My Thursday night yoga class follows a spin class. One of the members of that class has started to take my yoga class. She has found it helps her stretch out after spinning and yoga compliments spinning well. I went home that night to find an email from Yoga Journal article "Four Yoga Poses for Spinning and Outdoor Cycling." The article has 4 slides of the poses 3 of which we usually do during Thursday night yoga. I mentioned the article to Phil the spinning instructor who mentioned he has a colleague who teaches spinning and yoga. So I did more research and found there are places that teach 1 hour classes. The first half hour is spinning followed by a half hour of yoga in another room. I found an article from the Huffington Post that describes the benefits of combining spinning and yoga. The combination of spinning and yoga gives us a well rounded workout.
One area I would like to research more is how including yoga could prevent injuries from spinning/cycling. On 3/22/14 I blogged about piriformis muscle injuries related to bicycling and using yoga to help... But how could yoga prevent injuries? The four poses suggested by Yoga Journal are: Easy Spinal Twist Supta Eka Pada Rajakapotasana - Reclining One-legged King Pigeon Pose Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge pose Baddha Konasana - bound angle pose (butterfly) Click on the link below for the slide show for the above poses.
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One of my students shared a great success story with me yesterday. This lady, we will call her Ann, (not her real name) participates in my Stretch and Flex water aerobics class and my Chair Yoga classes. Ann has a rose bush garden. The roses have become overgrown over the past years as physically Ann has not been able to trim the bushes. This week, she went out to the garden, cut all the dead branches off and trimmed the live ones! Ann attributes this energy and ability to her participation in water aerobics and the yoga! What a great story! Do you have a story you would like to share? We use Uttasana or Stand Forward Fold multiple times throughout our class practice. It is used during Sun Salutation, moving from floor to standing or standing to floor and to move from pose to pose. I was taught to fold at the hips with legs straight like the person on the left in the following illustration. When I took some teacher training specifically geared to anatomy and yoga, I learned to practice Forward Folds with knees bent like the person on the right of the illustration. I find it interesting that even leading journals and web sites like Yoga Journal teach the Forward Fold with straight legs. This illustration from www.squencewiz.org, a website for yoga teachers, illustrates the differences between the two positions. The bent knee position is safer on the sacroiliac joint. From my own practice, I know that the straight leg position puts stress on the fascia that run down the back of the legs. These fascia also connect to the fascia along the bottom of the feet. As we stress the leg fascia, the feet fascia also become stressed. If we already have plantar fasciitis it may be inflamed. Even if we do not, we may find the fascia of our feet complaining with some pain. I teach the bent knee position. I have found it less stressful on my legs/feet and my lower back. I also feel that more of my students are able to maintain the bent knee position and therefore feel more successful. Hope this helps your personal practice. Feel free to give me feedback. Bee Breath or Bharamari is a fun breath that has a calming effect and elongates the exhale. Bee breath can be used to relieve anxiety, help ADHD, OCD and depression. I also read one website that suggested using Bee Breath for migraines. In India Bee Breath is often used for woman in labor. I have noticed when we are practicing Bee Breath in class, and I sit and listen, I feel a sense of calmness come over me and can not refrain from smiling.
How to: Sit comfortably in a quiet area, sitting tall, relaxed shoulders, eyes closed of lazily focused on the floor. Begin to focus on your breath, noticing the inhale and exhale. After a few breaths, focus on your exhale. Begin to "hum" your exhale. Tuck your chin slightly. As you continue to breath, notice where you feel the vibrations created by the humming exhale. Continue to practice Bee Breath following your comfort. Enjoy! Please share your experience with Bee Breath! References: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/buzz-away-the-buzzing-mind/ http://yogafordepression.com/bee-breath-brahmari-practice/ http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2012/01/12/bee-breath-yoga-meditation-bhramari-for-the-throat-chakra/ We have been practicing Bridge Pose in class. Bridge pose opens the front of our body. The following picture does a great job giving us pointers to a safe Bridge pose. If you click on the pic the website will open that includes some more tips and connections. Foundation is important for this pose: rolling shoulders under, bringing the shoulder blades together. Notice how open the woman's heart center is in the top pic. Hope this helps.
In previous blogs, I have posted about yoga poses that help us sleep. I found a great article from Yoga Journal about yoga to help kids settle before bed. The article contains a sequence of 12 poses in slide form. Each slide includes a description and an affirmation to say as the pose is performed. The article recommends an adult read the directions and help children say the affirmation. Children end their days with many feelings. They can be hyper from a day of school and activities such as sports, Girl Scouts, etc. Children may also be worried/anxious about something in their life. Either way, children also need a way to settle themselves for a good nights sleep. Try the "Bedtime Yoga Sequence for Kids," and see the difference. Click on the picture for the page on the website. Lindsay Resca of Sharon is a 12 year old yoga champion. She won first place in Mass State youth division for the second year in a row back in January. Lindsay was the overall New England Regional yoga Asana Championship in Madison, Conn. These winnings have earned Lindsay the right to compete for the national title in the USA Yoga National Yoga Championship in Blinghamton, N.Y this May. During last years nationals, Lindsay took third place! Lindsay is also a competitive Irish step dancer. Her mom is a yoga teacher. Mom has also competed in dance and yoga. Articles about Lindsay Wicked Local: http://sharon.wickedlocal.com/article/20150210/News/150219990 Boston Globe: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2015/03/01/sharon-yoga-master/oddUMgBYxYE5FqVUJ4JUNM/story.html |
AuthorI enjoy yoga as it brings peace to my life. Teaching yoga has brought joy to my life and given me a chance to encourage others in learning yoga. Archives
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