Spring Cleaning!

My yoga training reflects the philosophy of Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga Yoga, including the Eight Limbs of Yoga.  While yoga is not considered religious, the Eight Limbs are akin to the Bible's Ten Commandments, and are the foundation of Yoga on and off the mat.  The first two limbs are the Yamas and the Niyamas.

Practiced together, according to author Charlotte Bell ("Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life") they form a "solid, fertile foundation in which to cultivate the settled mind." While the Yamas are the way we perceive the environment, the Niyamas are now how we perceive ourselves. They are daily practices that only enhance our lives and complement our yoga practice. The Niyamas are Saucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study) and Isvarapranidana (surrender to Grace). We will cover one each week.

The first of the niyamas is Saucha, or cleanliness. And as I have stated to my class before, since you all are in charge of your own hygiene this will not be a lecture on how to smell sweet and pretty for your classmates (but please do!). Saucha, for me means cleanliness of the mind - where we learn to take only what we need and get rid of what we don't. Decluttering. In the Spring, we dust off the winter, and turn over a new leaf by practicing the semi-annual Spring cleaning.  Spring is a good time to think about Saucha from a nutritional perspective. Here are some ways to practice Saucha at home:

• Think about eating clean, unprocessed foods. Note the difference you feel with you eat a fresh plum (one ingredient) vs a bag of Doritos (39 ingredients).
• Practice making your plate at least 50% fruits and veggies.
• Clean out the clutter - start by opening up the house, airing it out, then go to the cabinets - purge the Christmas candy and the jar of fluff.  Once you have conquered that, get rid of the emotional clutter that you don't need. 
• Is something eating away at you that is making you snap at the kids or your spouse? Can you let it go? Or resolve it and move on? Those "dirty" thoughts are dirtying up your actions.
• Decide not to be burdened by someone whose actions way you down. Sometimes it feels really good to say "No."

Saucha is about cleaning up your actions, and more about being mindful - paying attention to your thoughts and cleaning them up. Without them, your life will feel lighter, freer, and ready for warmer weather.

"Simplicity, clarity, singleness - these are things that give life power and vividness and joy." Richard Hallowell

Hangover? There's an Asana for that!

Remember that old IPhone 3G commercial “there’s an App for that?” Way back when we didn’t know what “apps” were and 3G seemed like enough? Sometimes I feel as annoying as Apple, when someone murmurs something about a physical or mental ailment, my response is usually, “Yoga can fix that!”

While I do believe that Yoga can cure a lot of things, in an effort to stop proselytizing like Jim Jones offering Kool-Aid, I thought I would list my researched data here and get it off my chest. Wait….chest pressure? There’s an asana for that!

In Yoga as Medicine (Timothy McCall MD, 2007), the author addresses the science behind Yoga and its relationship to health and healing.  Written from a physician’s perspective, he writes about his own journey through practice, and then meets many where they are – wanting scientific proof that Yoga, considered a complementary medicine, can heal physical problems. Dr. McCall addresses the ailments faced by many:  anxiety, depression, Chronic fatigue and Fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, insomnia, and even headaches, to name a few.  He cites the research: of 2500 participants who practiced twice a week or more, at least 82 % of those with chronic illness reported and improvement in symptoms.  Yoga has been proven to lower blood sugar, blood pressure, Cortisol (stress hormone) levels, cholesterol and triglycerides, and increase immune and lymph function, lung function, overall circulation, bowel function, and oxygenation of tissues.  Dr. McCall isn’t saying that you should abandon Western medicine and chuck your pills out the window, he is just mentioning that Yoga can help relieve some of the aches and pains naturally, simply by moving and breathing deeply.

Yoga asanas (asana means “seat” in Sanskrit)  are essentially poses.  They are the physical component of a Yoga practice. They are designed to take the body through its entire range of motion.  Most Americans know Yoga by the moves they practice on the mat.  Asanas are but one eighth of the practice (the other components are behavioral and spiritual, don’t get me started here).  Most find that asanas are a nice way to incorporate Yoga into their life, and maybe move on from there.  Many people who have not practiced Yoga think that we yogis contort ourselves into pretzel-shapes.  I have to take off my shoes to count how many times people have asked me if I can put my foot behind my head (and no, I can’t).  According to the Yoga Sutras, which were written almost 3,000 years ago, asanas are ways to move, stretch and strengthen the body. Way back then, practitioners used Yoga to discipline and purify it in preparation for the next life. And lo and behold, it caught on. I personally can’t wait for the next life, and think Yoga is a great daily practice for, yes discipline and (hopefully) purity, but also for mental clarity, stress reduction, and physical toning and strengthening.  The best part about it is that when I am done with my practice, I inevitably feel better than I did before I started.  The common sentiment of my students is “I didn’t want to come, but I am so glad I did!”

That’s where the dreaded hangover comes in. Many people find it hard to get out of bed with the sun and practice, and it’s even harder when you feel yucky.  However, the actions of the asanas are geared to clear out the head and detoxify.  A few sun salutations (and some water, maybe an Advil or two) and you will be feeling like new.  Here are some other yoga “cures” for various ailments:*

• Headache:  Often headaches are caused by tension and eye or brain strain.  Stretching the neck and shoulders can help release that tension. Simply taking a break from whatever you are doing (and locking yourself in the closet to do these exercises) can help as well.  Slowly release ear to shoulder, pressing palm on opposite hand toward the floor. If sitting, try gently pressing thumbs into sinuses at base of skull and release head towards floor.  Address eye strain by rubbing the hands vigorously to warm them, and then place with gentle pressure over the eyes.  Try holding for at least 20 seconds, and repeat. Try chanting “Om” holding the “m” a little longer than usual, feeling the vibration in nose and upper palate.  While these simple asanas may not cure a migraine, regular yoga practice has been known to lower the incidence of migraines in sufferers.
• Anxiety:  When anxiety or even nervousness seems to take over, it’s important to try to tune inwards, restore the deep belly breath (Ujjayi) and practice letting go. When anxiety gets stirred up, the muscles around the abdomen can tighten, actually preventing the deep belly breath. Ease yourself into it slowly.  Try inhaling for a count of three beats, exhaling for three, and eventually extending the cycle to five counts. Or try crocodile breathing (on belly, toes long off the mat, forearms stacked, head resting on forearms): pressing the belly into the mat on the inhale, contracting toward the spine on the exhale.
• Insomnia:  Worrying about not getting enough sleep can keep you up at night!  Yoga teaches you to give your best effort and then let go of any attachment to the results.  Let go – as hard as it is, try accepting sleeplessness, rather than worrying about how rotten you will feel in the morning.  Then try belly breathing, with the breath counting (above).  Walk your muscles through contraction and relaxation, starting with the feet.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other digestive issues: Assuming you have seen your health care provider for this issue if it has become constant or bothersome, the occasional constipation/diarrhea cycle may be helped by a regular yoga practice. Often an overly active sympathetic nervous system and an underactive parasympathetic nervous system can be balanced by various asanas, as well as meditation and relaxation.  Standing, try inhaling arms up over head, releasing with a big exhale to forward fold, inhaling up again, and releasing to the side (one arm out, one arm back). Repeat several times. Seated, try reclined bound angle or cobbler’s pose with a bolster under the knees.

This is just a sampling of many issues that can be alleviated by a regular practice. More chronic issues such as High Blood Pressure, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Menopause, overweight/obesity, Arthritis, Cancer and others are addressed in the book.

Meanwhile, there isn’t much, even a hard night of partying, that Yoga can’t fix. Just bring water. And maybe some Advil. 

* Make sure to consult your healthcare provider for any condition that is worrisome or is not going away.

The Magic Bullet of Fitness

The Magic Bullet             

How many times have we said “I wish it was easier to get in shape” or “I wish I could blink and have my 22 year old body back."  Well just tune in to early morning TV and you will find your cure.  I turned on the TV just in time to hear that the “Magic Bullet” can save my life.  For just a few payments of 19.99, touts the infomercial, this product will help me feel better, lose weight, and even sleep better.  One of the happy customers thrilled to pieces with this, uh, blender, says that it helped her endure chemotherapy.  Another husband was tickled that he now has his “wife back.”  After all that, how can you NOT want the Magic Bullet? If it cleaned my bathrooms for me, I would be on the phone in a nanosecond.

The Magic Bullet infomercial producers are pure geniuses. “How do we rope them in? Make them feel like all they have to do is buy this, uh, blender, and their lives will be totally awesome?” “I dunno, call it…. a MAGIC Bullet?”  They are appealing to everyone who, especially at this time of year (winter doldrums, holiday hangover) needs a quick boost. How many of us want a fast and easy way to, as the Magic Bullet guarantees, feel better and lose weight?  If the Magic Bullet doesn’t appeal to you (you have to buy lots of fruits and vegetables and juice them.  And it’s not Magic, it’s agonizing after the third day of drinking liquefied kale)….there are plenty of products out there guaranteed to take the weight off, over night, without any change to diet and exercise. I, for one, have 3 months of “green coffee extract” that Dr. Oz told me would melt the pounds away.  Unused.

The truth is, there is no Magic Bullet.  Remember how, when we learned Magic tricks at the 4^th grade birthday party? Magic is based on deception.  While we all want to find the magic – the fountain of youth, the cure for wrinkles, that energy drink that cleans the house for us, there isn’t anything to feeling better other than eating right and exercising.  Once you’ve been to the health care professional to rule out any imbalances, simply eating better and exercising can help immensely.

Notice I am not going near the whole “weight loss” issue. As a health and wellness counselor I think everyone’s healthy weight is different.  Once your lifestyle changes, you will reach that healthy weight. And stay there. Once you imagine yourself as a healthy person, you will accept who you are and not agonize over your weight. Once you stop agonizing over your weight, the depriving/craving cycle goes away and you change your nutritional habits. You know that cycle: “I hate myself! I was craving Oreos so I ate the whole box just to get it out of the house! So I am not having any dinner! OMG I am starving!” 

The problem for most of us is that this change takes time and work. It’s not magic, it’s not a bullet, and it doesn’t have immediate impact. But it is more rewarding, in the long run, to make permanent, rather than temporary change.

Here’s how to start:

1)      Start today. No more “when I get in shape” nonsense. Ain’t gonna happen. Start today and only worry about today.  Save tomorrow for tomorrow.  Research shows that it takes 21 days to enforce a habit. That's 21 todays. 20 tomorrows (and counting down). Easy, peasy.

2)      Get up 15 to 30 minutes earlier than usual. Stretch, do yoga sun salutations, or meditate while you are waiting for the coffee to brew.  Take this time for you (see #7). You will be prepared to make this day fabulous.

3)      Enlist friends.  A bunch of us have started running together, and simple group encouragement is a huge motivator.  Or call me, and I will talk you through it.

4)      Find a nutritional program that works for you. Go plant heavy, light on processed foods.  Get Michael Pollan's Food Rules. See #5.

5)      Cook. Those who cook, simply put, are healthier than those who don’t.  Take a few minutes to plan out your day, cut up fruits and veggies to have at the ready so that you are not tempted by the Oreos or the Doritoes in the vending machine.

6)      Do Yoga. I know, I know, self promotion. But Yoga helps you accept yourself in all your perfection, and helps to end that depriving/craving cycle. Besides, it’s great exercise. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.

7)      Be good to yourself. You deserve it.

Remember that changing your life is a lifetime change. It takes constant tweaking, but you will be healthier, happier and maybe even sleep better. Like Magic!

Imperfectionism

Imperfectionism

Many people remember traumatic events clearly – where they were, with whom they were, when it happened, as if the image were frozen in their mind.  I remember – vividly - where I was when I heard that I am not perfect.  It was a veiled compliment, really – she told me that I was “almost perfect.”  I was devastated, and kept trying. This memory is particularly meaningful as I realize the impact of my desire for perfectionism on my child. When I was pregnant, I prepared for the perfect child – bought my Martha Stewart-like planner, designed the birth announcement, listened to classical music so that he would develop good taste in music. I quit my job to reduce stress. I ate the right things. I took prenatal yoga.  I did everything I could to make sure this child would be what I wanted him to be, down to inducing labor rather than wait for him to come out on his own. I can’t be alone, can I, in my desire to mold my child? Isn’t it natural to want to help children develop to become smart, successful and happy adults? I wonder how many parents struggle to place the line between gently facilitating development and forcing the mold to fit an image.  What happens when they don’t turn out like we had planned?

I am guessing that many parents wish (okay, maybe secretly) that their kids were different. Sometimes it’s the little things – we wish they would stop picking their nose in public, care about their appearance (“pull up your pants!”) or have different friends. I am betting we will all admit (despite the public vow to never repeat our parents’ indiscretions) that we licked our hand to neaten their hair, and how many of us have secretly corrected their homework before they hand it in? For me, I confess, it went deeper – I practically hand-picked his friends and extra-curricular programs. For years I tried to get him into activities I wanted him to like – not only soccer but church choir, horseback riding, and art lessons.  I had this vision of who my child should be, and somehow I thought I could “create” him. Child development specialists will testify that it is good to expose the child to a variety of activities, but I doubt they would encourage those like me who kept their kid going until all hours, propping him up while cheering “don’t you just love this?? Honey? Honey?? Of course you do!!” And then judging or criticizing him when he didn’t.  I believe I am in good company of parents who want to  their children – one only need tune in to the infomercial promising to teach the child to read before he even understands the impact of words, or watch a reality show sporting two-year old beauty contestants. (“No, really, my daughter’s first word was ‘tiara.’” Right.) That may be the extreme, but it is clear that, like Will, today’s average elementary-schooler is “over-booked” for activities like golf, Chinese, SAT-prep, and music instruction.  While these may be good intentions for developing a well-rounded child, I think when it goes from “facilitating” to “molding” it seems out of hand.  My “molding,” as if he were a dehydrated piece of playdough that I found by the radiator, became very evident this year.  My “perfect” boy is, in fact, far from my previous image of “perfect:” diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Learning Disorders, his afternoons, once full of expensive activities that might have taken place in a country club now consist of Special Education classes in a dusty library.  The perfectionist in me feels resentful – this is not what I planned! I feel guilty, as a perfectionist I always wonder if I could have done more (was it the glass of wine or cup of coffee I drank in the 3^rd month of pregnancy?) Still wanting to have control over it, I have rationalized: “If he gets a teacher who understands his needs, then it will be okay.” “If we can get the right medication, then it will be better.”  The hardest part about the erosion of the childhood I imagined for him was that it became clear to me that I needed to accept him as he is, and this let him accept it, developing a healthy sense of himself. 

As I began to practice yoga, I realized the value in living in the present and accept what “is.”  Stephen Cope, Director of Kripalu’s Institute for Extraordinary Living, talks about yoga’s ability to help us see things as they are, and that the situation at hand, if examined from a different angle, is already “ok.”  That once we understand that happiness arises from acceptance, we begin to find contentment from just being – being where we are, right now.

Not until I became a regular yoga practitioner did I realize the hazard of forcing my perfectionism on my child, and the importance of accepting him, “warts and all.” As I developed my yoga practice, and became an instructor, I became more attuned to the study of the Yamas (moral restraints) and the Niyamas (personal observances) from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.  As stops one and two on the Eight-limbed path to awakening, they can be incorporated into a practice that affects all aspects of life.  By studying the yamas and the niyamas, I have been able to let go of some of the ideals I once held, such as the expectations for my child, and see the glory of who Will is.  For example, following the niyama Santosha, I learn to feel more content with the situation at hand, finding light where I might have seen darkness before. With the yama Satya, I learn to accept the truth of what is and is not possible – and letting go of that which clouds my thinking.  Many of us begin our practice on the mat.  The asanas are just one of the eight limbs of yoga practice – and the foundation of many Western yoga practices.  However, by incorporating the other limbs (Pranayama, breathing; Pratyahara, drawing within; Dharana, focus; Dhyana, the flow of consciousness; and Samadhi, enlightenment or awakening) we are able to live a yogic life off- as well as on- the mat.  When we do so, we understand that our actions have consequences far beyond our imagination.  With the Eight limbs, I am able to understand the impact I am having on Will. The Eight Limbs encourage us to live the truth in the present moment, accepting that which is rather than searching for that which is not.

While he may not be a champion equestrian, or a Rhodes Scholar, he will find himself, and, to quote him, “I will do it if you just stop yelling at me to.”   As long as he is safe, healthy and happy, I need to back off.  However, I still maintain the right to tell him to use a tissue, not his sleeve, and to pull up his pants.

Serenity NOW!!!!

This morning I found myself repeating the famous phrase from Seinfeld (and in the same stressed, high pressured voice as George Costanza’s father): “Serenity NOW!!!!”   When life gets chaotic (and these days it never seems to be NOT chaotic) I find myself seeking serenity – looking for calm, tranquil waters. No wonder those little gurgling fountains sell out at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I tried one but I just kept running to the bathroom.

How many times have we said “I need a vacation!!” when life gets rough. What we seek, in the midst of chaos, is that serenity – that calm either internally or externally. We seek relief from the craziness of every day and want to escape.  And in that searching, we think we have to be somewhere else, either emotionally or physically.  “When I lose 10 lbs"…"when my kids leave the house"…."when I have a new job"……just fill in the blanks here.  We want to be anywhere but here. And we think that when we get "there," everything will be better.  The trick, according to lots of famous yogi-types, is not to focus on getting “there,” but to focus on the “here.”

Josh Baran, one of those famous Zen Buddhist yogis to stars like Oprah, talks about his search for serenity.  “My mind was filled with anxiety and distraction, constantly bouncing here and there, but mostly there.”   In his quest to calm that mind, Baran learned to focus on the here and now – that’s where enlightenment is, after all, say the Buddhists.  He created his own catchphrase that became an inner anchor to bring himself back to the present moment.  “Whenever I would get worried, depressed or want things to be different than they were, I would ease my mind by saying, ‘This is it.’ Those three words stopped my habitual seeking mind, the mind that always wants something different, better, bigger or newer, the mind that is always yearning for special experiences, easier times or a different life, the mind that wants someone or something to rescue us. Whenever I found myself ruminating on how things should be different, I would say, "This is it," and perhaps only for a moment, came home to a more present experience of reality.” Wonderful, isn’t it?  But how do you change that thinking to become more mindful and accept the present, or “it?”

According to the Yoga Journal, folks at the Kripalu Center (big yogi hangout in the Berkshires)  have developed a five-step approach that could help bring you from “there” to “here?” Follow these steps and allow yourself to fall into a deep meditative state that will reveal a closer connection to the present.

1. Breathe. Focusing on your breathing is an essential practice that draws your awareness inward and helps you experience the presence and flow of energy.  Step one is always to breathe.

2. Relax. The more you relax, the more you deepen awareness of sensation. Take a deep breath in, hold it for 5 or 6 seconds, while you bring thumb and pointer finger together.  As you release the breath, separate the fingers, sending the tension away.

3. Feel. Let your sense of feeling move beyond physical sensation. Acknowledge who you are as a being of energy.

4. Watch. Sense who you are as a witness; be a scientist observing phenomena arising in and around you.

5. Allow. Sense who you are with no preferences or judgment.   Be present to the process of your life unfolding moment by moment.

 Remember, this is IT. Enjoy it.  NOW!!!!!