Q
Can you recommend some basic stretches and/or yoga poses to correct posture? My neck leans forward and my shoulders round forward (very badly) from 15 years of working in an office, staring at a computer screen. It has really caused my upper body to round forward badly.
A
It is very possible to significantly alter your posture by practicing yoga and you may find that improving your posture also leads to other beneficial side effects such as better sleep, more confidence, and more energy. This is a highly worthwhile undertaking, good for you for starting it.
It is going to take more than a few simple stretches to correct bad posture. In order to create significant changes in your body, you are going to have to make a commitment to this change. You will need to learn new ways to align your body and then do this alignment periodically all day as you remember. I know this seems like a lot of work, but it is so worth it. If you know there is something you can do to become a better version of yourself, you owe it to yourself to make this commitment.
I recommend taking an alignment-based yoga class (Iyengar or Anusara) at least twice a week.
OR even better, do a private yoga class with an alignment based teacher once a week, once a month, whatever you can afford. This could be in addition to classes or in addition to a video.
A video should not substitute for an in-person teacher as you need the individual feedback to make sure you are doing your exercises correctly. For a video, I recommend "Yoga to the Rescue" with Desiree Rumbaugh. Even if a class is not possible for you right now for whatever reason, order this video, it will be extremely helpful.
As far as a few stretches to get you started, do each of these for 1-3 minutes while breathing deeply and slowly through your nose.
1.
Stand with your back to the wall. Press your shoulders and the back of your head into the wall. Be sure that you are not pressing your neck into the wall, there should be a slight curve away from the wall with your neck. This should feel really good. If you have the room, you can also slide your arms up and down along the wall--reaching your arms up as you inhale and down as you exhale. Another variation, in this same position reach your arms overhead -- interlace your fingers and turn your palms face up.
2.
Turn to face the wall and reach your arms up the wall. With your arms straight press just your fingertips into the wall (the palms of your hands domed away from the wall). As you press your fingertips down, your arms will engage and the outsides of your shoulders will lift away from the wall. Keep this action and soften your chest and forehead towards the wall.
3.
Walk your hands down the wall and your feet away from the wall until your body is at 90 degrees. Hands press flat into the wall, shoulders and hips right inline with your hands, and feet right under your hips. As you press your hands into the wall, lift your outer shoulders up towards the ceiling and at the same time soften your heart towards the ground. Make sure to keep your head in line with your spine and not let it drop since your neck already slopes forward, you don't want to encourage that.
4.
Lay flat on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground, approximately under your knees. Hug your arms in by your sides as tightly as you can and then bend your elbows so that your fingertips point towards the ceiling. Press into your upper arms and the back of your head into the ground as you arch your upper back away from the ground. Your low back will come up too, but not your hips.
All four of these exercises will feel really good. Because they use the resistance of the wall and the ground for feedback and stability, they will be more effective for you than poses where you are not stabilized in this way.
Good luck!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Update on Yoga in the Garden and Twists
I am so excited to start the Yoga in the Garden series at the Arboretum. While this session is full, we may do another one later in the year and we will definitely do one next year, so stay tuned.
This weekend is an immersion weekend and tonight I had the pleasure of participating in one of the sweetest asana classes I can remember. Joe Taft taught a low key class focusing on the principles of twisting that was exactly what I needed after a stressful week and starting my period today.
The mellow pacing of the class as well as the repetition of the same poses several times allowed me to get deep into subtle alignment in a way that felt so right. After class I finally for the first time felt the refreshing and detoxifying effects of twists. I have not been enjoying twists very much for the last several years. Now I realize that I have not been practicing them with the subtlety that is necessary for someone with an open body.
When your body is tight, you can just twist any way and it feels good (for most people). But once your body starts to open, you need to start creating the appropriate restrictions for yourself. Joe also had us dive our awareness deep within our bodies to the base of our spine and guide the twist slowly up from the inside out. Working all the principles of twisting at once was divine, but moving from the inside was the icing on the cake.
This weekend is an immersion weekend and tonight I had the pleasure of participating in one of the sweetest asana classes I can remember. Joe Taft taught a low key class focusing on the principles of twisting that was exactly what I needed after a stressful week and starting my period today.
The mellow pacing of the class as well as the repetition of the same poses several times allowed me to get deep into subtle alignment in a way that felt so right. After class I finally for the first time felt the refreshing and detoxifying effects of twists. I have not been enjoying twists very much for the last several years. Now I realize that I have not been practicing them with the subtlety that is necessary for someone with an open body.
When your body is tight, you can just twist any way and it feels good (for most people). But once your body starts to open, you need to start creating the appropriate restrictions for yourself. Joe also had us dive our awareness deep within our bodies to the base of our spine and guide the twist slowly up from the inside out. Working all the principles of twisting at once was divine, but moving from the inside was the icing on the cake.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Yoga in the Garden
Join me for a very special yoga series: Yoga in the Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum. Monday nights from 5:45-7pm for nine weeks beginning June 1st.
Let's celebrate the abundance of summer in the mountains of WNC as we strengthen, stretch, and connect with our source. For those of us who love being outdoors, this class offers a special experience of opening that is only possible by combining the beauty and energy of the natural world with the benefits of a balanced yoga practice.
All levels of yoga practitioners from beginners to advanced are invited to open to a new understanding of your body and a deeper connection with the natural world. Precise and therapeutic alignment are combined with an uplifting philosophy for a practice of stepping into the flow of nature in order to live our lives more fully.
The class will take place in the beautiful Bonsai Garden, a private and tranquil setting with a pavilion and fountain.
9 classes for $95 if you are a member of the Arboretum, $115 to the public.
Contact me through my webform to register.
Let's celebrate the abundance of summer in the mountains of WNC as we strengthen, stretch, and connect with our source. For those of us who love being outdoors, this class offers a special experience of opening that is only possible by combining the beauty and energy of the natural world with the benefits of a balanced yoga practice.
All levels of yoga practitioners from beginners to advanced are invited to open to a new understanding of your body and a deeper connection with the natural world. Precise and therapeutic alignment are combined with an uplifting philosophy for a practice of stepping into the flow of nature in order to live our lives more fully.
The class will take place in the beautiful Bonsai Garden, a private and tranquil setting with a pavilion and fountain.
9 classes for $95 if you are a member of the Arboretum, $115 to the public.
Contact me through my webform to register.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Lakshmi and Kali: living fully with the here and now
During the last few years of drought, I had forgotten just how lush and opulent these mountains are. What an incredible revelation then, after the ample spring rains to experience the unfolding of a real WNC spring. This is the blessing of the drought. When things are easy and beautiful all the time, we begin to get jaded and are not able to fully feel the abundance of our lives.
I had the priveledge of studying with John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga, for the last two weekends. He reminded me that the goal of the yogi is to become comfortable in all situations -- both abundance and drought. He used the analogy of the Hindu Goddesses Lakshmi and Kali. Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty, abundance, and peak experience. Kali is the goddess of destruction and dissolution.
Nature moves in cycles of growth and dissolution. Lakshmi, the peak of the cycle is easy to appreciate. She is beautiful and sexy. Kali on the other hand is frightening and fierce. However, we cannot have one without the other. The destiny of the luscious flower is to turn back into compost in order to fuel the growth of the next plant and the opening of the next bud.
Within our yoga practice, Kali and Lakshmi represent raw power and refinement. We need both in our practice, but each in its proper place and time. The best quote of last weekend was when John said that "trying to rush refinement before its time is like sprinkling cilantro on the compost heap".
For many the current economic crisis is a time of Kali. As everything we once counted on crumbles around us, it is time to tap into the raw power of this destruction. If we can let go of our expectations that life should always be refined and beautiful, then we can take advantage of the possibilities that lie within the compost heap. At a time like this, anything is possible. Look at the incredible shifts that have already taken place over the last year. What else can we dream into reality?
Each of us have the choice to live in fear or to be the change. The time is now. The potential is yours. The shifts that you make in your life right now will reverberate throughout the rest of the world and the rest of your life. Set your intentions clearly, then feed them with down and dirty compost power of Kali.
Lakshmi
I had the priveledge of studying with John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga, for the last two weekends. He reminded me that the goal of the yogi is to become comfortable in all situations -- both abundance and drought. He used the analogy of the Hindu Goddesses Lakshmi and Kali. Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty, abundance, and peak experience. Kali is the goddess of destruction and dissolution.
Nature moves in cycles of growth and dissolution. Lakshmi, the peak of the cycle is easy to appreciate. She is beautiful and sexy. Kali on the other hand is frightening and fierce. However, we cannot have one without the other. The destiny of the luscious flower is to turn back into compost in order to fuel the growth of the next plant and the opening of the next bud.
Within our yoga practice, Kali and Lakshmi represent raw power and refinement. We need both in our practice, but each in its proper place and time. The best quote of last weekend was when John said that "trying to rush refinement before its time is like sprinkling cilantro on the compost heap".
For many the current economic crisis is a time of Kali. As everything we once counted on crumbles around us, it is time to tap into the raw power of this destruction. If we can let go of our expectations that life should always be refined and beautiful, then we can take advantage of the possibilities that lie within the compost heap. At a time like this, anything is possible. Look at the incredible shifts that have already taken place over the last year. What else can we dream into reality?
Each of us have the choice to live in fear or to be the change. The time is now. The potential is yours. The shifts that you make in your life right now will reverberate throughout the rest of the world and the rest of your life. Set your intentions clearly, then feed them with down and dirty compost power of Kali.
Lakshmi
Kali
Friday, January 9, 2009
Creating Conscious Change
The best thing about this time of year for me is how many people are taking stock of their lives and making changes in order to live more healthily and happily. I'm talking about new years resolutions of course, and this process of evaluating your life against your ideals is a positive and important tradition. Unfortunately, when it is only done once a year, the changes that we attempt to make in our lives tend to get lost in the frenzy of life by March.
Wise teachers, both ancient and modern, tell us that we get what we focus on. By that wisdom, the more attention we give to the changes we would like to create in our lives, the more likely that change is to occur. As yogi's, we have a wonderful opportunity to set aside some time to focus on the growth we wish for. Every time that we step onto our yoga mats, we step into a sacred space where we can focus on real, lasting, conscious growth.
My teachers recommend setting an intention for your practice each and every time you do yoga. Setting an intention is a powerful tool for creating meaning in your practice and creating change in your life. Many people have set intentions for their practice in a yoga class when the teacher mentions it. Get into the habit of doing it every time, whether it is mentioned in the beginning or not. Imagine you are trying to become more compassionate with yourself, to ease the self-critical voice in your head. Imagine that you make the resolution to do this one time per year. Now imagine what might happen if you focus on this for an entire hour (or more) several times a week. You can see how powerful it can be to take your resolutions into your yoga practice.
An important piece of Yoga philosophy is that we are essentially good. So when we talk about change--we are only talking about external change. That is the only kind that is possible-- our true selves are both unchanging and perfect. When we desire change, what we really desire is for our external selves to more accurately reflect who we really are inside.
There are 5 steps to help us make this happen.
Awareness
In order to know what changes are going to truly take you closer to your innate goodness, awareness is essential. When we practice hatha (physical) yoga, we are cultivating an awareness of our body and mind. Eventually this practice of awareness leads us to have an experience of our inner selves. It feels so right that we wish to recreate it. This is the seed that, if nourished, can blossom into a flowering of our potential. Awareness is the first step in creating change, but it must remain throughout the entire process.
Desire
Even when we cultivate awareness and know full well which changes we could make in order to come closer to our true selves, there are times when we simply don't desire these changes. Without the desire to be your best self, change is unlikely to occur. Desire is a double edged-sword however; it is said to be the root of suffering. This is why we must remain aware. We must step back and observe ourselves from a distance, we must dive back in and look for that experience of ourselves.
Belief
The experience of the core of good within us will fade. In order to move towards this core, we must believe in our experience and we must belive that change is possible.
Effort
All the awareness, desire, and beleif will do us little good without effort. This effort must be disciplined and sustained over a long period of time. At times our desire will drive us to try to make changes too quickly. This is often unsustainable and will lead to failure. We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, take it to heart. A little at a time gets the job done.
Surrender
There is a time for effort and desire and there is a time to let go and let the bigger forces of the universe take over. Stay aware so that you know when it is time to let go. Maybe it isn't the right time for this particular change. Or maybe after all the effort you put in, the change will occur once you have let go of it. Either way, you have changed for the better, whether it was in the way you were planning to or not.
Wise teachers, both ancient and modern, tell us that we get what we focus on. By that wisdom, the more attention we give to the changes we would like to create in our lives, the more likely that change is to occur. As yogi's, we have a wonderful opportunity to set aside some time to focus on the growth we wish for. Every time that we step onto our yoga mats, we step into a sacred space where we can focus on real, lasting, conscious growth.
My teachers recommend setting an intention for your practice each and every time you do yoga. Setting an intention is a powerful tool for creating meaning in your practice and creating change in your life. Many people have set intentions for their practice in a yoga class when the teacher mentions it. Get into the habit of doing it every time, whether it is mentioned in the beginning or not. Imagine you are trying to become more compassionate with yourself, to ease the self-critical voice in your head. Imagine that you make the resolution to do this one time per year. Now imagine what might happen if you focus on this for an entire hour (or more) several times a week. You can see how powerful it can be to take your resolutions into your yoga practice.
An important piece of Yoga philosophy is that we are essentially good. So when we talk about change--we are only talking about external change. That is the only kind that is possible-- our true selves are both unchanging and perfect. When we desire change, what we really desire is for our external selves to more accurately reflect who we really are inside.
There are 5 steps to help us make this happen.
Awareness
In order to know what changes are going to truly take you closer to your innate goodness, awareness is essential. When we practice hatha (physical) yoga, we are cultivating an awareness of our body and mind. Eventually this practice of awareness leads us to have an experience of our inner selves. It feels so right that we wish to recreate it. This is the seed that, if nourished, can blossom into a flowering of our potential. Awareness is the first step in creating change, but it must remain throughout the entire process.
Desire
Even when we cultivate awareness and know full well which changes we could make in order to come closer to our true selves, there are times when we simply don't desire these changes. Without the desire to be your best self, change is unlikely to occur. Desire is a double edged-sword however; it is said to be the root of suffering. This is why we must remain aware. We must step back and observe ourselves from a distance, we must dive back in and look for that experience of ourselves.
Belief
The experience of the core of good within us will fade. In order to move towards this core, we must believe in our experience and we must belive that change is possible.
Effort
All the awareness, desire, and beleif will do us little good without effort. This effort must be disciplined and sustained over a long period of time. At times our desire will drive us to try to make changes too quickly. This is often unsustainable and will lead to failure. We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, take it to heart. A little at a time gets the job done.
Surrender
There is a time for effort and desire and there is a time to let go and let the bigger forces of the universe take over. Stay aware so that you know when it is time to let go. Maybe it isn't the right time for this particular change. Or maybe after all the effort you put in, the change will occur once you have let go of it. Either way, you have changed for the better, whether it was in the way you were planning to or not.
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