Almost everyone who does yoga says that their "energy" feels different after they've practiced. This is no doubt one of the main reasons why we practice: to change our experience of how energy moves in the body. We want more energy; smoother, more even energy; or energy that is quieter and less agitated.
There are 3 gunas, or forces of movement:
• Rajas (energy/passion)
• Tamas (lethargy/ignorance)
• Sattva (balance)
Rajas is associated with creation, sun up, and our inhalation.
Tamas is associated with destruction, sun down, and our exhalation.
Sattva is associated with preservation, sleep time, and the retention of our breath.
All three gunas are essential.
We are all made up of different combinations of each of these gunas and these combinations are not always the same. At one point in your life or week or day, one guna may be dominant but it will not always be so.
The ability to recognize which guna is dominant and understand how to balance out that guna can bring about harmony in your life.
One avenue to balancing out our gunas is our Yoga practices.
If you’re feeling tired or run down, Tamas is dominant. Try a more active Yoga practice, encouraging Rajas to flare.
If you’re really high strung and on edge, Rajas is dominant. Try a gentler Yoga practice that day, bringing Tamas into play.
Namaste
28 August 2009
21 August 2009
The Music Debate
Have you ever walked into a Yoga class and were surprised that there was music playing during the class. Or vice versa?
Some instructors don’t get the luxury of deciding whether to have music playing or not. Some health clubs require music during class and sometimes music is just plain needed to block out that spin or aerobics class in the next room.
If you’re going to a Yoga studio, more likely than not there isn’t any music during class.
There are two schools of thought with regards to music:
Some instructors like music as it can set a mood or pace for the class. Especially useful for a Gentle Yoga or a Power Vinyasa Flow class. Also, if the emphasis is on exercise rather than the greater concept of Yoga there’s no reason not to have music.
Then you’ll find Yoga purists who’ll usually object to any music during class. The reason for this is that Yoga is a personal journey within oneself and music has then tendency to take one’s attention away, externalizing it.
I tend to go both ways. Some classes I’ll use music, and some I won’t. The times I do use music, there is absolute silence during Savasana.
Elena’s challenge for you:
If you’ve never had music during a Yoga class, pull out the iPod at home and do some Sun Salutations or Vinyasas and see it’s effects. You may find that you enjoy it and on some days, it might be just what you need.
And if you’ve always had music during your Yoga class, try practicing Yoga at home in a quiet room. Center yourself. Be in the present. Listen to your breath, your heart, feel each muscle… Now you’re practicing Yoga.
Namaste.
Some instructors don’t get the luxury of deciding whether to have music playing or not. Some health clubs require music during class and sometimes music is just plain needed to block out that spin or aerobics class in the next room.
If you’re going to a Yoga studio, more likely than not there isn’t any music during class.
There are two schools of thought with regards to music:
Some instructors like music as it can set a mood or pace for the class. Especially useful for a Gentle Yoga or a Power Vinyasa Flow class. Also, if the emphasis is on exercise rather than the greater concept of Yoga there’s no reason not to have music.
Then you’ll find Yoga purists who’ll usually object to any music during class. The reason for this is that Yoga is a personal journey within oneself and music has then tendency to take one’s attention away, externalizing it.
I tend to go both ways. Some classes I’ll use music, and some I won’t. The times I do use music, there is absolute silence during Savasana.
Elena’s challenge for you:
If you’ve never had music during a Yoga class, pull out the iPod at home and do some Sun Salutations or Vinyasas and see it’s effects. You may find that you enjoy it and on some days, it might be just what you need.
And if you’ve always had music during your Yoga class, try practicing Yoga at home in a quiet room. Center yourself. Be in the present. Listen to your breath, your heart, feel each muscle… Now you’re practicing Yoga.
Namaste.
14 August 2009
Protect Your Knees
Standing asanas (poses) are considered the safest category of Yoga poses. They are generally available to all but the most frail of people. Though they are the safest, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have risks associated with them. As with any asana, if you’re not using the correct alignment, many different parts of the body are at risk for injury. We’ll focus on preventing knee injury today.
Whenever you’re in a bent leg pose such as
• Virabhadrasana I or II (Warrior Pose 1 or 2)
• Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose)
• Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
your bent knee should never come past your ankle. Making sure your weight is in your heel will keep your knee stacked over your ankle rather than in front of it.
When you’re in a straight leg pose such as
• Uttansana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)
• Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
• Parsvottansana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
your weight should be in the big toe mound to keep from dumping weight into the knee and possibly hyper-extending the knee.
Keep these simple tips in mind during your next practice, especially when your teacher has you doing Suryanamaskar B (Sun Salutation B). You’ll start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) pressing down through all four corners of your feet; but when you come into Utktasana (Chair Pose) your weight comes to rest in your heels, preventing your knees from pushing out past your toes; then when you transition to Uttanasana (Forward Fold) you’ll shift your weight into your big toe mounds, keeping your hips and knees stacked over your ankles.
Subtle things like this will keep your joints pressure free and able to sustain you through many practices to come.
Namaste.
Whenever you’re in a bent leg pose such as
• Virabhadrasana I or II (Warrior Pose 1 or 2)
• Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose)
• Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
your bent knee should never come past your ankle. Making sure your weight is in your heel will keep your knee stacked over your ankle rather than in front of it.
When you’re in a straight leg pose such as
• Uttansana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)
• Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
• Parsvottansana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
your weight should be in the big toe mound to keep from dumping weight into the knee and possibly hyper-extending the knee.
Keep these simple tips in mind during your next practice, especially when your teacher has you doing Suryanamaskar B (Sun Salutation B). You’ll start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) pressing down through all four corners of your feet; but when you come into Utktasana (Chair Pose) your weight comes to rest in your heels, preventing your knees from pushing out past your toes; then when you transition to Uttanasana (Forward Fold) you’ll shift your weight into your big toe mounds, keeping your hips and knees stacked over your ankles.
Subtle things like this will keep your joints pressure free and able to sustain you through many practices to come.
Namaste.
07 August 2009
Strengthening The Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor consists of an intricate array of muscles, fascia, blood vessels, and nerves. These are arranged in layers and in different directions stretched out at the bottom of the pelvis, supporting the deep internal pelvic organs.
You can picture the pelvic floor as a diamond shape: pubic bone in the front, the sits bones to either side, and the tailbone/sacrum in the back.
Now why is this area so important? Because the alignment of the pelvic floor affects leg and spinal alignment and the strength of the pelvic floor muscles support our internal organs.
Recruitment of our deep abdominal muscles and our pelvic floor creates an intra-abdominal pressure that dissipates stressful forces on the spine and keeps our internal organs in a healthy position.
Weakened pelvic floor muscles due to lack of use or from pregnancy can have embarrassing side effects such as urine leakage when sneezing or coughing.
To begin, envision the pelvic floor diamond and try to gently pull the pubic bone and tail bone towards one another, then relax. Do this 10 times.
Next try to gently pull the two sits bones towards one another, then relax. Do this 10 times.
Now envision a tissue paper in place of your pelvic floor muscles. Gently grab this tissue in the middle and lift up into the abdomen. You should feel your pelvic bone, tail bone, and sits bones draw sightly in towards the center of the diamond as the tissues lift and support the internal organs. Relax. Do this 10 times.
You're now on the way to a happy and healthy pelvic floor!
Namaste.
You can picture the pelvic floor as a diamond shape: pubic bone in the front, the sits bones to either side, and the tailbone/sacrum in the back.
Now why is this area so important? Because the alignment of the pelvic floor affects leg and spinal alignment and the strength of the pelvic floor muscles support our internal organs.
Recruitment of our deep abdominal muscles and our pelvic floor creates an intra-abdominal pressure that dissipates stressful forces on the spine and keeps our internal organs in a healthy position.
Weakened pelvic floor muscles due to lack of use or from pregnancy can have embarrassing side effects such as urine leakage when sneezing or coughing.
To begin, envision the pelvic floor diamond and try to gently pull the pubic bone and tail bone towards one another, then relax. Do this 10 times.
Next try to gently pull the two sits bones towards one another, then relax. Do this 10 times.
Now envision a tissue paper in place of your pelvic floor muscles. Gently grab this tissue in the middle and lift up into the abdomen. You should feel your pelvic bone, tail bone, and sits bones draw sightly in towards the center of the diamond as the tissues lift and support the internal organs. Relax. Do this 10 times.
You're now on the way to a happy and healthy pelvic floor!
Namaste.
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