Getting some much-needed winter sunshine in Goa, India last month was so healing and relaxing but coming home to grey skies and rain made the transition back to normal life a little harder. The good weather this past week has been very welcome indeed. I've even been out in the garden, making plans for the summer burst of colourful flowers!
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| The view from my yoga mat in Goa - bliss! |
Starting Your Day with Sun Salutations
Doing a few rounds of Sun Salutations each morning gets your day off to a great start.
The Sanskrit name for Sun Salutations is Surya Namaskar. Surya means sun and Namaskar is a greeting of respect, therefore Greeting the Sun. Traditionally done to pay homage to, and give thanks for, the Sun and it's life-giving light and warmth, Sun Salutations have many benefits for your mind, body and spirit.
The benefits for your mind and soul include taking a moment to remember your connection with the natural world, and how everything works in cycles of night and day, season to season, and knowing that you are part of this. You are not just an observer but you are actually participating in this amazing cycle of life. Knowing that you are part of something greater puts things into perspective. The fact that you don't have enough milk for a cup of coffee this morning isn't a disaster. It doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. The consistent practice of yoga helps to soothe away the perceived difficulties that being a human being presents. The little irritations can become like water rolling off a duck's back. No coffee this morning? No problem - you've got the sky and the sunshine, your amazing body that can move through these poses, your breath as your constant companion and that's what really matters.
The benefits for the physical body are many. Sun Salutations stretch and strengthen all the major muscle groups. They move between stretching the front of the body on the inhale and stretching the back of the body on the exhale. While the front is stretching the muscles on the back of the body will be engaged and vice versa when you move into forward bends. The elements of weight-bearing will help to strengthen the bones and build stamina. The breath and the movements are in sync with each other, promoting full and deep breathing. They get the heart pumping and the blood flowing round your body, delivering fresh oxygen to each and every cell - an instant detox! You can do them really fast if you want more cardiovascular emphasis or slow them down if it suits you to move more gently. Although usually done in the morning, you can do Sun Salutations in the evening too, just don't be too energetic late at night so that your body has time to settle down again before you go to sleep.
How many rounds of Sun Salutations you choose to do is up to you and the time you have available, but do at least 3 rounds to give you the best benefits. You'll feel stiff and creaky for the first one, especially if you've just got out of bed, so do it gently and adapt by bending your knees to take care of your hamstring muscles at the back of your legs. You'll feel your body unfold as you work through the following rounds, and with consistent practice you'll notice that you've become stronger, more flexible and fitter too.
Finish off your morning practice with a glass of water with fresh lemon juice to rehydrate and you're set to get on with your day. You'll feel good knowing that you've already done some exercise and self-care and that you're creating a positive habit in your life.
Here's a pictorial reminder of the sequence of the Sun Salutations or, if you haven't done them before you might like to take a look at my video which will guide you through.
When the sun comes out we want to get outside. It's a natural response after a long, grey winter. But unfortunately our increasingly sedentary lifestyles mean that we override that natural response. We spend most of our time inside our houses and offices, sitting at a desk working or "relaxing" on the sofa watching TV. This means that not only are we not getting enough exercise but we are also missing out one of our essential vitamins - Vitamin D - which we get mostly from the sun. Below is an article with advice for balancing the pros and cons of being in the sun. The research on vitamin D is fairly new so do explore it if you are interested so that you can form an educated opinion. There is a non-profit organisation called The Vitamin D Council which has lots of information - you can view their website here.
Why You Should Get Some Sun This Summer + How To Do It The Safe Way
Although irresponsible sunbathing is unquestionably harmful, regular, moderate, unprotected sun exposure is essential for good health. It’s free, easy to come by and good for you when handled wisely. It’s also the only reliable way for your body to generate vitamin D, an essential ingredient for optimizing health and preventing disease.
Trouble is, for the last 30 years or so, the medical-dermatological complex has brainwashed us with the mantra that sun exposure is lethal and we should stay away. It’s an oversimplified view that’s had little effect on curbing skin cancer rates — in fact, they’re skyrocketing — and has managed to make millions of people sun-phobic, causing them to miss out on the numerous benefits associated with sun exposure in limited doses.
And the best way to optimize vitamin D levels? It’s with safe, smart and limited sunscreen-free exposure to the sun. Used wisely, strategic bouts of sunshine help the skin produce the Vitamin D it needs to build bones, tamp down inflammation, boost the immune system. Better yet, vitamin D and may actually help prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, skin, prostate and colon.
Now, of course, taking advantage of the benefits of sunshine is by no means a license to burn and tan with abandon, but consider it permission to step into the light every now and then, with considerably less fear about it than you’ve had in the past. Here are a few pointers on how to support your health with sunshine:
Let the Sun Give You Your Vitamin D (And Yes, There’s an App for That!)
Your age, complexion, where you live, season and what time of day it is, they all affect the amount of sun exposure you need. The farther north you live, the more sun exposure you’ll need to generate vitamin D.
For instance, a fair-skinned New Yorker, sitting on a local beach in June at midday for 10-15 minutes without sun block (enough to cause a light pinkness 24 hours after), will produce the equivalent of 15,000-20,000 IU’s of Vitamin D. Put that same person further north in the U.K, or Canada and they’ll need 20 to 30 minutes for the same effect. By contrast, people with darker complexions may need 20 to 30 times more exposure to generate the same amount of vitamin D.
To help determine your needs, have a look at the tables in Dr. Michael Holick’s The Vitamin D Solution or download the particularly useful-for-summer app called D Minder which tracks the amount of Vitamin D you get from the sun based on your age, location, body type, and time of day, etc. and even includes a timer so you’ll know when you’ve topped off the D tank, without burning.
Slowly Ramp Up Your Sun Exposure
Kicking off the summer by searing your skin with multiple sunburns is not only painful but it can potentially roll out the welcome mat for melanoma down the line, so bottom line: never burn. Instead, as the summer brings you outdoors more often, don’t be afraid to expose your skin to the sun, just be sure to build up your tolerance slowly over the course of a few weeks. Just don’t rush out and sunburn yourself outdoors or in a tanning booth in hopes of quickly getting a “base” tan all in single afternoon.
Learn How to Sunbathe Smartly
Brief, regular exposures have been found to be much more effective and safer than the occasional long one. And sorry, but sitting by a sunny window just won’t do it, because the UVB rays necessary for vitamin D production are absorbed by glass. To get your Ds, you’ll need to step outside. Set aside some time for short doses of sun-block-free exposure, but if you’ve had skin cancer, check with your doc first. From there, start with a 5-minute shot of unblocked sun for week 1, every other day; step up to 10 minutes the next week, and 15 to 20 minutes for week 3. To maximize your body’s natural Vitamin D production, build up to 20 to 30 minutes of mid-morning sun without sun block.
After your 30 minute max dose, it’s time to start sun blocking.
Sunburns are the Enemy – Not the Sun!
Some sun exposure is good, but get too much and you’re playing with fire. Remember it’s the repeated sunburns that have been linked — not regular, moderate sun exposure — so the fewer burns the better, particularly when it comes to kids and those with fair complexions.
To keep sunburns at bay this summer make sure you:
- Never fall asleep in the sun without protection.
- Don’t get fooled by cloudy days — they can burn you just as easily as a sunny one.
- Protect your skin, particularly if you’re in and out of the water, on a boat or cycling, when the breezes can make you less aware that you’re getting sun burned.
- Wear a hat, sunglasses and light-colored clothing to block the sun when out for longer periods.
- When it’s time to apply sunscreen, use one with as few chemicals as possible.
- Before you buy a sunscreen, first check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of safer sunscreens.
- Optimize vitamin D levels and its protective effects with a combinations of controlled sun exposure, a healthy whole food diet and supplementation with vita D3.
- And no matter what the season, please stay away from tanning beds!
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| Greeting the Sun |
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| Sunset Headstand |
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