OK, so I was out of commission for 3-4 weeks this past month due to an over zealous ego of mine and a body that wasn't willing to cooperate as far as I thought it should. I was in my wonderful Power Yoga class feeling ever-so limber and strong, and I decided to fly a bit higher in crow pose than I ever had before. Well my lower back and shoulders knocked my ego into submission. So after an MRI, a couple of therapeutic rounds of an anti-inflammatory, physical therapy, and daily use of a posture shirt I'm on the road to recovery.
It amazes me that every time I experience trauma (of any kind actually) I find such gifts in the aftermath. For example, the posture shirt I've been wearing is very comfortable, I wish they sold them in cute styles that I could wear by themselves and not under my regular clothing. (If any of you happen to know of some brand that does have snazzy styles, I'd love to hear from you.) And my shoulders are feeling much stronger and more relaxed. But what I think I like most of all is this Foam Roller I got from my physical therapist. My muscles feel like they have lengthened as a result, and in turn have been far more agreeable to me!
So in my effort to take my exercise to new levels, I've overdone it yet again. But this has also been a reminder to listen more closely to my body and be respectful of it and its limitations. Namaste.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Turmeric Milk
I came across a recipe for turmeric milk that I just had to try. Seems that turmeric is a kind of miracle herb that works on treating the immune system by decreasing inflammation. The benefits, the blog post states, go well beyond just treating inflammation. Slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease? Really? Well I was completely in love with the taste, though I couldn't get Jeff to try it. I said it tastes like a mild curry sauce that we get at our local Thai food restaurant. He prefers to keep that flavor with the Thai dishes we love, not to drink. OK, I get it. But, I think I'll be having this drink quite often. Click on 'turmeric milk' to take you to the blog called Frugally Sustainable. Let me know if you try it. Tell me what you think!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Power Yoga
I just returned today from a fabulous yoga class: Power Yoga at my local YMCA. The beautifully fit instructor, Liz, had us set up poolside to do our yoga practice. To be honest, I grumbled inside when I heard that we were going to be on the pool deck. I've never been one to introduce extra heat to my yoga practice, and I actually felt like fate was working against me (or working to my benefit, as I found out later).
We started with a quiet, grounding mountain pose, then very slowly started building heat in our bodies by doing a number of sun salutations. My muscles perked up and took notice! She then took us through a more fluid, vinyasa style yoga practice. About a third of the way through the class, I was sweating--sweating even more than when I attend my Zumba class! Maybe these hot yoga teachers are on to something! (I'm still reserving judgment, however!) I was amazed at her gentle, but focused approach. She gave quiet encouragement, and beautifully re-positioned students to get the most out of the pose.
Toward the end of class, she said something when we were in a reclining twist that just hit me right between the eyes! "We are as young as our movable spines. Take care of your backs." And yes, isn't that the crux of all yoga practices? Being mindful of our bodies (especially our spines and backs) so that we can keep them malleable in order to reduce injury.
I was amazed at how good I felt after the rejuvenating practice, especially since this weekend my body decided to have another flare up. No fun, and Jeff even questioned my decision to go to yoga. But honestly, I believe the moving and strengthening got to the center of my muscles and just made them respond lovingly. I will definitely be adding this class to my exercise repertoire! Namaste.
We started with a quiet, grounding mountain pose, then very slowly started building heat in our bodies by doing a number of sun salutations. My muscles perked up and took notice! She then took us through a more fluid, vinyasa style yoga practice. About a third of the way through the class, I was sweating--sweating even more than when I attend my Zumba class! Maybe these hot yoga teachers are on to something! (I'm still reserving judgment, however!) I was amazed at her gentle, but focused approach. She gave quiet encouragement, and beautifully re-positioned students to get the most out of the pose.
Toward the end of class, she said something when we were in a reclining twist that just hit me right between the eyes! "We are as young as our movable spines. Take care of your backs." And yes, isn't that the crux of all yoga practices? Being mindful of our bodies (especially our spines and backs) so that we can keep them malleable in order to reduce injury.
I was amazed at how good I felt after the rejuvenating practice, especially since this weekend my body decided to have another flare up. No fun, and Jeff even questioned my decision to go to yoga. But honestly, I believe the moving and strengthening got to the center of my muscles and just made them respond lovingly. I will definitely be adding this class to my exercise repertoire! Namaste.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Gluten-Free Bread Using Bread Maker
I realized that I have been making many changes to my bread recipe, but hadn't shared the changes. This is a recipe that I use playing with different ingredients depending on my mood. The ingredients that I've changed are all in the recipe separated by or, so have fun experimenting! If you have tried this recipe and have found little tricks that work better for you, please let me know! Thanks a bunch! Enjoy!
Flour Mix
Flour Mix
1 cup brown rice or sorghum flour
½ cup teff flour
½ cup garbanzo bean flour or chia seed flour or GF oatmeal
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup potato starch or corn starch
1tablespoon xanthum gum
Scant T sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
Other Ingredients
4 oz. sour dough starter (substitute flour with gluten free flour)
2 XL eggs or 3 small
10.5 oz lukewarm tap water
1.9 oz. vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey or molasses (I prefer the molasses)
1/4 cup honey or molasses (I prefer the molasses)
¾ scant tsp. apple cider vinegar
Scant 1/8 tsp dry instant yeast
1 ½ tsp salt (last ingredient to be added)
Putting it all together
- Using a standing mixer with whisk attachment, at a medium/low setting beat the starter with water, eggs, oil, vinegar, and yeast.
- Add flour mixture and beat for 2 min. Add salt beat 1 more min.
- Put in bread machine pan and hit start.
- A half hour before the bread is done, preheat the oven to 375ยบ. Put a pan on the lowest shelf of the oven.
- When the bread is done, immediately remove the bread and place in the preheated oven directly on the rack.
- Add a handful of ice cubes or a cup of cold water to the tray and bake for 15 minutes. This will give the bread a firm, heady crust.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few hours on a cooling wrack.
- Once cooled, use a bread knife to cut loaf. Separate each piece with a square of wax paper. Store in freezer. Your bread will last longer this way, and it really tastes best warm or toasted.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Just Sit with It!
Jeff was getting ready to run an errand, the boys were decompressing, and I decided I needed to write a post before going into the Christmas festivities. I asked Jeff what my topic should be. He said, "Surviving the holidays!" Ha! But actually, he's right. How to survive the holidays...that's a good one...
My youngest is on the healing side of 36 hours of lethargy and vomiting, but thanks to good ol' ginger ale, he's on the upswing. Just the thing we needed to start our holiday season, to be sure. Here's hoping we've all had this bug before and can skate through the holidays unscathed.
So instead of "surviving" the holidays, I brought my focus back to yoga. What would a yogini do? Hmmmm....what about sitting with the feelings and gently recognizing them for what they are and giving thanks to be able to put a name on the feelings and move on. There's nothing more than the present. The past is gone, and the future is yet to be, so I can be here and now and know that I am guided and protected and happy...even in the sadness, I am contented.
One of the hardest things to learn in yoga (it's a never ending practice--no perfection) is to sit still and breathe. Meditating on or just the act of acknowledging a feeling and breathing into the moment can dispel the enormity of the emotion. Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion, deals with just this topic: finding calm amidst the confusion and hustle and bustle of everyday life. Finding that inner calm can be one of the most daunting tasks ever known (at least that's how it seems to me.) I am grateful to be reminded of the necessity of calm in order to survive the holidays. Using her experiences as this reminder, I think I will re-familiarize myself with some of my favorite meditations from Rod Stryker.
So maybe, just for today, I will "Sit with it" when I feel anxiety, depression, worry, fill-in-the-blank decides to visit my psyche. Maybe this can be a reminder for me. Just these three words. This might just be the New Year's resolution I've been looking for. The New Year is going to be amazing...I just know it, I can feel it. May you feel all your blessings and enjoy this holiday season!
My youngest is on the healing side of 36 hours of lethargy and vomiting, but thanks to good ol' ginger ale, he's on the upswing. Just the thing we needed to start our holiday season, to be sure. Here's hoping we've all had this bug before and can skate through the holidays unscathed.
So instead of "surviving" the holidays, I brought my focus back to yoga. What would a yogini do? Hmmmm....what about sitting with the feelings and gently recognizing them for what they are and giving thanks to be able to put a name on the feelings and move on. There's nothing more than the present. The past is gone, and the future is yet to be, so I can be here and now and know that I am guided and protected and happy...even in the sadness, I am contented.
One of the hardest things to learn in yoga (it's a never ending practice--no perfection) is to sit still and breathe. Meditating on or just the act of acknowledging a feeling and breathing into the moment can dispel the enormity of the emotion. Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion, deals with just this topic: finding calm amidst the confusion and hustle and bustle of everyday life. Finding that inner calm can be one of the most daunting tasks ever known (at least that's how it seems to me.) I am grateful to be reminded of the necessity of calm in order to survive the holidays. Using her experiences as this reminder, I think I will re-familiarize myself with some of my favorite meditations from Rod Stryker.
So maybe, just for today, I will "Sit with it" when I feel anxiety, depression, worry, fill-in-the-blank decides to visit my psyche. Maybe this can be a reminder for me. Just these three words. This might just be the New Year's resolution I've been looking for. The New Year is going to be amazing...I just know it, I can feel it. May you feel all your blessings and enjoy this holiday season!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Price of Perfection
I have been unable to put into words what I've been feeling
these past few weeks, but I think I’m starting to understand something about
myself: how important it is to NOT be perfect. I have struggled with
perfectionism all of my life. I have striven to do the best and be the best at
everything I do. If I put my mind to it, I can achieve it has been a worn-out mantra in my life--and possibly the root cause of my chronic pain.
Well in the past three or so years, I've not been able to
keep up with that level of perfectionism.
It has a price, and it’s being paid in pockets of pain, samskaras, within my body
and mind. In fact, a couple of months ago, my therapist said to me, “You are
having a hard time learning how to be human!” When he put it that way, I could
see the absurdity of it. Yes, I was having a hard time learning how to play the
fool, learning to accept defeat with my National Boards, learning how to let go
of the insignificant day-to-day stuff that we all seem to pack into a day, learning it's OK not to have all the answers. But
what I’m finding, if I’m patient and try not to force situations to unfold
the way I expect them to, is unexpected gifts unfold all the time. I'm not talking about the material gifts, but the gifts of the mind, body, friendships, and most importantly, gifts of the heart.
In my post Compartmentalizing Feelings I talked about being able to be present with every interaction I can. As a teacher, a traveling one at that, I meet many people. If I slow down enough to really give every person I meet my full attention, I find that there are beautiful gifts to be found in each one of these people. To deny myself this gift is a shame. I often get harried when I experience interruptions in my day and may not be able to give a person my full attention because of a time crunch or a deadline. And unfortunately, if my behavior, as a result of these interruptions, is not a reflection of my soul (inner guide, spirit, fill-in-the-blank...), this will affect how I live my life day-to-day. And in essence, be stored in my body and mind to be dealt with at a later time...this I will try to be more aware of as it happens.
Case in Point:
As I was finishing up this blog post, Jeff was putting dinner on the table. I just needed five more minutes, but already we were an hour late getting to the table on time. So I turned off my computer, and said, "Jeff, I've been working on this post for two weeks now, but I can't post it 'cause it's not P_____. Ah, the P word. I actually caught myself saying it, and decided that, perfect or not, this needed to be posted. Regardless of the imperfections. Which I'm sure are many....alas, it is OK, just as it is. Namaste.
In my post Compartmentalizing Feelings I talked about being able to be present with every interaction I can. As a teacher, a traveling one at that, I meet many people. If I slow down enough to really give every person I meet my full attention, I find that there are beautiful gifts to be found in each one of these people. To deny myself this gift is a shame. I often get harried when I experience interruptions in my day and may not be able to give a person my full attention because of a time crunch or a deadline. And unfortunately, if my behavior, as a result of these interruptions, is not a reflection of my soul (inner guide, spirit, fill-in-the-blank...), this will affect how I live my life day-to-day. And in essence, be stored in my body and mind to be dealt with at a later time...this I will try to be more aware of as it happens.
Case in Point:
As I was finishing up this blog post, Jeff was putting dinner on the table. I just needed five more minutes, but already we were an hour late getting to the table on time. So I turned off my computer, and said, "Jeff, I've been working on this post for two weeks now, but I can't post it 'cause it's not P_____. Ah, the P word. I actually caught myself saying it, and decided that, perfect or not, this needed to be posted. Regardless of the imperfections. Which I'm sure are many....alas, it is OK, just as it is. Namaste.
Friday, November 23, 2012
My Asteroids
One of my favorite holidays has always been Thanksgiving. I especially love the day after even more. Jeff and I take the kids to his parents' house, go to Camelot Tree Farm, cut down our own tree, return home to start Christmatizing. I then have a turkey sandwich with lots of cranberries, a glass of egg nog (without the cheer), and then finish with the decorating. We then turn off all the inside lights, save the Christmas tree and outside lights, and admire the beauty. We then pick up our children. When we turn down our street, and they begin to see the twinkling lights, their excitement turns to squeals. Magical! We are blessed to have huge windows in our old old house, so the sight is breath taking. This will all happen (I hope) according to plan this afternoon, but if the past couple of days is any indication of how today will turn out, I'm in for a ride!
It started early Wednesday morning. My depression took on a new low. Menopause sucks! Sucks, I tell you!!! It seems no matter what I did to try to put some light into my day, my mood kept getting sadder and darker as the day progressed. I had been preparing food all day to have Thanksgiving at my parents' house. This year, my lovely sister and her family spent it with us (she's from GA, so having her there was a real treat) along with Jeff's parents. Therefore, we all needed to be sure we had enough food, so the preparation would be taking me all day.
It was around 7:00 Wednesday night when I realized I had forgotten to pick up my hormone replacements from the pharmacy on Monday. I had been two days without it. (Now before anyone gets on my case about taking hormones, this is not estrogen. It's a bio-identical progesterone made from plants, and though there is no long-term studies about the risks of getting cancer from this bio-identical, not taking it would mean disaster for my family, my friends, my co-workers, and me...no fun!) So anyway, I realized this too late. The pharmacy was closed. Well then I started crying, and Jeff agreed I needed to figure out a way to get a hold of my pharmacist. I called their after hours hotline, and got a call from the pharmacist an hour later. While waiting for the call, I made my gluten-free pie crusts. I cannot understate the difficulty of making these pie crusts--they don't stick together, and what I had was a crumbling mess. Of course this didn't help my mood, and I cried even harder trying to press the crusts into the pie plates. Eventually I got it to work, and to be honest, it was the best pie crust I've ever had. Bar none! Tear-soaked and all!
Finally the pharmacist called and I explained my situation. I told him Jeff could meet him out at the clinic to pick up the medicine since he was on that side of town at the kids' karate class. He hesitated a few seconds, and I lost it--the crying started up again. Hearing my distress, he said he'd go out there and pick up the meds and drop them off at my house!!! Well, the blubbering increased. I knew there was a reason I liked this pharmacist more than any others in town. When he arrived, I threw my arms around him and said, "You've no idea what this means to me!" And he gently said, "I think I do." Amazingly, he charged me only for the price of the prescriptions and nothing more.
Shortly after, Jeff and the kids arrived home. My oldest son said to me, "Dad told me about what's wrong. I'm so sorry about your asteroids." Well that snapped me out of it as only children can do! I laughed and laughed (and some crying mixed into that--I've had lots of practice). We had to explain that it was my hormones that were off kilter, and the hormone is called estrogen. Estrogen, asteroids....hmmmm....made sense to him.
So now as I sit here, Jeff is busily bringing up the decorations preparing for our day. I do know that today will be a wonderful day filled with beauty and love. I am so glad that I have a sense of humor about all this--warped as it may be. My wish for all of you is to have a safe, peaceful, and tear-free holiday. Cheers!
It started early Wednesday morning. My depression took on a new low. Menopause sucks! Sucks, I tell you!!! It seems no matter what I did to try to put some light into my day, my mood kept getting sadder and darker as the day progressed. I had been preparing food all day to have Thanksgiving at my parents' house. This year, my lovely sister and her family spent it with us (she's from GA, so having her there was a real treat) along with Jeff's parents. Therefore, we all needed to be sure we had enough food, so the preparation would be taking me all day.
It was around 7:00 Wednesday night when I realized I had forgotten to pick up my hormone replacements from the pharmacy on Monday. I had been two days without it. (Now before anyone gets on my case about taking hormones, this is not estrogen. It's a bio-identical progesterone made from plants, and though there is no long-term studies about the risks of getting cancer from this bio-identical, not taking it would mean disaster for my family, my friends, my co-workers, and me...no fun!) So anyway, I realized this too late. The pharmacy was closed. Well then I started crying, and Jeff agreed I needed to figure out a way to get a hold of my pharmacist. I called their after hours hotline, and got a call from the pharmacist an hour later. While waiting for the call, I made my gluten-free pie crusts. I cannot understate the difficulty of making these pie crusts--they don't stick together, and what I had was a crumbling mess. Of course this didn't help my mood, and I cried even harder trying to press the crusts into the pie plates. Eventually I got it to work, and to be honest, it was the best pie crust I've ever had. Bar none! Tear-soaked and all!
Finally the pharmacist called and I explained my situation. I told him Jeff could meet him out at the clinic to pick up the medicine since he was on that side of town at the kids' karate class. He hesitated a few seconds, and I lost it--the crying started up again. Hearing my distress, he said he'd go out there and pick up the meds and drop them off at my house!!! Well, the blubbering increased. I knew there was a reason I liked this pharmacist more than any others in town. When he arrived, I threw my arms around him and said, "You've no idea what this means to me!" And he gently said, "I think I do." Amazingly, he charged me only for the price of the prescriptions and nothing more.
Shortly after, Jeff and the kids arrived home. My oldest son said to me, "Dad told me about what's wrong. I'm so sorry about your asteroids." Well that snapped me out of it as only children can do! I laughed and laughed (and some crying mixed into that--I've had lots of practice). We had to explain that it was my hormones that were off kilter, and the hormone is called estrogen. Estrogen, asteroids....hmmmm....made sense to him.
So now as I sit here, Jeff is busily bringing up the decorations preparing for our day. I do know that today will be a wonderful day filled with beauty and love. I am so glad that I have a sense of humor about all this--warped as it may be. My wish for all of you is to have a safe, peaceful, and tear-free holiday. Cheers!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Final Reflections on Youthful Glow
It amazes me that no matter how many times I show up for my yoga practice, I experience something new with each pose if I'm mindful during the process. This is especially true for the poses I do on a daily basis. I've been doing the sequence from the Master Class section of Yoga Journal for a couple of weeks now and I notice different sensations in my body, I am very aware of what my mind is doing, and how I feel afterwards.
A couple of the times I did this sequence, I was unable to get into a relaxed supported shoulder stand. I adjusted and readjusted to hit that sweet spot, but nothing worked, and I left the practice feeling frustrated. However, a few days before that, it seemed that the supported shoulder stand was effortless. I did not keep track of the time I was in the posture, but I would guess it was between five and seven minutes. And I felt so light and free when I came out of the pose.
My biggest hangup with doing yoga is my expectations of my practice. I "expect" that I'll feel better after yoga, that my muscles will soften and respond, that my mind will remain peaceful throughout my practice. What I find frustrating is that when these "expectations" do not turn out as I want them to, I become disappointed. So, what I continually work on is to just be with my body, my thoughts, and allow my practice to unfold as it should. If I can remember the saying, all in good time, that helps me to put my practice into perspective. So when I have days where my practice doesn't leave me feeling better or freer, I just need to remember, that maybe just showing up for my yoga practice is enough. I also think when my practice becomes more challenging, I may actually be experiencing new levels of deepening into the stretch, and my body is trying to make the adjustments needed so that my body will be safe.
For all those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope your day is filled with many blessings. Namaste.
A couple of the times I did this sequence, I was unable to get into a relaxed supported shoulder stand. I adjusted and readjusted to hit that sweet spot, but nothing worked, and I left the practice feeling frustrated. However, a few days before that, it seemed that the supported shoulder stand was effortless. I did not keep track of the time I was in the posture, but I would guess it was between five and seven minutes. And I felt so light and free when I came out of the pose.
My biggest hangup with doing yoga is my expectations of my practice. I "expect" that I'll feel better after yoga, that my muscles will soften and respond, that my mind will remain peaceful throughout my practice. What I find frustrating is that when these "expectations" do not turn out as I want them to, I become disappointed. So, what I continually work on is to just be with my body, my thoughts, and allow my practice to unfold as it should. If I can remember the saying, all in good time, that helps me to put my practice into perspective. So when I have days where my practice doesn't leave me feeling better or freer, I just need to remember, that maybe just showing up for my yoga practice is enough. I also think when my practice becomes more challenging, I may actually be experiencing new levels of deepening into the stretch, and my body is trying to make the adjustments needed so that my body will be safe.
For all those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope your day is filled with many blessings. Namaste.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
More Reflections on Youthful Glow
In my previous post on Youthful Glow I shared each pose that Yoga Journal had published in its Master Class section of the periodical. Now, I'm just going to share my feelings after each day of practice rather than going into each individual asana.
Sunday I was stiff! I had taken Saturday off due to the fact we were running around, and quite frankly did not make the effort to take 15 minutes out of my busy day. What I noticed is that my shoulders stiffened again. I tried to remain optimistic by reassuring myself that this is a process: some good days, some days where I need to practice more self love. Sunday was one of those days.
Monday I felt sooooo good that I practiced the sequence again in the evening! Too much of a good thing? I don't think so. It just reaffirmed what I felt on Sunday: some days good, some days challenging.
Tuesday OK, so today I squirmed in the Supported Shoulderstand with a chair. For some reason, my lower back did not like the chair today. My cushion either wasn't positioned right, or I may just have had one of those more challenging day.
But overall I have to say! My upper back pain is not so intense as it has been. I can sit at the computer for longer stretches now without having to take physical breaks. I really do love this sequence!
Sunday I was stiff! I had taken Saturday off due to the fact we were running around, and quite frankly did not make the effort to take 15 minutes out of my busy day. What I noticed is that my shoulders stiffened again. I tried to remain optimistic by reassuring myself that this is a process: some good days, some days where I need to practice more self love. Sunday was one of those days.
Monday I felt sooooo good that I practiced the sequence again in the evening! Too much of a good thing? I don't think so. It just reaffirmed what I felt on Sunday: some days good, some days challenging.
Tuesday OK, so today I squirmed in the Supported Shoulderstand with a chair. For some reason, my lower back did not like the chair today. My cushion either wasn't positioned right, or I may just have had one of those more challenging day.
But overall I have to say! My upper back pain is not so intense as it has been. I can sit at the computer for longer stretches now without having to take physical breaks. I really do love this sequence!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Reflections on "Youthful Glow" from Yoga Journal
In the November 2012 issue of "Yoga Journal" Leigh Ferrara along with Desiree Rumbaugh share a sequence in the "Master Class" section of the magazine. As a person who has dealt with chronic pain much of my life, this sequence looked like it held some sound possibilities to incorporate into my daily yoga practice.
The area of my body that is most affected by pain is my upper back and shoulders. and this sequence focuses on opening the heart center and releasing tension in the shoulder region.
So three days ago, I started the following sequence:
Sequence: Prasarita Padottanasana: Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend, variation
Chair Twist
Chair Shoulder Stretch
Dhanurasana: Bow Pose
Salamba Sarvangasana: Supported Shoulderstand, with a chair
Click on this link: Youthful Glow and you will be taken to the Yoga Journal website where you can read the article and see the poses. You will see how the pose is supposed to look. Make sure you are physically able to do these asanas before trying these. Be gentle as you proceed...
OK, now my reflections:
When I started this sequence on Wednesday, I noticed that my back was quite stiff. I was able to clumsily get into chair positions and notice that my tightness started to soften, but only a bit. My upper back cracked and I had an endorphin rush. It felt as if I were in a chiropractor's office and she was adjusting my upper back. AAAAHHHHHH.
On Thursday morning, I felt a sensation in my shoulders during the Chair Shoulder Stretch that felt oddly painful. I backed out of it slightly and tried breathing into my shoulder tightness. I stayed for only two minutes (maybe less--we tend to expand time when we are in uncomfortable situations.) But I got up feeling a bit better than I did on Wednesday.
This morning, Friday, I noticed something completely different. My shoulders no longer had the pain in the chair shoulder stretch. It felt as if I had been doing this posture for months, but it had only been three days! I also varied the supported shoulderstand with a chair, by gently lifting my legs off the back of the chair and held them at a 90 degree angle to the floor. I was able to get into a deep relaxation in that posture. However, one thing I did not expect: I was feeling my emotions without panicking. I have been dealing with some uncomfortable emotions for a while, and it felt completely safe today to feel those feelings. So this is what is meant by having an open heart. I do not have any expectations for the day, and that right there is freeing.
So for those of you who struggle with upper back pain and tension, I suggest you try this. I am thrilled I found this sequence. I will continue in the next few weeks documenting my reflections of this sequence. I am very optimistic for some very positive results!
The area of my body that is most affected by pain is my upper back and shoulders. and this sequence focuses on opening the heart center and releasing tension in the shoulder region.
So three days ago, I started the following sequence:
Sequence: Prasarita Padottanasana: Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend, variation
Chair Twist
Chair Shoulder Stretch
Dhanurasana: Bow Pose
Salamba Sarvangasana: Supported Shoulderstand, with a chair
Click on this link: Youthful Glow and you will be taken to the Yoga Journal website where you can read the article and see the poses. You will see how the pose is supposed to look. Make sure you are physically able to do these asanas before trying these. Be gentle as you proceed...
OK, now my reflections:
When I started this sequence on Wednesday, I noticed that my back was quite stiff. I was able to clumsily get into chair positions and notice that my tightness started to soften, but only a bit. My upper back cracked and I had an endorphin rush. It felt as if I were in a chiropractor's office and she was adjusting my upper back. AAAAHHHHHH.
On Thursday morning, I felt a sensation in my shoulders during the Chair Shoulder Stretch that felt oddly painful. I backed out of it slightly and tried breathing into my shoulder tightness. I stayed for only two minutes (maybe less--we tend to expand time when we are in uncomfortable situations.) But I got up feeling a bit better than I did on Wednesday.
This morning, Friday, I noticed something completely different. My shoulders no longer had the pain in the chair shoulder stretch. It felt as if I had been doing this posture for months, but it had only been three days! I also varied the supported shoulderstand with a chair, by gently lifting my legs off the back of the chair and held them at a 90 degree angle to the floor. I was able to get into a deep relaxation in that posture. However, one thing I did not expect: I was feeling my emotions without panicking. I have been dealing with some uncomfortable emotions for a while, and it felt completely safe today to feel those feelings. So this is what is meant by having an open heart. I do not have any expectations for the day, and that right there is freeing.
So for those of you who struggle with upper back pain and tension, I suggest you try this. I am thrilled I found this sequence. I will continue in the next few weeks documenting my reflections of this sequence. I am very optimistic for some very positive results!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)