Buddha Breath - video

It's been a while since I posted a video, so we'll see it works... This one features the simplest yoga practice in the world: Buddha Breathing on the couch! I've been doing a lot of this lately and for the first time yesterday, I noticed a big difference in ability to breathe into my diaphragm. (Intercostal breathing is generally way easier for me.)

If this video isn't up to par, I have the wonderful Alex Zuno work on it when I'm back. My intention is to do a least two videos a month this year, so there is more to come!

Back to the Future of Yoga

Recently, I spent four weeks being my own receptionist while in between studio managers at Om West, my Pointe Claire yoga centre. I noticed within the first week of answering calls and emails that most people wanted the same thing: A course for beginners that would make them feel comfortable and where they would learn how to practice yoga safely without feeling silly.

So, I started teaching a new course this week: Yoga Basics for Beginners! It's a four week program designed to introduce new students to the fundamentals of the yoga practice. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but didn't get around to organizing it until now.

It's great. I have more than a dozen people registered in my Tuesday class and about the same in my Saturday class! Their enthusiasm and keen interest in learning about the practice has totally re-invigorated my teaching.

Having spent so many years leading people through intermediate and advanced practices, posture to posture, I realized I really missed teaching yoga 101. So, this Yoga Basics program is awesome for me as an instructor and great for my studio. After all, there more people out there who don't do yoga then there are avid practitioners. I hope to make this an ongoing thing at Om West.

Here's an excerpt from my handout "Young Yogi here some things you need to know…"

1. There is no right or wrong way to do yoga & anyone can do yoga-- Yoga is an art, a healing science, a lifestyle and mindset and ANYONE can do yoga, regardless of age and ability. The great yoga master, TKV Desikachar, wrote in The Heart of Yoga: “The starting point is never the teacher’s needs but those of the student. This requires many different approaches; there is not just one approach for everybody (…) It is not that the person needs to accommodate him- or herself to yoga, but rather the yoga practice must be tailored to fit each person.”
2. Practice on an empty stomach-- Meals should be taken at least 90 mins prior to practice, so you digest fully and avoid eating heavy food. A small snack before practice is ok, especially for diabetics, hypoglycemics or pregnant women.
3. “Don’t make and Asana of yourself," (David Swenson, Ashtanga Yoga Master)-- The original intent of the yoga practice has little to do with yoga postures (‘asana’). Yoga postures are meant to build strength, stamina and increase flexibility so that the practitioner can maintain a steady pose for long periods of time without discomfort. So as senior yogi Hart Lazar says: “Let go of competition, especially with yourself at a younger age!”
4. Breathe-- The breath is key. It's the life of the pose! In yoga, we breathe in & out through the nose during regular asana practice. My basic rule: if you can’t breathe in a pose, you are in too deep!
   
5. Seek stability before flexibility-- Be sure that you are stable & grounded in a pose before seeking depth or a greater “stretch”. You don’t build a house without a solid foundation, so think of your postures in the same way.
6. When not to go upside down-- Inverted postures, like shoulderstand, are not recommended during menstruation as there is a natural downward flow of energy during this time and reversing this flow can disrupt the cycle. (It can also cause a flood!)
7. Keep the potpourri out of the studio-- Refrain from wearing perfume, cologne or essential oils when practicing with a group, because these smells get stronger the more you sweat and this can be distracting, not only for you, but also for everyone around you.
   
8. About chanting-- Most classes begin and/or finish with OM chanting. “OM” isn’t a word. It’s a vibrational sound that helps release tension from the body and helps to connect to the breath and the body. Ashtanga classes traditionally start with an invocation in Sanskrit which pays tribute to the lineage of teachers past & present. Other yoga styles may also chant as part of the practice.
   
9. What’s “Namaste”?-- Most yoga classes finish with a gesture and the saying “Namaste.” In Sanskrit this means: “I honor the divine spirit within you and recognize that this is the same spirit that is in me."
10. Better out that in-- It’s possible to feel a little sensitive or emotional after your practice. This is normal, as yoga and meditation dislodge deep tensions from the mind and body. Clear the residual tension by resting, drinking a soothing tea/water, eating good food and practicing again tomorrow!

However, most importantly, find what’s right for you. Have fun and enjoy your practice. There are many different types of yoga and many different teachers. It’s important to discover what and who resonates with you, and this may change over time. In fact here some web directories to help you find yoga classes near you:

www.yogamontreal.com
www.yogadirectorycanada.com
www.yogafinder.com

Reversing biological age

I am always amazed and inspired by the stories I hear from students about their incredible transformations through yoga. It makes me so excited to know that this practice changes other people too and not just me. And what really blows my mind is that it isn't age specific.

Of course, we hear that yoga has all this great benefits for everyone-- improving posture, expanding concentration, reducing stress, increasing strength and stability, blah, blah, blah-- but to know and see that it's not just a bunch of marketing bullshit is the best reward for me.

Here's the example that I've been tripping over for a few days:

My 83 year old student Max, whom you met earlier in my 108 days, practices with me privately at his home two to three days a week. In the last eight months, we've added more pranayama exercises (translated as 'breathing exercises') to our 90 minute regime. I wanted to see if this would have a significant impact on Max's normal breath function, because Max suffered a bad pneumonia several years ago and was left with a hole in his left lung. Obviously, this alone severely impacts the dept of his breath. Plus, he is in his eighties.

To keep track of his health and breath capacity, Max sees a pulmonologist at least once a year for a pulmonary function test. Using a machine called a spirometer, the test is designed to determine the 'flow volume curve' of the patient (or the volume of breath inhaled and exhaled). This test last about an hour and at the end an average is taken. At Max's worst, his test scores indicated that his lung volume was at 65-- a healthy adult would score about 100 on this kind of testing. Last year, Max was up to 85. This year, his doctor wanted to him to retake the test because his result was 135! Apparently, his doctor could believe an 83 year old could have such a dramatic improvement in just one year. Incredible. He told me his was elated and immediately called all of his family members. I'm so proud of him.

Breathing is the most important aspect of life. The more efficiently we inhale and exhale, the better everything operates. I often tell my students that "Breath is medicine." When we are too deep in a pose and pushing too hard, we restrict our breathing and our activity becomes something other than yoga. Not everyone cares about this, but I do. Without breath there is no lifeforce in the pose and without this, there is no yoga.

* * *

Here's a link to an article you might enjoy. My mom sent it to me. It's about another 83-year-old yogi in Australia, dubbed "Yoga Supergran", who can still do mayurasana and teaches 11 yoga classes a week. ROCK ON!


ARTICLE: "The yoga supergran who can still assume the lotus position... at the age of 83"

Day 39 - Hotter Yoga

It was a record shattering 35 degrees in Montreal today. The last record high for May 26, was 28 degrees in 1951... So, if you still don't believe in climate change, please call me 514-905-8020. I'd like to know your explanation as to why spring has come so early this year and why it's so hot now.

On another note, this Saturday, my studio is hosting the Great Canadian Yoga Stretch Open House for the Canadian Institute for the Blind. (You should come!)

Since the beginning of May, many of my students have been working on their personal stretch goals, and last night I received this great email from Sarah. (Sarah is the one who joined the CNIB Yoga Stretch because her grandfather was visually impaired and required the assistance of the CNIB.)

Well, tonight was the night.

I dutifully went to my yoga class. Mid way through the class, my teacher Tara, wanted to hold crow pose for 30 seconds. Well, I flaked - but i was so sweaty (it was pretty hot today) my legs were just too slippery. BUT, when we did it a second time I was ready - chalked my arms and legs. I held it for 1 minute and 1 second! Woo-hoo!

There were three key elements that helped me do it.
1) pointing my toes towards each other (a tip from Yasmin, my teacher)
2) proper BREATHING - which is key for all yoga poses
3) I visualized the mid-line of the body and imagined everything moving towards that mid-line.

So, thanks to you guys who have sponsored me thus far - it's only fair that I give you the update.

If you're on facebook, you can watch my video from last week. The settings are public for the video.

And if you'd like, click to sponsor me on my page!

>> Namaste!
>> Om. Sarah

Cool, eh?

If you want to sponsor me for my Yoga Stretch Goal (108x108), you can donate online: http://bit.ly/amEge5



Here's a video of me demonstrating the Cooling Breath. Try it. It really works well.

Day 38 - Hot Yoga

It was steamy today, humid with a high of 30 degrees +. Weather like this tends to do two things for me: it makes me feel irritable and lethargic. Plus, it makes yoga sticky.

Aryurveda, ancient medical science of India, which I am currently studying, explains that my reactions to the heat is a result of too much fire and too much earth in the body. Provoked by the high temperature, too much fire causes our system to burn. When this happens, we are prone to emotions of frustration, anger, irritability and even aggression. Physical symptoms include skin rashes, indigestion, heartburn, and acidity. Although we all have the fire element in us, some of us, like myself, are more prone to having it go out of hand on hot days like today (and in hot yoga classes).

I've noticed that when I experience this imbalance, I need to relocate to a cool environment, avoid direct sun (especially between 12-2pm), eat watery things with electrolytes like papaya and melon and avoid spicy food. I also find this simple 'Cooling Breath' exercise very helpful:

The Cooling Breath

• Slowly, INHALE through the teeth
• Slowly, EXHALE through the nose
• Repeat until you feel yourself 'cooling' down

(I also find this breathing technique useful in traffic.)

Also, to avoid feeling lethargic and 'water logged,' which is an result of too much water and earth (read mud), I'm best to drink room temperature water infused with coriander seeds or aloe vera gel with a little lemon. I have less experience with the coriander infusion that with the aloe, so I will let you know my preference in a few weeks.

Anyway, despite the oppressive heat, I completed my practice a couple of hours ago on my porch. It's way more comfortable to practice in the morning before ten, but today I had to teach early, then I had school. Perhaps I should try my teacher's suggestion to wake up at 4:30am, but I would have to really limit my evening teaching for that schedule. So, I may need a compromise.

Surya Namaskar Recipe: The Half-Moon Salute

Go through regular surya namaskar A, but from downward dog, transition into ardha chandrasana, the half moon on the right side. (Posture featured in today's photo.)

• From downward dog, step the right foot forward and transfer your weight into the right leg.
• Place your right finger tips on the floor (or on a block) in front of your toes, the distance should be the length of your torso.
• Place the left hand on your left hip and raise the back leg.
• Open up the hip, turn the left toes to the side, and push out through sole of the foot.
  
• (A trick is to turn the right toes slightly toward the left in order to improve balance and reduce the required hip opening.)
• Once you are balanced, you can extend the left arm and look up at the finger tips.
• Stay for five to ten breaths.
• To come down, bend you right knee slightly and step to the top of your mat and continue up to mountain to complete the sun salutation.
  

Repeat for the left side.