It's Time to Stand Up

This question in the Lifecoach section of the Sunday Telegraph last weekend caught my eye and I thought I'd share it with you. Even though, as a yogi, you're more aware of your body and your posture than many people, it's good to get a reminder every now and then.

Q : Like many people today, I seem to spend all day sitting down, whether I'm working at my desk or relaxing at home. I know this isn't the healthiest thing to do, and I'm starting to worry about my back, in particular. What do I need to look out for most, and can you please tell me how can I improve my posture?

A : If you spend all day sitting down, you are right, you should aim at least to do so with good posture to minimise the damage to your body.

To do this you need to start with a suitable chair. A good adjustable chair will permit you to change the height, back position and tilt. Adjust it so your lower back is properly supported, thereby reducing strain. Having your knees level with your hips will help you too.

If you use a computer, you need to make sure it is in the right place in relation to where you are sitting. Your screen should be at eye level, and you should aim, when using the keyboard, to have your wrists and forearms straight and parallel with the floor, thereby reducing the repetitive strain. You also need to place your feet on the floor with uncrossed legs. If you are not very tall, you might find a small foot stool helpful for this.

Avoid repeatedly stretching or twisting to reach things such as the phone by having them in easy reach. If you use a phone a lot, a headset would probably be good for you as well. Of course, good posture is about much more than just sitting. You must also consider how you stand, walk and lie. You are likely to have imbalances in your body since your posture today is a result of years of activity or inactivity.

I would suggest, if possible, finding a good Iyengar yoga class or, at least, performing one or two of their postures. This form of yoga places particular emphasis on detail and alignment. As a bonus, you grow stronger, too, as well as improving mobility and stability.

You say you spend all day sitting down, is there a way you could spend at least some of the time standing? You could probably easily manage 10 minutes of each hour standing up and still get your work done. This is a good mental break, as well as a physical one. 

If you are working from home, why not exercise by your desk? This can be as easy as doing push-ups, sun salutations and shoulder rolls beside your desk. Keep it even more simple by standing up and sitting down repeatedly 30 times. This is simple but effective.

There is probably some choice involved in your spending all day sitting down. In most work scenarios, sitting doesn't mean you can't move. Some companies are thinking laterally and introducing the notion of walkstation treadmill desks. There is limited early research suggesting a boost in productivity, and people are beginning to realise that humans need to move.

As a sort of compromise, why not consider sitting on a stability ball, instead of an office chair? Users need to engage their core muscles to sit balanced on the ball.

Pick your activity of choice and aim to move at least every hour. Set a phone alarm to remind you to move. Your posture will improve by moving more throughout the day.

This Week I'm Making... Pear and Mint Flavoured Water

As a person who doesn't feel thirsty very often, staying hydrated can be a challenge. I have a special red water glass that I leave out on the kitchen worktop all day so that each time I walk past it catches my eye and reminds me to take a drink. 

I don't drink fizzy drinks because of the sugar/sweetener and artificial flavourings, so mostly I drink plain water with a slice of lemon.

When I found the article below, I was immediately struck by a) how simple it is and b) why I hadn't thought to do this before.  I'm working my way through the list and am experimenting with my own flavours too. Pear and mint with lots of ice is very refreshing on a hot sunny day.

DIY: 8 All-Natural Ways To Make Your Water Taste Better Than Ever

By Mike Del Ponte via Mindbodygreen

We all know that we should drink more water. We also know the benefits of vitamins, but it can often be a struggle to get enough through food alone.

Naturally, it’s no surprise that we would want to combine these and get our vitamins and water simultaneously.

But instead of buying expensive flavored water products filled with artificial sweeteners and packaged in plastic bottles, did you know you can make your own natural vitamin water?

Here are my top eight recipes for natural vitamin water:
1. Lemon and cucumber
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cucumber and a lemon, thinly sliced + 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil leaf + 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
2. Strawberry and lime
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 6 strawberries and one thinly sliced lime + 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
3. Blackberry and sage
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of blackberries that have been very slightly crushed + 3-4 sage leaves. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.
4. Watermelon and rosemary
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cup of watermelon cut into cubes + 2 rosemary stems. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving. 
5. Pineapple and mint
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cup of pineapple cut into cubes + 12 fresh mint leaves finely chopped. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
6. Apple and cinnamon
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cup of apple cut into cubes + 2 cinnamon sticks + 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
7. Pomegranate, blackberry and cherry
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cup of cherries (pitted) + 1/2 cup of blackberries + 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds + pinch of Himalayan crystal salt. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
8. Strawberry, pineapple and pear.
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1/2 cup of strawberries + 1/2 cup of pineapple (sliced) + 1 cup of pears (sliced) + pinch of Himalayan crystal salt. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Raise your glass and stay hydrated my friends!

This Week I'm Visiting... Loseley Park, Compton, nr Guildford, Surrey 

Loseley Park is a fabulous old manor house just off the A3, south of Guildford. The estate was acquired by the ancestors of the family who currently live there at the beginning of the 16th century. It is steeped in history - Queen Elizabeth I and King James I were both visitors -  and the rooms contain many beautiful pieces of art and furniture. It is used as a venue for filming and for weddings and has a calender of events ranging from dog shows to craft fairs.

I was visiting the Loseley Garden Show, and included in the ticket price was entrance to the Walled Gardens. Based on a design by Gertrude Jekyll, the Walled Gardens are laid out as a series of "rooms". There is a Rose Garden, a White Garden, an Organic Vegetable Garden and a moat. High summer is the perfect time to visit with the flowers being at their peak and, as a bonus, until 4th August there is a sculpture exhibition too.

There is a lovely little courtyard cafe which serves lunches and tea, but do check the opening times as, strangely, it's not open on Fridays or Saturdays. Take a look at the website here http://www.loseleypark.co.uk.

the back of the house

the Walled Garden

For interesting places to visit in and around London, this week's bumper issue of Time Out magazine (22-28 July) is packed with great ideas. There's an article on things to do on a very limited budget (lots of them are free) and there's a Kids Special section with outings ranging from water parks and lidos to what's on at the theatre and cinema. You can take a look at the listings online too at www.timeout.com. 


This Week I'm Picking... Buddleia 

I inherited two Buddleia bushes when I moved into my house - one light purple and one a deliciously darker shade. For about 3 or 4 weeks in summer they are full of flowers which the butterflies and bees go mad for. There are more than enough flowers to share though and I like to cut a few and put them in a vase to fill my kitchen with the scent of honey. The purple contrasts especially well with the bright orange of the calendulas which are flowering profusely. 

I remember Monty Don saying on an episode of Gardener's World, that if you deadhead the flowers as they go brown new, but smaller, ones will form on sideshoots. My buddleia bushes are about 8ft high - I'd better get the stepladder out.... :-)

Breathe, Slow Down and Move with Awareness

Stepping onto the yoga mat is a reminder to breathe, slow down, and move with awareness. To help you on the journey down the path of yoga and mindfulness it can be useful to have some good guide books. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, scholar and human rights activist, has written over 100 books on meditation and mindfulness. Among my favourites are "Peace is Every Step" and "The Miracle of Mindfulness" from which this passage comes:

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognise: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child, our own two eyes. All is a miracle."

Thich Nhat Hanh

There are a number of Thich Nhat Hanh's books available on Amazon, and if you want to find out more about him you can visit his website http://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/, or take a look at this inspiring, powerful yet peace-filled interview he gave with Oprah Winfrey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9UtuWfs3U. 

In my classes this week - the last before the summer break - I read the following passage by Thich Nhat Hanh as a reminder that our yoga is not just about the physical practice, and that we can bring mindfulness in to every aspect of our lives:

A Beautiful Continuation

When we look at an orange tree we see that season after season it spends its life producing beautiful green leaves, fragrant blossoms, and sweet oranges. These are the best things an orange tree can create and offer to the world. Human beings also make offerings to the world every moment of our daily lives, in the form of our thoughts, our speech and our actions. We may want to offer the world the best kinds of thought, speech and action that we can - because they are our continuation, whether we want it to be so or not. We can use our time wisely, generate the energies of love, compassion and understanding, say beautiful things, inspire, forgive and act to protect and help the Earth and each other. In this way, we can ensure a beautiful continuation. 

Dahlias that I planted as tubers in March, offering their flowers to the world

If you like the idea of offering your beautiful continuation to the world, the following article could help you bring more mindfulness to your day:

A 15-Minute Morning Ritual To Dramatically Reduce Stress

By Megan Roop via Mindbodygreen

Your mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. We all know this. If you get off to a crummy start, chances are the rest of your day will look the same. Rolling out of bed with your smartphone in hand, scanning the latest Facebook posts and checking your email may not be the best start if you’re already super stressed.

More and more people are finding a meaningful morning practice to be the solution. By adding this practice in between waking up and starting the day, you’re sure to move through the world more grounded and connected, things we’re all craving more of in today’s busy world. Often the morning practice includes some combination of writing, movement and stillness. I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of my clients how incredibly effective a morning practice like this can be.

But what about the mornings when you wake up with racing thoughts and to-do’s first thing? Or the mornings where the thought of sitting on a meditation cushion sounds like torture? These are the days you skip your morning practice altogether, leaving you rushing through the day like you’re on a treadmill without an off switch. The days when 3pm rolls around and you’re eating a bag of chocolate chips mindlessly out of your desk drawer, worried a binge is just around the corner. For many people, dealing with stress through food is an everyday struggle. Skipping a morning practice only makes this struggle more difficult. In order to step into your day with more mindfulness, you have to begin to be intentional from the moment you open our eyes.

So, the next time you want to bail on your morning practice or if you’ve been wanting to get started with one and don’t know how, I invite you to try the below. I created a simple practice to help you move through the day without stress calling the shots.

1. Place 1 to 2 drops of grapefruit or wild orange essential oil in the palm of your hands.
Rub your hands together, moving them back and forth 10 times. Cup your hands over your nose and mouth and breathe in deeply for five rounds of breath. There’s no need to force a certain type of breath; allow your natural rhythm to flow in and out.

2. Grab a piece of paper, a pen and make a dump list.
Write out every single thing that’s weighing you down, stressing you out or taking up an unusual amount of space in your head. Get it out and let it go. Don’t worry about this being in your to-do list notebook or electronic calendar. If it’s important enough, it will find it’s way to your master system later.

3. Move your body for five minutes.
It really doesn’t matter what you do here; just move out of your head and into your body. Dance to your favorite song, roll around on the floor, jump on a mini trampoline, do some head rolls or shoulder shrugs, move in a way that feels good to your body and your natural rhythm.

By giving your body the chance to practice dealing with stress in a different a way you’re creating a new positive pathway. This simple morning practice can be done in 15 minutes or less from anywhere in your home (or even your office).

Try it and notice how it sets you up to move through your day more mindfully and intentionally, with less stress. If you don’t have 15 minutes, choose one of the three and start there. The most effective practices are the ones that find a place in your daily routine - they aren’t the ones you think you “should” do.

Building Your Home Practice This Summer

There can be many reasons for not practicing yoga at home. Lack of time comes top of the list, with not knowing which postures to do coming a close second. I can't help you with the first one - we all have the same 24 hours in a day and it really is your choice how you choose to spend them, but I can help with the second one. Here's a video of a 4 minute standing flow that might help you build your home practice. 

I recommend a few rounds of Sun Salutation to warm up, and always give yourself the gift of a few minutes of Savasana to finish. There's no instruction - just follow along. The sequence is: Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II), Reverse Warrior, Warrior 2, Extended Side Angle pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana), Warrior 2, Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana). You can repeat the sequence as many times as you like, adding other poses in as they come to mind. Each posture is held for 3 breaths. 

Click here or on the picture below to view the video and breathe, slow down and move with awareness. Namaste.