I have been giving classes at GOA for nine months now. Every day is a privilege. I honestly can’t believe how conducive that room is towards the inner experience of yoga. The sea beyond, the salty, iodine-rich air, the birdsong…wait…birds? Where are the birds? Oh, yes, look at those windows at the back of the room. What? They open? Sliiiiiide. TA-DAH! And thus we discovered the hidden treasure of GOA upstairs! The gardens of the Edificio SKI behind us. Mature trees, well-kept gardens, fresh shady corners, a shimmering swimming pool. What more could one ask for, honestly?
I call it Krishna tricks. The idea that you don’t know what you don’t know and that many times what you discover is humorous, tricky. When I first came across the concept of the Trickster God (and this concept exists in many diverse cultures), it changed my relationship to the Divine. I had been raised with the idea of the schoolmaster God – judgemental yet forgiving, but somehow always out of reach. The trickster God likes to remind you of his presence by letting you in on the joke. Just when you think you know something, you realise that you know nothing at all. And so you retain the beginner’s mind, a childlike innocence. Not all is said and done, not all is known, nothing is set in stone, especially not your personality traits or character, whatever you might believe that to be. Life becomes a lot more fun when you think it’s conspiring to make you laugh…
Krishna played some tricks in the yoga room last week. He reminded me that what is behind is just as important as what is in front. He reminded me to open that back window and to look through it. JSK.
Pratyahara
David Frawley of the American Institute of Vedic Studies is, in my opinion, one of the most erudite and informed yoga pundits on the scene today. I shall share with you a link to his writings on pratyahara, the fifth limb of Astanga yoga. If you have been practising with me this winter, you will know that pratyahara has figured in my teachings. I hope that this article enlightens you on its philosophical underpinnings. Om shantih shantih shantih.
Pratyahara: Yoga’s Forgotten Limb
On balance – Part II
In yesterday’s post, I hardly had time to get started. Talking about the balancing act between prâna and apâna, I likened it to the accumulation and ridding of material things. I wanted to finish the post by discussing the IN and the OUT of yoga practice.
Most of us arrive at a yoga practice carrying a lot of impressions (samskaras). When used therapeutically, yoga helps us to unpick the essential from the superfluous. Let’s use fear as an illustrative example. A healthy amount of fear, or caution, is necessary. Otherwise, we might try to fly off mountainsides, or jump into strangers’ cars at 4 in the morning. But too much fear can stop us talking to interesting strangers at parties, travelling to unknown lands or otherwise enriching our human experience. So, the continuous practice of yoga, especially challenging postures that elicit a certain amount of fear (say, backbends, breath retentions) allows us to watch our fear response, get to know it intimately and then, ultimately, control it at important moments.
So, yoga can be used to unpick the essential from the superfluous. When there is a dominance of prâna>apâna, there may be a tendency to flightiness, an abundance of ideas without the capacity to distinguish the good ones from the mediocre, and an inability to realise/materialise one’s own ideas. Somatic manifestations like headaches, twitching eyelids, tooth grinding, jaw tensing, ear ringing, panicky breathing, neck and shoulder tension, pounding heart, tingling fingers and nervous habits like skin picking, smoking and nail biting are all related to prâna>apâna. (please bear in mind that prâna and Prâna are two different things. The lowercase version refers to the vayu that dominates the upper body. Uppercase refers to the universal energy that sustains all Life.) When prâna is in balance, our thoughts are fast but not fleeting, we have good recall and can crosslink ideas as well as exercise intuition. When prâna is overactive, we are nervous, irritable and irascible. When it is underactive, we are forgetful, fretful and worried.
Of course, we need adequate prâna to sustain life. Likewise, we need adequate apâna, also. Apâna dominates the digestive organs and pelvic region. When it is out of balance, all manner of digestive troubles may ensue, as would varicose veins, swollen ankles, heel spoor and other foot disorders, cellulite or peau d’orange as well as general sluggishness or tiredness. When apâna is strong, we are able to rid ourselves of waste material (urine, faeces) but don’t excrete too much (frequent urination, irritable bowel). When it is weak, we may have flatulence, constipation, diverticules and pelvic prolapse.
Of course, should anyone out there reading this believe that yoga alone can cure any of the above named disorders, I have to do the responsible thing and state this this post is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose any medical problem. Go to your doctor, FFS. But, if they can’t put a name on what ails you, as often happens, ie: you don’t have a diagnosed and named pathology, then maybe some self-care in the form of yoga can prove helpful.
How to balance prâna and apâna? Coming soon…but Krishnamacharya would probably say apanâsana and dvipâdapitam…
Namaste and may you be filled with joy. JSK.
On balance – Part 1.
I have been offline for most of the past month. Firstly, it was due to a fault on my ADSL. Latterly, because I have been staying away from home for a few days.
It is a strange thing to be semi-connected in times like these. Of course, I had my iPhone, so Whatsapp, Facebook, email and the like were a-ok. But, due to the limitations of screen size, I read more than I wrote.
This can be compared to the twin, yet opposing, forces of prâna and apâna. Prâna in the intake and upper energy, apâna is the emission and lower energy. They are inseparable, and each influences the other. In prânayama, we can modify the inhale by modifying the exhale, and vice versa.
One relationship of IN-OUT that I like to contemplate is that of material goods. We are spirits in a material world and most of us have far more things that we need. But, it is when we get to a point of having far more things than we really want that it can get sticky. You see, getting rid of stuff is hard. Apart from the sentimental value that we may place upon an item, there is also pure attachment, as well as ecological considerations. I was a pack-rat in an earlier life due to all three things. I know how hard it is to debride oneself of possessions. But it is absolutely necessary.
Think about this: When you set out to buy something, you will often invest a lot of time in choosing, comparing characteristics, price-checking and what-have-you. Whether buying online or on the High Street, you will pay for transport of some sort. It is a process that takes time and energy. Yet, conversely, we will often throw things away rashly or badly. If this is not clear to you, I invite you to take a look at the trash by the kerb of an evening. All sorts of stuff, from furniture to computer parts to recyclables will be there. We hate being told to separate our trash, or that we will be charged for its collection and disposal. Maybe, if you are reading from somewhere more evolved, like Sweden, this won’t ring true. But here in Spain, it certainly is. The funny thing is, the expats also get used to the laissez-faire attitude to waste disposal and after a few months to years living here are just as likely to leave their dog’s doo-doo on the street as anyone else. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity.
So, I need to close this soon. To sum up: prana and apana need to be in balance in order for harmony to exist. In must equal out. If it doesn’t, something is wrong. Figure out what it is and fix it. Preferably with yoga!
The Guru is in you. Practice and all is coming. Love in all around. JSK.
Ambient music for yoga
I came across this lovely offering on Youtube. If Christmas Day has been busy and your mind-body is revved up with rajas or bogged down in tamas, look for sattwa on your mat and in your heart. After you have digested your food, do a gentle practice, give thanks and be joyful. Whatever meaning Christmas may have for you, if you are reading this, you are alive, literate, connected to a vast electronic web and web of life. I am not perfectly happy all the time. That’s WHY I practice yoga, to still my mind. But I have learned to be grateful, and thankful, and appreciative of the miracle that is life, and I too have life, therefore I am part of the miracle. Be happy, dear souls. Breathe in, breathe out. Om.
Re-blogged: What is "beginner's mind"?
I like this article that I found over at Yogapedia: https://www.yogapedia.com/7/9543/self/self-work/what-is-beginners-mind?utm_content=bufferf99a6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
How to choose a yoga teacher
As a yoga teacher, this is a healthy and humble article to post. I have had a long journey with yoga, and have been gifted with humility as a result. Believe me, I did not arrive at adulthood knowing how to love, nor how to transmit compassion, nor how to respect other people’s limitations, beliefs or lifestyles. In yoga, this is fundamental, because every single student is singular, unique and on their own journey. You can only teach yoga from the heart, respecting physical limitations of the human body, and believing wholeheartedly that there is a Spirit guiding us from within if only we learn to tune into it. Om.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/27/yoga-injury-class-regulation-bad-practitioners
Best Diet To Prevent Cancer? Paleo? Ketogenic? Vegan? — Breast Cancer Authority
What is the best diet for preventing cancer? Does the paleo diet stop cancer? What about the ketogenic diet and cancer? Can a wholefood plant based diet prevent cancer? Can we be healthy if we don’t eat meat? Do we need meat to be healthy and cancer free? What about free range, organic, grass fed […]
via Best Diet To Prevent Cancer? Paleo? Ketogenic? Vegan? — Breast Cancer Authority
How to be a good yoga student
There is a lot of talk out there these days about how to be a good yoga teacher. I think that the best way to be a good yoga teacher is to be a good yoga student. Here are my tips for how I try to be a good student of yoga.
- I use my own yoga mat. This is a pretty basic aspect of yoga. You will spend quite a lot of time on your mat. Your bare feet and your sweet face will most likely touch the same parts of the mat on many occasions. I don’t know about you, but I don’t tend to nuzzle strangers’ feet. I also happen to think that, over time, your mat becomes impregnated with your psychic energy. I really encourage all good students of yoga to invest in a non-slip mat, and to keep it clean (they launder on a cool cycle really well – tip of the day!)
- I don’t eat for two hours before practice, and don’t drink for one hour. I don’t drink during class. The energy of digestion is a downward-moving energy. In yoga, we are channelling energy and moving it upwards, usually. If you are digesting, you create confusion within. Better to practice while fasting.
- I don’t practice when I have my period. Guys, you beat us on this one. The ladies are required to miss a few days per month, for the same reason as above. The menses are downward-moving. Yoga moves things upwards.
- To be a good student of yoga, I maintain silence before and during practice. Enough said.
- I practice six days per week, usually the same practice for a period of months, if not years. I know that this sounds craaazy to a beginner, but it really is the essence of the yogic mind. I figured this one out right at the beginning: I took a beginner’s class at the Sivananda Centre in London. There, they told me that the objective of the course was to encourage home practice. I thought “ok”, bought their book and started practising their simple sequence of Sun Salutations and 12 postures. I encourage you to do the same. The only way to be a good yoga practitioner is to practise!
PMPS: Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome
Introduction
Among breast cancer patients, a common complaint is numbness or tingling in the upper-inner arm. This is called neuropathy and is often down to damage to one particular nerve: the intercostobrachial nerve.
ICBN
The intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) is connected to the brachial plexus and innervates the axilla, medial arm and anterior chest wall. The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that originate in the neck and whose basic function is to move the arms. (plexus definition: a network of nerves or vessels in the body. an intricate network or web-like formation.)
It is well known that many breast cancer survivors have problems with mobility, strength and sensation in the arm of the affected side. Today, we are going to talk about the specific complaint of tingling, numbness, pain and loss of sensation in the armpit and the inner arm. Here is an image, lifted from the pdf whose link is in the references section, that illustrates perfectly the areas of skin that are innervated by the ICBN.
PMPS
Intercostobrachial neuralgia, also known as Post-mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS) is estimated to occur in about 33% of breast cancer survivors. I can’t find reference to whether these are 5-year remissions, or longer or shorter intervals, but 33% seems to be the agreed upon figure, and this is for PMPS that persists for longer than three months after the breast surgery. There are other nerves involved in PMPS, but it appears that the the ICBN is the main nerve affected in most cases. Thus, some people say it is more correct to refer to Intercostobrachial neuralgia. However, as that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, let’s stick to PMPS and try not to think about PMS (ouch!).
Why does it hurt?
The origin of the pain is either:
- nerve damage during surgery, or
- scar tissue around the nerve.
Surgery in the axilla is usually to remove lymph nodes, and these are deep to the ICBN. Here is an image of the technique that is used to remove lymph nodes. I lifted it from the medscape article that is cited in the references section. Radiation therapy (RT) tends to damage nerve tissue and promote the formation of fibrosis, is also a cause of the PMPS.
Here is a wonderfully concise description of the surgical reasons for PMPS:
“The most commonly cited theory of chronic postoperative pain in breast cancer patients is the intentional sacrificing of the intercostobrachial nerves. These sensory nerves exit through the muscles of the chest wall, and provide sensation predominantly to the shoulder and upper arm. Because these nerves usually run through the packet of lymph nodes in the armpit, they are commonly cut by the surgeon in the process of removing the lymph nodes.” (http://www.cancersupportivecare.com/surgerypain.html)
I tried to understand what a “lymph node packet” might be, as this isn’t a term that we use in MLD speak. I think that it is a surgical term for the bundle of lymph nodes that is excised. [An article unrelated to PMPS and ICBN contained this phrase “We prospectively assessed 61 pelvic lymph node dissection specimens (packets) in 14 consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy.” ]
What to do?
As usual, when we use yoga therapy for breast cancer rehabilitation, we must respect limitations. Firstly, PMPS won’t be cured by practising yoga. But, it can be helped. Secondly, there is variability in the extent and severity of pain and impairment to range of motion. So, adopt a personalised approach and be patient. Use simple, slow movements with breath synchronisation to achieve optimum results. If you are a yoga teacher, you probably believe in prana. I certainly do, and no matter how scientific the tone of my posts, I will absolutely vouch for the healing effects of good prana circulation. So, when teaching, keep your students focused on the practice, not on the results. Also, use your own healing energy and direct it towards them. Wish them well. Ask for guidance and the blessing of whatever guiding energy you believe in.
Here are a few suggestions for sequences that you can integrate into your own practice and bring some flexibility and mobility to the chest and inner arm region. Note that all sequences mobilise the brachial plexus in general.
