Restorative Action

The amazing
(Sudha Carolyn Lundeen)

Today I am going to take a restorative workshop to clear out toxins, release blocked energy, and get my chakras flowing synchronously. Spring is an excellent time to clear the system from Winter's deep sleep. Winter is a time of hibernation. Its a natural reaction to the season. The body naturally slows down to accommodate the season. The metabolism has slowed considerably and therefore elimination slows as well. It is necessary and healthy to clear out the system this time of year. If your diet does not include spices or savory, or you prefer cold foods you will find your body has a harder time breaking down intake and processes at a turtles pace in the Winter season. Early Spring can be a time when you notice constipation and general fatigue more than in the winter. This is a great time to include a few steps to clear your system from winters build up, release toxins stuck in the body and re-energize your system. Some simple techniques include adding fresh parsley at the end of your meal and drinking a tea with ginger, lemon and water. I also strongly recommended a restorative class at this time of year to help the body. Restorative yoga, help to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS is responsible for balancing the body and bringing its response system back into equilibrium.

One another note Restorative yoga is not the same as gentle yoga or Yin yoga. Restorative Yoga is a very gentle practice where postures are meant to be done fully supported by props such as blankets, bolsters, blocks and straps. Once set up in a pose, you should be able to release all the muscles in the body into a passive stretch. Poses are often held for 10 minutes each per side, and this practice should be considered safe for “all” participants. Yin targets the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine is not always done with props and is not recommended if you have had an injury or damage to the muscle or tissues. Gentle yoga are modified postures, with plenty of time to focus on breathing and repetition.

I was first introduced to restorative at Kipualu during my teaching training course my Sudha Carolyn Lundeen. An hour in a half class where we did no more than four poses. For lack of a better description I went into a very deep relaxation and passed out and had an extremely healing experience. It was absolutely amazing. Sudha Carolyn Lundeen is a genius. If you have the opportunity I highly recommend taking a class or studying with her.

The Barnacle

Going up North means going back not only physically, but emotionally to a place I used to dwell long, long ago. Usually this is pleasant and I am able to tap into the good things and express these feelings and notions of past life in my present day. This is why I was so surprised to find I had tapped a wellspring of unresolved anger and pain I thought I had resolved lifetimes ago.

On a rather overcast day without much going on we decided to walk the dogs in a lovely area along the rocky coast. As we were walking I pointed toward a road, "Lets walk this way, I spent a summer working for some people down this road. It's quite nice, I'll show you." We shouldn't have done it, there were signs everywhere stating it was private and no trespassing. There had always been signs, although I hadn't remembered quite so many. I had meandered down this path before, its pleasant with quiet fields, an ocean and a lovely view. I had worked for people on this road, I have always been respectful, I didn't think anything of it when we turned down the road with dogs bounding ahead of us.

Mercury is retrograde in Virgo and I have my moon in Virgo. I should have known. When Mercury is retrograde "circumstances are thrust upon us, rather than matters we have consciously decided to implement or resolve. In particular, unresolved issues from the past tend to rear their heads and demand to be dealt with."(http://www.astrologycom.com/mercret.html) I was walking headlong into my unresolved emotional past. As I reflect, I realize I must have been ready to remove a barnacle from my emotional psyche I previously avoided or was unable to confront and release. The first house we passed had a dog with a severe bark. Some people came to the porch and asked who I was and why I was there. Slightly unfriendly, but I was cheeful with an open heart and explained my travels. I was allowed to pass. Shortly after a much older woman, crone like, burst out to present herself in a noxious contemptuous tone. The message was loud and clear, "you down there, we are not pleased with your presence, you don't belong!" On the exterior I was friendly, slightly confused and well mannered. On the inside I felt small and demoralized. There I was feeling like an idiot in front of a woman who looked like an elderly model for Lacoste clothing photo from the 80's.

And there it was.... no more swimming politely around this barnacle. I stumbled on back to our car and hobbled in, shattered. Fuck! I thought I dealt with this shit long ago. Evidently not, If I had I wouldn't have traveled down that path. Today in class I felt strong enough to cry a bit, release some toxins and spend some time in Camel. Open my heart to the universe and let go of the shadow.

It's not about me, it's not about my life and it's not about how I choose to live, love and accept people, thank God, the universe and the Great Mother!

Seavasana

(Yoga on the Beach)

It's been sizzling hot on the east coast. Things have cooled off considerably but the best option we had was to pack up and head for cooler climates. That we did, having a long and fabulous weekend by the ocean. I have talked about my favorite beach side teachers before, Nancy and Don. This weekend Nancy offered Seavasana. Students could choose to float in the ocean at the end of class or stay on the deck for the final relaxation. Water child that I am I came to the next class in my bathing suit fully prepared for an aquatic experience. At the end of class a group of us walked out and floated along while our teacher gave adjustments. As she gently gave subtle adjustments I could instantly feel where my body was holding tension. The release was powerful! I felt the ocean literally pulling the stress out of my upper back! When complete we left the ocean in a blissful state and floated back to the deck for the final om mantra. If your in a position to safely have a bit of a float in the ocean, or a pond or river this experience is not to be missed.
Namaste everyone, shanti shanti shant, peace peace peace.

Hip Release

My left hip is ever on my mind as it remains stiff and slow to recover. I am fully into my practice these days and truly feeling better than I have in a long, long time. Although I'm feeling much relief in the hip area I am no where near full ease or range of motion. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded in some pursuit or another that my hip is STIFF.

This was my year of living dangerously, at least as far as my hips were concerned. Since our residential move out of the city, my commute to work has doubled, weekends were spent in the car, driving back and fourth between my parents house and mine. Most evenings for the better part of the year I've been writing reports or papers. I managed a small home practice and a gentle class once a week but with too much going on emotionally and a sudden lack of general daily movement my hips just froze. After my dad died and I was back home my left hip turned into an immovable brick. I knew I was in trouble when we arrived home and it hurt to get out of the car. All my emotions, lack of motion, inability to make this situation turn into something better, family stress, all placed itself solidly in my left hip like a frozen brick of discomfort.

Techniques and Prescription for Hip Restoration:

Acupuncture:Acupuncture can relieve some of the distress, relax the area and increase chi and blood flow which assists to open up the area for healing both physical and emotional.

Chiropractor:
When the hip area is a problem the skeletal system will be out of alignment. A few appointments with your local chiropractor can assist in helping the healing progress although it is unlikely the chiropractor will be able to totally alleviate the problem. Some areas where your chiropractor can help:

• Reduce inflammation
• Improving movement of the joint
• Relaxing painful muscle spasm
• Strengthening weakened muscles
• Active Release Techniques for scarring

Yoga:
Yoga is truly my best medicine. A daily practice with a mindful approach using gentle asana and letting go has helped tremendously. The following are a few poses which open the hips, but as a word of caution, if your hips are truly feeling tight modify, modify modify!

Cobbler's Pose - Baddha Konasana
Blissful Baby-Ananda Balasana
Head to Knee Pose - Janu SirsasanaSeated
Extended Side Angle Pose - Utthita Parsvakonasana
Wide Legged Straddle - Upavistha Konasana
Goddess Pose-Namaskarasana
Pigeon Pose - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Emotional:
Many massage therapists and yoga practitioners believe fascia holds memory and emotion. The hips are considered a huge and sensitive area of emotional holding. The hips are related to the second chakra, svadisthana. This chakra is concerned with our sexual and creative energies. Svadhistana's element is water (tears, sweat, blood, urine).

Meditate on water; imagine drinking it, bathing in it, floating on it, standing in the rain, and returning the the womb.

Back bending positions such as cobra and upward facing dog and side bends, such as standing crescent moon and triangle are stimulating for the second chakra

Pranayama: Dirga and Kapalabhati

Mudra: Yoni

Mantra: Vam

Bandha: Uddiyana Bandha

Wishing everyone good health and loose hips.

Dreaming of Summer

This is pretty much me by days end. I am sound asleep long before I hit the pillow. I'm nearing the end of all the things I need to do, but boy is this a tough one. Actually today is a big day and again next week is a big week for meeting deadlines. I have been able to make my obligations on time, perhaps not so much by organization but the sheer desire to have all this done and move on.... on to something less hectic and draining. Well perhaps... going through the summer itinerary it's pretty full already, but that's OK, it's a welcome release from this crazy hectic schedule. Tomorrow I'm taking a little break for part of the day and I'm going to Chantfest. A little yoga and chant inspiration to invigorate the soul and mind. I'm ready, bring on the Summer!

Summer makes a silence after spring.
Vita Sackville-West

Hunched Over

Artist:  Nina Katz

Winter has been brutal this year, cold, snowy, and icy. As a reaction many of us are experiencing a hunched over lifestyle. Hunched over looking down cautiously when we walk through the icy streets or climbing over snow mounds, hunched over to stay warm, drive our cars, use the computer, or shovel the copious amounts of snow that have accumulated. Many of us are spending an endless and detrimental amount of time with our shoulders rotated inward in a protective response against the elements. The result of this much internal rotation in the upper extremity are tight shoulders, sunken chest, stiff neck and a rounded upper back. This is bound to set up for an injury somewhere down the road. I highly recommend incorporating the following into your yoga practice as a counter response.

First I would like to share a lovely restorative sequence for opening up the shoulder area I found in spa magazine when looking for a sample picture for shoulder stretch. Do check it out, it's really quite good. (Who knew!)

I would like to recommend incorporating the following into your winter schedule:

Yoga

Shoulder stretch on the wall

• Stand next to a flat wall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Place the left hand on the wall, fingers pointing up. elbow bent.
• Face the right side of the room.
• Gently extend the arm behind you.
• Hold this position, breathing naturally, for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Turn to the wall slide the hand back to the midline of the body. repeat with the right hand.

childs pose ( balasana)

• Kneel on the floor
• Separate knees hips distance apart
• Exhale and place your forehead on the floor arms extended in front of you
• Breath
• Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to few minutes

props: If your knees give you discomfort place blanket or towel under your knees. Sometimes woman feel a little suffocated in this position. If this happens place a block or pillow under your forehead.

Shoulder and neck stretch against the wall

Kneel down in front of a wall. If this bothers your knees, kneel on a folded blanket or towel. Spread your knees wider than hips-distance apart.

Extend your arms overhead and place your forearms on the wall.

Allow gravity to pull your torso toward the floor. It's OK if your head rests on the wall as well. If you're not feeling this in your shoulders and neck, inch your knees further away from the wall.

Breathe deeply for 30 seconds and then release.

Ayurvedic Remedies

I would like to introduce Roger Hutchinson from Peoria, Illinois. He runs an organic grocery market and has a great blog; both called Naturally Yours. The following are taken from Roger's recommendations for frozen shoulder.

• In Chinese herbal medicine, range of motion falls under the cold category. You might consider using a liver and kidney tonic that removes cold and dampness.
• For pain relief, white willow bark, scullcap, hops, and valerian are recommended. You can take them in teas.
• There are herbal pain ointments that may be useful in relieving the grinding aches and lightning stabs of pain associated with frozen shoulder. Deep slow contemplative breathing exercises can stabilize the energy flow and bring peacefulness to the shoulder.
• Silica helps tissues retain moisture. Herbs with high silica content can be beneficial for restoring elasticity to connective tissue. Horsetail tea and angelica (but not for diabetics, as it raises blood sugar levels) have provided help for sufferers.
• Foods high in silica are alfalfa sprouts, beets, brown rice, bell peppers, soybeans, leafy green vegetables, root vegetables, cooked dried beans and peas, and whole grain breads and cereals.
• To reduce inflammation, you can try turmeric (a major component of curry and yellow mustard), ginger, and bromelain (pineapple enzyme).
  

Emotional relief

I know I'm fast reaching the end of my limit and I'm not alone. It's winter, it's not the time to pick up an energetic activity that you may think will lift your spirits. Right now it wont, but it may cause an injury or insult to the psyche. Hold off a little bit on rediscovering extreme down hill skiing and winter treks up mountains in the snow. Here's some ideas that will pick you up and keep you injury free.

• Get a massage
• Get a couple of acupuncture treatments to increase the chi in your system
• Go to the library, get a book, take in a lecture
• Visit a museum
• Take a cooking class.
• Find out what constellations are in the sky in your area and do a little star gazing
• Plan your garden
• Check in on the elderly in your neighborhood. It's a long, cold icy winter. You really could be a sight for sore eyes.

Namaste everyone.

Time of your life

( borrowed from Sarah at Do Restorative Yoga)

I'm on a quest to heal my rotator cuff, at least that's what I thought when I began this little self help journey. Its been a frustrating exploration and the internal ache persists. My practice continues on a slow trajectory and expectations have been revised repeatedly. I teach a restorative class but rarely give myself the time to do my own medicinal practice. I preach healthy lifestyles but do not place enough emphasis on the healthy in my own lifestyle. Day after day dashing about like chicken little with a cell phone in my ear, too much coffee in my system and half the continents of my purse falling out while I'm running to my next appointment does not align with what I teach or ask of others. I want to slow down but never have enough time to get it all done, I tell myself, " I'm going to slow down and have more time once this is finished." How many of us have said that but once the next project or obligation rolls around were more like Bart Simpson “I don't know! I don't know why I did it, I don't know why I enjoyed it, and I don't know why I'll do it again!”

The universe is telling me something important, so I've shifted things a little and am trying to be still and put my listening ears on so I can hear what's being said, its important, but its hard being such a small voice among a lot of loud clatter.

The rotator cuff is connected to the arm and thus associated with the 4th chakra called Anahata. The 4th chakra is located in our heart center. It governs our intuition and love. It is also known as the heart chakra. Among other things Anahata is associated with lack, loss, less than, never having enough or some way limited. This is really profound for me since I spend a great deal of my life wishing I had more time. I am in a constant race to find time to get things done. I constantly complaint that that I do not have enough time and lack the ability or energy to get it (whatever it is) done in the time I have. This summer my father was quite ill and I found myself in a state of rage that the universe would take him away from me. No more time.

I cannot change the things that I cannot change. Self help advocates say we should delete the things that are sucking all our time away and return to a simpler place. Unfortunately this solution is not the right one for me at this point in my life. I do not need to take away anything more in my life, this is what got me into this psychological and physical mess in the first place. It's time to add a few things like acceptance of my abilities, bringing a slower pace to my daily existence, allowing myself time to feel the joy and the love I experience in what I do each day, cherishing what time I have with my father while he decides to stay a while longer, and yes absolutely adding more blocks, pillows and blankets to my personal yoga practice. Oh yes, its time.

Wishing much peace to everyone

Jai Bhagwan