Tight Psoas???

There have been so many articles written by William Broad in the past couple of years that have slandered yoga as a practice that will either cripple you or kill you.  As a teacher, I think that it's important to take an approach that has therapeutic benefits and minimize the scare tactics.  I have a student and friend, Dave, who I also regard as a mentor as it pertains to anatomy and physiology.  He is a physical therapist who actually practices yoga and has adapted his PT practice to incorporate yoga techniques to facilitate healing in his clients.  I have been working with him for over two years with not only my own injuries, but those of some of my students which range from simple aches from misalignment to acute pain brought on by hyper-mobility.  None of the injuries are a result of my class, but rather they walk into my class hoping for a cure.  When they describe the issues they are having, I give them Dave's number if it's something I feel he should look at first before they continue with their yoga practice.  Most students are able to continue coming to class while Dave treats them which gives me a chance to see how he wants them to modify certain poses.  This only furthers my teaching abilities to make my classes safer and more therapeutic for my students.

I was speaking with a friend yesterday who I haven't spoken to in a while.  She is a fellow teacher who went through training with me for both 200hr & 500hr YTT.  As we were catching up, she was discussing the idea of opening a yoga studio, but was not sure how successful she could be with it since there is so much saturation in the market.  I began to tell her about the direction I've been going in with my teaching and personal philosophy around yoga and how it's become more therapeutic and using aspects of physical therapy to heal, transform and strengthen the body so it's less prone to injury in yoga.  This inspired her to consider therapeutic yoga since she knows of several studios that don't give enough alignment queues, which could result in injuries.....hence the need for her studio.

As I continued my conversation with my friend yesterday, we were discussing certain stretches that I have learned to release muscles that often get tight over the course of a normal day.  Our conversation inspired me to share what I have learned on my own path of healing and learning to navigate my own trouble spots in my body.  The muscle that tends to tighten up the most seems to be the ilio-psoas muscle, which traverses the body from the back at the lumbar spine, around to the front of the body and attaches at the inner thigh.  When we sit a lot, the area at the hip crease tends to shorten, causing pain upon standing.  If we have a posterior pelvic tilt when standing, which thrusts the hips forward, the pain tends to go to the psoas at the low back because it's being  impinged.  In my experience, I have felt both.  In working with Dave, he came up with a stretch that helps release the psoas to make life more comfortable.  The first stretch is a gentler version of the second.  The second pose is not recommended if you have a serious ankle, knee or back injury.

First, use a heating pad to warm and soften the tight muscle area.  Here, I am heating the front of my psoas.  Do this for at least 5 minutes before stretching.

Once the muscle is warmed up, lay down on the edge of a bed or table and have one leg hanging off. Hold your foot in your hand....DO NOT PULL or offer resistance to the leg; let gravity do the work.  Tone the navel toward the spine even though you have the support of a bed beneath you.  Hold this position for one minute.  Breathe.

If you have been experiencing chronic tightness of the psoas, it is recommended to do this stretch 3x a day.


The other variation is much deeper and only for experienced yogis who do not have injuries to the ankle, knee or back.  In my experience, this stretch releases the WHOLE psoas.

Again, begin with the heating pad for at least 5 minutes and then open the psoas with the first stretch above.  Once you have done that, bring yourself into Ardha Supta Virasana.

If you are really tight...even for an experienced yogi, keeping one foot on the floor may be enough.  Hug the (right)ankle in toward the body and anchor the knee toward the floor.  Imagine you are stretching your knee down and away from you.  Breathe.

Tone the navel toward the spine so there is less of an arch to the low back, bringing the lowest ribs closer to the floor.  If you need more stretch, hold the back of the (left) leg and bring it towards the body.  Keep anchoring the right knee towards the floor and hugging the ankle in.  Hold for at least 30 seconds.  Breathe.

I have many other stretches I plan to share with you and maybe even have Dave weigh in on a few.

To your continued health and vitality!!

Namaste!
Kristen

The Rut

It's been a week since I last practiced asana(yoga poses).  Before that, it had been a week as well.  I can say that it's a busy time of year when the children go back to school and there just isn't time....or in the weeks prior, it was because camp had ended and my kids were home and I couldn't attend class or I was away with my family, but I'm a teacher....I shouldn't have to attend class to say I practiced.  I can go it alone at home....just me and my mat, which right now sounds quite appealing.  That is, if my two children weren't home from school for Rosh Hashana and dominating my bedroom, which is the only space I have in my house to roll out my mat.  Sure, I can ask them nicely to take their TV watching elsewhere in the house, but then there's the issue of my hamstring.  Do I really want to aggravate it like I did when I practiced a week ago?

I know, I know.  Excuses, excuses.  Fact is, I'm in a practice rut.  I get this way from time to time, where making the effort to step onto my mat or attend class seems like a monumental feat.  To find and then stay with my breath is elusive and frustrating.  To just allow myself to flow in and out of poses with ease instead of over-thinking, "are my shoulders aligned?", "am I engaging my core enough to protect my back?", "is this stretch too much for my hamstring?"  The things I ask my self during my practice all elude to one line of thinking....I'm broken.  That thinking has to change so I can get on my mat fearlessly.  Getting on my mat has become work.....a chore...and as my husband knows all too well, I hate chores.  I've become the person (temporarily) who buys a gym membership, but never goes.

So what do I do in lieu of practicing?  I write a blog about why I'm not practicing.  Comical.  This however, is a form of practice.  It builds awareness which is what yoga teaches us.  I can just pour it out right here.  Read it back a few times and face the truth....then do something about it.  Maybe.  The truth is, I'm lazy.  My yoga practice has to incorporate physical therapy to keep my body tuned up or I risk injury again.  The idea of having to include all those exercises into my practice could keep me on my mat for 2+ hours.  I'm still figuring it out and overwhelmed by the task.  I just need to learn how to focus on one thing at a time instead of everything all at once.

Lately I've turned to meditation as a way to deepen the connection with myself, my thoughts and my feelings.  As much as I love to meditate, I tend to, again, make excuses not to do it.  Errands, laundry, kids, etc. take precedence over what could help me shift from the inside out.  I was telling my students the other day that the one relationship that tends to be put on the back burner, is the relationship we have with ourselves.  Like anything that becomes a permanent fixture in our lives that we know is always there, we take it for granted and don't pay as much attention to it as we should to nurture and cultivate a healthy sense of self awareness and self love.  Instead of being the clunky piece of immovable furniture that we trip over once in a while, we can be that prized possession that takes center stage, gets polished and shown off.  We have been and always will be with ourselves until the day we die, so it's a good idea to learn to love yourself as much as possible and know yourself better than anyone else if you want to enjoy and grow in this life.

So how do I surface from this rut?  I just have to push through and get focused.  Just like any chore....like cleaning my house....once I get going, it's not so bad and I actually get on a roll and have a nice sense of accomplishment when it's all done.  So I guess you could say, my asana practice is house keeping for my body, mind and spirit....which right now has a few too many cobwebs, dust bunnies and creaky floor boards that need tending to.

Time to push through.

Namaste!

Kristen

Springtime Seduction

I’m sure most people have noticed that spring has arrived a bit early this year in terms of the emergence of plants and flowers. But it’s also having affects on the terrestrial creatures. I noticed its effects on February 16^th. That’s when my spring fever hit and I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin because I had so much nervous energy and such a heightened sense of awareness that it was simply overwhelming. It’s as though the earth got the cue to start blooming and sent a shock-wave of energy out to all living things…..humans included. We are, after all, animals, highly evoloved, but just as affected by the change in the seasons as other creatures. Spring has a physiological affect on us. It’s not just in your head. Spring fever is best characterized by restlessness, loss in appetite and nervous energy. The longer daylight hours trigger a drop in melatonin to the brain, so we suddenly have more energy when spring hits. Makes perfect sense. It’s mating season!!!

I think this is a really cool occurrence. In a time where we are so reliant on gadgets to help us navigate through life, almost eliminating our need to rely on instinct, we have this natural phenomenon that happens every year that is embedded in our instincts from the dawn of man and maybe you feel its effects, maybe you don’t. The fact is, this phenomenon we call spring fever is so visceral, so primal, so intuitive….and yet there are probably people out there who have no idea why they feel so frustratingly good once the sun comes out and kisses the skin. This is such a magical time to really tune in to your body and your senses and experience life from a sensual place. Spring fever gives most people extra energy, so what do we do with that? A lot of us go use it on exercise; others perhaps use it on creative endeavors; while others expend their energy on the chase and some extra circular activities. Wink, wink.  Nudge, nudge.

On your mat, you have an opportunity to explore that sensual side as you move through asana (yoga poses) and connect with your breath. Notice your heartbeat. Is it quickened or slow and steady? Notice the parts of your body that you love and praise them. Love yourself up!!! Think of this time on your mat as a hot date with yourself. Allow yourself to be seduced by your breath, the movement of your body as you flow through poses; being completely in your senses. 

                                                                                                                                                  

For some of us, to allow ourselves to open up to our sensual side can be scary. It breaks us wide open and makes us feel vulnerable.  We are raw, real and primal in that moment and it can feel like we are losing our sense of control. However, if you allow it, it can be so liberating and so blissful; you may find yourself in tears. Let it go. Let yourself go. Liberate yourself. Move from a place of intuitive knowing. You know the poses and their alignment… now move from a place of feeling. If your breath becomes an ecstatic moan, let it be so. Be yourself on your mat; your true, ecstatic, vulnerable self. 

                                               
                                                     

                                                         

Relinquish your control and your measured responses with yourself. Why would you have measured responses with yourself anyway?? Let the boundaries you put in place with yourself fade away. When you allow those boundaries and obstacles to crumble, you connect so much deeper to everything going on within you and everything around you as well. Your practice can become an all encompassing experience if you want it to be: you connect to your breath, your body, your thoughts and emotions and to some degree, depending on how spiritual you are, your higher self.

I have been known to liken my yoga practice to the greatest sex of my life because I feel like I am making love to my soul. For me to have to back away from my asana practice when I injured myself was like being forced to break up with the love of my life. My heart broke. And yet, during my physical therapy, I have had my weak moments where I have ventured back to that love only to suffer a set back in my healing. My practice has become the lover I simply can’t stay away from.

Even now, as the weather gets warmer and days longer, I feel that familiar pull on my heartstrings; that need to indulge in my sensual self; to turn myself upside down and inside out to connect with my heart and be moved to tears as I reunite with the greatest parts of myself.

This is what I hope for all yoga students. To experience that same visceral connection, that intuitive pull to discover how amazing you are and crave to rediscover it everyday.


"For it was not into my ear that you whispered, but my heart.
It was not my lips that you kissed, but my soul".

~Judy Garland


Namaste!

Kristen

You can get hurt doing yoga???? Really???

According to the New York Times, yoga can wreck your body.  Honestly, I'm appalled that the NY Times would publish such an article.  Granted it was balanced enough in its view on the subject, but for anyone who was on the fence and contemplating taking yoga in the new year; just the title of the article alone will scare them away.

Given the negative press yoga received, I have made it my mission this week to speak to my students about the article in case any of them read it and to provide a realistic perspective on the issue.  Yes, you can can hurt yourself doing yoga.  The article cited extreme instances where people have gotten injured and perhaps done themselves permanent harm.  These cases were ones where students of yoga were either being poorly advised by under trained teachers or trying to advance their practice on their own without the guidance of a decent teacher.  It's no surprise that these people have "wrecked" their bodies.  Let's use common sense people and listen to our bodies which actually communicate with us better than most people.  Many of the big corporate run gyms only require that yoga instructors be AFAA certified.  An AFAA certification is an online course with a one day workshop!!  It's a joke.  It's not enough training to ensure that students are practicing as safely as possible.   If you are going to take a yoga class or work to advance your practice, please make sure your teacher is at least 200hr. certified.....500hr. certified is even better.

Another problem that most people face is their ego.  The ego is a double edged sword.  It's wonderful in survival situations where it is imperative to succeed, but when faced with challenges of executing impossible asana that our bodies may not be ready for, the ego can talk us into pushing ourselves further than we should.  We end up competing with ourselves and the other yogis around us who's practice may be more advanced.  That's how injuries happen.  One of my students said most injuries follow seven words....,"Hey, I'm getting really good at this."

Now, I'm not saying don't strive to advance your practice, but one must be mindful of when the ego is driving the car and if it's heading for a cliff.  Yoga is such a healing practice.....and if all you are seeking are the healing benefits of yoga, there is no need to make it advanced.  Gentle yoga, basics classes or any myriad of the gentler forms of Hatha yoga are are all good options for healing the body.  But if advancing your practice is something you are interested in, you must consult a knowledgeable teacher and work with them to ensure a safe advancement in your practice.  It's just common sense.

Thank you for reading.

May joy coarse through your veins as you explore and experience a deeper sense of yourself through your practice.

Namaste!

Kristen

Swerving Into Oncoming Traffic

I've taken my asana practice from a vigorous vinyasa and sloppy alignment back to a basic level with more mindful movement. My ego still taunts me as I put myself in the hands of my teachers, admitting I need help with what I thought was a beautiful and mindful practice. Surrendering now to teachers who have watched my progress over the past year, possibly cringing, and now showing me where I've gone wrong as I work to correct my practice.

Was I that cocky to think that my asana practice was so strong that it didn't need correcting? Have I really become so wrapped up in asana that I've forgotten the core values of yoga? That all that matters is how bendy I can get or how strong I can be to hold an arm balance? I'm no better than the typical gym rat who simply obsesses about MORE. I rarely take the time to read about the core tenets of yoga and how to best incorporate them into my life.

I want to be a good example to my students and my injury to my back has given me pause. I am so far away from where I was during teacher training. When I decided I wanted to be a yoga teacher, I did so because I wanted to help others work out their own lives through the practice of yoga. Only problem is that I haven't been practicing yoga.......I've only been practicing asana.

In the day-to-day hustle of getting kids off to school and me off to class either to practice or teach and then run errands if I have time, I have forgotten to look around or even notice my own thoughts and actions. It's just go, go, go and don't dare stop until everyone is happy.

I've been so busy that I barely noticed that I've disconnected from myself. My soul. The part of me that I came to know and love so fiercely over the course of teacher training and have now lost sight of. That was my yoga. That changed how I moved through the course of my day and treated people I came in contact with. I felt connected to myself and the world around me in the best way. Now I simply move through the motions, not thinking mindfully enough about the impact my words or actions may have and possibly hurting myself or others by being careless. It's kind of like accidentally swerving into oncoming traffic. You need to pay attention to the road.

And so it's a metaphor for my practice. I move on my mat the way I move through life.....thinking I'm doing everything right, but not really paying attention until the proof is in my face that what I was doing was wrong. Admitting to being wrong is where my ego steps in. As a perfectionist, being wrong is just a tough pill to swallow. So I reluctantly surrender, cry a bit and then ask for help and cry some more as I ask for that help. My ego making me feel ashamed as if to say, "Nice job. Fine mess you have made of yourself.", glaring down at me in disappointment. And then it laughs at me while I cry.

I know it's all in my head.....and it's twisted and cruel what my own thoughts will do to me. But this is what I get for disconnecting from my soul by not being more mindful. As I learn to reconnect and get back to that place of peace I found within myself, the cruel voice of my ego will soften and be more nurturing as it was during teacher training. I need to learn to be friends with myself again instead of being the overly demanding boss that expects nothing less than perfect.

With an abundance of love and gratitude.

Namaste!

Kristen

When all else fails....

Despite the discomfort in my back, I practiced yoga yesterday morning at the beloved Saraswati's Yoga Joint. I've been feeling so disconnected from my kula and I was dying to get back on my mat and just move my body. I made a promise with myself before class began that I would modify heavily to accommodate my back. Normally I would've intercepted Donna before class just to give her a heads up, but class got going a few minutes late, so I opted to just keep my promise to myself and not worry about it.

I moved well through most of class, albeit much slower than I normally do. I needed to be mindful of every movement and every muscle engagement to ensure I was practicing as safely as possible. I wasn't concerned with keeping up with everyone else.......I just wanted to practice moving consciously. I made sure to scoop my tailbone in every Cobra and engage my core continually through class since I have recently discovered actually diminishes the pain in my back quite significantly. However, the extent to which I must engage my core is hard to maintain over very long periods of time, so I move through waves of pain and comfort throughout the day.

Class was going well until we moved into back bends. Dhanurasana and Salabhasana are not terrible on my back, but when Donna called out Ustrasana, I went straight into Child's Pose. My ego again taunting me and I fought back tears of frustration. It's hard for me to accept that I can't do a pose when I've worked so hard to bring my practice to where it is. As a perfectionist, I want to be able to do do everything well and when I'm forced to take 10 steps backward; even if it is for the best, I feel a kind of shame.....like I have been forced to give up when I never wanted to quit.

As class moved on, we came to Bridge Pose and Urdvha Dhanurasana. I figured I would be okay in Bridge Pose the whole time. I used a block between my thighs and made sure my ankles squeezed towards each other, I made sure my knees reached in one direction as my chest reached in the other. I made sure not to squeeze my glutes and even used my hands to support my low back. I engaged my abs, but to no happy endings. When we were done and came into Supta Padangustasana, I closed my eyes. My back stung and tears streamed from the corners of my eyes onto my mat. I did everything I thought I was supposed to do to create a comfortable Bridge Pose and got a world of hurt instead. When you do everything in your power to try and make it better for yourself in the pose and nothing works, what then? No Bridge Pose for a while as well? Back bends are supposed to be the most therapeutic poses in yoga when done correctly. So what now?

I had plans to take Mitchel's class Tuesday night since he knows of my back issues and can offer adjustments during class that may bring relief to my back. After yesterday's class, I have offered to help assist Mitchel with adjustments during his class instead of potentially putting myself in another painful situation.

I have tried to correct my poses in an effort to alleviate my pain. Acupuncture may be next or a private session with Mitchel. My asana practice doesn't feel like a wise option right now, so when all else fails......teach. The silver lining on this whole issue is that I'm learning (the hard way) what I need to tell my students to do in their practice to avoid injury and back pain. In the end it just makes me a much better teacher and one my students will trust.

With an abundance of love and gratitude.

Namaste!

Kristen

Backing Down

I am one of those people who rarely backs down from a challenge. If you tell me I can't do something, I will do everything in my power to prove you wrong. That's clearly my ego getting the best of me and me giving in to it.

In terms of my asana practice, this presents a problem. In all my striving to advance my practice, I will sometimes ignore the pain or discomfort in my body simply to prove to myself that I can do a certain pose. I will rationalize that what I feel is merely sore muscles from the practice the day before and that what I feel is just part of the process of teaching my body more advanced asana. What has to happen before I will honor the truth of what my body is telling me or must I learn the hard way and put myself in a situation where a certain pose will literally "break the yogi's back"?

Ever since I learned how to properly go into back bends, I am periodically plagued with pain in my lower back that clearly suggests I'm not doing my back bends correctly. How can this be? I teach back bends to my students and yet, I myself can't do one consistently without hurting myself? Now, this isn't always the case. Sometimes I go into a back bend with all the planets aligned and suffer no ill repercussions.....in fact, I end up wanting to do more, but more often than not, my back will pinch, ache and spasm following my attempts.

So here I am, sitting on my mat, fighting it out with my ego, trying not to let it get the best of me. The teacher says to the class as we are about to come into Ustrasana, "Please listen to your body before you listen to my voice."

The words offered comfort and a way out and I knew it was okay to back down from my self-created challenge of going into a pose that I knew would sting my back and most certainly make me cry. With frustration boiling in my blood and tears beginning to well up in my eyes, I surrender to Child's Pose, my mind creating the illusion of defeat.

What have I learned? No amount of ego tripping is worth hurting myself or taking a situation from bad to worse. My body knows what it needs and I have to learn to honor that and take better care of myself so my body can take better care of me. Just because I am unable to come into a pose over the course of several classes does not mean that I am broken and will never be able to perform back bends ever again. This is a bump in the road on my journey through my yoga practice. It serves as a reminder to recognize when I am allowing my ego to push my buttons to the point of ignoring the needs of my body for the sake of feeling victorious in my practice.

After all, if you don't listen to the signals your body is giving, you are more or less beating yourself up. In the end, the body will take you out when it's had enough. What does that say about how you feel about yourself if you are continually beating yourself up to satisfy your ego? Yoga is about connection and honoring the connections between yourself and all living and non-living things. When you ignore the connections closest to you, you need to ask why. What is going on in your life that pushes you to beat yourself up and act out in ways contrary to the values at the core of yoga? We want to move and act from a place of love and joy, and when we aren't feeling those things; it shows in our practice on and off our mats. We become competitive with ourselves and those around us. Perhaps we or others have expectations of us that we aren't living up to and then we "punish" ourselves on our mat trying to at least live up to our own expectations in our asana practice. After all, its just yoga.....isn't it?

Be gentle, forgiving and patient with yourself. We have perfection residing within each of us, but that doesn't mean we are infallible or indestructible.

By backing down and not giving into the ego, you are sending a clear and loving message to yourself that shows you love yourself enough to modify to your abilities, that you honor your body and in the act of honoring yourself, are truly practicing yoga.

With an abundance of love and gratitude!

Namaste!

Kristen