If you are reading this, my guess is that you are a student in one of my classes. I often tell people that I love feedback: suggestions about what they like or ideas about what to change in a class are always welcome. I may do another short written survey this spring, since this seems to be the best way for me to get some good ideas about ways to improve things.
Please do let me know if there are ways that I can make class and yoga practice even more meaningful to you.
Have a wonderful and peaceful day!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Healthy Back Tips
I thought I would share this segment of an article in Yoga Journal. It describes the idea that seated forward folds can place great pressure on our low backs, particularly if we have tight hamstrings and find it difficult to sit up tall in seated staff pose. This is why I am constantly cueing bent or soft knees and folding from the hip rather than rounding (flexing) the spine.
"A normal lumbar spine has a mild curve forward, and in this position, weight is evenly distributed throughout each disc. During toe-touching, the lower back flexes, losing its normal curve, and more weight is put on the front of the discs. The gel-like centers get pushed backward, into the now stretching support ligaments. While this can happen during forward bending even if a person tends to have excessive lumbar curve ("swayback"), it is especially problematic if the spine has lost the normal curve and become flattened.
With repetition, or if great force is applied as in heavy lifting, the ligaments weaken and may "bulge" like a bubble in the wall of a tire. Or the ligaments may tear, allowing the gel-like inner disc to leak out, resulting in a herniated disc. The bulging or herniated disc may cause lower back pain or, if it is pressing on an adjacent nerve, pain can be referred into the hip and leg. Bulging and herniated discs may be treated conservatively, with physical therapy, exercise, and other noninvasive treatments, but a badly herniated disc is a serious medical problem which may require surgery and a lengthy recovery period."
So, if you suffer from low back issues, please avoid deep forward folds and talk with me about your back concerns. While it is true that stretching and strengthening are good for maintaining a healthy spine, if you have back concerns, you need to be especially mindful and careful so that your yoga practice is helpful to you.
"A normal lumbar spine has a mild curve forward, and in this position, weight is evenly distributed throughout each disc. During toe-touching, the lower back flexes, losing its normal curve, and more weight is put on the front of the discs. The gel-like centers get pushed backward, into the now stretching support ligaments. While this can happen during forward bending even if a person tends to have excessive lumbar curve ("swayback"), it is especially problematic if the spine has lost the normal curve and become flattened.
With repetition, or if great force is applied as in heavy lifting, the ligaments weaken and may "bulge" like a bubble in the wall of a tire. Or the ligaments may tear, allowing the gel-like inner disc to leak out, resulting in a herniated disc. The bulging or herniated disc may cause lower back pain or, if it is pressing on an adjacent nerve, pain can be referred into the hip and leg. Bulging and herniated discs may be treated conservatively, with physical therapy, exercise, and other noninvasive treatments, but a badly herniated disc is a serious medical problem which may require surgery and a lengthy recovery period."
So, if you suffer from low back issues, please avoid deep forward folds and talk with me about your back concerns. While it is true that stretching and strengthening are good for maintaining a healthy spine, if you have back concerns, you need to be especially mindful and careful so that your yoga practice is helpful to you.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Come alive!
I found this quote and thought I would share it:
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." --Howard Thurman
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." --Howard Thurman
Friday, March 4, 2011
March Madness
I don't know about you, but March is probably my least favorite month! After a long winter (and this one has been especially long) March just seems to drag! Spring will be here eventually...but not soon enough! I get very impatient when I think about how far off some really nice weather might be.
Patience is not my strong suit....and because of this...I do yoga! While I am still a long way from considering myself a patient person, yoga does help me slow down, get quiet, and release some of the negativity that can build in the course of a day. When I am practicing yoga consistently, I find it easier to let go of the little irritations of life, and take a broader view.
So.....take a breath, stretch, and remember that Spring is coming soon!
May patience and peace be yours today!
Patience is not my strong suit....and because of this...I do yoga! While I am still a long way from considering myself a patient person, yoga does help me slow down, get quiet, and release some of the negativity that can build in the course of a day. When I am practicing yoga consistently, I find it easier to let go of the little irritations of life, and take a broader view.
So.....take a breath, stretch, and remember that Spring is coming soon!
May patience and peace be yours today!
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