Headstands… totally do-able

…with practice.

In class I usually will offer a headstand or two but I’ve found that some people might shy away from this pose. Salamba Sirsasana (Sanskrit name) offers many benefits that can help your body and mind. (I do want to point on that if you are pregnant,  have high blood pressure, or glaucoma headstand might not be the best option for you.)

Support headstands can be best achieved by starting in dolphin, with your forearms on the mat and hands interlaced. Once you have walked your feet in as close to your head as you can, bring you legs together, engage your core, and slowly bring both feet up together. Here are some key things to remember in headstand: 1- more pressure should be on your arms and shoulders then on your neck and head. 2-allowing your breath to flow freely is always recommended and 3- have fun, don’t take headstand too serious and smile.

Yoga Journal has a good breakdown of all things headstand at their web page.

Falling is a part of yoga too, so don’t be discouraged or frustrated, all things come in time and with practice!

I wanted to thank everyone on Facebook for “liking” my status on Zobha‘s page. Thanks to everyone I will be heading to the Yoga Journal Conference and taking some AMAZING classes with great teachers. I cannot wait to share it with everyone!

Namaste.

Benefits for Runners…(cont.)

So a while ago I posted about some benefits that runners and athletes can gain from practicing yoga. I just wanted to add some more…
So if you’re a runner, you know the kind of pressure that the impact of pressing your feet into the ground can put on your knees, back, ankles, etc. When the muscles are constantly getting strain on them, they do get stronger but if the same action is being done over and over, the muscle on the re-action side might not be getting as much attention and therefore can create an imbalance…
Yoga for balance! Runners can benefit from yoga this way because it allows you to practice from the inside and working your way out. The most common yoga combination, a sun salutation, works on evening out the opposing actions creating a balance within your muscles, breath, and your self.
Here are a few ideas to get an equal balance to body:
Cow-face fold (Gomukhasana) Benefits:
Stretch out your glutes and hips–including the hard-to-reach deep muscles–and your IT band.

 

Half lord of the fishes twist (Ardha matseyendrasana)

Benefits:
Opens the shoulders, neck and hips, stretches the IT band.

Child’s pose (Balasana)

Benefits:
Stretches hips, thighs and ankles gently; can help alleviate back pain.

Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani):
Benefits:
Stretches the hamstrings gently, allows blood that has accumulated in the feet and legs to re-circulate in the body. Offers a gentle release for the low back.

Also a reminder: Yoga for The Hoyt Foundation is happening Feb 4th! Please come and support a great cause. Check out my last post for all the info.

Yoga Benefit!

Hey yogis,
We are putting together a yoga class/benefit for The Hoyt Foundation! Here is the information:

Yoga for a Cause

Please join us in raising awareness and donations for Team Hoyt!

The Hoyt Foundation strives to help those who are physically disabled become active members of

the community.

February 5th, 2011 10:30 AM (2 sessions if first fills)

At Synergy Physical Therapy. (Route 6 in Fairhaven, behind Mermaids)

$10 Donation (minimum), please sign up by contacting:

Lindsay Wilkinson @  LindsayLWilkinson@gmail.com

Pam Teves @ southcoastyoga@gmail.com

Power

Throughout my blog I mention different types of yoga that one can practice.  To clarify what different types there are, I’ll be taking the next couple months to dive into a couple different types and explain what each entails.

Power Yoga: is actually a generic term for a mix of vinyasa yoga and muscle toning / conditioning moves. Throughout a yoga practice there are opportunities to work on different muscle groups to improve strength and endurance. For example, while in utkatasana (chair pose; see picture below) you can rock up onto your toes and then back to your heels, while keeping your backside in place, strengthening your calves.

Power yoga also focusing on using your breath to flow through movements and poses (like most flow yoga practices). Though more vigorous than the average class, this would be for a person who is looking for a bit of fitness in their yoga routine, but don’t want to miss out on the other benefits that yoga provides (mentally and physically).

Power yoga doesn’t usually follow a set of certain poses, but can use the flow movements (like a sun salutation (Surya Namaskara)) to increase heat in the body and set the stage for more challenging poses. Here is a good article for an overview of the history and links to a more in-depth look into power yoga.

Namaste!

motivation and bloating.

Feeling like a bloated squirrel

I think its been officially 5 days that a headache has been lingering and 2 days since I was able to fit in my jeans. So lets talk about it.

I know there are medications like midol and what not, but what about some natural ways to make you feel better? After a quick search for some suggestions, it seems like the best thing is to exercise regularly and eat healthy. ok…what doesn’t eating healthy and exercising not cure?

The problem is getting motivated to work on these tasks before you are already in agony. So what works best to get yourself going? It’s different for all types of people. Some need a workout partner, some like to keep a journal. I’ve found its best to set small reachable goals. So since the detox post, I have yet to start, but am for sure tomorrow (already have my lunch packed, dinner made, and breakfast ready).  So now my goal is to finish the week, eating healthy and reaching my goal of detox, and either doing yoga, or exercising each day.

Now, I think it might be a good time to talk about some yoga poses to AVOID during this wonderful time of the month. Inversions first can be hard on the body for many different reasons, and you can read about them here. Also balancing poses might be a bit harder than usual on theses days,  since your sense of balance might be a little weary and you might be feeling a little more tired than usual.

So what are some good asanas then? Here is a few:

Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana) which relieves cramps

Cobra Pose (Bhujang Asana) which alleviates menstrual irregularities

Supported Bridge Pose (Supported Setu Bandha) which helps relieve pelvic congestion

So make sure to get a good sleep during this time and hopefully set some goals to get you motivated for the month ahead!

Yoga Detox…

Yoga Detox Diet Day 1- Sunday Sept 5th.

As soon as you hear detox diet, you might think, eat nothing for days on end, and drink some lame mix of maple syrup and pepper. This diet is not like it at all.

It’s all about bringing your body back to a more natural balance. Throughout the whole diet you can eat as many fruits, prepared anyway and as much as you like. The first 2 days you eat a breakfast, which would be something like organic yogurt with fruit, then lunch and dinner, which would consist of a whole grain and a protein serving, and as many veggies/salad you might like. keep in mind that seasoning shouldn’t be non-existent, but you are consciously choosing oils or herbs that are fresh and natural.

Day 3,4, and 5 you are limited to just fruits, and by ‘limited’ i mean you can eat around 2000 different things. So try out those fruits that you never heard of, make a tomato and avocado salad (because they ARE fruits!). And drink as much herbal tea as your heart desires. Then back to the same as day 1 and 2 for day 6 and 7.

The hardest part will be cutting out my morning coffee and the temptation of food that always seems to be around when you trying your best to reach a goal. It’s suggested that you make sure to get 7-9 hours sleep a night and plan on either doing yoga, or exercising everyday, you will be surprised how much energy natural food has on your system. So who’s in!?

Doing it in the morning or night?

Today I was reading an article in Marie Claire and they were profiling women who get up early to work out. For most people I know, its pretty hard to get up in time for work, never mind to get up and work out. Here is a list of pros and cons for morning work outs:

PRO:

Get it done with

Good way to kick start the day and boost energy

Raises your metabolism for a period of time afterwards

Less people at the gym (aka more machines open)

CON:

Can’t sleep late

Tired at night so you miss your favorite TV shows

Okay, the last reason  is kind of an excuse, but still worth putting in the con section. I think the best time really is the morning, but motivation is just not kicking in that early. According to Associated Content, they lean toward morning, but if you can get it in at anytime, its better then no-time.

Yoga in the morning is definitely different due to your tight muscles. If you ever find that your not has flexible in the morning, don’t worry, your among most. Its important to listen to your body and don’t push yourself past your edge. This can lead to injury.

Goal for this week: Get up early twice and fit in a work out or yoga.

Thoughts?

Climbing, Stretching, Chris Lindner … and some yoga

Carabiners  is the only climbing gym around the southcoast area, the next closest would be Providence or Boston, although a couple of the Southcoast YMCAs have walls, but not like Carabiners. The membership is really affordable and if you want to try it out, and you’ve never been, tell me! You can bring 2 free guests a month with a membership.

For the past couple years I’ve been going there. It’s pretty sweet (and they are working on opening up a new one in CT sometime soon). It is a good way to get a good workout and its kinda a social thing too (you can look for a partner here ). I know when I used to go later on at night, there would be a good amount of people working on bouldering problems, top-roping, or lead climbing.

After climbing I find that my forearms are usually on fire. So there are some stretching moves, like turning your hands up,to loosen up. But how can yoga help climbers? A google video search turned up with this:

It was weird that there is just random climbing shots in there (i think one of the climbers is Chris Lindner**) That’s just a sample of a longer video, but there are plenty of asanas that would be great for climbers, here’s a few that I thought of:

Seated Spinal Twist

Standing Foward Bend (Uttanasana) Variation

Eagle (Garudasana)

What else?

**best hair, for a guy with long hair.