practice

Yoga & Vogue-ing with Madonna

Yoga & Vogue-ing with Madonna

annejones / Events, Reviews / , , , , , , , , / 0 Comment

Madonna is coming to town September 29 and on Friday night, she was honoured by a special yoga practice led by Amy Holt in Langley.

Amy’s Yoga Vogue to Madonna was a 90-minute yoga practice in tribute to the musical powerhouse and style icon. The class consisted of 30 minutes of flow, 30 minutes of fun partner work and 30 minutes of more restorative and Yin-inspired poses, all to the soundtrack of Madge, including songs like Material Girl and Vogue.

The first third of the class included some sexy flow sequences, groin openers, and hip thrusting that made you feel as though you were in a music video. In the middle of the class, we got into partners and did funky paired-up poses including Balasana and Upavista Konasana with one partner draped over the other’s back (gentle thigh massages optional), and a delicious Thai Yoga back massage exercise.

Double Down Dog

Amy Holt and Desiree Cabalfin demonstrating Double Downward Facing Dog Friday, September 21 at Yoga Vogue to Madonna at Hari Om Yoga in Langley.

The beautiful Amy wore a black, sequined mini-dress and purple tights. Colourful photographs of Madonna taken throughout the decades were sprinkled around the upstairs studio at Hari Om Yoga Langley, where the special Friday-night class took place. It was a full house – mostly women, but a couple of male Madge-lovers, too. Several of the participants were ticketholders for Madonna’s Vancouver show.

And as if there weren’t enough spice during the practice, there were sultry treats waiting outside after class: candy kisses and spicy dark chocolate.

The event was one of Hari Om Yoga’s $10 Friday-night events, which they schedule almost weekly throughout the Fall.

Fuzz: Another Reason To Start a Morning Practice

Fuzz: Another Reason To Start a Morning Practice

amyh / Thoughts / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

Gil Hedley, Ph.D., founder of Integral Anatomy Productions, LLC, and Somanautics Workshops, Inc. is an anatomist whose intention is to share a larger vision of community and relationships based upon insights drawn from self-responsible and embodied life experience.

He gives a wonderful “fuzz speech” which describes with perfect simplicity why we should all get up in the morning and move, stretch and use our bodies. Don’t let the “fuzz” build up and become permanent movement inhibitions!

Visit his website for more information about his research.

More importantly, watch the Fuzz Speech here!

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

Sarah Jamieson / Props, Reflections, Teachers, Thoughts, Tips / , , , / 0 Comment

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!

A “Hip” Guide to Happier Movement: The Hamstrings

Sarah Jamieson / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , / 0 Comment

A “Hip” guide to happier movement continues, and this week we take a look at the hamstrings. As we know, the hip flexors and hamstrings are two groups of muscles that need to work in symmetry, in order to maintain proper balance, distribute load and stability through the pelvis. Many believe, or look at yoga, as merely a means of increasing flexibility, and that the more flexible you are, the less susceptible to injury you will be.

Way too often I find students moving into a posture while trying to achieve a version of a certain posture exerting too much force than their muscles can bear, thus “cranking” into it and moving beyond their normal range of mechanical alignment. When it comes to postures involving the hamstrings, this is all too common.
The truth is, sometimes being too flexible can increase your chances of sustaining an injury, as the muscle and associated joints are now in a constant state of  slack and with this comes instability of the joint, thus stability needs to be ascertained. This is the dynamic duality of our systems. Where there is an increase in mobility – there needs to be an equal force of stability to create symmetry.  Yoga is about achieving a balance between flexibility and strength, and mobility and stability.

The Anatomy:

The hamstrings groups is comprised of four muscle parts ; the first two are the Biceps Femoris (long and short head). The biceps femoris’s function is to flex and laterally rotate the leg and extend and laterally the thigh. The short head has it’s same origin at the lateral hip joint, then only crosses the knee joint and functions to flex and laterally rotate the leg.

The Semimembranosus originates in the ischial tuberosity and inserts into the medial tibial condyle. The Semitendinosus muscle also originates at the ischial tuberosity and inserts into the upper part of the medial surface of the tibia and medial tibial condyle. Both these muscles, extend the thigh and flex and medially rotate the leg.

The ideal length of the hamstrings is achieved at 80 – 90 degrees of hip flexion, which most often is questioned because students get wrapped up in “what the pose should look like,” rather then what their bio mechanics will and should allow. Where the emphasis is then placed on becoming too flexible in order to achieve the pose; however, when we push too hard into a pose, the tension has to be re distributed somewhere and this energy is most likely going to pull at the musculotendinous junction or strain at the hip and knee joint.

This can then not only lead to injury, but to faulty movement patterns that will persist off the mat. Remmber the fascia systems? When we change one meridian line, we uniquely impact them all. As I mentioned in the previous article pelvic alignment plays a crucial role in balance, load distribution and locomotion; therefore, when we think about how many  muscles stem from the ischial tuberosity, you can see how critical it is to focus on balance and symmetry of mobility vs stability and flexibility vs strength.  Two of the main joints at the pelvis are referred to as the sacroiliac joints. When the hamstrings are stressed some students can exprience hip, as well as knee injuries. Tightness in the low back can also contribute to excessive stresses on the hamstring attachment as well, or lack of hamstring mobility.

When working with hamstrings in any health modality, always remember the hamstrings are never alone they are part of the posterior muscular chain, the back line of the fascial system and are a huge primary mover of many movement patterns; therefore, respect the hammies and your mechanics within postures.

Some tips to avoid over stretching and creating better balance mechanics in your postures:

  • Always Aim to Keep Your Pelvis Level
  • Practice your postures only within your natural alignment (no cranking ~ leave this for hitting trails on your mtn bike)
  • Keep the thighs active and engaged
  • Distract at the hip joint
  • Bend the knees if needed, especially if you are a beginner
  • Work within your genetic limitations
  • Use props; such as blocks and straps if needed
  • Stretch your hip flexors
  • Listen to your body, never work through pain

Now hit the mat and enjoy!

Set Yourself Up For Success

amyh / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , , , / 0 Comment

Adhering to a regular, consistent yoga practice is difficult at the best of times. It takes dedication and commitment, love, sweat and hard work. It can be almost impossible to find the time to attend yoga class when things get busy. And this time of year is very, very busy.

Today is the last day of August. Although the weather isn’t great, many people have been desperately trying to take advantage of every sunny day before the September crunch starts. Back-to-school preparations are well underway. A general sense of business and fret are circulating with the impending sense of another fall.

What I have found is that my practice hasn’t remained the same as usual. My body wants gentler routines, my mind wants them shorter. Rather than promising myself to “start in September” or “do more next week,” I have promised myself to continue my routine, but in a way that suits my needs right now. I am setting myself up for success.

What does this look like? I am practicing more at home right now. Sometimes my sessions only last 20 min. Sometimes they are quiet and easeful. Sometimes all I have time for is Legs up the Wall and a bit of breathing. That’s OK. The important part is to show up on your mat and make the commitment to spend a little time every day to love and cherish your own self, body and mind.

In this busy week before back-to-school, try not to put off your yoga practice until later. Negotiate though—figure out a way to absorb some practice into the little gaps of time you have. Pick the 5 poses your body absolutely needs and practice them with love and intention. Take a little time for yourself no matter what. Breathe. Smile. Appreciate your little victories.

Source: http://www.wellonecoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/team-jump-for-joy.jpg

Yoga Arms

Melina Lake / Thoughts / , , , / 0 Comment

Popeye

I miss my yoga arms. I’ve put my pass on hold for the month of August and I’m really noticing some changes in my body. Less strength in my arms mainly, with a side of lower back pain.

So I need to keep up as I’m falling short. I found an extremely helpful article in Yoga Journal called Arms Control by Julie Gudmestad. She thoughtfully shares how to work our biceps, triceps, and upper body to withstand the many poses which require arm strength.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1747

It’s interesting how the more we do yoga, the more change we see in our bodies for the better. Just as the less we do yoga, the more we see changes in our body for the worse. I’d like to be back in the “more yoga” category. Wouldn’t  you?

Learning to Fly

Alison Boons / Reflections, Thoughts / , , , , / 0 Comment

Through instinct and practice we learn to walk, just as a bird learns to fly. Just as we cannot walk right away, many birds cannot fly right away and must wait for their muscule structure to develop but in order to survive learning to fly is envitable.

As a baby bird takes its first leap into the air, they are not overcome by fear and merely, awkward as it may be, are following their instincts. Since fear is a learned behaviour, a baby bird does not yet know to be afraid of jumping off the edge, as they watch their siblings take that leap and their parents flying overhead they know that that is what they are supposed to do. With many hard falls from nest to ground followed by an even longer journey home, the bird begins to learn, through their challenges and dissappointment, the mechanics of flight.

Day 29: Learning to Fly {Source: http://games-strike.com/games/577/learn-to-fly.aspx}

As they continue to practice, their falls to the ground become more controlled and with a little encouragement from their folks, they begin to leave the nest for longer periods of time as they learn more advanced techiniques on how to utilize the wind and begin to control their landings. Eventually all of these tools become instinictual and requires no thought or analyzation on how to get from Point A to Point B.

As we watch a bird soaring through the sky, and a few flaps of their wings as they play in the wind, diving and circling around we think how wonderful it would be to be able to fly.

In yoga, arm balances are often referred to as our chance to “fly.” But unlike a baby bird, many of us, for years have developed a fear of stepping outside our comfort zone. A birds body is made to fly, just like ours is made to walk. They are able to use their lungs, and their pectoral muscles to float through the air as the air below them keeps them afloat.

Our years of overdevelopment of fear causes us to be afraid to fall, afraid to learn through trial and error, whether from embarrasement or the determined words “I can’t do it!” As we watch the people beside us, with ease, jump into crow or handstand or even bird of paradise and stare in amazement “how do they do that?” 

To start, let go of the fear! Let go of the fear of falling on your face, you probably will at one point or another, probably in front of a room of people. It’s OKAY! Everybody else in the room was there at one point or will be in the future. Use your falls as way to learn what NOT to do next time. We learn to let go of fear and learn lessons from the challenges or falls every day, whether its taking a chance on a relationship and then learning from the mistakes to not repeat them in your next relationship or getting in front of a crowd of hundreds to speak.  Fear is constantly with us! Yoga Journal has a great article on the “Fear of Falling” and says;

“it’s time to consider another necessary ingredient for progress: mental discipline. Just as much as you’ll be excited by your first successes, you’ll be deeply frustrated and discouraged by your failures. Arm balances are therefore the perfect poses to practice persistence in the face of challenge, as well as non-attachment to the fruits of your labors.”

While I’m no expert on arm balances and continue to tackle this “fear of flying”, I’ve slowly come to realize that it is really only fear that is holding me back. If I take a deep breath, and not worry if I fall on my face and who sees me, it makes Bakasana that much easier to get into and perhaps even hold for a few breaths but there are still the days when my fear wins and I can’t for the life of me even take one foot of the floor. It’s an ongoing battle, this fear and me, I know it exists and try with every effort to bring it out in the open. Some days I win, some days the fear wins, but knowing that it exists is the first step to letting it go.

{source: http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-birds-learn-how-to-fly.htm)}

Yeah, I Speak Yoga

Melina Lake / Reflections, Styles, Thoughts / , , , , , / 2 Comments

I don’t speak Korean. At all. But I speak some yoga. So when I recently attended my first hot yoga class in Bundang, South Korea I somehow knew the language.

The room was hot and humid, much like the weather outside but stronger. My sister, who frequented this studio over the past year, told me to get acquainted with the room before class started. Sitting cross legged, I settled into my space in the sauna-like, wooden panelled room. Mirrors lined the front wall so I could see myself slowly melt – I decided to keep my focus inwards and away from my reflection.

The cute, yet serious teacher greeted the class. I prepared myself for what may be my most difficult yoga class to date: hot and in Korean. To my surprise, our teacher began leading us through a few body awakening movements which I followed smoothly. Neck stretches – right then left, forward then back. Then arms into a standing half moon on each side. Hey, I thought, I’m actually doing yoga in Korean.

I had no clue what she was saying vocally, but the universality of the practice made the class much easier to follow than expected. She counted aloud in English a few times, which my sister says she always does. In mountain pose, she explained the correct stance thoroughly in Korean and it was as if I understood word for word what she saying, “have your feet hip width apart, tuck your tummy, engage your core, and relax your shoulders.”

It is amazing how something can be completely foreign, yet thoroughly understood in the same breath. Despite how displaced we may be culturally, we can still find a kula through yoga, even if it’s in a place far away from our community.

5 Ways To Make Your Practice Your Own

Taya / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , / 0 Comment

1. Follow your teacher’s instructions during class, but do your own thing at home. Did you learn the “proper” way to sequence a class during a workshop or teacher training? Try it that way for a while (so you know you understand how to protect yourself from injuries), then throw it out the window. There are no absolutes in yoga. Experiment and find out what works for you.

2. Practice a lot! Practice at home. Practice at work. Practice in your car. Practice at the grocery store. Practice while you do dishes. Practice at the dog park. Practice at the beach. Practice before you fall asleep at night. Practice… well…you get the point… Eventually, you’ll find your own rhythm, breath, and style, but it takes TONS of practice…

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Oh Lordy, Yoga For Forty Part 2

Melina Lake / Associations, Reflections, Studios, Thoughts, Tips, Yogis / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

I felt muscles in my legs I didn’t even know existed. I felt more ribs move with every twist. More pressure in my fingers with every downward dog. More strain in my Achilles tendons as I tried to perfect my Warrior one. I had to stop going to my weekly Kundalini practice to ensure I could maintain my strength for upcoming classes. My basement suite became dustier, laundry grew higher, bus rides seemed longer, and sleep time felt shorter.

As tough as it is to dedicate your body to practicing every day, it is even tougher to dedicate your time.

Was it awful to give up other routines and dedicate my spare time to yoga? Not at all. It was a challenge, but I grew to like it. My daily practice became what I looked forward to during each work day. Knowing I had a welcoming, comfortable, and relaxing place to be in a few hours made the dull days shorter.

That tired, restless feeling most of us get after a poor night’s sleep and an even poorer day on the job was eliminated during my daily practice. It energized me rather than drained. I spent less time wasted on watching mindless TV or checking email and more time being productive. My time was better spent because it became more crucial. Don’t get me wrong, I began to miss staring at the Food Network, but I put more effort into taking care of myself instead.

I enrolled in the course I never got around to registering for, I completed four cover letters for job applications I was procrastinating on, and I got myself into bed earlier and in turn, was able to wake up feeling more rested, despite that I could always keep sleeping.

Time became more precious, which I soon learned may be the point of this whole challenge. A focus on time, the now, and gratitude for the precious time we have.

But how about those precious physical changes? You know, the ones to our muscular frame. As much as I didn’t think it was going to happen, it did.

To be continued…

Yoga-ee People

Melina Lake / Reflections, Thoughts, Yogis / , , , / 1 Comment

Patti Paige Baked Ideas Custom Baking

“So, where do you work?” I ask a new acquaintance.

“Oh I work in Kitsilano,” she replies with an unimpressed tone.

“Oh yeah, I work around there too and used to live there. I love Kits, such a nice area,” I respond cheerfully.

“Yeah, it’s ok. It’s very Vancouver and all yoga-ee,” she states, accentuating the ee.

“Yes, I know,” and to her surprise I add, “I’m actually all yoga–ee myself.”

Vancouver yoga people. Just a bunch of clones wearing Lululemon spandex suits, headbands, and legwarmers with yoga mats on our backs, shopping for organic produce in Capers or Whole Foods. We prefer Naturopaths to Doctors, tea to coffee, and vegetables to meat. We believe that because we practice yoga, we are better than the general public. We feel better, act better, and look better in tight clothing.

I used to be convinced of this stereotype, allowing it to create negative feelings towards practicing yoga. Then, a few years later, I went to my first class.

Rather than being surrounded by the image-conscious people I expected, I was surrounded by all sorts of focused, non judgmental yogis enjoying their practice and supporting mine. Lululemon? Yes of course it was worn – and good thing since most spandex pants reveal bum crack during every Downward Facing Dog. Matching outfits? I couldn’t tell you since my attention was drawn inward rather than towards analyzing classmates’ clothing choice. I even had the option of sipping a free cup of tea before class.

There is an instant sense of comfort when you begin class and recite om for the first time. We’re all there for our own reasons and it has nothing to do with personality type or fashion sense or where we choose to buy our produce. I wasn’t being looked at or stereotyped, so how could I speak of these yogis with negative connotation?

There is no denying that Vancouver is full of practicing yogis who do fit the stereotype to a certain extent. I’m a vegetarian, Lululemon wearing, tea drinking yogi. Yet this doesn’t determine who I am. There is such a wide range of people who practice yoga in this city and we are much more diverse than any stereotype’s classification.

I used to think yoga was for wealthy yuppies in need of an indoor activity during winter. Until I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps this new friend of mine should just try it, too.

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