Laura – Page 25 – 2nd Avenue

If you do only one yoga pose…

If you only ever do one yoga pose, make it legs up the wall. It’s one of the easiest postures and is the foundation for many restorative yoga practices. It’s fabulous after a hike, run, long-walk, cycle, or anything that works your legs.

All it takes is nestling your bum next to a wall and swinging your legs up; once your legs are up the wall, relax and let your back body sink into the floor. That’s it!

It was immeasurably helpful for me after an accidental 8-hour hike in China this fall – luckily the hostel bed was tucked right against the wall so my back was well-cushioned!

I’ve included step-by-step instructions below.

Legs up the wall pose

Why it’s good

Encourages healing throughout the body by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system
Slows the stress-induced sympathetic nervous system – our fight or flight reflex
Activates the body’s relaxation response; lowering the resting heart rate, slowing breathing, and decreasing the production of stress hormones
Brings fresh blood and lymph fluid into the abdomen and internal organs
Relieves tension in the lower back and sacrum
Reduces swelling, tension, and stress in feet and legs
Raises the feet above the heart; reversing effects of gravity, improving heart function, and allowing the heart to rest

How to do it

Sit on the floor with the side of your hip against a wall or a closed door
Swing your legs up the wall, pressing your bum into the corner where the floor and the wall meet
Lower your back to the floor and lean your heels against the wall

If keeping your legs straight is too much for your hamstrings, slide your bum away from the wall and bend your knees slightly
Your spine should be perpendicular to the wall with your back on the floor

Rest your arms alongside your body, lengthen them out in a “T” shape, or extend them over your head for more of a chest and back stretch
Let go of the tension in your legs and pelvis

Make it even easier by strapping your ankles together (try a bathrobe belt or an elastic exercise band if you don’t have a yoga strap) so you don’t have to work to keep your legs close together
Add a folded blanket under your hips or head if you need more padding to be comfortable

Breathe into your belly and relax everything
Hang out in this posture for 5-20 minutes – try to relax for at least five minutes

To come out of legs up the wall:

Bend your knees and slide the soles of your feet along the wall towards your bum
Remove anything you’re using to hold your legs together and press your lower back into the floor for a couple breaths
Squeeze your knees into your chest and roll from side to side on your back to release any tension in your lower back
Roll to one side and slowly come up to a seated position
Breathe deeply for at least three breaths to allow the blood to settle back into your body and prevent getting a head rush when you stand up

Exercises in willpower & futility

While doing the first 40-Day Meditation Challenge of 2012 at Bound Lotus Meditation & Yoga Centre, I’ve also committed to 40 days without alcohol. I’ve temporarily given up liquor not so much to cleanse, but as an exercise in willpower and to allow the meditation to have as much impact as possible.

It’s a good thing I’m not hoping to detox my liver for the rest of the year by taking 40 days off from alcohol as British Liver Trust and other health professionals state that “detoxing for just a month in January is medically futile.” The Globe & Mail’s article on The right way to detox your liver recommends staying away from alcohol for two or three days straight every week to allow your liver to recover.

So after the 40-Day Meditation Challenge is done on February 11, my more important challenge will be exercising my willpower and taking a couple of days in a row off from my nightly glass of wine…

And maybe committing to the next 40-Day Meditation Challenge when it starts on February 20!

“The whole point of yoga is to get rid of ego”

This article on How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body from the New York Times is making the rounds and certainly serves as a reminder to listen to your body and keep your ego off the mat.

Asana is not a panacea or a cure-all. In fact, if you do it with ego or obsession, you’ll end up causing problems.

– Yoga teacher Glenn Black

I’ve certainly pushed myself too hard doing asanas (yoga postures) and suffered the consequences for days after. Thankfully I haven’t had any catastrophic injuries like those described in the article, but it’s easy to see how they could happen.

Every time I practice I remind myself to stay in the moment, listen to my body, and accept that whatever it’s capable of doing that day. If some part of my body hurts, I need to respect that and move out of the pose or find another approach. Sometimes that means using lots of props, other times it’s just backing off a bit or being okay wobbling on one leg. Often I need to remind myself that yoga is not a competition (not even with myself!) and surrendering my ego is part of the practice. That last part generally means laughing at myself 🙂

If you’re looking for a really laid-back, no ego involved practice this weekend, I’ll be subbing Randi’s Restorative Yoga class on Saturday afternoon (3:15-4:30pm on January 7 at Bound Lotus). Randi’s Restorative classes are always fabulous and I hope to live up to her excellent example. In addition to being an incredible teacher, Randi also founded Samana Wellness to help people find balance and nourishment through yoga and nutrition.

Randi will be teaching Restorative Yoga again on Sunday (6-7:15pm on January 8 at Bound Lotus) and I’ll be there… striving to get my ego off the mat!

Winter songs

Music that captures the seasonal spirit and works as a soundtrack to a yoga practice. Take a look at the Listen page for a full list of songs that are great for a yoga practice and at the Meditate page for meditation music I recommend. Click on the iTunes button to purchase a specific song.

In the Morning by Jack Johnson
Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song) by Meiko
Misteltoe by Colbie Callait
River by Joni Mitchell
Song for a Winter’s Night by Sarah McLachlan
Winter Song by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Holiday wishes

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and all the best in the new year!

Beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

One of my favourite things about the holiday season are the delightful smells that come along with the traditional trimmings… the freshforrest-y scent of a Christmas tree, the mint tingle of candy canes, the richness of mulled wine, and the spicy warmth of gingerbread.

This granola recipe is reasonably healthy (no added sugar – just what’s in the maple syrup and dried fruit – and no added fat), full of fibre and protein, and smells wonderfully like more decadent holiday baking. It’s also inspired by the wonderful homemade chai tea at Bound Lotus Meditation & Yoga Centre, where I’ll be teaching in the new year.

Yoga as recovery

Intense physical activity, such as running or training for endurance sports like triathlons, can be very hard on your body. Yoga can help you recover. Read other posts about recovering.

Taking a meditative approach to yoga and flowing through postures, rather than quickly jumping from pose to pose, helps shift your nervous system from fight or flight reactions (sympathetic state) to a restorative, healing modality (parasympathetic state). You’re capable of making better decisions when your nervous system is more relaxed and you’ll generally feel happier!

The controlled movements of a yoga practice encourage circulation in your endocrine and lymphatic systems. Gently stretching your muscles re-distributes lactic acid and reduces oxidative stress generated by free radicals.

Perhaps most importantly, the relaxation portion of a yoga class helps your body recover from activity. Taking time out of your busy schedule to focus on your body helps you connect with your physical being and pay attention to what it’s telling you.

Yoga can also help undo the damage of a late night and flush out toxins. Backward and forward bends squeeze and release your internal organs, which brings fresh blood into your liver and kidneys and encourages toxins to clear more quickly. Specific yoga poses can also help relieve headaches and soothe sore muscles. Additionally, a long version of guided relaxation called yoga nidra slows your brainwaves, which can help heal your body more quickly and may feel more restful than napping for four times as long.