Important Things About Chiropractic Practice Inman Park Dwellers Should Know

By Marissa Velazquez

There are some body problems which may not necessarily need the services of a doctor. For instance, disorders related to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems can be easily taken care of by chiropractic practice. Some of the neuromusculoskeletal tissues that can be treated using this method are those found in the neck, back, head, and arms or legs. In chiropractic practice Inman Park has a good number of professionals that one can consult, though it is imperative that they understand what they mainly deal in first.

When carrying out this form of treatment, the chiropractor mainly uses his hands. It therefore means that there are no medicinal drugs that one is given during the whole process. In order for one to be a chiropractor, he/she has to undergo some special form of training from where the diagnosing skills are learnt. After being trained, one can also recommend various therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises.

Chiropractors will in most cases perform a procedure called spinal manipulation or adjustment. This involves the exerting of some controlled pressure on the hypomobile or immobile part. It therefore aims to reduce the pain felt as a result of the injury sustained.

There are various causes of tissue injuries which are related to traumatic events. These can be things like lifting heavy objects in improper ways or having repetitive stresses. Sitting in an improper manner with a poor posture of the spine constitutes some of these body stresses. The pain and inflammation felt from these injuries are therefore due to the physical and chemical changes that take place. It thus becomes difficult for one to use the affected body part.

Normal mobility is restored through an adjustment or manipulation of the affected parts. Muscle tightness and pain will therefore be alleviated resulting to the healing of the tissues. You however do not need to worry about the process of chiropractic adjustment because discomfort is rare. Nevertheless, aching and mild soreness may be experienced in some situations after the treatment, though it goes away within 48 hours.

If experiencing some pain on the lower back, then it is advisable that you see a chiropractor for manipulation. If already using other medical methods, then the services of a chiropractor will complement them. This is achieved by relieving the musculoskeletal problems being felt.

There are a number of assessment methods that the chiropractor can use when trying to determine the need for this form of treatment. For example, he may carry out clinical examination, lab tests, diagnostic imaging or other diagnostic techniques. If he finds out that the problem is more than what chiropractic can handle, then he will definitely refer you to a medical center.

Before choosing a given chiropractor, it is important that you first carry out a background research on him or her. This is to try and determine whether the professional is certified and has the right skills needed. With chiropractic practice Inman Park has some of the best professionals.

About the Author:

When you are seeking canine therapy from a reputable chiropractic practice Inman Park dog owners highly recommend this site www.anyspine.com for all your pet's spinal therapy needs. Schedule an appointment right now by visiting the clinic at http://www.anyspine.com.

Featured Sequence Gentle All Around Practice

by Nina

This short sequence is designed for anyone who wants to get started with a short, gentle home yoga practice. This sequence is a great complement to our Low Back Care Practice and Mini Restorative Practice because it focuses on upper body flexibility, strength and balance, which are not addressed by the other sequences.

Although I originally designed this practice, Baxter reviewed it and made a modification—so it is officially Dr. Baxter Bell approved. We both hope you enjoy the practice!

1. Standing Shoulder openers (see Opening Tight Shoulders).

Releasing tight shoulders is important for the upper back and neck health, and is an important antidote for time spent in front of computers, driving, gardening, or other activities where you are reaching forward all day. If you have limited range of motion in one shoulder, just do the best you can, even if that means, for instance, taking your hand only half way up the wall rather than all the way. To make the sequence shorter, you could skip some of stretches (and alternate on different days of practice).

2. Half Dog pose at the Wall (see Half Dog Pose at the Wall). 

This pose is a wonderful all-over stretch because as it opens your shoulders it also stretches the sides of your torso, and, if you straighten your knees, it stretches the backs of your legs as well. It’s a perfect warm-up for standing poses!

3. Warrior 2 and Warrior 1 Mini Vinyasas (see Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasas).

Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 are classic standing poses that improve your balance (due to their wide leg stance), build leg strength (due to the bent front knee) and increase upper body strength (due to holding arms out to the side or over head). Practicing these as mini vinyasas (moving in and out of the poses with your breath), will improve balance and agility, and are a gentle versions of these poses. (Though this is not as strengthening as holding the poses for extended periods.)

For the Warrior 1 vinyasa, if you can’t hold your arms overhead, you can keep them in Namaste (prayer position) in front of your chest or place your hands on your hips.

4. Tree pose. 

Depending on your self confidence and your ability to balance, you can do this pose in any number of ways. If doing the pose in the middle of the room causes stress, stand in Tadasana (Mountain pose) with your left side near the wall. Shift your weight to the your left leg—if needed use your left fingertips on the wall to balance—and lift your right foot into any of the following positions:

• toes of the right foot on the floor, rest of the foot off the floor
• right foot on top of your left foot— but try not to have your right toes touch the floor
• sole of the right foot pressing against your left calf
• sole of your right foot pressing against your left thigh (above the knee)

5. Chair Twist (see Simple Chair Twist).

This pose releases back muscles that are stiff or sore from sitting at a desk or from traveling, or from everyday activities that stress the back, such as gardening and painting, and increases the rotational mobility in your spine. Twisting also helps nourish the spine—movement of the spine helps maintain the health of the discs—and also strengthens the bones themselves as your back muscles pull on the bony insertions of the spine. And it also strengthens the oblique muscles of your core. If you have a history of low back problems, please do this pose with a block between your thighs and twist only from the navel on up.

6. Easy Inverted Pose (see Easy Inverted Pose).

Resting your calves on a chair with a support under your pelvis puts your body into a slightly inverted position, so the blood flows from your legs down toward your heart making this pose a very calming inversion, which is also very restful for your leg muscles. If the support under your pelvis irritates your lower back, you can simply do the same pose without it.

NOTE: If you're reading this on the day it was posted, keep your eye out for a second post that recommends a weekly routine (including this sequence) that would be beneficial for anyone with back problems or who just wants to start practicing yoga at home.

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The Biochemical Basis for a Gratitude Practice Rerun

by Nina

In a Meadow by Melina Meza

 II.33 Upon being harassed by negative thoughts, one should cultivate counteracting thoughts. —translated by Edwin Bryant

For some time now, I’ve been intrigued by Facebook posts from certain friends that simply list things the person is grateful for. I particularly like the ones by my friend Liz because her lists include very simple things, mostly free and available to almost everyone.

Today's good things:

1. Walked six miles;
2. Dog therapy on campus today, in particular the golden retriever puppy;
3. Watching the bushtits (birds) flit in and out of the trees on campus;
4. Got a lot of items off my 'to do' list at work, moving forward with several work projects and learning new things.

I also happen to know this gratitude practice is a very serious one for Liz, because she suffers from a serious, chronic illness that affects her quality of life and requires quite a bit of time spent in the hospital. She says, “It’s been bumpy, but I saw research that said gratitude practice helps. And I set intentions at the beginning of each day and have seen improvement.”

Today's good things:

1. Three mile walk at lunch, great watching the hawks circle;
2. Very productive day at work, a lot of weeding and organizing;
3. Ran into a lovely friend whom I haven't seen in a while, always great to catch up;
4. Gluten-free ice cream sandwiches

So I was very intrigued when I learned that neuroscientist Alex Korb’s book The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time actually provides a scientific explanation of why this practice works. Apparently, cultivating gratitude actually has a beneficial chemical effect on the brain, boosting dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers) and serotonin (a neurotransmitter that affects our mood) levels.

“The benefits of gratitude start with the dopamine system, because feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine. Additionally, gratitude toward others increases activity in social dopamine circuits, which makes social interactions more enjoyable …”

“One powerful effect of gratitude is that it can boost serotonin. Trying to think of things you are grateful for forces you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This simple act increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex.” —Dr. Korb

When I was thinking about how this practice related to yoga (haha, I figured it must!), I came back to this sutra by Patanjali about cultivating the opposite (pratipaksa-bhavanam).

II.33 Upon being harassed by negative thoughts, one should cultivate counteracting thoughts. —translated by Edwin Bryant

Bryant explains in his commentary on this sutra that the “negative thoughts” being referred to are those that counter the yamas and niyamas. So thoughts that are the opposite of contentment (the niyama santosha), such as dissatisfaction, displeasure, and unhappiness, would count as negative thoughts that you should counteract. And the practice of being grateful for what you have, which is cultivating contentment, is indeed the practice of cultivating thoughts that counteract dissatisfaction, displeasure, and unhappiness.

Of course, when you are being “harassed by negative thoughts,” it often isn’t easy to find and focus on things you are grateful for. But Korb says, the effort alone provides the benefits.

“It’s not finding gratitude that matters most; it’s remembering to look in the first place. Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. One study found that it actually affected neuron density in both the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex. These density changes suggest that as emotional intelligence increases, the neurons in these areas become more efficient. With higher emotional intelligence, it simply takes less effort to be grateful.”

Fascinating, isn’t it? Just like strengthening a muscle, a regular gratitude practice makes you stronger at being grateful over time. So that means getting better as it as you age, and eventually more time spent in a state of contentment. And those brain density changes? That sounds to me like the gratitude practice is improving brain strength—always a good thing.

And by the way, thank you Liz for agreeing to share your story with us. I'm grateful for your friendship and your honesty.

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What is an Advanced Yoga Practice

by Nina

Year-Old Snow and New Snow by Philip Amdal

A number of years ago, I encouraged a close friend of mine, M, to join me in taking Rodney Yee’s advanced class. Even though she had a muscular, athletic, and stiff body that made doing super bendy poses difficult, if not impossible, I knew that she understood how to take care of herself in class, that she would adapt the poses for her particular body type and keep herself safe, so I wasn’t worried about the class being too hard for her. She was interested, however, she expressed some concerns about not being “advanced” enough for the class. I decided to discuss the matter with our teacher himself, feeling fairly sure of what he was going to say. But what he told me when I asked him if she was “advanced” not only took me by surprise but has stuck with me all these years, transforming my thinking about the asana practice in general. What he said was this:

“Of course she’s advanced enough. M does yoga more mindfully than any student I’ve ever seen.”

And here I’d been thinking that being advanced meant being capable of doing difficult poses, like 10 minute headstands or extreme backbends, at some level or another! But doing yoga “mindfully”—now, here was goal we could pursue for our lifetimes and no matter our level of physical capacity was, we would always have the the ability to go deeper and deeper into the practice.

I’m thinking about this today because I’m helping a new friend of mine adapt her practice to allow her to heal from an ongoing injury. It’s taken her a long time to even be ready to temporarily give up certain poses and ways of practicing, because she felt such regrets about excluding poses from her practice that she used to be able to do with such great enjoyment. 

But as Baxter mentioned in his post on Wristful Wrists: How to Keep Your Wrists Safe, sometimes rest is the best way to heal from an injury. So being willing to adopt mindfulness as a goal in the practice rather than achievement is a necessary element in being able to heal from an injury.

People who are aging may find themselves in a similar position, not necessarily due to injury but simply due to the physical changes that come along with aging. To be honest, I used to have what I sometimes call a “semi-fancy” yoga practice. But in the last few years, I developed arthritis in my right hip that makes it impossible to do seated poses that involve a lot of external rotation. Lotus and half lotus are now impossible for me, and seated forward bends and twists that require certain leg positions are painful and difficult. And I now need props in many of the standing poses now. Still there is no question I consider my practice more advanced these days than it was in the years when I regularly took the East Bay’s most “advanced” yoga class.

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Take Your Time Results from Yoga Practice

by Nina

Horses Grazing by Brad Gibson

It's a running joke in our family that when Brad gets impatient with me—because I often do various household tasks a bit slower than he does—he says to me, "Take your time!" He swears that Bill Murray said this repeatedly in the movie Caddy Shack, but when we watched it again recently, no one actually ever uttered that line. Regardless, I always reply, "You take your time."

But many worthwhile things really do take time. For example, if you want to cook a really good meal instead of eating fast food, you need to shop for fresh ingredients and prepare everything from scratch. And if you want to turn a new acquaintance into a close friend, you need to spend a lot of time together, getting to know and trust each other. The same is true for seeing results from yoga practice. Obviously, one Downward-Facing Dog pose doesn't instantly make your arms stronger, though with regular practice, it definitely will increase your strength. And it also seems obvious that if you want to reduce your stress levels, you'll need to practice stress management regularly over a period of time.

So it was very interesting for me to hear about a recent study at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, that looked at the effect of exercise on insomnia. One of the findings as reported by Gretchen Reynolds in the New York Times post How Exercise Can Help Us Sleep Better was:

"After the first two months of their exercise program, the exercising volunteers (all of them women) were sleeping no better than at the start of the study. Only after four months of the program had their insomnia improved."

Yes, it took four whole months of regular exercising to bring improvements. That's quite a bit of time, don't you think? The women in this study were not practicing yoga for exercise, but it's likely that using yoga as a form of exercise to help with insomnia (something I definitely recommend) might take a similar amount of time. And it also makes sense to me that if you are practicing yoga for insomnia (see Yoga for Insomnia, Part 1) by using stress management techniques, you should also give that some time (though some people report that doing breath practices in the middle of the night produces immediate results). So be patient.

In general, the time you invest in your yoga practice—whether you are practicing for your physical health, your emotional health or both—is what brings the payoffs. After all, yoga sutra 1.14 tells us that equanimity is attained only through steady, dedicated, attentive practice:

Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations of the mind. —trans. by B.K.S. Iyengar 

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Friday Q A Practice for All Seasons Rerun

Swimming Hole by Brad Gibson

Q: Practice and the seasons: Does your practice change with the seasons and if so how?

A: Where I live, there are seasons (though some people might argue differently), but rarely extremes of weather. But one summer day that was actually hot, I went to my regular Friday morning yoga class, expecting backbends because my teacher always teaches backbends the second class of the month. Our studio, though in a beautiful old building, had no insulation and very little climate control, with poor heating in the winter and no air conditioning in the summer, so it was unusually warm in the studio.

The teacher opened the class with a little smile, saying, “Today we’re going to do some nice cooling backbends.” Everyone laughed, because, of course, backbends are typically not at cooling. But guess what. We did do backbends, but our teacher modified his typical sequence so we did a cooler practice of stretches, passive backbends, and the less effortful, active backbends, rather than a “hotter” practice of standing poses and very active backbends.

That memory of that still makes me smile, but I bring it up today because I don’t necessarily change my practice with the seasons per se, but I’m definitely change my practice to fit the weather and the temperature in the space where I’m practicing.

Today is a cold and rainy day in Berkeley, California and my house is a little bit drafty, so I would incline toward an active, heating practice rather than a passive cooling practice. Trying to do, for example, a restorative practice in a cold room is not only very challenging because you get colder and colder the longer you stay still, but it is also not very effective, because being cold stimulates your nervous system, alerting your body and mind that you may in danger. So it’s very difficult to relax. On the other hand, the active poses warm up both you and the room quite nicely.

Likewise, being too hot is very stimulating for the same reasons; your nervous system warns your body and mind there may be danger. So when it’s hot, it’s a good time to do more passive and relaxing poses. Or, slowly work up to the active poses and take time to rest and cool down.

Naturally you don’t want to do only active practices all winter and only passive practices all summer, but as my teacher did that day, you modify any sequence by adding more cooling poses or heating poses to accommodate the climate, both outdoors and indoor. For your convenience, I’ve categorized the general groups of poses into Heating and Cooling.

Heating Poses:

• Sun Salutations
• Standing Poses
• Active backbends
• Headstand and arm balances
• Twists and abdominal strengtheners

Cooling Poses:

• Restorative poses
• Reclined poses
• Forward bends
• Supported inverted poses

Some other considerations: Your body is stiffer when you are cold, so that’s a time when you may need more stretching. When it’s hot and your muscles are more relaxed, you may not need to stretch as much. The weather also influences how physically active you are outside the yoga room. I also tend to be more physically active outside during warmer, drier months, walking, gardening, and so on. So to balance my body on more active days, I’ll focus more on poses that complement those activities (see Deciding What to Practice). During the rainy season when I spent more time in the house, I’ll naturally gravitate toward more active poses to compensate for being more sedentary. However, some people may spend the winter skiing (yes, I’ve heard tell of that) and the summer hiding out in an air-conditioned apartment (heard of that, too), so each person needs to find his or her own way with figuring out the best practice on a given day.

—Nina

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Looking At Spiritual Alchemy In History And In Practice

By Amanda Baird

In the past when most people called some one an alchemists they were referencing those people that who interested in trying to make gold from mercury and lead. To date none of these experiments have been successful. However, spiritual alchemy mostly concerns itself with the basic idea of manifesting those spiritual and physical changes in someone's life that they need at the time. For example, they command them through thought into being and command them to appear in their life.

Current science often sees this with disdain and mistrust. Scientists typically believe that when something can not some how be measured then it can not possibly be real. An simple exception to this though is the simple placebo effect. When people take something and get better because they really believe the fake medicine works. This is one example of the way anyone can practice this each day. It does however it go deeper than this.

Sometimes people have difficulties feeling thankful for the different things which have happened within their lives which molds them over time creating who they are. They can be bad, good or seemingly meaningless experiences. The idea is that they are alive and have lived. Everybody should try to take time to thank what ever higher power they observe for this divine gift.

Many people also have problems forgiving themselves. People always make mistakes, it is all the main part of growing up. Negative thoughts and concepts are passed to God similar to positive ones. It is only by living and making these mistakes that men and women can keep learning and growing to better beings.

Generally subconscious thoughts that are in place since infancy act negatively on people over time. The easiest way to get over these feelings is to understand them for what they really are, self made limits. They are limits everyone has made in one way or another. Thinking positively and reinforcing constructive traits in yourself assist in overcoming them.

Sadly fear is among the things most people have more than they have to have. It is an uncomplicated trait that connects everybody together. Faith is the single best cure for this fear. Believing in themselves, friends, the world or even God. Having the faith and understanding to know that your thoughts can manifest is often hard but a core a part of the spiritual alchemist's energy.

Learning what makes you happy vs what you think makes you happy is another basic keystones of the spiritual alchemist finding success. Learning to see these things entirely within your mind and then manifesting it inside your life is often difficult. This process is always different for everyone. Basically see them as part of your life and make them real.

One of the simplest ways to activity practice spiritual alchemy is making a simple flowchart. Plan out the steps for the things you want in your life. As each thing becomes real move to the next. Keep in mind this is a slow process. Do not rush it and always remain happy for all the good things you already have in your life.

About the Author:

If you are fascinated about spiritual alchemy and would like to learn more about it, visit www.spagyria.com. Come and attend the classes right now by clicking on this source http://www.spagyria.com.

Featured Sequence Lower Body Flexibility Practice

by Baxter

Last week I posted a Lower Body Strength Practice. I mentioned how preserving and sometimes improving our lower body strength is essential for our daily activities as well as for our hobbies, exercise and sporting desires. And it is equally important that we keep the lower body flexible and open, in good balance with our developing strength. It’s great to have the strength for a long hike, but if you are hampered with tight inflexible muscles, hopping over that creek might be a real stretch (sorry, couldn’t resist)! Staying flexible is not only a good way to increase the possibilities of activities we can participate in, but it is also a good way to preserve the full range of motion of all our joints, and, in doing so, keep the joint space healthy and fully functional.

Recent research shows that holding poses longer then upwards of 90 seconds can result in maintaining the muscles at the new stretched length, versus having them shorten up the next day. But you may need to work up to 90 seconds if the intensity of the held poses is too much at first, or if your muscles get super shaky and you need to come out before trying again. So, when you see suggested timings, know that you are working towards 90 second holds, but you should start out wherever it feels best for you!

Today’s sequence will include mostly static, held postures, but I often will begin with a dynamic mini-vinyasa, moving in and out of the “full” pose on my inhale and exhale as a way to warm up the muscles and joints, and prepare my body for the full pose. Take a look at last week’s sequence for ideas on how to do that.

Warm-Up Pose

Dynamic Reclined Hip Stretches: Since you will be working with all the joints of the lower body, it is nice to start by warming them up to their fuller range of motion. Repeat the sequence few times on each side (see Dynamic Reclined Hip Stretches).

Reclining Poses

Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangustasana): Three variations of this pose improve flexibility around the hip joint.

Version 1: Lying on your back, bring one knee into your chest and place the strap around the arch of the right foot. Extend the leg towards vertical (getting vertical depends on your unique muscle and joint challenges). Push out along the line of your leg bones towards your heels, and pull back towards your hip via the strap. Work your way gradually towards 90 seconds, and then move on to Version 2.

Version 2: Take both ends of the strap into your right hand, take your left arm out to your left in a T position, and slowly lower your right leg until it is about 12 inches off the floor (or more than 12 if you are tight).  Repeat the same action in your legs as version 1, working towards a 90-second hold. Then exhale your leg back to vertical.

Version 3: Now take both ends of the strap into your left hand and take your right arm out to the right in a T position. Now bring your top leg and hips into a twist to the left, until your right leg is parallel to the floor and your hips are stacked one on top of the other. Work towards 90 seconds, then inhale and come back to Version 1.

Repeat all three versions on the left side.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha): This pose improves flexibility at the front of the hip joint. Come into Constructive Rest pose, on your back, with your knees bent and your feet about fourinches from your hips. Warm up by lifting your hips up as you inhale and lowering them down when you exhale, up to six times. Then inhale and stay for up to 90 seconds. Press down evenly into your feet, and lift from both your hips and your lower tip of your breastbone. Optionally, you can turn your upper arm bones under the pose, being mindful to not put any strain on your neck. As you come out of the pose, release your shoulders.

Standing Poses

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana): This pose opens the back buttock muscles and the hamstrings, as well as the back calf muscles.  From Mountain pose, you might warm up for full Uttanasana by inhaling your arms overhead, exhaling into Uttanasana (maybe keeping the knees a bit bent first few times), inhaling up to Urdva Hastasana (Arms Overhead), and exhaling back to Mountain pose. Then, when you are ready, on an exhale, come into full forward bend and stay for up to 90 seconds. If you are super tight, keep a slight bend in your knees. If your hands don’t easily come to the floor, place them on blocks. Come up on an inhale.

High Lunge: This pose stretches different areas of the lower body in your two legs. A great way to get into High Lunge is from Standing Forward Bend, so with your hands on the floor or on blocks, step your left foot way back on you mat, keeping your feet hip-distance apart. Bring your right knee directly over your right ankle, arms long and strong, and work up to 90 seconds. After your hold, you can step forward into Uttanasana to transition to the second side, or step back into Downward-Facing Dog pose to do so.

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Muka Svanasana): This pose, like Uttanasana, is a good way to open up the back of the hips and legs. From High Lunge, step your front foot back to match your back foot, and place both hands flat on the floor, shoulder-distance apart. Press your hips up and away from your hands, coming into a pyramid shape. With either straight legs or slightly bent knees, imagine your hips are lifting away from your heels and your heels are releasing down away from your hips. Very gradually work your way towards a 90-second hold. 

You can transition into our next pose, Upward-Facing Dog, from Down Dog by swinging your shoulders forward over the wrist into Plank pose.  

Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Muka Svanasana): This pose opens up the fronts of the thighs and hips. From Plank pose, pivot at your shoulder joint, let your hips come forward towards your wrists, allowing your chest and legs to come into a back bend shape, with your thighs coming parallel to the floor. You can keep the toes turned under, or you can shift your feet so the tops of the feet are pressing into the floor. I’d suggest short holds at first, very gradually working towards your goal of 90 seconds. Keep your arms long and strong, and your legs engaged as well. A good rest in Childs Pose after Upward-Facing Dog is usually well deserved!

Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana): This is a great pose to open up the front leg inner thigh and hamstring, and back leg side hip and calf. From Mountain Pose, step your feet wide apart, perhaps between 4-5 feet, depending on your height and leg length. Turn your right foot and leg out 90 degrees, and kick your back heel back out an inch to adjust your feet. Allow your hips to rotate few degrees towards your right foot, but keep your chest aligned with the long edge of your mat. Inhale your arms parallel with the floor, and tipping from your hips and upper leg bones, bring your hips and torso out over your right leg until the stretch in your right inner thigh or hamstring indicates a good place to stop. Rest your bottom hand on your leg or a block or chair seat, depending on your tightness. Gradually work up to 90 seconds. Come up on an inhalation, exhaling your arms to your sides. Then repeat on the left side. 

Seated Poses

Cobbler’s Pose (Baddha Konasana): This pose is a great stretch for the inner thighs and outer hip muscles. Sit with a folded blanket under your hips and your legs straight out in front of you. Then bend your knees out to the sides and bring the soles of your feet together a few inches in front of your hips. You can support yourself by placing your hands on the floor by your outer hips or you can hold onto your ankles or feet. Keep a nice lift in your spine, and press the soles of the feet together, while thinking of your knees moving away from each other.

Seated Wide Angle Pose (Upavista Konasana): This pose lengthens the inner thigh muscles and the hamstrings. From Cobbler’s pose, take your legs back out in front of you and straighten your knees. Then swing your legs wide apart on the floor, perhaps 90 to 120 degrees open. Use your hands to support your chest by placing them on the floor either just behind your hips (if you are tight in the hips) or just to the outside of your hips. Adjust the position of your legs so your kneecaps point straight up. Keep your arms long and strong. If this position is really intense, consider slightly bending your knees. Work towards your 90-second goal.

Hero Pose (Virasana): This pose is a great stretch for the top thigh muscles and the ankles and shins, and it one of my favorite meditation sitting positions. But Hero pose can be challenging, so try using various props to help get comfortable. Place a blanket folded into a large rectangle on your mat and place a block near the back of the blanket. Next, kneel near the front edge of the blanket and place the block between your feet. Keeping your knees hip-distance apart, splay your shins behind you so your feet are wider apart than your hips and slowing sit down on the block. If you’re tight, start on a high side of block and gradually work your way down to the lower heights as your legs permit. Feeling a good stretch on the top of the thigh or front of the shin and ankle is to be expected, but you should not feel pain in your knees or other joints. Once you get to your 90-second goal, you can sit longer as your body permits. I usually come out by coming forward into my hands and knees, and stretching one leg at a time back behind me to open the knees up before moving on to any other pose.  

If you want to keep your sequence short, you can end here. Otherwise, if you have time, you can move on to physical relaxation.

Relaxation

Choose any form of Savasana (Corpse pose) you prefer and focus on relaxing your lower body. If your legs feel uncomfortable, try the version with your knees resting on a blanket roll.  

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When to Transition to a Gentler Practice Part 2

by Nina

Hidden Waterfall by Brad Gibson

"At ninety-three, he could still perform difficult asanas--including variations on the headstand many younger "masters" could not. When he was ninety-five, however, he fell and broke his hip. Because of the reputation of Krishnamacharya, several leading surgeons offered to operate—but he would have none of it. Instead, he rigged up pulleys and ropes by his bed and began to experiment with new Yogic techniques for his own rehabilitation. Within two months he was able to walk, but the loss of full freedom of movement depressed him." —from Health, Healing and Beyond by T.K.V. Desikachar (about his father Krishnamacharya)

In Baxter’s post yesterday When to Transition to a Gentler Practice, he quoted a letter we received from a reader asking for advice about when to transition to a gentler asana practice. This is not the first time we’ve received such a question; in fact, this is probably the most frequent question we get here on Yoga for Healthy Aging. I suspect that most people with this question are hoping for some kind of formula from us, saying for example, if you can no longer do x, y, and z poses, it is time for your transition or most people should make the transition by age 65. But as I said to Baxter, I really feel that if you are asking the question, it’s not time yet. Because when the time comes, you will know it. Maybe you will be like Krishnamacharya, who had to change when he was 95. Or maybe you will need to transition much earlier, the way I did.

In my forties I had a rather strong, what I like to call “semi-fancy” asana practice. I took an advanced yoga class, did challenging poses like arm balances, full Lotus, advanced backbends, etc., practiced about two hours a day, and did long inversions almost every day (including a ten-minute headstand with variations and a ten minute Shoulderstand). I quite enjoyed the athleticism of my practice, and the feeling of strength and physical wellbeing it brought to me. By my fifties, however, I developed certain physical problems, probably brought on by menopause, which forced me to change my practice. Mild arthritis in my right hip meant that I could no longer do Lotus or even half Lotus and that I had to start using props in certain other poses. And two rounds of frozen shoulder (who knew you could get it more than once?) temporarily restricted my range of motion in my shoulder so that I was very limited in what I could do with my upper body, and after the frozen shoulders abated, I was never able to get my full range of motion back (though I’m still flexible in that area, compared to some).

I practiced asana throughout all these difficulties, adapting my practice as my restrictions increased and then decreased. While my shoulder was frozen, I couldn’t even do Downward-Facing Dog pose, much less Headstand, Handstand, or Upward Bow pose. So my practice was by nature very gentle. After I got better, I began to gradually ease my way back into the poses I couldn’t do with my temporary injury, and I’m still working on getting back to where I was (realizing, of course, that I may never get there).

When I was able to do Headstand again, I made a conscious decision not to do it as often or as long as I used to. I felt that it was a pose I enjoyed so much, I didn’t want to risk losing it again, and I knew that both Headstand and Shoulderstand would be pretty hard on my neck. So I decided to practice it only about twice a week and only for about 5 minutes each time, instead of the way I used to practice it. I had absolutely no scientific evidence that this was a good idea, and it was not suggested to me by any of my teachers, it was just a feeling I decided to follow. And it can’t hurt to be cautious, right? Removing the long inversions from my practice also made it shorter, so now my practice is more in the 1 1/2 hour range (and sometimes shorter, if I’m tired). As it happens, I never had to leave my regular (intermediate) yoga class. That’s partly because I know how to make modifications to my poses (or do alternatives) when there is something I can’t do. But it’s also because my teacher has been very supportive and understanding. (Once he said something about me—thank you, Donald—that I’ll never forget: “Nina never gives up!”)

The point is, my transition has been a very organic process, in which I’ve responded to signals from my body (some rather loud, others perhaps not) and made adaptations along the way. It hasn’t all been a one-way process, either. During times of difficulty, my practice was very gentle, and when I was more able, I returned to a stronger practice. And I also know, the transition process is not over yet. Who knows what the future holds. Will I be still be doing Headstand at 95 like Krishnamacharya? Or will I have to give it up much earlier?

Baxter, too, has gone through a similar process, with physical problems (including a touch of hip arthritis) prompting him to modify his practice. And that’s how I think it will turn out for most of you, dear readers. Perhaps you will have an injury or illness that forces you to change your practice, either temporarily or permanently. Or perhaps you will simply reach a point (who knows at what age?) when you can just no longer do the poses you used to be able to do or get through an entire class the way you used to, and you’ll know deep down inside that now is that time for a change. Like the future, this process is both inevitable and completely unpredictable. But it is your own body that will guide you through it.

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A Few Top Snoring Remedies To Remove The Practice

By Richard Best

Many individuals snore, and that's why they're searching for the right treatments to cut the habit permanently. Nowadays, there are plenty of snoring remedies out there but only few will meet the expectations of men and women. Quite often, they will go through an experimentation solution simply to know the right way to stop the habit. As soon as they have obtained the greatest remedies when it comes to snoring, it can change their way of living forever. There are many solutions to prevent the condition and eliminate it for good. From sleeping position up to slimming down, people have to obtain the best options.

One of the best ways to stop snoring is by getting rid of smoking. For people who are smoking and at the same has the habit, they should eliminate it to get great results. There is a link between snoring and smoking and why it caused troubles, which is why smoking cessation should be done. Another thing why people tend to snore is by eating dairy products. There are different factors why dairy foods should be eliminated to avoid snoring. People develop throat congestion and phlegm deposition, which is why they tend to snore.

Moreover, if natural remedies do not work for people suffering from snoring, they should resort to over-the-counter solutions. Nasal sprays can help them get rid of any congestion and widen the nasal passages, which is why people can have a relief in breathing. Also, having a humidifier in a room when it comes to sleeping has been proven beneficial. It helps the tissues of the throat to maintain moisture, therefore; congestion will be prevented. However, if snoring has been associated by a more serious problem, people should seek help from the experts. They need go to the experts to have a thorough checkup with their condition. In that way, they can likewise receive the best snoring remedies that they can use.

These days, there is a solution that can help men and women remove the disorder without spending too much money. They will also improve their comfort with it. Because of this, they will acquire the best sleep they want to have for a long time. SleepPro mouth-piece will provide easy and quick approach to end snoring instantly. Another great thing about this is it is cost-effective. It will enable the upper airway to open properly, making way for individuals to breathe better and easier. Almost everyone that will use it can stop snoring and have the best sleep they want.

In general, the best snoring remedies will supply excellent help for individuals when it comes in removing it. They will be able to offer the ideal deals in stopping the habit and also have a great sleep every so often. The above mentioned tips about how to get rid of snoring will assistance people. Nevertheless, they need to recognize that results may vary from someone to another. The bottom line is that those ideas can definitely assist them boost their health and remove snoring in the right possible way.

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