Take Care of Yourself or Your Students Yoga and Safety

by Shari

Navigating Through Icebergs by Michele Macartney-Filgate

I have been thinking a lot about the topic of safety when I teach these days, so I thought I might share some of my insights with you all, both students and fellow teachers.

So many people wander into a yoga class these days that it can be overwhelming for the teacher to juggle all the special needs that people may present. Let me give you some examples of my typical yoga students. I may have a student with glaucoma/cataracts who can’t do any poses where her head is lower that her heart, a student with a total knee replacement, hip replacement, hip fracture with surgical pinning, or students with osteotomies, acromioplasties, heart attacks, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, heart surgeries, strokes, vertigo, garden variety joint pain, spinal pain, herniated discs of the neck, back, sacroiliac issues, chronic pain of any body part, vertebral artery occlusion, carotid artery stenosis, etc. I think you are getting the point! And not all of these people are seniors or even over 55. In fact, some of my healthiest looking students have significant chronic illnesses and issues. How can I teach a class that has this variety? (I am not even talking about special needs yoga class here, but general classes.) Yes, it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed.
But I have learned over time to ask some very simple questions in two minutes or less to get a feel of the student:

1. Have you done any yoga before? Now this question is very challenging because sometimes an individual will answer yes, but you have to qualify how long ago this was and what type of yoga.
2. Do you have any conditions that I should be aware of? Now here is another question that may appear simple but isn’t. Sometimes when people live with chronic conditions it is so normal for them they don’t even think about it being a problem. So you may have to probe a little.

Then, most importantly, I tell my new students this: “You are responsible for yourself in this class. Please don’t think I have ESP and know when something is overtaxing for you or causing you pain. And please come out of any pose and let me know of the difficulty you are experiencing.” Yes, it is paramount that every student take the responsibility for his or her own actions and does not pass that responsibility onto the teacher.

After this, you have set the stage for having engaged students in your class, but you aren’t done with providing a safe environment for your students. Throughout every class, you need to observe every student to make sure that people aren’t becoming overly fatigued and distressed. Is someone looking paler than usual? Is a student sweating more than normal? Is a student more red-faced than usual? Looking for subtle changes in your familiar students is important. Also, give people (or yourself!) permission to stop and rest (see Resting Between Poses for information about resting). We are all so driven, whether it is internal competition in our own selves on how much we want to or need to do or external competition where we are looking around at our classmates and competing. Yes, yes, this isn’t supposed to be yoga, but it does happen to the best of us and when we compete even against ourselves, injuries can occur.

These are very general suggestions that both teachers and students can immediately apply to their personal practices as well as to yoga classes. In future posts we can all discuss particular strategies for keeping yoga students who live with various medical concerns safe while they practicing asana.

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Is Cardio Better Before Weights Or Afterwards

By Russ Howe

There are many questions in the fitness world which cause much confusion. If you were to ask ten fitness instructors for tips on how to lose weight, it's likely you'd get several very conflicting answers. Today's question in focus is this - should you do cardio before or after weights?

The facts behind this question are very clear so today you will discover the answer.

The video today will explain whether you should do cardio before or after weights in the gym.

Let us begin by looking at the most common myth associated with this question. Many people believe that by doing cardiovascular exercise before resistance training you will leave your muscles zapped of strength and restrict your ability on the weights, therefore it would make natural sense to go with hitting the weights first and doing your cardiovascular activity at the end.

This particular belief stacks up well from a common sense point of view, but when you look at the latest scientific research available you will be surprised at the findings.

You see, in order to get to the bottom of this popular gym myth we have no choice but to look at things on a scientific level. The body makes several noteworthy changes during your time on the gym floor, some of which are hugely important in answering this question. The first of which is m-TOR release.

This is the enzyme responsible for signalling the start of the muscle building process after a heavy weights session. It is not uncommon to see this name on the front of various protein supplements, which all claim to cause an increase in m-TOR release to help you build more lean muscle after a hard workout. The body increases m-TOR for up to six hours after a resistance workout, making it easier for you to build lean muscle temporarily.

During aerobic activity, such as a bike or treadmill, the body adapts by releasing an enzyme called AMPK.

Ready for the controversial bit? AMPK release kills m-TOR dead in it's tracks!

So jumping on a bike for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise after a workout might sound good in theory, but in truth you are doing more harm than good to your chances of building rock hard lean muscle any time soon. The increase in your AMPK levels will do significant damage to the increased m-TOR you created by hitting the weights, rendering your session only half as great as it could have been.

It is also worth noting that several studies have looked into just how much pre workout cardio can zap the muscles of strength, too. One study tested this theory by having subjects do a tough aerobic session followed by a bench press and squat session. The cardio only affected the squats, which prompted the conclusion that you can get around this issue by simply avoiding cardio activity before leg day - this allows you to get the full benefits of cardio without missing out on the full benefits of the spike in m-TOR brought about by a heavy weights session.

Learning how to lose weight can be a confusing path, with many conflicting opinions often causing confusion along the way. The next time somebody asks should you do cardio before or after weights, you can help the with the latest scientific research rather than gym myths.

About the Author:

Your writer: Russ Howe PTI is a nationally sought-after south shields personal trainer featured by tv. Read his thorough walkthrough on the differences of performing cardio before or after weights for a thorough walkthrough on this topic.

Finding An Alternative Healer Portland OR

By Virginia Anderson

It's easy to get a second, holistic opinion if you live in the northwestern United States. Finding an alternative healer Portland OR way is as simple as checking the local phone directory or going online. There are many health clinics with a wide choice of trained therapists on staff. There are also independent certified health professionals in many fields to help those dealing with disease.

Conventional doctors make a diagnosis and prescribe a drug. Going the alternative route can be more exciting. It also will demand more of the person who is experiencing a break-down of their health. The clinic will be able to take an x-ray or stitch up a wound, but they will offer more than a first response. For example, even clinics headed up by one or more medical doctors will have a nutritionist on staff to provide guidance on proper diet and physical activity.

Today medical doctors who find value in 'western' medicine may also recognize its shortcomings. They choose to incorporate herbal extracts, acupuncture or acupressure, massage, and other arts in their protocols. A clinic headed by a certified doctor will take all insurance coverage, which encourages many to try the alternative route. Newcomers also may be reassured by having the opinion of a 'real' doctor.

In fact, western medicine is the newcomer in the health field. Ancient peoples knew that local plants could keep them healthy and make them well. Chinese and Indian herbalists are still part of the mainstream in those countries. Acupuncture was used in ancient times, as was massage, with knowledge being passed verbally from one generation to the next.

Aromatherapy is new to many, for instance. But anyone who knows that a few drops of lavender oil in a bath is a good way to relax before sleep is practicing this use of essential oils. During the 'Black Death', or the plague, a combination of oils called 'Thieve's Oil' was used to ward off the contagion. Aromatherapists use oils to cure infections, soothe pain, promote both alertness and relaxation, and restore hormonal balance.

Homeopathy is derided by many conventional doctors and medical organizations, but those who use this safe method of healing swear by its efficacy. Athletes take arnica after a workout or apply it topically. Moms give their toddlers ferr phos for a fever. Homeopaths are professionals trained in this field, and many other therapists incorporate homeopathic remedies in their health plans.

Massage is another ancient art that holds true hope for people in pain, who need stress relief, or who are unable to get adequate exercise. Sciatica is one condition that baffles many medical doctors; regular massage sessions can bring relief. People with back pain who don't want to live on medication often find that a weekly massage is the answer. Lymph drainage massage can help the elderly and the bedridden.

The list of non-invasive therapies goes on. The total-body or holistic approach will involve diet, lifestyle, and more as you find relief and restore your health. Without prescribing toxic drugs or a one-shot solution, alternative practitioners can help you understand why you got sick and how you can get better.

About the Author:

If you need the facts about an alternative healer Portland residents can go to the web pages online here today. Additional details are available at http://www.portlandmindbodysoul.com now.

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Without Mirrors or Yoga Selfies

by Nina

by Hokusai

For the sake of this blog—or maybe just because I can’t resist—I try to keep up with what’s happening in the yoga blog-o-sphere and on Facebook. Lately, there has been this whole backlash regarding “yoga selfies” - that trend many of us have been subjected to, of yoga practitioners sharing photographs of themselves in fancy yoga poses in a bid to to see who can outdo one another athletically or perhaps just get more publicity (see yoga selfies: tara stiles & NY post spark big ol’ convo). The event that set off the latest firestorm of criticism was yoga teacher Tara Stiles riding around New York City doing yoga poses in a glass box on a truck to promote her latest series of yoga videos.

I was starting to feel that I should weigh in, too. After all, if you’ve been reading our blog for any length of time, you’d know that we’re interested in the power of yoga to foster health and equanimity, not in its ability to make us look good in photographs (which seems rather, uh, counterproductive). And a long-time friend of mine suggested to me that while there are already plenty of younger women writing about yoga for curvy bodies (see Interview with Anna Guest-Jelley of Curvy Yoga), there was not much out there about older people and body image, and she thought that I should write something about it on the blog. I explained that I was reluctant to, not because I didn’t believe it was important, but because I didn’t feel I had much credibility on the topic. For much of my life, I was lithe and slender, and actively enjoyed the body I was born with. Maintaining that enjoyment is more of conscious struggle these days, as I’m in my early sixties and of course I don’t look the way I once did, especially—to be frank—with no clothes on. But, I explained to her, I still thought that someone who had struggled more with body image issues should be the one to take this topic on. 

Then by chance while I was cleaning out my attic (I’m still working on my Aparigraha) this weekend, I found something I’d written a number of years ago for a book on body image that never took off (my co-author, who was the one who had body image issues, lost interest). The piece I wrote was intended just for women, and doesn’t address the issue of aging, but you know what? I think it still speaks to the larger issue. And it reflects my gratitude for one of the profound gifts that my practice has given me: an appreciation for the beauty of my aliveness. Even now with gray in my hair and arthritis in my right hip, I still feel this way when I’m working in my garden, walking down the streets of my city, or practicing yoga alone on my mat.

Without Mirrors

What if you forgot entirely about how you looked and could just walk down the street feeling entirely comfortable in your own skin, relishing all the physical sensations of being alive? And what if the simple movements of putting one foot in front of the other, of swaying your hips, and moving your arms, would feel utterly delicious to you, as if you were savoring the taste of a perfectly ripe summer peach or taking in the exquisite fragrance of a field of lavender? Wouldn’t you stop obsessing about the size of your breasts, belly, or thighs, the texture of your hair, the shape of your nose, the smoothness of your skin? And wouldn’t you simply rejoice in the beauty of your own aliveness? And feel immense gratitude for the gift of your body, the way it is now, the way it is today?

Everyone talks about the “yoga body” these days as if it were some kind of a look, some kind of fashion statement. They even, God forbid, talk about the “yoga butt.” But honestly as we look around our yoga classes, we see women of every shape imaginable, some slim and lithe, some buff and muscular, and some soft and voluptuous. So what if the yoga body has nothing to do with a look and everything to do with a feeling? Because in yoga we practice without mirrors. We do not look at ourselves, but rather feel ourselves and listen to our bodies. Yes, our yoga teachers help us to improve the alignment of our bodies. However, this is not so we look better, but so we can do the poses with more ease and can breathe more freely when we are in them (a good test of whether you are doing a pose with good alignment is to check whether you can speak in a normal, relaxed tone of voice while you are in the posture).

So are you ready to give up the fantasy of looking perfect for the reality of feeling wonderful?

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