Yoga Pose of the Month - Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana

So welcome back to my Yoga pose of the month! This one is a special one I feel as it's one of the best know postures in Yoga, yet not necessarily taught so much. However, if you look at my last blog all about alignment, when you really use the alignment in this posture the strength and stabilty and energy increases in your body...

So here it is...

Downward facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Have you seen a dog stretch? This pose resembles a dog stretching its front legs, which refreshes and enlivines the dog so Yes, that is the same for us, it rejuvenates! The posture also resembles an inverted V - can you see that in the photo? Downward Facing Dog has many functions in yoga - transitional pose, resting pose, strengthening pose and an inversion pose.

Benefits of Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana:

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Energises the body
• Stretches the shoulders, arms, wrists, hamstrings, calves and spine
• Elongates the whole shoulder area
• Strengthens the arms and legs
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headaches, back pain, insomnia and fatigue
• Improves concentration and focus

How to Practice Downward Facing Dog

1. Come onto the floor on your knees with your body lying over your thighs (childs pose). Extend your arms forward about shoulder distance apart. Spread your palms, and engage every single finger and your palms into the mat - your hands are pointing forward and help balance you.
2. Inhale as you come up onto knees and turn your toes under and exhale as you lift your knees away from the floor and your hips towards the sky. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the feet about hips distance apart and the heels lifted away from the floor. The palms of the hands are balancing you as you push the shoulders away from the wrists, move your chest towards your thighs and externally rotate the shoulders so that the shoulders are away from the ears and the upper back becomes flat as the shoulder blades widen and draw them toward the tailbone. Then draw your core, by bringing the belly button in towards the spine so that the lower back doesn’t arch. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang, maybe do a "yes" and a "no" to check its relaxed. Now pushing your sitting bones high to the sky lengthen your spine, from your neck to your tailbone. Remember to breathe as you make these adjustments.
3. Once you have reached your maximum extension of the upper body and spine, then focus on your legs, especially the backs of the legs, exhale and start to straighten your knees, but be sure not to lock them, gently push your legs back and stretch your heels onto or down towards the floor (it doesn't matter if the heels don't touch the floor, it all depends on you individual make-up and some people the heels just don't and won't ever touch - that's fine. it depends on how much the connective tissue around the ankles releases). Activate the legs, you will feel the stretch in the backs of the legs and try to activate the fronts of the thighs too.
   Remember to keep the arms strong, active and the shoulders away from the ears and the head and neck relaxed as you gaze at your feet and stay in the posture for 5-15 breathes or longer if you wish.
4. Release on an inhalation and bend the knees bringing them to the floor and the chest to the thighs and bend the arms at the elbows to release into extended arm childs pose and relax.
5. Once you have mastered this posture, you might like to try a variation in this posture by taking one leg high to the sky. To do this; from Downward Facing Dog bring both feet together, ground one foot firmly to the ground and then slowly start to lift the other leg upwards to the sky, keeping both legs active and your arms and upper body also active, this means keep using the breath to keep the standing leg strong, use the front thigh muscles and engage the foot to the ground and the shoulders are strong and supportive and open across the back, continue to breathe deeply. The aim is to have a straight through the whole body from the hands along the body up to the raised foot. then change legs.
   
   Please note do not do this pose if you have carpal tunnel sydrome, late stage of pregnancy. high blood pressure and headaches do with caution.

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Hope you enjoy Downward Facing Dog, and from now on really feel and experience this wonderful posture.

Until next time...

Om shanti
Michelle
http://www.yogarelax.co.uk
http://www.michellecross.co.uk

P.S stay present in your practice and bring that to your daily life....

'Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some tips for Alignment and Posture in Asanas

Since I am starting to go through various yoga postures (asana), I thought it would be a good idea to give you some tips about alignment, so that you become more aware of your body. Alignment is used to describe the positioning of the body for each posture in yoga. Remember everyone is different so it’s about using these tips for your individual make-up, how you feel in a posture and of course observe your whole posture and piece all the adjustments together to create the asana.

"The posture becomes perfect when the effort of achieving it vanishes" Yogabhashya

Alignment in the various asana has different purposes:
• to ensure that the postures are practiced in a way that maximizes the benefit of the posture including improvements of more flexibility, strength, tone and radiant health, whilst minimizes the risk of injury
• to ensure that the postures are practiced to allow the flow of prana (energy) in the body.
• to help calm the mind, improve focus, concentration, stability and lift the spirit.
• to position the muscles, joints and limbs in a comfortable way

So as I go through these alignment pointers remember to be aware of your own body, shape and how you feel when you are in a posture. The “perfect” pose is the pose that best suits you at the moment you are practicing the pose and what you are experiencing. By aligning yourself and using these adjustments, it may mean that you need to come out of the posture, this is good and better to align the body and free the prana (energy) that to be deeper in a posture with no alignment of the limbs, muscles joints and tendons.

The building blocks;
1.Build the foundation first: If you think of a house the foundations are essential to keep the house erect. So it is essential to pay attention to establishing a confident, stable foundation from which your asana evolves and grows. Whether that is your feet in (standing postures), your sitting bones (in seated postures) or your hands (in arm balances). Once you build your foundation, then you are able to look at the detail of the particular asana.
2.Finding your centre with stability and ease: All yoga postures should be practiced in a way which aims to balance steadiness with ease. Asana means steady pose in Sanskrit and yoga means union, union of body and mind, so the pose should be steady and comfortable so this union occurs. If it is uncomfortable, ease out of the posture a little to see how the body and mind reacts and observe this.
3.Balance your feet: For your standing postures, ground your feet into the floor, lift your toes up and spread all the toes so the weight is evenly distributed between the toes, balls of the feet and the heels. Try to distribute your weight evenly across all three points and (in most standing postures) evenly between both feet.
4.Find your seat: For seated postures, lift the flesh from your buttocks to expose the sitting bones, maybe sit on the edge of a block so that your pelvis tilts slightly forward, bringing the base of the spine on top of the pelvic girdle.
5.Strengthen the arms: For arm balances bring the hands pointing forward, the wrists in line underneath the elbows and shoulders – do you get the idea?

Let’s now works upward through the body;
6.Toes: In general, when standing and sitting with one or more legs extended out, ensure that your feet are parallel to each other. For many there is a tendency to turn our toes out when standing (– this main mean your hips are out of alignment and you need to see a chiropractor), this in practice means focusing on turning the toes inwards slightly. Aligning the feet in this way ensures that your knees are in the same alignment as your feet and the legs are active and this protects our lower back. The latter is particularly important when bending forwards or backwards.
7.Knees: The knee joint has limited rotational movement and especially when standing or lunging, so it is important that the knee points in the same direction as the foot of the same leg and does not twist inwards or outwards. It is also important in standing postures like the Warrior postures, to ensure that the knee does not move forward of the line of the heel and to actively keep the knee in line with the foot, so actively using the thighs and keeping the outside of the knee in line with the little toe. The exception to this is lunging with the back knee on the floor for Crescent Moon pose, Anjanasana, where the knee can come over the line of the heel if it is comfortable. In postures such as Standing Forward Bend, Uttanasana and Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana, the alignment is achieved by keeping your feet about as wide apart as your hips. Finally, the knee should not lock, or hyper-extend, consciously maintain a softness, rather than simply pulling the kneecap back. This can be achieved by engaging the thigh muscles and will avoid straining the hamstrings. Using the fronts of the thighs muscles help support he knee and the hamstring as these two muscles work in synergy.
8.Your spine: The spine has three natural curves – the lower back (lumbar spine) and neck area (cervical spine) curve into the body; the middle back (thoracic spine) curves outwards. Since everyone is individual these curvatures can be different or more emphasized, so you need to be conscious of your spine. Observe when move where your shoulders are; are the hunched up toward the ears, if so lower them, are you letting your neck go or do you lengthen through the neck, is the chest open and the shoulder back, is your abdomen engaged activating your core and when you bend forward are you hinging forward to protect the lower/lumbar back and using all of the other observation mentioned before; shoulders, core, chest. All of these help support the spine which is essential in alignment for yoga.
9.Twist: The upper spine has more rotational movement due to the structure of the vertebrae, discs and joints of the spine, so for twisting posture you should focus the rotation on the middle and upper back, not the mower back. This is done by starting the twist from the core of the body. Try to turn from the navel first, then the chest, then the chest, then the shoulders, and finally the head and neck. Be aware not to lead with your head in an effort to appear deeper in the posture; allow the twist to evolve naturally with the breath. Use each inhalation to lengthen your spine upwards and tailbone downwards, creating more space between your vertebrae, and each exhalation to deepen the rotation.
10.Backbends: Your spine is designed to bend both forwards and backwards. While the lumbar spine has the least ability to rotate, it is often the easiest part of the spine to bend. In backbends, try to create space between the vertebrae as the spine lengthens. As you go into a backbend, consciously bend as evenly as possible through the whole spine, rather than just the lumbar spine. This means lengthening your upper back and your neck as you stretch your head back. Finally with backbends try not to clench your buttocks, they should be lightly engaged, but not clenched as this too will inhibit the spine’s ability to move.
11.Upside down: In inverted postures such as Shoulderstand and Headstand your stability in the posture is improved by engaging your abdominal and leg muscles. Keeping an upward movement of the leg muscles and pushing through the balls of the feet and the heels and activating your core all help with your inversion postures and balance in them.

These are all tips for alignment in your yoga practice, however you can use a lot of these tips in your everyday life to help stand tall, creating great posture and allow the energy to flow freely through the whole body. You can adjust your posture when at work, standing for a bus or train...Observe and be aware is the key.

Namaste, Michelle

Yoga Pose of the Month - Tree Posture; Vrksasana

I thought I'd introduce The Pose of the Month... Over the next coming months I will introduce a new posture to you to help enhance and deepen your Yoga practice. I'll tell you about the posture, the benefits and then how to practice the posture.

So let's begin, since we are coming into Spring I've been doing some gardening and planting seeds etc when I thought I would start off with the Tree posture - Vrksasana, since the trees will soon start to blossom and bloom...

Tree Pose - Vrksasana
The Tree Pose is a standing balancing pose. If you think about a tree, its roots provide the foundation and stability for the trunk or its body and branches, so your feet and legs are your roots and provide the support for your upper body to stand tall with strength and poise. Your feet are your foundation, so with all standing postures you need to make sure your foundation is strong, so with Tree you are standing on one leg, so it is your one-foot that you ground and build upon. Aim to achieve a grounded and firmness of a tree. Just as a tree uses it roots for stability; you ground the energy down through the foot like a tree. The challenge for some may be maintaining balance on one leg - this however improves with practice. Poor balance is often the result of a restless mind or distracted attention. The balancing postures reveal your state of mind; some days your balance is good and others it is poor, this depends on what you are going through in your life. If you are distracted and one thought is jumping to the next, the balance will be harder. Some days you are stressed and your mind is overactive and this will reflect in your yoga practice and maybe need more support, like a wall to achieve the posture like the Tree. This is ok, try not to judge yourself, but think I am a growing tree that needs a stick as a support for strength and metaphorically your stick is a wall that you can use to help your balance into the posture. As you use the wall for support this also build confidence so that you start to not hold the wall and stand tall and balanced alone in the Tree posture. Regular practice of this posture will help focus the mind, it builds calmness and stillness as you hold the posture and lengthens and strengthens the body. Regular practice of the Tree, Vrksasana improves concentration, balance and coordination. Because the weight of the entire body is balanced on one foot, the muscles of that leg are strengthened and toned as well.
As you advance in this posture and are able to remain standing for more than a few moments, try closing the eyes and maintaining your balance.

Benefits of the Tree, Vrksasana include:

· Improves sense of balance and co-ordination

· Tones and strengthens abdominal muscles and your core

· Opens hip area

· Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine

· Increases and improves concentration

· Improves focus, confidence and stillness



How to do the Tree, Vrksasana:


1. Stand with the feet together and the arms by your sides. Ground your feet into the floor, lift the toes and spread them wide to create your balancing foot of the standing balancing leg. Bend the right leg at the knee, and bring the sole of the right foot to either the calf muscles, the arch of the foot across the inside of the knee or the foot to the inside of the thigh, pushing into the groin area as pictured or to half lotus position as pictured.

2. Find you balance by focusing the eyes and the mind on something that is not moving in front of you, it is easier to start with the foot lower down the leg, if you have good balance then take the foot higher.

3. When you have your balance bring your hands into prayer position in front of your heart and keeping the focal point and balance, you can raise your arms over the head into prayer position. Hold the posture while breathing gently through the nostrils for about 5-10 breaths.

4. Lower the arms and right leg and return to the tadasana the mountain posture or standing position with feet together and arms at the sides. Pause for a few moments and repeat on the opposite leg.

I hope you enjoy practising your Tree Posture and grow and strengthen from your inner being.

Om shanti, Michelle
http://www.yogarelax.co.uk

Which type are you?

Nadis
In everyday life one of the nadis, Ida or pingala is always more dominant. The way to check which nadi is more dominant, i.e. is clearer is to breathe through each individual nostril. So you can either do a few rounds of anuloma viloma or you can close the right nostril with your thumb (Vishnu Mudra) and inhale and exhale out of the left nostril a couple of times, then close the left nostril with your ring finger and inhale and exhale out of the right nostril a couple of times. You will notice which nostril is clearer or less blocked and this is the one that is more dominant at this time. Although they alternate throughout the day, one nadi tends too be more dominant more often and for longer periods of time. This shows in your personality, behaviour and health issues so you are maybe more ida-like or pingala-like. You may like to do a few rounds throughout the day say every 3 hours to see if the nadis have changed.

Which type are you?
Ida-like people have more nurturing qualities, are quiet and introspective, yet may lack the enthusiasm to sustain a strong regular yoga practise. They are full of potential however unless they develop their pingala side they may never manifest this potential.
Pingala-like people are lively, with lots of creativity and abdundant vitality, however they need to develop their ida side to have introspection, stillness and the receptivity to manifest the grace of spiritual awakening with yoga.

Creating the balance
Hatha Yoga creates balance. "Ha" of Hatha means sun which is pingala and "tha" of Hatha means moon which is ida. So balancing the sun and moon or pingala and ida is the aim of Hatha Yoga to awaken the Sushumna. So the most powerful method of balancing these two nadis is Anuloma Viloma as you control the prana through the breath in each nostril as you breathe in anuloma viloma using each nostril, therefore balancing the respective nadi either ida or pingala. This is why we do anuloma viloma to create a balance in the prana within the body.

You may also want to experiment with your own practice to help balance the nadis through the asanas you practice. So at the start of your practice do a few rounds of anuloma viloma to observe which nadi is more clear if ida is dominant you can try invigorating asanas like backbends, standing poses and inversion to engage pingala. If pingala is dominant the calming seated asanas like seated postures or forward bends to engage the calmness of ida nadi. You can observe which asanas activate one nadi or the other. Also if you are doing a yoga practice with a lot of forward bends which takes you inwards, it would be a good idea to do some anuloma viloma afterwards to balance the nadis again so you don’t feel so spaced out.
Also observe your mind – agitated and active is pingala-like or calm and receptive is ida-like. When you start to observe the breath and the nadi the intimate link between the body and mind naturally flows. Through this practice you develop your awareness, deepening your practice as you observe and clearing the way for your spiritual growth.

So what are nadis and Chakras

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates as wheel or disc. Nadi in Sanskrit derives from the word nad which means flow, motion or vibration. Nadis are the energy pathways of the body and there are 72,000 of them in our subtle body and connected by the chakras, which charges the nadis. The chakras function as valves, regulating the flow of prana. Through the nadis and chakras the prana is delivered to every cell of the body and this is enhanced through the breath and the asanas in yoga.

The following seven primary chakras are commonly described:


1. Muladhara Chakra - The base chakra located between the sacrum and coccyx is associated with the colour red and relates to a persons survival instincts and material/physical existence.
2. Svadhistana Chakra - The second/sacral chakra located around the reproductive organs and lumbar region is associated with the colour orange and relates to a persons feelings, desires and sensations.
3. Manipura Chakra - Located in the naval or solar plexus and associated with the colour yellow. This chakra relates to a sense of personal power and identity.
4. Anahata Chakra - Located in the heart region, this chakra relates to a persons ability to give and receive love and is associated with the colour green.
5. Vishuddi Chakra - The throat chakra is associated with the colour blue and relates to a persons ability to interpret and communicate what they have learnt.
6. Ajna Chakra - The third eye chakra, associated with the colour violet, relates to intuition, creativity and imagination.
7. Sahasrara Chakra - The crown chakra relates to cosmic consciousness and is associated with the colour violet.

Nadis




Of these 72,000 nadis, there are 3 that are considered the most important - Ida, Pingala and Sushumna and are purified through anuloma viloma.
Ida is the left channel - starts in Muladhara chakra, Ida ends up in the left nostril. Ida is white, feminine, cold, represents the moon, creative, slow, right brain, when more active metabolic activity of the body becomes low, lethargy and suspended mental activity.
Pingala is the right channel - starts in Muladhara chakra, Pingala ends up in the right nostril. Pingala is red, masculine, hot, represents the sun, logic, active, left brain, when more active heat in body increases and there’s more mental activity.
Sushumna is the central channel running up the body from just below Muladhara chakra to Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. This is the main energy channel that Hatha Yoga, prananyama clears the channel so that the kundalini energy flows freely through the sushumna to the Sahasrara chakra.
So that’s all about your energy body. Interesting isn’t it? Amazing when you’re practicing yoga how the prana circulates around the body, without you really knowing how…now you do! How wonderful!

Yoga & Pranayama

Meaning of Yoga and Pranayama and their unity
The meaning of Yoga is union – e.g. the unity of body and mind or on a deeper levels the Self and the Universe - they are one. The bridge between the body and mind is the breath and as you use the breath and become more aware you will soon come to realise what is within is also all around i.e. they are one.

Pranayama means control of vital energy or breath. In Sanskrit the word for breath is the same for the word life – Prana, this gives you a big clue about how important breathing is for your health and well-being, Yama means control – so the literally translation is control of the breath (or life which is prana). Yoga without prana is like the sea without water.

So to use yogic breathing, try to become aware of your breath and observe it, maybe as you are sitting down or lying down, allow the abdomen and chest to rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale, both being rhythmical, comfortable and smooth.


Benefits of yogic breathing
In addition to relaxing and calming the body and mind, when you observe and control the breath you gain other benefits
 Improves posture as uses muscles to support the spine and abdominal muscles
 Reduces stress, anxiety and tension
 You take in more oxygen which is delivered to every cell in the body
 It increases your metabolism – great for managing weight
 Tones the abdominal area
 Strengthens immune system


Just a little note to remember, the diaphragm separates the lungs and heart from the abdominal organs, and is above the solar plexus area. When you start to use the diaphragm muscle it becomes more flexible, psychologically this can release any emotions that have been stored up or suppressed especially if your digestive organs are linked to your stress, so breathing properly i.e. yogic breathing can release emotions or sighs as you release the energy, the prana, the life through your breath. So don’t worry about this it’s a great sign you are releasing something not just on a physical level and will lead to a more fulfilling experience of life and the breath.

Yoga and Breathing

Breath is life.

We are able to survive days without food or water, however deprive us of breath and we would only last a few minutes. Knowing this, it is amazing how little attention we pay to the importance of breathing.

It’s a great idea to start to think of your breath as your closest friend. From the moment you are born the breath stays with you until the moment you die. Unless you have breathing problems, you probably are barely aware of your breath, you take it for granted unintentionally of course. Just because your breath is automatic doesn’t mean you are breathing to your optimum though.

In yoga the breath is of utmost importance, for the breath delivers oxygen to every cell in our bodies and brain and it also gives us the vital energy (prana) from the air we breathe. So even if you do not practice yoga, you can still use the breath to benefit you. Proper breathing helps us to control the vital energy (prana) and thus control the mind, which helps deeper relaxation.

So how do you breathe correctly?

We've forgotten…
It is natural to breathe using the diaphragm and abdomen. If you watch babies, you will notice that they breathe in this way. As we become older, factors like stress and inactivity cause us to take shallow breaths. These shorter shallow breaths use only the upper chest. This is why I say most people have forgotten how to breathe… They breathe shallowly, usually through the mouth and don't use the diaphragm or only use it a little. Breathing like this only a small amount of oxygen and energy is taken in and only the top parts of the lungs are being used.
Breathing correctly means breathing through the nose, keeping the mouth closed, so that the nose warms and filters the air taken in, and involves a full inhalation where the abdomen expands causing the diaphragm to move down and an exhalation through the nose, where the abdomen falls causing the diaphragm to move up. Breathing like this uses more of the lungs and the diaphragm is actively being used benefiting you by taking in more oxygen, giving you more energy.

Which is the most essential stage of breathing - inhalation or exhalation?
You might think it is the inhalation, when in fact it is the exhalation that holds the key. Why? The more stale air you exhale, the more fresh air or oxygen you can inhale and this is distributed to every cell in your body giving you more energy and nourishing every cell in the body so that the body works at its optimum.

So start to observe your breath and breathe in life to the full!

Natural Pain Relief - Using Complementary Medicine to Relieve Pain Naturally By Nina Schnipper

Have you tried different natural methods for pain relief? Do you include complementary medicine in your treatment regimen? To get the greatest relief from natural pain treatments, you need to understand the foundation.

Complement a healthy lifestyle.

Therapies that are based in complementary medicine can be helpful in relieving your pain. If you prefer natural treatments, then you will want to use these as your first defense when pain strikes.

However, some pain sufferers use them as their only method of pain relief. This is not their purpose or foundation.

Complementary methods should be used in addition to healthy lifestyle habits and other therapies. They are not meant to stand alone as a sole source of pain treatment. Their foundation is based in complementing a healthy lifestyle. If you are not practicing healthy habits, including regular exercise and nutritious eating, then you will not reap the full benefits of complementary medicine treatments.

Living healthy first.

If you wish to relieve pain naturally, then you need to first build a healthy foundation. Regular exercise and nutritious eating are the key components of a healthy lifestyle.

Regular exercise must include cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and stretching. Walking is not enough. Lifting weights is not enough. Taking yoga classes is not enough. All three components are necessary for a balanced exercise regimen.

Nutritious eating means eating foods that have high nutritional content, in just the right amounts, and avoiding foods with poor nutritional value. Drinking pure, plain water for hydration is also part of nutritious eating.

When you are basing your healthy lifestyle on these key elements, then you will naturally:

• sleep better
• have more energy
• feel less stress
• reduce your pain

If you build on a healthy foundation, then you can get relief from complementary medicine, naturally.

Some natural therapies for pain relief.

Massage therapy is one of the most commonly chosen types of complementary medicine for pain relief. Relaxing Swedish massage is the foundation of massage. Deep Tissue provides firm massage to a small, focused area. Sports massage includes Swedish, Deep Tissue and stretching, and it aids recovery from sports injuries. Thai-Yoga massage offers a mix of relaxing compressions, assisted stretching, opening energy pathways, and clearing restrictions.

Acupuncture relieves pain. Some acupuncturists practice five-element acupuncture, treating the whole person on a physical and energetic level. Others offer traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), during which they will match herbal remedies to your physical ails.

Other therapies that are effective for pain relief include aromatherapy, herbal remedies, homeopathy, Reiki, chiropractic, muscle activation, somatic touch, and nutritional counseling.

As you try them, know that each practitioner has their own background and style. So, for example, a massage from one therapist may feel very different from another therapist's massage. Keep searching until you find the practitioner who helps you in your healing and recovery. And remember to use complementary medicine as an addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Need more info on natural pain relief? Grab your copy of the '10-Day Guide to Pain Relief' (while they're still free!), loaded with natural relief tips, articles, and videos, at http://www.PainFreeU.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nina_Schnipper