Seasons, Summer, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yin yoga, Yoga

Cool & Ground with this Summer Yin Yoga Sequence

Yin Yoga embraces the essence of Taoist philosophy: living in harmony with nature. It’s a calm, restorative, healing approach that balances the Yang, active, and often aggressive nature of being that predominates our society. Try this summer yin yoga sequence to stay balanced this season.

According to Taoism and Chinese Medicine, humans are actually microcosms of nature. Summer is related to the element of fire and to the Heart and Small Intestine organs in the human body, as well as the Pericardium & Triple Burner (which do not exist as functional organs in Western anatomy). When the energetic channels that connect to these organs are out of balance, we could experience more heat in the body which may manifest as headaches, high fever, high blood pressure, mania, delirium, anger, constipation/dry stools, rashes, sleep disturbances, and more.

Through yin yoga, we can increase the flow through the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium, and Triple Burner channels. The slow, mindful approach is cooling in nature and is the perfect solution to the problems mentioned above. By cooling and grounding in the heat of summer, we can also maintain inner harmony. Try this Summer Yin Yoga sequence to stay cool & balanced!

Cool Down With Summer Yin Yoga

This Yin Yoga sequence dilates the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium, and Triple Burner energetic channels (in addition to all the others that reside in the upper body). Hold each posture for 2-5 minutes while releasing with gravity. As you let go in the muscles, the stretch will move deeper into the connective tissue, which is where the energetic channels reside. Stretching the connective tissue is perfectly safe as long as you’re not moving quickly in and out of the shape.

You’ll experience more space and freedom in the chest, arms, upper back, neck, and around the scapula in addition to finding equanimity in the heart and a wider perspective in the mind.

Eagle arms forward bend

Stand with your feet hip joint width apart or slightly wider. Reach your arms out in front and cross them over your chest at the upper arms. If you have the flexibility, continues winding around the forearms and joining up the palms. Let your knees bend as you fold forward at the hips. Allow your arms and head to be heavy to release around the scapula, upper back, and neck where the Small Intestine channels traverse. After holding for 1-2 minutes, unwind the arms, allowing them to hang. Repeat on the other side.

Prone Arm Cross

Lay on your belly and start with your arms out to the side. Sweep them forward as you lift your torso away from the ground and cross deeply at the upper arms. Reach the fingers away from each other. Once at your maximum stretch, relax your weight down onto the arms. When ready to exit, engage your core muscles to lift the torso and gently unwind the arms. Rest in neutral, prone, until ready to cross the arms the other way.

1/4 Downward Dog

From hands and knees, place one forearm to the ground under the shoulders perpendicular to the spine. Reach the other arm straight out in front. Relax your chest down and forearm down. You may want to stretch in cat pose before going to the other side.

Prone Twist

Come down onto your belly again for a deep chest/front shoulder stretch. Bring one arm out to the side with the elbow bent and palm down (this position creates a deeper stretch than with the arm straight and palm turned up). Use your other hand to tip your body over to the side. Place your legs in a position that helps you stay sideways for the appropriate amount of time. Rest on your belly in neutral, then go to the other side.

Fish in Reclined Bound Angle

Sit up with the soles of your feet together and your knees opening out to the sides from your hips. Place your hands under your buttocks. Lift your chest, reclining onto your forearms. If it feels safe, slowly bring your head to the ground.

Reclined Twist

Lay on your back with your feet on the ground, knees bent. Lift one leg, crossing it deeply at the upper thighs. Continue bringing the knees over into the direction of the cross. Open your chest to the other side, letting your arm move over head or out to the side to open the chest. Turn your head in the direction that feels best for your neck.

Be sure that you’re moving out of the Yin postures just as slowly as you’re moving into them. In between postures, give yourself some time in stillness to observe the energy circulating through your body into the places that need it. End in Savasana or a seated meditation.

Let me know what you think of this sequence after trying it! How does it make you feel?

journaling, Meditation, Personal Development, Yoga

Resources To Guide Your Home Yoga Practice

Are you interested in developing a home yoga practice? I have some fabulous home yoga resources in this post that will get you going!

Doing yoga at home does not mean you need to go it alone. Certainly, you’ll want to listen to your body to guide the focus in your practice. Eventually, you can sequence the entire session by yourself. In the meantime, there are plenty of resources to get you started.

Below are the resources I turn to when I’m needing more guidance, inspiration, ideas, and focused attention at home.

Home Yoga Resources

1. Yoga Practice Books

I love learning from books because you can read up on techniques, philosophy, and learn sequencing in your own timing.

My favorite books:

Yoga: A Gem For Women by Geeta S. Iyengar

This is my favorite yoga book! It’s very therapeutic for women and is appropriate for students of all levels. Like her father B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar is very thorough in her explanation of yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breath work), and meditation. I recommend this book to ALL women yoga practitioners.

The Women’s Book of Yoga & Health by Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden

Sparrowe and Walden offer modern health advice in addition to simple yoga asana sequences (particularly Restorative yoga). This book is wonderful for women of all ages and abilities.

The Heart of Yoga T.K.V. Desikachar

For an in-depth understanding of Yoga, this is the book to turn to. It’s heavy in philosophy (there’s even a translation of the Yoga Sutra in the back!), but Desikachar explains it in a way that is easy to comprehend, modern, and practical. The asana sequences are very basic and therapeutic. The style is ViniYoga, which is gentle movement linked with conscious breathing.

Ashtanga Yoga by David Swenson

Ashtanga Yoga is known for being the most challenging style of Hatha yoga. Though athletic types are attracted to the strong asanas, it’s actually a very deep, ritualistic practice, which is why I’m so drawn to it. David Swenson has a great sense of humor and is very down-to-earth. Even though he presents the whole Primary & Secondary series in his book, he also offers shorter sequences for practitioners to follow. He encourages students to listen to their bodies and to back off whenever necessary.

Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers

Sarah Powers is the teacher who has influenced me the most. I learned how to teach Yin Yoga from her and Paul Grilley, I attended many transformational silent retreats with her, and it was actually she who inspired me to get my Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She moved to the East Coast a few years ago, but luckily I can use her book Insight Yoga. This book introduces one to Yin Yoga, Meridian Theory, Yang Yoga, and offers several practice sessions to choose from.

2. Online Yoga Classes & Magazines

Yoga Glo

For $18/month (less than the price of one studio class!) YogaGlo gives you unlimited access to classes from some of the best teachers. You can choose your level, body area focus, length of class, style of class, and the teacher you vibe with the best.

My favorite YogaGlo teachers:

Yoga International

For more online classes, check out Yoga International. Their membership fee is $14.99 and you can start with a free 30 day trial. There’s less selection of classes and teachers than YogaGlo, but all of their teachers are highly recognized experts in the yoga community.

Yoga International is also a magazine. With membership, you’ll receive access to articles not only about proper asana alignment and sequencing, but also more information about the philosophy of yoga.

Yoga Journal

Yoga Journal is the oldest and still the most popular magazine available. You can even find issues at your local library if you want to check a few out without purchasing from a store.

Unlike Yoga International, there is not membership fee required to view Yoga Journal articles online. They have videos too, as well as yoga playlists and other modern features.

For those new to the practice, check out the Yoga 101 section for foundational alignment advice, information on different yoga styles, popular Sanskrit (the language of yoga) terms, and more.

3. Important yoga props

Yoga props can help students practice yoga more safely. If you’re not practicing yoga mindfully, it is easy to push yourself too far and hurt yourself. This is not a problem for beginner students only – yoga injuries are very common and on the rise. Students of all levels can use props to deepen into postures appropriately.

There are many brands of yoga props out there. For good health & longevity, look for props made of safe, sustainable, high quality materials.

Types of Yoga props:

Mats – Sticky mats help to keep you from sliding in postures where hands and feet are spread out. I actually prefer to use a practice rug instead which requires me to recruit deeper muscles for stability. The Jade Harmony yoga mat is one of my favorites.
Blocks – Blocks can be used many different ways and are essential for any practitioner. They can be something to elevate the body on (in seated postures), to act as something to rest on (like a restorative bridge pose with a block under the sacrum), to make certain postures more accessible (like placing your hand down to a block in side angle pose if tight hips are preventing your hand from reaching all the way to the floor), or to create stability (like having one in between your hands with forearm balance). I recommend these blocks by Jade because of their durability and Jade’s commitment to sustainability.
Blankets – Blankets are used to cushion sensitive areas like knees against hard surfaces, but also serve as boosters. For example, in shoulderstand a blanket under the upper back elevates your torso so that the neck is not compressed. In seated postures, having your sit bones on the edge of a blanket allows your legs to relax down easier and opens your hips passively with gravity. These Mexican blankets work great!
Straps – Straps offer stability and also make certain postures more accessible. Staps like this one with metal rings are easy to use.
Bolsters – Bolsters provide a soft surface to rest against, elevated from the floor. They are commonly used in restorative yoga practices. Try this organic cotton one from Lotuscrafts.

4. Tools to enhance your yoga practice

These tools are nice to have as your home practice deepens. You’ll be spending more time investigating your habits, emotions, and intentions, and these items can help you process them.

I frequently use these in my daily home yoga practice:

Essential oils
A Yoga & Meditation Journal
Mala/prayer beads
Positive affirmations

I hope these resources help you feel more secure and interested in starting your own home yoga practice! You can read this article about the importance of a home yoga practice if you need even more motivation before beginning.

If you found this article helpful, please let us know in the comments! Also feel free to ask ANY questions about how to get started with your personal home yoga practice.

Emotional health, Meditation, Natural Sleep Support, Personal Development, Women's health, Yoga

Should You Develop A Home Yoga Practice?

There are so many options for yoga classes these days; in studios, gyms, schools, and even hotels. To be a serious and committed yogi doesn’t mean that you need to be attending a group class regularly though. You might discover that having a consistent home yoga practice is how you’ll fall in love with and increase your commitment to this healing art.

Practicing yoga in a group setting definitely has it’s benefits:

You’re likely to connect with like-minded people in yoga classes
Attending studio events is a great way to build community.
It’s also important to seek out a teacher that you resonate with, who is also accessible to you and the community.
Working with a teacher who gives you feedback and who points out unhelpful habits or imbalances is invaluable.
The energy of group classes can make practicing yoga fun & motivating.

Group classes are wonderful for so many reasons! Yet, they may not be enough to fulfill you.

Here’s 10 reasons why I prefer practicing yoga at home and why I encourage all my students to develop a home practice too.

10 Reasons Why You Should Do A Home Yoga Practice

1. It’s easier to be mindful

Mindfulness is the essence of yoga. It’s an inner process of observation and reflection; a state of being that is more difficult to connect with if there are outside distractions (that inevitably exist in group classes). At home, you have more control over the environment. It’s just you and your thoughts that you have to work with, which is challenging enough!

2. You can practice whatever you want, in your own timing

The pace of group classes is unique to the teacher’s style. Practicing at home, you can choose to stay less time, or longer if you’re like me and enjoy sinking into the experience each asana has to offer.

You can also spend more time in postures that will correct imbalances and do less of the ones that create them.

(For example, with my body, I’m stronger in my upper body to the point where I accumulate too much tension while my lower body is not as strong. I need to ground my energy too, so I’ve been doing sessions mainly of standing and seated postures with just headstand and shoulderstand as my upper-body-focused postures. Then I rest and meditate. I’m feeling much more balanced! It would be much harder to achieve this in a led class.)

3. There’s no self-consciousness or competition

It’s very challenging to practice in a group class without noticing what others are doing. Our minds habitually like to compare ourselves to others. While it’s good to notice and work with these habits, again, it’s just one more distraction. Practicing alone allows you to experience yoga without feeling superior or inferior to anyone.

4. You can create more time to relax deeply

Do you need to insert some restorative postures or extend your final rest in Savasana? You could do them in a group class too, but many people get too caught up with what everyone else is doing and fail to listen to cues from their bodies that are asking for more rest. You’re more likely to honor your body in a home practice.

5. You’ll develop greater discipline and commitment

No doubt, for most people it takes more discipline to adopt a home practice than to attend a group class where people might be expecting you. Your commitment will grow once you see how valuable your personal practice is though. Then, there’s no excuse to not do it! You can take your practice with you on vacation and can alter it when you’re sick. It becomes part of your daily health habits, just like brushing your teeth.

6. You’re likely to progress quicker

As I already mentioned, individualized attention means that you can focus on what you need and how much of it. Therefore, you’re going to see yourself progress much quicker, especially if you’re doing a personal practice everyday.

7. You can make your own schedule

To commit to a home practice, it’s nice to do it at a certain time of the day so you’re less likely to blow it off. I try to do mine early in the morning while my son is still asleep. It feels good to have exercised my body a little and have a bank of mindfulness to pull from for the rest of the day.

8. You’ll model self-care for your children

I know, it’s hard to carve out time to practice when you have young children in the home. Like me, you may prefer to do it early in the morning while they’re sleeping. But, I also enjoy doing a restorative practice at night as well, with my son near by.

It’s very important for kids to see you practicing yoga. You can establish boundaries with them so they learn to respect your time and space. They will see the importance you’re placing on self-care and will teach them a lot about how to care for themselves deeply as well.

9. You can meet & respect your inner teacher

Teachers can help you see certain aspects of yourself that are not apparent, but it always comes back to awareness, opening your mind, and accepting all that you are in order to meet your true self.

With a home practice, you’ll learn to look inside for guidance and trust what comes up. You start looking to yourself for answers instead of assuming that you need permission from others or that others have more wisdom than you. This is absolutely not true! No one knows you as you (can potentially) know yourself. This is precisely why I recommend that my own students have their own practice.

I love this quote from Rolf Sovik in his article Recognizing the Guru:

When students lean too heavily on the compassion of the teacher, another aspect of the guru’s nature is revealed. Teachers nurture the disciplines of practice. If our dependency becomes too strong, a teacher will often awaken our practice by stepping back. The Buddha put it very simply when he said, “Light thine own lamp.”

10. You’re more likely to experience Yoga

There are many definitions of Yoga.

It’s the…

…cessation of the fluctuations of the mind (Yoga Sutra)

…yoking or joining together of the many aspects of the Self

…ability to evolve spiritually from where we are now

All are possible, but only when we can commit to being alone with ourselves every day. A home yoga practice is how you can develop this degree of self-love.

How does this sound to you? Ready to get started with your home yoga practice? Check out these resources to get you going!

Please post any questions you have in the comments! If you enjoyed this article, please share with a friend! Well wishes to you…

Emotional health, Meditation, Natural Remedies, Natural Sleep Support, Women's health, Yoga

Improve Your Sleep With This Yoga Sequence

Hopefully you were able to try out some of the tips in our last post about getting in touch with and resetting your circadian rhythm. But if you tried all the suggestions and are not sleeping soundly, no worries. I’ll bet that you can improve your sleep with the lovely yoga sequence I have for you below.

Yoga is an effective, enjoyable way to address the root of your sleep issues and induce a pleasant snooze. In a national survey of 35,000 households, 55% of people who practiced yoga reported that it helped them sleep while 85% said that it helped them reduce stress.

Remember that approach is key, since how we do our yoga practice is just as, if not more important that what we do. We have to be conscious of our breathing and back off when a posture becomes too exciting or stressful.

Not all forms of yoga are relaxing either (no vigorous vinyasa or heated yoga classes before bed!), so a calming, more restorative approach is necessary to get the body ready for sleep.

The following sequence is an essential part of my nighttime routine. It melts away any muscle tension accumulated throughout the day and reduces stress. When done in a meditative way with mindful breathing, it also helps to tame obsessive thoughts, calm the mind, and prepare it for sleep.

Hold the following postures for 5-8 slow, deep breath, perhaps emphasizing the exhalation to help let go of tension. It’s best to do this immediately before retiring, so you can climb right into bed afterwards.

Yoga Sequence for Better Sleep

1. Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

This posture is great for relieving tension in the back. Crossing the forearms makes the upper body heavier so there’s greater traction along the spine. Blood and energy is directed toward the head to calm the mind.

Bend the knees if tight hamstrings are pulling your low back, causing discomfort.

2. Headstand or rabbit (Sirsasana or Sasangasana )

If Headstand is already part of your practice, doing it at night can activate the endocrine glands and calm your nervous system. Contraindications to this pose include neck injuries, high blood pressure, heart conditions, and menstruation.

Like Headstand, Rabbit pose is therapeutic due to it’s direct effect on the brain. But this posture is more approachable since you can control the pressure placed on the head and ensure that the neck is not compressed.

3. Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)

Shoulderstand is a counter pose to Headstand variations. It regulates any hormonal imbalances and soothes the nerves. This pose should be skipped though if you have a neck injury, high blood pressure, or are menstruating.

4. Bound angle w/ neck extension & open chest (Baddha konasana)

yoga Baddha konasana Bound angle pose w/ neck extension

This posture (as well as #5-8 below) relieves tension accumulated in the hips, chest, and neck from long periods of work in front of a computer.

5. Seated twist (Ardha matseyandrasana)

6. Neck stretch, simple seated posture

yoga Neck stretch in simple seated posture Sukhasana

7. Eagle (Garudasana) arms, simple seated posture

yoga Garudasana (Eagle pose) arms in Sukhasana (Simple seated pose)

8. Reclined Figure-4 Stretch

yoga Reclined eye of needle stretch figure 4

9. Legs-up-the-wall-or-bed (Viparita karani)

yoga Viparita karani Inverted Lake or legs-up-the-wall pose

This inversion is necessary to ease tired legs and reverse blood flow to the heart and brain, especially if you were not able to include headstand and shoulderstand in your routine. It reduces anxiety, calms the mind, and helps regulate blood pressure. It can even calm crazy 7-year-old boy energy!

Most of you will be yawning before you complete this series! If so, hop in bed and have a wonderful night’s rest!

Still needing extra help? You may also want to check out my Yoga Nidra meditation on my Meditation Page. Yoga Nidra (Yoga sleep) is a very effective meditation to induce a relaxed state of mind and is also effective with changing mindset and habitual patterns.

Well wishes to you all…

Read Part 3: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for sleep issues

Emotional health, Meditation, Natural Sleep Support, Personal Development, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Women's health, yin yoga, Yoga

10 Reasons To Try Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga is one of the most powerful styles of yoga and has many benefits. I’d love to tell you how I was introduced to the practice, tell about the transformation I experienced, and offer you 10 reasons why you should try it too!

A few yoga teacher colleagues encouraged me to check out Sarah Powers around the year 2003, feeling that I would resonate with her style & message. In this first workshop with her I was introduced to Yin Yoga. I loved her deep, philosophical approach. Sarah was the teacher I had long been seeking, so I continued to study with her as often as possible. I also had the pleasure of studying with Paul Grilley in a week-long Yin Yoga teacher training they did together in Winter of 2005.

Sarah & Paul both talked about Taoist philosophy & Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Meridian Theory in our Yin sessions together. I was very intrigued by this brief education in TCM and felt inspired to look into it further. I credit this training for helping me take the plunge in obtaining my Masters Degree in TCM the following year.

Through Yin Yoga, I was able to achieve a depth in my practice I had never experienced before. It also had a profound affect on my teaching style. Once it became a part of my personal practice, teaching became almost effortless. A few regular students commented that my teaching “turned a corner” and my classes began to steadily build. Yin Yoga helped me find authenticity and confidence as a practitioner and a teacher.

Obviously, I think Yin Yoga is pretty awesome. And even though we may have different experiences with the practice, I think it can really help you too.

Here Are 10 Reasons Why You Should Try Yin Yoga!

1. It increases your flexibility and keeps you juicy

Most styles of Yoga are considered “Yang” because the focus is on movement, strength, engagement, and using a lot of muscle to produce heat. Yin Yoga is called such because it is the opposite. It is a slow practice (postures are held for 2-5 minutes each), it requires us to let go of muscular effort, we yield to gravity’s pull, become quiet & inquisitive, and it’s very cooling.

When we let go of the muscles in the stretch (which is safe to do if we approach it slowly, mindfully, and close to the ground) we’re able to access the deeper tissues. It’s the fascia, the tendons, and ligaments where tension likes to accumulate throughout the years.

Yin Yoga increases flexibility not only because deep-held tension is being released, but also because blood is able to circulate better in areas that were previously deprived.

2. It’s an effective way to relieve stress

Naturally, when we’re able to consciously let go of tension, the body relaxes it’s stressful approach to what’s happening around us. The parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest & digest” mode, is activated and we experience more ease in the body and mind.

3. It helps you let go of negative mind patterns

When you’re this still for this long, you’re going to hear the mind speak. And what you hear may not serve you well.

We start to notice how we talk down to ourselves, how harshly we judge our experience and other people, how we like to reduce the things we experience into ways that fit our current belief systems. We gravitate to those who accept our own ideas and beliefs and our perspectives on life become very small.

With a sustained Yin practice, we are able to shift our perspective and include more in our experience. Just like the layers of tension we’re peeling off gradually, these unhelpful patterns of the mind can release too and we can replace them with a more positive, inclusive outlook on life.

4. It’s a great introduction to meditation

After a few Yin sessions when you’ve adjusted to the approach and have witnessed the mind habits mentioned in #3, we can use this time to tame the mind.

In meditation we often use an anchor to help keep the mind present. It could be watching the breath, focusing on a certain place in the body, concentrating on sound, etc. With Yin Yoga, we also have the strong sensations from the stretch to focus on.

Many people who have a hard time sitting with their thoughts in simple meditation find Yin Yoga more approachable. They are more in touch with their bodies, less so with their minds. By first focusing on the sensations of the stretch and opening up & strengthening the mind gradually with Yin, it can be more interesting for them. As they value it more, they are able to sit longer with less sensation.

5. It help you process strong emotions

Yin Yoga gives you the time to vent strong emotions. Many times I’ve watched my worry & anger (my main go-to emotions when I’m out of balance) shift and have moved into a state of equanimity by the end of the practice. I’ve helped students deal with fear and grief as well. Contentment is possible, but only after we’ve accepted what is present in the heart.

6. It prepares the body for sleep

Stress, tension, and obsessive thinking are some of the biggest triggers for insomnia. Yoga is a great way to relieve stress and tension. But some form of meditation is necessary to help with an occupied mind. Yin Yoga addresses it all.

7. It helps you develop tolerance and grow

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

Holding the Yin shapes for 2-5 minutes is not easy. The sensations you’re feeling, especially in the hips, can be quite intense. It’s necessary to move through the discomfort to experience freedom and ease in the body once again.

Isn’t this true for anything in life? If you want to experience something different from what you’re used to, it can be a bit scary and uncomfortable. Let your Yin practice help you build your capacity for tolerance and push your limits of what’s comfortable. What you’re working on in the practice will permeate into your life to help you create new and exciting things.

8. It helps you appreciate simple moments

The biggest complaint I’ve heard about Yin Yoga is that it’s boring.

Have you seen what a bored child can do? When given the space to sit with themselves a bored child can tap into their imagination and do amazingly creative things. And they will play by themselves for hours once they really get going.

Why are we adults any different? Because of all that stuff mentioned in #3. Somehow, long ago, we decided that we didn’t like hanging out with ourselves and that there are more important things to do. That is very sad.

As we engage in Yin Yoga, we are able to watch our experience breath by breath. By shifting our perspective we can appreciate each new breath as another moment of our precious lives. Even the boring and dull moments have value.

9. It’s like an acupuncture session you can do by yourself

The TCM meridians that we stimulate with needles in acupuncture to direct the flow of vital energy (qi) and blood, run along the deeper connective tissues of the body that we’re focusing on with Yin Yoga.

Taoists and Yogis know that energy/qi flow where the mind goes. We place ourselves in shapes that help access these deeper tissues and direct the mind and breath into those areas, and can thereby dilate the meridians and mobilize the qi & blood. When the qi & blood are abundant and free, we experience health and well-being.

10. It helps you stay grounded amidst chaos

Yin Yoga is very grounding in nature. We are able to observe all that is happening within us and around us with a calm, clear mind.

We live in a culture that is fast-paced, values work over rest, values financial gain over personal growth, etc. Our yoga practice can be a way to bring balance to our lives and those people we share it with.

What does the world need more of? Peace, tolerance, acceptance? You can answer that question for yourself and perhaps cultivate that in your practice.

I can’t wait to hear about your experience with Yin Yoga! Are any of these 10 reasons to try it resonating with you? Please let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed this post, please share with your friends! Well wishes to all…

#yin #yoga #meditation #stress #relaxation #balance #insomnia #sleep #grounding

Emotional health, Meditation, Personal Development, Women's health, Yoga

Yogic Approach to Stress Relief

We all know that managing stress is one of the greatest challenges of our modern age. Attending Yoga classes is often recommended to those who need relief. I’m here to tell you that Yoga will only work if you approach your practice the right way. I have outlined several steps below that will help you shed a few layers of tension for sure!

Is Your Yoga Class Creating More Stress in Your Life?

I’m wondering if you’ve had this experience:

You decide to go to a yoga class at your center or gym to help relieve long-held tension in your body. Halfway into class you realize that you’re actually becoming more tense. You’re trying to keep up the pace, to mimic everything your neighbor is doing, and to perform your 20th yoga pushup while your arms are shaking and teeth are clenching.

If this sounds familiar, you might be wondering why you’re not experiencing the bliss that was promised. I can explain why…

Yoga for stress relief is a great idea, but it’s not a guarantee. It depends on the style, the teacher, and more importantly on your approach to the practice.

The thing is, it’s not the postures that makes yoga so effective at releasing tension.

The Essence of Yoga

It’s our intention, the deep breathing and the basic understanding that yoga is an ancient therapeutic method (not just a fitness class) that sets up the conditions for peace and well-being.

This study from the International Journal of Yoga explains the essence of yoga well. I especially love this section:

“Four basic principles underlie the teachings and practices of yoga’s healing system. The first principle is the human body is a holistic entity comprised of various interrelated dimensions inseparable from one another and the health or illness of any one dimension affects the other dimensions. The second principle is individuals and their needs are unique and therefore must be approached in a way that acknowledges this individuality and their practice must be tailored accordingly. The third principle is yoga is self-empowering; the student is his or her own healer. Yoga engages the student in the healing process; by playing an active role in their journey toward health, the healing comes from within, instead of from an outside source and a greater sense of autonomy is achieved. The fourth principle is that the quality and state of an individuals mind is crucial to healing. When the individual has a positive mind-state healing happens more quickly, whereas if the mind-state is negative, healing may be prolonged.”

Why Yoga is Not Always Great for Stress Relief

We could be in a posture thinking that’s all we have to do and Yoga just happens. But if we’re approaching each pose in a very Type-A way, the yoga practice will not be a huge help in relieving stress.

You’ll want to avoid:

ignoring your breath and body signals
obsessing about your daily to-do list
reviewing the day in your head
complaining internally about the teacher, your neighbors, the yoga space…

These are all unhelpful ways the mind tries to diminish the beauty of simple, peaceful moments and creates more disharmony inside.

Instead of just showing you restorative postures, I’d like to teach you how to do your yoga practice to relieve stress. Many of the points below are easy to address if you’re doing your own home practice. But even in a live group class, you should feel free to try these out.

How to Practice Yoga for Stress Relief

1. Begin by centering your attention and making an intention

It’s helpful to begin your practice with a brief, honest look at where you’re beginning. Scan the body and consciously release any tension you find along the way as we did in this grounding meditation. Check in with your mood, your emotions, and your mental state.

Based on what you find in this centered place, you can make an intention for your practice; something you want to pay attention to that brings you toward balance. Maybe it’s to be mindful of tension in your neck and jaw in the hope that you can release it by the end of class. Maybe you want to soften your inner attitude. If nothing comes up, then simply remind yourself why you are doing yoga and what you hope to cultivate in the long run. Make sure this intention is coming from a place of deep love and respect for yourself, so phrase it in a positive way, such as…

“I want to listen well to my body’s cues so I remain strong, safe, and healthy”

NOT

“I want to work as hard as I can so I finally lose this baby weight and look like so-and-so over there”.

Can you feel the difference? You may miss opportunities to connect in deeply with yourself and let go of obsessive thoughts that may be causing tension, if your intention is coming from a place of self deprecation. Let’s focus on the positive! You will cultivate whatever you bring to mind!

2. Establish a deep, even breath that is never sacrificed

I’ve been in many yoga classes and several wonderful teachers like to count the breath for students. But just about every time it is WAY too fast for me. I’m giving you permission to stretch the breath out even longer. The teacher won’t know and you will have a more enjoyable, authentic experience if you’re moving with your own breath & timing.

3. Lengthen your exhalations

Tension is released with the out breath as we all know when we let out a deep sigh of annoyance. You can give yourself more time to release by making the exhalation longer than the inhalation.

4. Ground your energy with strong legs

With the legs working strongly in standing postures, tension will drip down from the upper body where it tends to accumulate most (see point below).

5. Spend extra time stretching your neck, chest, shoulders

Triangle is a great posture to get into all these areas. Feel free to rotate your head and your top arm to get into the neck and shoulders. Stretching the arm behind you will access the chest. Feel the legs rotating from the hips and send deep breaths into all the areas you’re opening. In any pose, whenever you feel a slight opening in an area that is tight, go ahead and explore through movement or deeper breathing.

6. Each asana (posture) should have an “aaaahhhh” feeling as you move into it, sustain it, and release it.

A therapeutic practice should be sensual. Yes, this is even true for chaturanga dandasana, the yoga pushup that everyone rushes through because it’s so difficult to hold. You are better off holding plank or modifying by bringing your knees down and descending slowly with the breath, building up your strength to the full pose with time. Otherwise, rushing this posture can ADD tension to the shoulders and neck and may actually DAMAGE your rotator cuff muscles if not done properly. You’ll know you have the strength for chaturanga when you can practice it with a smile and a long exhalation!

Yin yoga is the only example I can think of where you must endure some mild discomfort to release completely, but that’s because we’re working close to the ground and with the deeper connective tissues, not the muscles and superficial energy channels that are energized with dynamic asana styles.

7. Consider taking an evening class

Morning yoga classes are great for motivation and for setting a mindful mood for your day. But if you’re not able to carry this mindfulness throughout the day and stress accumulates to the point that you’re having a hard time going to sleep, you may want to do an evening practice instead. Or, at least do a short practice again before bed. Practicing at night is essential for me and I promise I’ll share my downtime routine in the near future.

8. End with restorative postures

Classically, Savasana (corpse pose) was practiced for at least 10 minutes at the end of a 90+ minute class and often Savasana punctuated many of the asana sequences in the middle of class as well. Today in our fast-paced (and therefore stressed-out) culture, yoga classes have been shortened to 60 minutes and Savasana is given a mere 3 minutes to explore.

Give yourself the full 10 minutes in Savasana if you need it. It’s okay to let the teacher know you’ll be starting to rest 15 minutes before the end of class. I would be thrilled if a student told me he/she valued rest and renewal that much, so I doubt you would offend the teacher.

9. Allow peace to come

You need to let the practice end and trust that you did enough. I often see at least one person in class trying to fit in inversions and other poses while we’re setting up to rest. Their minds are still telling them that there’s more to do, more to fix. Savasana is where peace emerges and you must be still and quiet to see it. The body and heart have a wisdom that the mind doesn’t understand and they will integrate everything you did in your practice. Trust that, and peace will be your experience.

Yoga is a personal practice. Sometimes we forget when we are in a group setting that we are in control of our experience. I hope that the information here helps you to overcome unhelpful habits in your Yoga practice and that you have a deeper experience in general! Please let me know how it works for you, in the comments!