Tag Archives: body awareness

How to be an Amazing Beginner at Yoga

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Have you ever wondered what yoga is like?  Have you heard the”buzz” about yoga and thought, “could I do that”?  If the answer has been, “Nah”, then please read on!  Have you ever held back from a yoga class because you couldn’t see yourself as either strong enough, flexible enough, calm enough or you just plain didn’t want to wear those yoga pants?  This can happen even if you’re not a beginner.

There are many reasons NOT to do something new; especially something fairly different as yoga.  There are a LOT of reasons TO try yoga and I’d like to tell you just one.  After years of teaching and practicing yoga, studying the body and holistic healing, and just plain managing life, this one reason stands out.  Our world is not getting more complex and we have an epidemic of need for connection on a body, mind and soul level.  What the ancients knew was that going inside and practicing mindfness of our breath and body position is a great way to find balance.  We are experiencing a global trend of such rapid change that this ancient practice of yoga has become modern medicine for the isolation, inflammation and challenges we regularly experience.

But there’s one problem: you still have to try it.  Practice body awareness and it will work.  If your inner voice is curious and you think you’d like to try yoga, you just need to get past the reasons not to do it and consider the reasons to venture out.  You don’t have to wear those yoga pants if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to be flexible, calm or strong.  What you do need to do is give yourself complete permission to see yourself doing something new.  That’s hard to do; how do you imagine yourself doing something that you’ve never done?  It’s harder than ever to make time for something that seems so…. (fill in the blank with your perception).  The good news is that there are a lot of yoga opportunities around!

If you choose to try yoga, find a beginner friendly yoga class taught by an experienced teacher.  There are SO many types of yoga; what type is best for a beginner?  There’s no one best type.  This means that you need to ask around and find a referral for the teacher who will know how to adapt the practice to your individual needs no matter what style of yoga is being practiced.  The word Yoga means connection.  Connecting to the present moment, to your body – and to your breath most importantly.   There are different poses and breathing methods for different issues, times of day, ages, body types, injuries, etc.  Your journey will truly start with just a taste of asanas (or poses/positions).  Later you can progress to a full yoga dinner party.  You just have to be willing to be an asana appetizer for awhile.

If you are new to yoga, there is probably a part of you that longs to feel powerful, energized and is just plain hungry for a taste of what yoga medicine can feel like – you may want to skip right to dessert.    If, at first, you try yoga and feel uncoordinated, it’s hard to breathe like the teacher describes, or you aren’t sure if you’re doing it right, then it’s time to congratulate yourself; YOU ARE DOING JUST FINE!  Remember that part about being at the appetizer stage?  We all set incredible expectations on ourselves; if the mind wasn’t so tranced out with distractions and judgements, we wouldn’t need yoga in the first place to achieve the centering we need.

Stay tuned for the next installment of being an Amazing Beginner, and in the mean time: find an instructor that is well trained, caring and zeroes in on your particular needs.  Have fun and don’t forget to wear your favorite costume:)  After all, you don’t have to do anything special; just choose to start from where you are.

Intro to Yoga

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If you are a seasoned Yogi, Down Dog is something you’ve done quite often.  If you are new to Yoga, or even if you’ve done a million Dog Poses, you might be asking, “What does a Downward Dog do anyway?”.  “What am I supposed to feel, and do to get it “right”?”.  Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward Facing Dog Pose is technically a forward bend (but a very active and slightly upside down one) and is meant to create head to tail lengthening (called “axial extension” in the anatomy world).  As my teacher put it, “the softer your joints, the lighter you’ll feel”, and in this pose it is especially true that slightly bending the knees and elbows can free you up to relax more into the pose.  This is a hard pose!  A great way to enter into this doggy experience is not on the mat but while you are in the kitchen (believe it or not).  Try reaching your arms out in front of you first and draw the arm bones into your shoulder sockets and feel the “armpit” muscles” engage.  Then place hands on the counter and lengthen back into a table top position with your spine; with feet under hips and soft knees; inner thighs toned up.  It is a challenge to let go of the shoulder muscles – even at the best of times.  Try releasing your neck and shoulders when all your weight is balanced between arms and hips.  When you do Down Dog on the mat, you bend over, place your hands and feet about 4 feet away from each other, and lift your hips up and back (as in “wag the tail”).  It feels really good to let the head snake out of the shoulders like a turtle out of it’s shell.  Your shoulder blades draw up onto your ribs when your engage your “serape” muscles; the muscles that wrap around you from your sides and “tie” into your belly.  Try keeping the elbows (and knees) soft, slightly bent as I mentioned; it makes it easier to play with the shoulder blades and get them to lift off the neck.  There’s a tendency in this pose to lock out and try too hard.  Put your effort into pressing the front arch of the hands and all 5 fingers firmly into the mat and deepen the breath into the ribs.  When you exhale, imagine a gurney around your center pulling you up and let your belly be the force that “suspends” your weight.  As you inhale, expand the ribs (and low belly) and open the waist.  Your exhale can “squeeze” the ribs and engage your core from all sides.  Yes, this will tone you up!  Yes, this pose stretches the hamstrings.  Yes, it is a good pose for energizing and waking up your energy.  It is also a great detox pose.  But use caution if you have any shoulder, wrist, neck, heart, eye, sinus or headache conditions as this is an inverted pose.  Check in with a trained teacher.  Check in with your inner teacher.  You have one!  Always keep checking in with your breath; is it getting too rapid or restrained?  Slow the breath down and exhale through your mouth to cool off and “chill out” a bit.  Feel free to to come down and rest with hips over heels and chest over thighs or on “all fours” as you need to re-group occasionally in this pose.  What if your “Dog” did yoga?  What Would Your Dog Do?  Doggies naturally shake!  Shake out tension and swivel side to side.  Keeping your Down Dog Pose fluid will not only release joint, muscle and nerve tension, it will also maximize detoxification, lymphatic return, fascial release, and enjoyment!  This will enable you to find that “happy place” in your pose.  The sweet spot in your Adho Mukha Svanasana is when you can take an easy breath (or a few) and lengthen from head to tail, even while you stay playful. How “should” you Do Yoga?  Sniff….Breathe…Streeeetch…..then Rest A LOT.

Yoga in the Classroom – Relax the Test!

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Today I gave a presentation on Yoga mindfulness relaxation techniques for test taking and general stress reduction to a group of elementary teachers in my home town.  I mentioned the research studies that link Yoga practices in the classroom with better focus and more positive attitude in children and called myself a “Yoga Geek”; funny – but true!  It was humbling to know that these incredible teachers already implement many wonderful techniques to help the students focus, prepare for tests and feel relaxed in each school day.  These teachers don’t necessarily want or need another curriculum idea!  However, I was excited to share some very simple, easy to “slip in” Yoga mindfulness tools that can be used during exams, transitions, or even given to students to use anytime needed during a regular day.  One of the teachers mentioned that she is already seeing her students regularly using the exercises at their desks ( I had previously taught some of the Yoga tools to Relax the test to her class).  This was great to hear!  A fabulous and easy technique I showed the teachers today is called the “Chi Ball”.  Students gently clap and/or rub their hands together, then separate the hands a few inches, feel the sensation between their hands while breathing easily and fully, and firmly plant both feet on the ground.  Kids can make a “ball” with their “energy” between the hands; to stretch, shape and compress the “Energy Ball”.  This exercise quickly focuses and calms children and they love it!  One of my favorite stories about the “Chi Ball” was from a high school age Yoga student of mine who loved the technique so much she started teaching it to her friends.  “It helps them calm down and get centered”, she said.  While I realize that teachers have less and less time for any extra curriculum in grade school (or any) classes, and that they are doing an amazing job at preparing the students for the benchmark tests, this kind of Yoga mindfulness tool is short and unobtrusive, and can help kids during the long exam process (or during a regular day).  Hearing inspirational stories about Yoga in the classroom keeps me energized as a teacher of all ages.  Getting to share some Yoga tools with the best of the best teachers at Zilker elementary in Austin, Texas was such an honor.  I am reminded that gratitude is the finest form of mindfulness. Kids are our best teachers.