Yoga

Yoga

Yoga Off the Mat

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So I started swimming in June. It’s a fun adventure. Sometimes a bit challenging. Sometimes things come easy. The biggest thing that I’m totally amused at is how my personality quirks influence the swimming (hello-all things).

FOR EXAMPLE…I’m TYPE A. Engineer. High strung. Super FIXER. So I can get a bit tense in the water. And for that I have a mantra, “I’m a little tea pot, short and stout…pour me out!”. And it works well. Come to find out it works so much that when I drive down the street past a place that causes me tension, I sing my “Tea Pot Mantra” while I drive. If you’re lost about how a place on the street can cause tension, look forward to my next blog on “His Ironic Sense of Humor”.

So what does singing “I’m a tea pot” have anything to do with it? Well, the words mean something positive to me. My awesome swim coach suggested that I say them, he’s someone that I believe knows what he’s talking about. So it’s like a mental shield of armor, and a nice sharp sword at times too. It’s helping me to not rehearse a bad habit and develop a new more positive one. I could chant something a bit more…zen, but for right now, this is really working for me. I even know all the words now.

I must confess that I have more than one quirk, hahaha…let me share another with you. I’m a PERFECTIONIST. In a big way. I set expectations really high. For others, but super high for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I think expectations are good and meaningful, but not if the thoughts that stem from those tendencies aren’t so positive or get you wrapped about the axle.  Or a PLETHORA of chlorinated water in your nose.

So, my first triathlon is in a week. I’m prepared. Truly. Yet I have this nagging voice in my space that isn’t so confident. And it’s on the verge of becoming louder; I struggle with it daily. So I go to the pool, and do the swim. Because despite all my coach’s reassures and the fact that I can swim longer than needed, I still hear the nagging voice that says I’m going to fail. Yesterday I did the swim. TWICE. And check this out! (for heavens sakes) I still wasn’t content and happy…with the time it took me. So in a breath’s length of time I raised the bar from just finishing to having a good time. And I don’t even know what a good time is. (seriously, some days I drive myself crazy)

OK.  What’s to do with my crazy self.

YOGA.  OFF THE MAT.

I know the answer is simple, though apparently not so easy for me to do.

Breathe. Listen to the breath. Sing my mantra. Ingrain it in my bones. Breathe. Practice what I know, do what I have practiced. Feel the water. Feel the body. Breathe.

Yoga

When it sneaks up on you

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I read this book a while back. Super fabulous. Dr. Dan Siegel’s Parenting from the Inside Out. OMG.  Very good book, for those that want to be better parents (or better humans), that maybe didn’t grow up in the Beaver household. I highly suggest, click the book for more.

ParentingFromInside_LGThe book talks about behaviors. And how sometimes they are a mystery. For example. A mother might get really upset when her child does x. There really isn’t a good reason why the mother gets upset, but she does. It feels largely out of her control. Yes, she can power through remaining in control, faking calm. But the point is that it happens almost automatically, if not full on automatic. She tries and tries to stop the behavior…but maybe it just doesn’t make sense, the counting and deep breathing don’t work.

The book talks a lot about the brain, the two sides, what they do and don’t do. And how an event will (should) have a version in the left and the right side. They are meant to layer together, to make sense. But what if they don’t. For example, the mother might have had a very traumatic event that she doesn’t logically remember, but the emotional trauma is there. Perhaps the source of the unexplained autopilot thing.

Very interesting stuff. From my own experience with the book and the assignments (I read it twice) it is probably one of the most beneficial reads in my life.  And in my children’s lives.

Story Time

uncomfortable-toesBackground. I have personal space issues, though I would like to believe I’m largely over most of it. I almost drown when I was 6. My son almost drown when he was 6. So this summer was a learn to swim summer. Now in November, I’m a decent swimmer. So is he. (Yippey)

So when Jeff, my swim coach said, “This drill will require some personal contact.”, I thought to myself, “Oh great.” Then,  “Ok, I’ve gotten over this, no biggie.” My logical brain said “Relax. You’re a rockstar, no biggie”. I did the drill, wasn’t all that bad. Then it hit me. Like a bulldozer. The next lap I went to swim, to practice what I learned in the drill, I sucked in so much water that I had to stop. But it didn’t end there. I could hardly get to the end of the pool. In the middle of the pool, mostly paralyze, I could only dog paddle. That was the right side of the brain, the emotion side, totally reliving things from the past. And it stopped me cold, no choice of my own.

I was very frustrated by it. And a bit interested in the whole thing, like watching myself on TV. How strong the emotional response was, how I was able to be a witness to it. And here is what I said to myself. “That’s some junk that I don’t want anymore. So we chatted. I relaxed. Tried to. And swam again. And again. Honestly not to push through it, but in the hopes of knowing what it was, this unresolved stuff, knowing I didn’t need it and wishing to release it, let it drift away from me.  Leave it in the pool.”

Did it work? The releasing? Yes. My next long swim was better. We will see, when “personal contact” comes up again. I imagine there will be bits still there, but…maybe not.

I encourage you, when you get uncomfortable, perhaps don’t immediately turn away. Take a breathe, see if you can get use to having one toe in or a foot in the “uncomfortable zone”.

Maybe that autopilot doesn’t kick in so strong or take us somewhere we don’t want to go.

LIVE WELL.

Education, Yoga

Running on E ….

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OMG

frazzled-yellow-dotEver have one of those days?

…you’re tired, running late, you slept terrible, some kid had their head in your armpit all night, or their foot in your face if you’re really unlucky. The dishes didn’t get done by the oldest. And the dog threw up on the floor. Carpet. Three times.

OR. You don’t know how you’re going to pay November bills and anxiety might be getting the better of you. You’re boss is a real ____.  There’s a big thorn in your life that you aren’t sure what to do with.

(Big grown up stuff – how’d the heck did that happen????)

So there are a lot of things you could be feeling. Tired. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Angry. Sad. Depressed. Fuzzy.  ______ Fill in the blank with your fav.

So, do you sign yourself up for “one of those days”.  Or…

APPLY some of the skills you learned on your YOGA MAT to your life.

Focus on Perspective

Take just  a moment to realize that more than likely, none of the above mentioned things are going to eat your leg off.  Maybe go a step further and know that like being in first grade, it’s just a lesson to learn. (Learn it or turn away. Learn it and you go to second grade. Turn away and you might find yourself a repeater. Small or large, it’s all good stuff.) 

10 Deep Breaths

You might need more oxygen in your brain. I mean your brain literally might be so oxygen deprived that the fuzziness is your brain starving. Deep breathing helps engage the parasympathetic nervous system, the “CALM YOU DOWN” button. Seriously. It’s science people.

Get Moving

Flow. There are a lot of yoga poses. Forward bends, back bends, side bends, inversions, twists. Check this out…each one of the categories of yoga poses has a specific affect on the body, in relation to energy, how you feel. Forward bends are calming. Back bends are energizing. Twists are releasing…And this is not voo doo hoo doo stuff. There is science behind it. Actual physiological events that go on in the body. So, putting yoga poses together is like cooking. Mix this with that and you get brownies. Mix this other with that other and you get quiche. One sequence of poses might leave you ready for bed time, another have your ready for your BIG RACE/MEETING/EVENT. Another can stimulate the digestion so that you might stop at Starbucks for coffee and the lady’s room. Sequencing. A big thing that distinguishes YOGA from other forms of exercise. More to come on this.

Invert Yourself

More oxygen to the brain – one of the reasons that inversions make us feel good. Legs up the wall, nice easy forward bend, headstand if that’s in your practice. This is a big benefit yoga. The circulatory changes and redirection of oxygen. It helps to calm, decompress, get the brain more O2.

Actively REST

I don’t mean to fall down in a stooper, put your head under the pillow and hide.

Sit on the swing, find that quiet place in your heart and stay there, listen to the birds chirp, crickets do whatever they do. Watch the squirrels carrying on. Sit in your chair and listen to the wind in the trees. Lay down on your bed and feel each breath that comes into the heart. Actively rest. Just for a short bit, for a long bit. It all counts and might just change your day up in a big way!

Cute and shiny Sun with sunglasses showing ”I love you” gesture

Yoga

Journey – Shoulder Injury to Yoga Teacher, 500 RYT

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It’s interesting how things come full circle. Many years ago I, for some unknown reason, went to a yoga class at Yoga Central. It was TOTALLY outside of my comfort zone. But it made me feel better and I kept going. At the time I had an 8 to 5 which was more like 60 to 70 hours a week, so I had to tell them that I had “an appointment” and if they wanted more details I’d be happy to provide. I didn’t understand it at the time, what this yoga thing was, but I know it made me feel less crazy inside.

guy-doing-pushupThings happened, different job, different life. I had for the most part forgotten about the yoga. Until I went to a yoga class with a friend. And boy, that was fun; the fast pace and challenge of it, though looking back, totally fed into my ego and unhealthy physical drive to push through things. I went to this class and that, but only the classes that were hot and fast…long story short, I ended up with a shoulder injury. Didn’t know it at the time, but there was a pretty decent imbalance in my shoulder joint. So all the push push push in the yoga class hurt hurt hurt my shoulder. Then other muscles needed to compensate and PRESTO. Injury. Imbalance.

I kept going to the classes because I didn’t know at the time what in the world was going on. I thought I could push through it. Fix that darn shoulder.

Again for some unknown reason, I found myself googling about yoga, meditation, yoga trainings and happened upon the Shambhava School of Yoga Teacher training program. I was looking for something. And boy did I find it. The 200 hour RYT program that I took was STELLAR, ROCKSTAR, OUT-of-this-WORLD. And super lucky for me, the teacher had a TON of experience with shoulder injuries. I was “strongly encouraged” to stop doing chatrunga dandasana or you could say push up. I learned a ton about what was going on and how to work to support the shoulder joint. So through lots of patience on my part, and others too, :), I am the owner of some well balanced shoulders.

What  did the trick.  Here it is.

Know who to listen to. Who to practice with. Education. Experience. What does that mean in the yoga world? For those that don’t know about RYT this and that. Yoga Alliance is an association that has standardized the curriculum of yoga teachers. For the BENEFIT of the student. The idea is that if a teacher is a RYT, registered Yoga Teacher, with Yoga Alliance, they have a specific set of knowledge. So that starts at 200 RYT. 200 hours of training. And that is JUST JUST JUST (x10) the beginning. Then comes 200 eRYT. The “e” means they have 1000 hours of teaching experience. Then comes 500 RYT. 500 hours of training with room to specialize and what not. Then 500 eRYT, with the “e” comes TONS of teaching experience.

revolved-side-angle1So…truth time. You don’t have to be a registered teacher to teach yoga. You can teach here. You can teacher there. In a shoe, in a canoe. You can teach yoga from your garage…you get the point. With 200 eRYT you can open a Yoga School teaching other 200 hour students. And know this. 500 RYT  IS JUST THE BEGINNING. It’s like when you graduate from college. You’re just beginning. You have the foundation, and so much in front of you to learn.

What am I saying? Please do not interpret this as Place X isn’t good. And Place Y is better. I’m saying, be an educated consumer. Be smart. Listen to your body. Are you finding more improvement, more balance, more openness?

Why the brash words? Because yoga is different than running, biking, etc. The idea is full range of motion on all joints. Not to mention the other aspects that people just don’t know and understand. Like the difference between back bending and forward bending, and the affects that those actions have in the body.  Check out the next blog for this one…Running, cycling and a lot of other exercises just don’t touch on this. Cool stuff, energy management within the body, in yoga. Just more than just warmup, work and cool down.

Sound foreign to you. Check out the next blog on sequencing. Seriously Cool Stuff.

So, when is the last time you exercised all joint in full range of motion on a regular basis. For instance, running. The hips are a ball and socket, lots of range of motion, and running specifically addressed a small portion of what the hip can do.  A lot of exercises do this. If you got something a bit out of whack…you can really hurt yourself with repetitive motion. Thus the need for an experience teacher that knows whats up, or is willing to look, see, think and learn. I was talking with massage therapist extraordinaire, Paula Moore, and was surprised at what she had to say about how many injuries she sees…from yoga.

So what’s to do. The numbers and letters matter. X00 RYT. The teacher matters. Their training matters. Their heart matters. Their experience matters. And you’re own wisdom matters.

Get some BODY LOVE. Some what!?!? The recipe for healing of my shoulder was a mix of things…and loving on the body was the center idea. (Not that it all felt great, some of it hurt like sweet jeez).

I learned from superstar Sarah Yost, 200 RYT and Life Coach, that my attitude of “fixing that darn shoulder” wasn’t helping anything. And introduced me to trigger point massage. Good stuff there.

Massage is absolutely necessary. My fav =  Paula Moore. Shoulders and knees heal so slow because they don’t have a big blood supply. Massage helps with that, as well as as tons of other things physiologically that I don’t know the words for.

HUGE HUGE HUGE. Pound for pound best bang for any of the bucks I spent. A.R.T, Active Release Technique, with Dr. Jon Messenger. Holy great mother. This one sort of didn’t feel all that great during the treatment. A.R.T is like massage and trigger point and active motion all put together. Hands down…really good stuff. It addresses things quick and fast.

Yin Yoga. Don’t know what yin yoga is. Check out a class with Mary Jane Keith, 500 eRYT. In a nutshell, you hold certain poses a LONG time, maybe 5 minutes. It gives your body time to really stretch and to get into the connective tissue, to reset. Connective Tissue? Google it. Don’t just think “oh my hamstring”, it’s just not that simple.

SunBreeze oil. Warning: wash the hands after application, don’t use too much and keep the stuff anyway from anywhere you wouldn’t put bengay. seriously. Super great stuff though. Available at Yoga Central.

Great Yoga Teachers. Want to be the best. Want to work towards optimal. Got to hang with the best. Look around, look at their training, their experience, listen to what they say, watch them “see their students”. Do they have the little cues to change a just “so-so” pose to a “omg, thats awesome” pose? Do they know what is going on with YOU. Do they tailor a pose for YOU, and then your yoga neighbor too?

So that list is a bit long. But I wonder how much shoulder surgery costs. Short term and long term.

Short Story: My dad has recently had both shoulders pinned, screwed, drilled…might even have some duck tape in there. And when I look to see his limited range of motion that a couple of weeks of physcial therapy got him…oh my heart goes out to him. So that was years and years of imbalance in the shoulder and not happening upon the right person pre-“no way out of surgery” time.

So, the journey from engineer to 500 Registered Yoga Teacher was a super cool experience. I was motivated by my own shoulder injury as well as my dad’s. To work hard and study to be the best teacher that I can be. To help people feel better. To help them help themselves, to allow their bodies to heal themselves. And the cool thing, there’s soooo much more to come. HOOT! So, check out what all the patience, perseverance and time got. And the best part of it all, I can do Mary Jane’s level 3 and my shoulders are silent during AND AFTER. And I’m super glad she doesn’t read blogs because I’d be in trouble next class!!!

Half-forearm-balance-2

LIVE OUT LOUD!!!

If you have a story about how yoga has helped you, please share. Give a comment. Yoga can heal. We need to be telling folks that.

Personal Growth, Yoga

Whats on your Dream Board!?!?!

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A couple of years ago, my Juice Plus mentor suggested that I make a dream board. And I said…”a what??”. A while later, Dream Board training under my belt, I felt empowered and inspired to attempt to do this “DREAM BOARD” thing. You might ask, so what did this training consist of. This mentor of mine, who I totally look up to in a big way, did some sharing and chatting about her dreams and the journey where she saw those realized. WOO HOO. Got me all pumped up. Until the scissors were out, the magazines and that BLANK piece of paper. But I pulled myself through it. It was a small one. I dutifully hung it up where I could see it each day. BECAUSE I truly believed that if she said it would work, then it would. And besides, whats the harm. Ha ha.

And DARN IT if all those things didn’t come true. And fast. It was super cool. And the next obvious thought comes up. I am an educated woman, wouldn’t expect any less from my highly educated mind that I’m still paying students loans for…”hey smart girl, why didn’t you put cooler, bigger, better stuff on there???” SERIOUSLY!

And I thought about that. Are we afraid of dreaming? Do we already judge whats possible before we even let our hearts go? Have we put up these fences, to keep the wild horses in? To be safe?

So I tried a different thought…lets pretend that we are itty bitty, roll the clock back to what we were thinking and dreaming about when we were 10. Give ourselves the freedom to dream that big. That wild. That WHATEVER! And cut THAT picture out.

Because you never really know whats in store. Know that if you put the fence up, you are sure to know what to expect, you’ve been living that already. The unexpected might be a bit scary, but it could end up to be totally super cool.

Just a bit of faith.

So would you be willing to share your dreams. BIG. BOLD. OUT IN THE OPEN?!?!?!

If so, post to facebook. Post on this blog. I would love to know what your dreams are.

My heart believes 100% and 100% more that when you tell your dreams, share them with your lovies, YOUR DREAMS WILL COME TRUE.

dream-board1

And if you HAVE one. and it’s tucked away…pull it out. Look at it. Love it. Then do another one. A FRESH one. Things change. You change. Everything changes. It’s ok. Don’t be afraid of wanting, of having desires. Of wanting different things than others. We are all so UNIQUE. Our dreams will be too. That’s what makes everything to stinkin’ JUICY.

LIVE OUT LOUD!

Yoga

What do YOGA, JOY and off-road-tires have in common?

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Joy to the World…

When I first heard the statement…”find the joy in life”, the first thought that came to my mind was…”joy to the world the Lord has come…”“. Honestly, at the time I really couldn’t connect with what that statement even meant.

Today, that word has now become unattached to a culture and has a tangible meaning for me. I can feel JOY. I can experience J O Y. And on most days, I can do this at will. Even better, when I’m in the groove, I feel this constant buzzing of joy in heart all the time.

kai-horse-hands-up-3So what changed. Well, some roads are long and hard sprinkled with wonderful teachers. So if you’re looking around, you see something and maybe pick it up. Might be just a tiny little pebble, that once in your hand, makes all the difference in the word. For me, during my 200 hour teacher training with the Shambhava School of Yoga, my teacher said something to the affect of how to feel JOY…picture a moment in time that has a special place in your heart. For me, a picture of my son Kai with a BIG, and I mean big, juicy smile that reached to his eyes and beyond, just melts my heart. I’ve memorized it. And I feel J O Y when I think of that picture, that moment in time, his JOY captured on paper. And I used that picture to train my body and mind to feel and know what JOY is as an experience.

Fast forwarding a bit, 2011 has been one of those roads where shifting into 4 wheel drive was needed. Looking back though, thinking of the year brings a feeling of lightness and openness to my heart. Of triumph. And I smile. With each of the moments where I could have chosen to get off the road, out of the car or even turn around, I stopped for a breath (or 10 or 1000), looked around and searched for the JOY in the moment. Sometimes just a tiny shift in your gaze or thoughts or intentions can make a huge difference in how you experience an an event. After awhile, that became a habit and the JOY just seemed to flow to me, even during the more rough patches. So extending the choice to be filled with JOY to generally being JOYFUL, as a state of being.

Maybe easier said than done, but WELL worth the mental effort of being intentional with the thoughts. Get some of that JOY in your heart, let it smooth out the rough patches. Or gift you with bigger off road tires!  🙂

Live out Loud!

Yoga

A Different Perspective – Shoulder Stand

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Ok. This is a ROCKSTAR pose. Salamba Sarvangasanal. Supported Shoulder Stand. This pose comes with a plethera of health benefits. See below. But lets chat about this pose for a bit,for like with everything, light to dark, good to evil, sugar to salt, this pose comes with a disclaimer.

salambaThis picture is of the PERFECT pose. So…picture a long line. At the left end being a pose “really out of alignment” and on the right “perfect”, we try to find our place someplace on the line. Hopefully not at “really out…”, and we should probably accept not at perfect. So some place in the middle with the idea of maybe progressing towards “more in alignment”. But this pose/place on the line is where you find EASE, OPENNESS, ENPOWERING. NO PAIN. So, a couple of things to know.

SAFETY FIRST. Couple of thoughts on this. You have heard the teacher say, keep your attention on your mat, etc. Well, part of this is because of the inescapable truth, everyone is built differently. Check out these pictures of different people, how far they can bend their neck. And with that in mind, think about all YOUR weight, being above your heart and heading towards vertical. Meaning most of your weight bearing down in the shoulder/neck region. If your body simply DOES NOT bend in such a way to facilitate opening, and definitely no damage…heed caution in this pose.

neck-bend

Why? The cervical vertebrae are crazy small and shaped differently, compared to the thoracic or lumbar. And of course, their function is to give range of motion to the head/eyes and to protect the nerves and blood vessels. Think of the neck as the bridge from the control center to the machine. A lot of stuff going on in there. Check out this picture of the neck.

Don’t be freaked out. Don’t think this pose is off limits…there are ways to have your cake and eat it too. Moderation. What does moderation in a pose mean? First, don’t be so connected to a final look of what the pose “should” be. Alignment is important, to a point. Finding EASE and OPENNESS where you’re at today is important too. Practice slowly, in stages. Use props. Notice in the “perfect” pose picture, she is on blankets to give her cervical vertebrae room to bend and to take a bit of pressure off the delicate parts. There are other modifications to do as well. Use a wall for support. Use a chair. Lots of cool things to do. So WHY??? Why go through all the trouble. Well, check out this list of what shoulder stand does for you. TONS OF STUFF.

Benefits

[tie_list type=”checklist”]

  • Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
  • Stimulates the lymphatic system
  • Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs
  • Stretches the shoulders and neck
  • Tones the legs and buttocks
  • Improves digestion
  • Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
  • Reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia
  • Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, and sinusitis

[/tie_list]

I wanted to chat about the 2nd one for just a second. RUNNERS CHECK THIS OUT!!!! So, when muscles get tired and deprived of oxygen, they build up lactic acid. That’s one of the reasons why the IT band hurts to touch. So, this inversion stimulates the lymphatic system to drain. The lymph system doesn’t have fluid regulation like the blood (a.k.a the heart) it relies on gravity. So getting upside down changes things up. And for this discussion, this action helps the lactic acid drain out of those muscles. Cool uh.

So the point? This is an awesome pose to be practiced. Find a good yoga teacher that can help you find your pose of EASE and OPENNESS. Put what they say in your backpack and as you travel around sampling other yoga classes do your pose. Use props if you need to. If no props are available, do a modified version of the pose. Or skip for that time. Keep your neck safe. Remember, it’s the connection from the master controller to the machine.

Yoga

Slow Down to Speed Up

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I’ll tell you in the beginning, perhaps to give you the motivation to try it. Why it works. When we are super busy, our to-do list gets LONG. And we get in a frenzy and just the mere fact that the list is long and never ending makes us…perhaps a bit constricted. Ask yourself, does your to-do list make you smile or make you frown.

We can lose the clarity to know what we really need to focus on, the ability to let the not so vital things go, or delegate. It’s ok, if somethings aren’t done perfectly and all that. Perhaps we over commit because we aren’t in a great space. Trying to prove something, pushing so hard for a certain end result. And the story can go on and on.

Well, lets shift thinking for just a second. Take a deep breath, hold and FULLY exhale.

What does slowing down do for us. It gives us the time and space to center ourselves. To get to what powers us. Prayer or meditation. A walk or run. Whatever gets you to that space. Exercise it. Think of it like a muscle. Strengthen it. Feed it. Watch it grow. Feel its power.

And step back, after your “slow down time”, to see how things work a TON better, like they’ve been greased and oiled. And you totally feel better.

So here is the practice.

  1. Sit comfortable. Shake out your hands. Like flinging water off the fingertips. Bring your awareness to your breath. Place energized hands in your lap, palms up. Focus on the hands, how they feel, find your pulse in your fingertips.
  2. Nice deep breathing. Not forced.
  3. Imagine a light at the core of your being. As you inhale, let the light be brighter, exhaling a bit dimmer.
  4. Let this energy fill the chest and shoulders. Down to your hands.
  5. Focus on the hands. How they feel, the air, temperature…With relaxed arms and shoulders, lift the hands into the air.
  6. Move SLOWLY. VERY SLOWLY, almost like you can’t see it. Feel the air moving over your hands. Can you feel as if the hands are moving by themselves?
  7. Turn palms towards each other. As the hands come together, pulse them slowly. Can you feel the energy between your hands, as if you are holding a ball of energy.
  8. For a minute or two or three, let your hands move naturally. Notice the smallest sensations. At some point, let the hands come to the body, naturally, organically, perhaps a place needing healing, love.
  9. Naturally let the hands come to the lap. Sit in silence for a minute or two.

First time might be uncomfortable. Second, third, fourth. But maybe give it a week, learn the habit, and perhaps find some fantastic juiciness in there!

If you try it, love to hear what you think.

cheers.

Event, Running, Triathlon, Yoga

Runners Love Yoga

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Running is passion. The freedom of the it. The drive. The zone.

I use to run a lot. I played soccer. EVERYDAY. Twice a day. None stop. I was in love. That’s where I felt free, where I belonged. And then injury brought it all to a SCREECHING halt. That was a hard one to stomach. And now, looking back, it didn’t have to end that way. There were options, though being young and inexperienced without a good mentor, coach, etc… well, water under the bridge…pick your fav cliche…Here I am. I learned a lot. And my passion has shifted a bit. I can’t run anymore but I have found this thing called yoga.

And just let me say this: It’s not just stretching folks. There is a ton more to yoga than stretching. You haven’t made it to the right class or teacher if you’re bored, if your runner’s heart hasn’t been challenged.

knee-painYoga is about balance. Balanced action. On the physical level, joints that are SUPPORTED and ALIGNED. Strong hips muscles and loose hip muscles. Long hamstrings and strong quads. Strong back and strong abs. Injury comes when something gets out of balance, then a joint experiences too much wear and tear. Yoga is about warming up the body and muscles, then stretching and strengthening, a big key in injury prevention. Warm muscles stretch and work better. Yoga is about consistent activity leading to consistent results. Muscles have memory, so that short hamstring will want to stay short for a while. Consistent and nurturing stretching will encourage the hamstring to remember longer, not feel like it’s being abused which can lead to rebellion and injury.

bk-triangle-2For example, in your triangle pose you’ll learn to respect the limitations of your inner thighs and hamstrings, use your quads to help the hamstrings loosen. You’ll find the back stretch and the upper body strength and mobility to align the body in a wonderful expression of strength and freedom. Then when you have that down, you could progress to really deepening your core strength by using your own power to align. What does that mean…barely touch the floor or block with that bottom hand. Lengthen that bottom side. There will always be room to grow. Each yoga pose will have it’s challenges. It’s a super cool thing to find the openings and the strength which leads to a new level of body and mind awareness.

Bonnie-001On other levels, yoga will help with mental focus and breathe awareness. This is where a deeper, more steel like ability comes into play. And wisdom. Remember balance. We learn how to stick with it and when to pull back. We learn more about our bodies, where we are in space and how to be solid in some of those crazy poses. It can get real juicy. It’s always a dance, but when you learn to dance well, your performance goes up and your injuries go down. And you feel like a ROCKSTAR!

Bottom line. Here’s what yoga will do for the runner. With consistent and teachable effort.

Injury Prevention, Better Performance, Flexibility/ Range of Motion, Lung capacity, Mental Focus, Longevity, Endurance and Strength

It doesn’t matter what you know about yoga, how flexible you are, what clothes you wear, how old you are, how young you are, if you are man or woman. Yoga is so flexible in how it’s taught. Find yourself a GOOD teacher. And stick with them awhile. You’ll learn some really cool things, get stronger. Calmer. More grounded. Might learn things that will totally blow your socks off if you want. It’s not just about mastering a certain pose, it’s about the fun that you’ll have getting there!

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Yoga

Relax at Work

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Here is a little write up for relaxing at work. Simple things that we can do. Download below. Connect with me if you have questions.

Relax at Work

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