Shoulder health class and exercises at the Silver Lake library

Movement is life.

Big aside: I am in the process of typing and printing my Yoga notes from previous workshops over the years. While attending various workshops, I would overhear other teachers discussing the fact that they never looked at their notes afterwards. I secretly knew I was different. 

And while I do look through my notes periodically, right now they are next to me in a big pile and not well organized. I am in the process of organizing them, which takes time.

(So to procrastinate even further, I am writing this blog post.)

Let the procrastination begin:

I really enjoy teaching. I have been a teacher for a long time. When I was 15 years old, I was lucky enough to be given a job as a camp counselor at the West Branch YMCA in Omaha. It wasn't my first opportunity to teach, but it was a big step for me. 

Fast forward to today. I have been teaching Yoga for almost 18 years. Wow! And if you would have told me back then that I would be doing something that I love for this long....I wouldn't have believed it. Life really can surprise and amaze, if we are paying attention. 

And while on the topic of teaching and teachers, I am currently in the middle of a wonderful little book by Katy Bowman entitled, Movement Matters. For those that think you have a short attention span, this might be your book. Katy has put together many very thoughtful, well researched short essays that encapsulate the decades of research towards healthy movement and healthy lifestyles. Katy cares and you can read it in her essays, in her many books, her podcasts, and videos that she has put together over the years. If you want to learn how to move well and be a better person by making informed choices in this world, she is a living example. Yay, Katy!

I am a firm believer in the idea that we are all teachers and students simultaneously. Like when I am teaching a new asana (Yoga posture) in class, I must observe and adapt so that the student receives the info at their level. If the instruction isn't translating safely in the student's body, I need to approach the asana differently so that the student is successful within their own body. Learning is a life-long pursuit and I am so thankful for all my teachers and the knowledge that they have passed on over the years.

Sometimes learning for me takes on more of a contemplate and observe level. I love to take a concept or word and carry it with me for a year or so.....observing how it shows up in my life. Some of my past words were: community, God, forgiveness, and empowerment. Right now I am focusing on the statement,

Movement is life.

It isn't an original concept, and I don't need it to be. It is just an idea that I carry with me throughout the day. I watch how its truth manifests when I observe the world around me. Of course, there is always a balance that we need to address when someone is discussing movement and health. Too much in one direction or the other is just that...too much.

When someone is sick with the flu, we can agree that bed rest is essential. If a person isn't healthy, their body needs time to recuperate. The problem seems to be these days when we are healthy and have the ability to move but we choose to move less. Moving less could represent wealth in our minds because we don't need to move to collect our food and carry our water. Our society has been conditioned to think that all we need to do is pop something in the microwave and sit down (after sitting down all day at work) to watch t.v. A sedentary lifestyle is becoming not only the norm but something that is desired. When we do choose to move we exercise, not realizing that we are outsourcing our natural movements with each convenience we perceive as necessary (and desired) in our lives. Because we are no longer are hunter/gatherers, we need to schedule in some form of exercise to replace the loss of daily natural movement. 

Now I don't want to delve into the pros and cons of various exercises vs. the natural movements that were the basis of daily existence in the not-so-distant past. What I want us to just ponder for a moment is just the word "movement." And while you are carrying that word around with you throughout your day, maybe think about your movements.

When I teach my Yoga classes these days, I think more along the lines of incorporating lots of healthy movements and easy stretches that can be performed anywhere by anyone. I also make an effort to get my students seated on the floor (with blankets or a bolster so their lumbar spine keeps its natural curve). Even before I was introduced to Katy Bowman's work, I knew most people had a hard time getting up and down off the floor as they got older. Why is that? Well, in our culture we sit in chairs which are at a certain height, and go from one seated position to another seated position (of that same aforementioned height). Do you see where I am going with this?

All I want to do is plant a seed, an idea. The idea is how do we incorporate more varied movements throughout our busy days? I have some suggestions but for now, I just want you to observe yourself and your environment. Observe what movements you make and the variety of shapes (seated on the floor or chair, standing, squatting, etc.) you make with your body. That is all.

In about a week, I will check in with you. I will probably give a suggestion or two. But for now just observe. Of course, once you start to pay attention you will change your habits. Good luck and feel free to email me with any results or questions.

Now that I have finished my entry for this blog, I am going to get off of my bolster (yes, I type seated on the floor with my computer on a low coffee table) and go outside. It is time for a my walk. 

Namaste`

Cat

yoginiofoz@gmail.com

   

  

Musings: Yoga on and off the Mat

One must start a journey by taking that first step.

Life is a journey whether we acknowledge it or not.  Challenges are daily.  How we address these challenges is a true test of our character mentally, physically and spiritually.  Yoga for me has been an unfolding to reveal my "true" nature.  My Yoga practice is and will continue to be more than just the Asana (Yoga postures).

When I teach a class it is always to the student's abilities.  Asana is the focus of the Yoga class but my long term students know that I infuse the philosophy and Ayurvedic medicine whenever and wherever possible.  When you are practicing a Yogic posture the time of day, your mental state of mind, the season, what you ate before class, your age, gender, dosha (body constitution), and more come into play.  It is not just about the Asana (posture) but about you and everything that effects you.  And what is even more fascinating is that by paying acute attention to the asana, you bring the mind, body and soul into harmony and balance.  You are in the present moment.  That is a present or gift you give to yourself! 

Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences that really need to be taught together.  

If you are unfamiliar with body types (doshas) within the Ayurvedic science then I  recommend you read my previous post on the doshas that will give you some general info and a test to see which body type you are.

Ayurvedic knowledge is like the key that opens up the door to so many more possibilities.  Once you learn your primary and secondary doshas then you can look up foods that balance your body constitution.  You don't have to remove foods that exacerbate your dosha but just watch, for example, how your body feels when you eat red meat on a hot summer's day and you don't live in air conditioning.  Red meat heats up the body and if you are a Pitta type then that would not only make you very uncomfortable because the body gets very hot  while you are digesting it, you might even become angry due to the excess heat produced.  (Pitta types are supposed to think happy thoughts since we have a tendency to anger quickly.  Good to know!)

I will have to say that knowing doshas helps me deal with people in general.  And it is fun to just know the different doshas and watch people act accordingly.  Fascinating study, really.

Also, I revolve my teaching around the seasons (more cooling type poses in the summer and warming poses in the winter).  But if I have a bunch of Kapha types, I might have a more dynamic class since they need to move and they have a long endurance once they get going.  So once again, I teach to the student needs and abilities while keeping other variables in mind.

So there are many facets or layers available beyond the pursuit of the picture perfect asana.  I hope I have whetted your appetite to the possibilities.  There is a plethora of information available about this subject matter these days, which is great.  Maybe you have already started your investigations.  Here are some of my favorite authors on Ayurvedic medicine:

Dr. David Frawley
Dr. Robert Svoboda
Dr. Vasant Lad

Every once and awhile someone, usually a student of mine, will ask me how often do I practice Yoga.  I usually get a big smile on my face and reply, "All the time.  I am practicing Yoga right now."  Of course, the student is talking about the asana only.  What I am wanting them to understand, and you as well, is that Yoga does not end once you are off the mat and out of the room.  Yoga, the truest teachings, are with you teaching you moment by moment.  Even if the only teachings you take with you off the mat are paying attention to this present moment and using the breath to bring the focus back with every inhalation and exhalation.  If that is all you have learned.....then your teacher did their job.

Namaste`

~Cat

Moving from the Organs Basics

Moving from the organs will enable the Yoga practitioner to perform familiar Yoga postures in a new and healthy way.  By stabilizing the bones and muscles in an Asana (Yoga posture) the student then can move the body purposefully to open or close (energetically heating or cooling the body) the upper or lower Kunda (the bowl shaped vessels) where the organs reside.

You may have heard the pelvis being described visually as bowl.  You can use this visualization to help you when you are tipping the pelvis forward for a backbend.  The same can be said for tipping the pelvis backwards when bending forward.  So when you are in an anatomical neutral position, the pelvic bowl rim should be level with the floor.  

More specifics about the pelvis can be stated in class, though I would just recommend that you not stand upright in neutral position with the sacrum perpendicular to the floor.  When you are standing upright with the sacrum basically parallel to the wall in front of you, it is called tucking of the pelvis which is not natural and flattens the lumbar spine which can lead to a multitude of problems up and down the spine if you were to keep that as your neutral position of the spine.  There is nothing wrong with the movements of the spine and body (tucking backwards or spilling forwards) but, as you may know, the more natural the positioning of the body the safer and healthier your body stays.

So while many Yoginis and Yogis are aware of the idea of the pelvic bowl, they might be less aware of the inverted bowl that the ribs create that house the lungs and the heart.  That bowl, let us call it the rib bowl, can be manipulated to backbends and forward bends just by tilting the inverted bowl forwards or backwards.

Of course, there is sidebending as well, but I just want the reader to visualize the pelvic bowl and the rib bowls for now with the backwards and forwards motions.

Got it?  So that's it.  Part of what Yoga is about is just paying attention at this particular moment in time.  All you really have is this present moment.  It is a present.....a gift.  Pay attention to the bowls.  Notice when the rib bowl is sticking too much out in the front (slight backbend) or tipping back too much (forward fold).  When you get out of neutral position or the natural, anatomical position of the body (misalignment) then the muscles have to work harder to compensate.  That is where Yoga helps the most.  Stretching and strengthening are great but it is also just nice to know how to hold the body so that no harm (Ahimsa) is caused. 

And then there is that exciting part where you allow the organs to lead the movement in the pose.  Now that is truly amazing.  Strong bones with supple and strong muscles are great, but if the organs aren't healthy neither is the individual.  By considering and gently manipulating the organs in the Kunda, a student can also have a healthy endocrine system.  Bonus!

Please carry the above information with you throughout your day.  Pay attention to the rib and the pelvic bowls.  Notice how much harder it is to sit when the chest is collapsed and the rib bowl is tipped backwards (folding forward).  When you lift your chest but allow the bowl to be level with the floor you may feel space opening so that the lungs have the ability to fill fully.  What a wonderful feeling!

I hope that helps.  

For my Yoga class listing and prices please check out:  catofoz.blogspot.com

Namaste`

Cat

    

Beyond the Asana. History, Myth and Ayurveda.

Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit words ayus for life and veda for science.  

Ayurveda is the science and study of life.

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj which means to yoke or union.

Ayurvedic Medicine and its sister science, Yoga, are approximately 5,000 years old.  By yoking in the wandering mind the Yogi or Yogini (male and female Yoga practitioners, respectively) started down the pathway of self discovery.  These ancient sciences have given current practitioners the gift of thousands of years of introspection within their personal practice and then passing on those discoveries to a newer generation of seekers.   

Yoga and Ayurveda are not religions, although they have the ability to lead the practitioner towards God-realization within the practitioner's own personal religion or spiritual belief system if the student so chooses.  Yoga can also be just Asana and Pranayama based (Yogic postures and breath manipulation) in which Yoga and Ayurvedic Medicine are tools to keep the practitioner's body healthy.  That's the pure beauty of both sciences is that you choose how deeply you want to learn more about yourself and the cosmos.

The next Yoga workshop I am teaching is titled, "Intro to Yoga:  Beyond the Asana.  History, Myth and Ayurveda."  

Foundations: Saturday Yoga Workshop Series

In the course of the 3 hour workshop we will attempt to fit in:

~OM (or the more advanced AUM); the cleansing power of the chant

~the Invocation to Patanjali; some background on the mythical creature Patanjali and then we will learn the "call and respond" chant

~Asanas (Yogic postures) will be incorporated into the class.  This is not a full 3-hour only Asana class but there will be some stories and imagery within the class to give a historical perspective behind the Asana names.

~Prana means life force.  We will end with some cooling poses so that we can do a little Pranayama at the end of the workshop.  The gentle breath manipulation is powerful stuff when approached gently and with keen observation.  We will go over the basics of this powerful Yogic tool.

I know this won't be your usual Yoga class and that is the beauty of it.  


It is time to learn a little more about those Yogic postures that you have been performing at home and in class.  You will learn to integrate a simple but profound mantra into your daily life.  Infuse a new curiosity and playfulness into your Yoga home practice.  You may even want to start a journal about how Yoga affects you.  Anything is possible if you are receptive......and quiet.

   

Restorative Poses are Key to Health

Dis -ease.  
Stress has a compounding effect when it becomes chronic.  This chronic stress can have a negative effect that leaves a residue in the body that may manifest into a disease.

Stress is a factor in daily life.  One of my Yoga teachers from years ago, Laurie Blakeney, stated that Eastern and Western perceptions of stress are quite different.  The current Western mentality seemed to think that stress was something to be avoided.  Acknowledging that stress can cause high blood pressure and a host of other ailments and somehow individuals needed to remove this contagion from their daily life in order to be healthy.  


Eastern thought has a different approach to stress.  There is an acknowledgement that stress exists but instead of avoidance there is a level of control within the acceptance.  The normal, everyday stresses of life affect us by how we think, speak, and act.  Someone may pull their car out in front of us while we are driving to work but our angry, knee-jerk, negative reaction is the habit that can have long term effects on our health over time.  Cultivating a level of constant serenity may not available to most humans and yet there are tools at everyone's disposal that allow a level of clarity to deal with stress.


That is where Restorative Yoga comes in.  


The seemingly constant barrage of stress inducing chaos that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) which in turn overworks the adrenals until they cannot function properly which in turn not only depletes your energy but doesn't help you sleep soundly at night.  It's enough to keep your head spinning.....but there are options available.  


By spending just 20-30 minutes every day in a Restorative Yoga pose, the practitioner can start to affect the body's parasympathetic response and thus enabling them to relax.  The restorative asana (Yoga postures) is performed in a room that is still, quiet, dark, and warm which enables the practitioner to focus completely on smooth, relaxed breathing while softening the muscles of the body while full awake and aware.  It is harder than it sounds for most people to relax, but with daily practice the effects of stress may be reversed.  


Come experience for yourself the amazing effects of Restorative Yoga this Saturday, January 21st from 12 noon to 3 pm at Align and Stretch Studio.  


Please check out my other blog for Workshop details:  catofoz.blogspot.com  


    


      

What you do affects you.

The magic doesn't happen if you don't do the poses.

~ Judith H. Lasater

My favorite Yoga teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater, said something to the effect that there is a residue felt in the body after each asana (Yogic posture).  She went on to say that the previous posture's residue then affects the mind and body in the next asana.  A well rounded Yoga class will end with some sort of introspective and restorative postures so that the student will feel refreshed as well as relaxed when the class ends.  


I know that after leaving a 4 hour class on restorative poses, my daughter commented on how peaceful I looked.  She also noticed how every Yoga student looked happy and relaxed upon descending the long staircase and onto the streets of San Francisco at the end of each day of the workshop.  It truly felt magical.

Intentions  

My intentions for the restoratives workshop will be to give the student enough information that they will want to practice these amazing postures at home.  They don't have to do all of the asana (postures) taught in the workshop to see immediate results.  One pose for 20 minutes without distraction every day is a wonderful addition to a healthy and relaxed lifestyle.   


Once the student has integrated the one Restorative Yoga pose into their daily routine, they may want to increase to two asana (postures) a day.  And by changing the restorative asana routine after a  week or two (thereby setting the timer to 30 minutes instead of 20) the Yoga practitioner may discover a new residue of relaxation within the mind and body.  It is an experiment worth trying.  


Humans are experts on how to manipulate the body to stay awake longer but we desperately need to relearn how to relax fully and completely.  Come discover the real you that is relaxed and renewed on January 21st at Align and Stretch Studio.


More information about workshops at:  catofoz.blotspot.com


Questions:  ardhachandrasana@yahoo.com

  

The Art of Asana

I had a newer student ask a very good question the other day in the Yoga class I was teaching.  Basically, she wanted to know if I “made up” the postures (or more specifically, the sequencing) as the class progressed or did I have a list of poses that we worked from.  I smiled.  As we were folding forward in Parsvottanasana, I attempted to convey that there is a method to the sequencing of the Asana (postures) but I also observe what my students need for that class and then adapt accordingly.  If my students were fatigued, I would not choose to put them through Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) which is a rigorous series of postures used to greet the morning and to wake up the body.  If I made the mistake of overworking my already tired students then most of those students would not come back to next week’s class.  How could you blame them?

Sequencing was something that I studied in the books of the Iyengars.  B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga, and Geeta Iyengar, Yoga:  A Gem for Women, were the two books I studied before and after the classes I taught in the early days twelve years ago.  Father and daughter, respectively, who are masters of a discipline that has allowed me to become a better person as well as teacher.  If you want to know something about how to sequence your asanas then I suggest not only studying those books but also practicing their sequences.  It is through performing the postures, or asana, that you become aware of the profound influence of the masters of Yoga and sequencing.

Without divulging names, I have attended a workshop where the Senior Iyengar teacher had us perform a long backbending series.  His method getting the body prepared for backbending wasn’t the problem.  His teaching has always been fun and informative.  But because of the lack of time at the end of the class, we didn’t do any counter poses to either soften the arch that we created in the back nor did we even cool down the nervous system.  What that meant for me was probably the worst Savasana (Corpse Pose) I have ever experienced.  I was lying on my back with my eyes closed and even though I just did a very strenuous Yoga class, my eyes were darting back and forth behind closed lids.  I was not relaxed!

Please note that the backbending class was early on my Yoga path so I also did not have the tools and the knowledge available to me now.  If I were to attend such a class now, I definitely would do something like Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall) with either a block or bolster after such a strong series of postures.  I would expect that my mind would be very Vata-like, so I would keep my eyes open and my breath cooling.  I would also choose not to teach such a class to my students.   

So sequencing does matter but so does listening to your body.  If that is the lesson that you receive from Yoga, then you are truly blessed!

~Namaste`