Surfing Your Balance

Hello World! Welcome! Please come in, take a seat. Can I get you a shmoke and a pauncake? No?

..Today's entry is going to be about a balancing technique that I have been working on and so far I'm giving a thumbs up to.  The best way I can describe what this technique like is implicated in the title of this blog: Surfing Your Balance. Clever, ey?

When you come into your balancing pose such as Tree (Virksasana) or Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana), pay attention to your standing foot and where you are being thrown off balance. Are you swaying to the left? To the right? Side to side is most common, but check also if your being thrown forward or backward. While focusing on where exactly you are losing balance, try to train yourself to pull the side of the foot down when it begins to lift. So for instance if you are standing on your right leg and your right inner foot starts to lift and you start fall towards the right, focus your mind to that lifted arch and consciously pull it down. When its down you can come back to rooting all four corners of your foot into the ground, and breathing into your regained balance.  You can introduce yourself to this "surfing" technique by coming into your balance pose, and intentionally gently lose your balance. This way you can gradually teach yourself what it feels like to bring your attention to the area of your body that is making you lose balance right away; after some time and practice, pulling down the part of your foot that is losing balance will become natural and easy.

      

       I refer to this technique as "surfing" because after a while of practicing this exercise it begins to feel like your grooving with the flowing movement of your foot, much like standing on a surfboard when surfing! Woah! Keanu Reeves face Woah! The more you relax and listen to your inner guidance,the more you'll be able to feel the balance from the inside which then becomes converted to actions on the outside. Just remember to keep your toes wide, all four corners grounded (or the best you can), and the inner arches lifted. But hey, this technique doesn't have to be left on the mat; go ahead and practice it anywhere! In line, at work if you're standing, when you're dancing, at cat funerals--- where ever you feel appropriate.This gives you a chance to take your yogic concentration/matter where ever your whimsical life may carry you.

     

   Another benefit I wanted throw out about this technique is that it works out the muscles in the arches of our feet, especially the medial longitudinal arch which is the inner/highest arch on your foot.  This area is the cause of pain for thousands of people, growing every day. (HOLLA AT MY PREGNANT LADIES OUT THERE! HEEEEEY!). A weak arch can cause a grip of pain because it supports your whole body weight, acts as a shock absorber for all your awesome jumps slash flips, and contributes to a stable walk, whilst continuing to bounce back to position with obedience and precision. If not worked on, the medial longitudinal arch can weaken due to various reasons such as habitual biomechanics that oppose natural anatomical alignment; the hormone relaxin in pregnant women; and types of shoes. As for the other arches of the feet,  the metatarsal arch and lateral arch, this "surfing" technique is great for preventing arthritis and tendonitis.

 I feel that now would be an appropriate time for me to shout from the roof tops I AM NOT A DOCTOR. Just a yogic observer.  These are suggestions and conclusions I have made from research and experimentation. As always follow a practice that is right for you.  However, for you serious inquirers out there who want a list of my references, I'd be happy to share. Ready? Ok, here it is: GOOGLE.COM. Check it out, I think its really going to make a splash soon! ;)

     Last little yogic note I'm going to nerd out on you with is this: Bandhas.  Bandhas are translated as "locks."  Pada Bandha is translated as "Foot Lock."  In Hatha Yoga, Pada Bandha is encouraged to hold as an energetic action as means to acquire a strong sense of grounding and stabilizing the firm standing foot. This awakens the pranic energy, and consequently results in more energy, more life force, and clarity.  The effects of surfing your balance encourages a stronger Pada Bandha, and after practicing this technique I'm hoping it will make it easier to maintain Pada Bandha throughout an entire hatha yoga class. (or at least standing and balance parts of the class).

So I want to offer you some homework: Come into your expression of tree pose or some other standing balance pose (I would suggest starting simple), and really truly focus on your standing foot. Spread your toes, root your foot down, and focus in on what parts of your foot is lifting when you start to lost balance.  When you register whats lifting, pull it down. Go slow, allow yourself to play around, don't take it too seriously, and remember to breath.  

Hope my technique helps your balancing practice, and always feel free to comment if you feel the commenting urge.

Cheers and Namaste.

Get Some Balls In Your Practice

Hello All! Today I wanted to offer a variation to your home practice, should you decide you want to shake some things up.  I want to suggest using an exercise ball during your savasana (corpse pose) or as a relaxing inversion. Recently I have been putting my legs up onto an exercise ball during savasana (crossing my feet to prevent the ball from rolling away) and I have to say that it was been quite yummy. The elevation reduces pressure in the lower back region (lumbar/sacrum region), and the pose itself is a variation on viparita karani (legs up wall) pose.  Vipariti Karani is a great asana because it calms the nervous system, stimulates the blood circulation in your legs, and brings an overall feeling of equanimity and blissful stillness. It looks like this: 

The viparti karani ball variation would be helpful for people to who don't have a lot of wall space, or if you just spontaneously bought an exercise ball and haven't used it since purchase -except for maybe a bouncy chair. (there's more us out there than one may think...).  Its also nice because you will still receive the benefits of viparti karani but get to experience them through a different approach.  If you don't have an exercise ball, you can purchase one at just about any sporty type store...and they are relatively cheap. They look like this: 
    So there you have it. Try putting your legs up on a ball during your final relaxation pose, and explore/enjoy what you feel.
Namaste.

On the Road Again...

Actually, I finally find myself off the road. HELLO WORLD! I just got back from a two and half week road trip across the ol' U S of A, and let me tell you its nice to be back home! Finally, instead of sitting in the car for thirteen hours, I get to sit on my awesomely comfortable couch for fifthteen hours. Life's as it should be.

    Although the trip was amazing, I have to say that it was a doosey of a challenge to accept that I was not able to practice yogs as much as I was used to; consequently my body felt stiff, I became quite a pill (or a bitch..depending on who you asked), and I was losing a sense of calmness and clarity that I had been used to working towards in my daily life. Luckily, among the bazillion things that I'm awesome at, I can improvise. So bloggers, yogi's, and loyal stalkers, I write this entry in the hopes to share tips on how to take yoga with you wherever you go. If you have suggestions, questions, corrections, or any other "tions" that may add to this piece, as always feel free to comment. 

1). Diaphragmatic Breathing:  I LOVED practicing this breath  while in the car, both when I was passenger and driver. Now that I'm home and safe, I will admit that yes I did practice pranayama (breathing exercises) while I was driving. I don't necessarily encourage it, but I will say that it kept me interested and alert; two virtues of driving.  Essentially in diaphragmatic breathing, you're breathing into the lower part of you abdomen, just below the naval. The diaphragm is shaped kind of like a parachute, and when you inhale the top of the the diaphragm drops down into a bowl shape, and when you exhale that same diaphragmatic layer pushes back up in a somewhat inverted bowl shape.  But hey look Jimmy, here's a video! Let's watch...   

I enjoyed imagining that on my inhales, my bottom core expanded really wide, and on the exhales i powerfully pulled in both of my sides toward the midline of my stomach. I kinda pretended I was a human accordion. Which was neat. I also liked how it felt like I was toning my stomach because it distracted me from the reality of being in car with no exercise for hours on in. For a full instructional video on diaphragmatic breathing pop on over to Yogayak.com and look over in the pranayama section. Feel free to donate while your there also. Icon wink ;).

2). Hotel Asanas:  At some point, after all that driving, fighting, and road kill running over, you land somewhere. For us we stayed in a hotel room in just about every night. (Shout out to Billings Montana Super 8! Yeyea!).  So you're now in a private, stable environment-why not go do some yoga, dumb dumb? Just kidding, I don't think you're a dumb dumb. I just say stuff sometimes to get noticed...but all dumb dumb joking aside, you can easily do some simple Sun Salutations, core work, standing asanas, and even some back bends in the smallest and tightest of rooms. I personally really enjoyed doing a supported head stand (Sirsasana 1) for about 5-10 minutes a day. I found that it shook up the stagnant digestive system, gave me more energy and focus, and all around put me in a better mood. For instructions on supported headstand, yoga journal has simple, orderly directions on that and many other asanas.  http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/481

 3). Just Let Your Free Flag Fly: Last time I checked, this wasn't communist China. America is one of the most desirable places to live because we believe in freedom, and if I want to tie in a little asana practice in the middle of what I'm doing...shit ya I'm going to do it! I mean if I don't, doesn't that just mean the terrorists have won? I say do your part, as an AMERICAN, and bust into a down dog if you feel so inclined.  I did. In Chicago. While I was waiting in line to see a boat tour of the city's historical  architecture. A really nice tour actually, and I highly recommend it if you're in the area.   But I digress, the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to go into a yoga pose at the most seemingly randomist of times, I say do it. If someone gawks at you for doing yoga, chances are its because

• they're jealous
• they're curious
• they want to join in but are too shy
• they haven't participated in the act of coitus in a substantial amount of time, and watching you do poses makes them feel funny in their "no no" spots. (watch out for these people).

Sometimes you might find someone who's just bitter at yoga in general and thinks you're stupid for practicing in public. In those cases, just remember that life's full of haters, and haters gonna hate. Whatever, we all know that you lose more weight if you participate, and me personally? I'm into lookin' good. So there.  
    Of coarse, be aware and considerate of the people around you; if it bothers them then take a step back. This, much like various yogic practices, are not suitable for everyone at every time. These are just suggestions, and ultimately its up to you to practice the way that is right for you and your situation.

Well now, I suppose I've said what I've needed to say. I hope my experience and suggestions with road yoga will sit well with you. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying all the yogic matters in your day.

Cheers and Namaste.