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Many yoga participants have had to endure the pain of sacroiliac disfunction and injury due to improper approaches to forward bending yoga poses. Dr. Robin Armstrong has posted a new article, Asana Anatomy-The Sacroiliac Joint, which discusses the anatomical processes in some forward bends that cause sacroiliac joint problems.

By bringing awareness to the cause of these injuries, this yoga anatomy article also offers simple, but effective tips and applications to prevent sacroiliac injuries in these yoga poses.

This is a must-read for all yoga participants regardless of level as sacroiliac injury can occur at any point of one’s yoga practice.

“Poses like prasarita padottanasana (wide legged forward bend), baddha konasana (bound angle pose), and upavishta konasana (seated wide legged forward bend) can be a concern for people with a history of SI joint pain, and can predispose the SI joint to injury.

Wide legged yoga poses can be an excellent way to open the muscles of the groin, bring awareness to our root chakra, and release tension in the hamstrings. Much like any asana, when we proceed without being fully present and engaged - physically and mentally- we are at risk for injury. If we are mindful about engaging the muscles that support the SI joints, we are more likely to enjoy a wide legged practice that is safe and pain free.”

Read full article.

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Come and enjoy the last few free outdoor yoga classes with Kreg Weiss. Classes at Canada Place and English Bay will continue until mid September. To learn more and see updates on class schedules:

visit - Yoga at Canada Place Wednesdays 6-7pm
visit - Yoga at English Bay Saturdays 9-10:15 pm

Everyone is welcome-beginners to advanced!

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Experience this Zen Centering Meditation Video with Shakti Mhi. Use this meditation to refocus during the day. Take pause and embrace the stillness this meditation may bring to you and allow your mind to become aware of the now, displacing any strong emotions or stresses that have invaded your day.

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Enjoy our new yoga article by Kreg Weiss addressing stress management and meditation techniques of witnessing that will enhance your ability to reduce the negative effects of stress stimuli.

“In a culture that nourishes the Ego and materialism, the bulk of society relates value to the physical and has become disconnected to the spiritual energy within us. With this disconnection, many have become unconsciously ignorant of how chronic stress festers in the mind and body. Not until a debilitating disease or condition arises, do many people finally take notice and seek guidance in changing their lifestyle.

So how we address stress? First, it is impractical to think that one can completely ‘eliminate’ external stress from one’s life. Stressors will always be present regardless of the environment. It is how one allows the stress to internalize and act on the mind and body that is key. Second, it is important to understand and appreciate exactly what stress is and what happens when one allows it to infiltrate the mind.” Read More

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This new Ask An Expert yoga article is provided by Dr. Carla Cupido.
Q: I have a different sort of question for which I hope you can offer some suggestions or links to resources that will help. Recently, I have been diagnosed with developing hammer toe. My problem is a swelling and discomfort in the ball of my foot anytime that I do any yoga poses that put weight on that foot. My first action, of course, was to drop out of my yoga class. However, I feel that yoga, if doing the correct exercises might help. Are you aware of any others that have experience this problem and have had success with continuing yoga practices?

A: There are a number of different conditions similar to hammer toe, such as claw toe, curly toe and mallet toe. A hammer toe is defined by an extended metatarsophalangeal joint (proximal joint of the toe), a flexed proximal interphalangeal joint (middle joint of the toe), and a hyper-extended distal interphalangeal joint (distal joint of the toe). Yes, this is a whole lot of Latin to basically say that the toe is curled, causing the middle part of the toe to stick upwards in a way that it rubs perfectly against the top of your shoe and causes significant discomfort and fantastic bunions. The balance of the translation is that the ball of your foot in line with the affected toe hurts a lot!

There are a number of different causes of hammer toe. Diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other underlying pathological conditions can play into the development of hammer toe. Therefore, it is always important to seek the advice of a medical practitioner if you are noticing changes in the condition of your toes so that they can rule out such underlying conditions. Shoes that are too small or are fabulously pointy are also major contributing factors to this condition. If your toes are unable to lie flat in your shoes, you are placing your little toes at risk. Of course, this develops over a long time, so be mindful of your shoe selection and give your toes a break on occasion. Previous toe trauma can also be a factor in developing hammer toe.

Maintaining flexibility in hammer toes is very important as without flexibility, they may continue to become quite rigid and in time affect your gait. Conservative care options for this condition are not well represented in the literature and it has not yet been studied with yoga rehabilitation. However, using yoga to help manage this condition could be great. I have not come across the use of yoga for hammer toe yet; however, if approached delicately and wisely, it may be of help.

You should most definitely make an appointment with a health care practitioner who can assess your gait, muscular weaknesses, muscular and tendonous restrictions, and conservatively treat your toe before moving forward with yoga. However, once you have been given the go-ahead, poses that help to stretch out the toes could be of great benefit to you. If it is not painful, trying to go up your toes in downward dog which could help to lengthen through the musculature and tendons through the bottom of your foot and toes.

While in poses in which your hands are in contact with your toes, gently attempt to straighten your toe and even take a few more minutes in that pose to massage the bottom of it. Your goal is simply to keep that toe mobile. As for the ball of your foot, try to modify poses to take the weight off of this area until it is feeling less painful. Part of the reason the bottom of the foot hurts is because of the angle that the toe is taking relative to the ball of the foot. Therefore, if you can loosen off the tissues on the bottom of the foot and into the toe, this may take some of the pressure off the ball of the foot. Make sure this is assessed though as if it is severe, your joint may in fact be subluxated.

A lot of this will be trial and error for you. If it feels good, go for it and if it doesn’t, either stop or go get it checked out. I strongly encourage you to seek out a medical practitioner who can help you through this experiment. Best of luck and be gentle with your body.

For additional information on hammer toe and other foot pathologies, click here.

Dr. Carla Cupido
Hon.B.Kin., D.C.
A.R.T., Graston

www.drcarlacupido.com
For more info about Dr. Cupido and to read more of her articles, click here.

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Kreg Weiss has posted a new yoga anatomy article: Yoga and Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome, Protecting the Knees During Your Yoga Practice. This yoga article reviews the causes and symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome and offers tips on how to approach a yoga practice when one is experiencing this condition.

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome (also known as tibial tuberosity apophysitis) is a knee condition that tends to affect about 13% of teenagers. This condition is prevalent in those who experience rapid growth spurts and typically who participate in high levels of physical activity (note: this condition appears to be more prevalent in boys than girls).

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome is believed to occur as a combination of a combination of a genetic and an overuse condition where the quadriceps tendon fails to develop as quickly as the lengthening bone. This creates a tightening effect of the quadriceps tendon and generates an excessive pulling force on the boney process just below the knee (tibial tuberosity). As a result of this excessive pulling force, the tibial tuberosity can experience inflammation that leads to tenderness or pain. Given that high levels of physical activity can shorten muscles, repetitive force loads like running can increase the risk of developing this syndrome. …Read More

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The last decade has shown a compelling evolution in the trend of yoga especially in how Western cultures have modified, integrated, and molded this practice to make it more adaptable and engaging. Much of these adaptations come from the desire to commercialize yoga into a product and, through this commercialization, we can often see how the traditional practice delivered from the East has been diluted with the attitudes of materialism and physicality. It is no surprise with this trend to see that yoga is now greatly marketed and perceived primarily as a ‘workout’. This brings forth a basic question: “Is it wrong to practice yoga only with the intention that it is a workout that generates physical benefits?”

We first should address the definition of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the practice of yoga poses which were designed to revitalize and bring balance to the musculoskeletal and glandular systems. Hatha Yoga encompasses all forms of asana performance: Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Anusara Yoga, Yin Yoga, Power Yoga etc. Within this definition, one can conclude that Hatha Yoga is meant to act as a conditioning of the physical body. Through a healthier body, one can then move forward into the practice of pranayama and meditation (as well as other forms of Yoga) to develop the connection to Self.

The second concept to address is tantra. Yoga developed out of the concept of tantra, which, in a simplified approach, is the practice of producing thoughts, actions, and intentions that foster goodness and betterment for yourself and the environment around you. Tantra basically encourages one to always be moving forward through life with positive harmonious energy.

While keeping the definition of Hatha Yoga and tantra in mind, one can present a valid point that it may not be wrong to solely practice Yoga on the physical level and to treat the postures as an opportunity to ‘work’ the body. If one is creating a healthy body through yoga exercises, is this not a form of tantra – a positive action that benefits the practitioner and the environment? For those, including myself, who choose to integrate a deep routed sense of spirituality in their yoga practice, who are we to say that those who practice with a “yoga workout’ mentality are lacking within the practice and are not spiritual? Yoga is simply a tool for developing connection to the Inner Self. Many are capable of attaining this connection without the need to perform traditional yogic exercises and meditation.

As well, scientific evidence has shown that the bodily is highly adaptable and in order for the body to be conditioned into a fit, healthy state, it needs to be worked. Hatha Yoga poses and flows offer this physical conditioning in some of the most effective forms. It takes applied, yet holistic effort to progress and sustain the benefits of the Hatha Yoga practice.

The question that I view as more important to present to those who treat yoga purely as a workout is: Does this practice of physicality bring you to a better internal place where you feel closer to being complete with your existence? This is not a question of spirituality as this holds validity with traditional exercise activities as well. By ‘working-out’, do you embrace the positive benefits of becoming a stronger, healthier person? Or does an air of judgment continuously linger where you place inner value based on this shell of muscle, bones, and skin? Is your physical practice motivated by external influences? An extreme, yet good example: for someone who does steroids to gain size and performance benefits, does their ‘practice’ make them a stronger person inside or is this extreme attachment to the physical body taking them down a path of negative inner value? This is no different than someone who is obsessed with getting their foot behind their head – is your inner value based on your ability to do the splits?

Putting these concepts of inner value aside, a clear issue is becoming more and more evident with the trend of presenting yoga as a form of a ‘workout’. Participants who are readily guided into a practice of physicality quite often possess competitive tendencies in their character. With all the wondrous benefits of flexibility and strength, yoga can also direct severe chronic and acute injuries into those who ignore the inner guidance systems of nerve receptors and proprioception mechanisms. The Ego loves to fuel the competitive fire within us and this clouds the guidance system sending many people far too deep into poses.

As much as yoga is receiving rave recognition, it is also incurring increasing backlash from traditional health care providers who are seeing increasing incidences of musculoskeletal injuries due to aggressive yoga practices. In our attempt to validate yoga as viable form of alternative and preventive healthcare, the actions of some present growing argument for the healthcare community that yoga is a ‘dangerous’ practice.

The conflict of yoga becoming purely a physical practice will undoubtedly continue as the trend of ‘yoga workouts’ shows signs of profound growth potential in the marketplace. It is important for those who desire to take on only the physical practice to, at the very least, develop their practice with teachers who offer depth in experience, knowledge, and application. With proper guidance, one can avoid injury and generate a long-term program offering holistic progression. Some final questions remain: What will happen to yoga when its’ ‘workout trendiness’ fades? Will the current attention given to well-being and holistic sustainability keep yoga as a familiar component in our culture or will yoga dissolve into the background of other trends as it did in the 60s?

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Mid summer and the “Back to School” ads are flourishing. As you make plans for yourself and family to gather up supplies for returning to school, consider giving yourself or your children a gift of going a little more green. Investing in an aluminum beverage bottle is a great way to stamp out waste production, to set an example of environmental care, and to save a little money.

We are moving into an age where every little bit counts. By using an aluminum bottle, you can greatly reduce your consumption of plastic containers (water, juice, and other beverages). You can purchase your beverages in bulk which typically provides you with costs savings. You also avoid chemical contamination that appears to be increasingly more common with plastic containers.

Note that these containers are not suitable for hot beverages as there is only one main layer of metal which means the exterior of the container will become very hot and dangerous to the touch.

There are many online and offline venues where you can purchase these aluminum containers. Shop around for some great deals, but keep in mind that the more local the manufacturer, the more eco-friendly your purchase is. Also research all the materials used in making this bottle - Is their any undesirable chemical lining? The lids are often plastic - Is this plastic of high quality and resistant to breaking down after being washed or left in the sun? If the price is too good to be true, then question the quality of the product.

A small investment of $15-20 can easily be returned through smart bulk shopping and the investment also comes back to you in the form of health and environmental dividends. Enjoy looking for your aluminum beverage container and build on the concept of smart sustainability.

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Practicing Yoga is a highly intimidate activity where one flows through the layers of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual in order to establish connection with the Inner Teacher and the Inner Self. By establishing a yoga practice at home, one can deeply enhance this connection by proceeding in one’s practice with bountiful choices – when and how long to practice; what yoga poses, breath work and style of meditation to perform.

I have discussed with many yoga participants the idea of home practices and a few common responses are: “I would not know what to do or how to put flows together” , “I prefer to be in a yoga studio with other people”, “I can not motivate myself to it at home”.

Practicing Yoga at a studio offers great benefits in that one can establish a foundation of knowledge. You can receive direct guidance and corrections. You can also enjoy a social environment of sharing energy and a common interest.

There are downsides to only practicing in yoga studios, though. As mentioned above, it is common for students to become attached to the guidance of their teachers and move into a passive state in their practice. They do not learn how to explore and find the practice within themselves and establish the capacity for self-motivation and expression. Having worked in the fitness industry prior to teaching Yoga, I noticed all too often other trainers pushing their clients to pure exhaustion. Since some of these people were friends, I would ask them about their exercise program and would often hear that they were unable to generate the same type of workout without their trainers, which resulted in dependency and/or inconsistency in their exercise programs.

I see this similar trend appearing in people’s yoga practice. Many yoga participants spend a wealth of time attending classes without the development of personal practice. Even after years of practice, they are still unsure of their form and alignment. Rather than mastering the skill of yoga, they choose to remain at the level of follower and become dependant on the guidance and motivation of others.

Another major downside to practicing only in yoga studios is the attachment to the social environment or social energy. When we practice in groups, there should be an equal circulation of sharing and receiving energy. But often, participants move into an unbalanced state of receiving more than giving. Sometimes the ego takes hold as one turns from practicing to ‘performing’ in order to show the ‘progression’ and extent of one’s practice to others. It is very common for participants to also draw energy from their teacher in unnecessary excess.

One’s yoga practice is a reflection of what one’s overall lifestyle and daily intentions will be. If the practice is ego driven, the ego is trained to be more firmly set in later actions and behaviors.

With a home practice, the solitude encourages external distractions and influences to dissolve leaving a more harmonious engagement of connection and self-discovery. If one has uncertainty in the capacity of their practice, there are vast amounts of resources to guide one in this solitude: DVDs, books, online programs etc. Trusting oneself is also important – trust in the Inner Teacher and your guidance systems. Find the postures that provide the greatest nourishment in healing and renewing. Recognize the difference between generating holistic progression and moving into fatigue or pain. In group practices, one can readily flow with the ego and ignore the inner guidance systems, thus moving into undesirable levels of fatigue and discomfort – all for the sake of ‘doing what the group is doing’.

By practicing at home, in solitude, the growth of the Inner Teacher becomes a profound tool to access when one returns to the yoga studio. An ideal yoga practice combines a home practice with on-going attendance to classes. Depending on the level of experience, time constraints, and budget, the amount of attendance in a studio will vary from person to person. Ultimately, it is the quality and intention brought into the studio practice from the home practice that matters.

Take the time to slowly grow into a regular practice at home. Embrace the knowledge you have acquired from your teachers and other resources. Apply the principles and techniques that readily suit your body, energy, and intentions. Create a space that is special, inviting, and supports your time of solitude. Create a space that flows with positive energy and fosters a harmonious state of connection. Through these intimidate practices, your time in future studio classes will have more depth and quality. Through these home practices, you will enjoy great freedom and a more readily sustainable and consistent yoga practice.

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Adding a little more Karma and mindfulness to your life just got easier. The next time you need to search for something online, consider this new search engine resource. EcoSearch.org is the first search engine dedicated solely to environmental causes. Visitors to EcoSearch.org can search just as they would from Google.

The results come from Google, and Google shares a portion of their advertising revenue with EcoSearch. EcoSearch is a nonprofit corporation that donates 100% of its profits to environmental causes such as donating to charities that focus on the environment. They have already donated to charities including the National Resource Defense Council, Heal the Bay, Rainforest Alliance, TreePeople, Healthy Child Healthy World, and others. You can even suggest new charities to them. So, whenever you search, EcoSearch, and help to improve our environment.

Best Way to Use EcoSearch.org
Users should either set their homepage to EcoSearch.org, or add EcoSearch as their default search engine in their search bar by clicking the link on the EcoSearch homepage.

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