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Posted on August 25th, 2007

Body rolling techniques like Yamuna have grown in popularity and have worked their way into Yoga and Pilates classes. Body rolling incorporates gravity based body positions and movements along with various sized balls to massage blockages out of muscles, fascia and connective tissues. When taught by qualified, knowledgable teachers, body rolling can help one explore great levels of release throughout the entire body. When performed without proper instruction, body rolling can lead to serious acute injuries.

The first crucial element for body rolling is understanding what is the appropriate size ball for the technique being applied to specific areas of the body. Body rolling works on the simple principal of static pressure.

In physics, STATIC PRESSURE (P) = FORCE (F) / AREA (A)

*Static Pressure (P) is the application of the massage on the tissues

*Force (F) is the body weight motion generated by gravity and the technique of the rolling

*Area (A) is the surface area of the ball in contact with the body

Let's throw in some arbitary numbers for simplicity:

*Image you are applying 100 units of Force (F) on a medium size ball with a surface area (A) of 10 units...

Pressure = 100 / 10 = 10

*What if you now decrease the size (A) of the ball to 5 units?...  

Pressure = 100 / 5 = 20

By decreasing the ball size, we can dramatically increase the amount of pressure going into the tissues. Without experience, one may mistakenly choose balls too small and too hard resulting in harmful pressure to tissues. This becomes of greater concern when moving close to or onto the floating ribs and tailbone. The majority of our ribs start from the spine and come around the chest to connect into the chest bone via cartillage. However, the last two set of ribs start at the spine, come around partially, and stop mid way with no second connection point - hence they are floating (click here to view the floating ribs).

Due to the lack of this secondary support at the chestbone, the floating ribs can be readily damaged (dislocation or fracture) by the pressure of body rolling and should be avoided.

The same is true for the tailbone which floats in the pelvis. The tailbone (coccyx box) is the triangular structure composed of 3-5 bony segments located at the bottom of the vertebral column. Body rolling directly on the tailbone can cause injury (coccydynia) such as bruising, dislocation, or fracture. Women, in particular, need to be more cautious in avoiding the tailbone with body rolling since the female pelvis is broader and the coccyx is more exposed.

Therefore, unless you have taken a sufficient number of structured body rolling classes with an experienced body rolling teacher, do not perform body rolling on your own. Make certain that you are using the appropriate size ball for the specific body rolling technique, so the proper amount of pressure is being applied. If you are in a Yoga, Pilates, or fitness class and the teacher decides to enhance the practice with body rolling - make certain that the teacher is actually certified to perform these techniques. Always allow yourself to question the instruction of others and don't be afraid to ask teachers about their qualifications.

The deeper and more complex your teacher moves a practice into your body, the more experience they should have to safely and properly apply these techniques and principals.

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Posted on August 24th, 2007

As we explore our Yoga Meditation practice, we can learn various techniques and applications to bring us to places of greater connection. A useful tool to create this greater connection in our Meditation sessions is Jiva Bandha.

Jiva means "soul or the consciousness of the living being" and Bandha means "internal lock".

Jiva Bandha is the subtle locking of the tongue to the palate. Jiva Bandha has many effects that transmit direct and indirect benefits into the Meditation practice. The first initial benefit is the tongue lock reduces the production of saliva, thus allowing you to maintain greater levels of stillness and reduces the distraction of needing to swallow. Jiva Bandha is also an effective aid in reducing tension and pain stimuli in the neck and jaw. I have practiced with a physiotherapist who specializes in chronic pain therapy. She uses Jiva Bandha and other tongue techniques for some of her patients suffering from chronic neck and jaw conditions.

When we are experiencing physiological and emotional trauma, stress, pain, poor posture, respiratory disease, smoking, or muscle tension, we can be bombarded by a complex negative feedback system ultimately resulting in apical breathing (breathing only in the top of the lungs), which brings forward a flood of unwanted physiological conditions:

*poor posture, muscle tension and pain

*poor breathing mechanics and poor lung compliance

*increased ventilation rate and the sensation of being "out of breath"

*excess venting of carbon dioxide (often occurs with rapid, swallow breaths when stressed or experiencing tension) leading to respiratory alkalosis (high pH levels)

*increased urine production and reduced ability to buffer pH fluctuations

*constriction of blood levels leading to reduced flow of oxygen to cells

*increased state of anaerobic (lack of oxygen) respiration in the cells

*increased cortisol production *poor sleep and increased states of arousal

When performed correctly, Jiva Bandha creates a cascade of healing benefits:

*encourages proper placement of the skull reducing tension on the neck and encourages breath to move more freely through the nose and not the mouth

*proper head positioning leads to proper spinal alignment and reduced stimuli from neck tension, thus transmitting freedom to the abdomen

*with freedom around the abdomen, we can more effectively breathe with the diaphragm leading to improved lung compliance

*in this deeper state of yogic breathing, we now move into a slower ventilation rate reducing the tendency of venting off carbon dioxide

*with reduced CO2 venting, pH levels in blood and urine production normalize, blood vessels relax allowing better flow of oxygen to the tissues, and cells enjoy improved metabolic reactions with oxygen (aerobic respiration)

*the body moves into a healthier, homeostatic level including reduced production of cortisol (stress hormone), which leads to better sleep and overall reduced arousal states

To perform Jiva Bandha properly, simply think of saying the letter "N" silently. Feel where the tongue softly touches the palate. If the tongue is pushed forward into the teeth, the jaw becomes pulled forward as well. This is counterproductive since the forward position of the jaw brings the head forward, posture is lost, tension develops, and the cascade of negative stimuli begins.

The tongue should be slightly back from the teeth creating a very light "cupping" motion. With this proper placement of the tongue, the mouth can close, but the jaw can float sending release through out cheeks and neck.

Jiva Bandha does not need to be held for the entire length of your Yoga Meditation practice. Slowly develop the endurance of the tongue while focusing on sending release and freedom through the jaw, down the next, over the shoulders, and into the core. Aside from the physiological benefits, explore how this tongue lock can help create a new level of meditative connection to the consciousness of the living being.

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Posted on August 17th, 2007

Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand Yoga Pose) and Halasana (Plow Yoga Pose) are the most common Yoga inversions that move the neck into a deep forward flexion. These inverted Yoga postures provide wonderful benefits in our Yoga classes:

* tones the legs, buttocks, back, and core muscles

* stretches the shoulders and improves flexibility of upper spine

* calms the brain / nervous system and helps relieve stress

* improves digestion

* massages and stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands

* massages abdominal organs and improves digestion

* helps relieve the symptoms of menopause

* flushes mucous from the lungs

With the forward flexion of the neck, the movement of the chin towards the neck creates an energetic lock (bandha) or connection with the Vishuddha Chakra - the main energy center situated on the level of the throat and the nerve plexus of the pharynx region. This energetic connection invites balanced energy into this center leading to creative expression, constructive communication, positive self expression, and conscious listening as well as the feeling of being centered and content. This deep forward flexion can have its' challenges, though, for many yoga participants, especially beginner yoga students. Most people have limited flexibility in the posterior tissues of the neck (especially if one has excess tension due to poor posture or work ergonomics).

One main tissue creating this limited flexibility is the Nuchal Ligament (ligamentum nuchae). The Nuchal Ligament is a fibrous membrane that starts from the external occipital protuberance (boney process on the very back of the skull) and the median nuchal line (boney line that runs from the occipital protuberance down and inwards toward the middle of the skull). It travels from these attachment points down the back of the vertebrae to the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebrae. (Click Here to view the occipital protuberance and medial nuchal line. Note: this image is viewing the skull from underneath.) The Nuchal Ligament limits the forward flexion of the cervical vertebrae and aids the posterior neck muscles in retaining a natural arch to the back of the neck. With this natural arch and posture, the weight of the skull can be effectively balanced over the vertebral column.

In Sarvangasana, Halasana, and other inverted Yoga poses that place the neck in forward flexion, the posterior neck muscles and the Nuchal Ligament can undergo substantial stretching. For those with tense neck muscles and rigid Nuchal ligament tissues, this deep stretching can lead to chronic or acute damage to these important, supportive tissues.

For beginners and those with neck concerns, these types of yoga poses can be easily modified to reduce the forward flexion going into the neck and the Nuchal Ligament. Before inverting, place a support under your shoulders that can create more freedom and ease for your neck. Fold a firm blanket into a rectangle large enough to support the width and depth of your shoulders. A sticky mat then placed over the blanket will help the upper arms stay in place while inverting. As you lie on the blanket support, position your shoulders on the blanket so your neck and head drape and rest and on the floor (your 7th cervical vertebra, or the largest boney point on the back of the neck, should still be on the blanket). The elevation of the shoulders will maintain a small amount of space under the neck and add freedom throughout the front of the neck.

Another helpful tip is to not fully enter the inverted poses. You may also want to start in a half inverted variation by setting the pelvis so that it remains slightly away from the vertical line of the shoulders, thus reducing the weight on the shoulder and lower neck region. This often requires additional support from the hands and arms, though. This support eliminates the benefits of the lock or bandha, but can alleviate the pressure and excess stretch going into the posterior neck tissues. As with all Yoga poses, enter inverted asanas with full awareness observing how the neck and the rest of the body responds. Also listen to the echoes remaining as we often feel later on if we have gone to far into the Yoga posture.

Enjoy modifications to the fullest, so you are practicing to the needs of the body and not to the wants of the mind.

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Posted on August 16th, 2007

We have a new article "Hatha Yoga as Physical Therapy for Neck and Shoulder Pain" that offers great insight into the likely cause of chronic neck and shoulder pain in most people.

This Yoga anatomy article explores alignment cues for your Yoga exercises and aids in bringing awareness to your overall posture in helping alleviate these chronic conditions. Of particular importance, and well explained in this article, is the poor positioning of the head in relation to the cervical (neck) vertebrae, and how this poor positioning results in a cascade of negative effects on muscles and bone structures.

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Posted on August 16th, 2007

If you are in search of inspirational readings on the foundation of Yoga practice, I recommend you try "Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness" by Erich Schiffman.

Erich Shiffman offers a beautiful perspective of exploring the practice of Yoga with awareness and depth while creating a foundation of joy and contentment. This book wonderfully explains not just how we do yoga, but, more importantly, why we do yoga.

Whether you are a beginner to yoga or well-experienced, this book helps instill a renewed intention of goodness and focus in your Yoga practice.

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Posted on August 16th, 2007

Hatha Yoga explores various methods of expanding into the muscles and joints creating freedom and healing properties. As much as we enjoy creating flexibility from our Yoga poses, we need to understand the necessity of balancing this growing flexibility with strength and endurance.

There is a growing interest in restorative and passive-style Hatha Yoga classes like Yin Yoga. These Yoga practices incorporate a beautiful method of creating layers of physical, mental and emotional release. Yin Yoga is designed to move flexibility through the muscle tissues into the connective tissues.

When we practice deeper into connective tissue, the joints enjoy spaciousness and we experience a breaking down of imbalances and blockages. But, with this increased flexibility going directly into the joints, we can gradually encounter a loss of integrity and stability in those joints. With less stability surrounding these joints, we become more prone to acute and chronic injuries.

Coming back to the basic function of ligaments (tissues connecting bone to bone). Their main purpose is to hold joints in place. Do we wait to make ligaments, the primary support of our joints, flexible? Then we look at the function of muscles and tendons (tendons attach muscle to bone). We normally associate muscles with creating movement of the joints. Consider the thigh and hamstring muscles. These large muscles travel down the front and back of the thigh bone and then cross over the knee joint to attach at the lower leg bone. This crossing of muscle tissue over the joint acts as an additional support, thus aiding the ligaments in creating joint stability. Therefore, to what degree do we truly want our muscles to be flexible if excess flexibility reduces joint integrity?

All high level athletes that participate in sports requiring flexibility (ie gymnastics, figure skating) must balance their flexibility training with key strengthening programs to reduce incidences of injury. As we progress in our Hatha Yoga practice, we should apply equal amounts of strengthening to flexibility in order to contain the release and openness. The overall purpose of the Hatha Yoga practice is to improve the vitality and steadiness of the body with the deeper purpose to encourage and promote connection with the Inner Self and truths. If the body is only flexible and collapsing into its' joints, the vitality and steadiness will soon collapse as well.

Enjoy the strength offered in many Yoga poses. Move into these Yoga poses with breath while shedding the Ego.

Feel how these Yoga poses wrap the body in healing strength and support.

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Posted on August 13th, 2007

Twisting Yoga poses like Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Twist pose), Parivritta Trikonasana (Revolving Triangle pose), and Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolving Side Angle pose) create joyous benefits. The twisting motions increase mobility in the vertebral column, massage internal organs, massage nutrients in and through the spine, aid in moving material through the digestive system, tone back and core muscles, and balance energy flow throughout the main energy channel (Sushumna) that travels along the line of the spine.

In order for all these physical and energetic benefits to occur, we need to apply proper preparation and alignment prior to rotating into the transverse plane of the spine. I like to imagine twisting like turning a screw into a bolt. If you are just slightly misaligned, the threads do not match, the threads endure grinding pressure, and the motion is limited or even impossible to occur. Just like lining up the threads of the screw and bolt, I like to take time to line up the vertebrae in the most spacious placement. From this alignment, the vertebrae rotate evenly without pressure going into the intervertebral discs and without adding further blockages into the body.

Regardless of the position of the Yoga twist (lying, sitting, standing, or inverted), I follow a simply principle: the spine should not be in a forward bend, back arch, or side bend in any form or degree prior to twisting. The twisting Yoga pose should not be combined with /involved in another position or plane. If the spine is in another plane (ie back arching), the spine has reduced space along one edge of the vertebrae. Adding a twist to the uneven space can lead to acute or chronic injury.

For those with spinal disorders like scoliosis, this principle is even more important. If the spine is already moving into another plane and then one twists into a pose that is adding the transverse plane motion, the vertebrae can be experiencing severe blockages and may worsen the condition of the spinal disorder.

Some basic preparation techniques to follow:

*In seated twists, settle evenly into both sit bones and rise into the center of the sit bones. Keep this center and emphasize elevating through the crown of the head. How much additional space am I creating prior to rotating?

*In lying twists, be aware that when the pelvis rotates opposite to the shoulders that the pelvis is not being pulled out of the plane of the spine such that the spine is curving to that side. Is my head and the bowl of my pelvis still in one straight line?

*In revolving standing poses (especially at partial or horizontal angles to the ground), I focus on extending the spine out of the pelvis before twisting.

Common error in these angled poses is to slightly collapse the torso into a small forward bend. Again, two planes combined causing imbalanced rotation in the twist. Is heart center floating away from the pubic bone creating a full extension of the spine?

With all twists, try to set the spine such that the belly, waist, and back feel completely even - no curves, bends, or leaning.

Use the sensation of Mountain Pose (basic standing) to act as a guide in aligning your pelvis and vertebrae. When you rotate into your twist, feel that it isn't driven heavily into just one portion of the vertebral column - let the twist flow evenly and naturally from the sacrum up to the neck. Once in the twist, enjoy relaxing your shoulders - not tense and lifting into the neck. The neck experience lightness all around, thus having full space to breath. Relax into the jaw and face. Feel completely free with breath - not restricted or shallow - breath flowing into the twist and organs adding to the healing massage. Set the eyes at a drishti (focal point) to bring your attention back into the twist and into the moment.

Twisting has many more fine tuning and alignment cues, but use these basic preparation cues to set your initial pose with balance, integrity and vitality.

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Posted on August 9th, 2007

One of the benefits of many forward bending Yoga poses is expanding and stretching of the hamstring muscles. We should take time in our Yoga classes to align the sit bones and leg bones so we can target the proper line of stretch of the hamstring muscles. With this alignment, we should understand the basic anatomy and mechanics of the various hamstring muscles. The hamstrings (posterior thigh muscles) consist of 3 long muscles that start underneath the gluteus maximus on the pelvic bone (ischial tuberosity), extend down the back of your thigh bone, cross over the back of the knee and insert along either side of your knee on your lower leg or shin bones. The biceps femoris muscle (long and short head, hence "bi"-ceps), runs down the lateral or outer side of the thigh bone. The other two hamstring muscles, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, run down the medial or inner side of the thigh bone.

Having key attachment points at the sit bone (ischial tuberosity) and below the knee, they are involved in the following:

*Semitendinosus and semimembranosus extend the hip (move the thigh bone posteriorly) when the upper body and torso are fixed, or they extend the trunk when the hip is fixed.

*Semitendinosus and semimembranosus flex (bend) the knee and medially (inwardly) rotate the lower leg when the knee is bent.

*The long head of the biceps femoris also extends the hip.

*Both short and long heads of biceps femoris flex the knee and laterally (outwardly) rotate the lower leg when the knee is bent.

*Hamstrings help to stabilize your knee.

*Hamstrings assist the quadriceps and gluteal muscles in many leg activities.

Knowing where the hamstrings run and how they act on the body, we can manipulate the alignment of our forward bends to more effectively target the different hamstring lines. Most people have greater flexibility in the biceps femoris (lateral side) than the semitendinosus and semimembranosus (medial side). This becomes evident in Janu Sirsasana as many people find the thigh, leg, and ankle often turning outwards as they bend forward. As the body stretches into the hamstrings, the body expands into a place of less resistance. We want to maintain balance in the hamstrings, though, and expand the inner hamstring lines as effective as the outer lines. Therefore, before starting our forward bends, we should take a moment to situate the pelvis so the hip points create a perpendicular line to the forward leg (squaring the hips). This lines up the sit bone (to be effected by the stretch) so that the muscle insertions are receiving more equal expansion (not just the lateral edge). From there, we line the foot and ankle so the toes face vertically rather than allowing the thigh and shin to rotate outwards. This correction of the foot and ankle allows us to target the entire line of the inner hamstrings right into the insertion below the knee.

Other tips to consider:

*When folding in forward bends, encourage your spine, waist, and shoulders to be evenly drawing forward on both sides. If your torso curves over the thigh, you are most likely falling into the outer hamstring stretch and neglecting the inner hamstrings.

*Spread the gluteal muscles away from the sit bones in seated forward bends to allow a greater connection to the sit bones, thus adding awareness to the muscle origin.

*Enter forward bends that involve the hamstrings slowly. Stop part way into the fold so you can gently rotate the thigh and leg bone inwards and outwards. Find your attachment points and lines of resistance. Collect into your alignment and move forward with breath.

*Don't rush into the hamstring stretches as this just causes the receptors in the muscles to fire and reflex. Practice patience and let the breath move you in slowly.

*Enjoy a slow exit. Prior to fully coming out of the fold, come out about 5-10% to a point where little to no "stimulation" is felt from the stretch.

Enjoy a pause and a mental state of steadiness.

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Posted on August 9th, 2007

An estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are already gone from the world's oceans. It is so important that we conserve what remains in the oceans, and harvest and consume seafood in a sustainable manner.

To help consumers and restaurants make more informed choices when selecting the seafood they consume or serve, the Vancouver, British Columbia Aquarium has developed programs to help identify sustainable seafood choices. What does sustainable seafood mean?

READ MORE...

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Posted on August 8th, 2007

Enjoy our new article about the health benefits of tomatoes.

This night shade vegetable yields numerous nutritional benefits including the prevention of many cancers.

We have also added a quick and simple Tomato Salad recipe.

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