Laura – Page 15 – 2nd Avenue

Pose like an Egyptian

Back-bending sphinx pose can’t help bring to mind the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. I like using that enormous limestone statue as inspiration when holding the posture in a yin yoga practice: level gaze, long neck, relaxed shoulders, and unstrained stillness.

Dogs are also phenomenal models for sphinx. My dog, Sofie, often flops down into sphinx to wait for the next bit of excitement to cross her path.

In a yin yoga practice, the purpose of sphinx is not to bend your lower back as much as you possibly can, but to use your arms and belly to support the weight of your torso and let your back soften. It’s even better if you can convince your neck, shoulders, hips, and legs to relax as well.

Resist the temptation to come into your deepest back bend; instead, find a comfortable compression through your low back. You can always intensify the posture as you sink into it. Likewise, you can always reduce the intensity if you’re getting warning signs that it’s becoming too much.

The gentlest sphinx is simply resting flat on your stomach with your chin on your hands – although that’s certainly resembles the sphinx in Egypt a lot less!

Sphinx

Why it’s good

Compresses the lower back, which counters our strong forward-folding tendencies
- we rarely bend backwards in the course of our daily lives, but often bend forwards (e.g. while driving, working at a computer, reading, lifting groceries/kids/dogs)
Helps to create a flexible spine and tone back muscles
Stretches stomach muscles and helps open the throat and upper chest
Can release tension from the shoulder blades/mid-back
Aids in detoxification
- releasing the pose give the kidneys a fresh supply of blood, which that flushes out toxins

How to do it

Start by lying facedown
- let your belly press into the mat as you breathe
Draw your forearms under your chest with elbows bent
- keep your elbows ahead of your shoulders
Rest the weight of your torso onto your forearms and relax your shoulders
- feel your shoulders drop away from your ears; allow your shoulder blades to soften
Keep your chest and collar bones open
- feel your lungs expand in all directions with every inhale and let go of tension with every exhale
Experiment with the positioning of your arms, hands, legs, and head until you find the right balance of compression in your low back, stretch along your front, and ease through your shoulders
- To decrease compression in your low back:
  - draw your elbows further away from your chest, letting your torso come closer to the floor
  - widen your legs and/or your elbows/forearms
- To increase compression in your low back
  - bring your elbows closer to your chest (just as long as they’re still ahead of your shoulders)
  - narrow your legs
  - rest your forearms on a bolster or block to bring your chest further from the floor
  - bend your knees and let your heels come towards your buttocks
- To reduce stress on your shoulders and release tension in your upper back
  - rest your torso on a folded blanket, block, or bolster
  - place a soft, small weight (like an eye pillow or bean bag) between your shoulder blades to encourage them to relax
- To stretch the back of your neck and stimulate your throat
  - drop your chin towards your chest without compressing into your collar bones – don’t round your upper back
- To stretch your throat and compress the back of your neck
  - turn your face towards the ceiling, being sure to keep your jaw and throat relaxed
Keep your head centred between your shoulders and your allow your eyes to close or your gaze to soften
Hold sphinx pose for up to six minutes
- adjust your head/arm/leg positioning as necessary to intensify or lessen the compression in your low back, but resist fidgeting

To come out of sphinx:

For a little extra stretch, inhale and draw the crown of your head upwards, without letting your shoulders come towards your ears
As you exhale, gently slide your elbows outwards, slowly lowering your torso to the mat
Rest on your belly for a few moments, enjoying the flow of energy and fluid through your low back

Child’s pose is good counter to release the lower back, but some people find that simply lying on their stomachs and letting their breath move to the area that was compressed in sphinx is enough to relieve low-back tension.

The nose knows

This time last week my nose was bleeding profusely, the result of septoplasty surgery some hours before. The surgery went exceptionally well; the surgeon was delighted, I had no adverse reaction to the general anaesthetic, and a recovery room nurse even called me “bright as a berry.” Everything from waking up at 5:30am that morning and not eating to pre-op prep through to walking out of the hospital was almost effortless – much easier than I thought it would be.

The recovery, however, was not as smooth as I had anticipated.

It’s okay to be scared

Being fearful is not generally well-regarded. Scared cats are looked down on. Courage and bravery are rewarded, nervousness and uncertainty are not.

I’m reminding myself that it’s okay to be scared.

I think that many people are ashamed when they feel afraid. There’s this thing in our society that you’re not allowed to feel scared. You have to be a man and put on a brave face, but we all have fears.
~Eli Roth
Director, producer, writer, and actor

There is validity in being scared. It’s a normal, reasonable sense of self-preservation that makes us fear physical pain, emotional hurt, the unknown, and all the things we can’t control.

I don’t have to push those feelings away. I can acknowledge them and let them resonate… and know that they don’t have to control me.

I can be afraid and still be brave.

Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
WWI fighter pilot

Sunny salutations

Gorgeous weather calls for celebratory yoga. And what better way to honour the sun than with a salutation?

Sun salutations are sequences with easy to remember poses that flow into each other, allowing you to focus on the moment and the movement. When you’re not worrying about what posture comes next, you can let your breath dictate your transitions and let your brain zone out.

There are many different versions of sun salutations, most of which are based on the traditional Sun Salutation A. While I like the sequences of the traditional sun salutations, I most often adapt the flow depending on what body parts feel like they need more attention and the circumstances of my practice.

Modified sun salutations are great for travel; it’s easy to adapt the sequence to take up very little floor space or to do without a mat. I’ve done something like the sequence below on muddy trails, sandy beaches, between beds on hotel room floors, and even in the snow while wearing boots as shown in the photo.

Don’t worry if you miss a breath or two or forget what side you’re on. You can always come back to the start and re-group in Mountain pose. It’s really about moving and breathing… the poses and flow are just there to help get things going!

Hands-free sun salutation

This probably looks like a lot of steps, but it’s surprising how smooth the movements become and how quickly you can glide through a full sequence.

Why it’s good

Gets circulation going and works your cardiovascular system
- good for warming up the body and generating heat!
Stimulates the lymphatic system
Strengthens and gently tones a range of muscles – from the ones along your spine to your shoulders & arms and into your legs
Stretches most muscles along the front & back body (abs, back, hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest, calves, neck)
Works your joints – from toes & ankles up through your neck & shoulders – in a healthy way
Encourages balance and deep breathing

How to do it

Start standing in Mountain pose
- standing tall, with even pressure on both feet
As you inhale, come into a Salute
- raise arms above your head; palms facing, fingers reaching to the sky
As you exhale, bend backwards into a Standing Back Bend
- look upwards, open your chest, and draw shoulders back
Inhale to bring yourself back to Centre
- bring neck and back straight, arms stay up
Exhale slowly into a Swan Dive
- gracefully lower chest towards thighs, sweeping arms wide
Hold a Forward Fold for a full cycle of breath
→ inhale to lengthen your spine & exhale to soften your torso
- hold each elbow with each palm, hips lift upwards, torso relaxes
As you inhale, come into Half-forward Fold
- back flat and parallel to ground, palms resting on your knees, look forward
Exhale into a Forward Fold again
- chest towards thighs, fingertips towards the ground, bend your knees if necessary
With an inhale, bring your Right Leg Back to Lunge
- shift weight to left side, keeping your left knee at 90° and directly over your ankle
Exhale to settle into the Lunge
- sink hips your hips lower if comfortable and make sure pelvis stays even; rest your hands on your left thigh or at your sides
Inhale to raise your arms up into a Back-bending Lunge
- arms are shoulder-width apart and shoulders stay relaxed; open your chest as much as comfortable
Exhale into another Forward Fold
- let your shoulders and hips relax as your arms extend towards the ground and your feet come parallel and hip-width apart
Inhale to draw your Left Leg Back to Lunge
- shift weight to right side, right knee bent at 90° and directly over your ankle
Use your exhale to settle into the Lunge on this side
- keep your hips from sagging, rest your hands on your right thigh or alongside your torso, and feel the strength in your legs
Inhale, drawing your arms up into a Back-bending Lunge
- shoulders relaxed and rolled back with your chest open
Exhale to bring your feet together into Forward Fold
- torso relaxes towards thighs, arms dangle down, feet come together
Inhale and lengthen your spine into Half-forward Fold
- gazing forward with a flat back
Exhale into the last Forward Fold of the sequence
- bend your knees a little to relax your legs, relax your shoulders and let your arms hang down
With a slow inhale, sweep up to a Salute
- bring your arms wide and palms facing as you raise your torso with a flat back
Exhale and draw your palms together and lower your arms into Mountain with Prayer
- lightly press your hands together in front of your chest, relax your shoulders, feel both feet grounded

Repeat the series a few times, switching which leg moves back into the lunge first if you’d like. And, of course, find your own modifications dependent on what your circumstances are like!

Travel writing, victims & villans

Quote: Once you refuse to see someone else's grief and focus on your own grievance, it becomes far easier to reduce your rival victim to a villan — someone you need to protect yourself against and, if necessary harm before he can harm you. — Background photo credit: jinterwas via Compfight cc

I love travel writing. The ability of narrative to transport me into another country or culture thrills me.

I tend towards reading light-hearted travelogues, like Hitching Rides with Buddha or The Sex Lives of Cannibals, but I’m finding that there’s deep value in more serious fare.

I picked up a book from the The Best American Travel Writing series because I thought it might be like the travel story anthology Not so Funny when it Happened, which contains some of the funniest writing I’ve ever read.

The Best American Travel Writing series is not, however, a collection of humourous travel tales. There are some light-hearted stories, but many of the accounts are pretty austere. Essays include trips to Rwanda, Bolivia, Cuba, Bulgaria, and India – and not the clean, shiny, touristy parts of these countries, but the squalid, corrupt parts that most tourists don’t see.

Tom Sleigh’s essay The Deeds hit me hardest. He wrote about Israel, Palestine, and the Palestinians living in Lebanon with a raw humaness that feels surprisingly non-partisan. Amidst the narrative, Sleigh brings up this idea that everyone involved in and affected by the conflict in the Middle East is a victim; that people can choose to see the grief of others and recognize that the people on the other side are victims as well. Compassion and understanding can arise from allowing for joint-suffering rather than portraying the other side as villainous This concept that plays out in less intense situations closer to home as well.

This quote stood out to me, particularly as I’d just had a mini-skirmish with someone where I felt victimized.

Once you refuse to see someone else’s grief and focus on your own grievance, it becomes far easier to reduce your rival victim to a villan — someone you need to protect yourself against and, if necessary harm before he can harm you.

~ Tom Sleigh
from The Deeds in The Best American Travel Writing 2009

In that mini-skirmish, I chose not to see the other person’s hardships and focus only on my own. I established an ‘us versus them’ scenario that meant the other person had to be the villan who was trying to destroy my way of life and impede my happiness (in a much more trivial way than in the Middle East), rather than a fellow victim. Although we were both victims in that neither of us were getting what we wanted.

That mental switch from seeing the other side as antagonistic and combattive to also victimized reminded me that there is room for both people to be suffering. Both sides can feel hurt, neglected, and frustrated. I do not have a monopoly on those emotions and someone else feeling the same way does not negate my hardship.

The next time a conflict arises with someone, I hope I’m able to avoid seeing them as the villan. To recognize their grievances and understand that they are not trying to worsen my life, but improve their own… exactly the same way I am.

Sweet pea solstice

Sweet peas mean summer to me. And while the grey skies in Vancouver (and the flooding in Southern Alberta) might suggest otherwise, summer has officially begun.

The day of equinox or solstice that marks the division between winter, spring, summer, and autumn rarely feels like the actual commencement of the season. This summer solstice is no exception.

But at least the grass is green in the Pacific Northwest, the flowers are out, and we don’t need to worry about watering gardens and lawns!

There are lots of summer solstice celebrations happening today – including one at Bound Lotus Meditation & Yoga Centre that preempts my regular yin yoga class tonight. No yin bliss tonight… and next Friday is the last of the month, which brings with it a sublimely soothing yin yoga session with guided relaxation and an extra-long savasana.

Hope the first day of summer is treating everyone well and that you’re able to join me for some relaxation on Friday, June 28 at 6:30pm!

Birthday cookie recipe

I really enjoyed teaching on my birthday yesterday. There’s nothing like lovely, appreciative students to make this birthday girl feel valued 🙂

It was great leading the class through some of my favourite yin postures while listening to some of my favourite yoga music (the playlist was heavy on Wah!, Snatum Kaur, and Deva Premal) and even more wonderful to chat with students over cookies afterwards.

As requested, here’s the chocolate spice cookies recipe.