground. Runners' hips are notoriously tight, so if you need to, start with a 90-degree angle between your front and back thighs. Eventually you can lower your hips so that the angle increases to about 180 degrees. Square the hips from front to back, making them parallel to the short sides of your mat. Hold here for 30 seconds. For a stronger stretch, bring your hands to your knee for another few breaths. Switch sides.
4. Half Balancing Moon pose - This pose can give you muscle strength as well as a better awareness of the position of your body in space. Practicing this balancing pose with your raised foot against a wall or door frame to help steady you. Set a block about 6-12 inches in front of your right foot and slightly to the right of it. Rest your right hand on the block, positioning it beneath your shoulder. Lift the left leg and put your foot against the wall or door frame. Runners tend to collapse in the chest and shoulders, so stack the left shoulder above the right and extend the left arm above the body, palm facing the same direction as the front of the body. Feel the external rotation of both legs opening the hips as you open your hip outwardly. Keep the right knee and toes pointing in the same direction flexing your right foot. Hold for a minute, breathe about 5 - 10 breaths before switching sides.
5. Hand to Foot pose on the floor with a belt or strap - I do this pose every day; it'll make a huge difference in hamstring and calf flexibility. Plus, it helps tight I.T. bands and can ease stiffness in the lower back. Using a strap, lie on your back with legs extended, big toes touching, and heels slightly apart. Continue to reach through the left heel as you inhale and bend your right knee. Draw the thigh in toward your torso. Feel your lower back and right hip release toward the ground. Place a strap around the ball of the right foot. Now slowly lengthen the right leg while allowing the strap to slide through your hands until the leg is fully lengthened and the elbows fully extended. Relax the upper neck and shoulders until they are lightly pressing into the ground. Press the ball of your right foot into the strap while pulling the strap into the ball of the foot. Keep the back of your left thigh pressing into the ground and the left foot flexed. Hold for 1 to 2 minutes on each side and then open the hip by bringing the extended leg out to the same side. Bring the leg back to center on the inhale, change hands holding the strap, and stretching out the iliotibial band on the outside of the leg, stretch the extended leg in a diagonal or oblique line across to the opposite side of the body. It is very important to keep the foot flexed with your toes pulled slightly in towards the shin.
So, run, yogi, run! Or yoga, run, yoga. Either way, I believe that you will find strength, alignment, cardiovascular improvement, and a terrific stretch! You will feel great on your way to a healthier heart, mind, and body. Namaste'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Riding the Wave with Breathe, Release, Feel, Witness, Allow
My son, Jeff, surfing the waves in California "Riding the Wave requires a lot of energy and can make us fill depleted. Refill y...
-
Okay, I get it. You didn't sleep well last night? Especially for those of us who have a busy mind... You feel like you have inc... -
Many people struggle with pain in their lumbar spine. I gave classes back in December for arthritic pain. Here is an excerpt from a privat...
-
Being accountable just means saying, "Yes," out loud, to someone else that you are going to do something to change. It always, alw...