Well this is certainly a misnomer because there is no such thing as yoga perfect. It’s yoga practice. And what we practice on the mat helps us carry ourselves off the mat and into our busy lives.
You have probably heard that yoga can help us manage our mind, body and spirit.
For those of us who may not always feel the call to go to an actual yoga class, the trick is actually getting on our mat. I hope to offer a little inspiration.
Yoga for the mind
I love my restorative yoga practice. I use this practice to quite my busy mind and nervous system so that I can sleep better and wake up rested and energized. For those of us in the post menopause phase of life the changes in our hormone levels affect our mood and emotions. Progesterone is our calming hormone and once we stop ovulating we lose the effects it has on keeping us calm. I have noticed a huge difference in how quickly I get frustrated and even angry in the years following menopause. Past life experiences or a rough day at the office when we need to offer ourselves a little compassion can have a similar affect on our mental health.
So what does this have to do with yoga…
Restorative yoga can be described as a guided nap that involves various supported postures and attention to the breath and even breathing practices. My practice may involves a recorded class from my meditation app or YouTube and other evenings it is more self-guided and much less formal with just a few poses.
Forward folding, flexed postures and restorative inversions seem to work best. And I use lots of props so that my guided nap is a series of comfortable postures.
It might look like a child’s pose or pigeon pose over a bolster or legs on a chair or up the wall. Other nights it is more a series of supported poses and stretches for opening the hips and relaxing my back, hips, shoulders and neck. But more important than the postures is the breathing practice that goes along with it.
Careful attention to how we breathe, the length of the inhale and the length of the exhale makes a significant difference in how we feel emotionally. Our diaphragm attaches from the 8th vertebra of the lower thoracic spine and corresponding ribs all the way down the central tendon to the 3rd lumbar vertebra. Along the front of the vertebral bodies of the spine we have what are called ganglia. I make the analogy that the ganglia are like a train station where there are many lines of information coming in and out. They house our sympathetic nervous system the fight flight freeze and fawn responses. When we practice conscious and controlled breathing, it is as if we are massaging the nerve ganglia. This intern activates our parasympathetic nervous system which aides in rest and digest.
There are many different breathing practices used in yoga. Some build heat, others quiet the nervous system. Common practices for quieting our nervous system are an asymmetrical breath, alternate nostril breathing and box or square breathing.
At Body in Tune, LLC, I design home yoga practices and teach breathing practices to help calm the nervous system for a more lasting effect off the mat.
Yoga for the body
I tried yoga because some said I needed it. But I returned because it challenged me physically and as it turned out helped my nagging back pain. I also liked that it helped me learn to control my motion and range of motion in my joints in all three planes of motion. There are poses that focus on movement in the sagittal plane or forward and backward. There are poses that focus on movement in the frontal plane or side to side and lateral movement. And finally there are poses that focus on movement in the transverse plane or rotation and twisting. As a physical therapist I notice that often group exercise classes and gym workouts miss training the transverse plane. I think that my body learning to stabilize and control the transverse plane motions is what really began to help my back pain.
I love when I can feel the deep core stabilizing so that I can move further into a range of motion that I my body may not have seen for years. An example for me is side plank.
Some days I have engaged the deep stabilizers such that I can really rotate the trunk on the shoulder joint and arm and others one arm or the other just doesn’t feel supported and the pose is shaky, less fluid and the mobility and range of motion is less than the other side. This is typically because I am not stabilizing the spinal segments and the shoulder blade in that darned transverse plane.
Yoga has a way of being a “fun” exercise that helps us feel more fluid, strong and balanced and more in tune with our body and its movements.
In case you are curious Body in Tune would love to collaborate with you to find your perfect movement practice.
Good news! Body in Tune would love to collaborate with you to teach you this precise yoga practice and to support your ongoing practice so you can enjoy your life off the mat with confidence
Yoga for the spirit
I have heard body workers say, “the issues are in the tissues”. As a yoga teacher I have witnessed emotions coming up for my students during a vinyasa class where we go deep into poses that challenge range of motion and/or strength. There seems to be an emotional release that can happen whether we are aware of it or not. As we transition through and hold yoga poses we are encouraged to look within and connect with our true Self. I believe the yoga helps us let go of stored emotions that no longer serve us as the person we are today and going forward.
My husband noticed how my demeanor changed for the better as I progressed through my summer of yoga teacher training. I believe I became more comfortable with and/or connected with pieces and parts of my core essence. The yoga moved and stretched the fascia and tissues in ways that allowed me to release stored emotions that were negatively affecting me. The result was that I as I became more flexible physically, I was also more flexible mentally as if freeing my true spirit.
I trust that the ever changing practice of yoga will continue to help you and me evolve in all aspects of our lives.
Body in Tune, LLC was born from a belief that quality of life matters; both life and physical balance matters.
I would welcome the opportunity to be part of your support team with regards to your muscles, joints, bones and osteoporosis. The goal is, after all, to help you go from feeling
stuck, isolated and stiff to feeling open, energized and ready to handle the stresses life throws at you so you can play with your grand children, take that long-dreamed of vacation and get outside and enjoy a walk with friends.