Apropos of Nothin'

This short post has nothing to do with yoga, but is a quick shout-out to my Mom's new blog, Latvia's Friend. She is a part of a knitting trip that is vising Scandinavia and the Baltics in July; Latvia's Friend is intended to give the group some information about that part of the world.

If you want to see some great pictures of storks and church spires, check it out!

Getting Rid of the Judge

(For the last few months I have been heavy on the Yoga Practice, not so much on the Yoga Thoughts. Let me try and remedy this situation…)

One of the nicest things about a yoga class is unfurling your mat among like-minded students and sharing the experience of losing yourself in an hour or two of yoga. The energy of a group of people doing yoga can be very pleasant and inspiring; the key is the “losing yourself” part. It is very tricky to keep your attention on your own practice and not start to compare yourself to the other students or the teacher. Of course you have to be aware of how the pose is demonstrated and if you need to modify it for yourself, but to do that and not unleash a barrage of “Oh, this pose is too hard for me” or “I hate that I can’t touch my toes” or even “Ha, my balance is better than just about everyone else’s” requires a heavy dose of self-discipline. For Westerners, and Americans especially, physical activity tends to be competitive and removing that competitive spirit from your practice takes a lot of awareness.

If you find yourself falling into the trap of comparison, first ask yourself why you feel it necessary to scold or praise yourself at all. Why not just let the poses happen quietly and without judgment; your awareness should be in the sensations of the body and not the play-by-play critique in your mind. Once you quiet the voices (I call mine my Inner Control Freak), simply observe what the pose is doing for your body—are muscles opening or fighting the action? Can you ease the effort with your breath? What is becoming more energized as you hold the pose? Try to restrict the mind’s observations to “Oh, so this is Half-Moon Pose,” or “I am releasing my chest towards my legs,” without any criticism or commentary. It’s not easy, but I think you will notice that you enjoy your practice more if it just happens naturally, without reproach or applause.

Yoga is a very personal experience and, while it is energizing to practice with others, you have to keep yourself focused on your own body and the work it is doing. If a whole class without commentary seems like too much restriction on your Inner Critic, start with a smaller chunk—say just the standing poses, or even Savasana (Corpse)—so that you can get through that section with simple observations and nothing more. See how it feels to just concentrate on what is happening rather than rating it as good or bad. I suspect that part of the practice will be a lot more calming and opening for you that the section that is judged.

Good luck and Good Riddance! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved

Keep Track in Back

Last Thursday, I taught a Warrior class with special emphasis on the back foot. It’s a variation that my teacher in Washington DC, Oya Horiguchi, is fond of because it makes you so aware of the placement of your hips and the grounding of the feet. In Virabhadrasana I, II, III much of your focus, and even your movement, is forwards, so there is a tendency to lean that direction and forget about what is going on behind you. By isolating the action of the back foot and leg, you become aware of that side of the body and get a much more even stretch. Let me show you…(my pictures are of the regular poses—to modify, just arrange your mat perpendicular to the wall with one edge touching and follow the directions below).

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1)
Stand with your back to a wall, and then step the right foot forward into the pre-Warrior straddle. Make sure the left heel is in contact with the wall, so when you ground through the sole of that foot you are aware of the pressure of your foot against the wall. Maintain that pressure as you lengthen the back of the left leg and gently press the left hip forward so that it is even with the right. Now bend the right knee, keeping it in line with the top of the right foot. Check in with the left leg, are you still pressing the heel to the wall and lengthening the back of the leg? Once you establish the lower body, lift the arms overhead, interlock the fingers and lengthen the neck back. Again, see if the left leg has started to soften, and if it has, re-press and engage. Repeat with the right foot in back.

By maintaining the contact with the wall, you are forced to keep the left leg strong. This will help you square the hips and make the base of the pose solid—which allows you to reach higher with the arms and really lengthen the side ribs in the full pose.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2)
This time, stand with your left side at the wall and step into a side straddle, with the side of the left foot against the wall. Turn your right foot towards the front of your mat, and turn the left toes slightly toward center. Again, solidly ground through the bottoms of both feet and notice the press at the wall. Bend the right knee, keeping your right thigh and both hips parallel to the side of your mat. Be keenly aware of the contact of your left heel and the work of the left thigh to keep the foot in place. Now raise your arms to either side, extend and turn your head towards the right hand (you may have to rest your left palm on the wall).

Bring your attention to the back leg, making sure the knee hasn’t softened and the heel is still grounded. Check to see that you haven’t shifted your weight onto the toes of the right foot (lift them and press into the heel). Lift the side ribs and align the head with the tailbone, which should be easier because of the strength of your base. Repeat with the right foot in back.

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3)
Warrior 3 is a bit harder to work with, because of the balance aspect; nonetheless, bringing awareness to the back leg and foot make it a stronger pose and help you level out the hips. You may find the contact between foot and wall help you balance longer, as well. Measure your starting point, by standing facing the wall and stretching out your foot at a right angle to your standing leg, so the sole of the extended foot is touching the wall. Lower the leg and turn to face away from the wall.

Come into W3 by grounding solidly through the right foot and leg and folding at the hip crease. At the same time, lift the left leg behind you until the torso is parallel to the floor and your left foot is pressed against the wall, big toe pointing down. Your body should make the letter T. Now, ground evenly into the right sole and engage the right thigh; press the left foot to the wall and lengthen the back of the left leg. Again, see how the wall lets you really focus on this work in the back leg. When you are ready, stretch the arms in front of you, interlock the fingers and lengthen the side ribs. Check back to feel that the legs are still strong. Repeat with the right foot against the wall.

If you want a more intense practice, try all these Warriors away from the wall. Continue to be as diligent with your back leg, even without the extra pressure. See if these versions feel different than your usual poses—try to hold them awhile, as you remind yourself about the work of the back leg vis a vis the front. Notice the length and alignment of the spine—you should be able to really stretch the top of the head away from the tailbone with all this grounding in the base. Press down, lift up—this work in opposite directions becomes the source of the deep, invigorating stretch of these asana. Have at it! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

A Change in Perspective

Yesterday, we did headstands in class, which was both exhilarating and scary for my students (I think). If you are used to this intense inversion, the experience of being upside down can be a nice change in perspective; if it has been 20-30 years since the last headstand, it can be rather threatening—am I about to snap my neck? The key is to move into it slowly and see how your body feels at each stage of the preparation, before finally kicking up. You can even stay in the tripod and just kick a few times to feel how the weight starts to shift, but not actually bring your legs overhead.

The other key is to think of the pose as a chest opener, even if the arms are in front of the body. If you don’t engage the upper back by drawing the shoulder blades together and down (away from the neck), the torso will sag and you will put extra weight on your head. You need to feel that opening across the chest and that pressure of the forearms to the floor to keep the spine long all the way from the skull to the tailbone. The following practice will emphasize this opening, so when you do come up, you can already have the feeling in your body.

Give it a try, with your thoughts in your chest and upper back. If you haven’t done a headstand for awhile, just do the prep poses and keep the feet on the floor in the half-headstand (or Dolphin pose). Enjoy the feeling of upside down (and keep an eye on your cat or dog--or toddler--this pose seems to encourage pets and kids to sit right by your face, Achoo!).

Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand)
**Don’t try a headstand, until you have learned how to do one with an experienced teacher. S/he will teach you the proper positioning so you don’t hurt your neck. **

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)-Feel your tall, aligned spine as you ground down through your feet and stretch up through the top of the head. Gently draw the shoulder blades together and down the back (but don’t arch the upper back).
Hastasana (Overhead Arm Pose)-Add the arm stretch and feel the side ribs lift, while keeping the shoulders away from the ears. Bring your attention to the shoulder blades, again, but maintain the length in the spine.
Uttanasana (Intense Forward Bend)-Fold from the hips while stretching through the backs of the legs. Keep the weight balanced between the balls and heels of the feet. Bend the knees slightly to release the lower back and let your torso hang.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)-Keep the spine elongated while the shoulder blades slide down the back (away from the shoulders). Although you are inverted, concentrate on keeping the chest open and the arms strong (as they were in Hastasana).
Balasana (Child’s Pose)-Come down to the floor and let the whole body relax
Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand)-Try this against the wall, or, better yet, in a corner so that you have support at your back and heels. Use a folded blanket under the head and forearms for cushioning. Keep the elbows shoulder-distance apart (but not more) so you can press the forearms to the floor. Kick up each leg separately, until the heels are against the wall. Try to recall the aligned feeling from Tadasana, except this time reach through the head to the floor and the heels to the ceiling. Recreate the open chest/engaged arms and shoulder from Dog so the upper body doesn’t sag.
Half Headstand-if you’re not ready for the full pose, try this modification. Make a tripod with the hands and forearms and place the top of the head (halfway between the ears) on the floor so the palms are resting against the back of the head and the knuckles are gently resting against the wall. Straighten the legs as for Dog, so that only part of the torso’s weight is balanced on the head. Slowly walk the feet forwards to bring the back closer to the wall
Balasana (Child’s Pose)-Lower yourself back to the floor and rest as long as you like.
Seated twist-Take advantage of your stretched-out torso as you slowly twist the ribcage around the spine, while sitting in Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
Savasana (Corpse Pose)-try to recreate the alignment from your Mountain and Headstand, while releasing all your muscles into the support of the floor. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

You Call This April!?!?

I don’t know what the weather is like in your part of the world, but in mine—Wisconsin—it stinks. We are supposed to have 3-5” of snow today, with the possibility of accumulating 8-12” by this evening. All the daffodils and iris and tulips have lovely green shoots that are now completely weighted down with snow. At least the goldfinches have started to turn yellow again, so they are sort of pretty against the white (if you need something positive to say about all of this).

Obviously, I’m finding it rather difficult to just “be” in the moment and enjoy the beauty of the snow, although I suppose it’s a good exercise in patience and forbearance. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Okay, now that I’ve got that rant out of my system, I say it’s time for a good old sun salute. On a chilly, slick day like today, it’s a nice way to get the blood flowing and warm the body. Do it fast for a more aerobic practice and move with each breath, or do it slowly and concentrate on holding the down dog/plank/up dog section for at least 5-10 breaths to generate some heat in the core.

Maybe our actions will convince the sun to show up and melt all of this nonsense!

Sun Salute
[Breath is indicated if you are doing this as a flow sequence; otherwise try to hold each pose for at least 5 breaths]

Tadasana (Mountain)[inhale-exhale]: standing with the feet parallel, open the arms to the sky and slightly arch the back. Keeping the back long, fold forward at the hips.
Uttanasana (Intense Forward Bend)[inhale-exhale]: reach for the thighs/shins/ankles-- first with straight arms and a long back, then bend the arms and relax the back to let the head come closer to the knees
-Both hands come to floor and step the right foot back while bending the left knee [inhale].
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I) [exhale]: lift the torso and reach the interlocked fingers overhead, looking towards the hands. {Modify by keeping the head looking forwards and rest the hands on the left thigh.}
-Fold forwards and bring both hands back to the floor [inhale].
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) [exhale]: step the left foot back, lift the hips and lower the head into Dog.
Plank [inhale]: lower the hips and straighten the back.
Urdha Mukha Svanasana (Upward Dog) [exhale]: sink hips towards the floor and lift the head into Up Dog. {Modify by lowering the knees to the mat.}
Plank [inhale]: lift the hips to be level with the shoulders and straighten the back.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) [exhale]: lift the hips and lower the head into Dog.
-Step the right foot forward [inhale].
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I) [exhale]: lift the torso and reach the interlocked fingers overhead, looking towards the hands. {Modify by keeping the head looking forwards and rest the hands on the right thigh.}
-Both hands come to floor and step the left foot forwards while bending the both knees [inhale].
Uttanasana (Intense Forward Bend)[exhale]: straighten the legs and reach for the thighs/shins/ankles and bend the arms, letting the head come closer to the knees.
Tadasana (Mountain)[inhale]: Straighten the legs without locking them and, unfolding from the hips, come back to standing. Lift the arms to the sky.
Anjali Mudra (Namaste hand position) [exhale]: lift from the top of the head and ground through the soles of the feet as you bring your palms together at chest level. Repeat entire, starting with the left foot. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Yoga face…

There was an article in last week’s New York Times about a new kind of yoga class: facelift yoga. Apparently, some studios have started offering classes that promise the kind of tightening and lifting you can get under the knife, through yoga practice. One studio even got a threatening letter from the Botox people for naming a class “Yo-tox” (I’m not sure I understand wanting to equate your practice to a chemical you inject to paralyze facial muscles—kind of an oxymoron, don’t you think?).

A few doctors quoted in the article pointed out that, while the asana might improve muscles tone, the wrinkles that come (are earned!) with age, are due more to the loss of elasticity in the skin. The article did note that the students seemed much more relaxed and happy after class, even if their faces looked about the same. I suppose if a few lion poses make you feel better, why not?

I can’t promise to improve the quality of your skin, but here are a few stretches that are a lovely at the end of the day, especially if you store your stress in your neck and shoulders. Who knows, you may even smooth a few lines as you go (if you do, let me know and I’ll try and get a patent on the routine—I’ll even give you a cut—it can’t possibly be any worse than cow botulism!)

Neck and Shoulder Openers
Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position with the sitbones on a folded blanket. Increase the height of the blanket if you can’t sit without rounding the lower back. Take a few minutes to really concentrate on balancing the pelvis and lengthening the spine.

Neck and Shoulder stretch Place your right palm on top of your head and gentle pull the head towards the right shoulder. Keep the body aligned in Easy Pose, and just move from the neck up. Rest your left hand on the floor and slightly walk your fingers away from your body to create a counterweight to the hand on your head. Feel the stretch from below the ear and over the top of the shoulder. Release the head and repeat on the left side. Then, with the same hand arrangement, drop the head towards the center right, so the stretch moves into the back of the neck and down towards the shoulder blades. Repeat on the left.

Dandasana + Hastasana (Staff Pose + Overhead Arm Stretch) Extend the legs out in front of you, pressing the soles of the feet away evenly and engaging the thigh muscles. Raise your arms to the side and keep the shoulders away from the ears as you lift your arms overhead. Interlock the fingers and turn the palms towards the ceiling. After your initial stretch, bend the elbows slightly and let your palms come further back to deepen the rotation in the shoulder joints. Try to straighten the arms.

Virasana + Namaste (Hero Pose with Namaste hands in back) Lower your hips between your ankles (or onto a block), trying to keep the knees together. Keep the lower spine long and make sure the tailbone points down. Try to hold the pose for a while and, if you can, lower your hips closer to the floor to deepen the stretch. This may work better with a folded blanket than a block under the hips. Bring the hands behind the back and either cross the arms at the lower back or bring the hands to the prayer position.

Cat Stretch-Come to your hands and knees and start by lifting the tailbone towards the sky and let the arch move down through the spine until you are lifting the head. Then point the tailbone down and open the back of the spine to the sky until the head drops forward. Repeat, slowly, a few more times.

Shoulder Opener at the Wall Come to standing. Make a tripod with your hands and arms, so that the fingers are interlocked and the elbows are shoulder distance apart. Press the forearms to the wall at chest-height and step the feet back, so you fold at the hips. Drop the head between the forearms and feel the stretch around the shoulder blades and arm pits. Deepen the stretch by stepping farther away from the wall.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog) Begin in Balasana (Child’s Pose) with the arms stretched in front of you and then lift up to your hands and knees. Your outstretched arms should now be placed with the heels of the hands beneath the shoulders. Lift the hips up and back, with the knees bent to get the upper body aligned and then press the thighs back to begin straightening the legs. Don’t worry about pressing the heels to the floor, as you lengthen the backs of the legs the heels will start to sink. Try to recreate the stretch you felt in the shoulders and armpits at the wall, but keep the arms straight and ground evenly through the palms. Hold for as long as you like and then return to Child’s Pose.

Lion’s Pose If you want to stretch out the face, come back to Easy Pose and rest the hands, palms up, on the knees. Then open the eyes as wide as possible, open the mouth as wide a possible and stick your tongue out as far as you can. Cross the eyes for an extra stretch of your eyeball muscle. Rooar! (You can do this pose earlier in the sequence, if you are doing this practice before bed and don’t want to get too riled up before sleep). ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

A Blast from the Past

First of all, check out my article in yogajournal.com's newsletter for teachers, My Yoga Mentor. It's about refreshing your teaching, if you find yourself in a rut, with suggestions from various senior teachers.

Secondly, I apologize for the break in postings...I've been bogged down with a very demanding project and haven't had time to write something new. So, I've dug down into the "archives" to find a favorite posting from last summer. Hopefully, it's new to many of you and for those of you who remember it, maybe the review will inspire a nice round of beautifully-executed Dogs. Here it is...

Learning to Love the Dog (Again)
After class last week, a couple of my students were discussing how much trouble they had with Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) and decided that they just didn’t have the upper body strength for the pose. This is a common problem for people with stiff shoulders or upper backs; the pose becomes a version of Plank Pose, because they can’t lengthen the upper torso and rotate their shoulders enough to get into the inverted V of Dog. All the weight of the upper body is on the arms and wrists, instead of being equally suspended between the legs and arms. This is a very strenuous position and, because of the strain, people stop breathing evenly and blood starts to rush to the head. Needless to say, this does not make for a very calming pose.

So, in honor of Madame Purl and Dan, I offer this sequence for shoulder opening. Be honest with yourself and don’t overdo any of the stretches or force your body out of alignment. The idea is to work on the rotation of your shoulders and find a place where you can feel the upper back working, while the spine is still lengthening. Even if you don’t have trouble with your Dog, this is a wonderful series to work any tension out of your upper torso and will help you stay in DFD even longer to get the maximum benefits of the inversion. Enjoy!

Shoulder Opening Sequence

Tadasana with Hastasana Arms (Mountain Pose with Overhead Arms) Extend the spine and side ribs as you stretch your palms towards the ceiling. Keep the neck long and the shoulders away from the ears. If you need to slightly bend the arms to stretch up, do so.

Extended legs with Gomukhasana (Cow’s Head Pose) Arms Step your feet apart as if for Triangle, and ground evenly thru the bottoms of the feet. Lift the side ribs, but keep the shoulders down. Twist lift the right arm overhead and bend the elbow while reaching up the back with the left hand; join hands or clasp either ends of a belt. Stretch the elbows away from each other, while gently pressing them to the center. Switch sides.

Parsvokonasana (Lateral Angle Pose) Do this combination Warrior 2 (legs)-Triangle (side stretch) Pose. Ground evenly thru the soles of the feet, but really focus on lengthening the side ribs as you stretch from wrist to ankle on each side.

Right Angle to the Wall Stretch Stand with the hands against the wall, even with the shoulders, and the step the feet back until your head, arms and side ribs are in a straight line. Press the finger tips to the wall as you stretch your sit bones back to lengthen the sides of the torso. To deepen the rotation of the shoulders, relax the upper back and let the head hang between the arms.**Is it just me, or do toddlers act just like cats when they get around a yoga mat?**

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) With the wall in reach (or against your back), move from Mountain in this balance pose (one knee bent, sole of that foot against the other leg). When you feel balanced, reach both arms overhead and repeat the stretch of Hastasana while keeping the shoulders down. Change sides.

Tripod Shoulder Opener Form a tripod with the elbows, sides of the arms and sides of the hands (fingers clasped or fingertips pressing together). Press the tripod to the wall at shoulder height and step back until you can hang your head between your hands. Feel the stretch around the shoulder blades and in the armpits.

Modified Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) Start on your hands and knees, with the heels just a few inches from the wall. As you come into Dog, keep your knees bent and let your heels rest again the wall. Make sure your arms are stretched out enough that you can really lengthen the back and side ribs. Don’t worry about straightening the legs. Try to keep the neck long and the shoulders away from the ears (same positioning as the Right Angle Stretch).

Balasana (Child’s Pose) Relax on the floor and concentrate on releasing thru the shoulders.

Full Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) Come away from the wall and do a complete Dog. Keep the knees bent and the heels off the floor if you need to—you are focusing on the work of the arms and shoulders this time. If you get the upper body in a comfortable, rotated place you can try lengthening the back of the legs, but only if you are comfortable.

Balasana (Child’s Pose) Again, come down to the support of the floor. If you want to roll over into Savasana (Corpse) for a more complete relaxation, go ahead and do so. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Forward Bends; love ‘em or leave ‘em

Some students love forward bends. Their calf and thigh muscles are very flexible and they enjoy the challenge of stretching those muscles enough so that they can (almost) rest their torsos on their legs. Other students can’t stand them (the poses, not the flexible people). As hard as they try, they can barely reach their knees and only if they round their upper backs. The poses aren’t fun or invigorating—they hurt.

No matter which camp you fall in, it is important to remember that forward bends can improve with practice, but that you need to be very aware of how your lower back feels while you are doing them. It may be that the construction of your spine and pelvis is such that you will never be able to reach past your knees. The flexibility of your legs has something to do with your forward bend “ability”, but it is more related to the length of the muscles and ligaments surrounding the pelvis and lumbar spine. Always respect the sensations of the lower back as you bend; this will tell you if you can work on deepening the pose, or if you are as far you should stretch.

Unless forward bends are really painful, there are simple modifications that you can do to the poses so that they will work for you (lift the sitbones with a higher blanket, use a belt around the balls of the feet). If they are always uncomfortable, just skip them…there are plenty of other asana that open the backs of the legs and are more supportive of the lower spine. We did this sequence in class this week. Try it, and see if it works for you!

Forward Bends
Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position with the sitbones on a folded blanket. Increase the height of the blanket if you can’t sit without rounding the lower back. Take a few minutes to really concentrated on balancing the pelvis and lengthening the spine.

Dandasana + Hastasana (Staff Pose + Overhead Arm Stretch) Extend the legs out in front of you, pressing the soles of the feet away evenly and engaging the thigh muscles. Raise your arms to the side and keep the shoulders away from the ears as you lift your arms overhead. After your initial stretch, begin to fold forward from the hips; keep the arms long and the side ribs lifted. Lead with the belly button as you lengthen the backs of the legs. Come back to center and relax.
Paschimottanasana (Forward Bend) Wrap your belt around the balls of the feet and begin to pull yourself forward, leading with the belly button. You are now tipping the pelvis forward to lengthen the back of the legs. Don’t round your lower back and keep the side ribs lifted as you did in the previous pose. If it’s comfortable, release the spine and fold further over the legs.
Padangusthasana (Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose)-Lie on your back and breathe deeply into the back of the legs as you draw your right foot towards you with the belt and press the back of the left thigh to the floor. Try to keep the pelvis balanced (there will be space at the lower back). Lower the leg to the side and rest the thigh on a block so you can concentrate on opening the hip joint instead of tipping over. Bring the leg back to center and lower. Repeat on the other side.
Upavistha Konasana (Wide-legged Forward Bend) Fold your blanket into thirds, so you have a higher base for the sit bones. Spread the legs to either side, but not so wide that you can’t keep the knees and toes pointing to the ceiling. Lengthen the backs of the legs as you press the soles of the feet away, like Staff Pose. Stretch the arms overhead, lengthen the side ribs and begin to fold at the hip crease. As with the earlier Forward Bend, if it is comfortable, release the spine and fold towards the floor.
Tadasana (Mountain) Come to standing and realign the spine, paying attention to the balance of the pelvis. Lift up through the top of the head as you ground through the soles of the feet.
Chair Pose, with a Twist Step the feet hip distance apart, with the inside edges of the feet parallel. Sit back, as if in a chair, as you bend your knees and fold at the hip crease. Stretch the arms overhead and lengthen the side ribs. Fold further forwards and place your right hand on the floor or a block and twist to the left while reaching the left arm towards the ceiling. Repeat on the other side. Come back to standing.
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Come into this pose softly to release the lower back. Keep the knees slightly bent as you fold from the hip crease. Cross your arms and let the weight of the upper body stretch out the spine. If you want a little stretch in the backs of the legs you can slowly straighten them by lengthening the backs of the thighs. Bend your knees to come back to standing and unfold slowly.

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Bend) From Mountain, step the right foot back and straighten both legs. Make sure the hips are square and you are lengthening the backs of both thighs. With the arms folded at your lower back, stretch the chest forwards and fold at the hips, so the torso is parallel to the floor. Keep the hips square and the right heel grounded. Release the spine and round over the left leg, if you can. Return to center and repeat on the other side.
Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose). Lie on the floor with the backs of your legs and hips resting against the wall and the feet lined up over the hips. Feel the pressure draining out of your feet and ankles. Keep the spine long as you relax the back into the support of the floor. Stay in this relaxing pose as long as you like. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Process not Product

It is important to remember that in yoga, as with pretty much everything else, you should always focus on the journey not the destination. Ours is a very goal-oriented society, with all emphasis placed on the finished product rather than on the work and discovery that happens during its creation; it is very hard to shift focus away from results and concentrate on method. But you should try. Whatever it is that you are involved with will eventually end (the Terrible Twos, winter, grad school, spring cleaning), and it seems a shame to be wishing your life away, rather than learning from (dare I say enjoying?) the process.

Now, I’m a lot better at dispensing this advice than following it—so maybe we should practice “being in the moment” in a yoga pose. You can apply this skill to the Big Picture later, once your Triangle/Warrior II/Dog is perfectly observed.

Pick a favorite, but challenging, standing pose—one that improves as you hold it for awhile. Obvious candidates are: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down Dog), Trikonasana (Triangle), Virabhadrasana I or II (Warrior I or II), or Parsvakonasana (Lateral Angle). Come into the pose in stages and notice what part of the body is doing the most work in each stage—grounding evenly through all parts of the foot, squaring the hips, elongating the spine, keeping the shoulder blades down, lengthening the neck—and take a few breaths at each stage so you are fitting the pieces of the pose together like a puzzle.

Once you are in the pose, keep checking in with these key areas. Can you deepen the work in a specific area with an exhale? How does that deepening affect the next area? Keep repeating the cycle and checking in every few breaths, but allowing yourself time to be still in the pose, too. If you start to get tired, see if concentrating on just your breath allows you more time in the position. When you are ready to come out, do it slowly, area by area, so the body unfolds from the pose rather than snapping (or sagging) to attention. Come into a relaxation pose (Balasana-Childs’, Tadasana-Mountain, Sukhasana-Easy) and observe the after-effects of the longer pose.

Obviously the interesting part of this exercise is not coming into the relaxation pose, or even coming out of the more difficult standing pose. See if you can recreate the feeling of discovery and opening that you noticed during this practice in the task that plagues you in your “real” life. It will be a lot harder than balancing your foot or aligning your tailbone, of course, but maybe this awareness will keep you engaged in the process.

I can’t guarantee that this will make tax preparation any more enjoyable, but I’ll bet you will find something interesting and new about how your garden wakes as the snow melts or how you perceive your professional achievements during a job search. Worse comes to worst, you can always just fling yourself back into Dog Pose and enjoy a nice, long stretch—you know that process will make you happy. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

A Review of the Literature...

Next week begins a new session at the Y, so I thought I'd update all my links and sidebar information. There's a lot of stuff I've been looking at over the past few months, but hadn't got around to adding it to the blog. Blogger created a new template system, so it's extra easy to add links (if you are fishing around for a new format for your blog)--so I guess my procrastination has paid off.

Yoga Resources This is information and reference material. There's a link to the Stateline Family YMCA with my class listing. Nu-Source is the company I use for yoga props. Yoga Movement and Yoga Journal are good all-over resources; YM for seeking out different web sites and YJ for just about everything yoga-related, with lots of articles and descriptions of poses and practice sequences. Yoga Dancer is a comprehensive list--with pictures--of poses. And Yoga Font is a typeface designed by an Englishman that you can download to write sequences with.

Yoga Books These are books I use all the time when writing this blog and planning my classes. They have invaluable information about the physiology of the poses and ways to modify/intensify various asana.

Yoga Blogs This group of blogs/websites/podcasts are things I've come across on the internet that I think are worth a look. Alan Little has a blog similar to mine, in which he discusses poses and suggests sequences. Body and Breath and Hip Tranquil Chick are site that sell a lot of different yoga items, but have some interesting links. Everything Yoga has some good links, too. Moving Into Stillness is a huge discussion group that covers just about every yoga topic you can think of; the moderator, Suzanne DeForest does a nice job of keeping everything civil. Open Mind Open Body is a thougtful site by Kelly McGonigal, with some good suggestions for meditation, etc. Yoga Dawg and Cupcakes and Yoga are "lighter" sites; Dawg is downright irreverent (and hilarious), Cupcakes is personal and has some nice recepies for, you guessed it, cupcakes. Yoga Peeps is an interview show hosted by Lara Cestone and is downloadable to a MP3 player.

Give them all a look, and let me know what you think. I'll also welcome any suggestions for sites to add--I only have so much time for "research." Happy Surfing!

Snow Yoga

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? We were all out for a wintry walk yesterday morning, because we had to get out of the house. Late winter in Wisconsin can be excruciating for a 2 ½-year-old—and his parents—so we bundled up and headed out to the trail behind our house. It was a clear, crisp day with a several layers of snow on the ground from our last three weekend storms. Jim and I broke through last week’s layer, but Eamonn sailed across on the top, which delighted him (and meant he didn’t need carrying).

The boys forged on ahead into the woods, while I hung back. It was so lovely and peaceful that a quick yoga practice seemed appropriate; I plopped down into Virasana (Hero Pose), closed my eyes and let the sounds of the cool air and birds be my soundtrack. I was bundled enough that the cold didn’t bother me, so it was a really nice, different way to approach a short session of focused relaxation. Give it a try, before the snow melts!

1. Pick a quiet, peaceful spot, without distractions like neighborhood noise or traffic. Make sure you are bundled warmly; being cold will be more distracting than noise and you want to be able to focus on your environment. This won’t be for very long, but you should be comfortable.

2. Find a favorite pose that you can hold for 10 or 15 minutes: Sukhasana (Easy Pose), Virasana, Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose), Dandasana (Staff Pose) are all comfortable poses, that you could do leaning against something for more support. Adjust as you need to accommodate your winter wrapping; you will be bulkier, so you may need to modify the position because of your boots, snow pants, etc.

3. Once you are comfortably situated, close your eyes and let yourself settle into the position. Be aware of the noises you hear all around you—wind in the branches, birds, a far-off snow blower, dripping icicles—don’t focus on them but let the sounds enter and leave your awareness as it happens. Stay in this calm, alert-but-relaxed state for as long as you wish.

4. Head inside for some hot chocolate and, remember, spring is only 16 days away! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Learning from a Corpse

No, I’m not going to enthuse about C.S.I. or, for you older yogis, Quincy. Today, I’m going to talk about what you can learn about yourself when relaxing in the final pose of a yoga class, Savasana (Corpse Pose). During interviews for my recent Yoga Journal article, I asked experienced teachers how yoga instructors could gauge if their class was successful. Several of them noted that the true sign of a good class was if the students were relaxed and quiet during Corpse.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense...the power of yoga is how it creates a sense of calm and well-being in the practitioner, no matter how energetic the sequence. This calm is evidenced by how much you can let go during the final relaxation. A teacher needs to watch for agitated movement, clenched fingers or toes, fluttering eyelids—basically signs that the students cannot release their muscles, even in a quiet, soothing environment. That means the work of the class was not calming and the teacher needs to find a way to help the students relax. Or, even if the students appear to be relaxed, their minds are still racing and the students, themselves, have to figure out how to quiet their thoughts.

I think Savasana is one of the hardest poses to do, because it is so difficult to completely let go and just “be in the moment.” Here are some suggestions on how to relax the body and, once the muscles are released, to still the mind.

-Start with the body. This is not meditation, so you aren’t trying to alter your consciousness; you are trying to get the muscles in the body to relax and soften, so concentrate on the smallest and move to the largest. Start with the fingers and toes, which have the fewest motor neurons and, as a result, are the easiest to release. Then move up the legs and arms to the hips and shoulder and finally into the torso. The postural muscles (abdominals and back) are some of the most complex and it is much harder to release contracted muscles here, especially because the contraction may be habitual if this is where your store your stress, (i.e. upper shoulders, lower back).

-Stay focused on the muscles. It takes a lot of concentration to relax the muscles and keep them relaxed, so work on maintaining a released state. Sense the softening of your body with each exhale and imagine yourself sinking into the floor. Keep deepening the “melting” feeling, so each breath contributes to your continued relaxation.

-Stay in the moment. For me, it is hardest to quiet and release the mind. As the body relaxes, the mind wants to keep working so you have to shut it off or, at least, slow it down. Sometimes just repeating a simple phrase is enough: “Air comes in, air goes out,” with each breath, for example. Or visualize a scene that will keep the mind focused on the moment: clouds moving by in the sky or water passing over pebbles in a stream. Corpse is meant to be an “active” relaxation, so you want to stay present and aware, not distracted with the mind wandering.

-Do Savasana regularly. Being able to relax, but not fall asleep or zone out takes practice. But, once you figure out how to get your muscles to release and your mind to empty, you’ve got a powerful tool to help yourself stay calm and reduce stress. In a pinch, I’ve found being able to just “be” for 10 minutes is almost as good as a nap in terms of revitalization (almost).

Work on this during your next practice. See if you can get to that place where the body is completely soft and the mind is conscious, but not working. And if it’s really difficult, notice why that is. Being aware of where you are tense and can’t relax will give you a place to focus on next time (maybe by including some poses that target that area). Collect your clues and crack this case! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Cow’s Head Sequence

Sorry for the silence. I’ve been working on another article for Yoga Journal’s newsletter for teachers and I got bogged down in my rewrites. I’ll let you know when “Enliven Your Teaching: from Routine to Animated” gets posted (March 28 or so).

So I’ve been hunched over a desk for the past week--time to open the shoulder and get the blood flowing into the hips and legs. Here’s a sequence using Gomukhasana (Cow’s Head Pose) we worked on last time:

Gomukhasana Sequence
-Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position with the sitbones on a folded blanket. Increase the height of the blanket if you can’t sit without rounding the lower back. Take a few minutes to really concentrated on balancing the pelvis and lengthening the spine.
-Virasana + Namaste (Hero Pose with Namaste hands in back) Lower your hips between your ankles (or onto a block), trying to keep the knees together. Keep the lower spine long and make sure the tailbone points down. Try to hold the pose for awhile and, if you can, lower your hips closer to the floor to deepen the stretch. This may work better with a folded blanket than a block under the hips. Bring the hands behind the back and either cross the arms at the lower back or bring the hands to the prayer position.
-Right Angle pose at wall Stand with the hands against the wall, even with the shoulders, and the step the feet back until your head, arms and side ribs are in a straight line. Press the finger tips to the wall as you stretch your sit bones back to lengthen the sides of the torso. To deepen the rotation of the shoulders, relax the upper back and let the head hang between the arms.
-Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) Feet are grounded evenly (right toes to the side, left slightly off-center), the hips are square, the tailbone points down and the side ribs lengthen. As you start to lean to the side, begin the twist low in the back and then move it to the chest and shoulders. The arms stretch away from each other as you lower to the shin or thigh. Finally, the head turns to look at the ceiling as you keep your neck long. Switch sides.
-Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Bend the elbows and lift them to be even with the shoulders. Cross the left elbow over the right and center the elbows with your breast bone. Without hunching the shoulders, interlock the palms. If you can't do this with out hunching, rest the palms on the shoulders or try and grab the right pinky with the left thumb. Repeat with right elbow over left.
-Uttanasana (Intense Forward Bend) Fold from the hips while stretching through the backs of the legs. Keep the weight balanced between the balls and heels of the feet.
-Gomukhasana (Cow’s Head Pose) See last week’s blog.
-Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle) Loop your belt around your hips and over the sides of the feet, as you draw the heels towards the pelvis. Gently lower yourself to the floor or a folded blanket and loosen or tighten the belt so the knees can open towards the floor. Stay as long as you like.
-Savasana (Corpse Pose) Try to let everything completely release in this final relaxation. ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Cow’s Head or Cow’s Face Pose

Unless you’re one of the lucky ones in southern climes, you will agree that this past week has been rather challenging weather-wise. Here in Wisconsin we are getting “highs” of -2 and -4. I think there should be a rule about what meteorologists can call high…anything under 5 is not. We’ve been bundled up to the eyes so as not to expose skin to instant-frostbite and even in class we’re shuffling around with long johns and sweatshirt to stay warm. Nuts, I say.

All this shuffling and bundling is usually paired with hunching over. It’s warmer and there is less of you to catch a passing arctic blast. But it also leads to a sore neck and upper shoulders and throws the spine out of whack. A cure-all for this February Hunch is the pose Gomukhasana or Cow’s Head Pose. The full pose is very twisty and yoga looking, but if you want to skip the legs because of tight hips or knees, the arms are accessible to almost everyone if you have a belt.

Like Trikonasana (Triangle), there is a lot going on in all the joints and each side twists a slightly different way from the other. This means the synovial fluid in the joints is getting squeezed all around its cavity and blood flow is increased in the area to aid in the lubrication of the muscles. It’s not a particularly relaxing pose, or even all that comfortable, but it is very, very beneficial. Give it a try after you get unwrapped.

Gomukhasana (Cow’s Head Pose)
1. If you are doing the whole pose, start with the legs. Make sure you have a folded blanket to sit on, to lift the hips off the floor and sit with the sitbones on the blanket and backs of the thighs off. Come to Dandasana (Staff Pose), with the legs straight in front of you. Then bend the left knee and draw the left heel towards the right hip. Bend the right knee and cross that leg over the left so the right heel is at the left hip. Line the knees up with each other and then with the center of the torso. If you need to loosen the cross a bit, the heels can come a bit forward and the knees don’t have to stack.
-However, no matter what you do with your legs, make sure you can align and lengthen the spine. If your back is hunched over or rounded, come to Sukhasana (Easy Pose) so that your hips and lower back can release.

2. Place your belt over your right shoulder. Now stretch the right hand toward the ceiling and rotate it in the socket so your elbow is facing forwards. Bend the right arm and reach that hand towards your shoulder blades. Give the right triceps a gentle stretch by pressing on the right elbow with your left hand. Take hold of the belt with your right hand.

3. Bend the left elbow along side the body and reach up the back to take hold of the belt, or, if you have flexible shoulders, the right hand. When you adjust the hands, make sure they are lined up with your spine. Then check the alignment of the spine; its easy to start slouching when your are focusing so much on the upper body.

4. As you hold the pose, try to relax the shoulder and hip joints. Keep the spine long. Try to gently press the elbows back and slightly closer to the center. Breathe deeply and evenly. Then carefully release and uncross the limbs and repeat to the other side. If you do this in front of a mirror, you will see the cow’s head: your crossed knees are the lips, your chest the eyes and your elbows a couple of flopped ears. Mooo! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Podcast

Okay, here's the first official podcast for you to try...37 minutes (to be exact) of yoga, based on the practice I posted this weekend. Be patient, because it will take a little while to download (maybe 10-15min.s). It's a medium-sized podcast--34MB--so if you're downloading it to your iPod, make sure you have room.

Please let me know what you think. I'm still a novice at this and can use whatever constructive criticism you have to offer. Enjoy!

Revolved Head-to-Knee Podcast

Podcast Sequence

So, I hope those of you who downloaded the Down Dog podcast enjoyed it. It took awhile to put together, but now I know what I am doing (mostly). Here’s my idea: I will post a sequence with directions and pictures, so you can see what I am going to “teach” and will follow up a few days later with a corresponding podcast. This way you can have an image in your mind during practice, but don’t have to crane your next or mess up your alignment to see the screen.

Since I’m on a Parivrtta Janu-Sirsasana kick, let’s do a series of poses that naturally lead to Revolved Head-to-Knee. It is a very intense twist and forward bend, so it requires some preparation.

1. Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Concentrate on lengthening the side ribs to create space in the lower half of the torso. Balance the pelvis so you are resting on the center of the sit bones, not rolling forward or back.

2. Dandasana + Hastasana (Staff Pose + Overhead Arm Stretch) Extend the legs out in front of you, pressing the soles of the feet away evenly and engaging the thigh muscles. Raise your arms to the side and keep the shoulders away from the ears as you lift your arms overhead. Interlock the fingers and turn the palms towards the ceiling. After your initial stretch, bend the elbows slightly and let your palms come further back to deepen the rotation in the shoulder joints. Try to straighten the arms.

3. Seated Twist Come back to Easy Pose and check your alignment. Starting with the lower back, start twisting gently to the right, then move the twist into the rib cage then the shoulders. Change the cross of the legs and repeat to the left.

4. Padangusthasana (Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose)-Lie on your back and breathe deeply into the back of the legs as you draw your right foot towards you with the belt and press the back of the left thigh to the floor. Try to keep the pelvis balanced (there will be a small curve at the lower back). Lower the leg to the side and rest the thigh on a block so you can concentrate on opening the hip joint instead of tipping over. Bring the leg back to center and lower. Repeat on the other side.

5. Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide-Angle Pose) Extend the legs out to the sides, but only so far that you can keep your toes and knees pointed to the ceiling. Lift the side ribs and lengthen the spine. Stretch your arms towards the ceiling to get extra length in the torso. Start folding forwards from the hip joints as you stretch the arms out…don’t collapse the chest and keep the spine long. Lower the arms but continue to lengthen the side ribs as you fold a bit deeper.

6. Parivrtta Janu-Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose) See Saturday’s post.

7. Supported Forward Bend Sit with the legs in Staff pose under a chair or stool. Relax the upper body onto the support of the chair and breathe into the stretch in the backs of the legs. Try to keep releasing the legs in this comfortable position and maybe you can fold further forwards.

8. Savasana (Corpse Pose) Extend onto the floor and try and keep your legs and hips totally relaxed. Hold for as long as you like.

Talk to (at?) you soon!©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.

Last weekend, I went to a workshop at the Yoga Coop in Madison, led by Chris Saudek, a Senior Intermediate Iyengar teacher from La Crosse. The focus was forward bends and twists, with a few inversions at the end. The approach was All Iyengar: each pose was identified only by its Sanskrit name; we held each pose for about 3-5 mins. and we concentrated on lengthening the “dorsal spine” (opposite the sternum) to align the torso. It was very careful and intense and, although we were all stretched out at the end of class, several of us almost fell down the stairs we were so loose (myself included).

One pose we worked on for awhile was Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose), never a favorite of mine. But the way we approached it was different than I was used to, and the opening I felt when I was done was new. It works diagonally across the back, so after completing one side you can feel how uneven you are until you finish with the opposite side. I won’t say that it’s replaced Down Dog as my favorite, but its standing has improved. Here’s how we did it…

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana
1. Begin in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with the spine long and aligned. Then slide the left knee to the side and, using both hands, gently roll the shin and top of the foot towards the floor. Try and line your heel up with the center of your perineum, but don’t loose the length in the lower back. Extend the left leg to the side so that your legs make a 90-degree angle. Keep the left big toe and knee pointed towards the ceiling.

2. Sit tall and concentrate on lifting the side ribs and lining the shoulders up with the hips. Start twisting to the right (towards the bent knee), concentrating the twist in the lumbar spine.

3. Keeping the twist in the waist and the length in the spine, start folding towards the extended left leg (leaning backwards, sort of). Slide your left hand along the left leg, or lower onto your forearm if you can still keep the spine long. With each exhale, deepen the twist as you lengthen the thoracic spine (the spine behind the rib cage). Place your hand flat on the floor to assist the twist, or take hold of your foot.

4. Bring the right arm straight up and then drop is slightly to the back to increase the twist. Then bring it to your right hip, or, if it doesn’t affect the length of the spine, reach over and take hold of the other side of your left foot. Breathe deeply and try to extend into the pose every few breaths.

5. Slowly release the hands and bring the torso upright. Untwist and then return the legs back to Staff Pose. Repeat on the other side.

6. After you’ve finished the left side, give yourself time to release in a supported relaxation pose (Savasana-Corpse Pose, Supta Baddha Konasana-Reclined Bound Angle Pose). And, whatever you do, be careful on the stairs when you’re done! ©Brenda K. Plakans. All Rights Reserved.