| September 2009 Newsletter |
Greetings LifeFit students and friends!
It’s Fall ya’all. Time for classes to begin! LifeFit students at CUMC are ready to start – most classes are FULL! WOW! Corporate class groups start next week too! There is still room in the group circuit classes aimed for Monday and Friday mornings at 9:30 am. Every time I start something new, it takes a while to get it “off and running” but once we are on the go, the sky is the limit as far as variety of work and fitness improvements. Those who choose to do work at my home studio will have many advantages – the equipment!!! In just returning from a conference in California, there is alot in store for this group especially! I look forward to seeing you all in class – I know you all are eager to see each other from the sweet emails relaying those sentiments.
In the past you all have heard me say that all poses are either folds or backbends. Therefore MANY familiar, accessible poses and many more preparations for poses fall into the category of backbends. For the sake of the new students and,…for the sake of whittling away at everyone’s apprehension when it comes to mentioning this work, we need to focus on backbends. From a simple Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) to Camel (Ustrasana), Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Locust (Salabhasana) and Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana), we must embrace the potential these poses give us…like lengthening the front spine, having better posture, opening the heart chakra, acceptance of ourselves and others, building a great sense of compassion, following our intuition, and many more. Physically speaking I try to encourage that we should always look to practicing all the movements that our spine is meant to do. We live our lives with slumping habits, and as we realize this we are ready to fold, twist and side bend in all forms of exercise but, find it hard to swallow the idea of any movement that moves us toward a back bend. Here we shortchange ourselves the advantages that come from incorporating anything that includes opening the chest. When such movements are new, they should be practiced slowly, consistently, and without any extreme form. It takes time for cells to regenerate with memory of recent regular movement, from the building of capillary beds to accommodate blood flow for greater movement to muscle cells/fibers and skin cells regenerating to follow through with such accommodations. With that said, consistency counts – any regular yoga student, and athletes of any sport will agree. So…please show up in class and make sure to “practice” when you miss. Here is more interesting thought on backbends:
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Three Ways to Speak about Backbends from Aadil Palkivala
1. Physically speaking, backbends move the spine into the body, creating strength in the back of the body and length through the groins, abdominal cavity, rib cage, throat, and frontal shoulders. Backbends charge the kidneys by drawing them into the body, rejuvenating the adrenals and drawing the life force given by the kidneys back into the body. Backbends generally open up three major areas of the body - the pelvis, heart and throat. Therefore, they can open the hips, free the chest from congestion, and bring back a healthy curve to the neck. Most of our daily habits (sitting, driving, working at a desk) cause a collapse in the front of our bodies and push the spine backwards. This is why you will often feel bony lumps on the spine of older people. Backbends bring healthy alignment and mobility back into the spine, moving the vertebrae forwards.
2. Psychologically speaking, backbends move us toward our future and away from our past, since the back of the body represents the past and the front of our body represents our future. Backbends quiet the hyper-analytical activity of the front brain, and because of the extension produced, trigger a feeling of openness in the limbic system (the emotional center of the brain). In contrast, when we are in a state of fear or anger, we curl up and go into a position of flexion (protection). Thus, psychologically speaking, backbends move us from fear to power.
3. Energetically speaking, backbends move the spine toward the Pillar of Light in the body. They open up congested and stagnant pelvic energy. This allows the energy to move upward in an expression of aspiration for growth, where it can be transformed by the wisdom of the Heart Chakra. Backbends open up the Heart Chakra, expanding the feeling of love and joy. They also open the throat, allowing the Heart Chakra to express words of beauty and love. This opening also allows the mental energy to move more easily down to the Heart Chakra.
However, a caveat: All the above happens in backbends only if there is the intention for this to happen as you practice. Otherwise you will simply become more flexible!
Toe Socks Order
Last Spring I put in our first order. Several students have asked for a repeat order. Now there are even more choices on the market. I will have an order list in class. I need to know your shoe size and your preference of regular socks (like what we have ordered before) : white, black, grey, pink, tan, striped blue, and striped brown,…or “half toe socks” (toes cut off) : black, natural, striped purple or striped green/blue. Across the country these are becoming a great hit for many reasons: how the grip helps with work in Pilates, stability in standing yoga poses, cleanliness, comfort in doing partner yoga poses, warmth for feet, use with sandals/flipflops(if ordering for this option the socks can be ordered without the grips), and….stability in wii games on the platform. I’ll bet you didn’t expect that last answer! By the end of our first week of classes, I want to put in our order. We will repeat this in early December. Kids like these socks for use with wii games – great stocking stuffers! There are many companies trying to imitate – I think the ToeSox company offers the best quality, so that is what I am sticking with.
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Most of us think the physical brain is the only place where intelligence and perception occur. But B.K.S. Iyengar says that view devalues the innate intelligence of the body—the yogi's vehicle on the path to stilling the consciousness. He insists that intelligence can be cultivated in every cell of the body. One of the methods he has developed for expanding intelligence is to use props while practicing asana.
The skin is our first layer of intelligence, and the nerves in the skin feed information to the mind, Iyengar says. Since an average square inch of skin contains more than a thousand nerve endings, when a prop touches the skin, our consciousness is awakened and enlivened. Intelligence is developed not because we feel something but because we can observe where the prop touches us and where it doesn't, and in what way the prop teaches us something new. "Every prop must make an imprint on the body," Iyengar says, so that intelligence can be cultivated. There is no purpose to using a prop if we don't learn something from it.
The above is a small introduction to the idea of using props from a most recent Yoga Journal article. In Iyengar style yoga, here are some official props that students become familiar with: wall, chair, dowel, block, strap, small wooden circles, eye pillows, sandbags, bolsters, blankets, and even a partner! This year propwork will come to be a little more sophisticated for LifeFit students, both in group classes and private session “homework.”
God’s Minute
I have only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it,
Forced upon me,
Can’t refuse it,
Didn’t seek it,
Didn’t choose it,
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give account if I abuse it;
Just a tiny little minute -
But eternity is in it.
- Author Unknown
I will whatsoever Thou willest; I will because Thou willest; I will in that manner Thou willest; I will as long as Thou willest. – F.B. Meyer
“Give thanks always for all things unto God.” - Ephesians 5:20
In great anticipation of our growing practice together,
Namaste,
Mona Flynn
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