Barefoot Yoga

My grandmother, who stood for long hours working in as a cook in a cafeteria, would return home and say, "My dogs are barking." My mother would say, "When your feet hurt, you hurt all over." When I spent many hours of my feet teaching school (and wearing heels, no less), my legs and feet would ache through the night. Maybe you can relate to one of these examples. Feet are neglected parts of our bodies. We shove them into ill-fitting (but cute!) shoes. We cover them up with socks. We spent cash on pedicures to make the toes look more attractive, and to slough off rough skin and calluses. But, still, few of us have "pretty feet." There are hammer toes, bunions, corns, fallen arches, blisters, and ingrown toenails. One out of every six Americans will develop foot problems that require medical attention. I can understand why many of us are reluctant to go shoeless or even barefoot when practicing yoga.

Let's get this clear, yoga is not about pretty feet. Yoga is about much more than looking glamorous. Yoga is about connecting with our bodies and respecting the connections. Your feet are the foundation of your connection to the earth, your means of locomotion, and reflect much about your state of health and overall muscle development. I'm not anti-shoe, but I am for letting feet hang out in their natural state while we practice yoga.

Pam Werner of Sun & Moon Yoga Studio has this to say about why feet matter during our practice:

"Our feet are our connection to the Earth; they are our roots to the Earth. A solid connection with the earth helps to keep us grounded which helps to balance the whole body. It is important to pay close attention to our feet and care for them properly to keep our connection to the earth clear and strong.

"As our feet are our connection to the Earth, they are also our body's foundation. Just as a foundation of a building must be level and stable to support the structure above, the feet must be balanced and sturdy to support the legs, spine, arms and head. If your base is tilted or collapsed, a reflection of this will appear up through the body as misalignments. It is also important to note that our feet are not static as a foundation of a building. Our feet have the added complexity of being mobile with the necessity of being flexible and strong.

"The first chakra (muladhara chakra) represents our grounding and connection with the Earth. The feet and legs play a vital role in balancing the first chakra because first chakra nadis flow from the tailbone down the legs into the feet.

"Not only do our feet create our foundation, our feet and toes are essential elements in body movement. They bear and propel weight of the body during walking and running. They help maintain balance during changes of body positions. The function of the toes, especially the big toe, is to help us balance and to propel us forward during movement. Feet create mobility and supply us with direction.

"The body lines up over the feet, when a foot goes out of alignment the ankle, knee, pelvis and back follow. Analyzing the way we stand, walk, run and sit helps determine the cause of misalignment, which is most likely the culprit of pain. Finding and correcting the misalignment usually relieves the pain.

"Our feet are often neglected and abused by wearing uncomfortable or improperly fitted shoes and rarely walking barefoot. Walking barefoot utilizes the foot muscles, which strengthens them as well as helps recreate and maintain healthy arches. It also allows the feet to be free, spread, and get fresh air.

"Our body reflects everything we do with our feet. If our feet are tight and clenched, our whole body mirrors this tension. When our feet are tired, our whole body is tired. When our feet are out of alignment, our whole body is out of alignment. Our feet are also mirrors of our general health. Signs of diabetes, arthritis, circulatory, and neurological diseases often appear first in the feet.

"Many foot problems are due to the fact that our society tends not to maintain muscle tone in the feet. By wearing shoes most of our lives our feet cannot move freely. By not allowing the feet to move freely or walk barefoot, the muscles and connective tissue of the feet weaken, the feet flatten (arches fall), ankles weaken, and other foot problems occur such as bunions, hammer toes, and claw toes. Bad shoes and lack of exercise weaken our feet which not only affects our bodies health it also weakens our connection to the earth.

"The alignment of our feet and the distribution of weight through them will affect the position, function and flow of energy through our knees, hips, back and shoulders. Constrictive footwear limits the blood flowing in and out of the feet and cramps the bones of the feet together, resulting in compacted and clenched musculature not just in the foot, but also in the entire body. Confining footwear includes high heels, cowboy boots, ski boots, cleats, ballet point shoes, rock-climbing shoes and other poorly designed shoes."

When we practice with bare feet, we give our feet (and all their sweat glands) an opportunity to breathe, to develop muscles that might have atrophied from neglect, and to literally get in touch with the earth. Tadasana grounds all four corners of the feet (the big toe mound, the baby toe mound, the inner heel and the outer heel) to align our entire body. Lifting the toes while standing helps to activate foot muscles, to lift arches, and to work all the tiny bones in each foot. Standing asanas and proper foot alignment during other asanas increase our feet's muscle tone and stretch muscles and connective tissue. Any asana that strengthens lower leg muscles and feet improves posture, increases circulation, reduces leg cramps, and creates stability.

Here are some poses that we practice frequently that benefit our feet:

Virasana (Hero Pose) stretches the top of the foot and ankle while toning the sole of the foot. If you have arches that aren't high, or if you pronate (roll inward) when you walk, this pose will strengthen the arches. The pressure on the top of the foot can, with patience and time, realign the tarsal bones and spread the toes.

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose), like Hero Pose, can rehabilitate or maintain healthy arches, make ankles flexible, and give the tarsal bones some stretching room.

Baddha Konasana (Cobbler Pose) is wonderful for your feet. When all four corners of the feet press together and the toes are lifted away from each other, foot muscles and arches become stronger and more toned.

Squat with Toe Stretch (knees on floor) requires kneeling with the toes tucked under to stretch the bottom of the feet. It's an intense stretch and needn't be held for minutes at a time; nevertheless, just a few seconds will break up tension and tightness in the soles of the feet.

Malasana (Garland Pose), a wide squat with the heels on the floor, builds up the muscles of the feet, toes, and lower legs while improving circulation throughout the entire lower body.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) is a classic pose which lifts arches, stretches the soles of the feet, lengthens plantar muscles and fascia while stretching the Achilles tendon.

Any/All Standing Poses are opportunities to get grounded and in alignments. Feet are the literal basis for all standing work. A firm base of support keep you relaxed, light, and free. Distribute your weight evenly across the entire foot, and use your toes to spread and grip into the mat or floor.

Vipartia Karani (Legs up the wall Pose) is a great pose when you've been on your feet too long and want a break. This pose restores energy and oxygen to the legs and feet while allowing blood and lymph fluid to drain from your feet and ankles.

Until you feel comfortable practicing in bare feet, please don't feel self-conscious. You might need the extra support for injuries that you are healing, you might have a medical issue that keeps you from exposing your bare feet, and that's okay. But, if (and when) you can join us in bare feet, you'll discover a whole new dimension to your strength and practice.

Until next week, namaste,

Nancy

P.S. I'll be subbing for Lois this Friday, June 11th at her 9:30 class in Glendora. Hope to see you then!

from the 24 Hour Fitness website--Recent studies show increased GABA level after an hour of yoga.

Doug Donaldson's article "Soul Food" from the 24 Hour Fitness website is printed below in its entirety. But before reading the article, refresh your memory with a quick review of exactly what GABA actually is and what the chemical does for your well-being.

It's become almost an epidemic for people to feel chronically anxious, irritable or unfocused. For some, chronic anxiety can become debilitating. Low levels of GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid, may be the culprit. A GABA deficiency can directly impact a person's ability to handle day to day or long-term stress. The calming, or "peacemaker" chemical in the brain, GABA induces relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases alertness. One of four key neurotransmitters, GABA also keeps all the other neurotransmitters in check.

People with a GABA deficiency often experience:

• Anxiety symptoms
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Hypertension
• Palpitations
• Seizures
• Lower sex drive
• Disorders of the heart

While many people with anxiety take prescription medications such as Valium, Xanax or Ativan, benzodiazepine drugs that stimulate GABA receptors, these drugs often produce unwanted side effects. 

And so, how might we increase GABA without resorting to chemicals? Create more of our own GABA, naturally! So, here are some insights as to how yoga has given most practitioners more than a quarter more GABA with only an hour of practice. Read Doug Donaldson's article, "Soul Food."

Ever wonder how yoga relaxes you? Here’s how—and why—you can find your Zen state.If you’ve ever done the downward-facing dog or made the mountain pose, you know that yoga can relax your body, but a recent study suggests such benefits are much deeper than muscle tissue.Researchers have found that yoga boosts the levels of gamma-aminobutyric (GABA), a brain chemical linked to well being. A study by the Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital found GABA levels of those who did an hour of yoga were 27 percent higher than those who read for the same amount of time. What’s more, researchers say that the calm-inducing effects of yoga are so powerful that it could be a treatment for depression and anxiety.  View study details:  study 1, study 2.You can tap into this potent stress relief by signing up for a 24 Hour Fitness Group X yoga class. Such sessions are a free part of your membership, says Linda McHugh, Manager of Group Exercise Programs at 24 Hour Fitness.Often, Group Exercise instructors teach Vinyasa style yoga, which is a breath-synchronized version where the class leader explains how to time your breathing to the poses. Sort of like taking a few deep breaths to calm down in a tense situation, yoga can reduce your stress level.“During our busy days, we often don’t take full, deep breaths,” McHugh says. “With those breaths, you move oxygen to your muscles and your brain, allowing you to slow down and relax.”Group Exercise yoga classes are offered free as part of your regular membership. Other health clubs may have an additional fee from $15 a class to a couple hundred dollars a month. Classes are typically conducted in a gym’s exercise room and offered a few times a week. Because there’s no fee, you can try a few sessions to see if yoga is an activity you enjoy.Classes usually start with standing positions and the instructor guides you through a series of poses. In Vinyasa yoga, your movements are flowing, connecting usually three postures before returning to a neutral position. And as you move from position to position, you’re concentrating on your form and technique, shifting your thoughts from any stresses. Usually classes end in what’s called the corpse pose, where you’re on the floor and the instructor guides you through a head-to-toe relaxation exercise. “You’ll often find that you’re more focused and feel stronger the rest of the day after doing yoga,” McHugh says.

See you Monday the 24th! Until then, namaste!

Nancy

Steady Gaze/Steady Mind

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone whose gaze was darting all around, or with someone who wouldn't look directly at you? At best, the conversation might have been a bit frustrating; at worst, you might have wondered if you were even understood. Seeing "eye to eye" is more than an expression, it literally means that communication is happening. When we practice, we need to give ourselves and our bodies as much focused attention as possible. As much as possible, we need to direct our eyes so that we can get the most benefit from our asanas.

In Sanskrit, drishti means to gaze or to view, from the root drsh meaning to perceive, to see, or to understand. In yoga practice, a drishti is a point for focusing the gaze during practice. Using drishtis can be helpful, by bringing focus, concentration, and awareness, thus directing energy inward. When the eyes are always open and inward gazing, the focus is the practitioner. Drishtis discipline the mind while the asanas discipline the body. Keeping a drishti not only helps concentration, distractions are minimized. No comparison, no competition, no judgment--drishtis keep attention where it needs to be: on our individual practice.

Drishtis steady and quiet the mind, enabling us to concentrate on alignment, breathing, and self-examination. The eyes are quiet, relaxed, and soft. The optic nerves and eye muscles become part of the yoga practice. There is a "closed loop" between the see-er and the seen. Drishtis are often mentioned during balancing poses, as an aid to concentration and for calming the breath.

Most asanas have a drishti. Memorizing which of the nine drishtis is meant for each asana isn't really that difficult; in fact, the focus point is pretty much obvious. If you listen carefully during your practice, you can usually figure out where to focus your eyes. As a general rule, the drishti is usually in the direction that the head is turning (well, that makes sense, as our eyes are in our heads). The drishti includes more than merely turning the eyes toward a focal point: the mouth, the tongue, the back of the throat, even the ears must be relaxed for a drishti to be completely effective. How is that possible? It's not too hard. savasana, or final relaxation pose, has the same facial cues. 

Here are the nine drishtis--and where they are used during our practice together. There are two different presentations of this information: the first, for those who like charts and graphs; the second, a more narrative and photographic approach.

The Looking Places - NAVA DRISHTIS
Drishti	Gazing Point	Typical Postures
Nasagrai	The space just beyond the tip of the nose (this is the most used drishti).	Sitting Postures
Ajno Chakra	"The third eye" - the space between the eyebrows.	Cobra/Upward Dog
Nabi Chakra	The navel	Downward Dog
Hasagrai	The hand	Triangle poses
Podhayoragrai	The toes	Shoulder Stand
Parsva Drishti	Far to the right, or far to the left	Twisting Postures
Angusta Ma Dyai	The thumbs	Beginning the Sun Salutation
Urdhva Drishti or Antara Drishti	Up to the sky	Warrior I

The tip of the nose (nasagrai) as when we begin and end our practice while seated (sukasana), and most sitting poses.

The space between our eyebrows (anjo chakra) when we close our eyes to set a focus for our practice, or when we are in cobra (bhujangasana) or up dog (urdhva muka svasana).

The navel or bellybutton (nabi chakra) while we are in down dog or adho muka svanasana.

The upraised hand (hastagrai) while we are in triangle poses or forms of trikonasana; the outstretched hand while we are in warrior II (virabhadrasana), or side plank poses.

Our toes (padhayoragari) while we stand in forward bends, or in boat poses (navasana).

The far left or far right, over our shoulders (parsva drishti) while twisting from the center, as in half lord of the fishes (ardha matsyendransana) or spinal twists.

The thumbs (angusta ma dyai) when our arms are stretching upwards, as at the outset of sun saluations.

And finally, up to the sky (urdhva drishti) when we are in warrior I (virabhadrasana), chair pose (utkatasana), or during the cow part of cat/cow stretches.

It's important to know that as we transition from one asana to the next, the drishti becomes immaterial. The gaze point is important while a pose is held (that's when we need the concentration and focus). Never, ever force the gaze to the point of strain. If the drishti is the toes, but if that's too much (hypertension, a crick in the neck, etc.), looking down is good enough. If looking at the navel during down dog causes discomfort, look to the nose instead. Allow the drishti to develop over time, just as the physical aspect of the asana develops. Remember, yoga is a practice, not a perfect; there are years and years of improvement ahead of every yogi and yogini.

So what's the point of the drishti, other than mental focus? Well, when the body is busy with alignment and the eyes are looking toward a goal, it's almost impossible to multi-task. And that's one reason why yoga is so popular: it's a form of exercise that works the body and keeps our mind in the present. Focus, breath, body, gaze, mind--all are working toward a single goal. When our time together is over, the whole self is invigorated and refreshed, ready to take on the multiple demands of life our 21st century.


Until next week, Namaste
Nancy

Yes, your form does make a difference! Here are the basics you need to know.

Just two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times's Health and Fitness section featured a photo spread demonstrating the proper and improper alignments of some very basic asanas. Take a look at the link along the sidebar and see if you can identify the better alignments. How can you make sure that your own alignment is correct? First of all, know your body. You might not be capable of looking just like the models who pose for Yoga Journal (yet!). Those models are most likely--usually--professional yoga instructors with years and years, hours and hours of rigorous training. Most of us in the Group X room of 24 Hour Fitness are not professional yoga instructors. That isn't our goal. We practice because we want to get stronger, manage stress, build muscle mass, improve our skeletal structure, achieve more balance and poise, or stretch out after a vigorous workout. Slavishly copying a photo isn't the best way to perfect alignment. In fact, adhering to a photo guide might be downright painful and cause injuries. Here are some of the most basic alignment guides that work for everyone's body--beginner or yogi. Breathe. Connect with your breath; it's your power source. Keep your lower abdominals engaged, just a bit. Holding your breath blocks your energy and makes any asana difficult.  Start from the ground up. When standing, distribute your weight evenly across the entire foot or both feet (depending on the pose). When seated, get both "sit bones" firmly in contact with the ground. When doing hand balances (as we did today in Crane), get the entire surface of each palm on the ground. When in standing poses, keep your feet parallel and hip distance apart. Attention to this will align your ankles and knees correctly. Not only will your knees thank you, so will your lower back. The entire foot works in many asanas, particularly standing poses. Keeping your feet supple and flexible, as well as grounded will improve your practice and your balance. Tadasana or Mountain Pose is fundamental to proper alignment in your practice. Keep your awareness of your body's alignment in Tadasana every time. Keep a micro-bend in your knees. Locking your knees into hyper-extension not only strains the knee joint, but is also a strain on the hamstrings. In standing poses, slightly engage the quadriceps muscle to lift the kneecaps. Keep your bent knees pointing straight ahead, toward the toes of the leg that is bending. Knee joints are marvels of engineering, but they can't take years of abuse. Align knees toward the toes, keeping the bend no more than a 90-degree angle, never extending past the ankle. Not only will you keep your knees for years and years, you will build your quadriceps and get stronger. Pamper those knees, please! Mom was right, keep your shoulders back. And Lois is right as well, "Shoulders aren't meant to be earrings." Keeping your scapulae (shoulder blades) solidly grounded and down will help life your chest, empowering you to rise up from the center of your core. You'll be stable, sturdier, and more powerful in your poses. And, you won't tire as easily during your practice, as it takes lots and lots of energy to hold up those shoulders. While holding your body in Warrior One or Warrior Two, check your alignment and make minor adjustments. Awareness of alignment is part of your practice. When bending forward or backward, rotate the thighs slightly inward. This applies to all bends, whether standing (forward fold) or sitting (seated forward bend). Moving the thighs inward just the teeniest bit opens up the sacroiliac and prevents compression in the lower back. Twist from the center up. The spine increases in flexibility from the bottom upwards. The lumbar spine doesn't twist AT ALL. The center (around the navel) can twist a bit. The upper spine (around the shoulders) is pretty flexible. The cervical spine (the neck) can move easily. When twisting, start at the bottom of the flexibility scale. Twist from the navel, then the ribs, then the shoulders, then the neck. When untwisting, reverse the order. As you inhale, strive for more length up through the spine; during the exhale, move through the twist. Take your time. Twists are beneficial, but only when done correctly. Use the mirror. We are lucky enough to have lots of visual reinforcement in the Group X room. Use the mirrors to check your own alignment. Adjust yourself. Trust your instincts; if a pose doesn't look or feel correct, ask questions. We want you to be safe. As a rule, I stay after class for 20 minutes or so to answer questions on an individual basis. If you feel shy, or can't stay after class because of time constraints, we can communicate through an e-mail via the comments section of this blog.  At 24 Hour Fitness, we want you to experience the best that yoga can offer--good alignment, safety, well-being, and confidence. The benefits of regular practice are many. I want to thank every one of you who have shared the difference that your practice has made in your life, your health, and your sense of progress. I can't say it often enough, "It's my privilege to be your teacher." Namaste, Nancy

Being Present, Mindfulness, or Going with the "Flow"

What separates yoga practice from another other form of Group X classes? Yoga is the only Group X offering that deliberately sets "mindfulness" as an outcome of its activity. Yoga is good for balance, building muscle mass, stretching and elongating muscles, and general health--all these are wonderful outcomes; nevertheless, yoga gives practitioners an additional goal--to focus intently on the present moment. Much of the relaxation and rejuvenation that are felt at the end of savasana are because of the mental energy spent while in a "flow" state.

The classic "flow" study researcher, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ("just call me Mike"), actually charted under what conditions we experience what he calls flow; what we might call "having fun." Being caught up in the moment's activity, being completely present in the moment, being mindful and completely absorbed in an activity,  or being lost in time itself--that's what is meant by flow. There is a delicate balance between finding an activity too challenging or too boring. In the middle of the continuum is flow. Here's a visual example of how flow can be expressed.

As you can see, the visual (or flowchart, sorry I just couldn't resist!) says absolutely nothing about the type of activity that generates a flow state. Flow is experienced and available during any activity. Flow states can happen potential with any form of physical or mental exercise. How do we know we have achieved a flow state? Here are the essential descriptors for flow and how yoga deliberately addresses them so that students can have an optimal flow experience.

We are up to the activity. If we are tired or cranky, injured or hurting, we just plain don't feel like playing or working. We must have the physical ability to perform the task. This is essential for any form of exercise, and why, specially in yoga, you are encouraged to sink back into child's pose or final relaxation if you feel overwhelmed by an asana's intensity.

We are able to concentrate on the activity. Distracting stimulations such as ringing cell phones, extraneous conversations, flashing lights, wailing sirens, crying babies can really break into our ability to focus on an activity. In your yoga practice at 24 Hour Fitness, we dim the lights to keep visual distractions minimal, and ask every one in the room to refrain from cell phone use.

The activity has clear goals. Some activities' goals are very specific. The pitcher on the mound at a baseball game knows the goal--to throw a strike (and even what kind of strike)--to get the batter out. Writers have incremental goals, to finish a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter, eventually a book. At the start of our practice, we set an "intention" or personal goals for the day. We preview the types of asanas that will be performed (focus, breathing, warm-up, sun salutations, standing work, balance, mat work, final relaxation). We have a general idea of the hour's journey from the outset of our practice.

The activity has direct feedback. It is very difficult to enjoy anything if you don't experience progress or gains. In a yoga class, the instructor gives verbal and non-verbal feedback, cues on alignment and suggestions for modifications. The mirrors along the room give instant feedback. Some students have such a good sense of their own alignment that they adjust their poses automatically.

We feel that we control the activity. Being forced into doing anything doesn't make for optimal flow conditions. All Group X classes are voluntary, and that's good. If you don't want to do yoga, you can do something else on the cardio floor or in the weight room. If you are doing yoga, you can choose the level of the asana that works best for you that day. You search for the level that gives you the balance between too challenging (frustrating) and too easy (boring). There is no pressure to go faster, to reach farther, to push yourself beyond your abilities.

Our worries and concerns disappear. The flow state is achieved when you forget the problems that were niggling away at your concentration. During exercise, flow is possible because we expend our attention and concentration to the task at hand. Yoga deliberately and intentionally asks you to focus on your practice for an hour and to postpone your immediate concerns during the hour's practice. The emphasis and focus of yoga is what makes it such a popular form of exercise, particularly for those whose lives are stress-filled. Yoga gives us permission to let our worries be in the background.

Our subjective experience of time is altered. Remember that old saying, "Time flies when you're having fun"? It's absolutely true. While in a flow state, you don't look at the clock; your awareness of time is completely absent. While experiencing flow, you lose track of time. For those of us teaching in the Group X room, that big clock is a mixed blessing. We need a reminder to help us stay on track, but frequently, we get so caught up in the experience we lose track of the time as well. I am fortunate to have a class slot that ends the Group X schedule for the morning and we can end our class without the distractions of the next class's students vying for floor space.

Have you experienced flow lately? It's a wonderful place to be, an inspiring state of consciousness. Watch small children play and you can see flow in action. If you have a cat or a dog, you can observe that most of the time, they are in a flow state (but they do seem to have an awareness of time when it comes time to be fed!). Hope that you have some flow time during our practice together as well; that's where the bliss of yoga originates.

Until next week, namaste,
Nancy

Giving it a rest! Growing muscles--the basics.

After class yesterday, a new student asked me if she would "get muscles" by doing yoga and pilates classes. My answer, "Yes, but . . ." Building muscle mass is not an overnight process. Like most any change in our bodies, muscle growth and regeneration occurs by a complicated series of events involving factors such as age, nutrition, enzyme and hormonal interactions, challenges to the muscles in question, and recovery. To simplify a process that has kept physiologists, biologists, nutritionists, and geneticists employed and published for years is a dangerous endeavor. Nevertheless, here are the very basics of how muscles grow and increase in size.

Muscles get larger by being used. What actually happens during exercise is that little, microscopic tears in the muscle fibers regenerate from satellite cells within the muscle fibers. Resistance exercise (weight training and other forms of exercise that use your body weight for resistance, such as yoga and Pilates) activates and challenges the muscles to "make more" to accommodate the larger or more demanding weight loads.

Once a muscle is used, or challenged, it grows. (And conversely, if a muscle isn't used, it gets smaller.) The growth process involves several factors; awareness and enhancement of those factors can foster muscle growth. Here are some of the major factors influencing the rate of growth of skeletal muscles:

Hormones. Kids and young adults have an edge in muscle development. Human growth hormones are in abundant supply among the young. After age 30, we lose approximately 10% of those hormones for every decade. That explains why some professional athletes have been tempted to pump their bodies with artificially manufactured hormones and "performance-enhancing" drugs. This tactic is illegal, and for good reason. Artificial hormones and/or steriods affect every one of the body's systems, and frequently result in major injuries. And they aren't necessary. With proper training methods, nutrition, and rest, young adults can increase their muscle mass at a remarkable rate, as they have a chemical advantage at this stage of their lives.

Nutrition. Muscles need calories and quality protein to grow. Muscles are much, much denser than fat (about 18% more dense). Muscles' compact and complex fibers can only grow and regenerate with adequate caloric intake. Too much exercise and insufficient calories means that the body will "rob" the existing muscle stores to get calories to keep going. The result is a net loss of muscle mass no matter how much exercise. In fact, with too strict a diet, it's possible to lose weight, but to also lose lean body mass. When you gain muscle mass and all other factors stay constant, you will weigh more than before (but chances are, you'll look better in your clothes and still wear the same size).

Age. It's a sad fact that as we age, we don't build muscle as quickly. The satellite cells in our muscles, cells that signal the growth of new tissue, grow more scarce with age. However, muscle growth is still possible and is desirable. The positive effects of exercise--increased muscle tone, strength, and greater flexibility--yield terrific benefits, but those benefits won't be evident as quickly for older persons. For some of us, such as women over 50, trainers at 24 Hour Fitness factor in an additional 10 per cent body fat. Of course it's possible to reduce our body fat and increase our muscle, but realistically, at 70 years of age, few of us will have the muscle mass of a kid who is 20. Rather than accepting declining growth, adopt another perspective: Imagine what little muscle would be retained if older adults didn't exercise?

Rest and recovery. Muscles grow as a result of exercise, but the actual growth process happens while the body is resting. The best example is that of a human infant. During the first year of life, human beings need lots and lots of sleep for growth. While sleeping, cells regenerate, new growth happens, and muscles develop. Not a lot changes for us as we get older. Adequate rest is essential for muscles to repair and renew. Working out, day after day, without a break doesn't give muscles time to regrow. It's important to build in rest days, especially after demanding workouts. Equally important, sleep helps reset the entire body's metabolism to a more efficient level. How can you tell if you are getting enough sleep? Try lying down during the middle of the day. If you can fall asleep within ten minutes, you might consider getting into a bed earlier. The ancient tradition of ending every yoga practice with savasana emphasizes the importance of rest and recovery. The wisdom of the yogis still hold true after so many thousands of years: Real growth occurs while we take time to recover.

And so, for the young woman who asked me if she would get muscles by doing yoga, the answer is: "Yes, of course. You have age on your side. Just make sure that you eat a quality diet, get plenty of sleep, and don't overdo your program by exercising without rest days." For the rest of us, perhaps we are hoping to have a leaner, more muscular (and less flabby) body, or perhaps we want more strength, or better balance. The same advice holds true: Eat sensibly, get enough sleep, and give yourself enough recovery time between workouts. You can't help but get stronger, leaner (and a bit wiser) every day.

See you all on the 26th!
Namaste, Nancy