Ujjayi, Victorious or "Ocean" Breathing

What we practiced at the beginning of class today was a type of pranayama or breathing called, in Sandskrit, Ujjayi Breath. This breathing technique concentrates and directs your breath to give you even more power and focus during your practice.

As we did in class this morning, practice this technique while seated in a comfortable cross-legged position. Once you feel confident, begin to use it actively during asana practice, particularly when you feel the need to focus or concentrate. Outside of the practice room, Ujjayi breathing can be useful when you need to direct your energy in a positive way (have I mentioned the many distractions that cause our minds and emotions to wander?). "Returning to the breath" is a great resource available to us anytime, anyday. There's no need to hiss like you're breathing through a scuba tank--slow, full, and conscious breaths are all that are required. Imagine that you are re-creating the sounds of the gentle surf as you lie on soft, warm sand. 

Here's the Ujjayi technique broken into small and easy steps:

1. Inhale and exhale deeply through the mouth.

2. On the exhale, begin to tone the back of the throat, slightly constricting the passage of air. Imagine that you are fogging up a pair of glasses. Say the sound: "haaaaaaah."

3. Once you are comfortable with the exhale, begin to apply the same toning of the throat to the inhales. Shape your mouth as if you are going to whisper the sound, "uuuuurrrr."


4. When you combine the sound of the exhale (haaaaaah) with the sound of the inhale (uuuuurrrrr), this is where the name of the breath comes from: it sounds like the ocean. (Much to the delight of my grandsons, this technique also sounds a bit like Darth Vader is in the room.)

5. When you are able to control the throat on both the inhale and the exhale, close the mouth and begin breathing through the nose. Continue applying the same toning to the throat that you did when the mouth was open. The breath will still make a loud noise coming in and out of the nose. This is Ujjayi breath.

6. Now start to use this breath when you need extra power or concentration during your practice. When you move on an inhale, make it an Ujjayi inhale. If you need a little something extra while holding a pose, remember this breathing technique.


Another way to think about Ujjayi Breath is to visualize your throat as a garden hose, with the breath passing through like a trickle of water. If you put your thumb partially over the opening of the hose, you increase the power of the water that is coming through. This is the same thing you are doing with your throat during Ujjayi breathing. The air that comes in through your constricted throat is a powerful, directed breath that you can send into the parts of your body that need it during yoga.


While Ujjayi breathing isn't necessary to practice yoga, it is a helpful breathing technique, part of your "bag of tricks" to link body and mind with breath.


Namaste!

Chaturanga Dandasana, or Four-Limbed Stick Pose

Thanks to all who stayed after class today for our mini "Chaturanga Clinic." Your questions, suggestions, and encouragement are what makes our group practice such a satisfying experience. 

Most every yogi and yogini would agree that Chaturanga Dandasana is not an asana for beginners. Remember that Chaturanga Dandasana is considered an "intermediate" pose. If you are new to yoga, don't get discouraged. You are in the process of building strength in your triceps and serratus anterior muscles, among many, many others (see below).

So if Chaturanga Dandasana isn't for the beginning student, why do we do it? Ironically enough, this pose is part of the vinyasa series that is part of most yoga practice, particularly in Sun Salutations. Making this more challenging pose part of our practice helps us build confidence, patience, and muscle mass. During Sun Salutations, we complete many vinyasas. A vinyasa is a series of asanas that flows from Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog) to Plank to Chaturanga Dandasana (a type of low pushup) to Bhujangasana (Cobra) or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward facing dog), and finally, back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Whew! Doing a vinyasa utilizes many muscle groups and takes a lifetime to master.

In its ideal form, when in Chaturanga Dandasana, the body hovers above the floor, perfectly straight, the arms strengthened by their 90 degree angle. Getting to this position takes time and arm strength, which you gain by doing more and more chaturangas. Know when to say when, however; if your arms and shoulders start to feel fatigued and you are losing the integrity of the pose, switch over to knees, chest, and chin for the rest of the class. Note that vinyasas do not require that you move "up" from Chaturanga to Plank; rather, you move "forward" into Bhujangasana or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

Here are the basics of Chaturanga Dandasana:

1. From Plank (either full plank or a modified plank on your knees), bend your arms straight back, your elbows pointing back toward your feet. Keep your upper arms hugging your sides.

2. Lower down toward the floor, stopping when your forearms and upper arms are at a right angle.

3. Keep the whole body very level; you're there!

4. To exit the pose, roll over your toes to come into either Bhujangasana (Cobra) or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward facing dog.

If you feel that this asana is no longer presenting a challenge for you, practice your plant with one leg lifted and moving into Chaturanga will keeping the leg lifted. Lower the leg to join the other as you move into Upward facing dog.

Okay, that was the short "mini-lesson" on Chaturanga (Four Limbs) Dandasana (Staff or Spine Pose). In the section below, I have listed the exact anatomical process of doing the asana, including the preparation pose (Plank). When you read all about the actions that you are performing as you move through a Chaturanga Dandasana, you'll understand just why the pose is so beneficial to your arms, shoulders, back, core, abdominals, and hamstrings. Keep the integrity of the pose, modify when you feel fatigued, and be patient with yourself as you build your core strength.

In the preparation stage, we are in plank pose with our wrists are stacked under our shoulders and our bodies parallel to the floor with our toes on the mat. While in plank pose, the pectoralis muscles of the chest are keeping us in a push-up position. To avoid sagging into the wrist joints, a common complaint in this pose, we need to recruit the larger muscles of our shoulders for support. Imagine your heart moving closer to the floor, and without bending the elbows allow the shoulder blades to glide closer to each other. This actively engages our rhomboid muscles between the shoulder blades and the spine, and the middle portion of our diamond shaped trapezius muscle. In plank pose, to avoid sagging into the low back or popping up with our hips, our core muscles must be engaged. Use a gentle contraction of uddiyana bandha (pelvic floor), sucking the belly button up and in, flattening the lower belly. This action corresponds to engaging the transversus abdominus, which provides stability to the lower spine. A slight tuck under of the tailbone can aid this action. To distribute the work away from our core and upper body, press back through the heels, sending weight into the legs. With our heels pressing back like we are pressing into a wall, we are activating the muscles that dorsiflex our ankles, namely tibialis anterior on the front of the shin. Our hamstrings lengthened by the action of the extended knee initiated by our quadriceps muscles in the front of the thighs. To keep our alignment, our thighs are pressing towards each other but not touching, like we are holding a block with the adductor muscles of the groin.

Moving into Chaturanga Dandasana, we start from plank, this place of stability and alignment, to safely flow into the pose. The most complex movements in Chaturanga come from our upper body. In order for us to lower, a number of actions must occur. Firstly, we must balance the action of inward and outward rotation at the shoulder joint. The outward rotation of teres major and infraspinatus muscles of the rotator cuff counteract the inward pull of the pectoralis muscles, and latisimus dorsi on the back. By nature of the fact that our palms are on the mat, the pronator muscles of the forearm are activating an inward rotation at the wrist. To maintain neutral rotation at our shoulder joint, our elbows must hug to our sides to engage the triceps, whose natural action is pure flexion and extension at the elbows. It is important that we keep the engagement of the scapular support muscles that we started with in plank pose. This means that we keep an open heart moving forward, broad across the collarbones, and our shoulder tips never drop below our elbows. The subscapularis muscle of the rotator cuff (on the underside of the shoulder blade) is working over time to prevent the arm bone from moving forward out of the shoulder joint. We maintain the contraction of the transversus abdominus throughout Chaturanga, which keeps our body parallel to the floor and avoids any lower back discomfort. Imagine your side body growing long as your heart shines forward and your heels press firmly back. The action of pressing back through the heels maintains length through the legs and deep hip flexor muscle, the psoas, which has attachments in the spine and the legs. The legs support our upper body so that Chaturanga becomes a full body pose, not just an arm balance.

Namaste? Is that like "Have a nice day"?

Yoga Journal recently addressed the practice of yoga instructors ending their classes with the expression, "Namaste." What does "Namaste" mean? If you've wondered why this is part of our practice together, wonder no more!

The word "namaste" carries a multiplicity of meanings and comes from ancient tradition. Namaste comes from three Sandskrit words: nama, "to bow"; as, "I", and te, "you." Literally, Namaste says "I bow to you." The word Namaste is usually accompanied by a gesture called the anjali mudra; hands are placed together, palm to palm, at the heart, with the eyes closed and the head slightly bowed.

According to Aadil Palkhivala, considered one of the world's best yoga instructors, "The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. . . . This is an especially deep form of respect."

As a fellow practioner, ending our time together with "Namaste" allows me to articulate my connection with you, my respect for your own life-force, and to acknowledge our time together. While we could begin as well as end class with Namaste, at the end of class our minds are more focused and peaceful. As your teacher, I pronounce  Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward you, my students, and to my own teachers. When you choose to return the gesture and say "Namaste," you in turn connect with and acknowledge  your life's  teachers. Thus we all recognize our oneness when we move from our hearts.

Namaste is not a mechanical phrase. It's not the same as "Have a nice day," or "See you next time," or even "Take care." One popular explanation is: "I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When you are in that place within you and I am in that place in me, we are one." A bit less florid is this: "I bow to what is alive in you and you bow to what is alive in me;" this translation emphasizing the essence of our existence here and now, gratitude for the moment.

Mind/Body classes such as yoga seek to make a direct connection between the body, mind, and spirit. In the midst of our practice we learn focus, gain strength, exercise patience, and treat our bodies with respect and compassion. Often when we stand in tadasana, we place our hands in the "namaskar" position--a mini-meditation and glimpse of our own heart-filled light. As the class ends and I pronounce the word, "Namaste,"  I show my gratitude and respect for you and all that you help teach me in my own life's journey.

Namaste,

Nancy

   

Non-judgment + Contentment = Santosha

  

"No courtesy workouts today."

"No pain, no gain."

"Welcome to the workout from hell."

"If you're not burning at least 300 calories, you're wasting your time."

     Wow! Those statements don't motivate me at all. How about you? While I love a challenge (especially when I am successful), I fear failure, negative judgments, and public ridicule. I'll admit that there are more than a few classes that I've avoided because I feared failing, the instructor's scorn, or being the "klutz."

     Don't get me wrong. You'll find me sweating it out doing cardio several days a week. But I am not inspired to work harder to gain an instructor's approval or to avoid a scolding. Yoga changed the way that I view my workout, whether it be cardio, strength, or stretching.

     From one of yoga's guiding principles, let me suggest this "mindset" for your workout: santosha, or nonjudgment and contentment within oneself. Santosha is essential to yoga.

    Your practice is just that: your practice. It's yours and it's an evolving process of discovery. If your fingers graze your shins while you're in forward fold--great! If your nose touches your knees in forward fold--great! Yoga's not about the pose. Yoga's not about the calories burned. Yoga's not about suffering, or pain. Yoga's not about competition. And yoga's certainly not about pleasing the instructor.

     Everyone who walks into the practice room comes with a unique anatomy, diverse experiences, and varied expectations. Acknowledge what is true for you at that moment. Let go of how you think things should be, of how you want things to be, of what you are "supposed" to look like in a pose. Yoga is as much about self-acceptance as it is about the poses that we do together. Some days you can balance well; others, not so well. Some days you might feel energetic; others, you take a break (or two) in child's pose and catch up with the class later. No judgment from others, especially the teacher. No pressure to conform to another's expectations.   

     Yoga is fueled by positive motivation and acceptance. You don't have to prove anything or pass any test to practice yoga. It's not about contortions; it's not about discomfort. It's about linking the body and the mind with breath, noticing the sensations, and staying focused. Truth be told, everyone else in the room is so busy working on his or her own practice, you are virtually invisible to others.     The mind/body connection in yoga is this: by acknowledging our human nature with all of our flaws and imperfections, we develop self-acceptance and a sense of humor. By extension, we open ourselves to witnessing the same qualities in others, without judgment. We learn to appreciate what we have and where we are today, in that very moment. Non-judgment brings inner harmony, contentment, joy, and curiosity about the world around us. As we change the way we think, so do we change the way we act.     Santosha, the state of contentment and non-judgment, begins to penetrate into our lives outside our practice room. Santosha can even move into our other workout routines. You just might discover that you don't need to have "your butt kicked" to try your best; you become your own best coach who uses encouragement and acceptance to challenge your performance.     You may think that you come to yoga to get into shape, lose weight, reduce stress, feel better--and you will. You do all of that with patience and self-acceptance, without competition or fear of embarrassment. You may get even more benefits: yoga can change your attitude, even your life.  I'm in those cardio and strength classes now, but I'm listening to my self and setting my own goals. Hope to see you there!

Uniting Mind and Body with Breath

     24 Hour Fitness offers mind/body classes such as yoga to help strengthen not only your physical self, but to help you connect more deeply with your true self. Your practice is enriched tremendously when you focus on your breath. From "Yoga for Beginners," here are the basic principles of yoga breathing. This brief introduction ends with a detailed explanation of one type of pranayama that we use to begin, to focus, and to balance our practice together.
     Breathing is a vital element of yoga. Practicing yoga breathing, or breath control in yogic terms is called pranayama. The word "pranayama" can be broken into two parts: Prana means life force and Yama means control. By conscious control of the breath, you can create a proper rhythm of slow, deep breathing.
     Pranayama breathing exercises are the link between the physical and mental disciplines of yoga. Because the breath, body and mind are so closely linked, a change in one immediately affects the other two. By developing control of your breathing, you can bring about beneficial changes in your body and mind. Yogic breathing energizes and cleanses the body, calms and relaxes the mind, and serves as a perfect warm-up for practicing yoga poses. In coordination with yoga poses, the breath unifies mind and body, balances opposing energies, and helps the body relax deeply and safely into each pose.


Physical Benefits of Pranayama Breathing


     Proper breathing provides sufficient oxygen for the correct and efficient functioning of every body cell. Without sufficient oxygen, the cells cannot metabolize food properly. Nutrients, including precious vitamins and minerals, are wasted. Proper breathing allows the body to metabolize food efficiently and to rid itself of all the noxious gaseous by-products of metabolism, especially carbon dioxide. It nourishes the muscles and organs with oxygen. It dispels fatigue and anxiety.
     Brain cells have a high rate of metabolism, so the brain requires much more oxygen, relatively, than any other organ of the body. A lack of oxygen results in sluggishness, fatigue, confusion, disorientation and a loss of mental balance, concentration, memory and control of the emotions.
     A mastery of yoga breathing techniques is the best - and most readily available - tool for stress reduction. The common remedy for stress is to take a deep breath. Supplying the brain with sufficient oxygen is the greatest tool in stress management.
     Yogic breathing exercises help to keep the two sides of the brain in balance. As well as controlling opposite sides of the body, the two halves of the brain deal with different functions and different aspects of our lives. The right side of the brain is calming, intuitive, inner-directed, emotional, subjective and deals with simultaneous reasoning and spacial and nonverbal activities. While the left side of the brain is aggressive, logical, outer-directed, rational, objective and deals with sequential reasoning and mathematical and verbal activities. Proper breathing helps the two sides of the brain to work together.
     Pranayama deepens breathing which stretches the intercostal muscles, strengthens the respiratory system and aids conditions such as asthma. Pranayama breathing has helped one class member regulate her asthma, and keeps her from dependence on a nebulizer.


Mental and Emotional Benefits of Pranayama Breathing


     By exercising control over breathing, you can learn to control the energy within the body, and ultimately gain control over a restless mind. In yogic breathing exercises, the breath is seen as the important link between our physical and mental aspects. Pranayama cleanses and strengthens the physical body, but its most important benefit is for the mind.
     Proper breathing soothes the nervous system; calms, steadies, and clears the mind; improves concentration, focuses attention, and increases the ability to deal with complex situations without suffering from stress.
     In addition, proper breathing calms the emotions, increases emotional stability, helps with emotional control and equilibrium, reduces craving and desire, combats depression, helps in the relief of grief and sadness, puts you in touch with your inner self and gives you poise and serenity.

Alternate Nostril Breathing: Calms and balances the mind and body, aids relaxation, improves concentration, and strengthens respiration.      In class, before we begin our practice in earnest, we often use this pranayama exercise to focus and balance our energies. Use Alternate Nostril Breathing whenever you need to find your own mental equilibrium. If you're in the middle of a tense meeting or other challenging situation, imagine your right hand on your nostrils as you focus on your breath.

Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position on the floor. Keep your spine and neck straight, but not tense. Do not lean forward. Place a cushion under the buttocks or the knees if you need more support. Rest the left hand on your left knee. Extend the thumb, ring finger and little finger of your right hand and fold down your other two fingers into your palm. Start by closing your right nostril with your thumb and inhale slowly and deeply through the left nostril. Then press the ring and pinky fingers against the left side of the nose, sealing the left nostril closed while keeping the thumb against the right nostril, and hold. Lift the thumb from the right side of the nose, opening the right nostril. Exhale slowly and fully through the right nostril. Inhale slowly and deeply through the right nostril, still holding the left nostril shut. Cover the right nostril with the thumb and hold. count. Release the left nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Repeat sequence five times. Practice alternate nostril breathing, working up to the ability to maintain each inhale, hold, and exhale for a count of eight.

Sticky Business . . . Yoga Mats

Do I really need a sticky mat?

If you are a casual yogi, dropping in occasionally for a class or two a month, you can certainly make do with the mats provided by the gym. The Group X room has two choices: one is blue, soft, and rather squishy; the other is charcoal grey, somewhat soft and more rigid. Some folks use one or the other, and some use both. These mats cushion senstive joints from contact with the hardwood floor. It's so much more effective to practice yoga without the distracting crunch of elbows, knees, and ankles against hard surfaces.

One downside to using the gym-provided mats is that they are very, very slippery. Doing any standing work that requires a shift in weight (such as from any warrior pose to triangle pose) or any balancing work (tree, dancer, even eagle pose) can be very dangerous on an unstable surface. For your own protection, it is essential to step off the gym-provided mat onto the floor. The other disadvantage to gym-provided mats is that they are next-to-impossible to keep clean. These mats are accessible to anyone at the facility; the mats can be taken out to the weight room, and are used by various Group X classes (Pilates, Lift, Yoga, S.E.T.). If you want to avoid the germs but not bring your own mat, consider bringing in a large towel to use as a bacteria barrier.

If you practice yoga on a regular basis, you will want to have your own sticky mat. You have the advantage of a safe, secure place for your footing. The material is non-slip on both sides, so you can shift your weight without the fear of falling or sliding. And, as cooler weather approaches with cold and flu season, you aren't sharing dirt, sweat, and bacteria with other gym members.

Mats are available in a variety of materials: rubber, microfiber, vinyl, even biodegradable materials. You can find mats that aren't too thick (about 2.3 mm); some that are superthick (up to 6.4 mm); and some that are in-between. Most mats average 24 inches by 68 inches; if you need a longer mat, there are those that are as long as 76 inches. You can get mats with their own built-in carrying straps. You can get fancy mats with graphic designs. The yoga mat market has a price-point and features for everyone. Some of us drive subcompacts; other drive top-of-the-line luxury models. Suit yourself and go for what makes you comfortable. Consumer reviews indicate that the more expensive the mat (some can set you back as much as $70!) the longer it lasts.

Which sticky mat is for me?

This is a matter of personal preference, of course. If your have sensitive joints or particularly knobby knees and ankles, a thicker mat might be more comfortable. If you are taller or have long arms and legs, you might enjoy having a mat with more length. For most of us, the basic 2.3 mm thick, 24 by 68 inch mat works just fine. The purpose of a mat is to improve, not complicate, your practice.

Where can I find mats?

Just about any sporting goods department or athletic equipment store has yoga mats. 24 Hour Fitness sells standard mats as well. If you want a mat that isn't the standard, you might look on line first to get an idea of what is a good price. There are scores of on-line yoga equipment distributors and they offer mats in a dizzying choice of sizes, thicknesses, colors, and customized options. If you are interested in the best value for a plain ol' sticky mat, swing by any of the secondary-retailers (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Northstroms' Rack) to look for a mat. There won't be a wide selection, but the prices will be lower than at spots such as Target, Walmart, and the like.

My mat is getting musty . . .

After a couple of months, while in child's pose, you might notice a funky odor wafting around your nostrils. That smell comes from accumulated sweat, grime, and bacteria. You might even notice that parts of your mat have darkened with grime as well. Maybe even little chunks have peeled off from foot and hand friction. Congratulations! Look at the offending mess as evidence that you've really been working at your practice and have logged in hours and hours of experience. But the mat? Yuck! Before you toss the mat as a hopeless mess, give it a cleaning.

If the mat is only lightly soiled, mix three parts water to one part mild laundry liquid (Woolite or its equivalent). Spray the mat with the solution. Rub the mat clean with a soft cloth or towel. Make sure that you keep the sticky on your mat by removing all traces of the solution.

If the mat is tragically dirty (as mine often are), you can soak the mat in a bathtub of cool water with just a drip of mild laundry liquid (again, Woolite comes to mind). Let the mat soak for 30 minutes, then use a washcloth or soft towel to scrub the mat and loosen the grime. Let soak for another 30 minutes. Then rinse the mat well. Use a bathtowel to roll up the sticky mat (jellyroll style) with the towel to the outside. The towel will soak up much of the water. Then hang the mat out to dry away from direct sunlight. If you wish, you can use your own washing machine in place of the bathtub. Use cold water settings and don't let the mat go through the trauma of the spin cycle.

If these cleaning procedures don't restore your mat, it just might be time for a new one. And that's not such a bad thing . . . hour for hour, the price of a sticky mat is a relatively inexpensive piece of fitness equipment.

"It's called yoga practice, not yoga perfection"

I must give credit to for this saying to Lois, a dear fellow yogini, "It's called yoga practice, not yoga perfection." Release yourself from all judgment when you come to class, no one is looking at your poses in a critical way. The purpose of your practice is to gain confidence, strength, flexibility, and especially, to unite your body and mind with your breath.

TeachStreet offers these tips for getting the most from your practice, every single time:

We are all beginners at something, sometime. I know many yogis who have been practicing for years who still feel like beginners, myself included! Yoga is a process of constant growth, and the 'level' at which someone performs a yoga pose does not always correlate with their internal knowledge and growth along the yogic path. Therefore, don't let your experience as a first-timer feel isolating.

Nuts-and-bolts note: It helps to know what to expect from class. Wear comfortable clothing that affords you a range of motion. Watch others when you arrive: generally, you'll take your shoes off, place your personal items in an out of the way place, and set your mat up. Sit quietly until class begins or find the teacher and introduce yourself. Make sure your cell phone is turned OFF.

You are not being judged in a yoga class. Yoga teachers are there to help you work within each pose in a way that is safe and appropriate to your body. They aren't walking around thinking about how inflexible, weak, or awkward you are, so you shouldn't be preoccupied with those things either! Turn your focus away from the people around you in the class and try to approach the movements with an attitude of openness, playfulness, and self-acceptance.

Nuts-and-bolts note: Expect the teacher to swing by during poses and offer modified versions or to show you how to use props to support your body in the poses. Feel free to ask questions of the teacher when s/he comes to your mat to assist you, or after class.

Perfection isn't the point. Yoga is not just for those who are flexible, strong, thin, enlightened, etc. There is no such thing as a perfect yoga pose, or a yoga teacher or student who has a perfect grasp on the poses and what lies beyond them. Yoga is an opportunity to come to your mat just as you are, and work with whatever that is. At the end of the day, yoga is a process, and every single person in any yoga class is in a different place with respect to that process, even that guy in the corner who's twisted into the most advanced pose. A "perfect" practice is one in which you are completely present, observing your thoughts, feelings, movements, and relationship to the practice that day. That kind of presence takes a lifetime to master.