Yoga and Balance An Overview

by Baxter 

Tree Pose with the Wall

Because our ability to balance changes as we age, and poor balance is at the top of the list of risk factors for an increased chance of falling, it is obvious that maintaining and improving balance is a worthy endeavor! For almost everyone I talk to about their goals as they age, staying independent in function and lifestyle is at the top of their list. Sadly, at the extreme, poor balance often leads to unexpected falls, which can result in devastating fractures and loss of both physical function and being able to live independently. But deteriorating balance can just as easily erode the ability to go about your daily activities with ease and to engage in healthy physical activities. I am sure many of you have friends or family members whose changing ability to balance gradually kept them home bound and had a negative impact on their quality of life. That's why we consider balance as one of the four essential skills of Yoga for Healthy Aging.

Aging Changes to Our Balance System

Before getting into the ways yoga can maintain and improve balance, it is worth reviewing how balance changes as we age, in an honest light. In our post Aging and Balance, Shari Ser, who both a physical therapist and a yoga teacher, said:

“Unfortunately decline in ability to balance is part of ‘normal aging.’ Physiological changes inevitably occur in aging; the composition of the muscle fibers changes from fast twitch to slow twitch, which means our reaction times decline. There are changes in peripheral nerve conduction speeds, and we may either overcompensate or under compensate when our balance is challenged. The smooth modulation of our central nervous system is affected as we age. There are intricate feedback systems between our cerebellum, brain stem, cranial nerves, and basal ganglia that need to be working smoothly for us to easily execute our locomotion and peripheral body through space. 

Our proprioception (the ability to sense where we are in space) also changes as we age as well as our vestibular system (the balance system that is our inner ear). Some hypothesize that this is due to circulatory changes as we age. There are changes in our auditory and visual systems as we age. We get stiffer in our joints and muscles so we loose the full range of motion these joints may have had previously. Cognitive changes occur in our brain also slowing down the in streaming of information. Balance is a reflexive activity, an unconscious response to a change in stimuli, but to improve balance also requires mental concentration.”

How Yoga Helps

In that same post, Shari suggested some ideas on how yoga helps maintain or improve our balance: 

“The maxim “use it or you loose it” is so true with balance! But if we stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) we are integrating every single one of our balance systems. Our eyes orient us to midline and to the horizon, and they tell us where up and down are. Our vestibular system tells us that the surface is stable and there is no spinning or tilting to compensate for. Our proprioceptors in our joints, muscles, and skin send feedback to the resistance of the floor, and our conscious mind sends information to elongate here, relax there, shift to the right/left, etc. Our brain is never quiet in Tadasana, always tweaking a little bit here and there. The act of standing still is a full body isometric activity, and it is work that is making our bodies stronger.” 

We can challenge our bodies even more when we stand on one foot, balance on one foot and a hand, such as with Half Moon pose (Arda Chandrasana), or move through a series of connected postures, as in Sun Salutations, because balance and agility are intimately interconnected. In fact, agility requires balance in motion. As Leslie Kaminoff observes, as we move through our day, it is as if we are almost falling and self-correcting moment by moment, and our balance system is what keeps us upright. 

By engaging in stimulating all aspects of our balance system to work at optimal levels, a regular yoga practice has the potential to influence all of the aging changes Shari outlined above. With yoga, you can:

• Stimulate the pressure receptors and proprioceptors in your feet by working barefoot in balance poses barefoot.
• Stimulate the mechanoreceptors in our joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles above the feet via the various positions in which you place your limbs during yoga asana.
• Improve mental focus by training your minds to return again and again to the balancing task at hand. You notice shifting sensations, the feeling of being on or off balance, when extraneous thoughts take you away from your focus on balance, and so on. Even the pranayama and meditation practices you do can lead to improved mental focus when you find yourself doing balancing poses or walking around the house. 

And yoga can address the sports medicine concept of “controlled instability” News on Balance, Falling, and Yoga) by initially introducing someone new to yoga and previously inactive to the basic yoga poses and dynamic sequences, then adding more challenging poses and practices for the advancing practitioner, and finally, when balance poses are mastered, enabling the practitioner to challenge the edge of stability by creatively modifying poses.

For those that already have balance issues when they start yoga, yoga has great ways of making the exploration of poses for balance safe, and minimizing the chance of becoming fearful. One of the first tools that can help these people is the wall, which they can use by standing close to it, either facing it, standing sideways to it, or having their back to it. 

By simply getting you out of your shoes and socks, yoga helps you wake up the balance and pressure receptors in your feet in general, whether you are ready or not for full balance poses. So even practicing standing poses in general is helpful for beginners. And for more advanced practitioners, yoga helps wake up the balance and pressure receptors in your hands when you practice arm balance poses, such as Side Plank pose (Vasithasana), Crane pose (Bakasana), or Handstand. 

Other factors that affect balance and safety are our individual levels of flexibility, strength, and endurance. And since we know that yoga can improve these factors, their improvement will contribute to improved balance as well.

Our mental attitude towards balance and the risk of falling can also have a huge impact on our success or failure, our progress or lack thereof. The yoga practices of mindfulness without judgment that we try to cultivate can change a habitual negativity around balance, such as “I suck at Tree pose,” to a more neutral mental input, like “I am typically wobbly in Tree, but let’s see what I can do today….”

So, your yoga toolbox provides a number of tools for improving balance, from the physical tips of your toes to the ethereal influence of your thoughts.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Built on Sinking Sand The House of OCD and Health Anxiety

It was the summer of 2006 when I sank deeply into the OCD with a full scale health anxiety crisis. OCD thinking is like an elaborate structure built on sinking sand. It appears so real and solid and indisputable and all the while your life is collapsing underneath you, and the logic is built on inherently unstable ground. OCD is an entire industry of thinking with very little to do with the outside world, except for the grain of truth that it inevitably latches onto.

Even writing about this summer stirs up the OCD. Part of my compulsion to make the anxiety go away was to make detailed notes about my symptoms, in hopes that I accounted for every possible thing, so my impulse, when writing this blog post, is to include every detail. The anxiety began when I agreed to take a medication which might alleviate a symptom that I obsessed about frequently. I took the medication, and started obsessing that I was getting a bladder infection, which was another one of my health anxiety themes. After fixating on every bladder sensation, and agonizing about whether to call my doctor, I finally did and she got me in at the end of the day. It is common(though perhaps not recommended) to treat women empirically if they have bladder infection symptoms, so that's what she did--no urine test.

And that began an elaborate building of health fear, one level on top of another. Because I'd had a severe headache with one antibiotic in the past, I said I wanted a different one, and in dodging one fear I landed in another as I began to obsess about getting a yeast infection from the 2nd antibiotic, and called my doctor who prescribed meds over the phone. I was overwhelmed with a surge of anger at my doctor for not doing a urine test since I had several bladder infections that turned out not to be, and since strong feelings set off my OCD, I was on very shaky ground.

Over the next weeks the OCD was compounded and grew at an alarming rate. I went to a different gynecologist, who was near my house, who did a lab test and said I did not have a bladder infection, and gave me more meds for the supposed yeast infection. I still felt urgency in my bladder, and even more urgency in my OCD desire to know exactly what was going on in my body, and perfectionistic self-condemnation for not perfectly diagnosing myself or advocating for tests, or for calling a doctor in the first place. The OCD thoughts were all about my defectiveness, and my responsibility to make sure I didn't get a kidney infection, and the imperative that I never make a mistake, and that I would be haunted by the pain and discomfort in my body.

I was on a quest to get relief from my anxious imaginings and my fixation on painful sensations in my body. I found a new family doctor, who said if I still had bladder urgency that I probably did have an infection, and she wrote a script for antibiotics, and reluctantly did a urine test at my request, but when I panicked that I did not do the test sample correctly, she went into authoritarian mode and told me to not get myself worked up, to just calm down. Well, if I could do that, I think I would have already. . .I went and cried in my car.

So here I was trying to decide whether to take another antibiotic, without test results, and the OCD structure was growing, as I felt a surge of hyperresponsibility that if I got a kidney infection it would be all my fault, so I'd better take the antibiotic. By the end of that week, I couldn't sleep at night, and I went into the doctor on a Saturday. The doctor on call was much calmer and kinder, and she prescribed another antibiotic that would be less likely to cause insomnia, but this antibiotic wreaked havoc with my digestive system. I went back to the doctor on call who happened to have my test results, and once again it showed I didn't have a bladder infection but that I did have blood in my urine, and she wanted me to see a urologist.

By this time I was a mess. My therapist Molly was on vacation. I went to see the therapist on call, and told her how I couldn't get this right, couldn't figure out what was wrong with my body, that I needed to try harder. She sat quietly for a moment, and then said that it seemed I had been working incredibly hard to find out what was wrong, with multiple doctor visits and relentless researching on the computer. I was baffled by this. This did not make sense in my OCD world, where I was never good enough, never finished, never solved, never certain.

She wrote a few sentences on a scrap of paper, and gave it to me:

May I be filled with lovingkindness.

May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.

May I be well in body and mind.

May I be at ease and happy.

This was a glimmer from outside the windows of the house of OCD, the possibility of another way to view the world. Feeling body symptoms can be hard enough without the "inner dangers" of OCD. I was to descend further into my OCD, but I had a moment of reprieve.

*********************
Thinking about it now, this is part 7.5 of my Medication Series, since it was my first OCD crisis after ceasing to take my antidepressant.

Part 1: OCD and Medication Decisions
Part 2: Starting Medication while Struggling
Part 3: The Limits of Research in Medication Decisions
Part 4: My First Prescription for SSRI's
Part 5: Feeling it in the Jaw: Side Effects of Medication
Part 6: Being on Medication & OCD Weeping
Part 7: Wanting to Get off my Medication

Yoga and Parkinsons Disease Part 1

by Richard Rosen, guest contributor

A Road Through the Woods by Brad Gibson

When we received a question last week about yoga and Parkinson’s Disease, we turned to our friend Richard Rosen. Richard Rosen is a senior yoga teacher, who has been practicing yoga for 31 years and who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 9 years ago. Richard had so many interesting things to say in the response to the question that we decided to make it a separate post. —Nina

Q: Interested in suggestions for yoga for students with Parkinson's.

A: Parkinson’s Disease (I prefer Condition) is a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Common symptoms include loss of muscular flexibility, balance, and strength. You may notice that these are the very physical qualities promoted by the physical practice of yoga postures and related exercises. To a certain undetermined extent then, yoga exercises help to not exactly counteract PD symptoms, but go a long way toward at least a temporary amelioration. These exercises (depending on the frequency and intensity of practice) also help cultivate and refine greater body awareness, which in turn (again to an undetermined extent) allows the individual to self-correct certain of the symptoms. I’m hedging everything I say here because, as in all of life, there are no guarantees. Some conditions progress very rapidly, others only gradually. But in any case the sooner a credible practice is established the better it will serve the individual. I can’t stress this enough: once the diagnosis of PD is confirmed, if you’re not already practicing some form of yoga exercise, get started immediately with a competent teacher.

This is a very difficult question to answer in 25 words or fewer as it’s stated here. I would ask first about the students’ condition: are they pretty much at the same level of development, or are some farther along? If the former, are they all still fairly mobile, is their balance still decent, their strength and flexibility? If the latter, how serious is the situation? Do some need canes or walkers? Is the shaking debilitating at times? Different strokes for different folks is the operative approach.

And then I’d need to know something about the teacher, if there is one. Training? Experience? Are there props like chairs and bolsters? What size is the class, if there is one? Are there assistants if there are more than, say, 6 to 8 students? Don’t mean to be evasive here but a PD class is definitely not like an average public class, these are students that need extra attention.

Or are you asking in general about individual students you might be working with in a private setting? Again it’s important to tailor the work to the student’s level of development. Without more detailed information I can only give general suggestions. 

Certainly one of the most useful exercises would be a passive backbend over a bolster or rolled blanket (see here for a photo). We PD people tend to slump after awhile and the backbend helps encourage a long (not "straight") front spine. The thickness of the support would depend on the student, both his/her level of development and previous experience with yoga-influenced exercises (I assume when you say “yoga” you’re talking about asana-like postures; please remember “yoga” is an umbrella term for a wide variety of schools and practices, and shouldn’t be equated solely with asana). Obviously the stiffer the student, the smaller the roll’s diameter should be, and stiffer students will likely need a blanket support under the back of their head to prevent jamming the neck, and should also keep knees bent and feet on the floor to avoid back strain. The roll should be positioned under the lower tips of the shoulder blades so that the arms can lay comfortably off to the sides, not higher than parallel to the line of the shoulders. Initially the student might stay for a couple of minutes, then slowly over time, depending on the student and the seriousness of his/her practice, increase the stay to 5-6 minutes. I should emphasize here that if the student isn’t ready or willing to practice regularly—every day would be ideal—then the exercises will have minimal impact if only practiced once weekly or less.

While in the pose it’s essential that some attention be paid to the breath. Have the student pretend he/she can channel the inhalations slowly and directly into the space behind the sternum (yes, I know that’s where the heart is, I said “pretend”), so that each intake creates more and more space in the upper chest. On the exhalations have the student imagine sinking down over the blanket, so that with each successive exhale, he/she seems to be releasing more and more over the roll.

I’m not, at this point, particularly comfortable going any farther until I learn something more about the teacher-student relationship, the former’s chops and the latter’s needs. Please write to this blog again with more information about yourself and the students, and of what you intend to do with this instruction. 

Richard Rosen is currently the director of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA. He is a contributing editor for Yoga Journal magazine, and is the author of three books, The Yoga of Breath (Shambhala 2002), Yoga for 50+ (Ulysses 2004), and Pranayama Beyond the Basics (Shambhala 2006). He’s also created a set of seven CDs titled The Practice of Pranayama, issued by Shambhala, and Shambhala will publish his Original Yoga, a book about traditional Hatha Yoga, in 2011. (To find out more about Richard and Piedmont Yoga Studio, see here.)

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Gandhi and the Bhagavad Gita

by Nina 

Fishing by Torchlight in Kai Province,
From Oceans of Wisdom by Hokusai

In this wisdom, a man goes beyond what is well done and what is not well done.
Go thou therefore to wisdom:
Yoga is wisdom in work. —trans. by Juan Mascaro 

When I teach yoga philosophy I often like to start by saying that most people don’t realize that the most famous yogi of the 20th century was Mohandas K. Gandhi. And what made him a great yogi wasn’t the number of Sun Salutations he did (not very many, if any at all), but his practice of yoga in action (karma yoga), inspired by the seminal yoga text the Bhagavad Gita, which he referred to as his “mother.” 

The Bhagavad Gita is a section of the Mahabharata, written around 500 to 400 BCE. It tells the story of Arjuna, a warrior in the peace-loving Pandava army, who comes to a stop in the middle of a battle when he sees his adversaries, the Kavaras, corrupt, power-hungry rulers who had usurped the throne. Gandhi, who himself believed in non-violence, believed that this battle is a metaphor for the “duel that perpetually goes on in the hearts of mankind.” Because Arjuna sees highly esteemed teachers, elders, and family members among the Kavaras, he tells Krishna, his charioteer and great friend, that he has decided not to fight. Krishna speaks with him about yoga—the entire Gita is their dialogue—until Arjuna resolves to return to the battle, taking the yogic approach to that this fight that Krishna—who he learns is a Hindu deity— advocates. Here is what Krishna says to him: 

Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward.
Work not for a reward; but never cease to do thy work.
Do thy work in the peace of Yoga and, free from selfish desires, be not moved in success or failure.
Yoga is evenness of mind—a peace that is ever the same.

Detachment here means that we do our work—whatever that is—without being attached to the outcome (reward) of our actions. And that is how we can do what we need to do while at the same time staying calm and focused. This approach—this letting go of all results, whether good or bad, and focusing on the action alone—is the essence of yoga. Here’s a second translation of the passage above: 

You have a right to your actions,
But never to your actions fruits
Act for the action’s sake
And do not be attached to inaction. 

Self-possessed, resolute, act
Without any thoughts of results,
Open to success or failure.
This equanimity is yoga. —Stephen Mitchell 

For Gandhi “work” meant fighting for the independence of India and the rights of the oppressed through non-violent action. And he describes the importance of doing work without attachment to results this way: 

“He who is always brooding over results often loses nerve in the performance of his duty. He becomes impatient and then gives vent to anger and begins to do unworthy thing; he jumps from action to action, never remaining faithful to any. He who broods over results is like a man given to objects of the senses: he is always distracted, he says good-bye to all scruples, everything is right in his estimation, and therefore he resorts to means fair and foul to attain his end."—M.K. Gandhi

So this concept is as useful outside of the yoga room as it is inside it. For no matter what work we have to do, whether it is raising children, going to a 9 to 5 job, being politically active, or helping a dying family member, taking action without attachment to the outcome of our action allows us to do what we need to do and be at peace with the results: 

Students often ask us, “If you don’t about whether you succeed or fail, why would you even bother taking actions?” Krishna actually answers this very same question: 

Not by refraining from action does man attain freedom from action. Not by mere renunciation does he attain supreme perfection. 
 For not even for a moment can a man be without action. Helplessly are all driven to action by forces born of Nature. 
 He who withdraws himself from actions, but ponders on their pleasures in his heart, he is under a delusion and is a false follower of the Path. 
 But great is the man who, free from attachments, and with a mind ruling its powers in harmony, works on the path of Karma Yoga, the path of consecrated action. 
 Action is greater than inaction: perform therefore thy task in life. Even the life of the body could not be if there were no action. 

Krishna tells Arjuna that action is a necessary part of human existence, that even the “life of the body” can’t exist without it. After all, we all have to get up in the morning, go to jobs, and take care of ourselves and our families, And some of us have a calling, whether is to be a teacher, an artist, a scientist, or a social activist. So the only way to attain equanimity is to do your work—whatever it is—without any thoughts of results, remaining open to success or failure. 

Another question we frequently hear is, “Isn’t it self-contradictory to have a goal but not be attached to whether or not you achieve it? How is it even a goal if you’re not attached to the outcome?" It’s important to make the distinction between caring about your work—doing something you feel passionate about—and being fixated on the results. Just think: there are many types of work where even though you do the absolute best job you can, you may not be able to succeed. For example, picture a lawyer trying to help a client they believe is innocent, an emergency medical technician trying to save a life, or a teacher hoping to help a room full of students succeed in learning. 

Although Gandhi did achieve the goal of the independence of India that he worked so long for, his final work was promoting religious harmony in newly independent India. In those efforts he did not succeed, and they eventually led to his death, as he was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist. But the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita that he cultivated through his practice of non-attachment enabled him do all this work he believed in, whether he succeeded or failed. 

“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.”—M.K. Gandhi

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect 

Aging and Your Digestive System

by Baxter and Nina

Popcorn Vendor by Melina Meza

While some people have digestive systems that continue to function well as they age, in a given year, close to 40 percent of older adults experience digestive problems that are caused in large part by age-related changes to their digestive systems! In general, you can optimize your digestive health as you age by staying physically active, reducing chronic stress, supporting healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy weight. So a well-rounded yoga practice, including an active asana practice for exercise, mindfulness practices and meditation to support healthy eating and improve awareness of subtle changes in your body, and stress management practices to reduce the effects of chronic stress and allow you to spend more time in the Rest and Digest state—will support your digestive system overall. 

Now let’s take a closer took at how aging affects the individual components of your digestive system so you can help prevent some of the digestive problems from developing!

Mouth, Tongue, Teeth, and Pharynx. Your mouth gradually changes with age, reducing or changing your sense of taste and altering how you “feel” the texture of food, which can affect your food preferences and eating habits. Chewing may also become more difficult, as your mouth produces less saliva, your tongue works less efficiently to move food, and/or your teeth may wear out. You may also have more trouble swallowing. Although you cannot influence these changes with yoga, mindful yoga practices, such as pranayama and meditation can support healthy eating habits and improve self-awareness, allowing you to tune you into these changes so you can address them with your health care team. 

Esophagus. The smooth muscles lining your entire gastrointestinal tract work less efficiently, slowing the downstream movement of food and liquids. In the esophagus this can cause swallowing, in some cases even gagging, choking, or vomiting. Restorative poses where your head and chest are higher than your belly and standing yoga postures can improve the functioning of your esophagus, and stress management practices will help both you and your esophagus relax.

Stomach. As the lining of your stomach becomes less able to fight damage, your risk of developing peptic ulcers increases. In addition, your stomach becomes less elastic and cannot accommodate as much food, and the stomach empties into the small intestine at a slower rate, which may limit the size of your meals. Using yoga’s stress management practice will support stomach’s functioning, as you reduce chronic stress and spend more time in the Rest and Digest state. 

Small Intestines. Although the movement of contents and the absorption of most nutrients in the small intestines do not change much, they may slow down a bit. However, lactase, one of the enzymes in the small intestine, decreases with age, leading to intolerance of dairy products in many older adults. Cultivating mindfulness may alert you to this change and support better food choices.

Large Intestines. Due to age-related changes in its smooth muscles, waste moves more slowly through your large intestines. This, plus weaker rectal contractions can contribute to constipation, a common problem for older adults. Using your yoga practice for exercise, especially including twists and forward bends, can help support healthy functioning of your large intestines.

Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas. As your liver ages, it shrinks, the blood flow in and out is reduced, and repair of liver cells slows, reducing your liver's ability to metabolize many substances. As a result, substances that are toxic to the liver, such as alcohol, can cause more damage in older people than in younger ones, and medication may have a stronger effect or produce more side effects. In the gallbladder, the production and flow of bile decrease with aging, increasing the frequency of gallstones. Age-related changes in the pancreas reduces its ability to deal with sugar levels in your bloodstream, contributing to the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in older people. Overall, to support three these organs, you can use yoga’s stress management tools to spend more time in in the Rest and Digest state and support a healthy lifestyle. To support the work of your pancreas, use your yoga practice for exercise (but you're already doing that for other reasons, right?).

Gut Microbiome. Older adults have a different microbial profile than younger adults, and, after 65, the number of microbial species decreases and the populations become more similar among individuals. While it is possible these age-related changes might negatively affect the relationship between your gut and your immune system, we don’t yet understand their specific effects. Stay tuned for new research findings! In the meantime, you can use yoga’s stress management tools to support your gut microbiome and foster healthy eating habits.

Enteric Nervous System. Although we still don’t know much about how intestinal nerves age, evidence suggests age-related changes may contribute to the increase in gastrointestinal disorders in older people, such as trouble swallowing, gastrointestinal reflux, and constipation. To support the functioning of your enteric nervous system, use yoga’s stress management tools to reduce chronic stress and spend more time in the Rest and Digest state. 

See Techniques for Cultivating Agility for our recommendations specific techniques you can use to support your digestive system.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Here Eye spots and pregnancy

Eye spots and pregnancy will be certainly one of the information beneath the today Problems in later life out of your log search engine To provide you with vital knowledge to the visitors we tested to obtain the nearest relevance images around Eye spots and pregnancy Along with below you will definitely discover currently, all of these visuals had been regarded within the biggest source of information.

People are for sale to get a hold of, if you would like as well as desire to go please click save you marker over the internet page, in addition to it’ll possibly be promptly downloadable within your laptop. In conclusion if you wish to obtain brand new along with most up-to-date artwork in connection with Eye spots and pregnancy , make sure you adhere to all of us upon search engines in addition or even save this site, we all test our own finest to offer everyday up-date having innovative in addition to new information. Can be you enjoy your web page.

Eye spots and pregnancy - it's already been submitted with the expectation who seem to we're able to really encourage best for somebody. This post can certainly work to be a referrals while you're lost to choose the ideal instruction This Eye spots and pregnancy posts may be your best option that they are put on to the repair system, the way it possesses its very own approach will probably think far more content Eye spots and pregnancy - Very useful for you so you hoping acquire a stable reference which will will assist you to find inspiration without confusion. never forget to help you store this site, considering it's possible that sometime you will have the application once again seeing that ones inspirational thoughts.

May the Prana Be With You! Energy and Yoga

by Baxter

Exploring the Arctic by Michele Macartney-Filgate

During an evening meal recently, an acquaintance of mine asked me what I thought about the word “energy” as it used today in this country when discussing practices such as yoga and martial arts. I should mention that this new friend is a medical anthropologist and a long time martial arts expert and teacher, and had a few ideas of her own. After we spoke about western and eastern concepts of energy, I had a sneaking suspicion that I had not addressed this idea to any great extent in these blog posts. So, with that in mind, I’d like to begin a conversation about energy as it pertains to the practice of yoga.

For anyone who has been in yoga classes for a while, you will be familiar with a term from Sanskrit that is sometimes translated as “energy,” but really has both a broader and more specific meaning in the original language.  Prana, the term referring to energy (not the yoga clothing line!), is conceived of as being of two types. The first is a substance called prana that pervades the entire known universe of material objects and is contained in such things as our atmospheric air and in the food we eat, so that it could be considered in part as nutrients for living beings. According to Georg Feuerstein, prana “signifies the universal life force, which is a vibrant psychophysical energy similar to the pneuma of the ancient Greeks.” In addition, there is an individual prana, which exists solely within you, that is the animating force of your life. We are born with a certain portion of pranic energy that we slowly use to fuel our life’s activities, and a partly renewable portion of prana that we can derive from food and air. This later source is not able to sustain us, however, if our original store of prana eventually runs out, which it does for all of us eventually.

Prana in the body is also said to move around. It does so via channels or small inner highways, said to number around 72,000 according to some sources, that are known as nadis. Out of the 72K, only three of them get spoken about much: the central channel that runs within or in front of the spine from the pelvic floor to the crown of the head, known as the sushumna nadi, and the right and left nadis known as ida and pingula, that start at the nostrils and end at the pelvic floor at the base of the sushumna nadi. I’ll tell you more on the sushumna nadi another time.

In addition to these three large channels and all the myriad smaller ones, the prana is said to move around the body via a series of forces called “winds” or vayu, that assist in moving prana up towards the chest and head via the prana vayu, down toward the pelvic floor via the apana vayu, out to the extremities via the vyana vayu, around the digestive center via the samana vayu, and finally around the throat area via the uddana vayu.

According to the texts on Hatha Yoga from the Twelfth century and forward, the yoga practice itself is designed to have several effects on prana. By correct practice, which is quite detailed and contains enough material to fill up many blog posts, one can conserve one’s individual quantity of prana so as to achieve your goals in yoga or in everyday life. Through visualizations, yoga postures and pranayama breath techniques to name a few, you can also encourage the usual movements of the winds of the body or you can reverse them. For example, apana vayu is associated with all bodily functions where things need to move down and out of the body, such as for urination. Obviously, we want that to happen at certain times of the day in order for our physical body to empty waste and remain healthy, so apana vayu needs to move in its usual fashion. The yogis also suggest changing the normal movement of apana vayu at times, sending it upwards, as a way of holding onto more of your total energy. They figured if you could live longer and remain relatively free of illness, you would have more time to achieve the highest goals of yoga, such as another future topic, samadhi.  

If we try to find a modern interpretation of prana, we might think it has something to do with blood in the circulatory system or nerve conduction in the nervous system, and it is conceivable that it has just such correlates, although not exactly described in the same way as our modern physiology is described. In my personal yoga practice, I find that working with the concept of prana is yet another way for me to bring more concentration and focus on the tasks at hand, be they yoga poses, breathing techniques or even a more mindful way of standing in line at the bank. I’ll leave the idea of prana here for now, but I am certain this essential concept in yoga philosophy and alternative yoga anatomy will pop again before to long. Until then, may the force be with you!

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Friday Q A Spinal Stenosis and Osteoporosis

This question of the week for this week came in about an older post from A Pair of Serendipities Re: Spinal Stenosis.

Q: Hello, I found this article very helpful and appreciate your information. I have a student who just started my class at a community college who has spinal stenosis, which as described here can be relieved by mindful forward bends. However, she also tells me she has osteoporosis (all on an intake form), which from my understanding is an indication to avoid forward folding. My class is very large and is beginners yoga, and I plan on talking with her about self monitoring and awareness, emphasis on hip hinge for forward folds, however I am wondering if you have any other thoughts in that these two conditions exist in one student simultaneously. In her early 60s, she is very motivated to be in my class.

A: Thanks for your question, and I am so pleased that you were checking out a much older post. I worry they will get cyber-dusty from not being read anymore. And your question is a great one! Even if we were not talking about spinal stenosis and osteoporosis, this sort of conundrum happens quite often for those of us who are teachers and for those of us who are students: two or more difficulties happening at the same time in the same body! Can a person get a break here!  Which one takes priority, are the recommended practices for each applicable for both, are the conditions somehow connected, and other questions can come up.

But to address your question directly: If someone has symptoms from their spinal stenosis already, but has only a diagnosis of osteoporosis without ever having had any complications (such as a fracture of wrist, thoracic vertebrae or hip), this may make your approach easier. One certainly would want to be cautious about practice intensity, opting for milder styles of practice, and since we’d like to keep the osteoporosis asymptomatic, you’d want to avoid techniques that would transmit hard, sudden forces into the bones. This can happen when jumping into and out of poses, as well as coming out of arm balances without control, in a thumping manner. But since arm balances would not serve the osteoporosis person due to the fracture risk, particularly handstand-like hand positions, this last group of poses should usually be avoided.

Regarding the safety of forward bends in osteoporosis, which we have noted can be helpful for spinal stenosis, I usually suggest that osteoporosis folks can try most beginning level poses, so spinal movements, but not to their limit. I recommend entering and exiting the poses slowly and mindfully, and not pushing or pulling on the spine once in the pose. Since most of the vertebral fractures in osteoporosis that I have seen were in the thoracic area and often associated with sudden thumping action through the spine as described above, such as jumping while dancing, if cautious, your basic beginning level yoga practice would be fine for the student with double the trouble. More specifically, I would try forward bends, back bends, twist and side bends, but gently and not to maximum range of motion. If you want to modify for this person, standing forward bends are safest, seated on a chair version the next safest, and on the floor versions the least desirable. But that still does not mean that doing seated forward bends on floor could not be included if done carefully and not to full intensity. 

As far as poses you might recommend for osteoporosis, including those that are weight bearing for both the legs and arms, it is the standing poses that are good for osteoporosis. However, those are the very poses that might make the symptoms of spinal stenosis worse. So when your class is weighted towards more standing poses, you will need to check in and make sure your student is doing OK!

So keep the conversation going with your enthusiastic student, checking in for a moment before and after class. Perhaps, if you provide that kind of service, you could even offer to meet one on one with your student to design a practice more personally suited to her needs. 

—Baxter

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Learn Floaters in eyes and ms

In this post you could provide help to receive a practical referrals dependant regarding try of current articles Floaters in eyes and ms probability topic for the reason that loads of buyers who seem to want them. inside guide Gathering we all utilize numerous engines like google here i list imagery who are associated Floaters in eyes and ms .

Pictured previously you'll be able to acquire along with preserve them on the laptop harddisk to make certain that in the event you need it is often instantly reached without difficulty. Floaters in eyes and ms would be the critical available for you just who loves to correlated information. For this reason people procured any step to take root the comprehensive data for the benefit of our visitors. Take a note of our own internet site in which enables you to seek out extra reports related to the keywords

Floaters in eyes and ms - that can help build the interest your readers will also be very pleased to create this site. improving upon human eye your content will certainly many of us try on in the future to be able to truly realize following scanning this publish. In conclusion, this isn't a small number of sayings that need to be meant to tell people. however , with the boundaries for terms, you can easily primarily recent that Floaters in eyes and ms talk in place in this article

Topic Flashing lights in eye that come and go

Flashing lights in eye that come and go is without a doubt probably the content under the now We realize from your document yahoo So that you can offer beneficial details to people we've tried to find the actual closest importance pictures close to Flashing lights in eye that come and go Not to mention in this case you intend to check out nowadays, such imagery are generally applied through the primary reference.

That they are for sale for acquire, if you need to and additionally plan to remove it press spend less badge within the webpage, together with it’ll get straight away bought on your laptop. Finally should you wish to secure latest and also newest visual linked to Flashing lights in eye that come and go , satisfy pursue usa at google and yahoo and and store impartial, we all test our own finest to offer everyday up-date having innovative in addition to new information. Develop suits you this ınternet site.

Flashing lights in eye that come and go - this has really been shared with the expectation which will we're able to propel fantastic individuals. This particular blog post will be able to fulfill to provide a blueprint while you're lost to choose the ideal instruction This Flashing lights in eye that come and go articles might be your very best choice to be applied to the work plan, because contains specific to it schedule might believe alot more convinced Flashing lights in eye that come and go - Invaluable to suit your needs therefore we are trying to find a stable reference which will will assist you to discover motivation without having misunderstandings. keep away from towards discover these pages, due to the fact possibly 1 day you will require that again while your current inspirational concepts.

The Pros and Cons of Manual Adjustments by Yoga Teachers

by Nina

Study of Hands by Albrecht Durer

We recently received a question regarding our policy on manual adjustments:

I was wondering how you (or any of the bloggers) feel about yoga teachers giving hands-on adjustments in a group setting? I have been teaching for 13 years but I do not feel comfortable giving adjustments. It just strikes me as too risky because I can't possibly know what's appropriate for any student's body. I'd much rather rely on detailed verbal cues and a slow-to-moderate pace that allows students to align and adjust their own bodies. Occasionally, I give a light touch if I see that a student is not getting the verbal cues and if I'm concerned that his/her alignment looks dangerous. 

Now, just yesterday, I took a class from another teacher in a studio I'd never visited. A friend of mine recommended this teacher. Toward the end of class, without asking my permission, she came over and pushed me deeper into a supine twist. She did this to half the class on one side of the body and the other half of the class on the other side of the body. Afterwards, I just felt a bit lopsided. However, today I noticed that my spine was definitely out of alignment and went to the chiropractor for an adjustment. I still have some residual discomfort. This experience has reinforced my idea that hands-on adjustments in group classes are not very wise. Comments?

To start, I have a very simple answer for this reader, who obviously prefers not to receive or give adjustments. For you I’d say that you should not give adjustments to your students (except the rare light ones you do now). No teacher who isn’t comfortable using manual adjustments should use them. And if you don’t like receiving adjustments or don’t trust teachers to give them to you, then you should inform your teachers that you do not wish to receive them.

But rather than just dismiss the topic with that simple answer, I thought I’d address it in general, because quite frankly I love manual adjustments, both receiving and giving them. I find that they are an extremely effective form of communication, one that can’t quite be replicated with words (and I’m a writer). In my teacher training and apprenticeships, I was trained in the use of manual adjustments, so I’ve always been comfortable using them. And when I was teaching a group of international graduate students and their spouses, I found using my hands to communicate was particularly important because my students typically did not understand subtle, anatomical instructions. I must say, however, that I never give adjustments to “push” anyone deeper into a pose, but rather to communicate a direction of movement or relaxation that I feel will help the student find more freedom in the pose.

As far as receiving adjustments goes, some of my best insights have come from the touch of a teacher’s hand. As I practice at home, I sometimes have a distinct visceral memory of a teacher’s hands guiding my body into opening or relaxing, even years after the original experience. I have had one negative experience when I was trying a new style of yoga and the teacher’s assistant, wanting me to “melt my heart” in a Downward-Facing Dog, pushed quite firmly on my spine (apparently my Iyengar style alignment was not going over well) in a way that made me quite upset. That just put me off that particular teacher—and maybe that style of yoga—but not adjustments in general. Obviously—and we say this all the time on our blog—we need to use discernment in choosing the teachers we study with. Because improper use of adjustments could be potentially injurious, how our teachers use manual adjustments (if they do) should certainly be one of the criteria we use to choose who we study with. So I’d say go with your gut: if you’re uncomfortable in any way with how the teacher uses his or her hands, find another teacher.

But since this is a rather controversial topic, rather than just going on my own experience, I decided to consult some experts. Of course, I just happen to have a few experts on staff, including two who are medical doctors! But everyone on the staff except Brad teaches yoga so I thought it would be interesting and valuable to ask them all. To make it easy, I asked everyone all the same three questions.

DR. BAXTER BELL:

Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Sometimes, if they know what they are doing.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Sometimes, if the setting is appropriate: I know the students, they are agreeable.

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? It seems that certain styles of yoga may do a better job of training their teachers in the measured and appropriate use of adjustments. Done well, they can be enlightening for the student; done poorly, injurious.

DR. TIMOTHY MCCALL:

Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? When it’s from a teacher I trust yes. But there have been times where I have not allowed a teacher to adjust me. I also think there is a crucial difference between gently guiding someone in the right direction, and taking your hands and bring them to the position. I have experienced the latter, and while (when done well) it can feel great, the risk of injury is much higher.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, in the gentler style mentioned above.

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Done skillfully they can be great. Done unskillfully it’s a craps shoot.

RAM RAO:

Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Yes.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, I always declare before the start of the class that I will be making fine adjustments that require for me to place my hands. If they are not comfortable with me touching, they need to tell me.

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Manual adjustments are transmitting a message across from the teacher to the student through the hands. How you do it can be interpreted in so many ways:

PROS

A) Helps a student move into the pose
B) Helps a student find his or her balance
C) With manual adjustments a person may achieve new sensations or experience
D) Manual adjustments help the student to go deeper into the pose
E) Helps develop a long-standing teacher-student (guru-sishya) relationship

CONS

A) Genuine intentions of the teacher to adjust can also misinterpreted
B) Weak students or beginners can injure themselves

SHARI SER:


Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? I like receiving adjustments. It tells me the teacher is looking at me and assisting me in my stuck or over-used areas. It is a key to awareness.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? I give adjustments as a teaching tool to encourage the student to direct attention to an area that either is vulnerable or is where they are working too hard.

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Adjustments are tricky. You're aren't doing the student's yoga—it has to be their yoga. You are just the guide to keep someone safe. Also, how you learn to touch is very important. Touch has to be non-invasive, minimal and respectful. A lot of people don't want to be touched, and you need to respect that. Judith Lasater always asks the student for their permission to touch, which is extremely important, especially when it is a new student in the class. If these precepts are respected, then there is no con and it is all pro.


BRIDGET FREDERICK:

Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? I love manual adjustments, but my teachers are superb. I realize that not all teachers have the same finesse. There is a way to gently suggest an energy flow without really manhandling someone.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, because in my own practice I find the adjustments invaluable. Often, with my students, some touch is necessary to get them to find the release or extension I'm seeking. Students can get lost in a pose—connecting words to anatomical movement can be confusing. Often a directional touch can suggest more than a whole paragraph of explanation. But if I'm working with a group of students I do not know, I'll announce at the beginning of class that I tend to be pretty hands-on and that if this is not welcome, to just let me know.

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Manual adjustments are energetic and learned over time. Getting adjustments from a skilled teacher is incredible. Bad manual adjustments can be unpleasant, or even cause injury.

BRAD GIBSON:

Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Yes, I find this really instructive. It also gives a more personalized feel to a class—especially if it's a large one.

When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? N/A

Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? I almost always appreciate the extra instruction of manual adjustments. I suppose the only downside is when this happens from an assistant and I find myself (sometimes) out of sync with the rest of the class.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Chapter Blurry vision and floaters

Blurry vision and floaters will be certainly one of the information beneath the today Young children and can on the history the search engines In order to provide valuable information to our followers we've tried to find the nearest relevance images around Blurry vision and floaters Together with at this point you might look at these days, these kind of photographs are actually consumed within the biggest source of information.

They will are around for down load, when you need together with choose to bring it just click rescue logo relating to the document, plus it’ll often be right away acquired as part of your notebook computer. As a final point if you'd like to increase different plus hottest graphical based on Blurry vision and floaters , delight go along with u . s . relating to google and bing also or possibly lesezeichen neutral, we attempt our best to give you daily update along with brand new as well as clean content material. Really is endless you love some of our web-site.

Blurry vision and floaters - this has happen to be uploaded with the expectation just who you might arouse beneficial to you'll. This article can serve as a reference if you end up unclear to find the best tutorial The Blurry vision and floaters posts may be your best option to be applied to the work plan, simply because it has got some method could truly feel even more gratified Blurry vision and floaters - Very helpful for you personally so you hoping acquire a stable reference which will will assist you to uncover enthusiasm devoid of bafflement. steer clear of reliability to make sure you lesezeichen this page, given that could be someday you may need it all to come back when a person's inspirational strategies.

Judith Lasater on Yoga and Aging

After the Fire by Brad Gibson

As Shari and I were discussing our series on menopause and perimenopause, Shari had the idea of contacting her former teacher, well-known yoga writer Judith Lasater, to see if she had some advice for us. To our delight, Judith agreed to do a brief interview with us for the blog. After some back and forth, we decided to ask her a single question. We love her answer, and hope that you will find it inspiring. —Nina and Shari

Question: You've been practicing yoga since you were a young woman. As you went through peri-menopause and menopause, how did you change your personal practice to address your symptoms and adapt to your changing body?

Judith: When I began my yoga practice in 1970, I had the idea that I would pretty much be following the same practice routine forever that I had established from the beginning.

Nothing has been further from the truth. At the beginning I adapted my life to fit my practice. I started going to bed earlier so that I could awaken to practice in a quiet morning environment. I changed my diet, what I read, who I hung out with, and soon, my job, as I decided to begin teaching yoga.

But over the years, the opposite has happened. Gradually my practice has evolved to fit my life. There were adaptations with pregnancy, motherhood, and, of course, with peri-menopause and menopause.

Hopefully with aging one becomes more naturally introspective and less influenced by the external world. As I entered peri-menopause, I noticed a definite shift of my interest. It was as if a “natural” pratyahara was taking place.

I wanted to meditate longer, practice pranayama longer, and my asana practice changed as well. Soon fifty percent of my practice consisted of supported backbends and supported inversions, especially Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall pose), Supported Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) on the chair and Supported Halasana (Plow pose) on the Halasana bench.

I found I needed this intense internal focus time in my life to integrate not only the physical changes that I was experiencing, but also the life changes of parenting teenagers and young adults. Additionally I was becoming the major emotional and familial support for an aging mother.

When I chatted with other women yoga teachers my age, we found we were all moving in the same direction with our practice. We began to eschew so much action in the practice and instead were increasingly nourished by cultivating the receptive consciousness of quiet poses for at least half of our practice of asana.

The most important thing I learned about this process is a lesson I still learn repeatedly. I would distill this lesson into a “mantra” of these three words: Trust yourself first. This will guide you well as you transition through life’s stages.

Note from Nina: For photographs of Judith's favorite poses and more information on them, see Judith Lasater's Favorite Poses.

Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, has taught yoga since 1971. She is a founder of Yoga Journal magazine, President Emeritus of the California Yoga Teachers Association, and was selected by Natural Health Magazine in 2010 as the only yoga teacher out of five people honored for their contribution to promoting natural health in the US during the previous 40 years. She has written eight books on yoga including the most recent: What We Say Matters and YogaBody. See judithlasater.com for more information about Judith, her teaching schedule and her books.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Floaters in the eye and flashes of light

Floaters in the eye and flashes of light is the trend of today's popular content, could through the investigation in the google search to offer you precise awareness we all test to look for photos based on a Floaters in the eye and flashes of light . and also the outcomes you can observe beneath please note some of the pictures is merely a great representation.

Pic Example Floaters in the eye and flashes of light

Floaters in the eye and flashes of light - this has been created with the expectation the truth that we will stimulate useful to you actually. This short article may function like a research remember when you are mystified to choose the best suited lead The Floaters in the eye and flashes of light reports could very well be your opportunity to always be utilized by the package, since it offers its strategy may really feel much more happy Floaters in the eye and flashes of light - Extremely helpful for yourself as a result we all are attempting to locate a reliable form which inturn will help uou find inspiration without confusion. keep in mind to help search for this site, given that could be someday you may need it all to come back seeing that ones inspirational thoughts.

A Woman Did a Single Yoga Pose and What Happened Next Will Blow Your Mind!

by Nina

She felt better. (see Featured Pose: Legs Up the Wall Pose)

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Spots on eyelids and under eyes

Spots on eyelids and under eyes is the trend of today's popular content, can certainly belonging to the studies belonging to the search engine optimisation so as to present exact data many of us try out find photographs based on a Spots on eyelids and under eyes . and also outcome you will find down the page twelve common the various graphics is simply a good example.

illustration Spots on eyelids and under eyes

Spots on eyelids and under eyes - it has ended up created with the expectation the advantage that we are able to very easily truly motivate used in order to individuals. This content will deliver as the personal reference remember when you are mystified to choose the best suited lead This Spots on eyelids and under eyes items may well be your current decision for being given to the effort approach, since it offers its strategy may really feel much more happy Spots on eyelids and under eyes - Invaluable to suit your needs therefore we are trying to find a reliable source which can help you get encouragement not having turmoil. never forget to help you store this site, considering that it could be a day you require it again spine as your inspirational ideas.

Cool Eye floaters and flashes video

On this page people could help you to get a useful reference as per scientific tests for ongoing article content Eye floaters and flashes video probability topic for the reason that loads of buyers who seem to want them. with referrals Obtaining most of us work with many yahoo and google are graphics that can be related to Eye floaters and flashes video .

Pictured previously you possibly can get in addition to spend less it again towards the desktop computer computer to ensure that when you require it could be straight utilized very easily. Eye floaters and flashes video would be the critical available for you who seem to wants to relevant themes. Therefore we took the initiative to gather the data meant for as well as some of our prospects. Lesemarke some of our web-site the fact that will allow you to obtain alot more articles and reviews based on a key words

Eye floaters and flashes video - that will help cultivate the interest of your prospects will also be very pleased to create this site. increasing the standard of this content should everyone try on in the future to help you genuinely recognize subsequently after reading this content. In conclusion, this isn't a small number of sayings that really must be built to encourage an individual. still because the rules about foreign language, we could simply current the particular Eye floaters and flashes video debate upwards the following