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Yoga & Meditation

What Are We Thinking About on the Mat?

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BY: TRISHA CURLING 

The fluffy answer that we would all like to say with authenticity is: “I’m thinking about nothing but the present moment. I am totally still and one with myself. I am focused on my breath and I feel as though I am in complete bliss”

Now, it doesn’t mean that we never feel this way on our mats. We definitely over time achieve either fleeting moments like this during our practice, or maybe even during the entire practice no matter how long or short it may be. When we grow and mature in our own yoga journey, we gain the ability to tap into this with more ease and intention.  Maturing in our practice does not necessarily mean doing more advanced poses or having the ability to do this all of the time.  It simply means that we have spent a consistent amount of time accumulating different experiences on and of off the mat that help to contribute to deeper focus and ability to create more potential to tap into the present more often.

Our challenges can be our best teachers in exercising the mind to come back to the present. It’s easy to focus on the challenges we face, and this can distract us from a clear perspective.  If we step back and examine our thought patterns we can understand more deeply about where our minds go. 

Is this not a wonderful reason to come to our mats though?  It’s a wonderful opportunity to step away from our surroundings to get closer to our body, mind, and spirit. That being said, this does not mean that we only come to our mats to “get away from challenges” we also come to our mats, to celebrate, have fun, to nourish, to rejoice in the happy parts of our lives. Staying present with the wonderful things in our lives helps to bring more of those experiences in.

Letting go of the pressure to have “perfect thought” while practicing is key to the enjoyment of our experience.

Not being able to focus sometimes or truly be in the moment is a reality. We may have very clear intentions of doing this and it just may not turn out that way. Allowing this to happen and not resist it with punishment to ourselves is part of the process of learning to be able to be more present more often. This may happen in waves during a singular practice or we may have many months with the ability to do so and then many months where we are not so successful in this pursuit.

Yes, I believe we should maintain goals of staying present on and off of the mat, but we should also be aware that it may not always be like this and that is ok. 

One of the tips that may be helpful in staying more present is using the body as a vehicle to the mind.  If we start with our breath, we can first make a deeper internal connection.  As we layer on the movements in our asana practice and notice how the body feels during both transitions and poses, we build the relationship with the body and knowing what feels right for us. This is an excellent gateway to the mind and staying more present.

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Yoga & Meditation

From the mat to life

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BY: TRISHA CURLING 

You might hear a lot of people say “yoga changed my life”.  If you aren’t a regular practitioner, this may sound questionable. How can a series of poses “change your life”? It sounds a little dramatic. It’s important to start from a place however, where you understand that yoga is more than a series poses. Within the journey of physical practice, there are many lessons that are waiting to be learned. It really does have this ability to make this change in your life, but you must first be open to it.

Let’s say your desire to start comes from a place in you that is purely physical, this is great because there are many benefits to receive like weight management, relief from pain, and increased mobility (just to name a few).

Let’s examine some of the ways your physical (asana) practice can have an impact in other ways:

Patience

Your asana practice calls for you to detach from your ego. Yes, the practice is in many ways goal oriented, but staying in the present and feeling the pose for what it is in the moment has its’ own way of taking you where you need to be.  It’s nice to set goals of achieving particular poses and it is very rewarding to see how your body’s ability can change, but it’s the patience to get there that may be challenging or even frustrating sometimes. It’s putting the time and consistency into performing foundational poses that will help you to build the necessary skills, and/or prepare your body for what’s to come next. If you come back to what the practice is asking you, to detach, to exercise patience, then what you desire will come to you. We can take this lesson off of the mat.  If you are working towards a career, or some type of financial goal, being present and taking time to take the necessary steps will only help you to build the proper foundation in order for you to have lasting results.

Reduce worry

For that hour you may spend doing an online or in person yoga class, it truly feels like meditation. You are so focused on your breath, the transitions, and the poses, that you have no time to focus on past or future events. You are totally engrossed in the moment. It feels great, there is no room for worry. A beautiful shift happens once you realize that it does not have to end when the class is over. This deep work that you are doing on the mat creates new patterns in the brain and nervous system. You are effectively teaching yourself how to do this more often. It becomes more natural in other life situations to bring your focus into the present. It does feel difficult sometimes, but just the mere awareness and then attempt to do so will help you to gain perspective in certain situations. Instead of worrying about what may happen, you learn to relinquish some control of the outcome.

Both of these things barely skim the surface of the benefits you take with you off of the mat, but I’m sure you can imagine the spillover into multiple areas of life.

Go to the mat for one reason and walk away feeling the benefit of many.

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Yoga & Meditation

Your Psoas and Your Yoga

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BY: TRISHA CURLING 

You have this nagging pain in your back, that seems to flare up just a little bit more after sitting for long periods of time. You find yourself having to get up from your desk at work to stretch and move around, just enough to find that wonky position that will help to relieve you from pain, even if it’s for just a moment. There can be a number of reasons that are contributing to it, but let’s have a look at your psoas.

This muscle is a primary hip flexor and is sometimes referred to as your Iliopsoas due to the way in which the Iliacus and psoas major are “joined” together.  It’s also the only muscle in the body that connects the spine to the lower limbs.

This muscle can often become tight and weak. A couple of the reasons this may happen is because there is a consistent level of inactivity. If you are sitting for lengthy amounts of time and/or you are not giving your body the opportunity to move in a variety of angles to both strengthen and lengthen this muscle, it can contribute to this tightness and weakness.

You can also consider whether or not significant lordosis of the spine is an issue for you. This tightness and weakness can cause a “pulling” of the spine forward, therefore “tipping” the pelvis forward causing an excessive anterior pelvic tilt that causes compression in the lumbar spine that contributes to your back pain.

Here is a yoga pose that may help to offset the positioning of the pelvis and contribute to the lengthening and strengthening of the psoas.

Crescent Lunge (Anjenyasana)

From a standing position, step one foot back far enough down your mat in order to maintain lots of length in the back leg. Keep a nice bend in the front knee, all while maintaining alignment of the knee straight above the ankle or just behind it. Feet should be on parallel lines (about a hip’s distance apart so that your front hip bones are looking straight forward). Next, float your arms straight up by your ears with your palms facing one another. Keep your shoulders and hands relaxed. Also, begin to lengthen down through your tailbone while pulling your front ribs towards your back ribs. Stay there for a few breaths. This will help you to feel that length in the front of the hip in your back leg.

To increase some of the benefits, you may also vary your positioning in the pose. If you have the right leg forward, you can drop your right hand down beside you and stretch your left arm towards your right shoulder. You can take this one step further by reaching that same left arm diagonally towards the right corner of your mat.  Be sure to hold these for a few breaths and repeat on each side.

It doesn’t mean that this will “fix” your pain, but practicing yoga consistently, varying your movements, and paying attention to posture throughout your day will all contribute to putting you on a path that will help to minimize. Consulting with your physician is always #1 on the list but finding yoga postures that feel helpful for YOUR BODY and practicing them consistently will help you to find ease and less pain.

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Health & Wellness

Splits for Life

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BY: TRISHA CURLING 

Splits or Hanumanasana carries a beautiful story and was told to me for the first time by a brilliant yoga teacher and friend from Sweden, by the name of Ingrid Andrén (Owner of Studio Move It). I won’t get into the whole story, but she took us on a journey through her entire class.

By way of the story, she helped us to understand that “This pose asks you not merely to stretch your legs but also to bring true devotion into your practice. Hanumanasana expresses the expansiveness possible…the sense that you can overcome any obstacle when your yearning to help is combined with reverence and respect…In Hanumanasana you strive to reach much further than seems humanly possible.” (Aadil Palkhivala, Yoga Column: Hanumanasana, Yoga Journal, Aug 28, 2007).

When you hear “splits” you might think, forget it, that’s not possible. You might be right, but you also might be wrong.  It’s true that not every pose is for everyone and there are a number of reasons why this could be, but the journey and process arguably outweighs the end result.

There are a number of poses that will help to prepare you for Hanumanasana.  Keep in mind, however, that if splits are not the pose for you, along the way you will gain benefits like increased flexibility, strength and confidence.

Here are two poses that are essential to incorporate in your regular practice.

  1. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana): In a seated position on your mat, extend both legs out in front of you. If the legs cannot be completely straight, take them out as long as your body will allow. Next, on an inhale, lengthen through the spine by sitting up tall. On your exhale, lean your chest forward while keeping the shoulder blades slightly drawn in towards one another. Your chest should feel as though it is reaching to touch the tips of your toes. Take your arms forward to grasp your feet. You may want to place a yoga strap around your feet if you cannot reach them. This will allow you to grab each side of the strap with your hands to walk yourself forward with more support. Stay in the pose for a few breaths and enjoy the gentle lengthening of your hamstrings and calf muscles.
  1. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana): From Downward Facing Dog, shift your weight forward while stepping the right foot in front between your hands. At the same time, lower the back knee down, uncurl the toes and place the top of your foot on your mat.  Brace your waist (feel as though you are lifting your pubic bone towards your chest), lengthen your tailbone down, and inhale as you lift your arms up. Stay for a few breaths to feel the lengthening of your hip flexors and repeat on the other side.

All while practicing the physicality of the postures, it is impossible to leave behind the confidence and conquering that become part of your mindset. The sense of power and accomplishment accompany these preparation poses as much as Hanumanasana itself.

The most important takeaway that Andrén left us with at the end of her class was, “Don’t tell Hanuman how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your Hanuman is..”  I hope this serves you in both your journey to splits and in life.

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