Forward bends and chest openings - Poses for relieving stress and tension

Yesterday was one of those days where too many things just come at me at once at work. I have learned the hard way not to get too comfortable with peace and calmness in my life - the evil spirits of stress have a remarkable way of coming in my face when I least expect them, no matter how yogic I claim I have become. With wonders of modern technology of instant communication we are more likely to get more stressed, more quickly - IN AN INSTANT :-) . We convince ourselves of changes and transformations within to handle stress with calmness.... but there is a reality check when it all blows up on your face in an instant.

It was my good fortune that this wave of stress and anxiety came right before my Friday yoga family session with Nuvana. I packed the kids into the car. We were so late. Yes! we will have ice cream after this, but I do need my yoga practice kids! You will have a swell time screaming and jumping all over me with your two friends, while I lie strapped in some supine pose trying to relax.... Off we drive down hill as Guruji's words "Change has to take place! Transformation has to take place" echo in my ears from the trailer of the movie EnlightenUp . Have a I really transformed? My old demons are back to haunt me. It had been such a peaceful Friday earlier.

We get to Nuvana's house.... I'm profusely apologizing for being late, as we have dovetailed into the dinner time of kids. No problem she says. I just need lots of restorative, my head is going to explode - I remark. Her kids had been eagerly awaiting our arrival, so in no time all four were in their best behavior. I need to bring ear plugs in the future. Somehow we calmed them down to do our OM invocations - but the quietness was immediately interrupted by slapping noises between two, which immediately transformed into massive giggling.

I was immediately instructed into a half Uttanasana on her window ledge. That didn't last for too long either. I was moved into a chest opening with Setu Bandh next. In included for a change a folded a blanket between my legs and the legs strapped around it and the edge of the sand bag on my forehead to push it towards my eyes. We couldn't find the eye pillows. That lasted for about 10 minutes.... all through this I'm un-silent. I am verbalizing my stress. "Evil spirits" exclained Nuvana. They come from your past lives her grandmother told her. You need to get a puja done. I will do anything to get rid of these stress demons I reply. In that moment I am ready to do anything , I believe in everything that could get rid of these demons from my life.

I think you need to try some forward bends, she remarked and I moved to a sitting position of Upavishtakonasana with my arms and head on the Halasana bench that was padded with blankets and two additional blanks one each side for my arms. I am still rambling... between the work problems and my experience of reading the book "First there is a mountain". I need to be quiet, but for some reason, I can't seem to be quite there today. We talked about our personal humorous experiences in Pune.

One topic was of how students are addressed, especially the foreigners, as many I think are challenged by the culture and environment. The teachers' at RIMYI frequently refer to students as "You people". The writer Elizatbeth Kadestky had made her own sarcastic interpretation in the book of the term "You people". I won't quote the words, but I couldn't stop laughing as I read it. We determined that if you don't know hindi, it would be hard to understand that "You people" meant no disrespect. The teachers in Pune think in Hindi or Marathi, or their native tongue and translate to English. "Aap log" is how folks are addressed in Hindi in group settings, which is a very respectful way of saying "You all". "You people" sounds so terse and derogatory. Somewhere in the discussion of Elizabeth Kadestky's book and experiences in Pune, the stress started to dissipate. My mind was distracted to another place, away from the demons.

I wasn't able to get the forward bend I needed with Upavishtakonasana. "Some people can get better bends with Baddha Konasana", Nuvana says. So we switch over to that pose and eventually to Janusirsana poses. All through this there was the screaming of the kids in the background. We decided to empower my oldest to oversee the younger, supervise them - a skill she is learning in school as her class welcome the newcomers (first graders) with whom they as second graders will be partnering with and guiding them through their first year in lower elementary. She too has been "really stressed" in all the preparation work that is required for welcoming these newcomers next week... Ahhh! all this "work", we are being programmed to be stressed at such a young age. That class needs to restart its yoga with me.

I must have been in these variations of sitting forward bends for an hour. The conversations about Pune took my mind completely away from my demons and by the time I was done, the head was no longer exploding and a sense of calmness had returned. We were invited to stay back for dinner. I volunteered to get some "Chole Bhature" from the Indian restaurant we had planned to visit after. The phone buzzed.... the stress never seems to leave me alone, but I handled it fine.

It was a stress free evening from there on, though I know the demons were still lingering around and will for some time, till the next wave of peace and calmness in my life. I recall something I wrote in a earlier post and wish to add the following : "Life is meant to be full of suffering and then we die"..... This elusive happiness we seek is just an illusion, a hope....we should not give up hope, but at the same time, balance hope with action, by going through life the best we can and then change might happen and transformation might happen. There is nothing but a sine wave in the cycle of life.

Namaste


The Yogi

Inflate detachment and deflate your ego to avoid stress wrecks!

I took a two hour level 4 rope class from Nuvana at Sunset Yoga. A combination of backbends, standing poses and inversions on the ropes - I was thoroughly exhausted and so was the class. Most of them were senior students and teachers themselves. I realized how much of my ego I have let go in these last two years. I was most challenged as I am most tight everywhere - except for my head I hope. I didn't push to hard - but I did scrape my ankle while attempting a hand stand while holding the ropes. The sharp edges of the wood planks that hold the ropes the culprit. I left energized but tired at the same time.


There was a stress management class at work right after and I couldn't have picked a better time - immediately following a yoga class. I have been encouraging my employees to take yoga and have only been successful in convincing one - she takes Nuvana's back care class. Our medical insurance company United Healthcare offers free classes on wellness and despite themselves, this is probably one of the best things they do for their members.


I have taken stress management classes in the past, but this one simply brought it all together - summed it up for me. Everything we learn in Iyengar yoga, the whole body-mind connection, it all made sense. The instructor talked about the stresses in life. Most of us are stressed by work. Isn't that incredible. We get stressed by this very crucial activity in life and its caused by what she described as myths we live by. Do these sound familiar ?

- I must never make a mistake
- I must never fail
- I must never look foolish
- I must work hard all the time
- I must never get angry
- I must always play safe
- The customer is always right!
- I must live up to expectations of my _____(wife, kids, father, mother, boss, employer, customer)
- I must always deliver on time
- I have to be the best _____________(worker, mother, father, husband, son, daughter)



These myths haunt us in every aspect of our lives and it is these myths that have been ingrained in us since we were children, is why we get stressed. Stress is unavoidable. Experts discuss "good stress" and "bad stress". Any stress will increase the amount of endorphins in our bodies. Stress is addictive and we are addictive to our routines by nature. It went on.... I was listening with rapped attention till the question came up about what caused the most stress in our work place. My answer "when there was an unhappy customer on the phone". That is when the blame game starts. Egos are inflated, fingers are pointed, customers are wronged and stress levels rise to incredible levels.



There are many other events, especially for me, as I sit on the top of the pyramid - all roads end in my office and with me. This is not an ego statement - just reality of someone in a position as the head of the business. My head is only the chopping block when things go wrong. I can't blame anyone but myself. I used to be bogged down by stress - employees, investors, customers, board members. Even a benign phone call from an investor would stress me out. I had set myself for a burnout.



As I sat listening to this instructor talk I realized how much I had changed in the last two years. She talked about how to handle stressful situations, about breathing, tightening your muscles, about a short timeout to calm down. All these concepts were so familiar - I was practicing them without being aware of them and I attribute this all to the yoga practice and the readings of books by Mr. Iyengar and others. I finally had something to say to my employees and that had nothing to do with inspiring them to work harder, faster and make more money. It had to do with dealing with anger, emotions, our addiction and infatuation with success and abhorrence to failure. The instructor put the final word in my mouth; "DETACHMENT"!



We are addicted to adrenaline and the rush that comes with it. This causes stress. Whether its anger because of failure or unmet expectations, or the rush we get from success. They are both culprits. Why can't we just be neutral I asked the group! Why be addicted to anger or happiness? Why not detach from both? I am not suggesting we don't try to be happy, but isn't being happy all the time stressful. How can you be happy and pleased constantly. But we spend enormous energy and time seeking "happiness". I realized how much of "I am not happy" I had heard in the last 12 years and how sick that had made me. If you can't be happy, why not just detach from the damn happiness and take a deep breath for a change. Your quest for happiness without learning how to detach will drive you crazy and everyone else around you. That has been my experience, now that I have developed some clarity of mind and thought.



So today, I don't seek happiness - I just seek less stress. Less stress means more detachment, less ego which results in more neutrality in life. So many of us are constantly chasing happiness and the meaning of our lives. In the most animistic words and this is with utter humility and respect - the purpose of our life is to "live", reproduce and then die. To live means to survive and survival comes with stress. It is no different than the lives of the mice that have moved in my basement, and visit the garbage can every night for food. There lives have been disrupted by the construction and deforestation. We are in constant battle, they want survival, I want them out. Living is stressful. And stress can kill us before our time is up. It can destroy all the work we put into our survival and will never make us happy. So why not live our lives in ways that doesn't cause too much of it! We will be healthier and more peaceful. There will be less war!



I watched Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals at the Olympics. I am certain it gives him utmost happiness. He deserves it. He has worked for it as a child. You see his mother weep on TV every time he wins a gold medal. I am sure they are tears of joy and happiness and accomplishment. His father is absent. Where is he? Why isn't he part of the success? I went on the net and found out that he is no longer speaking to his father. That must be stressful and bigger stress than the expectation the world set for him to win these 8 gold medals. I am uncertain how this will impact Phelps in his future... but I had to detach from those thoughts. I watch the destruction in Georgia and the troops from big brother Russia destroying a small country. Why? Because of Ego, power and inability to remain neutral. All this stresses me out! I have to detach; fast.....

Many of these stress management trainers, therapists and experts tell us to breathe. The instructor did the same. She concluded with words like time out and breathe! What she didn't offer was how do you breathe. All of the attendees were sitting slouched over the table. How could you breathe properly when your chest is folded and lungs collapsed. I gave a small tip (and thank you my Iyengar Yoga gurus for constantly reminding me of this...)



- Lift up your sternum and lift from the sides of your chest
- Straighten your spine
- Roll your shoulders back and pull your shoulders down to create the space to open your chest
- If you are on your chair - straighten your arms
- clasp your hands and stretch your arms back to create even more space
- Now close your eye and BREATHE!



At the end of the class I asked the group how many of them would be interested in taking an easy yoga class at work that included breathing. All hands raised! I felt I had made a difference. Thank you BKS Iyengar for guiding me and making me more neutral. Two years of yoga had also taught me something else of great value that I share - it was on how to breathe!




Namaste


The Yogi

Run out of gas! A life lesson in patience and calm disposition

For the second time in my life and twice in 12 months my gas guzzler SUV ran out of gasoline. And this time, I was driving downhill! You can imagine the panic as the engine cut off with no warning and the despair as I was going to be late for a meeting at work. I was upset at myself. I knew I needed to fill up the night before. I drove by a gas station, but laziness and curiosity to determine how many miles I could get out of the car drove me straight home.

So here I am parked on the shoulder lane frustrated that I will be stuck for at least an hour till I get road side assistance. Last time this happened the car had to be towed. Could things get any worse? Is my life headed to a continuous stream of problems and challenges. Will it ever end?

Notwithstanding, I took a deep breath, called road side assistance, and pulled out my IPhone to get on to the blogosphere. I have been following Skeptic Yogi journey of yoga and life especially her recent experience with a yoga retreat. She had a post thanking the universe for where she is in her life - and sounds like she is in a good place and she is genuinely making an effort to learn to be in a place of peace and tranquility, through introspection, yoga and blogging.

She thanked me and others she has virtually met through the blog world in her post. The impatience and despair dissipated as I read her post. The calm disposition returned. Sometimes when you think you have run out of gas and are at the end of your rope, a moment like this reminds you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Road side assistance is on its way, and you will get 2 gallons at least to get you to the next filling station. Life will move ahead wherever you want to take it - you just need to be patient and calm!

Namaste

The Yogi

P.S. Before I could finish this post, road side assistance arrived - in less than 30 minutes! I was on my way to work. So patience paid off and the universe took care of me. Once I arrived at work - I had to face yet another negative attack from a war-monger. It has become a daily routine, though it had been quiet on that front for a the last few days.

I learnt have become indifferent to such attacks. Yoga continues to help me to drop my sail down, not show up for war and detach from such negativity in life. Thank you Nina Pileggi - your words of wisdom from the Yoga Sutras have become pillars of strength in my life.

How to manage your stress with Yoga?

For the last many months I have been dealing with very stressful situations in life. Stress has so many manifestations and effects on your mental, physical and emotional state. Irritability, sadness, depression, aches, pains, low self esteem, anger, defeat, over eating, weight gain or loss all are can be traced to stress. I have talked so much about managing physical in life with yoga therapy - but there is a silent 900 pound gorilla pain called STRESS.

We all deal with stress every day. How many of us really truly deal with it or manage it? With the plethora of drugs being bombarded at us for depression, it has become a fashion to be prescribed with an anti-depressant medicine. No one yet knows about all of the side effects of such medication. All I can say from experience is that it is no panacea for stress. Stress in my opinion is the root cause of many depression related and psychosomatic problems. I have been anti-depressant medication free since I started doing yoga two years ago. I am proud to say that today despite being under tremendous stress, I have not succumbed to anti-depressants again. As a matter of fact my physician is militant about me not going back on these medications. Yoga has saved me from medication hell. Combine it with some behavior changes and you have a new way to deal with stress.

Here some yoga poses and behavioral techniques that I use to deal with Stress:

1. Uttanasana
2. Salama Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
3. Salamba Sirsana (Head Stand)
4. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
5. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend)
6. Adho mukha Vriksanasana
7. Shavasana

The best sequence would be : 1, 5, 6, 4, 2, 3, 7

Most days when I feel really stressed or depressed I try some of these poses, maybe even one. Its an instant relief, but a continuous regular practice including one or two classes a week at a yoga studio like Sunset Yoga will help you manage stress and depression in the long term. I have also incorporated some behavior changes to deal with stress, most recent :

1. Drop your sail down: Acquiesce to the stressful situation or stress's in your life. Don't fight it - accept it.
2. Don't show up for war: Dont make your presence in situations that cause stress. Avoid them. If someone starts a fight - don't show up to the fight to react.

Such techniques require mental strength and courage, most of which I attribute to my continued practice of Iyengar yoga.

Namaste

The Yogi

Managing pain and suffering in your life

Written and adapted by "The Yogi" from various sources including B.K.S. Iyengar’s “Light on Life"

We often focus on the past or the future to avoid experiencing the present, because the present can be painful, full of hardship and difficult to endure. The pain and hardship is actually there as a teacher because life is filled with pain, hardship and struggle. In the struggle alone, there is knowledge. Only when there is hardship do we see the light – the light at the end of the tunnel. Pain and hardship is our guru that shows us this light!

As we experience pleasures with joy, we must also learn not to lose our joy when the pain and hardship comes. As we see goodness in pleasure, we should learn how to see good in pain. Learn to find comfort in discomfort. We must not try to run away from hardships but make every effort to move through and beyond it. This is the cultivation of tenacity and perseverance, the stretching and pushing of ourselves with calmness. This is the spiritual attitude towards life, the essence of Yoga. While we don’t actively seek pain or hardship, we should not run from this inevitability that is part of all growth and change. By facing pain and hardship head-on, we learn to balance and adapt to the world that is always moving and unstable and we learn how to become tolerant to the permanence of change and difference.

Endurance and patience is needed to convert an unbearable pain and hardship into a bearable one. The act of bearing is an acceptance of adversity and suffering in our life and allows us to overcome such suffering. It resolves our anxieties and helps us get on a path where our life gets better, more fulfilled and the light at the end of the tunnel appears closer and brighter. It leads to inner peace and freedom giving optimism that life can only get even better.



Namaste!

Enjoy this video...

Journey of pain -- Sciatic, Gluteal Muscle.....Ever tried accupuncture?

My journey of bearing this gluteal muscle pain continues and it has now become sciatic. At my last massage Jeremy suggested trying accupuncture for relief. So today when the pain became more severe I called up Angelic Healing, http://www.angelichealinghands.com/ and made an appointment with Brett, their resident accupuncturist and herbalist. I was apprehensive at first, but when he started talking about doing the "pigeon pose" and "child pose" I felt immediately at home. The poking of needles was scary at first. He put needles on my right arm, right upper shouler, left and right upper hips, left hand, right foot and then 25 minutes later turned me over and put needles in the back, sacrum, both calves. Every time a needle was inserted I could feel a reaction. That was expected!

I can tell you honestly, it brought immediate relief in the thighs and hamstrings, as they had just tightened up with sciatica pain. I could do the child pose a lot easier after the treatment. I went home a lot more relaxed. I continue to use the strap, do a variety of therapy poses all day long including in my office, so I can manage this horrible pain. Tomorrow is another evening with Nuvana and I look forward to it.



So I have learnt a lot more about pain lately. Both physical and mental. I can say it is just too hard but then rather than succumb to it, I have been trying to deal with it the best I can.

Namaste

The Yogi