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.

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

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!

Diamonds

Rumi:
"You wander from room to room
hunting for the diamond necklace
that is already around your neck!"

This ancient poetry still speaks to us today. Why do we search so frantically for things or events that will finally make us happy, finally make us feel successful, finally make us feel worthwhile?
The truth is....deep within each one of us lies a perfect self...that needs no improvement. Focus on your infinite worth today. Believe in yourself and remember that you have much to do and much to share with the world right here and now. Don't hold back. The diamond necklace is already around your neck.

Amazing

I am giving thanks today for an amazing planet. I just had the good fortune to spend a weekend in Florida...where it was sunny and 80 degrees! Then we returned to the largest February snow on record here in MN! While I know in my head that it is warm down south and cold and snowy here....there is just something so amazing about going from one weather extreme to another in the same day!
While it might feel that winter will never end, we all know that spring will come...and we will get some 80 degree weather this summer right here in MN!
I am looking ahead on my calendar to plan and arrange follow up yoga sessions, and some of them are being scheduled all the way into May....so it just can't be too far off! Check the side column of the blog for updates on class times and dates.
Stay warm and drive carefully in the new snow...and know that spring will arrive one day soon!!
Peace!

Yoga and Chocolate today!

If I haven't told you before....I LOVE each of you and I LOVE teaching yoga! To celebrate Valentine's Day today....I will bring some chocolate so that we can savor and practice mindful eating together!

I found this quote on love from the ancient mystic/poet Rumi:
Your task is not to seek love, but to seek and find the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

May our yoga practice today be one of removing barriers....so that we may love ourselves and one another more fully.
Happy Day!

Cold and Flu Season

Hopefully you are reading this and feeling well. Try to keep it that way! You already know the basics I am sure: getting good rest, eating well, washing your hands, etc.

Did you know that your yoga practice can help you stay healthy too? Yoga helps us manage stress and reduces stress hormones in the body (like cortisol) which helps our immune systems stay strong. In addition, yoga helps us to tune in to our bodies, which should help us recognize early signs that we are getting run down, thus allowing us to get more rest and do what we can to try to fend off a major illness.

We are only human, so once in awhile, we will experience ill health. With that said, if you keep up with your yoga practice over time, I am confident that you will notice that you are ill less often.

Stay warm...be well....and see you on the yoga mat!!