Yesterday night's class finally made me sweat. The theme of this class was "groin opening poses". Read "intense poses that generate heat and really make you sweat". So all of you who think yoga doesn't give you an intense workout - eat your heart out! This was hard, intense and sweaty.
The class was estrogen majority. I was the only male (what happened to the other two) in class and probably most "pose challenged". With tight hamstrings, I couldn't dare stretch the back leg in "Hanuman Asana". We did a number of groin openers and supporting poses to allow the groins to really open. Supta Virasana, variations of Adho Mukha Svanasana, Raj kapot Asana (Pigeon Pose).
Nina borrowed some inspiration from Nuvana's back-care class. Its strap trick. A small strap tight around your lower waist. The belt is wrapped around your sacrum, and high part of the gluteus muscles real tight. I use this trick when I have lower back ache or when I am long flights to India. Then you add a wider belt at your sacrum in loop around the tight belt. You then pull down the wider belt with your feet. It pushes your buttock muscles down, releasing the back. This provides amazing relief to your back.
This trick was taught to me by Nuvana early on in my training with her. Back and shoulder ache were to most persistent problems I encountered - both of which are now much better since I started yoga. There are so many benefits to yoga, but I must say I use this Nuvana trick all the time to relieve lower back pain. If you are in metro Portland or visiting try the saturday morning back care class at Sunset Yoga. You will be amazed!
Namaste
The Yogi
Showing posts with label sciatic never pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sciatic never pain. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Balance and Faith - I am back home
I am home after a long journey and jet lagged. I returned to quiet, cold, but somewhat sunny day. From extreme heat to a relatively cold April. I live in the hills with many tall fir trees, nice views of a valley and some snow capped coastal mountains but nothing compares to the chirping of the birds at dawn and dusk in Pune. I am really missing it. It is so quiet here. I hardly see my neighbors - everyone shut in their McMansions. I am missing India, but I missed my girls more than anything so I am glad to be back.
On my journey back I re- read two books. The Holy Cow and Good Life and Good Death. They are excellent books. I plan to write about these books in the near future. While on the plane, I also put some thought into the idea of faith and balance in life and how it may relate to yoga and asana practice.
I find asana practice to be most challenging. It is not like walking or running or swimming. Asanas are far more complex than a breast stroke, or step forward of your foot to walk. Mr. Iyengar says “you have to align the physical with mental”. What does that really mean? My experience tells me that you have listen to the instruction and follow it to its absolute truth. By absolute truth I mean not just following the instruction, but observing the manifestation of that instruction in your body. With that action you gradually adjust till you can feel the asana and really follow the teacher. I have experienced it many times including performing Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, a very challenging backbend. It requires another dimension of thought and action and following of a gradual process. It requires a sense of balance of the physical and mental manifestations that occur when you are performing the asana. You have to let go of your ego and fear as your slide all the way down the chair for the very first time. You have to do it in steps and gradually.
The physical manifestation maybe a stretch or pain and the mental manifestation maybe an urgency and desire to push yourself further. I call it running ahead of your body. Your mind simply wants to peform ahead of what your body can handle but at the same time fear and pain provides a resistance. It’s a trap and its called Ahamkara – the ego. To get the most out of the asanas you have to perform them in a balance of your ego, your mind and what your body can handle physically. Once you learn how to balance them, you can enjoy a journey to your inner mind smoothly. It really is very meditative, however momentary it may be. Some teachers in Pune will tell you “Try to understand it”. I think what they really mean is try to achieve a balance so you can really feel the asana and how it helps you approach the inner mind. That’s probably the meditative state that Guruji talks about.
So where does faith come into all this? Faith is very critical in the journey to learn and perform asanas well. Many of us cannot practice as religiously as others because our lives our complex and full of distractions. Discipline is a relative word. Many a times I cannot attend regular classes for a variety of personal distractions that require more attention. You get in a slump and suddenly asanas that were so easy to perform become impossible. In my case it is very apparent in my ability to perform Adho Mukha Vrikasana. If there are distractions and stress in my life, my arms and shoulders sag and become weak. I lose the ability to lift on my own and keep myself inverted by pushing up with my arms. It can be a major hurt to my ego as well, I must admit.
Now here is where faith comes into action. Without it, I would lose momentum and suddenly yoga is going to be out of my life. It has happened to me so many times at the gym. There are personal moments in life where I seem to have lost faith. As a result I got results that I had never wanted in the first place. The negative emotions surrounding that lack of faith brings results you don't expect or want. I feel strongly that maintaining faith is an important characteristic of a true yogi. Faith brings a lot of positivity to your life but it can only exist when you can balance the negative in your life with the positives. You have to try hard to maintain balance or you will lose faith. Faith and Balance go hand in hand. You have to try hard to maintain your faith or you will lose balance. These are two forces co-exist in your life to help you move ahead towards your ultimate goal. Similar rule applies to your asana practice. You cannot truly achieve the benefits of asana unless you have faith and balance.
Namaste
The yogi
On my journey back I re- read two books. The Holy Cow and Good Life and Good Death. They are excellent books. I plan to write about these books in the near future. While on the plane, I also put some thought into the idea of faith and balance in life and how it may relate to yoga and asana practice.
I find asana practice to be most challenging. It is not like walking or running or swimming. Asanas are far more complex than a breast stroke, or step forward of your foot to walk. Mr. Iyengar says “you have to align the physical with mental”. What does that really mean? My experience tells me that you have listen to the instruction and follow it to its absolute truth. By absolute truth I mean not just following the instruction, but observing the manifestation of that instruction in your body. With that action you gradually adjust till you can feel the asana and really follow the teacher. I have experienced it many times including performing Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, a very challenging backbend. It requires another dimension of thought and action and following of a gradual process. It requires a sense of balance of the physical and mental manifestations that occur when you are performing the asana. You have to let go of your ego and fear as your slide all the way down the chair for the very first time. You have to do it in steps and gradually.
The physical manifestation maybe a stretch or pain and the mental manifestation maybe an urgency and desire to push yourself further. I call it running ahead of your body. Your mind simply wants to peform ahead of what your body can handle but at the same time fear and pain provides a resistance. It’s a trap and its called Ahamkara – the ego. To get the most out of the asanas you have to perform them in a balance of your ego, your mind and what your body can handle physically. Once you learn how to balance them, you can enjoy a journey to your inner mind smoothly. It really is very meditative, however momentary it may be. Some teachers in Pune will tell you “Try to understand it”. I think what they really mean is try to achieve a balance so you can really feel the asana and how it helps you approach the inner mind. That’s probably the meditative state that Guruji talks about.
So where does faith come into all this? Faith is very critical in the journey to learn and perform asanas well. Many of us cannot practice as religiously as others because our lives our complex and full of distractions. Discipline is a relative word. Many a times I cannot attend regular classes for a variety of personal distractions that require more attention. You get in a slump and suddenly asanas that were so easy to perform become impossible. In my case it is very apparent in my ability to perform Adho Mukha Vrikasana. If there are distractions and stress in my life, my arms and shoulders sag and become weak. I lose the ability to lift on my own and keep myself inverted by pushing up with my arms. It can be a major hurt to my ego as well, I must admit.
Now here is where faith comes into action. Without it, I would lose momentum and suddenly yoga is going to be out of my life. It has happened to me so many times at the gym. There are personal moments in life where I seem to have lost faith. As a result I got results that I had never wanted in the first place. The negative emotions surrounding that lack of faith brings results you don't expect or want. I feel strongly that maintaining faith is an important characteristic of a true yogi. Faith brings a lot of positivity to your life but it can only exist when you can balance the negative in your life with the positives. You have to try hard to maintain balance or you will lose faith. Faith and Balance go hand in hand. You have to try hard to maintain your faith or you will lose balance. These are two forces co-exist in your life to help you move ahead towards your ultimate goal. Similar rule applies to your asana practice. You cannot truly achieve the benefits of asana unless you have faith and balance.
Namaste
The yogi
Friday, April 18, 2008
Day 7 in Pune - Wise Cracking Yoga Teacher
I missed the Thursday class. Work fires and meetings early morning. But there was something to look forward to on Friday. It is to be with Gulnaaz, a short fair Indian-Irani lady who has wise crack style. She is incredibly funny and her style just lends to learning and pushing without it being too serious. I saw her practicing Urdhva Parsarita Padasana in the main hall prior to class. Guess what? It ended up in the class and it is tough, especially if you are asked to do 10 reps twice in a row. We did the usual typical poses, like a wide Uttanasana to adho mukha savasana and then the various Supta Padangusthasana variations. This pose is done pretty much in every class. My hip and sciatic pain has completely disappeared. I really liked her instructions. They ask you to pull your arms back with the belt in the I pose and then in the II variation she asked I not take the raised leg down completely to ensure the other leg was straight. She showed how in the quest to get the leg down, we lose alignment. Nice tip! And then came the wise crack. An older gentleman in his quest to stretch his leg wrapped the belt around his neck. She yelled "Sirji please don't do that, I need to see you in my next class"! We all just cracked out laughing. I have a hard time keeping composed and I find her class the most enjoyable and look forward to next Friday's class. There is so much to learn. I feel I have gained a new level of flexibility in one week.
Namaste!
Namaste!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Yoga for Sciatica
A number of visitors on my blog are interested in managing their sciatica. Here is an interesting article I found. It discusses many yoga posese to help manage Sciatica. Sciatica can be caused by a variety of problems. Please see a medical doctor if it persists to rule out a herniated disc problem. Iyengar yoga is a great way to to manage Sciatic nerve pain. Please follow this link to Yoga poses for Sciatica.
Namaste
Yogi
Namaste
Yogi
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