Yes, you can do a balance pose in the kitchen, though maybe not with a real turkey.
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Yoga for Healthy Eating (Rerun)
by Nina
Seeing that it’s the holiday season—when people often make resolutions regarding healthy eating—I thought now would be a good time to rerun our overview of yoga for healthy eating. Basically, between the two of us, we’ve come up with a four-pronged approach to support healthy eating:
1. Understanding Your Digestive System
Baxter has recorded a short audio tour of the digestive system (see Audio Tracks) that you can use to learn about how your digestive system works and what happens to your food as and after you eat it. It’s especially helpful for you to learn about how your digestive system interacts with your Autonomic Nervous System and higher brain function. When you’re in a state of stress (see Stress, Your Health and Yoga), your nervous system diverts your body’s resources away from your digestive system (you don’t need to be eating or digesting your food when you’re running away from that tiger or that car that looks like it’s not going to be stopping before the crosswalk!). So chronic stress can cause digestive problems. In addition, even thinking about stressful situation can have a potential negative impact on digestion!
2. Practicing Stress Management
Chronic stress may not only cause digestive problems as I mentioned above, but the cortisol that is released can cause weight gain by stimulating your appetite (Yoga, Stress and Weight Management). So one of the most important things you can do to improve digestion and move toward healthy eating is to use your yoga practice to reduce your stress levels. See The Relaxation Response and Yoga for basic information on using yoga to switch your nervous system from the Fight or Flight response (stress mode) to the Rest and Digest response (relaxation mode). It’s not called the Rest and Digest mode for nothing!
3. Cultivating Mindfulness
Many poor eating habits are just that—habits! Practicing yoga asana with mindfulness and meditating will help you tune into your body, and not to ignore it. And as you tune into your body, you may learn about foods you are currently eating that are compromising your health (see Got Mindfulness?) or notice poor eating habits, such as eating beyond satiety (see Meditation and Healthy Eating). Cultivating mindfulness can teach you to recognize:
Mindfulness will also help you start to recognize habitual thoughts that are getting in the way of healthy eating. You can then work on changing your perspective (see Cultivating the Opposite).
4. Strengthening Will Power
Once you’ve identified your habits or have decide to eliminate or cut back certain foods, it takes will power to change! According the Dr. Kelly McGonigal, being in a state of stress can increase impulsive behavior and decrease will power. So practicing stress management as we describe above will help with your will power (see Healthy Eating, Stress and Self Control). However, you can also use a meditation practice to intentionally strengthen your will power. Meditation teaches you to return to your object of meditation (your focus) and tune out distractions (temptations):
“Neuroscientists have discovered that when you ask the brain to meditate, it gets better not just at meditating, but at a wide range of self-control skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self awareness. People who meditate regularly aren’t just better at these things. Over time, their brains become finely tuned willpower machines. Regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, as well as regions of the brain that support self-awareness." —Dr. Kelly McGonigal
See Meditation and Healthy Eating for more information.
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- Understand your digestive system
- Practice stress management
- Cultivate mindfulness
- Strengthen Will Power
1. Understanding Your Digestive System
Baxter has recorded a short audio tour of the digestive system (see Audio Tracks) that you can use to learn about how your digestive system works and what happens to your food as and after you eat it. It’s especially helpful for you to learn about how your digestive system interacts with your Autonomic Nervous System and higher brain function. When you’re in a state of stress (see Stress, Your Health and Yoga), your nervous system diverts your body’s resources away from your digestive system (you don’t need to be eating or digesting your food when you’re running away from that tiger or that car that looks like it’s not going to be stopping before the crosswalk!). So chronic stress can cause digestive problems. In addition, even thinking about stressful situation can have a potential negative impact on digestion!
2. Practicing Stress Management
Chronic stress may not only cause digestive problems as I mentioned above, but the cortisol that is released can cause weight gain by stimulating your appetite (Yoga, Stress and Weight Management). So one of the most important things you can do to improve digestion and move toward healthy eating is to use your yoga practice to reduce your stress levels. See The Relaxation Response and Yoga for basic information on using yoga to switch your nervous system from the Fight or Flight response (stress mode) to the Rest and Digest response (relaxation mode). It’s not called the Rest and Digest mode for nothing!
3. Cultivating Mindfulness
Many poor eating habits are just that—habits! Practicing yoga asana with mindfulness and meditating will help you tune into your body, and not to ignore it. And as you tune into your body, you may learn about foods you are currently eating that are compromising your health (see Got Mindfulness?) or notice poor eating habits, such as eating beyond satiety (see Meditation and Healthy Eating). Cultivating mindfulness can teach you to recognize:
- which foods are good for you and which are not (not just junk food, but maybe food intolerances or allergies)
- when you are full and don’t need to eat more
- when you are thirsty instead of hungry
- when you are eating for stress, not for hunger
Mindfulness will also help you start to recognize habitual thoughts that are getting in the way of healthy eating. You can then work on changing your perspective (see Cultivating the Opposite).
4. Strengthening Will Power
Once you’ve identified your habits or have decide to eliminate or cut back certain foods, it takes will power to change! According the Dr. Kelly McGonigal, being in a state of stress can increase impulsive behavior and decrease will power. So practicing stress management as we describe above will help with your will power (see Healthy Eating, Stress and Self Control). However, you can also use a meditation practice to intentionally strengthen your will power. Meditation teaches you to return to your object of meditation (your focus) and tune out distractions (temptations):
“Neuroscientists have discovered that when you ask the brain to meditate, it gets better not just at meditating, but at a wide range of self-control skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self awareness. People who meditate regularly aren’t just better at these things. Over time, their brains become finely tuned willpower machines. Regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, as well as regions of the brain that support self-awareness." —Dr. Kelly McGonigal
See Meditation and Healthy Eating for more information.
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It is not finding gratitude that matters; it is remembering to look in the first place.
by Nina
II.33 Upon being harassed by negative thoughts, one should cultivate counteracting thoughts. —translated by Edwin Bryant
For some time now, I’ve been intrigued by Facebook posts from certain friends that simply list things the person is grateful for. I particularly like the ones by my friend Liz because her lists include very simple things, mostly free and available to almost everyone.
Today's good things:
“The benefits of gratitude start with the dopamine system, because feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine. Additionally, gratitude toward others increases activity in social dopamine circuits, which makes social interactions more enjoyable …”
“One powerful effect of gratitude is that it can boost serotonin. Trying to think of things you are grateful for forces you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This simple act increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex.” —Dr. Korb
When I was thinking about how this practice related to yoga (haha, I figured it must!), I came back to this sutra by Patanjali about cultivating the opposite (pratipaksa-bhavanam).
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| In a Meadow by Melina Meza |
For some time now, I’ve been intrigued by Facebook posts from certain friends that simply list things the person is grateful for. I particularly like the ones by my friend Liz because her lists include very simple things, mostly free and available to almost everyone.
Today's good things:
- Walked six miles;
- Dog therapy on campus today, in particular the golden retriever puppy;
- Watching the bushtits (birds) flit in and out of the trees on campus;
- Got a lot of items off my 'to do' list at work, moving forward with several work projects and learning new things.
Today's good things:
- Three mile walk at lunch, great watching the hawks circle;
- Very productive day at work, a lot of weeding and organizing;
- Ran into a lovely friend whom I haven't seen in a while, always great to catch up;
- Gluten-free ice cream sandwiches
“The benefits of gratitude start with the dopamine system, because feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine. Additionally, gratitude toward others increases activity in social dopamine circuits, which makes social interactions more enjoyable …”
“One powerful effect of gratitude is that it can boost serotonin. Trying to think of things you are grateful for forces you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This simple act increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex.” —Dr. Korb
When I was thinking about how this practice related to yoga (haha, I figured it must!), I came back to this sutra by Patanjali about cultivating the opposite (pratipaksa-bhavanam).
II.33 Upon being harassed by negative thoughts, one should cultivate counteracting thoughts. —translated by Edwin Bryant
Bryant explains in his commentary on this sutra that the “negative thoughts” being referred to are those that counter the yamas and niyamas. So thoughts that are the opposite of contentment (the niyama santosha), such as dissatisfaction, displeasure, and unhappiness, would count as negative thoughts that you should counteract. And the practice of being grateful for what you have, which is cultivating contentment, is indeed the practice of cultivating thoughts that counteract dissatisfaction, displeasure, and unhappiness.
Of course, when you are being “harassed by negative thoughts,” it often isn’t easy to find and focus on things you are grateful for. But Korb says, the effort alone provides the benefits.
“It’s not finding gratitude that matters most; it’s remembering to look in the first place. Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. One study found that it actually affected neuron density in both the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex. These density changes suggest that as emotional intelligence increases, the neurons in these areas become more efficient. With higher emotional intelligence, it simply takes less effort to be grateful.”
Fascinating, isn’t it? Just like strengthening a muscle, a regular gratitude practice makes you stronger at being grateful over time. So that means getting better as it as you age, and eventually more time spent in a state of contentment. And those brain density changes? That sounds to me like the gratitude practice is improving brain strength—always a good thing.
Of course, when you are being “harassed by negative thoughts,” it often isn’t easy to find and focus on things you are grateful for. But Korb says, the effort alone provides the benefits.
“It’s not finding gratitude that matters most; it’s remembering to look in the first place. Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. One study found that it actually affected neuron density in both the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex. These density changes suggest that as emotional intelligence increases, the neurons in these areas become more efficient. With higher emotional intelligence, it simply takes less effort to be grateful.”
Fascinating, isn’t it? Just like strengthening a muscle, a regular gratitude practice makes you stronger at being grateful over time. So that means getting better as it as you age, and eventually more time spent in a state of contentment. And those brain density changes? That sounds to me like the gratitude practice is improving brain strength—always a good thing.
And by the way, thank you Liz for agreeing to share your story with us. I'm grateful for your friendship and your honesty.
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Mini Digestion Practice
by Baxter and Nina
Even though we posted this sequence a few years back, the day before American Thanksgiving seems like a good time to revisit Baxter's Mini Digestion Practice. Even if you don't celebrate American Thanksgiving—or if you don't overeat on that day—sooner or later we all need to pamper our digestive systems a bit.
A simple underlying principle for working with digestive issues is that no matter what’s going on, all digestive issues respond to restorative poses. Remember, the opposite of the Fight or Flight Response is the Rest and Digest Response (also known as the Relaxation Response—see Relaxation Reponse and Yoga for information). So, this mini restorative practice, which consists of three of Baxter’s favorite restorative poses, can be very helpful for digestive problems as well as other problems caused by stress, such as insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety.
1. Reclined Cobbler’s Pose, from 10 to 20 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t fall asleep in the pose.
You will notice from the photograph that we’re using quite a few official yoga props (including a block under the bolster to prop the bolster at an angle). Don’t let this prevent you from trying it! If you don't have bolsters and blocks, look around your house to see what else you can use; try cushions from your couch, folded blankets, beach towels, and so on. Just make sure you’re completely physically comfortable in the pose. (See Featured Pose: Reclined Cobbler's Pose for more information.)
One of the important parts of completing digestion is good elimination. In addition to physical relaxation, which this pose provides, gravity is also helpful for good elimination. As you can see from the photo, Reclined Cobbler’s pose creates a gradual slope from your head to your hips. Therefore, it’s possible that this pose can help with problems such as constipation and sluggish elimination. One of our favorite teachers, Patricia Walden, suggests that this pose may increase blood flow to your organs, as well as cool your digestive fire.
2. Supported Child’s Pose, for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn your head to the other side when you’re half way through.
Make sure your bolster (or folded blankets, stacked pillows or couch cushion) is pulled in against your pubic bone so your belly actually rests on the prop. If necessary, turn the bolster on its edge or add folded blankets on top of the bolster to make sure your belly is fully supported. (See Featured Pose: Supported Child's Pose for more information.)
As you can see from the photo, Child’s pose is a forward bend of your belly toward your thighs. Because the bolster is pressing against your belly, it’s possible this posture will have a stimulating effect on your digestive system and your abdominal organs. Patricia Walden suggests that this pose can relieve constipation, gas, and bloating.
3. Legs Up the Wall pose, from 10 to 15 minutes. Come out if your legs fall asleep.
We’re showing two versions of the pose, one with just a folded blanket and the other using a bolster with a folded blanket underneath it and a second folded blanket under the spine. Try both versions to see which one is more comfortable for you. If they are equally comfortable, try the higher version, as this may enhance your relaxation. (See Featured Pose: Legs Up the Wall Pose for more information.)
This pose is a slight inversion (more so on the bolster than on the blanket). Therefore, it could have any even more profound quieting effect on your nervous system than the first two poses. Also because your hips are higher than your heart, there is a mild reversal of the effects of gravity, which could quiet an over-stimulated system in people who have, for example, IBS or chronic diarrhea. Patricia Walden says this is an excellent pose of nausea and diarrhea. However, if you have a history of gerd or chronic heartburn, take care with this pose, and come out if makes your symptoms worse.
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Even though we posted this sequence a few years back, the day before American Thanksgiving seems like a good time to revisit Baxter's Mini Digestion Practice. Even if you don't celebrate American Thanksgiving—or if you don't overeat on that day—sooner or later we all need to pamper our digestive systems a bit.
A simple underlying principle for working with digestive issues is that no matter what’s going on, all digestive issues respond to restorative poses. Remember, the opposite of the Fight or Flight Response is the Rest and Digest Response (also known as the Relaxation Response—see Relaxation Reponse and Yoga for information). So, this mini restorative practice, which consists of three of Baxter’s favorite restorative poses, can be very helpful for digestive problems as well as other problems caused by stress, such as insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety.
1. Reclined Cobbler’s Pose, from 10 to 20 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t fall asleep in the pose.
One of the important parts of completing digestion is good elimination. In addition to physical relaxation, which this pose provides, gravity is also helpful for good elimination. As you can see from the photo, Reclined Cobbler’s pose creates a gradual slope from your head to your hips. Therefore, it’s possible that this pose can help with problems such as constipation and sluggish elimination. One of our favorite teachers, Patricia Walden, suggests that this pose may increase blood flow to your organs, as well as cool your digestive fire.
2. Supported Child’s Pose, for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn your head to the other side when you’re half way through.
As you can see from the photo, Child’s pose is a forward bend of your belly toward your thighs. Because the bolster is pressing against your belly, it’s possible this posture will have a stimulating effect on your digestive system and your abdominal organs. Patricia Walden suggests that this pose can relieve constipation, gas, and bloating.
3. Legs Up the Wall pose, from 10 to 15 minutes. Come out if your legs fall asleep.
This pose is a slight inversion (more so on the bolster than on the blanket). Therefore, it could have any even more profound quieting effect on your nervous system than the first two poses. Also because your hips are higher than your heart, there is a mild reversal of the effects of gravity, which could quiet an over-stimulated system in people who have, for example, IBS or chronic diarrhea. Patricia Walden says this is an excellent pose of nausea and diarrhea. However, if you have a history of gerd or chronic heartburn, take care with this pose, and come out if makes your symptoms worse.
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Featured Pose: Marichi's Pose 3 (Marichyasana 3)
by Baxter
Like Easy Sitting Twist, Marichi’s pose 3 (Marichyasana 3, named after the sage Marichi) is a basic seated twist that is generally accessible, though some will be a bit more challenging due to the leg and arm positions.
Also, like Easy Sitting Twist, Marichi’s pose 3 helps to maintain and improve your twisting flexibility, which you need for everyday actions such as grabbing something off to your side or turning to look behind you as you drive. The pose also strengthens your diagonally oriented muscles, including the abdominal obliques, as well as the small muscles between your ribs and close to your spine. While some of these muscles are shortening in the twist and others are lengthening, by twisting in both directions, you will both strengthen and stretch them all. Additionally, as your small spinal muscles pull on your spinal bones in the twist, they actually stimulate thin bones to strengthen over time, so a simple twist can help strengthen the bones of your spine (although those with osteoporosis/osteopenia may need to be careful not to overdo twists). And moving your spine through its full range of motion helps nourish the spinal joints to keep them healthy.
The leg position provides the additional benefits of stretching your outer hip muscles on the bent knee side and your hamstrings and inner thigh muscles on the straight leg side.
I prescribe this pose for:
- Improving the twisting ability of your spine, from your tailbone to the top of your neck
- Stretching outer hips, hamstrings and inner thigh muscles
- Addressing some digestive issues, such as sluggish digestion and elimination as twisting seems to help these functions
- Improving sitting posture by strengthening back, front and side muscles that contribute to spinal elongation
- General stimulation of your body and nervous system
- Releasing physical tension from your body
- Counter-pose for backbends or forward bends
Cautions: Due to the asymmetry of the legs, this twist can be problematic for those with lower back pain and dysfunction as it can aggravate their symptoms. Those with wrist pain may need to modify the position of the back hand, as this twist brings more potential pressure into that area. And because this twist constricts the abdomen, women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy should do other more open twists (see version 4 of Easy Sitting Twist), as well as those with diagnosed osteoporosis.
1. Classic Version
Start by sitting in Staff pose (Dandasana), with your legs extended straight forward and your hands on the floor by your hips. Now bend your right knee and place your right foot on the floor near your right sitting bone and a few inches away from the straight leg.
Place your right hand on the floor 6 to 12 inches behind your right hip. Keeping your right elbow straight, firm your fingertips or palm into the floor, and create a subtle, internal lengthening up from your hand to your chest that will support the lengthening of your spine. Next, reach your left arm up toward the ceiling. Then, on a exhalation, turn your upper belly and chest toward your right leg while bending your left elbow and bringing it across the outside of your right knee, pressing it back into your outer knee and leg. Either keep your head in a neutral position as shown the photo of the classic pose, or, if comfortable, turn to face your back hand, as shown for version 3.
Although it may be tempting to use your arms to lever yourself aggressively deeper into the twist, concentrate your muscular action in your abdomen and spine instead of using your arms. Keep your sitting bones even side to side and your left leg strong and straight at the knee. As you inhale lengthen up from your tailbone to the crown of your head, and as you exhale gently encourage your spine and chest to turn a bit more deeply towards your right leg.
Continue this subtle shift of inner attention and action from breath to breath for 30-60 seconds, gradually working towards longer holds of 2-3 minutes. To come out of the pose, release the twist and place your hands on the floor, and straighten your right leg to come back into Staff pose. Repeat the pose on the second side.
2. Hand on Knee
For many practitioners—either due to general stiffness or larger body size, bringing the elbow to the outside of the knee can be problematic or even impossible. This variation provides you makes the pose accessible by providing an alternate hand placement.
To come into the pose, follow the same steps as the classic version, except when you bring your left arm over to the right, simply bend your left elbow and hook your left hand around the front of your right knee. From here, practice the pose as in the classic version.
3. Seated On Prop
For those with tight hamstrings or stiff or rounded lower backs, elevating your hips a few inches off the ground on a blanket can allow you to do the pose while maintaining a straighter back and leg.
Start by folding a blanket into a narrow rectangle and placing it crosswise on your mat. Then sit down at the front edge of the blanket (on the thicker folded edge), and come into Staff pose. From there, follow the steps for the classic version of the pose, using either the arm position from either the classic or hand-on-knee versions. If you have trouble placing your back hand on the floor without leaning back, use a block to support that hand so your spine remains vertical and upright. From here, practice the pose as in the classic version.
4. Foot Crossed Over Leg
(sorry, no photo)
This variation is for those who already have fairly open outer hips and want to increase flexibility in that area.
To come into the pose, start in Staff pose, as described above. Bend your right leg and bring your right foot towards your right sitting bone. Then lift your right foot up and over your left leg, and place the sole of your right foot on the floor, just to the outside of the middle of your left thigh. If your foot can not easily remain flat on the floor or if your right sitting bone lifts way off the floor, you may not be ready for this variation, so you should return to versions 1-3 for now. Otherwise, follow the steps for the classic version of the pose, using either the arm position from either the classic or hand-on-knee versions.
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Video of the Week: The Marionette 2.0
With this new version of The Marionette, a one-legged balancing pose, you may actually feel more like a marionette! Try to keep your torso and hips steady as you puppeteer your lifted leg around in space. Special thanks go out to Tress Fontaine for the idea.
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Friday Practical Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine
by Baxter
For now, I’d like to keep it simple and address each one of those basic spinal movements over the coming weeks. Today, let’s take a look at those who should avoid forward bending of the spine, as encountered in yoga poses where you bring the front of your torso toward your legs, such as Child’s pose (Balasana), Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), Seated Straight Legged Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana), and many others. Forward bending of the spine includes bending from any point in your spine, from your neck all the way to the top of your pelvis. (You can also forward bend strictly from the hip joints, a movement I’m not addressing today.)
So who needs to avoid the forward bending spinal movement?
Always Avoid For:
Always Avoid For:
- Osteoporosis of the thoracic (rib cage area) spine
- Herniated discs anywhere along the spine (most commonly at the cervical or neck area of the spine and the lumbar or lower back area of the spine)
- Low back pain that is worsened by forward bending of the spine
- Acute strain of the lower back if you notice pain with forward bending
- A history of degenerative discs in the spaces between the lowest spinal bones, the vertebrae, if you notice pain with forward bending
- Spinal stenosis, if you have been instructed by the doctor to minimize forward bends
- 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy, if you notice pain with forward bending
- Abdominal hernias or abdominal wall separation if increased bulging in those areas is created by forward bending
- Hamstring tendonitis, if you notice any pain in your hamstring muscles created by this movement
If any of you can think of other conditions that we should include on this list, please let us know!
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The Importance of Yoga for Strength
by Nina
Lately as I’ve been teaching yoga for healthy aging to several older people, I’ve couldn’t help but notice how weak some of them are. For example, one woman has trouble balancing because knee problems led her to stop walking and her legs became very weak. (Even though balance requires much more than just brute strength—see Yoga and Balance: An Overview—if you don’t have the muscle tone to keep yourself upright, you’re going to be all wobbly.) Then, there’s the man who walks regularly but who is losing his upper body strength due to a white-collar job that leaves him using his body for light physical labor only on the weekends.
4. Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana), in all its variations. Provides upper body strength. See Featured Pose: Downward-Facing Dog Pose.
Left unchecked, this kind of muscular weakness could lead to an inability to live independently because even the simplest daily activities, such as getting up out of bed, getting out of a chair, and, especially, walking up or down the stairs, require strength. (See Yoga for Strength: An Overview for information about what happens to muscular strength as you age.) And lack of ability to balance due to weakness is going to increase the risk of falling, which is a serious problem for older people (see The Importance of Preventing Falls).
In fact, even though I had originally intended to cycle between strength, flexibility, balance, and agility, I quickly realized yoga for strength should be included as part of every single yoga for healthy aging class or daily home practice. So I thought today I’d recommend a few of my favorite strengthening poses and practices. Although Baxter has written some full-length sequences for strength (see Lower Body Strength Practice, Upper Body Strength Practice, Core Strength Practice), you can don’t necessarily have to do a long practice. I feel that practicing just a few strengthening poses on a regular basis will allow you to bring about real change. What I like about the following poses is that they are simple, accessible, and safe, yet they allow you to work as hard as you wish (though longer holds or repetitions).
And although I haven’t been focusing specifically on bone strength—I can’t tell what’s going on with people’s bone strength just from looking at them—the good news is that all these poses will strengthen bones at the same time they strengthen muscles.
1. Warrior 2 (Virabradrasana 2) mini vinyasa, followed with a long hold of the pose. People with balance issues can practice with their backs near a wall. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasasas and Featured Pose: Warrior 2 (Revisited).
2. Warrior 1 (Virabradrasana 1) mini vinyasa, followed by a long hold of the pose. People with balance issues can practice with their back heel against the wall. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasasas.
3. Powerful pose (Utkatasana), in all its variations. I particularly like using a block between the thighs to activate the thigh muscles, which are so vital for basic movements of getting around in the world, especially getting up out of a chair or off the toilet. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Featured Pose: Powerful Pose.
5. Plank pose, in all its variations. Provides upper body and core strength. See Featured Pose: Plank Pose.
6. Side Plank pose (Vasithasana), in all its variations. Almost anyone can do the wall version. Provides upper body, side body, and core strength. See Featured Pose: Side Plank Pose.
7. Upward Plank pose (Purvottanasana), in all its variations. Provides upper body, back, and core strength. See Featured Pose: Upward Plank Pose.
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Yoga for Healthy Aging: The Book!
by Nina
The positive “changes” that Baxter alluded to in his post Friday "The Times They Are A'Changing" are that he and I have agreed to write a book on Yoga for Healthy Aging for Shambhala Press. Yes! We’ve wanted to write a book on yoga for healthy aging for some time now (and a lot of our readers have been asking for one), but we needed to find the right publisher. And the way we found Shambhala is truly wonderful.
During our 2015 summer, one of our students was a tall quiet man named Dave. We didn’t know much about him except that we knew he wasn’t a yoga teacher and that he had come to the intensive with his husband all the way from Boston. At the end of the intensive, during our closing circle, one of the other attendees asked us when we were going to have a book. I made a somewhat flippant remark, “Someone’s going to have to pay me to do that!” Baxter calmly explained that what I meant by that was we had decided that self-publishing wasn’t right for us, so we needed to find a publisher for our book. It wasn’t about making money so much as we needed the production and marketing support of traditional publisher to create the type of book we wanted to put out in the world.
After the intensive we had a little party, where we could relax and socialize, and I was standing there eating some delicious vegetarian sushi when Dave walked up to me and said, “So you want someone to pay you to write a book?” I replied, “Yes, that’s right.” And he said, “I’ll do it,” and handed me his business card. I looked at the card, and learned only then that he was Dave O’Neal, Senior Editor for Shambhala Press! Frankly, I don’t remember exactly what I said after that I was so nonplussed. But clearly I said something positive because within a few days Dave and I were discussing the outline of the book, possible deadlines, etc. Baxter and I didn’t hesitate about this deal for even a moment because not only was Shambhala the publisher of some of our favorite, most used books, including The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health by Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden, and Richard Rosen’s books on pranayama and Original Yoga, but our acquiring editor was going to be someone who really understood and appreciated our work.
Anyway, you can see why—with a whole book to write—it’s going to be a busy year for us! And while we’re both going to continue to write for (and, in my case, also continue as Editor-in-Chief for) the blog, there will be some changes so we can free up a bit more of our time for working on the book. That’s why Baxter is temporarily giving up the Friday Q&A feature. I, too, will be changing the focus of my blogging a bit—although that may not be as obvious to you because I tend to be a bit all over the place (for example, maybe not so much science from me). So that’s why even though the book won’t be published until 2017, we’re announcing it now.
Another reason we’re announcing the book project so early is that we need your help! Dave and I agreed our book would be more compelling if we included the stories of some real-life yoga practitioners whose physical, mental, or emotional health has been improved by yoga—or who has just found more peace of mind. So you are someone with a good story about how yoga has helped you with strength, flexibility, balance, agility, stress, medical problems or all-around health, or equanimity, please write me via the Contact Us Page page.
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Featured Pose: Easy Sitting Twist (Parivritta Sukasana)
by Baxter
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Sitting on the floor with crossed legs in Easy Sitting pose (Sukasana) is often the starting place for many beginner level classes, and is therefore often the very first yoga pose that a new student is likely to encounter in modern yoga. And it is from that humble position that we also often meet our first seated twist, Easy Sitting Twist (Parivritta Sukasana).
This pose helps to maintain and improve your twisting flexibility, which you need for everyday actions such as grabbing something off to your side or turning to look behind you as you drive. The pose also strengthens your diagonally oriented muscles, including the abdominal obliques, as well as the small muscles between your ribs and close to your spine. While some of these muscles are shortening in the twist and others are lengthening, by twisting in both directions, you will both strengthen and stretch them all. Additionally, as your small spinal muscles pull on your spinal bones in the twist, they actually stimulate thin bones to strengthen over time, so a simple twist can help strengthen the bones of your spine (although those with osteoporosis/osteopenia may need to be careful not to overdo twists). And moving your spine through its full range of motion helps nourish the spinal joints to keep them healthy.
I prescribe this pose for:
- Improving the twisting ability of your spine, from your tailbone to the top of your neck
- Addressing some digestive issues, such as sluggish digestion and elimination as twisting seems to help these functions
- Improving sitting posture by strengthening back, front and side muscles that contribute to spinal elongation
- General stimulation of your body and nervous system
- Releasing physical tension from your body
- Counter-pose for backbends or forward bends
1. Classic Version
Start by sitting on your mat in a simple crossed legs position, with your right shin in front of the left shin. I recommend working towards aligning your feet under the opposite knees, with your shins somewhat parallel with one another.
Next, place your hands by your sides, and press your fingers down onto the floor to create an upward extension of your spine—from your tailbone to the crown of your head—to come into a good sitting posture. Then, inhale and lift your arms up and out to your sides, parallel with the floor. Exhale and rotate your upper belly, chest and head to the right, placing your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the floor behind your hips. Keep your back arm strong and engaged to assist in the continued lift of your spine. Although it may be tempting to use your arms to lever yourself aggressively deeper into the twist, concentrate your muscular action in your abdomen and spine instead of using your arms.
Stay in the pose for 6-8 breaths initially, eventually working up towards 1-2 minute holds. To come out of the pose, inhale as you release the twist and return to center with your arms up and out to your sides. Then exhale and release your arms. Rest a breath or so before repeating the twist to the left side. After doing both sides with your right foot in front, switch the cross of your legs and repeat the twist both to your right and left.
You can also practicing this pose dynamically, moving in and out of the twist with your breath. From the starting position above, one round would be:
2. Back Arm Behind Your Waist
- Inhale and take your arms up and out to your sides
- Exhale come into the twist to the right side
- Inhale and return to center with your arms up and out to sides
- Exhale and twist to the left side
- Inhale and return center with your arms out to sides
- Exhale release the arms down to your sides
2. Back Arm Behind Your Waist
(sorry, no photo)
Without the support of your back arm, this version requires more support from the deeper muscles of your belly and spine, so it provides more strengthening of your core muscles. It also provides a good stretch for the shoulder of the arm you take behind your back. (Those with shoulder injuries or rotator cuff issues may need to skip this version.)
To come into the pose, start out as in the classic version. Then, as you turn to your right, instead of placing your right hand on the floor to actively help support your spine, bend your elbow, cross your forearm around the back of your waist, and try to hook your right hand onto the top of your left thigh. If you can’t quite take hold of your left thigh with your right hand, simply press the back of your right hand as close to the left side of your waist as you can. Maintain a good inner lift of your spine.
Stay in the pose for 6-8 breaths initially, eventually working up towards 1-2 minute holds. Come out of the pose and repeat the same way as for the Classic version.
3. Supporting Your Hips
(The Open Twist below shows support for the hips)
This version is great for those with have tight hips and/or lower backs, who find it difficult to maintain a neutral spine while sitting flat on floor. It can be amazing how much a 1-2 inch lift, such as a folded blanket, or a higher lift, such as a block on its lowest height, can do to improve your seated posture.
Start by sitting on your prop, either near the front edge of a folded blanket or on top of the block. Then enter the pose the same way you would for the classic version. If the support makes it difficult for you to reach the floor behind you or causes you to lose the upward lift of your spine, you may need a low block behind your right hip to support your back hand.
Stay in the pose for 6-8 breaths initially, eventually working up towards 1-2 minute holds. Stay in the pose for 6-8 breaths initially, eventually working up towards 1-2 minute holds. Come out of the pose and repeat the same way as for the Classic version.
If you aren’t using a block to support your hand, you can practice this version dynamically as well.
4. Open Twist
This variation is great for those that have to be more careful with the deeper twist of the classic version, such as those with osteoporosis, mild low back pain, or the second trimester or later of pregnancy. This version is similar to the classic in all ways but one; instead of bring your left hand to your right knee as you twist to the right, simply rest it on the left knee. You can also make the turn more gently and not as deep as you assess how the body handles the intensity of the twist.
Stay in the pose for 6-8 breaths initially, eventually working up towards 1-2 minute holds. Come out of the pose and repeat the same way as for the Classic version.You can do this version dynamically as well.
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