Props

Starbucks App of the Week: Pocket Yoga – Practice Builder

Starbucks App of the Week: Pocket Yoga – Practice Builder

Starbucks’ free app of the week is currently Pocket Yoga – Practice Builder, by the developer Rainfrog LLC. This app is a yoga instructor in your pocket, everywhere you go!

Pocket Yoga is the premier yoga app available for iPhone/iPod/iPad.

The practice of yoga becomes beneficial when done on a regular basis. With Pocket Yoga you can keep up with your practice at your own pace and schedule in the comforts of your own home. Simply set your iPhone/iPod/iPad in front of your mat, start a practice, and Pocket Yoga will guide you through your entire session.

Choose between 3 different practices, 3 different difficulty levels and 3 different durations. A total of 27 different sessions!

Practices in Pocket Yoga are the unique and original creative design of the world-renowned school of Gaia Flow Yoga.

Features:

– Detailed voice and visual instruction guides you through every pose, including each inhalation and exhalation.
– Over 145 beautifully illustrated pose images with correct posture and positioning.
– Dictionary of poses containing descriptions and benefits of each pose.
– Maintains an ongoing log of all your yoga practices to track your progress and promote consistency.
– Practices designed by experienced yoga instructors.
– Ability to play music from your iPod library in place of the default music.
– All images are compatible with the new Retina display.
– TV out support! See your practice in your television.

Pick it up today at your nearest Starbucks location!

A Guide to Shouldering Responsibility: Be Shoulder Savvy (Week One)

A Guide to Shouldering Responsibility: Be Shoulder Savvy (Week One)

Being shoulder savvy in your yoga practice is a great asset to both being a teacher and a student. Your shoulder joint and the proper functioning of the muscles associated with the movement of your shoulder joint and shoulder girdle are paramount in yoga and many yoga postures.

When we think of the shoulder, we tend to think of only the joint itself. The shoulder girdle, the shoulder girdle consists of several bony joints, or “articulations”, which connect the upper limbs to the rest of the skeleton, along with attachment sites of the connective tissue  and provide a large range of movement (hence it’s known as a ball and socket joint). The shoulder girdle may also see this referred to as the “pectoral girdle.”  The main bones which form the shoulder girdle are the clavicle, the scapula and the humerus.

Shoulder Anatomy 101:

There are three main joints in the shoulder girdle, these are the glenohumeral joint (GHJ),  acromioclavicular joint (ACJ), and the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ), all of which come into play in many yoga postures such as downward facing dog, upward facing dog, shoulder poses and inversions.

When asked to locate the shoulder, most often people will point to the glenohumeral joint, which provides a large proportion of the movement at the shoulder girdle; however the ACJ and the SCJ joints are just as integral in load distribution and muscular recruitment in all yoga postures. The ACJ is formed at the lateral end of the clavicle and is important in transmitting load and force through the upper limb and shoulder to the axial skeleton. The ACJ has minimal mobility due to its supporting ligaments; whereas the SCJ occurs at the sternal end of the clavicle, the cartilage of the first rib and lateral, upper portion of the sternum, which functions in all movements of the upper limbs and plays a larger role in throwing or thrusting movement patterns.

Another important (and often neglected) joint that permits movement and postural awareness is the scapulothoracic joint ; which supports movement and stabilization of the shoulder. It overlies the 2nd – 7th ribs, is tilted slightly forwards by an angle of 30°, and is encased by 17 muscles which provide control and stabilization against the thoracic wall (the ribcage). Even though it is not technically a “joint” it is referred to as one because of its functionality.  This joint relies entirely on the surrounding musculature for its control and aids in movement of the skeleton and spine. During elevation the glenohumeral joint rotates 2° for every 1° of scapulothoracic rotation.

How can we protect our shoulder joint in Yoga, as well as off the mat?

Learning to engage and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and the muscles associated with our posture is crucial to preventing common shoulder injuries. For students who lack mobility, learning how to properly improve mobility to the muscles surrounding these joints will reduce tension and force to the joint structure, as well as improve proper recruitment and motor control through movement and postures.

 

The rotator cuff consists of the subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, and supraspinatus. This group is one of the most important but widely misunderstood structures in the body. The names of three of the muscles give you a clue to their location: subscapularis sits under the scapula, between the ribs and the front surface of the scapula. Supraspinatus sits above and infraspinatus sits below the spine of the scapula. Teres minor sits on the outer edge of the scapula, near the posterior fold of the armpit.

Its job is to support and position the ball that forms the head of the humerus and fits in the socket of the shoulder joint. The shoulder is inherently an unstable joint, so building the strength of these supporting muscles is crucial to proper functioning.

These important external rotators, infraspinatus and teres minor, are the part of the rotator cuff that is strengthened in Downward Dog. A weakened rotator cuff might lead to abnormal shoulder-movement patterns, which can contribute to inflammation and pain. Not only that, but weak muscles are likely to tear when you put a load on them that they aren’t strong enough to handle. Thus practice makes perfect, and to do so stay focused on the transitional movements and modify if necessary.

When I teach downward dog to students, I have them start in poses such as an elbow plank to dolphin pose, then from a straight arm plank moving to downward facing dog, cueing on the important of external rotation and recruitment of the shoulder girdle.

Once you’ve mastered keeping the external rotators engaged in these poses, you can apply the action to more challenging poses such as upward-Facing dog and chaturanga dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), and even into inversions and hand stands.

Adding in a little thoracic spine mobility would also support proper elongation of the spine and assist in deep breathing while moving through pose to pose. Next week we will dive deeper into the functionality of the rotator cuff muscles and it’s association with the fascial system for improved stability and mobility.

 

A “HIP” Guide to Happier Movement: The SI Joint

Tying in the last 2 articles towards happier hip movement, we dive further down the proverbial yoga rabbit hole to look at pelvic rim imbalances and possible sacroiliac pain and how to progress experientially towards a sequence of adaptive yoga moves that have the potential to reset our SI joints to their natural pain free position. One of the most common structural breakdowns I work with is often a “misaligned’ pelvis and lower back pain.

Over the years more and more SI joint dysfunctions or “issues” seems to be “recurring,” especially in women. Whether this is due to the shape of our pelvis, the draw and trend of Western Yoga or the tendency toward long loose ligaments we don’t know, or perhaps even some other stress patterning effects- including an unbalanced or improper yoga practice, women seem more susceptible to hyper-mobility along with SI joint dysfunction. Even though there is a joy in flexibility, there needs to be a balance of tone, flexibility and stability if we are to be “pain free and live a life of symmetry.

There are a number of theories about the details of the pathology related to the SI Joint disorders , however in yoga over stretching is often a key indicator. Strong ligaments hold together the SI joint, the only way to move it out of place with yoga is to overstretch those ligaments and if we stretch more on one side then the other, or more anterior (hip flexors) the posterior (hamstrings) this can throw off pelvic stability. Our bodies move through recruited sequencing of muscles, and therefore, when one set or group of muscles is “too flexible” it throws off the sequencing of the entire mechanical chain.

The cardinal symptom of SI pain is an ache on or around the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS). The PSIS is the rear-most point of bone on the pelvis. However, it’s very important not to confuse what we are calling SI pain with other types of back pain, because, in most cases the “pain” referral point, is only where the energy gets blocked, but the structural breakdown that is causing the mis alignment is usually located some where else  in our mechanics and this takes time to determine.

Sacroiliac Joint Anatomy 101

The sacroiliac joint is where the sacrum bone and the ilium bone join one another, Your sacrum is located at the base of your spine and  is comprised of five vertebrae that have fused together during development to form a single bone roughly the size of your hand. Each half of the pelvis is composed of three bones, the ilium, the ischium and the pubic bone, that are fused together during development. The sacrum sits between the left and right ilium bones and bears the weight of the spine, kind of like a wedge.

The SI joints main function is to distribute this weight with equal balance to each hip and to each leg, and the energy  then makes it’s way down out through the feet to the earth via our muscles (to put it into simple terms).

There are many working parts to the hip and SI Joint, some of the ligaments that stabilize the SI joints cross directly over the line where the sacrum and ilium meet. Those on the front are called the ventral sacroiliac ligaments, and those on the back are the dorsal sacroiliac ligaments. Other strong ligaments (the interosseous ligaments) fill the space just above the SI joints, holding the ilium bones firmly against the sides of the upper sacrum.

Corrective Strategies & Tips:

First, identify the balance of flexibility in the hip joints by extending in all the anatomical movements of that joint. This should be done by a health professional who can assess bio mechanical breakdowns and asymmetries via a selective assessment.

Secondly, work towards establishing stability and tone in the pelvic floor and trunk, learn the ins and outs of balance and breath work for proper intra abdominal pressure, then establish if you require mobility or stability in the hip flexors,  the hamstrings, gluteal and lateral muscles of the hip.

Thirdly, modify your asana practice. As  a general framework for understanding which poses contribute to helping you relieve pain, these poses traditionally fall into 4 categories:

  • Careful with backbends: (Reclining Hero Pose) can help by directly pushing the top of the sacrum backward into place, as well stretching the anterior chain.
  • Modify your Twists and Rotational Poses: wrong twist can easily make matters worse. Gentle movement and transitioning from pose to pose by rotating one side of the sacrum backward and the other forward.
  • Try One Sided Poses: Reclined postures that focus on one side at a time, can create more symmetry by focusing the adjustment specifically on the joint that may be out of alignment, so that the ilium shifts in the right direction relative to the sacrum.
  • Practice Postures that Spread the Sacrum: By applying lateral pressure to the hips, may help by opening the top part of the SI joint space, as well as postures that spread the sacrum wide and relieve pressure to the lower lumbar spine.

Next week we Continue our series to Happier Hips with the pelvic rim and stability!

Trish Stratus Launches Yoga Kit

Fitness icon, entrepreneur and WWE champion, Trish Stratus, has teamed up with HoMedics Canada to produce her own line of unique yoga and fitness gear, Stratusphere Living, following the success of her Stratusphere Yoga Studio in Ontario.

The Stratusphere Living line is all-inclusive yoga kit including an the weighted Fitgloves – which they claim is a first for yogis – an eco-friendly TPE yoga mat, ultra-absorbing yoga towel, a yoga block, Trish’s Stratusphere Yoga DVD and her nuTrishion journal.

Q. What makes the Stratusphere yoga DVD different from others?
A. This workout is something I developed by accident actually – it’s what I call a happy accident! Coming from a fitness background and having to perform in peak condition with WWE for so many years, it was all about cardio and strength training for me. I don’t think I would have ever pursued yoga if I hadn’t used it like I did to aid with my back injury recovery. I think this is how most ‘fitness-minded’ people perceive yoga – I hear it all the time ‘but is yoga a workout?’ OnceI began seeing the positive effects yoga had not only on my level of fitness, but on my overall sense of wellbeing, that’s when I decided that my yoga practice is something that will forever be a part of my life.

As a busy person, I’m forever trying to multi-task, so I was trying to figure out how to balance my yoga sessions and my weight training sessions – who has time for both now a days?! So, what I’ve done with my workout is integrate resistance training movements into a yoga flow so you get the best of both worlds. I also broke the workout down into manageable 10 minute blocks that focus on different parts of your body. So you focus on trouble spots or get a complete 50 minute workout that is truly a total mind body workout […]

Trish Stratus’ Stratusphere Living is currently available at London Drugs and Sportchek; Sears, GNC, and Home Outfitters will sell the kit in early October.

AntiGravity Yoga with Ingrid

There are so many variations of yoga popping up all the time.  When I heard about AntiGravity yoga I was intrigued.  Currently it is only offered at Steve Nash Sports Club.

You perform the poses in a hammock which is made of a structural fabric that is connected from two overhead points. It acts like a swing or soft trapeze.  You are very safe.  The benefits are said to be a relief of compressed joints and alignment of the body.

Ingrid was my instructor.  She was well trained, friendly and allowed that fun, playful side to come out.  I felt like a kid again when we started swinging.   I especially liked all the inversions that would not be possible otherwise.

If you are looking to mix up your regular yoga routine, I highly recommend you try this class.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

My Five-Minute Yoga Practice App

Eve Johnson, a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher based in Vancouver, created My Five-Minute Yoga Practice app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

A useful application for beginners, Eve talks you through 11 five-minute practices, with detailed instructions describing exactly what to do in each pose. Gradually, five minutes at a time, yoga will become part of life. It’s also a great tool for those who struggle with finding enough time to fit yoga into their day, or frustrated with the lack of progress in their yoga practice.

Available in the App Store, you can also visit Eve’s website for additional information.

AntiGravity Yoga – Weightless Aerial Yoga In Vancouver

AntiGravity Yoga is aerial yoga, encouraging fitness through levity. The belief is that through the pursuit of anti-gravity, a lighter existence can be achieved. Inspired the gracefulness of aerial art and Vinyasa yoga, this unique type of yoga is a fusion technique often seen as a bridge between fitness and traditional yoga modalities.

Flowing silk hammocks are hung from the ceiling that suspend participants and help them achieve seemingly impossible yoga postures. And unlike traditional yoga inversions, going upside-down in an AntiGravity yoga class is weightless. There’s zero compression of cervical spine, so it’s very therapeutic for the body.

The concept grew out of AntiGravity, an acrobatic performance troupe founded in 1990 by Christopher Harrison, an aficionado of yoga, who designed the fitness regimen around hammocks. For more information regarding AntiGravity, visit their official website: www.antigravityyoga.com. AntiGravity yoga classes are offered at Steve Nash Sports Club in downtown Vancouver. Visit their site here for additional information, and their current schedule.

The Neti Pot How-To

If you get sinus headaches, pressure or pain, or have allergies, you know just how agonizing it can be. Here’s something that might help.

Using a Neti Pot is a very old cleansing technique and tradition of India. There it is referred to as Jala Neti. The literal translation means ‘water cleansing’ or ‘water irrigation’. It is a flushing out of the nasal cavity. Our nasal cavity is full of fine hairs called cilia. This flushing helps them to move faster and thus push irritants, bacteria etc, to back of the throat where it can be spit out or to the nose where it can be blown out.

Some people use a Neti Pot to help with sinus congestion, sinusitis, allergies, and sinus infections or as a preventative measure. It’s also a more cost-effective form of treatment and, in addition, doesn’t have all the side effects of prescription medication.

The way it works is that the Neti Pot is filled with a body-warm solution of water and salt (it is recommended to use Iodine-free salt or natural sea salt. Also, remember to use a fresh solution every time). The solution is then poured into the nostrils one at a time while breathing through the mouth. You then switch sides. Remember to learn forward and tilt your head to the opposite side of the Neti Pot. Also, when finished, it’s good to first sniff in gently a couple of times to help return the nasal passages back to normal (sometimes referred to as ‘helping them dry’) and then gently blow your nose – do this oh so gently. If any gets into your mouth, don’t worry, just spit it out. If you accidentally swallow it, it’s OK too. It is also important to note that there should be no pain or uncomfortable feeling involved. If there is, stop immediately and reassess.

The solution helps to remove anything that may be ‘stuck’ up there – dust, pollen, bacteria, excess mucus, pollutants, etc. It is typically eight ounces of water and a fourth teaspoon of salt. The salt should be dissolved completely. If you use too much salt, your nasal cavities will be sure to inform you with a nice burning sensation. Also, the water must not be too hot. Test the water both for temperature and salt before using. Also, it is very important to take the time to ensure all of the water has drained from your nasal cavities. Take your time and it will be a worthwhile, healthy experience.

Click here for a  short how-to video that could be helpful. I have not purchased my Neti Pot from this company, but I feel the video is helpful and has some really good tips.

And, as you may already know, yogis, as cool as they are, do some pretty weird things, but these weird things usually pay off in the end. Enjoy and try something new!

Yoga Gifts For The Holidays

Unsure of what to get the yogi in your life for Christmas? Fret-not, we’ve rounded up some of the best presents any yoga enthusiast would adore. (Click on photos for information on how to purchase):

Sustainably constructed Adidas by Stella McCartney Yoga Performance 7/8 Recycled Polyester Tights are luxuriously soft while sweeping away heat and sweat:

Yoga Performance 7/8 Recyc. Poly Tights


Pre-shrunk, extra soft, bamboo/organic cotton, fair trade, and eco-friendly – “Practice Kindness” t-shirt:

Practice Kindness Eco Tee Shirts - Cherry Red

Eco Yoga Kit includes Stirlen Chi Yoga Mat Spray all natural cleaner, 5mm mat, blanket and blocks:

Eco Yoga Kit

Silk Eye Pillows with Lavender, come in a variety of colors and have removable covers – perfect to relax during savasana:

Small Silk Eye Pillow Lavender

A personal favorite of mine, and made in Canada, Yoga Jeans by Second Denim Co. come in a variety of styles.  I love their dark, skinny jeans as they really do feel like a second skin. And yes, you could practice yoga in them! I ordered mine online from Montreal company, Yoga-à-Porter:

Round Yoga Mats

I love the idea of a round yoga mat. A circular mat would allow for, and inspire a fluid 360 degree range of movement during your practice.

The idea of stretching out all around yourself and still being on a 6-feet-in-diameter mat would be so very comfortable.

As an added benefit, a round mat would be the perfect size for ”mommy and me” yoga classes and activities, without the need for multiple mats or having to place your child on the bare floor.

I also think circular mats would be a fantastic option for other types of fitness, like pilates.

Mandala Round Yoga Mat

However, I could see large round yoga mats being a disadvantage to the classes I attend in Vancouver, as they would take up too much space. Also, my classes are normally quite busy, so studios wouldn’t be able to accommodate as many students in each class.

Mandala, who ships to Canada, claims they are the original 6-foot round yoga mat creators.

What do you think about round yoga mats? Do you think you’d adopt this shape into your practice?

Horsing Around!

Yoga has certainly become a billion dollar plus industry and for sure will continue to stay that way, from the countless brands of mats & accessories available, to the countless ends of yoga clothing from all different ends of the perspective. I suppose with all of these options on the table, the traditional schools of yoga are no longer enough.

The latest, I just overheard on the radio the other day, horseback yoga! Perhaps the union between the horse & the rider is important to ensure boths safety, not so sure about actually practicing yoga on a horse though which of course, is not to be confused with yoga FOR horses.

Taken from the www.dailycamera.com, “Yoga with Horses Can Make for a Deeper Connection” by Aimee Heckel;

“After a few minutes with their equine partners, even people who are scared of horses quickly realize: yoga must have been created by horses.”

“It was such a strange and amazing sensation,” she says. “You just sit there and you feel your butt on the horse’s back, balancing and aligning yourself with the breathing, and his own posture, too. If you can sink into that, you can just click in. It made the yoga experience a lot more potent, and the horses were a huge guide.”

Read the full article at Boulder Daily Camera; Yoga With Horses Can Make for A Deeper Connection or check out the video on YouTube, Horsing Around!

After doing some digging around on the internet, yoga with horses is not a new thing. You can even be certified to teach yoga with horses, of course some is more specific to equestrians and some is more exercises for the actual horse but hey, certainly gives a whole new meaning to partner yoga! Too bad I couldn’t find anything local in order to go & check it out!

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga Everywhere!

Like most Yogi’s in Vancouver, I spent the weekend at the Vancouver Yoga Conference. While I only took two classes, the options seemed to be endless, below is some of my thoughts about what the Vancouver Yoga Conference had to offer & what could be improved next year;

  • Friday the Garden classes didn’t start all afternoon & when they did were not per the times scheduled on the listing.
  • Heard from many friends who were taking sessions that sessions were starting or ending late, while not overly surprising for the first day, it is one thing that makes me crazy is when people forget how valuable everybody else’s time is as well.
  • The Trance Dance, having never experienced anything like it before was interesting to say the least, the room was HOT, and I mean HOT, no air conditioning seemed to be on & people stood in the hallway to get a breath of fresh air, stay out there too long there was no hope of getting back into that room, therefore I didn’t make it to the end.
  • Worked at the booth for YogaBC all three days, meeting lots of friendly faces from yoga teachers to students, great opportunity to network.
  • The tradeshow was smaller than I expected and a lot of really expensive solutions, although one of my favorites (even though I didn’t splurge) were the 3 minute Egg, if you missed out on these or didn’t get to try them out, check out this video; Intro to the 3 Minute Egg
  • The tradeshow seemed to pick up on Sunday, perhaps that was the little bit of rain that we had, but was a lot busier Sunday afternoon than it seemed to have been earlier in the weekend.
  • Sat in on two workshops (Intro to Kids Yoga & How to Teach Yin), both fabulous and left me wanting more, more, more.
  • Certificates for Workshops were an additional cost, not really sure why, with the amount of money lots of people spent to attend the yoga conference, the least they could do is “throw in” a certificate for the classes you attended.

In conclusion, having not been able to attend the yoga conference last year, I found this year to be an insightful, fabulous networking opportunity to build relationships & make some new ones. However, living in Vancouver us Yogi’s are VERY lucky, we get the opportunity to experience many different styles, workshops, retreats and events that happen within our yoga community, so the yoga conference is just an added bonus to a yoga community that already offers so much. If you missed out, no worries, like I said there are LOTS of events happening around the yoga community every week, all you gotta do is find them.

What were your thoughts about the Vancouver Yoga Conference? Did you enjoy or does it need some improvements for next year?

Must Have Yoga Props and Accessories

Yoga props are used to achieve proper body alignment in each yoga posture. Each type of prop can be used for different yoga poses. Here is a list of the most common yoga props:

YogaBolster

YOGA BOLSTERS

A yoga bolster is like a giant, firm pillow used to alleviate pressure. It’s generally used under the knees for support, when lying on your back. Yoga bolsters are especially handy for prenatal yoga classes and to relieve any tension in the spine.

yoga_block1

YOGA BLOCKS

A yoga block can be used during seated positions to make the poses more comfortable. The yoga block supports the sacrum and lifts the pelvis off the ground.

yoga blanket

YOGA BLANKETS

A blanket can be a versatile yoga prop. The yoga blanket can be used to keep you warm during savasana (final relaxation), raise hips above knees while seated, or support the back in reclined positions.

yogastrap

YOGA STRAPS

A yoga strap is used to deepen yoga stretches.  It can be used during pigeon pose to stretch the legs and groin muscles. Or, if you can’t reach the ground on a forward bend, stand on a yoga strap and then hold on to each end – using the strap to pull yourself closer to the ground and deepen the stretch.

yogaball-main_Full

YOGA BALL

A yoga ball can provide much needed support during backbends or wheel pose and aid in flexibility. For upward facing dog pose, the yoga ball can also be used as a support between your body and the ground.

What yoga props do you use to enhance your practice?

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