Heal Back Pain

Weekly Education Topic
8/22-8/28/2011

Yoga reduces spinal compression and helps overall body alignment to reduce back pain.  Therapeutic Massage and Reiki both relieves tension and stress in the musculature, physical body and energetic body to relieve back pain.

It has been reported that 90% of the American population has experienced lower back pain.  Are you one of them?  Yoga and healing techniques can be just what you need in order to live a pain free life.  Increasing the flexibility and range of motion of the spinal column and hips can do wonders for your back.  Play around with a few of the following  postures to help your back.  When working with the lower back please be mindful that the spine is long and extended.  This creates space in the spine rather than compression.

Core strength is another important component to healing your back. The number one support for the lower back are the lower abs. And the number one support for the lower abs is the pelvic floor. In a yoga class you will likely hear these called the navel lock and the root lock. The navel lock is a gentle pull in and up of the lower abdominals (below the belly button). The root lock is a gentle pull up and in of the pelvic floor, similar to a Kegel. These two energy and muscular engagements lock or seal in energy to support the body. You will notice if you practice these in a class or even at home doing dishes that your posture will improve. You will stand taller and feel more energetic.

Childs Pose

Half Lord of Fishes

Seated Straddle Splits

Cactus

Knees to chest

Improve Your Body’s Efficiency

Weekly Education Topic

8/8-8/14/11

Reduced oxygen consumption.

Yoga consumes less oxygen than traditional exercise routines, thereby allowing the body to work more efficiently.

In addition, when practicing yoga asana (postures) the mind is for most neither agitated (overly active), nor perfectly calm.  It is somewhere between active and calm and allows the practitioner to find a balanced sense of calm.

Meditation, calming breathing practices (pranayama) and relaxing asana let the mind and body be soothed and feel relaxed, thus lowering the breath rate.  Thus, increasing the capacity of the lungs and the body to work in harmony.

When compared to walking at 3.5 mph Hatha yoga required 54% lower oxygen consumption.  (link to article)

So, breathe away and enjoy a more health-filled, efficient body.

Self-Study: Svadhyaya

Visualize a bridge with cars wooshing by – many, many cars. Underneath the bridge is a river flowing; how fast or slow is what we need to discover. Our thoughts, like the cars above, are rushing around on the surface of our consciousness keeping us busy and panicked, stressed, vigilant – ready to respond. The water beneath the bridge is our emotions, inner feelings, more deeply rooted states of being.  We rarely take enough time to reflect and connect with the river within us.  Now, ask yourself “What am I feeling RIGHT NOW?” Can you genuinely and honestly answer this question immediately or even within thirty seconds… maybe a minute?

There is so much that we take in on a daily basis, even a daily minute, and we rarely take the time to allow ourselves to process it. So, how are you feeling? What are you feeling?

Imagine the bridge – visualize your thoughts, all of those cars racing by.  Now, begin to take your focus to the river beneath the bridge.  What is the river doing? Is it tumultuous, rocking the banks with waves? Or, is it calm and steady like a warrior before battle? What are you feeling?

Written by Amanda Fiorino

Are You Buying or Just Renting?

By:  Lizanne Flynn, Reiki Master/Teacher

Your body, that is.  Good question, huh?  I ran across this quote from a little gem of a free service called “The Daily Guru” –

“Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz — something they are using to get around in but nothing they genuinely care about understanding.”

— Chungliang Al Huang

Rental cars are typically thought of as having high mileage and are usually worse for the wear compared to our own cars which we tend to baby because they’re, well – ours.  We’ve usually paid quite a bit of money for our own cars and due to the sizable investment we want to see them last for quite awhile. Rental cars – being far less expensive than our own cars – are impersonal and being so we care less about the slight dings we cause them to endure when we’re not careful opening and closing doors.  We care less about driving them faster and braking harder than we would our own cars because our relationship with them is temporary.  Who cares if the “change oil” light comes on?  That’s not our responsibility – that belongs to the rental car company and of course, we’ll let them know – when we return the car.  Who cares if the “check engine light” comes on while we’re driving and stays on?  It’s a bit annoying, really, this steady sign that something is not quite right with the engine and which is, after all, dependent upon a micro-computer chip – like who can ever figure those things out?  And when did the engine that runs an automobile get so darned complicated?  A good mechanic will tell you that it’s not complicated – it’s complex.  Whatever!  Just fix it and make it run so that we can go about our daily lives completely dependent upon its running well yet never giving much beyond a second thought to it besides gas and an occasional oil change.

I would imagine, gentle reader, that some of you may be squirming slightly in your seat right now and may even be a bit red in the face thinking about whether you are renting or buying your body given the analogy above.  I confess – I am, too!  How did we get to this place of semi-conscious inhabitation of a living breathing organism, a miraculous collection of symbiotic systems that serves us with every breath, every heartbeat, sometimes for a hundred years?  How did we get so tuned out to the daily sweet rhythm of our own uniqueness that is our individual physical bodies?  Phew!  I don’t know about you but that thought takes my breath away and makes me feel slightly queasy.  It’s as if I’m listening to my body right now and it’s saying – “Yo!  Is this how you really want to roll with me?  Wazzup with all this *&^%?! “  And when we do sometimes have a “breakdown” of our physical body chances are we have been given fair warning by the body via signals – check engine lights – several times before.  At that point, how often do we apologize to our body and say “Wow – I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you.  I can see that I’ve pushed you way too far and now we’re both in pain.”  Chances are good that some of us don’t think to apologize but instead adopt a “what now” beleaguered attitude of feeling sorry for ourselves that we’re in pain and furthermore that we have to stop doing a favorite activity – like, for instance, yoga.  Ironic, isn’t it, that the very thing that supports our body and will keep us in full awareness of our body’s needs is the first thing to go when we are in physical pain.  And yet yoga and like pursuits (massage, Reiki) are also the first things to go when our lives become rushed and we start down the path of choosing to ignore the warning signals our bodies give us all of the time.  We ignore the little twinges, the slight fatigue, the vague sense of being scattered mostly because they’re small – at first.  Fortunately for us the body simply turns up the volume when its needs are ignored because it is so committed to giving us a long, full lifetime.

Our bodies speak to us all of the time – constantly.  That’s their job.  To keep us informed about what’s happening on the physical level and even on a mental/emotional level so that we can be proactive with them.  So that we can partner with them in harmony and peace and learn the life lessons through them and with them that we each have in this lifetime.  You, gentle reader, were specifically and deliberately partnered with the body that you have at the very moment of conception.  All of your unconscious and conscious lessons for your soul’s lifetime (much longer than one human lifetime) were matched down to the very last cell of your little toe.  How marvelous for us and for you that you are unique and with us in this lifetime.  Without you and your particular divine spark of life the world would be a changed place.

Take a moment today and give yourself a hug.  That’s right – wrap your arms around yourself and really hug your body.  Tell your body that you are in love with it and all of its wonderful flaws.  Your funky-looking toes, your hair (or lack of), your weight, your height – everything about your body is something to be grateful for every day.  Then ask yourself these questions.  Am I going to continue to merely rent this body of mine or am I going to begin to act like the owner I already am?  How much longer will I choose to ignore my own body’s pleas for daily, weekly and monthly regular sustenance such as yoga, Reiki and massage?  And most importantly – how good will it be for me – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – if I choose to be kind, loving and compassionate with my body by remaining committed to a regular maintenance schedule?  The answer to that final question is entirely up to you because all things are, in fact, possible – especially when you are partnered with the miraculous machine that is the human body.  Expect miracles – they happen everyday!

Reduce your stress for a healthier life.

The concentration required during yoga practice tends to focus your attention on the matter at hand, thereby reducing the emphasis you may have been putting on the stress in your life.
Reducing your stress help you:

• make better decisions,
• feel more calm throughout your day,
• better sleeping habits,
• more patience with your kids, spouse, and colleagues

Practicing yoga and a healthy lifestyle allows you to maintain your peace.  This means that no matter what happens in your life you can stay calm in praise and blame, excitement and hard times.

Let your yoga practice help you manage your stress.  Even attending one class a week will impact and lower your stress level.  Come in three times a week and really feel the difference.  If you want your yoga to help you manage your stress the most important thing to remember is consistency, regularly practicing yoga each week.

If you need help getting in for classes just let us know.   We are here to support and help your healthy lifestyle.  Schedule your next yoga class or treatment today.

Why keep up a Yoga Practice in the summer… even when you are busy? So what, “Busy”!?


Busy doesn’t care if your blood sugar rises too high. Busy doesn’t care if your blood pressure goes through the roof. Busy doesn’t care if you get impatient with your kids or rage at the traffic. Busy doesn’t care if you are devastated at some disappointment or if you are depressed.


But your body does. Your essence does. Your mind and cells do. We have only so many units of life force in us. What are we spending it on now that will have us wish we had more of it later?


Yoga has you take time to breathe the breath of life rather than breathe the breath of stress. The outcome of a Yoga Practice, even in the summer, even when you are busy, is that life just works better — it flows better. You respond better to the little, but seemingly large “crises” that inevitably show up to steal away our breath of life. Most people react (rather than respond) with frustration, anger, impatience or any handful of other negative reactions that we have as a habit. Except… if we engage in a consistent daily or weekly mindfulness practice such as Yoga that puts us at cause for our life rather than a victim of circumstances.


Can you imagine yourself not getting bothered or flustered or angry at somebody else’s actions or reactions? Can you imagine meeting every day with a calm center that no matter what is swirling around you, you are able to move through the storm with ease and poise and grace and empowered.


Yoga = peace, tranquility, more measured and wise responses to the days pressures and perceived threats. And when you respond this way, when you put this kind of energy out there from your own being, what is attracted to you in life is nothing less than miraculous.


Be jealous of and guard the time you set aside for your Yoga practice. It will make everything else better.


-Renae Bechthold

Weekly Education Topic: Yoga and Metabolism

Having a balanced metabolism results in maintaining a healthy weight and controlling hunger. Consistent yoga practice helps find the balance and creates a more efficient metabolism.



“Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone,” says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K.I.S.S. Guide to Yoga. “Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism, it also helps to regulate weight. Additionally, yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells, thus reducing cellulite.”

“As circulation is increased in the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands that send out endorphins and hormones throughout our bodies, balance can be restored in our metabolic system. Through breath and movement, more oxygen and nutrients are introduced to the blood, and toxins that interfere with metabolic balance are released. Even in a short period of time, cravings and fatigue can be reduced, and with regular practice, weight loss is possible. “If your weight problem is caught early, it’s manageable with a yoga practice that caters to you and your schedule,” she says. Lieb generally encourages daily practice, as you’d alter your diet daily not once a week to see results, but incorporating the following postures and breathing techniques as often as possible can begin to provoke change and rebalance your metabolism.”  Rachel G. Horn, Yoga Cures: Slow Metabolism.



Sun Salutations can boost energy and vitality while getting the body moving.  View a video about how to practice Sun Salutations.



Inversions such as Plow and Shoulder Stand are also great energy boosters for the metabolism as they activate the thyroid.

Plow - Halasana

Shoulder Stand - Sarvangasana

Weekly Education Topic: Yoga and Osteoporosis

It is well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps prevent osteoporosis. Additionally, yoga’s ability to lower levels of cortisol may help keep calcium in the bones.

Perfect example – Dottie Beckwith, a long time client of Green Mountain Yoga reported that at her last doctor’s appointment her bone density increased. Her doctor asked her what she’s been doing and Dottie replied, “Yoga.” The doctor told her to keep it up.

No matter your age, strong bones can help keep you healthy and active.  Give Tree Pose a try to keep your bones strong and increase balance.

Please feel free to share your story too!