Tag: Sherwood Park cross fit

What is your body trying to tell you

Posted on by guru

Often when I teach a yoga class or take a yoga class, the subject to living your yoga off the mat comes up. But your life off the mat also shows up in your practice.

If you have shoulder issues. Perhaps you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

If you back hurts. Perhaps you feel like you’ve been stabbed in the back by someone?

Do you have a pain in the neck? Enough said about that one.

Emotions like anger and stress can cause clenching of the jaw and muscles around the mouth. Release the jaw by a simple Lion’s breath or you could try yawning or sighing with an open mouth.

Yogic wisdom states that we hold emotions in our hips. Could this be the source of your tight hips? Have you ever been washed over by a sudden and extreme mood change while practicing a hip opener? Whether it is one traumatic event, or multiple small events, the feelings of fear, anxiety and sadness are stored in the hips until we bring them to the surface and allow a release. The longer you suppress emotion, the tighter the grasp. Some may refer to these emotions as being “stuck” or “trapped” in the body. Hips don’t lie. In fact, the body can’t lie.

And then there’s backbends. I see them as troublesome in two ways. Firstly, trust. Do you have trouble trusting that your back has you? That you have the strength to hold a back bend? Or do you feel too vulnerable opening your heart up in the back bend? Many people have the posture of rolling forward, protecting their soft underbelly and their heart.

During the practice of yoga asanas, you realize how rigid you are physically. It takes a little more awareness for you to know the rigidity in your mind and emotions. Somebody who is very rigid in their thoughts and emotions believes they are perfect because they don’t allow room for any other way of looking, thinking, or feeling. When you meet such a person, you think they are pig-headed, but they think they are perfect.

If balancing poses are hard, ask yourself, “is my life is out of balance?”

If you feel weak in plank pose, is there somewhere in your life where you could show more strength?

We know that our minds carry our emotional stress, but our bodies do, too. And the physical clues we experience could be telltale signs of emotional memories.

According to the late neuropharmacologist Candace Pert, the “body is your subconscious mind. Our physical body can be changed by the emotions we experience.” Her research reveals the integrated physiology behind emotion-body connection:
“A feeling sparked in our mind-or body-will translate as a peptide being released somewhere. [Organs, tissues, skin, muscle and endocrine glands] all have peptide receptors on them and can access and store emotional information. This means the emotional memory is stored in many places in the body, not just or even primarily, in the brain. You can access emotional memory anywhere in the peptide/receptor network, in any number of ways. I think unexpressed emotions are literally lodged in the body. The real true emotions that need to be expressed are in the body, trying to move up and be expressed and thereby integrated, made whole, and healed.”
Anger and pride fire up the head, neck, and shoulders. Anxiety and fear activate the chest, an area where people with panic attacks often feel tightness. Depression deactivates most of the body, especially the limbs, consistent with the sensation of heavy limbs that many people with depression experience.

Neurophysiologists explain that with repeated stress, people over time have shorter and shorter neck and shoulder muscles. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that people with depression had chronically tight brow muscles (corrugator muscles) even when they did not think they were frowning. Multiple studies indicate that an increased mental workload results in increased muscle tension in the cervical and shoulder areas, particularly for people working at computers.

Take the time to see where you might be storing stress in your body. Every body is unique, and our bodies change day to day. Notice where you hold onto different emotions and kickstart the process of releasing negative emotions with the first step—giving your body attention and awareness.

Beginnings and endings

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about beginnings and endings. Specifically how we don’t recognize or take the time to note them, savour them, celebrate them. For example, we recently visited an open house at what will soon be my oldest son’s junior high school. It was an exciting time, a milestone. When we got home we celebrated. My husband and boys cracked open a can of diet pop and I poured myself a glass of wine, lol. We toasted the event, marking it in the history of our family. Another example was a test I recently wrote. It was a lot of work and study leading up to it and a major stepping stone in my journey as a fitness instructor. When we got home we celebrated. Okay, I had a glass of wine while everyone enjoyed a night off. As I write this I just found out the results of my exam and lo and behold, we will be celebrating tonight!

I need to remind myself that before moving on to another goal or achievement, savour the conquering of one first.

A couple of days later I had the honour of facilitating a practice teach for some new yoga teachers in training, and when we concluded the day I told the students to go home and celebrate, mark the occasion.

When I’m teaching yoga students I often tell them to pause between the poses and note, don’t rush. The space between the poses is just as important as the poses themselves.

In life we rush from this to that, trying to cross off as many things on our list as possible with no time taken in between to “Just. Be Still.” Create some space in your life between the beginnings and endings. Maybe it’s simply sitting in the car for a few breathes before you go into the house and tackle some more of life’s jobs.

In a recent article (Hold onto Happy – April 23/18) in the Edmonton Journal, writer Rosa Silverman asked “How often during your day to you stop to notice a fleeting moment of happiness or positivity?” Even something small, she continued, “perhaps you finished a small task that leaves you quietly satisfied.”

In the same article, California-based psychologist Rick Hanson recommends staying with an experience for a breath or two longer. Secondly, feel it in your body “land”. According to Hanson, research shows that the more you do this, the more it will leave a lasting trace. Thirdly he says we can “notice what is rewarding about the experience – specifically what is enjoyable or meaningful. What feels good about it? What do I like about it? What is pleasurable? That, in turn, increases its registration.” This practice says Hanson, will train our brain to be resilient and help us cope with challenges. Lastly, as we focus on positive experiences more, rather than negative ones, we’ll experience less stress, irritation, suffering, anxiety and sadness.

Whether taking one moment to be satisfied that you put that load of laundry away, or finding something in your day to raise a glass to at supper, be sure to notice the highlights. You’re worth it and I’ll bet you’ll feel happier. Who couldn’t benefit from more happy?

A yoga prescription for new moms: It might not be what you think

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If a person has to work, I guess I’ve got it pretty good. I get to teach different kinds of movement to people (yoga, indoor cycle, kettlebell and other group classes) and help them reach their goals.

My favourite part of the “job” is easily the students. I couldn’t choose which class is my favourite because each one has a different group and I love them all. But…there are some special perks to teaching Fit Mama. Fit Mama is a baby friendly yoga/pilates class for new moms. One of the perks being, I get to be around all these beautiful new lives and their moms at this very special time in their lives’.

These beautiful women roll out their mats ready to get back some of the pre-baby strength and energy.

In a seven or eight week session, I spend the first two weeks with some awareness and work on the internal changes which occurred with the carrying and delivery of their babies. The first week is all about the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor muscles are able to move up and down similar to a trampoline. They provide bladder and bowel control, sexual function and support of the reproductive organs. The pelvic floor muscles can become weakened from age, childbirth, obesity, chronic constipation, chronic coughing and heavy lifting. Weakened pelvic floor muscles can lead to incontinence, organ prolapse and chronic pelvic pain. Muscles that co-recruit with the pelvic floor are transverse abdominis (the core muscles that wrap around the back to the stomach), gluteals (the seat) and adductors (inner thighs).

In this first class we do a number of exercises with three different variations building strength, endurance and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles.

In the second or third week it’s all about diastasis recti. This is a separation of the abdominal muscles which occurs with pregnancy but can also occur at other times of either women or men’s lives. These muscles part to make room for the growing baby and uterus. Ideally, the muscles come back together after birth. But sometimes they do not, leading to a weakened core, a pooch or bulging of the stomach. Traditional sit ups and crunches can exacerbate the problem. In this class, we do core strengthening and stretching with the head bolstered so the abdominals rest down and do not bulge.

I also recommend that after birth when new moms are feeling their way back into some kind of a routine (albeit a new one), that they make an appointment to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist – a professional who can test, assess and provide an individual program should there be a need.

Cultural Appropriation

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The expression and topic of cultural appropriation came up not too long ago at a yoga studio where I teach. I had never heard of this expression before so I asked what it meant. Someone of Eastern dissent could be offended by a yoga studio which had a statue of Buddha or other deity. Outside of yoga other examples of cultural appropriation could include; adopting hip hop styles or indigenous articles of clothing. It should be noted that the practice of yoga itself is not seen as cultural appropriation because it’s a merging of different influences.

This gave me pause for thought: “Am I being offensive or disrespectful perhaps even looking ludicrous, when I proudly display my statue of Ganesha or a singing bowl gifted to me by a good friend?”

Wikipedia has this to say about cultural appropriation, “…often framed as cultural misappropriation, is a concept in sociology dealing with the adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. It is distinguished from equal cultural exchange due to the presence of a colonial element and imbalance of power. Cultural (mis)appropriation is often portrayed as harmful in contemporary cultures, and is claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the originating, minority cultures…can include using other cultures’ cultural and religious traditions, fashion symbols, language and songs. According to critics of the practice, cultural (mis)appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context – sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture. Often, the original meaning of these cultural elements is lost or distorted, and such displays are often viewed as disrespectful, or even as a form of desecration, by members of the originating culture. Cultural elements which may have deep meaning to the original culture may be reduced to “exotic” fashion or toys by those from the dominant culture.”

So I asked one of my favourite yoga teachers who was born and raised in India. She’s a tiny thing with a loyal following at the local yoga studio for her fresh and challenging classes. She looks at least 10 years younger perhaps from living the ayurvedic lifestyle and continuing to live primarily without furniture as she was raised. She sits and eats on the floor, she does own a bed and admits that sometimes when she’s tired reading on the floor, she will go to her bed.

She says she doesn’t care if us white Westerners have statues of deities (my words, not hers). She added that when she goes to her ashram she chants alongside all races and colours. They chant the same, it doesn’t matter. Further that if she started looking for how we are all different on the outside you have a problem. She chooses to see the light within everyone; inside everyone is good and “Michelle when you do the same, you will be a great teacher.”

So I think I will continue to love the objects on my altar and the wisdom yoga has to offer, but hopefully I will remain aware to not offend or glorify my owning of said objects.

Malas: Not just a fashion statement

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A Mala is a string of beads used to count mantras (Sanskrit prayers) in sets of 108 repetitions. The practice of chanting a mantra is used as a form of meditation. A mantra is a word or series of words chanted aloud or silently to invoke spiritual qualities. In the yogic tradition a mantra is a Sanskrit word that has special powers to transform consciousness, promote healing or fulfill desires.

Mala is a Sanskrit word meaning garland. Mala beads are also known as Japa Malas, Mala Beads, Prayer Beads, Buddhist Prayer Beads and Hindu Prayer Beads. Japa means recitation, and it is traditionally used as an adjective and combined to form Japa Mala (prayer beads for meditation). Japa mala was adopted into other languages as the use and popularity of prayer beads spread. When the Romans invaded India, they mistook japa for jap, the Latin word for rose. Upon returning to Rome, mala beads were referred to as rosarium and later became known as rosary beads in English.

Mala beads have been used in Buddhism and Hinduism for centuries. Even dating as far Continue reading “Malas: Not just a fashion statement” →