A Regular Yoga Practice Will Keep You Healthy

Under the heading of preventative care, yoga is something you can do at home to keep you healthy. An influential yoga instructor of mine (Lindsey Clennell, Senior Iyengar instructor, NYC) once told me 4 poses daily is all you need for a yoga practice: dog pose and 3 standing poses. A few years later I noticed he had cut it back to 3. The idea is to get the mat on the floor and get started - 3-4 poses constitutes a daily practice.

I have a rope wall in my meditation/yoga room in my home. I begin with a supported dog pose using ropes for 3-4 minutes (5 minutes is optimal for dog pose). Then i do a chair twist, followed by triangle, half moon pose and usually reverse triangle (for the twisting action). Sometimes I'll throw in Warrior I or parsvottanasana. I then do some leg stretches on the wall ropes, and 21 sit-ups (21 is a Taoist number, that's why i use it). That's enough to quickly get me stretched out and to get my joints and muscle ready to take me through the day. In evenings or weekends when i have more time, i'll add a couple of inversions: headstand, shoulder stand followed by halasana (plow pose). These poses were chosen to support back health. (I've had a number of injures).

During times when i'm tired & run down i have have a group of restorative poses i like to do, including the inversions. I have worked out these sequences after years of regular (3days/week) Iyengar yoga classes in NY & San Diego.

If you don't know the poses by name, take some classes, or get a tape. Once you have a few standing poses under your belt, you can begin a home practice.

In addition to stretching the body and building muscle tone, yoga builds the immune system and reduces stress, by inducing the relaxation response. When we are under stress, we go into what's called the flight or fight scenario. We get ready for fight or flight in response to the perceived would be attacker (this response was developed over millions of years of evolution). All non-essential systems get shut down: digestion, elimination, immune function, in order to devote all available to defense or flight: muscles, energy production, vision, hearing. Yoga & acupuncture reverses the fight or flight response by putting the body into relaxation mode. The digestive system is opening and flowing so that we get optimal nutrition extracted and stored from our food to create energy and fuel the cells and organs. Immune function is restored.

The fight or flight response explains stress related conditions, such as IBS, hypertension, acid reflux and people who get sick while over-working. Eating well, getting proper rest, exercising, including stress reduction activities such as tai qi, yoga & meditation all reduce the fight or flight response and keep the body functioning optimally.

Acupuncture too puts the body in deep relaxation mode, builds the immune system, reduces the effects the stress and calms the mind. KB

Study Shows Yoga Practice Reduces Inflamation Associated with Age Related Diseases

Those who have been following by blog know that I am a yogini: a female yogi, or yoga practitioner. As such, this study demonstrating the benefits of yoga in reducing inflammation, stress and aging caught my eye. I thought others would find it interesting, too. This study looked at yoga, but i believe similar results and benefits would be found with tai qi and qi gong (literally 'qi work' or energy work/cultivation: yoga is a qi gong exercise).

I recently ran across some old "Yoga Journal" articles showing the benefits of restorative yoga for chronic illness, AIDS and auto immune disorders. Restorative yoga are relaxation poses requiring little to no muscle work, so that one lies in the pose for an extended period of time (5-10min. The idea is to put the body in a deep state of relaxation in order to rest and strengthen the immune system which is debilitated in chronic illness. In "Quantum Healing" Deepak Chopra discusses Ayurveda medicine (ancient Indian medicine developed by the vedics (sage doctors of the Hindu and yoga traditions: includes herbal, dietary and hot oil massage treatments). One the cardinal aims of Ayurveda treatment is to induce a deep state of relaxation so that the weak immune system can gather strength and activate itself. In the book he cites examples of cancer patients from his clinical practice who have achieved what traditional doctors call 'spontaneous' remissions (meaning medically unexplained) by using these practices to induce the healing response.

I highly recommend the book Relax and Renew about restorative yoga poses and sequences that anyone can do, regardless of physical condition or yoga experience (also included on the recommended reading list on this blog). For experienced yogis i would add Shoulder Stand (10-20min), Headstand 5-10min) and Halasana (5min). KB

Lift Your Armpit Chest: Yoga Instruction for Beautiful Posture Relieves Back Pain

I went to New York for New Year's, and while I was there I took a few yoga classes at my favorite yoga studio: the NY Iyengar Center. They had re-done it since I'd last visited a few years ago, and it is beautiful. What a treat to take classes there. Quite a different experiences from when I was a regular student there, some years back.

I heard an instruction in all the classes I took there, which I have not heard in a long-time: "Lift your armpit chest". This is a regular instruction you hear oft repeated in all the beginner classes there, that I had forgotten. It reminded me of a crucial step in maintaining back health: posture.

When Iyengar instructors say "Lift your armpit chest", they are referring to the area of the upper ribcage, just under the armpit (axilla), about 3" down, or where a tank top armhole opening would be. When one lifts this area, the sternum automatically lifts, followed by the collar bones.

In fact I once took a class there with Mary Dunn (recently deceased) who spent an entire class (or what seemed to be) in tadasana (tree or mountain pose) focusing on lifting the collarbone and rolling it up, like the top of a sardine can.

When the sternum and collarbones lift, the scapular area (shoulder blades) draw down towards the waist, and in toward the lungs and front body. Now one has a fully erect spine, and beautiful posture.

Since taking these classes, I have continued to remind myself of 'lifting the armpit chest' whenever i catch myself slumping forward: working at my desk, driving, cooking - any activity. I'm finding that by maintaining more optimal posture I have less back fatigue and tension, and consequently more energy. What a way to begin the new year :) KB


Photo: Oleg Klementiev oObsessed, flickr Creative Commons 2.0

Karin Stephan's Twelve Recipes for Health: Spiritual Tips for the New Year

The following steps for health come from a handout I received in an Iyengar yoga workshop in NYC in 1996. Karin Stephan is a certified Iyengar yoga instructor. I'm sure you'll find that incorporating these tips into your life will bring health and spiritual fulfillment: an auspicious start to the new year.

"The body is my temple, the asanas are my prayers" BKS Iyengar

"Beauty is where the self is not" Krishnamurti


I. Have a daily spiritual practice with a physical foundation:

Have a daily spiritual practice of some kind which makes you fell better physically. Some practices which directly affect the physical body are yoga, meditation, walking etc.

I do yoga, meditation, and affirmations daily, morning or evening, regularly including pranayama, or yoga deep-breathing exercises. I begin my day, and often end it with qi gong breathing into the 3 Jiaos, or regions of the abdomen. This year I've begun reading "The Path to Tranquility" by the Dalai Lama daily. There is a contemplation for each day of the year. I have a yoga/meditation room in my home for spiritual practice. If you do not have a room to spare, find a corner in which to create a sacred space. You could screen off an area. KB


II. Eat only when hungry. Prepare the body to receive the food you prepare:

Eat only when you're hungry. Think that each meal should bring you pleasure. Visualize ahead of time what would satisfy and try to prepare that meal at least once a day.

Yogi's suggest eating only until you are 80% full to prevent overeating. KB


III. Visualize meals. Prepare them with the pleasure principle in mind:

As you're going through the day, visualize what dishes would give you the most satisfaction and then cook those foods with that image in mind.


IV. Seek pleasing environments for yourself:

Always search for the correct physical and aesthetic environment which gives you pleasure. Learn to recognize which activities and places give you the most pleasure, satisfying as many parts of your physical, psychological and emotional being as possible.

This might be a favorite walk or waterfall, and return there often. The buddists say these types of magical places are full of 'drala' energy. Dralas are spiritual beings, but not buddhas or bodhisattvas. Kind of spiritual fairies.

Make daily life an adventure. KB


V. Friends of like mind:

Seek the company of like mind. If you're a mental person and if you enjoy literary people in the arts, spend time with them. If you're a film or opera buff, find a friend to see movies or operas with. Mental and artistic activity is also a form of food.

Google for a "Meet-up" group of a special interest, such as hiking or dining out. Or go to the "Meet-up" site and start a "Meet-up" group of your interest. KB


VI. Recognize sources of negative behavior:

Learn to recognize sources of negative behavior and work on those sources. Do not just treat the symptoms. Find the root cause. "Seeing is acting" says Krishnamurti. Once you see it, you can modify it.


VII. Resolve internal conflict right away:

Seek resolution of internal conflict as soon as it arises either through self reflection, reading, working with a therapist, direct dialogue.

Or journaling. KB


VIII. Develop an inner sense of independence:

Develop an inner sense of independence not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. That way people around you are free to give or not to give, be with you or not be with you. Do not set up situations where people are dependent on you either.

IX. Develop gratitude:

Learn to develop gratitude for all that comes your way, even the tiniest gift form a tiny child.

I say my gratitudes daily, usually at meal time: expressing appreciation for the organic nutrititious and satisfying meal I'm about to eat, my home, my life in Asheville, my practice and so forth. When I fall into a wave of negativity or self pity, I quickly remind myself of all the blessings in my life, and all the people through out the world who have a much more difficult life than I do. This never fails to pull up my vibration and put events into a healthy perspective. KB

X. The body as a vessel for the well being of others:

Nourish and heal the body not as an end in itself but in order to bring health and happiness to those around.

This would be a buddhist perspective. I have found that I get a great deal of pleasure in helping others. Simply: doing deeds for others makes me happy. This is partly why years ago, when I did the soul searching, I decided to enroll in acupuncture college so to become an acupuncturist: I wanted to devote my life to the well being of others, as I determined that this pursuit would be emotionally and spiritually satisfying and nurturing. I find the pursuit of personal pleasure for its own sake to be too narcissistic to provide any kind of lasting or eternal happiness. KB


XI. Know that everything is constantly changing and that conflict is naturally seeking resolution, war, peace, confusion, order, bondage, freedom.

The buddhists emphasize that nothing is permanent (like this recession), and that the only thing we can depend on is change. Trying to maintain the status quo will only lead to unhappiness, because everything will eventually change. We can never fulfill a pursuit to maintain events on a permanent basis: the act of attempting to do so will inevitably be futile and will therefore lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness. So if you are rich, trying to maintain that status will inevitably bring unhappiness because that state cannot be maintained because everything changes. However, when things are down, remember that that too is not a permanent situation, so it will change according to the natural law. The key is being able to maintain a sense of peace of mind no matter what the exterior events may bring. This is buddhahood. KB


XII. Seek your own freedom in this lifetime and free others in the process.

Everyone dances to the beat of a different drummer. Find your beat and allow others to dance to theirs. KB


*70. "Regard your body as a vessel
A mere boat for going here and there;
make of it a wish-fulfilling gem
To bring about the benefit of beings."

"We should use the body, which is made up of impure ingredients, to support our intention to help others. If we use it properly for our spiritual growth, combining wisdom and means, we shall be able to develop a new realization and attain the omniscient rupakaya of the Tathagatas, which is like a wish-fulfilling jewel."

71. "Thus with free, untrammeled mind,
Have an ever-smiling countenance.
Rid yourself of scowling, wrathful frowns;
And be a true, sincere friend to beings."

from "A Flash of Lightening in the Dark of Night, A Guide to A Bodhisattva's Way of Life".
The Dalai Lama

*from the Bodhicharyvatara