Yoga Breathing - Nadi Sodhana

Last night after class a student confided in me that she recently been extremely scattered, couldn't focus, and was unable to shift from task to task efficiently during her busy day at work.  She'd made errors and had lapses of memory, simply forgetting things she normally wouldn't have.  The state of mind she was experiencing is a serious fracturing of the mental processes. She asked if there was something she could do to help correct this problem.

Frontal view using fingers to close nostrils alternately

There is a very powerful and effective yoga breathing practice which will immediately help.  Pranayama is a practice yogis refer to when performing yoga breathing techniques.  Prana means "life force energy"  Yama means "discipline" or "control of".  Thus pranayama means control of life force energy.  

There are thousands of specific yoga pranayama techniques.  B.K.S. Iyengar has written the classic reference book Light on Pranayama. If you're interested, check it out to learn more about the practices.

The specific pranayama I recommended to her is called Nadi Sodhana, or Alternate Nostril Breath. This practice is a powerful method to purify the nadis, or tubular psychic passageways which carry the body's energy, within the brain and throughout the body.  These nadis circulate everywhere in the body, and pass through all of the chakras. They are sustained by the central nadi, called susumna, residing in the vicinity of the spine.  

Benefits of Nadi Sodhana are: 

• Revitalizing the right and the left hemispheres of the brain, as well as the front and the back brain, achieving parity (balance) within the brain and out to the furthest extremities.  
• According to B.K.S. Iyengar, "The sadhaka (practitioner) gains the secret of even and balanced action in all the quarters of the brain, and thus experiences peace, poise and harmony".   
• Practice leads first to dhyana (concentration) and, over time, dharana (meditation).  The sixth and seventh limbs of the "eight limbs of yoga".
• Practice makes the mind and body dynamic, vibrant, energetic, and alert.  
• There is additional documentation of Nadi Sodhana improving hearing, reducing sinus problems, and improving eyesight.

Mrigi Mudra

Now for the practice instructions.

Sit in a comfortable seated asana and perform Mrigi Mudra with the right hand.  Place the left hand on your thigh in Gyan Mudra (first finger to thumb, palm up).  Beginning students may have some difficulty holding their raised arm in position for the length of the practice. Place a bolster or folded blankets across your legs and use this to support your elbow.

Gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril, then close it with your ring-little fingers. Open and exhale slowly through the right nostril.

Keep the right nostril open, inhale, then close it, and open and exhale slowly through the left. This is one cycle. Repeat 5 to 8 times, then release the hand mudra and go back to normal breathing.  As you gain endurance, increase rounds.

Traditional Nadi Sodhana includes breath retention and fixed ratio breathing.  I suggest you begin with a slow count of 4 to inhale, count of 4 to retain breath in, count of 4 to exhale, count of 4 to retain breath out.  For beginning pranayama students, it's best to focus only on the inhales and exhales.

(excerpt from Yoga Journal)

Start with about 5-8 full repetitions.  If you get tired, stop and breathe normally for awhile.  Begin again.  Build up to about 21 reps total over a period of 2-3 weeks.  Remember anytime you feel fatigue, stop and breathe normally.  Do not strain!

Working with Alternate Nostril Breath will begin to clear the imbalance you are experiencing and enable your mind and your actions to be clear, concise, and focused.  Your lucidity and demeanor will be calm and composed.  You will begin to perform at optimum levels throughout your day and throughout your life.  This is a powerful, effective, and time-honored tool for the practicing yogi.

 

Bed Yoga II - Zap Back Pain!

Last post I promised you the rest of the "Bed Yoga Routine".  As a refresher, in Bed Yoga I we've done several lying down postures which gently stretch out and lengthen the lower back.  I'm including herein the last posture of the routine, plus bandha (lock) instructions to perform during this posture.  Lastly we'll give you instructions on how to get out of bed properly.  Getting out of bed correctly is most important of all, because we need to keep the spine quiet as we get up from a reclining position.  This prevents back strain - big time!

Supta Badha Konasana - Lying Down Bound Angle Pose

Bound angle pose is the last pose to do in bed before getting up.  It opens the groins, stretches the lower back, glutes, and adductor muscles.  Bring the feet to the buttox.  Let the knees fall out to the side.  Relax your arms next to the body.

As you lie in this pose, perform MOOLA BANDHA.  Moola bandha is also known as "root lock".  To perform moola bandha, concentrate on the groin area.  For men, we're contracting the ureter and perineum; for women, the ureter, cervix, and vaginal muscles will be contracted.  When performing the bandha (lock) all of the muscles in the area are contracted simultaneously, pulling the soft tissue upwards and inwards towards the base of the spine.  

Hold the contraction for a few seconds.  Do not hold the breath, simply breathe normally. Start gently, then as you increase reps, do the bandha with more force and strength.  I suggest you perform moolabandha a minimum of 15 reps.  The masters suggest that as you perform the lock, you repeat "mool", or "moola bandha" as you hold the contraction.  This intense focus along with the mantra increases the power and effects of the root lock practice.

There are many benefits to performing root lock daily.  " It is helpful in psychosomatic and degenerative illnesses.  It relieves depression and promotes good health.  It helps to realign the physical, mental, and psychic bodies in preparation for spiritual awakening.  Moola bandha is a means to attain sexual control.  It may be used to sublimate sexual energy for spiritual development (brahmacharya) or for enhancement of sexual relations".  (Swami Satyananda Saraswati).  

Other yoga masters have taught us that moola bandha controls and increases life force energy and lengthens one's life.  It controls cravings and strengthens and tones the muscles controlling continence ability, retaining continence into old age.  (I can't think of anything more humiliating than losing the ability to control your elimination processes.  Do you want to wear diapers again?  Not me! This is huge as we age)!  Start moola bandha now and remove the embarrassment later.

Contract and extend hands and feet 15 times.

Just before getting up we move hands and feet to get new blood and lymph to outer extremities!

The last thing we do before getting up is contract and extend hands and feet 15 times.  This gets new blood and lymph to the furthest extremities of the body.  It flushes out the toxins, and allows the body to function optimally after you get up.  Here Jan demonstrates the simple movements.

NOW, HOW DO WE GET OUT OF BED PROPERLY?

First, bring knees to chest.

Second, roll body towards the side of bed.

Then then turn your head/upper body towards bed, placing both arms under upper body. Now push yourself up using both arms (as you swing your legs off the bed).

This method of getting out of bed is optimum for keeping the back and spine quiet and in alignment.  This single change in your "getting up" routine will help immensely!  I have many students who swear by the Bed Yoga Routine.  Their back pain has disappeared.  The getting up routine is also the recommended way to come out of Savasana (corpse pose or final relaxation) at the end of your yoga class or practice.

Remember, do this routine (both I & II) every morning.  The entire routine takes only about 10 minutes of your time and prevents back pain all day!  Thanks to my seniors yoga class for helping with photos, Jan, Steve, Maria, & Terry!

Bed Yoga I - Zaps Back Problems!

Did you know that 76% of all back injuries happen in the first 30 minutes after we get out of bed?  I bet you do know that when we get up out of bed, many of us are as stiff as concrete. Believe it or not, we can actually do yoga in BED!   I have developed a sure-fire remedy to alleviate back problems, preventing those early morning back strains from ruining your day.  I have personally been doing this routine for five years now, every morning before I get out of bed.  This is the first part of the routine.  The second part will be posted in my next blog.  

The entire routine takes only about 10 minutes if you do it the number of counts/reps that I suggest.  These exercises are easy and help immensely.   I have many students who are faithfully doing this routine before they get up. They swear by them.  Now we can move about with ease in the morning, and face the day with a smile instead of wondering how long we have to shuffle and creep about until the body gets lubed up.

Next, let's do foot pushes.  First, I lie flat on my back.  Then I push one heel towards the end of the bed, and work the opposite hip up towards my waist.  Then I switch.  I do 15 reps (one on each side = 1 rep).

First move the right (near side) foot towards the foot of the "bed".

Next move the left (far side) foot towards the foot of the "bed".

This creates a very important movement in the lower back, a diagonal or transverse stretch in the lower lumbar area, a place where many of us have severe problems with cramping and seizing.  The foot pushes open the lower back up allowing for more mobility.

Next, I do pelvic tilts. The first movement is pushing the belly or small of the back towards the bed. Next I lift the belly or small of the back upwards, creating a small arch in the lower back.  Here are photos that demonstrate.  Do 15 reps of pelvic tilts.  At about 12 reps, start to really exaggerate the movement, go as deep as you can.  By 12 reps, you are pretty warmed up and can go deeper. This tilt relieves the tightness in the abs, and lower lumbar area, plus it warms up and works the core, keeping it toned and tight.

Here Jill is pushing her belly towards the floor.  The tailbone will lift (but not the buttox)

Here she lifts her belly/lower back up and creates a small arch in the lower back.

The next pose I do is revolved wind relieving pose variation.  I bring one knee up towards the chest, then I roll it to the opposite side and place my opposite hand on the outside of the knee.  I hold this for 30 breaths.  Next I straighten out the top leg and shoot it out towards the side of the bed.  I grab my toes, but if you can't grab them, just place your opposite hand on the lower leg or have that intention.  I do this also to a count of 30 slow breaths.

Janey and Elizabeth perform revolved wind relieving pose to the right.

Next the ladies straighten out their legs and open them out to the side.

Now that the back is warmed up, we can do a deeper stretch.  This is supine revolved hand to foot pose. These two poses open up the entire back.  Starting out with the easier one, little by little the whole back opens and we create spaciousness in the core. The two poses are awesome for opening the hips and glutes as well, stretching the outer thigh muscles and hamstrings.  While you are in the poses, breathe deeply into the areas where you feel the most stretch.  

Next time we will finish up the series, but you can get started feeling better now!  I'll also instruct you on how to get out of bed properly, so that you keep the spine quiet and not injure the back getting up.  Many thanks to my student models, Steve, Jill, Elizabeth, and Janey!

Fear Can Cripple You

One of my students is a wonderful, committed, massage therapist and body worker.  She helps many clients by helping them feel better and more whole.  She practices all of the appropriate methods to ground herself, clearing out her personal stuff before the bodywork so she can be a clean channel for Universal Healing Energy. She purifies the bodywork area with time-tested clearing techniques which eliminate any released negative energy after the therapy session.  In a word, she does everything that she should to keep the client's negative astral energy away from her and the environment allowing the cosmos to absorb it.

The Scream by Edvard Munch - a very famous painting depicting pure, raw anxiety and fear

The problem is, she has come to yoga classes because she can hardly move.  Her muscles seize up a the slightest wrong movement.  She is so tight in the shoulders, neck, and hips, that even the most gentle yoga movements and poses can be excruciating for her. She was a private student recently, and because of the one-on-one class I was able to dig a little deeper into her body issues.  

I told her I felt something was very wrong, because if she was doing all of the clearing practices she mentioned with her clients, there was no way she should have the near paralysis in her body.  It appeared to me that her problem was a case of "holding", or absorbing into her own body astral garbage (negative energy resulting from trauma and grief) that was crippling her.   

She agreed, stating that she holds onto the negative emotions from past experiences.  She told me she was a "control freak" and that this tendency would not allow her to let go and move on from these past issues.  I asked her what she thought was wrong.  She said "I'm afraid, I'm really, really, afraid".  Bingo!  She had simply constructed a separation between her healing work and her personal work.  You've heard the saying, "healer, heal thyself!"  Now how do we do that?

I asked her if I taught her a simple, free technique that she could do to eliminate her fear, would she be interested in learning it and practicing it.  She said "Of course".  Then I told her to meditate every day.  Her eyes got big, round as saucers, she said she used to meditate years ago, but had stopped practicing.  

I explained to her that meditation is the quickest, most effective way to eliminate fear and negative emotions, empowering us and allowing us to let go and move on with courage and acceptance.  Meditation taps us into the stillness and peace of the Divine.  This peace and stillness we experience in meditation permeates us, returning our own personal power to us. Meditation allows us to face the present moment with serenity, without the hindrance of negative mind states.

 

Meditation is much different than prayer. Prayer is a wonderful practice, but it's based on the teaching that God is separate from us and has all the power while the supplicant has none. We pray to request a little power now and then when we need it.  The thought of God as a Cosmic Bellhop comes to mind. 

 

Meditation taps us into Divinity or the Universal Power Source.   It is available to each and every one of us.  Meditation "plugs us in" to our own personal empowerment, because we are inherently powerful.  We have simply forgotton that we are.  We operate on the assumption that we are separate from the Divine.  This is not true.  The empowerment we gain through meditation eliminates the fear, anxiety, guilt - all the negative emotions that are so crippling. Meditation is like a power chord or conduit.  Plug it in!   Pay attention to God, and God will pay attention to us!  Meditation lights us up, enabling us to be free of negativity. 

Are You Too Busy To Enjoy Life?

Reflect on this.  How much of the time are we thinking about things that have already happened (the past)?  How much of the time are we thinking about things that haven't happened yet (the future)?   I'm guessing about 49.5% of the time we're thinking about things in the past, and about 49.5% of the time we're thinking about things in the future.    99% of our time is spent thinking about things we can't do anything about because they're gone, or they haven't happened yet.  A huge majority of our time we're letting our lives slip away because our unruly minds attach to something in the past or in the future.  This robs us of our most important asset - the present moment.  Now.  What is happening here and now. 

Green River Sunset by Andy Cook

This breathtaking photo is a location in Utah is just a few hours drive from my home in Salt Lake City.  An elusive moment has been captured in this photo.  Our lives are full of elusive moments.  Day by day we let them slide by without giving them any attention. 

The older we get, the more we realize that we don't have that many moments left.  How many?  Not enough to ignore them by not living our lives to the fullest!  Let's squeeze as many of these joyous and amazing moments and savor the juice of them each and every waking moment.  We're all facing the big "D".  It may be today, it may be tomorrow.  Who knows?  

Present moment awareness is called "mindfulness".  There are several simple ways we can bring our awareness into the present moment.  The first one is to pay attention to the breath.  Simply watch it.  Is it slow, deep, and fulfilling?  Life-giving?  Is it quick and short and agitated?  If it's quick and shallow, slow it down.  Feel the breath going in and out of the nostrils.  In and out of the belly.  Notice that the senses have quickened.  Your awareness is heightened.   What to you see?  What do you hear?  What do you sense, taste, smell, or feel?  

Another way to tune in to this very moment is to improve your posture.  Sit up tall.  Stand up tall.  Tune in to your body.  Are you slumping?  Are you leaning on your feet instead of pressing them into the earth?  When the posture improves, so does our awareness.  Notice how you walk.  Do you walk with purpose, or do you drag your body along with no incentive?  Notice each step you take.  How are you walking?  Moving?  What kind of surface are you moving on? Practice awareness.  Senses become heightened.  You are being in the present moment.

The third is to give up taking everything personally.  What other people do or say is their problem, don't accept their issues as yours.  Let it go.  Let it run off your back.  It's other people's stuff, not yours.  Beware of judgments.  Other people's judgments say a lot about them, and nothing about you. 

Be fully present when you do your daily tasks.  Pay attention when you do the dishes.  Notice the beauty in your surroundings when you pull weeds.  Feel the satisfaction in the process of keeping your house clean and neat.  Don't let a day go by without showing gratitude to someone.  Write thank you notes.  Tell those close to you that you care deeply about them. 

Meditate.  Meditation is the single most powerful way to bring us back into the present moment.  Within the present moment is the eternal.  We can actually touch and experience Divinity within ourselves when we meditate.  Simply sit still.  Tune in.  Become aware of the body.  Become aware of the sounds.  Become aware of the breath.  These techniques are giving us back this moment.  Nowhere to be but here.  No time to be but now. 

The techniques I've mentioned are all free.  You don't need a special place, you don't have to have yoga equipment.  These techniques can be utilized any time, anywhere.  Let's become fully ALIVE!  Enjoy the time we have left!  Every day is an adventure, a gift.  Open it and live!

 

  

If You Have No Time to Practice, Read THIS!

As a yoga instructor at SLCC, I have the challenge of finding ways to encourage the students to practice.  Practicing is part of their homework, and a big part of their grade.  I often get the refrain "I don't have time to practice!"  I'm challenging this assumption, yogis!

The only way to practice yoga doesn't have to be to setting aside a big block of time, rolling out your mat and locating your props, then practicing poses.  Sometimes this is just too much!  This is why practice seems overwhelming.  We are SO busy, trying to accomplish SO much in SO little time.  Nobody said you have to have your mat to do yoga.  You can do yoga virtually anywhere, almost any time.  You simply need to shift the way you think about practice. Practice doesn't have to be just doing poses, either.  It can be practicing a breathing technique, chanting mantra, sitting quietly meditating for a few minutes.

Meditate a few minutes in between other activities

The first thing to do is write down the ways you will benefit from yoga practice.   Then set an intention!  If you really, truly recognize that you are missing out on wonderful benefits, you are more likely to practice.  Writing down what you want to accomplish by practicing helps solidify your ideas and takes them from thought into actual form. Once you realize that you REALLY WILL BENEFIT in many ways from regular practice, let's look at the complaint that you don't have time.   

Consider your average day.  Think of how many minutes or hours you waste and how much "dead time" you have on your average day.  You'll be shocked how much time you really have!  Dead time is when you are doing something that is non-essential, not physically engaging, not truly benefiting you in some way.  It is time spent waiting for your ride, an appointment, for class to start.  It is time spent playing games on your electronic device, driving your car, riding in a bus.  It could be work break time, your lunch hour. etc. etc.   

 

Wasting time is a bit more obvious.  Examples are: watching TV.  Non-essential texting.  Playing on Facebook, surfing the Web.  You know what your personal time wasters are.  The time you are doing non-essential activities or wasting time is very valuable time you can practice yoga!  Everyone has more than enough opportunities in a day to fit in a little yoga practice. 

Cobra Pose (while watching TV?)

Here are some ideas:

• Put your leg or foot up on the sink when you're brushing your teeth.
• Rotate the arm you are not driving with around your arm bone, then switch.
• Do Cobra Pose, Sphinx Pose, Seated Poses or Boat Pose while watching TV.
• Do a back-bend off the arm of the couch, the bed, or over the hood of your car.
• Balance on one foot when you're drying the other foot off after a shower or bath.
• Do downward dog with your hands on a chair seat.
• Do standing back bends and twists in the shower.
• Do wall dog on the kitchen counter.
• Meditate when you're waiting for class or any other seated time.  Simply sit and be still.
• Do pranayama (breathing techniques) when you are stressed.  Slow down.  Breathe!
• Do mantra on the freeway, it keeps you calm in crazy traffic.
• Sit in half or full lotus while you are eating, at a party, at work, at your computer.
• Meditate at intermission when you're at a play or the symphony.  Just sit quietly!
• Chant mantra in the tub, car, bus, class, at work, anywhere.  Mental Mantra is even more powerful than audible mantra.

Now you think up your own way to fit in a little practice.  Look forward to the healthy improvement in your well-being, and the reduction of your stress levels.  Practice really helps those aches and pains, eliminating them!  When you do get a block of time, grab your mat or attend a class.  Happy Practicing!

High Lunge, a Great Hip Opener

One of my favorite hip openers is HIGH LUNGE.  I have a supported version for you to try that's awesome for adding depth to your pose.

High Lunge - Final Version, not supported.  Note the straight line between shoulder, pelvis, and ankle bone.

If you want to go for the most depth in your lunge, really opening up the hips, try this supported Three Block Lunge.  First, practice a number of easier towards more challenging hip openers, so your hips are thoroughly warmed up.  Do not do this pose at the start of your practice!  Also practice some poses for outward rotation of the hips such as Bound Angle pose, Half Lotus pose, Cobbler pose, and get in a few Downward Facing Dog poses and maybe even a few Lord of the Pigeon poses (remember to do both right and left side versions). 

Block setup for right leg back supported lunge

If you have access to three blocks, set up as in the photo above.  (Borrow some or do this after your class)??  Place the rear block at tall setting on the right side of center for right leg back, left side of center for left leg back.  Fat blocks are best, as they have more surface area connected to the floor. This increases the stability of the supports.  Stand at the front of the mat in-between the two blocks.  You'll want the backs of the blocks to line up slightly rear of your heels. The balls of the feet will be in front of the blocks a few inches.  

Start in Tadasana, Mountain Pose.  Stand with your feet hip width apart between the blocks. Press the feet into the floor.  Fold forward into Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) and place your hands on the blocks.  Line up your fingers so they are forward, if they're placed correctly, your fingers won't grip the blocks.  You could use stacks of books if you don't have blocks.

Uttanasana placing hands on blocks.  Note foot placement. Balls of feet in front of blocks.

Now lift the upper chest and skull towards vertical and walk a leg back about 18" behind the rear block.  Here you may need to adjust the block to get the correct placement.  The back edge of the block needs to be at the fleshy part of the quad just above the kneecap. 

Left leg back lunge showing rear block placement

Now drop the pelvis until the lower thigh rests solidly centered on the rear block.  Begin sinking the hips and groin until the rear block supports the whole lower body. Lift your chest. Slide the shoulder blades down the back and open the front upper chest.  Look forward with chin straight ahead.  There should be almost no weight on the rear foot.  Check in with your arms.  The shoulders should be stacked on top of the wrists, and the arms will be vertical.  Now check in with your legs.  The knee should be stacked directly above the ankle, not in front of the ankle.  The lower lfront leg will be vertical.  

Another view showing placement of rear block. Note that the block is above the kneecap.  You can also see he's struggling with the skinny block under his hand.  It wants to tip outwards.  This shows why fat blocks work better.

 

The lunge should become almost effortless here, as the rear block supports the body's weight, opening in the hips.  Try lifting your rear toes for a breath or two.  You should be able to once you surrender downwards completely dropping the weight towards the floor.  If the rear block is cutting into your leg somewhere, it is not placed correctly.  It should be on the thick part of the quad muscle but not under the kneecap at all.  

With the rear block supporting your lower body, you can relax deeply into the lunge and breathe into the areas that are begging for opening.  Repeat several times, both sides.  You'll find that you can go deeper each time.  Usually the third time does it!  Be sure to always practice Savasana (Corpse Pose) after your practice.  (See post on 6/14/12 What is the Most Important Pose?).  High Lunge is a very satisfying pose.  It releases lots of tension in the hips and groin, and you'll walk with much more ease after your practice.  It even helps you sleep better.