Apanasana is a basic yoga pose that is very easy to learn and grants rapid, noticeable benefits.
Use a yoga mat or folded boiled-wool blanket to cushion your back. Lying on the back on the floor, legs are bent, feet flat on the floor, parallel and hip-width apart, heels near the buttocks. Extend the neck and lower the chin to make a double-chin. Maintain this neck gesture throughout.
Breathe in. Breathing out, lift the feet off the floor, bringing the knees to the chest. Place the palms of the hands on the knees. Breathe in. Breathing out, pull the knees gently in towards the chest. Breathing in, move the knees back and away from the chest. Breathe out and rock the knees back in. Breathe in and rock them away. Repeat. Take note: the movement is small. Don’t straighten the legs on the inhale. The elbows flex and extend, but the knees mostly don’t.
Repeat this movement for 6-8 breaths, three times per day and you will almost certainly reduce lower back pain (LBP).
LBP is one of the main reasons people visit the Doctor’s office. Although in some cases surgery might be the only option, for most people a good program of chiropractic care and yoga would keep them pain-free and mobile.
Most of us know that weak abdominal muscles contribute significantly to lower back pain. The internal organs protrude behind the weak muscles, hanging forward and rocking the pelvis forward with them. With the pelvis tipped forward this way, the hip flexors shorten and pull on their opposing muscles, the piriformis and gluteals. Muscle tensions accumulate over the years and the tissue becomes rigid and inflamed.
It is important to have your spine checked by a chiropractor or osteopath. Ask friends for recommendations – it is always the best way to choose a therapist. But, always trust your instinct about whose hands you place yourself in.
Hatha yoga is a very good ally in the struggle against LBP. Stretching, freeing, loosening and unbinding muscles, ligaments and tendons, yoga gently eases the aches and pains, realigning our bodies and calming our minds. The anatomy of this posture is a full spinal and gluteal stretch, a contraction of the abdomen and compression of the abdominal cavity.
In the subtle anatomy of yoga, there is a dominant downward running energy and a dominant upward rising energy. Apana is the downward facing energy. It runs from the navel down to the tips of the toes. It governs elimination, reproduction and the rooting, terrestrial facets of life. Apanasana derives its names from the energy apana. It is the posture (asana) that actuates directly on the downward energy current (apana). Combining this gentle movement with the precise breathing technique of lengthening and counting the breath changes the direction of the flow of apana, sending it upwards.
When it flows upwards, apana nourishes our nervous system, giving us vitality, vigour and zest for life.
Observe carefully any limitations you might have including herniated disks or difficulty rising from the floor. If this is the case, you may wish to try practising on your bed. Do not undertake any physical activity without consulting a professional first. But also, don’t worry. This is a very safe pose, reclining, head neutral, feet raised.
Practice 6-8 breaths in apanasana three times per day, for one month. If you wish you keep a diary of your experiment, you may find it informative. I welcome any feedback on your practice. Keep it up!
World Yoga Day – Día Mundial del Yoga
Hello and hola! This Sunday 24, February, 2013, is World Yoga Day. Participating yoga studios and teachers pledge the proceeds from 2 hours of teaching to FIAN, the (formerly) FoodFirst Information and Action Network. This NGO works to eliminate hunger worldwide, proclaiming the right to have sufficient food to eat.
Este domingo, 24 febrero, 2013 es el Día Mundial del Yoga. Centros y profesores participadores van a destinar las ganancias de dos horas de clases de yoga a FIAN, un ONG que se dedica a aliviar el hambre, revindicando el derecho fundamental de tener de comer.
Dejame un comentario si quieres hacer una clase conmigo para celebrar el día. Leave a comment if you would like to do a class with me to mark the day.
Calendario de Events – Events Calendar
He decidido juntar en un solo sitio todas las noticias de los varios eventos de yoga que hay por aqui. Siempre hay mucha oferta, pero a veces cuesta encontrar la información correcta y a tiempo. Pincha aqui para ver mi pequeño calendario. Si quieres incluir algun evento relacionado con el yoga, ponte en contacto conmigo. Gracias y AUM.
I have decided to put together in one place all the various bits of information I come across relating to yoga-themes events. Click on my calendar to have a look. If you would like to include your event here, get in touch. Thanks and AUM.
Look at yourself: Yoga & the mirror
Yoga studios rarely come equipped with mirrors, unless you are doing the undeniably self-conscious Bikram yoga. Perhaps this is because yoga itself is the mirror.
A few weeks ago, I posted about still feeling dislocated here in Altea. It takes time to settle in. But, more than that, by writing my thoughts down and sharing them with the world, I continued the process of self-analysis that is yoga. Yoga and mirror. Whatever you give, you get.
I still agree with myself in most of what I said. but I am willing to swallow my pride – and my words – and ask your kind forgiveness for my til-then blindness. When I said that I could not understand how the folk round here could be so glum while surrounded by this wild natural beauty, what I was really asking was “Rachel, how can you be glum when surrounded by all this natural beauty?” Good question, eh?
Since then, I realise that I was simply prioritising my worries about work-family-life (the same ones you have, I am sure) and putting them ahead of my enjoyment of the here and now. Looking at the mountains in the Calpe pass, I would think “what am I doing here” rather than “what beautiful rusty colours, what textures and lines!” This is pretty common behaviour, people. Yoga helps train the mind, keeping it on the straight and narrow and avoiding all wallowing and distraction.
Right now, in my Yoga Therapy training, we are studying the third book of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In sutras III:9-16, Patanjali exposes the new state of mind that arises when we have fully integrated into our lives the first five limbs of Astanga Yoga (as set out in book 2). We are now approaching contemplation, Dharana. The mind is able to glimpse states of serenity, but theses are interspersed with the usual fluctuations and distractions. Nevertheless, the mind is becoming increasing able to concentrate. I find the sutras amazing because they really are very accurate in their portrayal of the milestones on the road of yoga. Or, in my case they are. Bear in mind that each person’s experience of yoga is unique and precious.
So, Rachel, look in the mirror. Choose happiness and helps others find theirs. This is the road of the yogini and the yoga teacher.
Festival de Danza Consciente
Ojo! Los días 5, 6 y 7 de abril se celebrará el 1º Festival de Danza Consciente en Villajoyosa. En la web oficial del festival, http://valuodesarrollo.wordpress.com/ aparecen todos los detalles, Sin embargo, hay que ponerse en contacto con los organizadores para obtener el programa completo y los precios.
Los precios no son hiper-economicos, pero tampoco exagerados. Por ejemplo, para estar todo el día el sábado, y comer y cenar allí, se paga unos €64. No se si habrá algún mercadillo, pero supongo que si. Lo cual significa un pequeño gasto extra – este incienso que no encuentras en tu pueblo, ó un zafu super chulo…
Si, estamos cruzando tiempos de malestar económico. A mi manera de ver las cosas, apoyandonos el uno al otro esta cada vez más importante. Eso significa gastar nuestro dinero en una manera consciente. Yo, desde ya hace muchissimos años, control mi impacto en el mundo a través de mis elecciónes económicas. Comprando en pequeños negocios, comprando en rastros y de segunda mano, y regalando las cosas que ya no me sirven.
Un festival como ese, Danza Consciente, es no solo una inversión en tu proprio desarollo, sino en el desarollo de nuestra comunidad. La Costa Blanca está saturada de terapeutas, downshifters y todo clase de busquedor. Aqui y ahora lo estamos poniendo en marcha, con eventos como este.
Y, por supuesto, ¿que es la Danza Consciente? Pues, en las tradiciones Tántricas del Yoga, se considera que toda la Creación está metido en un baile eterno y Universal. Siva, el Dios Védico, esta muy frequentemente representado en movimiento, con una pierna elevada, apoyandose sobre el otro pie, pisando una creatura miserable. Este creatura es la ignoracia. Siva está bailando el Baile Cósmico, aplastando la ignorancia. El yoga es una especie de baile, movimientos muy meditados y coordinados, con el fin de percibir y controlar la energía corporal sutíl, el Prana. Entonces, este festival, con varios actuaciones de lineage Kundalini, será un yoga tántrico con el fin de mover tu prana. Será un lugar salvo y una comunidad de apoyo, seguramente, el lo cual podemos atrevernos a dejar pasar la Luz por nuestras grietas, sin miedo ni apuro.
¡Vamonos, amigos!
Tending the Fire
There is much talk of fire in most Yoga texts and teachings. Fire is one of the 5 elements, the others being Air, Water, Earth and Ether/Space. Fire is felt to transform matter from one state to another. Its sinuous flames remind us nearly of liquid, so despite its “hot” quality, it is also intimately associated with Water, Water being its equal and opposite.
The path of yoga is one of transformation. We learn new ways to move, think, breathe and be still, and thus we transform ourselves from one type of person into another. We are still ourselves, but we have changed, shed a skin or grown a new one. Thus, stoking the fire of transformation is of utmost importance.
In hatha yoga, we do this mainly through postures associated with the abdominal region. We also practise breathing techniques that emphasize the inhale and breath retention with lungs full. Other lineages may follow other methods, and these are all legitimate. You are always in control of your yoga practice, and are free to choose the branch of yoga that most satisfies your heart and soul.
This winter, I have learned to tend the hearth. I have never before lived in a house with a working fireplace, let alone relied upon it as my main heat source! But, I am open to change. I had call to be the sole firelighter for a period of nearly two weeks. I struggled mightily at first, sitting near it, blowing desperately on rapidly dwindling sticks and leaves and bits of paper. Once, I managed a roaring inferno on the first go, but most nights heard me cursing the whole rustic life and yearning to go back to the city and central heating.
But I persisted.
I discovered that the paper I use on my massage couch serves perfectly as a recycled firelighter. Light, and slightly oil-streaked, it takes immediately and burns hot. I learnt the value of the small bits of kindling that my partner lovingly chops, and how to tell if wood if green or dry. I am now a one-match woman. I can set and light a fire in about ten minutes, and tend it carefully for hours. I watch it and poke it and generally feel it to be a living presence in my home.
I think that our inner Fire is the same. It needs the right material to start it up, and the right material and rhythm to keep it burning brightly. We need to pay attention to it, feeding it more when it needs it, and leaving it to rest when it doesn´t. Cared for properly, our inner Fire helps us efficiently transform our food into healthy tissue and keeps us energetic and motivated.
Weak Fire leaves us sluggish, uninspired and waterlogged. We feel like we are walking in soaked through clothing. A Fire burning too brightly manifests in a flushed face, quick temper and impatience. Remember, a person may have imbalance of one Element in the physical body, while having a completely different Elemental layout in the realm of the Mind.
So, tend your Fire, dear souls.
Nuevo clase grupal en Altea
Buscas un clase de hatha yoga en Altea? ¡Enhorabuena! Aqui lo has encontrado! Estais bienvenidos a practicar hatha yoga conmigo, los jueves a las 10 de la mañana. Os espero.
New group yoga class in Altea!
I have now fixed a time for a new group yoga class in Altea. Thursday mornings from 10AM. The address: 2, C/Vora la Via, 2ºk. It is very near the Post Office of Altea. Individual classes: €7 per student, 10 classes prepaid: €65,(IVA included.) See you there!?
Bici Altea
We have a bike sharing scheme in town. http://www.labici.net/altea/default.aspx
A Loose Association of Free Thinkers
What do I want?
I struggle to find happiness in the day to day. I suffer loneliness and dislocation. This melancholy has been with me all my adult life. It forms a big part of what my ego likes to define as “me”. Persistent dissatisfaction brings only weariness. But, it is also the motor for all my most persistent and faithful delvings into the spiritual life. When we are awake enough to perceive our own slavery, it is inevitable that we will rattle at the bars until we glimpse freedom. The great trick of modern social organisation is to enslave everyone in its machinery, but make them delight in their drudgery.
Today, my friend listened a while to my longstanding list of grumbles. Then she asked: “what do you want”. Well, Naty, here is your answer.
I want to connect with others on the path of change. I want to surround myself with a community of like minded believers – a loose association of free thinkers. I want to work towards the betterment of womankind, mankind, humankind, in concrete, daily ways. I want to better myself deep in my core, so that I can shine that same light out into the world. I want to see clearly – without the clouds of deception caused by drugs, alcohol, television. I want to be one of a tribe of lovers-healers-dreamers-thinkers who truly believe that a safer, stabler, more honest and free world is possible – and doable – now, within my lifetime. I want to teach my daughter to think big, to dream beyond the boundaries of tradition, location and education. I want to sit still in group meditation, solitary contemplation, with others and feel the spirit rise and fall in my breath. I want to look into the unguarded eyes of other adults and know that within lives true Love.
I can’t do this alone. This is something so big, so beautiful and so dear to me that I have to share it . I don’t hate Altea. I just despair that amidst such glorious natural beauty, can live people so fearful, suspicious and stuck. I miss the modern world, where ideas, creativity and faith mix to build new shapes for living. I don’t dream of escape by any means. It’s the opposite – I am so completely alive, so completely aware, that I need the comradeship of others on the Path, all too aware the change is hard, painful, but infinitely worth it.
Most of us had big dreams when we were young. Life taught us to give up our dreams, finish school, get jobs, earn money, save up for holidays and retirement and…oh, forget about those fanciful dreams. I never stopped dreaming. My teenage angst is still with me, torturing me with questions like “why is the world so unfair?” “why do we spend more money on arms than on schools?” “why is the world run by grey-haired men?” and “why are so forgetful of our divine birthright?”.
Why am I not happy here? Because this angst is with me, wherever I am. I practice yoga and meditation and I focus-re-focus-re-focus on my inner light. But I am not going to retire to a cave or an ashram. Krishna taught that the yoga of action is the path of the true seeker. When your karma (action/work) and your dharma (path) unite, you achieve liberation. I know that my own healing journey is only to make to strong and resilient to face whatever it is I have to face in this world. I know that my karma is to effect change, but not alone. That, I know.
For now, I am on the road of humility. Humility, vulnerability, honesty, deep faith. Idealism. That’s it, in a word. I am an idealist. I will never stop believing. But, it is crushing to dream alone.