The Benefits of Taking Your Yoga Practice Outside

I'm so enjoying this weather - clear skies, warm sunshine and the energy of spring literally bursting forth. I know it will change soon though so I'm doing my best to appreciate it while it's here, enjoying breakfast and cuppa on the patio and spending a bit more time gardening rather than being inside on the computer or doing chores.

Yesterday I did my practice outside, mainly to make the most of the sunshine, but it had other benefits too.  There were no walls to confine me so I felt much more spacious and expansive but there were a few more distractions - I noticed how much a clematis had grown in just 4 days, a bug landed on my foot and as I looked up to the sky I had to readjust my balance because it felt so wide and open. I did many of the poses in my usual practice but because of the change of environment it felt really different.

Here's a few ways that yoga in the garden can be helpful for your practice, your body and your mind:

You'll be accepting rather than being distracted by disturbances: 

Usually I like to practice in a quiet place so, if the house is busy, I'll take myself off upstairs or out to the Studio and shut the door. Outside, however, it's not possible to do that. I was aware of the birds and insects around me and the sounds of my local community as everyone went about their day mowing their lawns, walking their dogs, taking their children to school and so on. It was a lesson in acceptance. I don't have any control over the ambient noise around me so I just have to let it pass by and not let myself be distracted. This is the basis of meditation, we practice sitting quietly, not getting caught up in what's going on externally. The quote that hangs on the wall in my studio sums it up nicely:

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." (author unknown)

You'll be adjusting to the uneven surface beneath your feet: 

Sometimes I do my practice on the wooden floor of the Studio or living room and sometimes on the carpet in my bedroom. The wooden floor is helpful to root down through my feet and feel strength and stability in the standing poses, and the carpet challenges my balance a bit more which makes me use my core muscles. It's the same when practicing on the grass outside. You'll become aware of the undulations in the ground beneath your feet and you'll need to concentrate more to balance.  The uneven surface helps to build the secondary muscles of the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders. The body has to adjust to this surface, thereby increasing balance, flexibility, and core strength. Be mindful though about doing too many Downward Facing Dogs and other poses when you lean weight into your hands - a smooth hard floor is better so you can really press down with the base of each finger to help keep your wrists safe and your shoulder girdle stable.

You'll be lifting your mood and getting your Vitamin D: 

It's lovely to feel the sun on your skin - it lifts the mood and you'll get your daily dose of Vitamin D too (but see my recent post about Sun Salutations which has an article about staying safe in the sun as well as more info about Vitamin D). Sunshine also increases levels of serotonin which regulates appetite, sleep, memory, and mood. Again, there's a mindfulness aspect in that you can't control the elements - the sun might be hot and you get a little sweaty, or the clouds pass over and the breeze picks up so you feel chilly - you just have to be okay with how things are in the present moment and know that they will change again soon.

You'll be getting an extra oxygen boost:

Practicing outdoors can encourage you to breathe more deeply. When you fully empty the stale air from your lungs and take in big, smooth breaths of lovely fresh air, increased oxygen is brought to the cells, which in turn increases energy. Deep breathing is your own quick, natural and free detox because it revs up the lymphatic system. The blood carries the oxygen and nutrients to the cells and the lymphatic system carries away toxins, so by moving dynamically through your practice and breathing deeply you'll pump the lymph fluid through your body, removing the toxins and reducing other health problems such as high blood pressure, fatigue and inflammation.

You'll get a different view of the world:

You'll be used to looking at your garden from your usual upright position. When you do your practice outside you'll be getting a different view. You'll see trees and plants upside-down or sideways, you might notice little insects, and in your Cobra pose you'll get a close-up look at blades of grass or daisy flowers. You'll notice the little things. It's refreshing and interesting to look at your familiar surroundings like this and you'll appreciate the variety of life within the small space of your back garden.

It felt great to pause my day to take 15 minutes to practice in the garden, being present and observing what was going on in the here and now.  Enjoy these next couple of days of sunshine and make the most of them before the weather changes, as it inevitably will. Leave your mat behind, head outside onto the grass and see how different your practice feels.

How to Practice Tree Pose (Vrksasana) - very appropriate as we're talking about doing yoga outside.

This pose promotes strong leg muscles, abdominal tone, open hips, balance and mental focus.

1. From Tadasana (Mountain Pose) bring your awareness down into your feet. Spread your toes out and shift your weight into your right foot.

2. Bring your hands to prayer position at the heart centre.

3. Lift up your left foot, bend the knee and bring the sole of your foot to your right inner thigh, toes pointing down. If this is too challenging bring the foot down to the inner calf instead - you won't wobble as much and with practice your balance will improve and you can try moving the foot up to the thigh.  It is important that your foot isn't directly over the inner knee joint - it should be either above or below.

Foot on inner thigh

Foot on inner calf

4. Gently draw the left knee back to open the hip.

5. Press your right foot down into the floor, lift your kneecaps and thigh muscles up. Press the sole of the foot into the inner thigh and the inner thigh into the sole of the foot. Lift up through the pelvic floor and draw the abdominal muscles back towards the spine - these adjustments will help you stay steady in this balancing pose. Focusing your gaze on a fixed point straight ahead of you also helps.

6. Next you can raise your arms above your head, either with the palms together or, if your shoulders prefer it, with the hands apart. Stretch up to your full height and breathe smoothly and steadily for 3 to 5 breaths.

Arms wide... or 

... palms together

7. To come out of the pose, bring the hands back to the heart centre and slowly step the foot back down to the ground.

8. Repeat on the other side.



Published in The Telelgraph this week: Meditation - 'as good as drugs' for depression

Meditation is as good as anti-depressants for tackling depression, a major study has suggested.

Researchers at Oxford University say that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy stopped as many people from sliding back into depression as strong medication.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation that encourages people to become more aware of the present moment and their own place in the world, to avoid thoughts spiralling out of control.

The study followed 492 severely depressed adults over two years, half of whom received mindfulness training and the other half who stayed on anti-depressant drugs.

It found 47 per cent of people taking medication slipped back into major depression, compared with 44 per cent of people practicing mindfulness meditation.

"While this study doesn't show that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy works any better than maintenance anti-depressant medication in reducing the rate of relapse in depression, we believe these results suggest a new choice for the millions of people with recurrent depression on repeat prescriptions," said Dr Willem Kuyken, the lead author and Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University.

Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre last year showed that around 50 million prescriptions for anti-depressants are written each year, a seven per cent rise from 2013. In towns such as Salford and Middlesbrough, one adult in six is on medication.

Official guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence urges doctors in England to treat patients suffering mild to moderate depression with psychological therapies. But medication is recommended for more severe depressive illness.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was developed to help people who have experienced repeated bouts of depression by teaching them the skills to recognise thoughts associated with relapse to prevent their conditions escalating.

Study participant Nigel Reed, 59, from Sidmouth, Devon, said the programme had given him a set of skills that had long-term benefits. "Rather than relying on the continuing use of anti-depressants, mindfulness puts me in charge, allowing me to take control of my own future, to spot when I am at risk and to make the changes I need to stay well," he said.

However, some experts warned that the trial was not large enough to come to a definitive conclusion and had not included a placebo group. The research was published in the Lancet.

Good to know that science is backing up what we're doing... and that we're on the right path to wellness in both mind and body :-)


Finally, some photos of beautiful things that might be out there in your garden that you rarely get close-up enough to notice - nature is truly amazing. 

credit: Andy Small

credit: Vyacheslav Mischenko

Yoga for Strong Bones

The human skeleton is a truly amazing piece of architecture. All those bones (206 of them in an adult body) holding us together! It has 6 major functions - support, movement, protection, production of blood cells, storage of ions and endocrine regulation. As we get older, our bone density starts to decrease leaving our bones weaker and more fragile and more vulnerable to breaks. 

Yoga can help to strengthen the bones through weight-bearing poses which build bone mass. This can help to prevent osteoporosis and other degenerative bone diseases. Standing poses, balancing poses, Plank and Downward Facing Dog are all great for strengthening the bones and they have the added benefit of strengthening the core muscles which help support the spine.  

Yoga helps to keep the bones healthy in other ways too - nearly all the poses help with joint mobility and flexibility so a regular yoga practice will be an all round benefit to your skeleton.

Take a look at this video - it's an x-ray study of a body in motion doing yoga  https://www.youtube/watch?v=wCu14zMZ_1Y.com

There are other ways you can care for your bones too:

• by eating a range of calcium-rich foods including cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, broccoli, almonds, sweet potatoes and a moderate amount of dairy products.

• by eating healthy fats like nuts, seeds and oily fish like salmon and mackerel which help with the absorption of calcium and fat soluble Vitamins such as D and K.

• by getting enough Vitamin D via healthy exposure to sunlight (see my post from 12th March - Sun Salutations On and Off the Mat).

• by decreasing the amount of sugar in your diet - it is acid-forming and depletes the bones of calcium and other minerals.

Here's an informative article about yoga and bone health:

Stay Good to the Bone with Yoga by Catherine Guthrie via Yoga Journal

Bone loss is serious business. Both men and women reach their maximum bone mass around age 30. After that, it’s a matter of maintaining what you’ve got, and no one is immune from the inevitable decline. If you’re a woman approaching midlife, fasten your seat belt. You can lose up to 20 percent of your bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. “Osteoporosis is the disease of denial,”says Sara Meeks, a Kripalu Yoga teacher since 1984 and a physical therapist specializing in osteoporosis. “Nobody thinks they have it, but, by a certain age, almost everyone does.”

Bones are living tissue. The body breaks them down and builds them up in a constant flux that affects bone mass or density. While some bone loss is natural with aging, it’s possible to maintain a healthy equilibrium, a balance of bone destruction and reconstruction. But if there’s much greater loss than gain, osteoporosis (bone deterioration) can ensue.

The National Institutes of Health estimate that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 34 million have osteopenia, low bone mass, that’s often a precursor of osteoporosis. And, although men have it, too, when it comes to bone loss, women suffer more. Eighty percent of those with osteoporosis are women, and half of all women will have an osteoporosis-related fracture after age 50. Indeed, denial may seem like the only option for women seeing risk factors beyond their control, such as being thin and having a small build. But here’s a wake-up call.

There are risk factors you can control, including diet and exercise. You can slow—and some studies suggest even reverse—bone loss by tackling it head-on, but it takes time and a concerted effort. And it turns out that yoga and a plant-based diet may be your strongest allies.

Get (Bone) Smart

Gina Martin, 52, of Knoxville, Tennessee, started doing a gentle yoga class years ago to relieve back pain. But in her early 40s, a test revealed she was suffering from the first signs of bone loss, and she jumped into action. A former nurse, Martin was used to taking her health into her own hands, so she traded her gentle hatha class for a more strength-building practice and revamped her diet to revolve around foods that enhance bone health, especially calcium-rich veggies like kale and spinach. To go the extra mile, she cut processed foods from her diet by refusing to buy anything with more than three ingredients.

But the change didn’t happen overnight. “After a lifetime of eating mostly processed foods, it took me a year or so to make the shift,”Martin says. But her take-no-prisoners approach paid off. Five years later, her next scan showed improvement in bone density. Her last scan, in 2008, showed that her bone density was back to normal—no more osteopenia. “I remember my nurse technician was genuinely surprised,” she says. “But I knew it was the diet and yoga.”

Bone Builders

The more we learn about bone health, the more it seems that yoga plus a largely plant-based diet creates a foundation for healthy bones. For starters, yoga is a weight-bearing exercise, meaning you hold the weight of your body up against gravity. Resisting gravity puts a mild stress on the bones. That stress forces bones into laying down new growth. In this way, yoga is no different from jogging, walking, or playing tennis.

But unlike some other weight-bearing activities, yoga won’t damage cartilage or stress the joints. Instead, it lengthens muscles and holds them there, creating tension on the bone.

“That pull of muscle on the bone is the single major factor in bone strength,”says Meeks. Consider, for example, Virabhadrasana I and Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose I and II). In both poses, the legs are weight bearing because they support the body’s weight. “But by bending the front knee to 90 degrees, you do more than simply bear weight in the front leg; you magnify the force on the femur bone,”says Loren Fishman, MD, an assistant clinical professor at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York and the co-author of Yoga for Osteoporosis.

In Warrior II, you’re also adding force to the shoulder joint. “Because you’re holding your arms out away from your body, you’re putting a lot more stress on the head of your humerus than you would if they were hanging at your sides.”

Yoga’s effects are difficult to measure by conventional medical standards, but Fishman published a small pilot study on bone loss and yoga in 2009. He enrolled 18 people with osteoporosis or osteopenia. (The average age was 68.) Everyone had a baseline bone-density test at the start. While 7 people acted as the control group, 11 others learned a sequence that included 10 yoga postures, including Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Adho Mukha Svanasana and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog poses), and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose). Participants stayed in each pose for 20 to 30 seconds. (Research suggests that roughly 10 seconds of stimulation is enough to trigger new bone growth.) The daily yoga routine took about 10 minutes.

Fishman charted both groups’ progress and, two years later, asked everyone to get another bone scan. The results, published in the journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, were promising. While nearly every member of the control group either maintained or lost bone, roughly 85 percent of the yoga practitioners gained bone in both the spine and the hip. “I was shocked at the results,”he says. “By putting tremendous pressure on the bones without harming the joints, yoga may be the answer to osteoporosis.”

Food Factor

While Martin saw her bone density increase after she started taking two or three two-hour Power Yoga classes a week, she also fills up on vegetables. For lunch she makes a colorful salad with lettuces, fresh berries, mango, pine nuts, dried cranberries, and raw kale chopped superfine like parsley. And while she doesn’t shun dairy, fish, or animal products—she eats a bit of cheese every day, drinks cream in her coffee—even when she and her husband eat out for dinner (which is often), she always orders a couple of vegetable sides in addition to a small serving of protein-rich food.

This balance is likely a big contributing factor to the improvement in her bones. Some research shows that too much protein in the diet may actually weaken bone. That’s because protein is acid forming. When too much acid enters the bloodstream, the body pulls calcium, which is alkaline, from bone to neutralize it.

“We absolutely see a strong correlation between a plant-based diet and bone mineral density,”says Annie Kay, MS, RD, an integrative dietician at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, a yoga therapist, and the former director of the osteoporosis awareness program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Most Americans eat twice as much protein as their bodies need, so there is a big acid push in the body that causes it to excrete too much calcium.”

Consuming large amounts of fruits and vegetables may help right this imbalance. “All of those fruits and vegetables neutralize the acid from protein,”says Lynda Frassetto, MD, a kidney-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, and the principal author of a cross-cultural study on how protein in the diet impacts bone health. Published in 2000 in the Journal of Gerontology, her trial looked at diet and hip-fracture data from 33 countries. She found a direct link between high consumption of animal protein and a higher number of hip fractures in women age 50 and older.

Given Frassetto’s findings, the temptation is to make a sweeping generalization that animal protein is “bad”and plant protein is “good,”but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Indeed, all forms of protein have the potential to be acid forming, whether it’s a hamburger or a veggie burger. What’s important is the ratio of your intake of fruit and vegetables to your intake of animal protein, says Frassetto.

Move It or Lose It

If you want to prevent bone loss, any amount of yoga is likely to be better than no yoga. The people in Fishman’s study got bone benefits with as little as 10 minutes of yoga a day. That said, more is probably better than less. If you are an experienced yogi and you are looking to either prevent or reverse early-stage bone loss, like Martin, almost any yoga practice that involves a series of standing postures (flow or no) will do the trick.

But if you’re a beginner with osteopenia or you have osteoporosis, take time to find an experienced teacher who is trained in a style of yoga that focuses on alignment and safety (stick to beginner offerings). Explain your situation before the class starts and make sure the teacher has some knowledge of yoga therapeutics or, at the very least, the contraindications for osteoporosis.

Yoga can be a bone saver, but it can also be detrimental if it isn’t practiced correctly. For instance, in someone with osteoporosis, forward bending (flexion of the spine)—which is a big part of the average yoga class—can increase the likelihood of spinal fracture by excessively loading the front of the vertebrae compared with your back.

Twists are another potential danger zone because they can put the spine in a vulnerable position. Meeks prefers supine twists. That way, the spine is fully supported and elongated. Carol Krucoff, co-director of the Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors teacher training program at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, advises her students with bone loss against “end-range”or deep twists (see sidebar above for pose suggestions).

But if you’re still in prevention mode, all poses are up for grabs, including forward bends, backbends, twists, and inversions. And it’s never too early to start saving bone. “If you build up the bones while you’re young,”says Fishman, “you can afford to lose a little bit as you age.”

Good Eats

Packing your diet with alkaline-rich fruits and keeping acidic foods to a minimum will help keep your bones healthy and strong.

Fill Up on These:
Low-acid (alkaline) foods
Dried fruit
Vegetables (especially broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, kale, and zucchini)
Fresh fruits (especially apples, pineapple, bananas, oranges, and peaches)

Limit These:
High-acid foods
Cheese
Meat
Eggs
Fish 

Bust a Move, Not a Bone

If you’re in the early stages of bone loss, some research shows that you can slow and even reverse the condition with as little as 10 minutes of yoga a day. While it’s always a good idea to seek out an experienced teacher, the poses below (recommended by Loren Fishman, Sara Meeks, and Carol Krucoff) are a great jumping-off point. The goal is to build strength and balance while maximizing stability and safety. These poses aren’t designed as a series, per se, but they can be incorporated into a home practice or used as substitutions in studio classes when everyone else is doing a deep twist or forward bend.

Strengthen your skeleton with these 7 poses:

1. Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
2. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
3. Bhujangasana with arms at the sides (Cobra Pose)
4. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
5. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)
6. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
7. Alternate arm and leg lifts (start on all fours, and lift and extend opposite arm and leg)

How to do Phalakasana (also known as Kumbhakasana) (Plank Pose)

Plank pose is another great pose to strengthen your bones. You are strongly working your arms and legs and there is the added benefit that it's a really good core strengthener.

Here's how to do it: 

• From Downward Facing Dog bring your shoulders forward so they stack directly over your wrists. You might need to do this pose in front of a mirror so that you can see if the alignment is correct. If your shoulders are too far forward there will be a lot of pressure in the wrists which really doesn't feel good. 

• Your hips should be in line with the back of your head and your heels. Don't let the hips lift up too high - you might need to wriggle your feet back a little to lengthen yourself out, or let the hips drop too low - engage the abdominal muscles by drawing them back towards the spine, engage the front of the thighs by lifting your kneecaps up and firm, but not grip, the buttock muscles. Lengthen your tailbone towards the back of your heels.

Hips too high

Hips too low

• Press the floor firmly with your hands and feel the shoulder blades move away from each other, broadening the upper back.

• Keep the chin slightly in so the back of the neck is long and relax the face. 

• Hold for 3-5 breaths initially and build up slowly with repeated practice.

If you have problems with your wrists you can do this pose on your forearms. All the other alignment cues are the same. 

Forearm plank

Finally, while we're on the subject of bones, take a look at this lovely video which shows us that really we're all the same and we all want the same thing - love and acceptance  :-)

Have a great week.

https://youtu.be/vljMbgIzE3E

5 Ways to Practice Your Yoga this Easter Weekend

When I started going to yoga classes it was for the physical benefits. I thought of it as an exercise class. I neither knew about or felt that I needed any of the other aspects of yoga. However, the more yoga I did, the more I became aware of the whole practice (the other 7 "limbs" of yoga - see my post of  February 2014 here) and noticed that it was seeping out into my daily life. As the quote below points out, it's more about the journey than arriving.

Over this long Bank Holiday weekend there are lots of ways you can practice your yoga. I've listed 5 here but I'm sure you can come up with more of your own. What they all have in common is mindfulness - being conscious of what you are doing and your reactions to what happens around you.

1. Unroll your mat and do some Asanas (the postures, which are the 3rd limb of yoga). Your body will enjoy the stretch, you'll get to check in with how you're feeling both physically and mentally, you'll breathe more fully and feel all the benefits that a Pranayama practice will bring you and you'll feel good about having enough discipline and commitment to your home practice. 

Start with some Sun Salutations, do some Cat/Cow Poses to mobilise the spine, add in a Downward Facing Dog, step through to a lunge, come up to Warrior 2, Triangle, .... you know these poses.... repeat on the other side... lie on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees wide, do a few minutes Savasana ..... you've got yourself a yoga practice.

2.  Take a walk, bike ride, or run outside in the fresh air alone. It's great to have company - just making the arrangement to meet someone else helps to make sure you follow through. It's helpful too to have someone else to look at the map with if you're going off into unfamiliar countryside. But when you're talking it's easy to miss things. Beautiful things that our eyes skim over when we're busy and occupied. Clouds moving over the sky, buds on trees, emerging flowers, birdsong. When you're alone you can choose to pause whenever you want to take in the view, and soak up all that nature at springtime has to show you.

This gives me the perfect opportunity to share a lovely video with you. I know I've shared it before but it's so good I'm doing it again. It's a poem by Tanya Davis called How To Be Alone  https://youtu.be/k7X7sZzSXY

3. Eat your Easter egg mindfully. Sometimes at my yoga class we do a chocolate meditation. Everyone is given one square of chocolate and the idea is to savour it and notice the smell, the taste and the texture as it melts. It's interesting to notice any feelings that arise as you eat it (maybe there's a slight sense of disappointment that there's only one square) and also how you feel when it's gone (you might find you want more or maybe one square is enough). This mindfulness exercise helps us to be fully in the present moment and can also tell us a lot about ourselves. This is how yoga can help with weight loss - being mindful makes us more aware of what we are eating and why we are eating it. We start to notice if we are eating because we are bored, or unhappy, or if it is just a habit. Yoga encourages us to have self-compassion too, and when we learn to love and accept ourselves, and appreciate the truly amazing thing that is our body, we start to take better care of it. We practice more yoga to keep it moving with ease and we practice more mindfulness so that we notice how we react to the events that happen in our lives. Choose to eat your Easter egg mindfully, slowly, deliberately and with your full awareness on savouring the experience. 

4. Take a bath, a nap or some other form of self-care. When we're busy working and taking care of the house and family we can so easily put our own self-care to the bottom of the list. Maybe you'd love to curl up on the sofa with your book but there always seems to be a chore that needs to be done. Or you've been meaning to do one of those nourishing hair treatments or a face pack for ages and never seem to have enough time. Take a few minutes over this long Bank Holiday weekend to do something for yourself. Even something as simple as massaging your skin with oil for 10 minutes is beneficial, both for the body and the mind (I love coconut oil - it has no chemicals and the smell reminds me of holidays). By taking this time for your self-care ritual you are acknowledging that your wellbeing is important, and that in itself is empowering and life enhancing.

A Simple Self-Care Tip for Bad Days and Burnout by Sarah Harvey via elephantjournal.com 

Ugh, it's one of those days.
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, waited till my blood sugar plummeted to eat anything, and wandered around like a spaced-out zombie all day.
Nothing was terribly wrong, but nothing felt terribly right either.
I felt so burned out, tired and grumpy that I couldn’t tend to my needs with the luscious, soufflé-like tenderness I so deeply craved.
I abandoned myself instead.
Then, I beat myself up for being reckless with my self-care routine.
Grrr!
What can we do when we’re so exhausted and stunningly blah that it doesn’t even feel possible to take care of ourselves?
We can stop.
Take three minutes.
And breathe.
I know it may sound annoyingly simple, but sometimes simplicity is surprisingly powerful.
Ready?
Inhale boldly, and feel the fresh air rush into your lungs and expand gloriously into your belly.
Take a tiny pause.
Blow the air out of your mouth fiercely and let out a deep sigh or grunt. Stick out your tongue and shake your head gently, from side to side, like a lioness deep in the jungle.
Ahhhh, right?
Pay attention to that tiny transition, where the inhale turns into the exhale: it’s the perfect place to anchor yourself and create a safe, quiet space.
Lather, rinse and repeat as needed.
Then, close your eyes and gently ask, aloud:
What can I do for myself right now?
What do I need?
Keep breathing.
Let your heart and soul have their say, unedited.
Listen carefully as your own juicy, caramel-like wisdom drips throughout your entire body, soaking it completely.
Listen with soft, eager ears and a wide-open mind.
Gather this sparkling knowledge and hold it firmly in your palms.
Open your hands slowly, like a shy flower blooming in early Spring.
What do you see?
Keep breathing, and settle into this freshly-squeezed, refreshing space.
Honor your needs, in any way you wish—but make a real effort to tend to them with focused intention.
Yes.
This short, simple little exercise seriously saved me today.
It reminded me that when our normal self-care strategies fail, it’s usually because our minds, bodies and souls are calling out for something new.
Self-care, like life, is very dynamic. We require different things each day, so let us make more room to accommodate our constantly cascading, ever-evolving needs.
This is so hard for me to remember.
In my mind, if something worked yesterday, shouldn’t it freaking work today?
In short, no.
Because yesterday is yesterday and today is today.
I need to be here today, feeling what I need right now.
And today, I need to make room for softness, laziness, chocolate, and some quiet time on the couch.
I need to remind myself that little indulgences are a big part of taking care of myself, too.
I think we could all use that reminder.
We are far too hard on ourselves, even when it comes to the lovely things in life, like self-care.
Even if we spend just ten minutes honoring our needs, it will change our day, and over the course of time, our lives.
It all comes down to this one question:
What do I need right now?
Yes, it’s a delicious question.
Taste it.
Lick it.
Mmm…let’s kiss it hard and put it in our soul’s front pocket, we’ll want to keep it handy for tomorrow.

5. Be patient with those around you and practice loving kindness. The Easter break often means spending time with family. Its lovely to have the time to all be together and to connect in an unhurried way but family time doesn't always go smoothly. This story (via one of my favourite meditation teachers Tara Brach (www.tarabrach.com) is a reminder for all of us to learn to live with the imperfections of others and admire their good qualities rather than focus on the little things that irritate us.

"It was the coldest winter ever – so cold that many animals froze to death. In an effort to save themselves from this icy fate, the porcupines decided to gather together to fend off the chill.

They huddled close to each other, covered and protected from the elements, and warmed by their collective body heat. But their prickly quills proved to be a bit of a problem in close proximity – they poked and stabbed each other, wounding their closest companions. The warmth was wonderful, but the mutual needling became increasingly uncomfortable. Eventually, they began to distance themselves one from the other, scattering in the forest only to end up alone and frozen. Many died.

It soon became clear that they would have to choose between solitary deaths in the freezing wilderness and the discomfort of being needled by their companions’ quills when they banded together.

Wisely, they decided to return to the huddle. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their fellows, in order to benefit from the collective heat they generated as a group. In this way they were able to survive."

Finally, having written about colouring in last week's blog post, it transpires that this simple and relaxing past-time is fast becoming the "next big thing". Who knew I was so on trend?!! Click here to read an article that was published in the Times last week about the very book I'm colouring.

Have a Happy Easter!

Felt Tips and Fascia

I'm getting ready to go on a mini-break. There will be 7 of us in a cottage in a rural location in Oxfordshire. The weather forecast is not looking too fabulous and there is no wi-fi, therefore we will not be able to use our laptops or mobiles to entertain ourselves. We are going to have to be a little more creative. I'm hoping that some board games will bring us all together and we'll talk and laugh and connect with each other with no distractions. 

However, as one who likes a little quiet time to "download" thoughts and get clear and calm, I've also packed two books. One is a novel and the other is a colouring book. I remember that as I child I loved colouring and when my children were young I often used to join in with their drawing and painting, but its something that I haven't done as an adult.

Before Christmas I bought a beautiful book called Secret Garden (an Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book) by Johanna Basford and a couple of packets of felt tip pens. I had the intention of relaxing over the festive period, curled up on the sofa with pen in hand peacefully doing my colouring. Well, it didn't happen! Other things came along and the colouring book got pushed to one side and there it stayed until I read the following article. I'm now inspired again and I've dusted off my lovely book and put it in my bag and I'm looking forward to some quiet, creative colouring just like I used to do when I was a child.

10 Ways Drawing Can Relieve Stress and Inspire Wonder

By Danny Gregory via mindbodygreen.com

Looking for ways to be calmer, happier and more centered? The answer could lie in the pages of a sketchbook.

As someone who knows the positive effects drawing can bring to anyone's life, I'd like to share some reasons drawing is a great activity to promote relaxation and help you lead a happier life.

1. You'll reconnect with your playful spirit.
Many people drew and painted as kids, without worrying about talent or the quality of the final product. Reconnecting with that playful creative spirit is relaxing and liberating. Even if you haven't drawn since you were six, a few minutes a day drawing simple things around you can unleash a playful energy that can fill your whole day.

2. You'll amaze yourself.
Drawing isn't a mysterious matter of God-given talent. It just takes a few minutes of practice each day to make new connections in your brain and your body. I've discovered that keeping an illustrated journal helps me develop a creative habit that jump starts my drawing skills. And as your sketchbook fills with beautiful drawings, you become proud and eager to keep going.

3. You'll be able to control time.
Making art stops time. When you draw or paint what's around you, you focus and see it for what it is. Instead of living in a virtual world, you'll be present. Instead of all the things whirring in your head, you will be able to stop, to clear your mind, to take a deep breath and just be. You don't need a mantra or a guru. Or an app. Just a pen.

4. You'll tell your story.
Life is just a long succession of small epiphanies. You need to stop and seize them. By drawing the everyday things you encounter, you'll be making a record of what you're living through and what you are learning. A drawing and a sentence or two in a sketchbook turns those everyday moments into something significant. Over time, you'll build up a book of memories — a true record of what's important in your life.

5. You'll fight perfectionism.
Many people are tempted to avoid doing things they can't do well. But creativity is all about taking risks and doing new things — things that may not turn out exactly as we'd planned. Drawing can help you avoid the limitations of perfectionism and learn to roll with the punches. You learn to see "mistakes" as lessons and opportunities for improvisation. Often a wonky line or a splatter of ink can turn a sketch into an expressive work of art. Learn to let go, play and discover.

6. You'll reconnect with your inner child.
Draw with a child, and draw with crayons, tempera, pastels and finger paints. Interact with your drawing partner. Take requests. Tell a story and illustrate it as you go. Ask your kid to draw a crazy line and you add to it to make an elephant or a choo-choo or a ham sandwich. Scribble. Splatter. Play. For a few minutes, let it go and be a child.

7. You'll realize the world isn't perfect.
But it's beautiful. And the most beautiful things have character and experience built into them. There's a lot to learn and appreciate in a chipped mug, a half-eaten apple, the tiny lines in the leather of your dashboard. Making art will show you how much you already have. Your real treasures. A brand-new Maserati is a lot less beautiful to draw than a rusty old pickup.

8. You'll create memories.
When you draw, you enhance your memory. By slowing down and observing carefully, you create deeper and more vivid records of everything that surrounds you. Make drawing a habit, and your ability to summon up the past and enjoy it once again will grow by leaps and bounds.

9. You'll get rid of boredom.
You will never be bored or waste time again. Every day is full of those moments between activities. Waiting in the doctor's office, watching mindless TV. Instead of reading tweets on your phone, you'll make a piece of art. Every minute of your day counts. Make it worthwhile.

10. You'll share your art.
At my drawing school, we encourage students to post their work online. At first that can seem daunting, trotting out your work for strangers to comment on. But if you find a supportive and encouraging community, your incentive to draw grows. And the connections you form with others on the same journey of discovery are deep and profound. Draw with your friends. Draw your friends. Share your sketchbook and the stories of your life. What could be more beautiful? 

How to Do Malasana (Garland Pose)

Malasana is a deep squat which opens tight hips and inner thighs, and stretches the lumbar spine. There is a gentle squeeze and massage for the internal organs and a stretch to the lower calf muscle and Achilles tendon too. 

Here's how to do it:

From a standing forward bend, turn the toes out, bend the knees and place the hands on the floor (this helps keep the knees safe as you drop down into a squat). Then bend the knees and lower the buttocks towards the floor until you arrive in a deep squat. The feet are turned out and the knees are wide so they track over the toes. You may need to put a block or folded blanket under the heels if they don't touch the floor.  Breathe deeply and stay for 5-10 breaths.

There are number of variations of this pose. You can bring the hands together in front of the heart and use the elbows to gently guide the knees back which will stretch the inner things more - see Picture 1. You can slide the hands forward along the floor for a deeper forward bend as in Picture 2 (but only if your back is happy for you to do so). Or you can wrap the arms around the shins and clasp the hands behind the heels, again if your back feels ok - see Picture 3.  If your knees don't like the deep folding action of this pose, you could sit on blocks or a bolster to take the weight onto the buttocks as in Picture 4. There is also the option to do this pose with the feet together but the knees wide, taking care to press the inner part of the ball of the foot down to the floor. 

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Yoga practice stretches and strengthens the whole body - bones, skin, muscles and tissues. You what it feels like when you reach into a good stretch, and you're probably aware when when you feel tight and bound and your range of movement is limited, but do you know about fascia and how it works? This article explains:

What is Fascia and What Does It Do?

By Melissa Putt via mindbodygreen.com
 

Think of fascia as the most sensitive, highly interconnected system in the entire body — it's the life force next to blood. Without fascia, toned and structured muscle would turn to hamburger meat, organs would spread like wildfire and bones would crumble, as fascia is the single element that organizes and suspends these parts of the body. It's the most highly innervated tissue, sensitive to every hormone in your system, recoiling with every bump and bruise sustained.

Our understanding of fascia in modern science will revolutionize how we exercise, how surgeons operate, how athletes train and how we address pain management. Fascia is the frontier of body knowledge, and the better you understand what it is and how it works, the more in tune with your body you'll be. Here's what you should know about fascia. 

So, what is fascia?

Fascia is the system of connective tissue fibers that lay just under the surface of our skin. Under a microscope, fascia is highly organized in a mesh formulation of tubules filled with water, and its job is to attach, stabilize, enclose and separate muscles and internal organs.

What does fascia do?

Fascia is wrapped throughout the body on "lines of pull." It connects toes to brow in one uninterrupted sheet of fascia, and fingers to chest and neck. The heart fascia is connected at the collarbone, which connects to the arm and fingers. It coils around the bones, muscle fibers, muscle bundles, organs, arteries, veins and nerves, applying tension and compression to the body material it surrounds.

This is what you feel as a stretch or when you have physical pain. It's the tension of the fascia around the area of sensation that causes feelings of tightness. Tendons and ligaments are layers of fascia that are meant to absorb shock and distribute the impact. If tendons are tight, dehydrated and shortened, they can't absorb impact and will fray, causing pain.

Fasica also has an organ suspension function. Have you ever wondered how your liver, stomach and intestines stay put? Your organs are not suspended without any connection to the outside body. Each organ is wrapped in a hammock of fascia that's connected to the spine, ribs, or pelvis. These fascial connections connect with the muscle fascia that affects your movement. Your breath, exercise and sitting posture will all affect the health of organs, as they're connected fascially to the muscles being used for daily activities.

How does fascia work?

Fascia is sensitive to all movement. There's no such thing as isolation exercises or having a "leg-day workout" — all movement affects the entire body because of the links to the body-wide fascial network. Working at your desk with hands pulled forward on the keyboard pulls the fascia in the low back and hips, and if you cross your legs, your knees and bladder.

Counting repetitions in your workout does affect the cells of the muscle, but ultimately muscle potential is limited by the quality of the fascia that surrounds it. Movement is supposed to be absorbed by fascia, not muscle. Watch a cat jump; that's not a muscular movement. It's the fascia recoiling and creating a spring tension to propel the cat upward.

Humans are the same to some degree. Our body mechanics are meant to be spring loaded for joints of the spine, hips, knees, ankles and ribs, so they can absorb impact and distribute the strain throughout the body. Proper exercise should follow the lines of fascial pull in order to distribute the impact. When you're tight and restricted, the fascia is stuck and doesn't glide smoothly over the muscles and bones. In order for your body to work like a well-oiled machine, you must focus on the fascia. Fitness ability is dependent on healthy fascia.

Why is fascia so crucial? 

Joint health, injury-free sports, organ health and fluid movement are all dependent upon a healthy integrated fascial system. This promotes the notion that you need to take care of every part of your body in the same manner — without neglecting any one part. Total body health translates to total internal health and pain-free living.

So now you know a bit more about fascia. And take a guess what would be a good thing to do to look after this amazing part of your body... yes, of course... rolling out your yoga mat and practicing some poses. 

And finally, back to the subject of colour, take a look at this lovely video. Its a reminder about something most of us take for granted. Our yoga practice encourages us to appreciate all the many blessings we have in our lives so, if you see the world in colour, take a moment to be grateful for that and honour the miracle that is the human body.  

https://youtu.be/ea_xOqNvntA

After the sun comes the rain - the vinyasa of life continues

As I write this week's post the clouds are covering the sky. I have a sense of the sun waiting behind them and I'm hoping that they will move on and the skies will clear as they did yesterday and I can enjoy the sunshine again.

Yogic philosophy teaches us that when we wish things to be different than they are we create our own suffering. When we accept the things that we cannot change (ie. I can't do anything to change the weather so I might as well accept it and stop wasting my energy on wanting it to be sunny) we release ourselves from suffering. 

As I mentioned in last week's post about Sun Salutations, all of life is a vinyasa - cycles of day and night (the Equinox is tomorrow), changing seasons, the inhale and the exhale of the breath - all rising and falling and circling around again. When we learn to tell the difference between the things we can change and the things we cannot change, our journey through this great adventure of life can be less of a struggle and more of a flow. 

I'll use the sun once more to illustrate how the way we think about something (often conditioned thoughts that we don't even question) can influence the overview we have of our lives: we often hear people saying that the sun's trying to break through the clouds, that if it could only push through we'd have a sunny day. In reality, the sun's not doing anything at all except being the sun, same as always. Its the clouds that will move on and reveal it. Ever heard someone say that time is against them? They've immediately created a sense of urgency, tension and struggle. Time isn't against them. It's not personal. It's just time, same as always. There's the same amount of it for everyone but it's up to us how we choose to spend it.

With this in mind, I'm accepting this cloudy day. If the clouds do move on that will be lovely, but equally if they don't I'm ok with it.

Here is an article by Cathy Phillips which beautifully explains how accepting things as they really are is helpful to us. Her website and blog, Calm Your Mind, Warm Your Heart, is a valuable resource offering support to people with cancer. 

"Peace of mind means letting go of all the things that block peacefulness—our worries, fears, resentments, hurt and anger.  But what are we really letting go of?  It’s not as if we can instantly relieve ourselves of our upset like a heavy burden dropped to the ground. Would it were so simple.  Letting go is a process.  It takes time, practice and patience.

Often what we are letting go of is our own resistance. We want things to be other than they are.  We say to ourselves, “This shouldn’t be” and we work ourselves up with all the ways someone or something falls short of what we want, hope or expect. We hold on tightly to these inner reins: we repeatedly justify our position and we entrench ourselves in our own point of view.  We make ourselves miserable.

Letting go means relinquishing our inner resistance and accepting what is actually happening. Acceptance does not mean giving in or condoning unfair, cruel or inappropriate behavior or circumstances.  It means loosening the tight hold the situation has over us and accepting that life doesn’t always go the way we want it to. Perhaps there is significant truth to our inner turmoil: the people we turn to or rely upon have behaved badly or inappropriately in some way; or the circumstances of our situation are indeed challenging and unfair; or we ourselves have transgressed in an upsetting way; but that doesn’t change the fact that we are making ourselves miserable by wanting things to be different from the way they are in this moment. 

Here’s the difference: letting go is releasing and opening; resisting is tightening and closing. Which state do you think is better for your health and wellbeing? So much of our suffering comes from wishing things were other than they are.  When we let that go, we open ourselves to the flow of life as it is; we  can now work from a place of openness and flow, rather than a place of restriction and closure.  We become more at ease with the changes and complexities life brings us and we move a little closer to living day-to-day with a calm mind and a warm heart." 

Yoga and meditation are wonderful ways to practice letting go. Savasana, our final relaxation after the yoga postures, offers the opportunity to lie down and surrender completely. It allows the body and mind to completely relax and become really quiet after the physical work of the class. When you practice yoga at home never skip Savasana - it is too valuable to miss. Even if your To Do list is waiting, spend at least 5 minutes resting before you get up and get on with your day. 

Equally valuable is Legs Up the Wall pose, or Viparita Karani. Here's how to do it so that you can incorporate it into your home practice:

• Sit sideways against a wall with your hip and shoulder as close as you can get them. 
• Take your hands to the floor behind you, lean backwards and bring your legs up the wall at the same time as you swivel round to face the wall and lower onto your elbows. 
• Then lie down on your back. You may need to scooch in a little closer to the wall to get your buttocks closer in.
• Stretch the legs up the wall, feet and legs close together, making sure the whole body feels symmetrical.
• Draw the shoulderblades down your back so they feel flat on the floor - this helps the arm bones roll out so the shoulders relax, the top of the chest opens the neck feels free.
• You could choose to rest your hands on your abdomen (see picture 1) or move your arms away from your body with the inner elbow crease and palms face up (see picture 2). 
• Close your eyes, breathe smoothly and relax for about 5 minutes.
• If you'd like a gentle supported backbend you could bend your knees, press your feet to the wall to lift your hips up away from the floor, and slide a bolster, pillow or stack of folded blankets under your pelvis to rest on. Then roll the shoulders back again to feel the chest lift (see picture 3).

Viparita Karani - picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Here's why Viparita Karani is a great pose to practice regularly:
As the blood drains from the feet and down to the abdominal region there is relief for swollen ankles, varicose veins and tired legs. The body can completely relax and therefore the nervous system can move from the "flight, fight or freeze" mode that is far too common in our stressful lives, to the "rest and digest" mode that is a healthier state for us to be in. Whilst stress is necessary to alert us about impending danger (remember that heart-pumping, adrenaline rush when you almost miss a step on the stairs?) we tend to spend too much of our time in a hyper-alert and over-stimulated state due to the many distractions in our lives. When we relax the heart rate slows down, the blood pressure re-regulates itself, the glands regulate their hormones - adrenal gland produces less cortisol, pancreas releases less glucagon (a hormone which helps to control blood sugar levels), pituitary gland produces more growth hormone and pancreas produces more insulin (also helping to regulate blood sugar), and we can actually properly rest. Bliss. 

Please note: most inversions are contra-indicated for beginners, people with neck and shoulder problems, blood pressure problems and for women who are menstruating. Viparita Karani is considered safe for beginners, helpful for regulating the blood pressure and, as the pelvis is not higher than the torso, the first two options shown here are suitable for those who are menstruating.

If you'd like to experience how meditation can help you accept the things you cannot change, click on the link below which will take you to a series of guided meditations.  Scroll down to the one entitled "Let Go of the Need to Control", find a comfortable place to sit for 5 minutes and relax. Renowned author and wellbeing expert Deepak Chopra offers these meditations as part of the Chopra Centre's services.  

http://www.chopra.com/ccl/guided-meditations