Head and Heart


I begin classes with reminders to be safe and comfortable in the practice of yoga. In the pursuit of yoga postures, it is common and valuable to feel the sensation of new or deeper movement. It is not valuable to push into pain. Understand your efforts, and release the goal that is unproductive.

Always avoid dizziness.

If you have cardiac issues including high blood pressure, take care in your physical activity. Modify your movements and poses so that your head stays above your heart.

I recommend a consultation with your doctor before beginning any new exercise.

 

  

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Celebrate Chair Yoga

 

I was very touched to learn about and watch this video  of Sue Theroux's beautiful work at a memory care facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. I do not know Sue, but she and I both studied chair yoga with Lakshmi Voelker, learning the great benefits of yoga practiced on and off the mat. 

  

 

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Kyle Zuelke, Photojournalist

Start with Breath

We are always breathing. But we are not always paying attention to our breath. Begin yoga by noticing your breath. Simply appreciate breathing.

This is a way to begin.  

 I like to describe the image of water gently rolling up and back on a beautiful ocean beach. Each gentle wave coming in, an inhalation, and then out, the exhalation.

Start with breath. 

 

Chair Yoga for Rehabilitation at Spaulding Hospital

I was very fortunate to study Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga with physical therapists, Drs. Arrigo and Smith. Please read this fascinating article detailing their work at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

“Having a brain tumor causing significant functional and speech deficits, after my first class, I was able, for the first time since my diagnosis, to “feel normal again” while doing chair yoga”
— Chair Yoga Participant at Spaulding Hospital

Don't Just Sit There!

Yoga is appreciated in community with teacher and students celebrating breath and movement together. But there are other settings when yoga can be embraced. 

Even while watching tv! Read on at 2young2retire.com

 

“The sedentary lifestyle of our desk-bound, television-addicted population reinforces more of the same behaviors. So the very idea of getting down on a yoga mat starts to sound more and more impossible. But yoga has been evolving in other ways that open up its tangible benefits to more of the population, particularly older people who want to maintain good health, preserve their independence, and forestall the so-called diseases of aging. It is no accident that some of the greatest yogi masters are robust well into their 80′s and beyond.”
— Katie Lynne, 2young2retire.com

Never Hesitate To Ask

Yoga poses are often described in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit.

Many people who practice or teach yoga become very familiar with the Sanskrit names of poses and movements. This is not a requirement.

Never hesitate to ask for explanations. If words don't make sense, regardless of the language--ask questions. We will learn together!

Yoga For Alzheimer's Disease

I'm happy to share this article with you about the benefits of yoga for those with Alzheimer's Disease, from www.alzcareblog.com

“The meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘yoga’ is ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. The practice of yoga is known to form a union between the body, mind, and spirit. Having balance in these three areas often brings balance into the rest of one’s life.

Yoga for those with Alzheimer’s disease is a safe, effective way for them to stay physically strong as well as mentally engaged. Often exercise can stimulate areas of the brain that remain otherwise unused. A chair yoga class is a great first step for anyone looking to build strength and stay sharp.
During a chair yoga class all poses and stretches are performed seated in a chair or standing and holding on to the chair. This gives participants a good base of support while allowing them to stretch and strengthen safely.”
— Kim Vareika

There's Always Another Train

“There’s another train. There always is. Maybe the next one is yours.”
— Pete Morton

A lovely song lyric played in my New Year's Day yoga class.

With regard to yoga and so much else, opportunities come along regularly. They may always be there. Miss one. Wait patiently, with earnest desire. Another will come by.

Here is a story about yoga taught in prisons. For those taking the classes in prison, perhaps they can feel some sense of opportunity presenting itself.  Another train.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga is not gymnastics or calisthenics or contortion. I teach yoga that is gentle, calming, helpful, fun and comforting.

Can anyone do yoga?

Yes!

I studied "chair yoga" with Lakshmi Volker, creator of the "Get Fit Where you Sit"  chair program. I incorporate many of the great techniques of this method  in my teaching.

In my studies I learned that individuals with disabilities, weight challenges, inflexibility, or those who just cannot get on the floor for whatever reason, can benefit from a practice of yoga on a chair.  The chair replaces the yoga mat and becomes an extension of your body, allowing you to take full advantage of yoga’s benefits for  fitness, overall health and relaxation.  Even if you are in a wheelchair, you can receive the many benefits of chair yoga. It is the integration of body, mind, and spirit that helps the yoga practitioner feel well.

A Lovely Time

I work in an assisted living facility. I lead activities including current events discussions, name-that-tune sessions with dancing of course and an open art studio period. I also do a seated yoga class once a week. We start with attention to breath and a bit of meditation. The movement is gentle with options for more or less effort. The only rule being, no pain.

It is a lovely time. I believe that the attendees truly love it. Today one of my dear friends, a student in the class, after class was done said, "Oh, this is is just so wonderful. I feel so much better now. It is much better than aspirin."

It is, indeed.

Sit With Yoga

Here begins my exploration and continuous explanation of what that means to me.

Some history.

I was a girl in a time and place when athleticism by the likes of me was not celebrated. But, I found it for myself in the snow on the ski slopes and then running, through my twenties and to the starting line of a marathon at my fortieth birthday, and beyond. Always high on exertion, I continued to run and got on my bicycle and rode and then swam across lakes and dabbled in the pursuit of short triathlons.

In the meantime a nagging low back problem was not to be ignored. I tried many, many remedies. After over two years, after reaching a point where the limitations to my activity, including just walking, were not acceptable, I found myself in surgery. I was lucky. The outcome was good.

After the surgery, as means of recovery, I turned to yoga.