Grace Yoga by Arlene Bjork

Why Yoga is SO Good For Your Pregancy

2009-03-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Grace Yoga/Arlene Bjork mentioned in article, "Why Yoga is SO Good For Your Pregnancy". - Thanks to Dave Jackson for posting.
http://www.bellycast.com/10/why-yoga-is-so-good-for-your-pregnancy/

Grace Yoga Podcast listed in Ultimate Guide to Yoga

2009-03-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Experienced yoga instructor Arlene Bjork creates these podcasts which are great for beginners wanting to get into Vinyasa yoga." Read more: http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/23/the-ultimate-guide-to-yoga-100-blogs-tutorials-and-resources/

Grace Yoga: Beside Still Waters CD Still in Distribution

2009-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Arlene Bjork's 2005 release is still in distribution for a limited time. This 60 minute audio recording is a beginner yoga practice can introduce practitioners to vinyasa, or to help experienced practitioners fine tune their breathing and asana.
To order the CD, click here:
http://music.cafepress.com/item/grace-yoga-beside-still-waters/36597003

Grace Yoga on InRich.com

2009-03-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Information on Grace Yoga's Bridal Bootcamp posted on InRich.com:
http://thingstodo.inrich.com/richmond-va/events/show/86604151-bridal-boot-camp-at-grace-yoga?print=true

Yoga Therapy Monthly--Teaching Hearing Impaired Students--Feb 2009

2009-02-24T04:58:00.001-08:00

Welcome

Yoga Therapy Monthly offers information and inspiration to yoga teachers who want to improve their ability to help clients heal, grow, and shine.

From Aadil Palkivala, world-renowned yoga master and author, federally registered Doctor of Naturopathy, Ayurvedic Health Science Practitioner, certified Shiatsu and Swedish bodywork therapist, with degrees in law, physics, and mathematics. Aadil has been teaching yoga and training teachers for over 35 years.

For Aadil's biodata- click here.

Quick Links

Yoga Centers

Purna Yoga

Aadil and Mirra

February 2009

Teaching Hearing Impaired Students

Question:

A woman with a hearing impairment has approached me to say that she would like to join my class -- and that she would feel more comfortable if she were able to read my lips as well as use her hearing aid. Do you have any suggestions on how to best integrate her into a class?

Answer:

I have had many students with serious hearing impairments, and I place them in the front of the room. I am conscious to articulate my speech very carefully and clearly whenever they are in class, and I make a particular effort to look at them while I am talking so that they can see my lips. The situation simply requires you to be more conscious and careful of your position in the room.

It is also best to look at the hearing-impaired student after each major teaching, to check for her face for understanding. If she's wearing a puzzled look, repeat yourself.

While doing Savasana (Corpse Pose) in particular, I ask my hearing-impaired students to do the pose with their heads very close to mine so that they can hear more clearly (since they cannot lip-read in Savasana). I tell them in advance that i will gently touch them to let them know when Savasana is over. This way, they are not worried that they will miss the end and be embarrassed by remaining supine when others have risen.

In short, you will need to remind yourself to become more alert and more sensitive when teaching hearing-impaired students.

-Aadil Palkhivala

Send us Your Questions
Because we want this newsletter to be informative and applicable to you, please send us any questions of a therapeutic nature that come up in your yoga classes and practice. Please send your questions to: aadil.mirra@yogacenters.com

Therapeutics for the Low Back, Eyes, and More

A Four Day Retreat for Students and Teachers.

Since continuing education is essential for yoga teachers, join me as I share over 30 years of experience as we fine-tune the very foundational practices in asana and therapuetics. You will also have a chance to nourish yourself and your own practice. If you have never taken a workshop at Yoga Centers, I invite you to our studio, to learn why it truly is the Home of Purna Yoga--a beautiful clean studio designed to nurture your body, mind, and spirit on so many levels! If you cannot attend the entire weekend, you may pick and choose your favorite workshops!

Healing the Eyes Thursday, Mar 19

Unmasking the Rogue Behind Low Back Pain Friday, Mar 20

The Five Vayus in Standing Poses Saturday, Mar 21

Bending Backwards Sunday, Mar 22

To register, click here

The Expansiveness of The Heart

An Excerpt from Fire of Love

Our true state is neither giddy happiness nor melancholy despair, but the equinamity that the inner smile represents, the equanimity that we, in yoga, call bliss. Happiness has "sorrow as its shade," but there is no antonym for yogic bliss. External circumstances bring with them joy and sorrow, but no circumstance can steal away our true nature, our inner bliss. Bliss is our natural state; it is our home.

-Aadil

To order your copy of Fire of Love click here

Inspiration for Yoga Studios

2009-02-17T04:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome

Inspiration for Yoga Studios
offers monthly ideas to nourish you and your students.

From Aadil Palkhivala, world-renowned yoga master, yoga therapist, author, federally registered Doctor of Naturopathy, Ayurvedic Health Science Practitioner, certified Shiatsu and Swedish massage therapist, with degrees in law, physics, and mathematics.

In This Issue

Weighty Problems

For Your Inspiration

Fire of Love

It's Here

Quick Links

Yoga Centers

Yoga Therapy Monthly Newsletter- Subscribe

Yoga Teacher Training

Aadil and Mirra

February 2009

Weighty Problems

A teacher approached me with the question regarding a student who is very overweight and breathes loudly and erratically during deep relaxation in Savasana (Corpse Pose). He was also quite fidgety, disturbing other students, falling asleep, and snoring. This teacher has tried to discourage sleeping during Savasana, but even his regular breathing is disruptive. She had also considered props, but didn't feel this would stop him from falling asleep and snoring. She is certain that his weight is the main reason for his loud and erratic breathing. How could this teacher be diplomatic and helpful to this student?

There are two issues here. One is the method you must use in class to ease the burden of his weight on his diaphragm and sinuses, thus reducing the noise of his breathing. The second are his fidgets, which I understand to be a problem during class instruction, not in Savasana.

To help him in class, make sure that he is propped up in Savasana, doing pranayama posture rather than Svasana itself. Raise the props under his back and head and much as necessary to make him stop snoring and to ease his breathing. Adjust the heights for him individually, checking th results as you go along.

For his fidgets, it seems that he needs to release pent-up frustration. Gentle but flowing classical Surya Namaskars (Sun Salutations), without the jumping common to Ashtanga and Iyengar, will help. Please make sure that you place heavy bricks under his hands when he finds it difficult to reach the floor.

If he wants you to help him weight-wise, I would suggest a three pronged approach. Assuming his weight is not thyroid-related, please suggest; 1) that he walk for 20 minutes three to four times a week, starting slowly and gradually speeding up the walk as his body allows, but never getting out of breath (this exercise will also help with the problem of pent up frustration); 2) that he practice Sarvanasana (Shoulderstand) during his daily practice, placing his shoulders on thick, hard foam blocks or on three or four folded blankets, so that he does not have trouble breathing. He should do this for two minutes daily for a week, then for three minutes dialy for the next week, then for four minutes and so on, building by a minute per week until, after 20 weeks, he has built up to 20 minutes daily. He should remain at the 20-minute duration for a year; and 3) that he eliminate all fried foods; all foods with artificial chemicals, such as preservatives, colors, flavors, FD or C numbers; and also all wheat and dairy. I personally would suggest that he start a program of eating very healthy foods (organic fruit, seeds, vegetables, grains, nuts, flax and olive oils, etc.) to strengthen his metabolism.

Most important, be grateful that he shows up in class. Be kind to him. He is trying. Your gratitude for his presence will send loving vibrations to him, and that will help him as much as anything else!

-Aadil Palkhivala

For Your Inspiration

Our work is not merely to discover the expansiveness of hamstrings, but also to discover the expansiveness of the heart. It is not merely to do a handstand without support, but also to do work such that, when the time comes, we are strong enough to stand up for ourselves, even when unsupported. It is not to hold a headstand alone in the center of the room, but to joyously uphold what we believe, even when we stand alone.

-Aadil Palkhivala

Compassion

Excerpt from Fire of Love

"The body always feels refreshed after laughter, and laughter, bringing with it light and joy, makes us feel present."

Fire of Love, by Aadil Palkhivala, offers inspiration when your work load leaves your spirit fatigued and drained. (Available at Yoga Centers Online Bookstore)

Remember, if you are a yoga teacher, your purchase is tax deductible as continuing education.

Follow Aadil on Facebook and Twitter

www.facebook.com/AadilPalkhivala

www.twitter.com/AadilYoga

Yoga Therapy Monthly
It's here! You may also be interested in Aadil Palkhivala's other newsletter, Yoga Therapy Monthly which focuses on how to use yoga in dealing with health issues. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, click to subscribe to the Yoga Therapy Monthly.

will you be your valentine? - retail specials from Hyde

2009-02-04T18:28:00.001-08:00

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NIH CORE Week!

2009-02-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Join us for NIH CORE Week
February 9th - 13th

Yoga Alliance is proud to be a sponsor of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) first ever CORE week celebrating the benefits of conditioning and relaxation. Yoga Alliance President & CEO R. Mark Davis will be hosting a discussion on the health and wellness benefits of yoga and many of your fellow RYTs will be featured through out the week presenting on topics like breathing and meditation and Yoga Nidra, just to name a few. For a complete schedule, please click here. All events are FREE and open to the public.

If you're going to be in the Washington, DC area next week, please stop by.

To ensure you continue to receive emails from us, please add info@yogaalliance.org to your address book.

Privacy Policy: We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never share, rent or sell your personal information to third parties. To unsubscribe from receiving our emails, To unsubscribe, click herevisit here.

Yoga Alliance: 7801 Old Branch Avenue, Suite 400 Clinton, MD 20735

Appetite for destruction

2008-10-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

I believe that the mind has an appetite for destruction. Chaos is easier to maintain than order. Wrong is easier to attain that right. Structure, order, right takes concentration, directed and pointed direction, practice, discipline.

As much as I try to do right, my mind leans to do wrong. Wrong takes less energy for me and more energy for others to clean up my wrongs.

Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Staying on top of things

2008-10-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

With a large yoga studio and foot traffic, I spend a lot of time caring for the hardwood floors.

I have a few vacuums and a great hardwood floor cleaner that keeps the floors debris free. This is a daily task that I fit in between the mounds of responsibilities in my care.

And the dusting, the pruning of plants, the watering, the replenishing. It does not end. Dirt abounds. Cobwebs and bugs abound. They want to enroach on the clean corners and tiny crevices. And I with a keen ey continually seek them out to eradicate them, if only for that day.

Cleaning the building is easy. Cleaning my flesh, my soul-nature is not.
Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Moving Energy

2008-10-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Change requires the movement of energy. The natural world is built upon this simple principle. It encompasses laws of physics, chemistry, biology, but fundamentally nature follows patterns that rest on structure. When the structure falls apart, destruction or chaos occurs. Although this too is change, it is not a change that involves mindfulness or order.

We want change that rests on order. Order follows nature's patterns and rules. Boundaries are given in order to provide safety in the midst of change. When change occurs, energy is moved. This movement must happen in an orderly fashion so that destruction is eliminated.

To consider change consider yourself at rest and consider yourself in motion. Consider your energy at rest and in motion. At rest and in motion, consider structure and chaos. What differences do you notice?

Tomorrow begins a significant journey towards change which envelops concepts of rest, motion, energy, structure and chaos. The intention is to explore these concepts using myself as an example to understand our role in the movement of our own energy in order to stimulate positive change.

I decided to record this journey openly in order to maintain my private motivation. When I encounter obstacles alone I can lose heart too early in the race. If I am accountable to others then the focus shifts away from me and toward the higher goal or aim or purpose.

As I let go of certain strongholds that sap energy from my life, I deduce that the movement of that energy toward areas that need my attention would magnify positive change in my life. Those strongholds include: dead relationships, attachments to dead relationships, attachments to comfortable habits that bring destruction versus structure, attachments to destructive thought patterns, attachments to some material items.

What kind of positive change can take place within the next 40 days? How does the movement of energy in positive directions encourage a greater degree of wisdom and courage?
Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Ann Marie's and Arlene's Big NYC Adventure

2008-05-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few photos from Ann Marie Lewis' and Arlene Bjork's trip to NYC this past weekend. We had a great time. Here, the beautiful yogini Ann Marie connects with the earth in Central Park! We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, argued with a drug addict in the East Village, stepped over horse poop in Central Park, almost got car sick in the cab ride from the airport, tasted a piece of cheesecake from a stranger in a restaurant, shared a "piercing" experience, rode the subway, people watched in Union Square, practiced sweaty yoga at Jivamukti, gawked at the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, bustled through Chinatown and Little Italy . . . all in 2 1/2 days! Proud of Ann Marie for keeping up with swifty native New Yorker Arlene.

Breakdancer in Columbus Circle. All mula bandha, he's really a yogi!

Ann Marie enjoyed that rich, decadent NY style cheesecake!

A practice room at Jivamukti Yoga School in Union Square.

Arlene really was Ann Marie's bodyguard for the weekend!

Ann Marie fits right in on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan. SJP is in the house!

Ann Marie on the left, after dinner in Little Italy. On the right, the happy city girls smile after our shared rite of passage! Photo taken on Astor Place in a very busy tattoo and piercing parlor. Whew! We did it!

I Love Anatomy Ezine: The SI Joints and The Pelvic Floor

2008-05-14T04:41:00.001-07:00

Anatomy and Asana:
I love Anatomy Ezine
Principles of anatomy for your yoga practice.
Easy to understand. Simple to apply.

By Susi Hately Aldous, Founder
Functional Synergy and Anatomy and Asana

feeling the flow of body, mind and soul
Sent to a global audience every month.
To leave list or change email address, scroll to bottom

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

The SI Joints and the Pelvic Floor

This SI joint ezine continues the exploration I began two months ago with the pelvic floor. In the previous ezines, the pelvic floor has been explored with the following exercises:

1. Become aware of the pelvic floor, its muscles, its orifices, and possibly the energy swirling or building as your attention rests here.

2. Breathe. As you breathe, can you feel the pelvic floor movement working with the respiratory diaphragm? Can you feel each orifice? Can you feel the natural spreading and release as you breathe?

3. Move into Cat and Cow, focusing on the pelvic floor. What do you feel as you move from extension to flexion?

4. Isolate orifice contractions in sitting, standing, and lying down (on your back and front). Notice what it is that you feel.

With this ezine we'll take it a bit deeper as we delve into the impact of the pelvic floor on the sacroiliac joints.

To begin, we need to understand sacroiliac joint function. Specifically:

The structural and muscular connection between the sacrum and the ilia
What stability means in the context of SI joint function
How the pelvic floor contributes to this context

Structural and Muscular Connection between the Sacrum and Ilia:

The sacrum and ilia are connected via their bone formation and ligamentous support (form closure) and the power of muscle stabilization (force closure) of the transversus abdominis, multifidi, pelvic floor, and respiratory diaphragm.

What Stability Means in the Context of SI Joint Function:

Stability essentially means effective load transfer from the upper to the lower body, and from the lower to the upper body. If form or force closure are not effective, if there is emotional overload, or if the motor patterns are inadequate, effective load transfer will not occur, and pain or poor function can result.

How the Pelvic floor Contributes to This Context:

Here are a couple of ways the pelvic floor contributes:

The pelvic floor connects the base of the pelvis pubic bone, coccyx, sitting bones forming a diamond shape. In combination with the other inner core muscles, it contributes to a foundational stability. Without this foundational stability, strengthening outer core and other more superficial muscles may not have as positive an impact as is desired.
If the posterior side of the pelvic floor is tight this often happens with butt or anal sphincter gripping a pulling down of the sacrum can occur, which can contribute to SI joint issues. If you think of releasing the posterior side of the pelvic floor, in combination with basic core stabilizing techniques and grounding through the feet, the gripping sensation can release and the posterior pelvic floor can become more functional.

Next Steps

These past few ezines have offered some ideas of how to bring your awareness to your pelvic floor and its impact on your body and movement. I encourage you to explore these exercises and see what happens to your practice. What you may find is that the experience is very quieting. You may even experience boredom. If you keep with it the quietness will expand, the boredom will fade, and you will feel more lightness and ease. In time, this practice will make way for an amazingly gentle power that pervades both on and off the mat.

If you would like more, there are three recordings that may interest you "Is Core Training Leading to Injuries?"; "The Sacroiliac Joints"; and "Exploration of the Spine." All three are phone recordings that are accessed online. To listen to these, you can go directly to the Functional Synergy e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/6174/0/0

Wishing you strength, stillness, support, and suppleness.

Happy exploring,
Susi

***********************************************
Copyright 2008 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved. You are free to post these articles on your website so long as you post Anatomy and Asana contact information. I do not sell, rent or share this list of subscribers to anyone. You have trusted me with your email address -- for the sole purpose of sending your "I Love Anatomy", workshop and occasional new service/product updates. This is the only use of your email address I make. To remove your name and email from this list, or to change your email address, please forward an email to iloveanatomy@functionalsynergy.com

___________________________________

Re: My Podcast: New comment on "Grace Yoga Podcast by Arlene Bjork"

2008-04-13T04:02:00.001-07:00

Today, I received the following feedback from - Anonymous, [5:00 AM] on my podcast page:

"Overall, the routine is nice, but you fail to state which posture I'm supposed to be in, in particular in the standing section in the middle. There are some very vague instructions about having parallel feet, "spreading your wings" (in what direction?), and bending and unbending your knees. Somewhere between prayer twist (I think that's what it was) and triangle pose, I got very lost whereas I don't think I would have in a class with you. I felt this way a few times, so I wonder if this particular recording is good for remote instruction."

Arlene's reply: Perhaps my verbal cueing skills were not up to par that day. I need to listen to that podcast again. Due to the fact that I seldom demonstrate postures in class, I hope that students in class and those that practice remotely listen intently to the cues for what they should do exactly at that moment. Great feedback "Anonymous" that it would be helpful to name the pose before I cue the instructions. It is not my intention for anyone to get lost during class. But I am so grateful that "Anonymous" had the courage to give me this honest feedback.

"I don't know if you realized, but you were laughing at someone's having a metal rod in her back."

Arlene's comment: I was laughing at myself or alluding to the metal rod I have in my back. If I assumed that everyone knew about that, I apologize. At this time in my life, I could laugh about it because I cried a lot about it in 1985 when I had the surgery. Yoga opened a once impossible avenue for me. I laughed because it is amazing how life takes you to success through adversity.

"If we're supposed to put our issues away on a shelf for practice, I'm not sure why you needed to bring up your email rage, even if it's about how you successfully managed it. It's not helpful to highlight our negative tendencies and ask "How many of us have...?" It's distracting at best."

Arlene's reply: If these moments of "thinking out loud" distract you, I apologize but I won't say that it won't happen again. Just speaking for myself, when I practice a challenging Vinyasa it is comforting to hear my teacher drop in and say "have you ever felt?, have you ever experienced?, "well we can deal with that like we deal with our practice, using the breath, etc.". Knowing that I'm not the "only one" in whatever struggle I face is comforting. I have more negative tendencies than positive ones, so I try to work through the negative ones one at a time on the mat. Sharing the fact that I don't have the mind of a saint may help someone.

Thank you "Anonymous" for your feedback and taking the time to write to me. If you are a yoga teacher or hope to be one, these are great notes to keep to remind yourself of what you yourself will not want to do as a teacher. This is part of "finding your own voice" as a teacher. You gather what you like, what you dislike, and craft a way of teaching that is your very own. What matters most is that you create a beautiful connection for and with your students. If you are a student and my style doesn't appeal to you, now you know that a different podcast may be appropriate. It is becoming more apparent to me that I reach students, most of whom I don't see because they are remote, so it is important for me to be more sensitive to their needs.

Perhaps "Anonymous" you can reply back so we can continue this dialogue.

Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com

abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Arlene's April Teaching Schedule (group classes)

2008-04-05T20:55:00.001-07:00

American Family Fitness (Arboretum location)

Monday, April 7, 7:30pm Yogaflex

Monday, April 21, 7:30pm Power Yoga

American Family Fitness (Swift Creek location)

Sunday, April 13, 9:30am Gentle Yoga

Monday, April 14, 7:30pm Yogaflex

Sunday, April 20, 10:45am Yogaflex

Monday, April 28, 7:30pm Yogaflex

Spotlight Studio of Dance - Woodlake (All classes Beginner Vinyasa, 9:30am)

Saturday, April 5

Saturday, April 19

Saturday, April 26

I Love Anatomy Ezine: The Pelvic Floor Part 2

2008-04-04T10:44:00.001-07:00

Anatomy and Asana:
I love Anatomy Ezine

Principles of anatomy for your yoga practice.
Easy to understand. Simple to apply.

By Susi Hately Aldous, Founder
Functional Synergy and Anatomy and Asana

feeling the flow of body, mind and soul
Sent to a global audience every month.
To leave list or change email address, scroll to bottom

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

The Pelvic Floor Part 2

In last month's ezine, I left you with exploring the pelvic floor with your breath. The exercise went like this:

1. Begin by just becoming aware of the pelvic floor. Bring your mind's eye to the muscles and orifices of the pelvic floor between the pubic bone, sitting bones, and coccyx. You may even feel a sense of subtle energy swirling or building as your attention rests here.

2. Breathe. As you breathe, can you feel the pelvic floor movement working with the respiratory diaphragm? Can you feel each orifice? Can you feel the natural spreading and release as you breathe?

Remember that the pelvic floor needs to provide both strength and openness. Quite literally, it is the floor of the pelvis, providing support for the organs above. The pelvic floor also needs to be open, as fluid needs to pass through its orifices. This is a great example of softness and strength, relaxed resilience, strong openness, and open strength.

Let's continue with the following exercises.

3. Come onto your hands and knees. Move into Cat and Cow, where you move your spine into flexion (Cat) and extension (Cow) in unison with your breath (exhaling with flexion, inhaling with extension). After a few repetitions, bring your mind's eye to your pelvic floor. Imagine the movement beginning there - imagine that both the flexion of Cat and the extension of Cow initiate from the pelvic floor. Can you feel the movement of the pelvic bones and the upper part of your femurs? Move slowly and mindfully. (Tip: As you practice this, you may want to move your spine only as much as you feel movement in your pelvic floor. Your range will be smaller, but your connection will be heightened. As you continue, you may find your range improving and discover a whole new experience of your pelvic floor.)

4. This next exercise was taught to me by the physiotherapists at the Pelvic Floor Clinic in Calgary. Do each in sitting, standing, and lying down. Become aware of your breath, and take a moment to settle. Next, begin to contract only your anal orifice. Contract and release. After several repetitions, move forward - women contract and release only your vaginal orifice; men contract and release only your urinary area. Then, women, move forward and contract and release only your urinary muscles. Keep in mind that the urinary orifice is much smaller, so the feeling won't be as great. Nonetheless, notice what it is that you feel. Then switch positions. Don't forget to breathe.

If you are having difficulty isolating each of the orifices, and you are thinking that this is impossible, don't worry. This is subtle movement. Find a time when you feel quiet and still, and try it then. There is much written about the orifices of the pelvic floor in Eastern texts and their relationship with the cultivation of energy in the pelvic floor and the first and second chakras.

As you continue to explore with these four exercises, I encourage you to apply them to the more traditional asanas and notice what you feel. From my experience - both as a teacher and student - the pelvic floor holds a very gentle power that impacts the hips, knees, and feet as well as the SI joints, back, neck, chest, shoulders, and arms. As you explore, please email me with your a-has!

In the May ezine, we'll explore how this relates to SI joint function. However, if you want to explore this topic more now, you can listen to two recent teleclass recordings: "Is Core Training Leading to Injuries" and "The Sacroiliac Joints." To purchase these recordings, you can visit the Functional Synergy e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/6174/0/0

Fwd: First Annual NIH Yoga Week, May 19-23 - How you can help!

2008-03-28T06:57:00.001-07:00

<>
March 19, 2008

To: Prospective partners for NIH Yoga Week

From: The Yoga Week Team

Re: How You Can Help with NIH Yoga Week 2008

Dear Fellow Yogis,

By now, you have heard about some of the exciting events for NIH Yoga Week 2008! The events will take place from Monday, May 19 through Friday, May 23 at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD and the nearby satellite offices. We have invited speakers from around the country to speak on the science and practice of Yoga. We are looking forward to celebrating the benefits of Yoga and sharing them with NIH employees and members of the public, alike! A full schedule will be announced next week. All events are open to the public.

The following are meaningful ways in which you or your organization can participate in making Yoga Week a success. If you have additional ideas, please contact me.

�� Donation of Yoga Mats- to be used during Yoga practice session and preferably kept by participants - these can be from your lost and found.

1 Donation of canned goods for Wednesday 5/21 and Thursday 5/22 philanthropy
2 Volunteers- to help before and during Yoga Week events

�� Stuffing gift bags for participants

1 Organizing canned goods and helping to donate them to selected charities

�� Send emails to your organization to publicize Yoga Week (i.e. Use of listservs)

1 Signing you and friends up for the NIH Yoga Week listserv

�� Email ��SUBSCIBE NIHYOGAWEEKMAY08�� (without quotes) to listserv@list.nih.gov
�� Publishing articles or other press to get the word out
Please stay in touch with me about how you might want to contribute. If you��re on the Yoga Week listserv, you will be receiving periodic updates on Yoga Week.

We appreciate your generosity and commitment to Yoga Week! I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

The Yoga Week Team
CONTACT: (301) 496-9845

Fwd: Anatomy and Asana: Upcoming Workshops, Trainings, and Teleclasses

2008-03-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Yogi Anatomist,

I am in the midst of writing your April I Love Anatomy ezine. In the meantime, here is your February 2008 Workshop Update.

I'have also included:

an update on the therapeutic yoga certification training. You can scroll down to the bottom for more on that.
how to get previously recorded teleclasses you'll find those at the end of the teleclass class section
how to check out the free sample of "Ask Susi" that was recorded on March 18.

Have a terrific month.

All the best,

Susi

Here are the locations for my upcoming 1 day and 2 day workshops:
Vancouver, BC; Toronto Yoga Conference; Invermere, BC; Calgary, AB; Smithville, NJ; Red Deer, AB

Scheduled 4 Day Trainings
Minnesota
Colorado
Wisconsin

The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive (formerly called 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga)
Toronto, ON

Scheduled teleclasses:
Finding Ease in Seated Meditation
Rotator Cuff
Exploring the Spine

"Ask Susi":
Month-to-Month and Annual Memberships to explore your questions and experience some answers. Includes teleclasses related to Anatomy and Asana and its practical applications.

Please scroll down for descriptions and more information about our workshops, trainings and teleclasses.
You can also visit our website at http://www.anatomyandasana.com/workshops.htm for a complete list of planned events.

If you think someone would benefit from this email, please pass it along.

What Shiva Rea is saying:
I really enjoyed I love the clarity and insight of Susi's applied anatomy. She goes right to the key areas of relevance for yoga practitioners and offers her years of skilled knowledge in potent synthesized & visual material that will benefit students and teachers from all backgrounds. Highly recommended!"

What Brenda, registered yoga instructor is saying:
"I really enjoyed and appreciated the teleclass on the hips and shoulders. The information was clear, concise and helpful. You are a great teacher! One day I will attend one of your face-to-face classes."

What Laurie, registered yoga instructor is saying:
"This is the first yoga workshop that I've attended where I wasn't in pain when I left. No pain, no tightness. I feel great. Thanks!"

Upcoming Workshops, Trainings, & Teleclasses

WORKSHOPS

A Series of Topics at the Toronto Yoga Conference with Susi Hately Aldous
The Yoga Conference in Toronto is a great conference to meet and learn from many great yoga teachers in a period of 4 days. If you want to grab classes with Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, Rama Birch, Richard Rosen, Lilias Folan, Todd Norian and Ann Green, Swami Lalitananda and so many more, you've got a great basket of options. I will be contributing 5 sessions a 6 hour Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips; along with shorter sessions including The Spine, The Knees, Deepening Core Stability, and Applying Therapeutic Yoga to Advanced Yoga Asanas (I'll be teaching this with Leo Mowry).
Location: Toronto, ON
Date: Thursday April 24-Sunday April 27
To register or for more information visit the Yoga Conference's website.
Online Registration: www.theyogaconference.com

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips
In my over 13 years designing customized therapeutic programs, the 2 most common limitations I have seen are in the shoulders and hips. Even for people with back, neck or knee pain if they are able to improve the functioning of their shoulders and hips, their levels of pain become much more manageable and/or resolved. This 3-hour workshop will introduce you to therapeutic yoga for the shoulders and hips. You will leave feeling taller, lighter, stronger and more stable.
Location: Invermere, BC

Date: Friday May 9, 2008

Times: 5:00 8:00 PM
To register or for more information contact Cara at Functional Synergy.
Phone: 403.229.2617 or toll free at 866.229.2645
Email: iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Online Registration: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6173/266565/0/0

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips, &

Advancing your Yoga Practice: The Art of Slowing Down:
A Two-Day Training
There are days you look into the room of students and you wonder, how do I teach all these different bodies? What do I do with the person whose shoulders are really tight, or a back that has a tendency to act up. How do I give those people ease, and yet, give others a challenge without over-extending them? This 2-day training will engage these questions and give you tools that will help.

On day 1, we'll explore the Shoulders and Hips and specific yoga asanas that help bring balance and function to these areas of the body. Then, on day 2, we'll take it the next step and explore poses like Downward Dog, Triangle and Camel. We'll apply the therapeutic principles so that you truly feel settled in your asana, so that you can feel what is going on in your body. As a result, you will learn many modifications to help students get a good sense of how their body moves in different asanas. It will also give you some suggestions and ideas on how to progress a student from a therapeutic practice into a regular yoga practice.

This is a practice session that will weave in anatomy so that you can blend intellectual knowledge with what you are feeling. In the end, you will leave feeling lighter, stronger, more stable and quite at ease.
Location: Yoga Nine, Smithville New Jersey
Date: Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18, 2008
To register or for more information contact Laurie at Yoga Nine
Phone: 609.404.0999
Email: info@yoganine.com

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips
Ever since I began teaching yoga, the two most common physical limitations I have seen are in the shoulders and hips. Even for people with back, neck, or knee pain - if they are able to improve the functioning of their shoulders and hips, their back or neck pain becomes much more manageable or even resolved.

In this workshop you will learn the biomechanics of the shoulders and hips, and how they impact each other; how they influence energy flow through the spine, and affect transfer of force and load from the upper body to the lower body and lower body to upper body. You'll learn therapeutic yoga asanas that improve the functioning of the shoulders and hips and improve the balance in and between your neck, mid back, lower back. The result is less pain, less strain, and more freedom, stability and ease.

This workshop will be based off of my new book and online video: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips.
Location: Y.A.A Annual General Meeting, Red Deer, AB
Date: Saturday, May 24th, 2008
To register or for more information, contact Debbie at Yoga Association of Alberta
Email: yogaab@telusplanet.net

Private Customized Yoga Sessions in Red Deer
with Susi Hately Aldous
Following the Red Deer YAA Training, I will be staying on Sunday to lead private therapeutic sessions. These sessions are each one-hour long and at the end you will receive a customized home program.
Location: Best Western Inn & Suites Meeting Room

Date: Sunday, May 25th, 2008
To register or for more information, contact Cara in Calgary at 229-2617 or toll free at 866-229-2645
Email: iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Deepening Core Stability
Core stability is one of those hot topics that carries much mis-information leaving many confused, unsure and uncertain of what is accurate. Questions arise like how do I apply this?; what is the best way for me to help my students find their core? This 3 hour training will help you delve more deeply deeper into understanding the pieces that make up the core, the yoga asanas that help engage the core, and others that hinder its true stabilizing nature. By the end of the day, you'll have an excellent sense of what makes up a good core stabilizing exercise in different individuals; and you'll leave feeling taller, lighter, more stable and strong.
Location: Bodhi Tree Yoga Studio, Calgary
Date: Saturday, May 31st, 2008
Time: 2-5 pm
To register or for more information, contact Cara in Calgary at 229-2617 or toll free at 866-229-2645
Email: iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Online Registration: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6173/266568/0/0

Explore Your Feet
I still remember, way back when, my yoga teacher telling me to soften my feet. The look that must have been on my face...oh my! It was the look that was in response to the thought "....huh? What the heck is she talking about...." Years later, and I am a little wiser with my feet.

In this afternoon session, we'll explore the anatomy of the feet and how they can (quite literally) engage core stability, activate mula bandha, shift the breath, and improve hip function. We'll also look at how the hips and knees impact the feet and explore a series of yoga exercises and sequences to bring life to the feet and to your whole being.
Location: Bodhi Tree Yoga Studio, Calgary
Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008
Time: 2-5 pm
To register or for more information, contact Cara in Calgary at 229-2617 or toll free at 866-229-2645
Email: iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Online Registration: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6173/266569/0/0

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips
Ever since I began teaching yoga, the two most common physical limitations I have seen are in the shoulders and hips. Even for people with back, neck, or knee pain - if they are able to improve the functioning of their shoulders and hips, their back or neck pain becomes much more manageable or even resolved.

In this workshop you will learn the biomechanics of the shoulders and hips, and how they impact each other; how they influence energy flow through the spine, and affect transfer of force and load from the upper body to the lower body and lower body to upper body. You'll learn therapeutic yoga asanas that improve the functioning of the shoulders and hips and improve the balance in and between your neck, mid back, lower back. The result is less pain, less strain, and more freedom, stability and ease.

This workshop will be based off of my new book and online video: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips. Location: TBA New York City
Cost: Early Bird $159 prior to May 20; Regular price $199 May 21 onward
Date: Late August/September
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645

Online Registration: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6173/266570/0/0

Deepening Core Stability
Core stability is one of those hot topics that carries much mis-information leaving many confused, unsure and uncertain of what is accurate. Questions arise like how do I apply this?; what is the best way for me to help my students find their core? This one day training will help you to delve more deeply deeper into understanding the pieces that make up the core, the yoga asanas that help engage the core, and others that hinder its true stabilizing nature. By the end of the day, you'll have an excellent sense of what makes up a good core stabilizing exercise in different individuals; AND, you will have a series of sequences that you can apply in a Hatha, Vinyasa or private class setting.
Location: Toronto, Studio 585
Cost: Early Bird $139 prior to June 29; Regular price $159 June 30 onward
Date: September 14
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645

3 and 4 DAY TRAININGS IN 2008
For more information and details on these 4 Day trainings, please contact the hosts.

Location: Academy of Yoga - Grand Junction, Colorado
Dates: April 8-13, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "yoga therapy theme" and will give you the essential pre-requisites needed for The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive in Toronto in September. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Monica.
Phone: 970-255-8029
Email: info@academyofyoga.com

Location: Lakewood's Resort Cable, Wisconsin
Dates: April 30-May 6, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "regular class" theme. It will also give you the essential pre-requisites needed for The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive in Toronto in September. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Laurie.
Phone: 715-794-2561 ext. 633
Email: yoga@lakewoodsresort.com

Location: Yoga North Duluth, Minnesota
Dates: July 17-20, 2008
This 4 day training begins at Day 1 with private sessions. Book one for yourself, or bring a student and you can sit in on the session. Day 2 consists of Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips, followed by Days 3 and 4 when you will learn Advancing Your Yoga Practice: The Art of Slowing Down. Develop strength, create ease, feel freedom! Contact Ann Maxwell for more information. This will give you the essential pre-requisites needed for The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive in Toronto in September.
Phone: 715-794-2561 ext. 633
Email: info@yoganorthduluth.com

The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive

(Formerly 4-Days of Therapeutic Yoga)

At this training you will become eligible to enter a certification program which will enable you to become a certified Functional Synergy therapeutic yoga teacher. More details on the certification program are below.

This training is designed for yoga teachers who want to understand and teach therapeutic yoga using techniques that are time tested over the past 10 years, have been utilized in mainstream research programs, and are being used effectively by yoga teachers across the globe. The pre-requisite to this training is at least 12 hours of training with, me and a solid desire to teach therapeutic yoga classes. I am limiting the numbers to 14 participants to enable you to go DEEP, to truly learn and fundamentally understand the important pieces that create successful therapeutic yoga programs, and to have the unique opportunity to address your specific therapeutic needs.

In this training, you will explore the therapeutic approach I have been using successfully for the past 10 years. This approach combines a modern understanding of anatomy, kinesiology and physiology with the ancient wisdom of yoga to restore function, increase vitality and enhance wellbeing. We will be working with structural and physiological issues.

Here is a portion of what you will learn:

1. Understand the typical body patterns, which cause injury and inhibit recovery.
2. Questions to ask in order to gather information about a student's condition and situation.
3. How to "read" the person who has the condition or injury, and how to program for the person first, then the condition/injury.
4. Understand and apply the principles of Better Body Balance as they relate to: improving the functioning of the neck, shoulder, elbows, wrists, back, hips, knees; extreme fatigue; post cancer-treatment recovery.
5. Based on the principles of Better Body Balance, learn how to create a program for recovery and rehabilitation.
6. How to work with emotional holding patterns.
7. Understand psychological interactions between student and teacher and set a framework for boundaries.
8. How to successfully create therapeutic yoga programs for people with pain and injury.

Location: Toronto, ON
Dates: Monday Thursday September 15-18, 2008
Price:$1365.00 Maximum 14 people, installment payments are available.
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645
Online Registration: You can also visit our e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6173/262648/0/0

TELECLASSES

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Finding Ease in your Seated Meditation
with Susi Hately Aldous
This teleclass explores the nature of sitting particularly in reference to seated meditation. Do you wonder if the discomfort in your seated position is perhaps creating physical trauma? This call will explore ideas on how to experience less pain or strain in the ankles, knees, pelvis, low back, upper back and neck. The aim will be to help you find more ease so that you can focus entirely on the act of concentration, contemplation and stillness.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will be able to access the recording. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details.
Here are the Details:
Date: Thursday March 27, 2008
Price: $29
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645
REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/264418/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: The Rotator Cuff
with Susi Hately Aldous
This teleclass explores the rotator cuff, and shares considerations for your practice as a teacher or a student. You'll be surprised with what you will learn on this call. There are many simple things you can do to improve chronic issues related to your rotator cuff.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will be able to access the recording. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details.
Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday April 22, 2008
Price: $29
6:00 pm Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645
REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/266566/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Exploring Your Spine
with Susi Hately Aldous
The Spine is a system of skeletal, neurological, electrical, vascular and chemical input that when balanced and connected creates magically fluid movement. In this teleclass, we'll explore the biomechanical pieces of the spine and its relationship to forward bends, back bends, twists, and standing poses. We'll discuss where and how the spine gets stuck and snagged, and what can be done to increase freedom and space.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will be able to access the recording. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details.
Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday April 29, 2008
Price: $29
6:00 pm Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645
REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/266567/0/0

TELECLASS Recordings

These one-hour recordings are from my recent teleclasses, and can be purchased at our E-store.

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Is "Core Training" Leading to Injuries?
with Susi Hately Aldous
Quite regularly, I receive emails from people telling me "I do core exercises, and my core is strong, but my back is still bugging me". A few months ago, I wrote about the Ultimate Core Exercise as a response to the misinformation that is being distributed by yoga magazines, which can lead to injuries, tension and pain. In this teleclass, I'll share the key features of good core exercises and ways you can determine if your students are actually engaging their core or compensating elsewhere. At the end of the hour, you'll be able at choose appropriate and highly functional yoga exercises that will build balance, function, stability and ease.

Buy Online at: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/265874/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Yoga for Cancer Survivors
with Susi Hately Aldous
Over the past 7 years I have been working with the University of Calgary and the Tom Baker Cancer Center studying the impact of yoga on people who have survived cancer. The results are significant and bode well for future research. I've recently trained 5 instructors to lead classes in Calgary as well as filmed a DVD series that will be studied through 2008.

In this class I will share the research to date and what this means for the people that you teach who have been through a cancer experience.

Buy Online at: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/265875/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: The Sacro-Iliac Joints
with Susi Hately Aldous
Are you a teacher with students who have Sacro-Iliac Issues? Do you yourself have a sacro-iliac issues? This class explores the anatomy and mechanics of the sacro-iliac joints and what you can explore to help regain balance for yourself or your students. We'll discuss the nature of twists, back bends, forward bends, upper thigh rotation and the concepts of nutation and counternutation. This will be an interactive discussion on the nature of the sacro-iliac joints.

Buy Online at: http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/6174/264417/0/0

"ASK SUSI"

"Ask Susi" has is in its third month. The calls have been terrific with lots of discussion. I've posted a sample introductory class for you to listen to. To get the link, please email Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com For more information on how "Ask Susi" works, please read below.

What people are saying:
I just wanted to say thanks for the call this week. I sent in general questions that I had just been wondering about but came away from the call with some amazing tools that I can tell are going to make a difference for my husband and my students.

Thanks for offering this service and sharing your knowledge.

A little update on my husband's knee. We did the block and strap tests and he could not get any movement at all without employing the hip flexors! WOW! He is going to work on this. It was very eye opening. This all started bothering him when he added the prostrations before his meditation sitting (Zen). So he is going to lay off those for a couple weeks and focus on this exercise and see what happens with his knee.

Thanks again- I look forward to the next call.
Karen

How it works: Send me your questions. Twice a month, I will host a teleclass to explore the questions asked. All calls are recorded so if you miss the call, you can tune in online. Calls are 1 hour in length. You will also have unlimited access to the exclusive "Ask Susi" website for the length of your subscription.
Location: Your phone
Price:$9.99 per month or $99 for the year (and you'll receive 2 months for free)
To register you can email Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com or call 403.229.2617 or Toll Free at 866-229-2645)
Register online at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/6175/0/0

THERAPEUTIC YOGA CERTIFICATION

Beginning this fall, I will be leading a therapeutic yoga certification program. This has arisen from the many yoga teachers who have completed training with me in Preventing Yoga Injuries, Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips, the SI joints, Shoulder Girdle, and the myriad other programs I offer through Anatomy and Asana. They have each said to me that they like the personal style I offer the simple to understand and easy to apply nature of Anatomy and Asana and the fact that what I teach has worked for them both in their practice as a student and a teacher.

If you are interested in this program, please know that my goal is to not pump out a bunch of therapeutic yoga teachers. Instead, I am particularly keen on enabling you to be great. To date, I have trained many different teachers in therapeutic yoga teachers with previous experience in personal training and kinesiology, others with absolutely none. Throughout the spectrum, the stories remain the same, what I have taught them has transformed the way they view a person with pain. They now can see that pain can be reduced and/or resolved no matter what the age. They see that Yes!, age does not matter, nor do the limitations that trouble or impact an individual. The key is the type of stimulus, the kind of exercise, or whether they focus on breathing and rest or whether they focus on movement. They have learned how to apply this to developing and enhancing a program toward developing better body balance. They have seen first hand for themselves, that this way of teaching works.

This certification program will enable you to work your way through a process of determining what is best for your client - the individual in front of you. It will heighten your skill set, develop your ability to see, and enrich your yoga practice.

It is purposefully a small program. I will continue to develop my own customized yoga therapy practice, continue to teach the continuing education training I offer through Anatomy and Asana as well as developing the books, CDs, DVDS, and streaming audio/video I am so fond of creating. It is small in order that I give you the best I've got. You will learn from me and some of my mentors. You will get the goods from the smartest and most experienced people I know. My aim is to bring my world to you. Yes, there is an application and interview process. Yes, you will need to travel to Calgary for parts of the training. Yes, you will be able to complete a portion of the program in your home town. Yes, you will need to complete The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive (formerly the 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga), before you are formerly considered for the program.

I invite you to view more on the context of this program at http://www.anatomyandasana.com/certification.htm

You can also email me at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

All the best,
Susi

___________________________________
Re-establishing the equilibrium in your body,
both mentally and physically, enabling you to
experience the feeling of relaxation, of wellbeing
and to connect to what is important to you.

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

www.yogaforthedeskjockey.com

Anusara Monthly Heartbeat

2008-03-28T06:45:00.001-07:00

Monthly Heartbeat http://anusara.com/newsletters/Currents_Winter2008/Monthly_Heartbeat.html

Anusara Yoga^® invites us to constantly stay open to Grace, so as to deepen our connection to our own hearts, as well as to the world around us. If we stay sensitively aware of the fullness, possibilities, and blessings that surround us, we become able to fill up with a sense of profound gratitude, which leads to a natural desire to serve the world and other beings as a show of our appreciation and intrinsic love.
When we open to Grace and are filled up with Grace, it is natural for Grace to come pouring out.

In Anusara Yoga classes, we're often reminded to remember our connection to our breath and to the various parts of our physical body. With our muscles hugging to bone, our hands firmly clawing the ground, or our shins drawing toward the midline, we strive to connect all parts of the body into a unified and balanced place of integrity. However, it is our First Principle that reminds us of our inextricable connection with something greater than just our individual selves, and begins to bring the spirit of seva alive in our hearts. Seva, or selfless service, is a way to show honor, gratitude and devotion for the Supreme, the Divine and Universal essence that unifies us all. By acting on behalf of others and offering actions that help enhance life, we effectively remember the connection to the Divine Grace at the core of our being.

We start where we are, and do what we can. Helping someone get deeper into a pose can empower them as much as simply praising the beauty of their pose as it is. With small steps can come big changes, both in the community we serve and in our own hearts. Efforts like volunteering at a community level or practicing kindness may seem small, but to make a difference in the life of just one person might create a miraculous shift.

I know this because I consider myself a bit of a miracle. It is precisely because of the action of compassionate, giving people that I am alive to write these words. I've always longed for connection to something greater, but I didn't always know how to go about finding it in a life-enhancing way. Earlier in my life, I made a lot of bad choices and ended up using drugs as a way to find the meaningful connection I longed for. Unfortunately, any sort of substantive spiritual connection eluded me and what was once experimental became a habit. Eventually, I gave up hope that I could ever change and my life became a sad and sometimes dangerous existence. Thankfully, I ended up in a detox program where people who were once as hopeless as I was shared with me how they had changed their lives. They spoke about joy and faith and experiencing a spiritual awakening. They seemed genuinely happy, and it had been a long time since I'd felt like that. I opened my heart to the grace of recovery, supported every step of the way by people who gave unselfishly of their time as they held the space for me, listened and shared their wisdom. I felt a deep well of gratitude springing up inside of me for this chance at a new way of life. But – how could I repay them? They taught me a simple paradox: I had to give freely and selflessly the blessings I'd been given in order to honor and maintain this precious gift. By serving others, I became established in the connection to profound Grace.

Grace is a gift that you don't ask for, you can't buy, and you can't give back. By offering my experience, strength, and hope to someone else struggling with addiction, I am able to serve the Divine in another person. The more I share with others, the more joy and freedom I am blessed with. When I found Anusara Yoga in 2003, I was delighted to discover that it's emphasis on cultivating, celebrating, and honoring community aligned perfectly with my path of recovery. My gratitude for my new life is strongly apparent when I share from my heart about where I was then and where I am now. And maybe, just maybe, I can connect with one other heart and watch their true essence unfold in the light of Grace.

Leadership Through Service

2008-03-28T06:38:00.001-07:00

by Tom Terwilliger

As studio owners and managers, we understand that part of being a leader is knowing the system, following and enforcing the rules, and providing support and guidance for those we manage or supervise. If we're good managers, we think incrementally; recognize that a faltering "cog in the wheel" will affect the system as a whole; and know how important it is to "fix" that one bit to keep the whole system running smoothly. In his popular book, The E Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber refers to this systematizing as "the turnkey revolution or business development process."

Although systematizing is an important part of running a business, there is an inherent risk associated with any "semiautomated system" that deals with and depends on human interaction (a main aspect of any mind-body facility). The risk is the potential loss of the human touch and spirit. If we lose sight of, or fail to recognize, what our primary role as wellness industry leaders should be in a people-oriented business, it may be the very systems we rely on that ultimately limit our success.

We know as business owners and managers that we must always keep one eye on the bottom line or we may not be here tomorrow. But a true visionary uses two eyes for full vision, and our desire and ability to serve others should be the focus of the other eye at all times. Serving others should and must be our primary role. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."

Service = Leadership = Success
For many of us, it may seem counterintuitive to think that we can lead better by serving those we lead. But let's take a look at the true essence of many traditional leadership roles as examples of that truth. In any war, there are generals and there are soldiers. The generals lead the soldiers, but they serve the people they wish to liberate or save. A great surgeon can certainly be a leader in the medical community by using his skills to serve the needs of his patients. If and when he puts his own needs ahead of those of his patients, he no longer leads. The president of the United States is a perfect example of someone at the highest level of leadership who is also in a constant state of service to the very people he leads. He leads by serving. The truly great Level 5 chief executive officers (CEOs) in history have had a sense of humility and a true desire to serve their stockholders and the companies they were charged with leading. A great yoga or Pilates professional must be perceived as a leader by his or her clients, but the clients must also know that it is their needs the instructor serves. You can only be a leader if there are people willing to follow you. Your clients will loyally follow and stick with you once they trust that you are leading them to a place they want to be.

We should be asking ourselves, "Can I be a truly great community, team or business leader if I leave out the service component and lead with only my own needs or interests in mind?" Or conversely, "Can I ever be fully successful if I do not take a leadership role, and act only as a servant?" It has been my experience that when you can meld leadership and service into a single, cohesive sense of purpose, you are on your way to running a successful career or business.

As Joseph Jaworski, author of Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership, said, "Today's effective leader has an attitude of servitude." The leader who has the wisdom to ask, "How can I serve you?" has an understanding of how we are all connected. Few of us can claim such mastery. What we must have is the desire and ability to model those who do. By emulating those individuals who have the attributes of leadership through service, I have created a successful career. More important, I have had the honor of mentoring numerous young professionals who continue to bring value to the wellness community today.

In his book Good to Great, author Jim Collins writes that the best Level 5 leaders always set up or cultivate their successors for success. Isn't it also our responsibility to the wellness industry to cultivate our successors? Collins quotes one CEO who stated, "I want to look out from my porch someday at one of the truly great companies and be proud to say, 'I was a part of that.'"

In essence, we serve not only our members, employees, company and industry but also the future generations of wellness professionals. By mentoring those we employ and work with and serving their needs for growth and development, we are laying the groundwork for even greater success in the future. Would you be comfortable with no one ever knowing that the roots of that success traced back to you? Let's be honest—most of us want our fair share of recognition. Like proud parents, we see our protégés as our creations. When they succeed, we take pride in it and want everyone to know we helped them get where they are today. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, as long as our motivation for helping them in the first place is sound. Remember the surgeon: "If and when he puts his own needs ahead of those of his patients, he no longer leads."

That is not to say we should never consider our own needs; they are, after all, "needs" as opposed to "wants." We can, however, serve our own needs by serving the needs of others. In fact, some of our most compelling emotional needs—like significance, contribution, growth and even love—are met by serving others.

As a coach, I work with many top executives who, on the surface, seem to have it all, yet lack direction outside their careers. Many struggle with the challenge of not knowing their purpose. For years they have been serving their own needs, wants and desires, and now they find themselves feeling empty or unfulfilled. The first thing I encourage them to do is start contributing, giving back and serving their community. If early on they had framed what they had been doing for the past 10, 20 or 30 years in the context of serving others, that void would not exist. I believe the greatest thing we can do for our community, business and ourselves is serve others in every way possible.

How are you going to feel when you can look out from your porch at one of the greatest industries in the world and observe how it is helping change and save the lives of millions of people? Will you be able to say with pride, "I was a leader in that industry"?

Tom Terwilliger is a Denver-based certified neurolinguistics master practitioner, certified hynotherapist, professional success coach, motivational speaker and president of Coaching Leadership Excellence.

http://www.inneridea.com/library/leadership-through-service

NIH Yoga Week

2008-03-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

NIH Yoga Week

May 19-23
Bethesda and satellite sites
Thrive Yoga is co-sponsoring the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Yoga Week, the "Science and Practice of Yoga." from May 19-23! Susan Bowen will join Yogiraj, Alan Finger, John Schumacher, Sat Bir Khalsa, Ph.D, Timothy McCall, MD, Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D, and other local and international speakers for this special week to explore yoga practice for health and consciousness. Some events during this week are open to the public. More information will be posted soon or join the NIH Yoga Week listserv by emailing the event coordinator, Rachel Levine at yogalevine1@yahoo.com.

I Love Anatomy Ezine: Pelvic Floor and Back Pain

2008-03-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

www.anatomyandasana.com

The Pelvic Floor and Back Pain

This isn't the first time I have written about the pelvic floor. For all it supports, stabilizes, accentuates, and encourages, I am deeply grateful for the pelvic floor. A powerful and peaceful place, we must help it remain strong yet open, supple yet firm.

The pelvic floor connects to so much in our bodies. Basically it supports and stabilizes the pelvis, cultivating pelvic stability and happy sacroiliac joints; it assists the hip rotators in supporting the head of the femur in the acetabulum; and it connects with the hip adductors and co-contracts with the transversus abdominis and multifidi to cultivate deep core stability. It works closely with the respiratory diaphragm to facilitate full-body breathing, and when connecting consciously with honed awareness, it has even been connected with the big toes and heels to encourage and cultivate mula bandha.

Each of these connections is vitally important for the health of the back. Knowing how to feel for and then engage the pelvic floor is part of the puzzle in successfully overcoming an episode of back pain. But, wait . . . there is more. . . .

There is also a kinesthetic sense, a sense of spatial awareness, and a depth of vitality that resides in this relatively small diamond shape of myofascia. And it can all be lost if it is held too tightly or too rigidly - as if the sweet nectar is all but squeezed out, leaving frailty, brittleness, and very little fluidity.

Ahh, there is so much magic in this area . . . magic, vitality, ease, power . . . all necessary for a fluid sense of back strength and stability.

Let's look deeper.

When someone has had even one episode of back pain, the transversus abdominis turns off. In order to recuperate, this someone needs to re-teach the transversus abdominis how to fire and engage. Following this logic, in order for the transversus abdominis to re-learn how to work, it must work in unison with the pelvic floor.

Oftentimes when people are re-learning how to engage the transversus abdominis, they pull their navels to the spine, or they flatten the lower back as they pull their bellies in, or they pelvic tuck or tilt in what they think is abdominal engagement. The problem is that these actions can put immense pressure on the bladder, causing increased pressure around the spinal discs (which, if disc issues are present, can create pain) and creating an inadequate environment for pelvic floor engagement. As a result, instead of the pelvic floor being engaged, the hamstrings can become engaged and the gluteal muscles can become overly toned, which can create all sorts of funkiness including hamstring cramping and back spasming.

So what to do?

First: awareness of the pelvic floor is the place to start. Begin by just becoming aware of the pelvic floor. Bring your mind's eye to the muscles and orifices of the pelvic floor between the pubic bone, sitting bones, and coccyx. You may even feel a sense of subtle energy swirling or building as your attention rests here.

Second: breathe. As you breathe, can you feel the pelvic floor movement working with the respiratory diaphragm? Can you feel each orifice? Can you feel the natural spreading and release as you breathe?

For this month, I am going to leave you here. Next month we'll get into other pelvic floor awareness exercises as they relate to the back. In the meantime, continue to cultivate your awareness in this area.

However . . . if right you are keen for more, and you can't wait until next month, you can listen to a recent teleclass - Is Core Training Leading to Injuries? To purchase this recording, visit the Functional Synergy e-store.

Wishing you strength, stillness, support, and suppleness.

Happy exploring,
Susi

***********************************************
Copyright 2008 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved. You are free to post these articles on your website so long as you post Anatomy and Asana contact information. I do not sell, rent or share this list of subscribers to anyone. You have trusted me with your email address -- for the sole purpose of sending your "I Love Anatomy", workshop and occasional new service/product updates. This is the only use of your email address I make. To remove your name and email from this list, or to change your email address, please forward an email to iloveanatomy@functionalsynergy.com

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Re-establishing the equilibrium in your body,
both mentally and physically, enabling you to
experience the feeling of relaxation, of wellbeing
and to connect to what is important to you.

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

www.yogaforthedeskjockey.com

New Book 'The Key Poses of Hatha Yoga' now available!

2008-03-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Scientific Keys Volume II:
The Key Poses of Hatha Yoga

See the new book from Bandha Yoga: "The Key Poses of Hatha Yoga"
Your Guide to Functional Anatomy and Yoga.

Featuring:

1) Biomechanics of Stretching
2) Physiology of Stretching
3) Muscle Awakening
4) Fifity five highly detailed yoga poses with muscles color coded for activation and stretching
and much more...

Over four hundred stunning full color illustrations of the science of yoga with detailed explanations. High quality spiral bound for ease of use.

View the book now at BandhaYoga.com. Click here.

Namaste'

Ray and Chris

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Bandha Yoga: 474 Margaret St. #76 Plattsburgh, New York 12901

Free Introductory Teleclass from Susi

2008-02-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Yogi Anatomist;

The following email is about a Free Introductory Teleclass on the Ask Susi Membership Program.

If you've considered this program, and have questions about how it works, or you want a taste of what is like, this call will interest you.

If you are keen for more, please scroll down.

All the best,

Susi

Why are you receiving this email? Each month I send out one I Love Anatomy ezine, and one monthly workshop update.
One other time per month, I send an email about upcoming programs or new books that I think will serve you.

Ask Susi: A Free Introductory Teleclass

The Ask Susi Membership Program is for yoga students and teachers who:

- Want to take their current practice to a higher level
- Want to make a bigger difference with their clients/students

Recent questions and discussion have included:
Ultimate hamstring releases; how to use the black spinal strap; the best ways for moving into Uttanasana; working with sore outer ankles; how to release the thoracic spine; and how to assess if a student is ready for shoulder stand.

If you have been considering this program, this introductory call will explain how it works, and will give you a taste of what being on a call is like.

Details on date and time as well as registering are at the end of this email.

If you are unable to make the date or time, the call will be recorded and available online.

What members are saying:
I just wanted to say thanks for the call this week. I sent in general questions that I had just been wondering about but came away from the call with some amazing tools that I can tell are going to make a difference for my husband and my students.

Thanks for offering this service and sharing your knowledge.

A little update on my husband's knee. We did the block and strap tests and he could not get any movement at all without employing the hip flexors! WOW! He is going to work on this. It was very eye opening. This all started bothering him when he added the prostrations before his meditation sitting (Zen). So he is going to lay off those for a couple weeks and focus on this exercise and see what happens with his knee.

Thanks again- I look forward to the next call.
Karen

Details:

Date: Tuesday March 18
Location: Your Phone
Time: 6 pm MST; 5 pm PST; and 8 pm EST; in Tokyo 10 AM Wednesday March 19; in Sydney, AU 12 noon Wednesday March 19
Length of call: 1 hour
Bonus: In order to give you a taste of what a call is like, I will be exploring a few questions - so, the sooner you register, the more likely I will be able to address your question.

To register, contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com or by phone at 229-2617 (toll free 1-866-229-2645). You can also read more about this program and register online at our E-Store by clicking here:

http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

If you can't make the call, don't worry, it will be recorded and available online.

All the best,

Susi
Anatomy and Asana
Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy

Anatomy and Asana: Workshop Updates!

2008-02-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Yogi Anatomist,

I am in the midst of writing your March I Love Anatomy ezine. In the meantime, here is your February 2008 Workshop Update. I've included bookings up to and including summer 2008. If you are interested in taking the 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga, all of the "live-in person" workshops and trainings will give you the necessary pre-requisites.

And....After many yoga teachers asking me I am now offering a yoga therapy certification program for a small group of yoga teachers. The 2008/2009 program will begin following the 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga, so you will need to attend that training in order to enter the certification program. If you would like more information, please email me.

And, if you have never taken a "live" training with me and are interested, I've added some experiences that other people have had at the trainings and after the trainings.

Have a terrific month.

All the best,

Susi

Here are the locations for upcoming 1 day and 2 day workshops:
SYTAR (Los Angeles, CA); Vancouver, BC; Austin, TX; Toronto Yoga Conference; Smithville, NJ; Red Deer, AB

Scheduled 4 Day Trainings
Minnesota
Colorado
Wisconsin

4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga

Toronto, ON

Scheduled teleclasses:
Yoga for Cancer Survivors: Research to Date
Is Core Training Leading to Injuries?

The Sacroiliac Joints

Finding Ease in Seated Meditation

"Ask Susi":
Month-to-Month and Annual Memberships to explore your questions and experience some answers. Includes teleclasses, discussion groups related to Anatomy and Asana practical applications.

Please scroll down for descriptions and more information about our workshops, trainings and teleclasses.

You can also visit our website at http://www.anatomyandasana.com/workshops.htm for a complete list of planned events.

If you think someone would benefit from this email, please pass it along.

What Shiva Rea is saying:
I really enjoyed I love the clarity and insight of Susi's applied anatomy. She goes right to the key areas of relevance for yoga practitioners and offers her years of skilled knowledge in potent synthesized & visual material that will benefit students and teachers from all backgrounds. Highly recommended!"

What Brenda, registered yoga instructor is saying:
"I really enjoyed and appreciated the teleclass on the hips and shoulders. The information was clear, concise and helpful. You are a great teacher! One day I will attend one of your face-to-face classes."

Upcoming Workshops, Trainings, & Teleclasses

WORKSHOPS

Anatomy and Asana: A Curriculum for Finding Ease in Classic Yoga Asanas: A One-Day Training
This workshop was created for yoga teachers who want to apply concepts of Anatomy and Asana in a regular group class setting. Based on the soon-to-be-published book co-wrote by Yoga Instructor Leo Mowry and myself, you will learn full class sequences that open and stabilize the shoulders, the hips, and spine so that you can smoothly and easily move into classic yoga asanas like: Downward Facing Dog, Triangle, Camel. We'll explore the anatomy throughout to blend your intellectual knowledge with what you are feeling.

Ultimately, with these explorations, you'll be able to help your students experience the finesse of the asana, making it work for their body and not for the person next to them. You'll be able to help them to stay connected to the asana and not get lost in it.It will enable you and them to answer the question "how do I make the practice challenging enough to support and strengthen without over-extending?" The result your students will not only feel lighter and pain free, they'll learn how to measure ease within their body.

What people are saying about this curriculum:

"As a new mother of two-year-old twin boys, I have suffered extreme sciatica due to pregnancy and post partum carrying babies who are now heavy toddlers. I have been practicing yoga for over 15 years, and now, interspersing therapeutics with the classic poses has moved me out of pain and into deeper awareness of my body. It has been an amazing experience. I've never felt as balanced and committed to my practice as I do now. I look forward to every session and I feel completely refreshed and rejuvenated opening my eyes after saying Namaste. Thank you for everything!!!"
Anne H.

"I feel that my body/mind/spirit has made a significant shift. I am experiencing a more natural ease in life -- in my stance, in the way I walk, in my day to day movements, in the way I embrace whatever is before me.
Yoga therapeutics is a style that really resonates with me. I feel that we have to start from a place of awareness, acceptance, and understanding, before asking our body to do what it may not yet be ready for. This approach is really about allowing ourselves to work from where we are rather than where we think we should be."
Lori D.

Location: Los Angeles Airport, CA
Price: $179
Date: Wednesday March 5, 2008
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645
Online Registration: You can also visit our e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/260535/0/0

Symposium of the Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR)
Individual and Main Program Sessions with Susi Hately Aldous
IAYT is presenting the Second Symposium for Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR). SYTAR is a unique meeting of its kind; a meeting for Yoga teachers, Yoga therapists and those involved with health care and Yoga research. Please join me in this landmark event in our field. I will be personally presenting on 2 aspects of running a yoga therapy practice: The first is "Using the Practice of Yoga to Illuminate the Next Steps as a Yoga Therapist"; and the second is "Setting Up and Running a Yoga Therapy Practice". In the second session, I will be describing the steps I have taken with developing and setting up the Yoga for Cancer Survivors research program with the University of Calgary (the pilot of this study was published in the mainstream medical journal Psycho-Oncology). I will also be a hosting a Private Luncheon to have smaller and more detailed conversations.

Location: Airport Hilton: Los Angeles, CA
Date: Thursday March 6 Sunday March 9, 2008
Web Address: www.sytar.org

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips and Applying Therapeutic Principles to Advanced Yoga Asanas: A Two-Day Training
There are days you look into the room of students and you wonder, how do I teach all these different bodies? What do I do with the person whose shoulders are really tight, or a back that has a tendency to act up. How do I give those people ease, and yet, give others a challenge without over-extending them? This 2 day training will engage these questions and give you tools that will help.

On day 1, we'll explore the Shoulders and Hips and specific yoga asanas that help bring balance and function to these areas of the body. Then, on day 2, we'll take it the next step into Advanced Asanas like Downward Dog, Triangle and Camel. We'll apply the therapeutic principles so that you truly feel settled in your asana, so that you can feel what is going on in your body. As a result, you will learn many modifications to help students get a good sense of how their body moves in different asanas. It will also give you some suggestions and ideas on how to progress a student from a therapeutic practice into a regular yoga practice.

This is a practice session that will weave in anatomy so that you can blend intellectual knowledge with what you are feeling. In the end, you will leave feeling lighter, stronger, more stable and quite at ease.

What people are saying:
"Here is a story after taking the training with you. My client is very overweight and in a high stress job so he is very, very tight although he has incredible body awareness. He came in with pretty severe pain in his right pectoral area. I could see how much he was holding in his thoracic spine but he also has a history of a lot of SI and knee pain with pelvic instability. I took him through a very simple movement series utilizing much of what we did throughout the last couple of days. I started with opening his thoracic area in a supine position and gradually brought him upright while integrating his lower extremity. He left with no pain and saying he felt lighter and taller. It was such great fun!! Felt like I was getting back to my roots. So thank you Very much!!!"
Judy A.

Location: Rhodes College, Downtown Vancouver
Price: Early Bird $225 prior to February 18; Regular price $299 February 19 onward
Date: Saturday March 15-16, 2008
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645
Online Registration: You can also visit our e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/260534/0/0

Anatomy and Asana: A Curriculum for Finding Ease in Classic Yoga Asanas: A Two-Day Training
This workshop was created for yoga teachers who want to apply concepts of Anatomy and Asana in a regular group class setting. Based on the soon-to-be-published book co-wrote by Yoga Instructor Leo Mowry and myself, you will learn full class sequences that open and stabilize the shoulders, the hips, and spine so that you can smoothly and easily move into classic yoga asanas like: Downward Facing Dog, Triangle, Camel. We'll explore the anatomy throughout to blend your intellectual knowledge with what you are feeling.

Ultimately, with these explorations, you'll be able to help your students experience the finesse of the asana, making it work for their body and not for the person next to them. You'll be able to help them to stay connected to the asana and not get lost in it.It will enable you and them to answer the question "how do I make the practice challenging enough to support and strengthen without over-extending?" The result your students will not only feel lighter and pain free, they'll learn how to measure ease within their body.

What people are saying:
"Move in your pain free range of motion' has become my catch phrase. Those little boxes you drew on the white board that day are my favourite visual. My husband and the 2 desk-jockey co-workers I have managed to get this through to have found pain relief and increased movement in their stiff backs/hips/shoulders.

None of these people do yoga.
Should I say, did yoga. :)
Lisa D

Location: Embassy Suites Downtown: Austin, TX
Price: Early Bird $225 prior to February 28; Regular price $299 February 29 onward
Date: Saturday April 5-Sunday April 6, 2008
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645
Online Registration: You can also visit our e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/260536/0/0

A Series of Topics at the Toronto Yoga Conference with Susi Hately Aldous
The Yoga Conference in Toronto is a great conference to meet and learn from many great yoga teachers in a period of 4 days. If you want to grab classes with Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, Rama Birch, Richard Rosen, Lilias Folan, Todd Norian and Ann Green, Swami Lalitananda and so many more, you've got a great basket of options. I will be contributing 5 sessions a 6 hour Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips; along with shorter sessions including The Spine, The Knees, Deepening Core Stability, and Applying Therapeutic Yoga to Advanced Yoga Asanas (I'll be teaching this with Leo Mowry).

Location: Toronto, ON
Date: Thursday April 24-Sunday April 27
To register or for more information visit the Yoga Conference's website.
Online Registration: www.theyogaconference.com

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips

with Susi Hately Aldous
Ever since I began teaching yoga, the two most common physical limitations I have seen are in the shoulders and hips. Even for people with back, neck, or knee pain - if they are able to improve the functioning of their shoulders and hips, their back or neck pain becomes much more manageable or even resolved.

In this workshop you will learn the biomechanics of the shoulders and hips, and how they impact each other; how they influence energy flow through the spine, and affect transfer of force and load from the upper body to the lower body and lower body to upper body. You'll learn therapeutic yoga asanas that improve the functioning of the shoulders and hips and improve the balance in and between your neck, mid back, lower back. The result is less pain, less strain, and more freedom, stability and ease.

This workshop will be based off of my new book and online video: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips.

Location: Y.A.A Annual General Meeting, Red Deer, AB

Date: Saturday, May 24^th, 2008
To register or for more information, contact Debbie at Yoga Association of Alberta
Email: yogaab@telusplanet.net

Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips with Susi Hately Aldous
Ever since I began teaching yoga, the two most common physical limitations I have seen are in the shoulders and hips. Even for people with back, neck, or knee pain - if they are able to improve the functioning of their shoulders and hips, their back or neck pain becomes much more manageable or even resolved.

In this workshop you will learn the biomechanics of the shoulders and hips, and how they impact each other; how they influence energy flow through the spine, and affect transfer of force and load from the upper body to the lower body and lower body to upper body. You'll learn therapeutic yoga asanas that improve the functioning of the shoulders and hips and improve the balance in and between your neck, mid back, lower back. The result is less pain, less strain, and more freedom, stability and ease.

This workshop will be based off of my new book and online video: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips.

Location: TBA New York City
Cost: Early Bird $159 prior to May 20; Regular price $199 May 21 onward
Date: Late August/September
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645

Deepening Core Stability with Susi Hately Aldous
Quite regularly, I receive emails from people telling me "I do core exercises, and my core is strong, but my back is still bugging me". A few months ago, I wrote about the Ultimate Core Exercise as a response to the misinformation that is being distributed by yoga magazines, which can lead to injuries, tension and pain. In this 1 day training, I'll share the key features of good core exercises and how you can use them to engage and inspire yourself and your students to better stability, breath and ease in your yoga practice and in the rest of your life. At the end of the day, you will feel lighter, taller and stronger.

Location: Toronto
Cost: Early Bird $139 prior to June 29; Regular price $159 June 30 onward
Date: September 14
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645

3 and 4 DAY TRAININGS IN 2008
For more information and details on these 4 Day trainings, please contact the hosts.

Location: Grand Junction, Colorado
Dates: April 8-13, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "yoga therapy theme" and will give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Monica.
Phone: 970-255-8029
Email: info@academyofyoga.com

Location: Lakewood's Resort, Wisconsin
Dates: April 30-May 6, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "regular class" theme. It will also give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Lori.
Phone: 715-794-2561 ext. 633
Email: yoga@lakewoodsresort.com

Location: Yoga North, Duluth Minnesota
Dates: July 17-20, 2008
This 4 day training begins at Day 1 with private sessions. Book one for yourself, or bring a student and you can sit in on the session. Day 2 consists of Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips, followed by Days 3 and 4 when you will learn the Anatomy and Asana Curriculum of Applying Therapeutic Principles to Classic Yoga Asanas. Develop strength, create ease, feel freedom! Contact Ann Maxwell for more information.
Phone: 715-794-2561 ext. 633
Email: info@yoganorthduluth.com

4 DAYS OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA
At this training you will become eligible to enter a certification program which will enable you to become a certified Functional Synergy therapeutic yoga teacher.

This training is designed for yoga teachers who want to understand and teach therapeutic yoga using techniques that are time tested over the past 10 years, have been utilized in mainstream research programs, and are being used effectively by yoga teachers across the globe. I will be giving preference to teachers who have had at least 12 hours of training with me and who want to teach therapeutic yoga classes. I am limiting the numbers to 14 participants to enable you to go DEEP, to truly learn and fundamentally understand the important pieces that create successful therapeutic yoga programs, and to have the unique opportunity to address your specific therapeutic needs.

In this training, you will explore the therapeutic approach I have been using successfully for the past 10 years. This approach combines a modern understanding of anatomy, kinesiology and physiology with the ancient wisdom of yoga to restore function, increase vitality and enhance wellbeing.

Here is a portion of what you will learn:

1. Understand the typical body patterns, which cause injury and inhibit recovery.
2. Questions to ask in order to gather information about a student's condition and situation.
3. How to "read" the person who has the condition or injury, and how to program for the person first, then the condition/injury.
4. Understand and apply the principles of Better Body Balance as they relate to: improving the functioning of the neck, shoulder, elbows, wrists, back, hips, knees; extreme fatigue; post cancer-treatment recovery.
5. Based on the principles of Better Body Balance, learn how to create a program for recovery and rehabilitation.
6. How to work with emotional holding patterns.
7. Understand psychological interactions between student and teacher and set a framework for boundaries.
8. How to successfully create therapeutic yoga programs for people with pain and injury.

Location: Toronto, ON
Dates: Monday Thursday September 15-18, 2008
Price:$1365.00 Maximum 14 people, installment payments are available.
To register or for more information contact Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Phone: 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645
Online Registration: You can also visit our e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/262648/0/0

TELECLASSES

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Yoga for Cancer Survivors
with Susi Hately Aldous
Over the past 7 years I have been working with the University of Calgary and the Tom Baker Cancer Center studying the impact of yoga on people who have survived cancer. The results are significant and bode well for future research. I've recently trained 5 instructors to lead classes in Calgary as well as filmed a DVD series that will be studied through 2008.

In this class I will share the research to date and what this means for the people that you teach who have been through a cancer experience.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will receive the MP3 file. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details for downloading.

Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday February 19, 2008
Price: $29
Call Time 6:00 pm Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645 or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/260121/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Is "Core Training" Leading to Injuries?
with Susi Hately Aldous
Quite regularly, I receive emails from people telling me "I do core exercises, and my core is strong, but my back is still bugging me". A few months ago, I wrote about the Ultimate Core Exercise as a response to the misinformation that is being distributed by yoga magazines, which can lead to injuries, tension and pain. In this teleclass, I'll share the key features of good core exercises and ways you can determine if your students are actually engaging their core or compensating elsewhere. At the end of the hour, you'll be able at choose appropriate and highly functional yoga exercises that will build balance, function, stability and ease.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will receive the MP3 file. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details for downloading.

Here are the Details:
Date: Thursday February 21, 2008
Price: $29
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645

REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/260538/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: The Sacro-Iliac Joints
with Susi Hately Aldous

Are you a teacher with students who have Sacro-Iliac Issues? Do you yourself have a sacro-iliac issues? This class explores the anatomy and mechanics of the sacro-iliac joints and what you can explore to help regain balance for yourself or your students. We'll discuss the nature of twists, back bends, forward bends, upper thigh rotation and the concepts of nutation and counternutation. This will be an interactive discussion on the nature of the sacro-iliac joints.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will receive the MP3 file. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details for downloading.

Here are the Details:
Date: Thursday March 13, 2008
Price: $29
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645

REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/264417/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Finding Ease in your Seated Meditation
with Susi Hately Aldous
This teleclass explores the nature of sitting particularly in reference to seated meditation. Do you wonder if the discomfort in your seated position is perhaps creating physical trauma? This call will explore ideas on how to experience less pain or strain in the ankles, knees, pelvis, low back, upper back and neck. The aim will be to help you find more ease so that you can focus entirely on the act of concentration, contemplation and stillness.
This class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the session, you will receive the MP3 file. All you need to do is register for the class and we'll send you details for downloading.

Here are the Details:
Date: Thursday March 27, 2008
Price: $29
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645

REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/264418/0/0

"ASK SUSI"

"Ask Susi" has just finished its first month. This past month we chatted about ultimate hamstring releases; how to use the black spinal strap; the best ways for moving into Uttanasana; working with sore outer ankles; how to release the thoracic spine; and how to assess if a student is ready for shoulder stand. I've got a second call booked this month, so if you have a question, please join me in "Ask Susi".

What people are saying:
I just wanted to say thanks for the call this week. I sent in general questions that I had just been wondering about but came away from the call with some amazing tools that I can tell are going to make a difference for my husband and my students.

Thanks for offering this service and sharing your knowledge.

A little update on my husband's knee. We did the block and strap tests and he could not get any movement at all without employing the hip flexors! WOW! He is going to work on this. It was very eye opening. This all started bothering him when he added the prostrations before his meditation sitting (Zen). So he is going to lay off those for a couple weeks and focus on this exercise and see what happens with his knee.

Thanks again- I look forward to the next call.
Karen

How it works: Send me your questions. Twice a month, I will host a teleclass to explore the questions asked. All calls are recorded so if you miss the call, you can tune in online. Calls are 1 hour in length. You will also have unlimited access to the exclusive Ask Susi website for the length of your subscription.
Location: Your phone
Price:$9.99 per month or $99 for the year (and you'll receive 2 months for free)
To register you can email Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com or call 403.229.2617 or Toll Free at 866-229-2645)

All the best,
Susi

Principles of Anatomy

2008-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

The basis for all of my practice, whether as a student or teacher, resonates around eight principles of movement. Found in the fields of body mechanics, movement science, physiology, and anatomy, when you understand these principles and couple them with your knowledge of muscle function and movement, your practice as a teacher or student changes - you'll be more aware, you'll be able "to see" more clearly, your ability to communicate what you see will improve.

Let's take a look:

Do not think of these eight principles as a linear list where you begin with one and continue with the next. Rather, each impacts and is impacted by the rest - much like the connectedness of an eight-point star, or a series of 8 conjoining circles.

1. Nourish relaxation. Relaxation is a time for coming into yourself, of getting in touch with how you were with your day and how your day was with you. It enables you to tap into your flow and to set a baseline from which you can work - careful to not get ahead of yourself while staying diligent to unwinding muscle and fascia, tapping into and connecting to who and what you are.

2. Begin with the spine in mind. The spine is the central hub from which all movement occurs. A collection of bones, muscles, fascia, blood, lymph, and nerve vessels, the spine is where it all begins. A tight spine will impact shoulder and hip range of motion; it will impact your ability to twist, bend, and move upside down. And, if the superficial spinal muscles are tight and short, and the deeper spinal muscles are weak, you may feel a mishmash of symptoms, limitations, pulls, and twangs in your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and/or knees.

3. Connect spinal movement with movement at your largest joints first. When you connect to the largest joints (specifically the shoulders and hips), you are facilitating pure motion in the joints with the greatest ranges of motion. Foster that, and your yoga asanas will truly unravel, unwind, and facilitate healing on profound levels.

4. Move joints in their optimum range of motion. This is where you get to choose. What is optimal for you? Do you have osteoarthritis or bursitis? Does one joint move smoothly and easily through its range of motion . . . until there is just a bit of warmth or pain? Find the degree of motion where you are feeling at ease, you can breath, the joint is moving in the direction it was designed to move in, and you feel no pain.

5. Develop core stability: Boost up your bandhas and breathe. Core stability is the "Steady Eddy" of our practices. It keeps us solid, unwavering, fluid; able to respond to the twists and turns, the increases and decreases in tempo and rhythm. The result - we stand taller; we breathe easier; and our backs, hips, and knees feel so much better.

6. Adopt relaxed resilience. This is where depth is developed. Relaxation occurs in layers, beginning with breath and continuing with awareness. Layer by layer, the deeper you go. Imagine this: You are halfway through a class, and you are feeling tired or distracted. Reconnect to where your breath is. Try not to change it - just reconnect with it and practice there. See what happens.

7. Be generous with yourself: Move in your pain-free range of motion. Ahh . . . the loaded word pain. What it means to one person could mean something entirely different to another. For clarity, consider a spectrum of pain: Good pain consists of muscle fatigue, the point at which the muscle fibers can no longer contract. The nerve fibers keep sending stimulating signals, but the muscles aren't responding, either because their energy reserves are exhausted or there is a buildup of lactic acid. On the other side of the spectrum is the bad pain that sears, strains, rips, and tears. It is the pain that causes your brow to furrow, your teeth to clench, your breath to be held, and your body to reverberate with tension.

8. Less is more: Develop strength, stability, mobility, and flexibility in the simple yoga asanas before moving into the complex yoga asanas. Start small, take baby steps, and bite off no more than you can chew. Simple yoga asanas use fewer joint motions. Dandasana is simpler than Marichyasana. Tadasana is simpler than Virabhadrasana 3. These simple asanas - Dandasana and Tadasana -have the same thing happening left and right. Marichyasana spices it up by adding hip flexion on one side and a spinal twist. Virabhadrasana 3 adds hip motion on one side and a shift in relation to gravity. The interesting thing about simple versus complex asanas is that simple asanas aren't always easier. Many people like Marichyasana because Dandasana can be so challenging to stay in.

Happy exploring,

Susi

Happy New Year! It's not a cliche. Be happy!

2008-01-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

You made it to a New Year. Isn't that exciting? You have the freedom to do what you want to do!

Check out Iffet Cochran's blog at http://iffetsyoga.blogspot.com She's a fellow RYT with a heart and practice of gold. Check it out.

I just returned from a week of study at Jivamukti Yoga Center in NYC. Sharon Gannon and David Life will be coming to South Carolina to bless a new Jivamukti Center there in February. Yes, I will be going to that three day workshop. Details at http://jivamuktiyogasc.com This is an event that should not be missed. I mean that.

Mark your calendars for Yoga Day 2008, Saturday, January 26, 1:30pm American Family Fitness Southside location. Jay Miles, Ann Marie Lewis, and I will team teach the 3 hour event. Be there ready to enjoy vinyasa together!

Other than that, you will continue to hear from me on the blog from time to time. Slots are filling quickly for the Grace Yoga 200 hour Teacher Training Program which will launch in June. Grace Yoga will also sponsor a gentle yoga retreat at Wintergreen Resort in June. Details on both are on the Grace Yoga website http://mygraceyoga.com

2008 is going to be busy, with good stuff. So keep checking in to find out what's going on!

Arlene

Presence: Cueing for Calm

2007-12-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

Presence: Cuing for Calm

by Amanda Adams, PhD

Despite our yoga-filled classes, people are still stressed out. We live in a society that rewards people for being go-getters, taking on extra work and being the best in all the ways that the American competitive edge manifests itself. Balance is hard to find, but find it, we must.

We are in an exceptionally good position to facilitate stress management. Who else is going to do it? Not doctors—people don't see them often enough and time is not sufficient when they do. Not employers—even if a company offers a wellness seminar, how much of a long-term effect can an hour have? Managing stress is challenging and requires practice. What better place than your tai chi, yoga or Pilates class to learn and practice techniques that can really have an influence?

The Physiology of Stress
A stressful event—a heated discussion with a coworker, a critique at work or being late for an appointment—initiates a "fight or flight" response in the body. Stress increases heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, adrenaline and cortisol outputs. It makes us clench our muscles, inhibits growth and digestion, and hampers the immune system. After the threat has passed, we are supposed to return to "normal," allowing the body and mind to recuperate.

Unfortunately, many of us do not recuperate. We go from one stressful event to another without ever allowing ourselves to return to normal. We end up living with perpetually increased blood pressure, engaged muscles, and repressed digestion and immune functioning. What's more, we become so accustomed to dealing with stressful situations that the drive to work and that pressing appointment become cues our bodies react to automatically. We see a line of traffic in the distance and our heart rate increases. We hear our boss's voice and get a tight feeling in the stomach. We react to all these cues in our daily environment with quicker and more pronounced stress reactions. It's an adaptation that, in ordinary situations, does not serve us well (unless ulcers and tension headaches are your idea of a good time).

Providing Helpful Cues
If certain situations act as cues for stress reactions, we need to learn how to counter them. Gwen, a participant of mine, is a real-life example of how you can deliberately train yourself to reverse your response when you can't change your environment. She is in law enforcement and was taking a lie detector test for an upcoming promotion. As you might imagine, she was a little nervous. The test began, and she couldn't keep the anxious thoughts out of her mind. A couple of minutes into the test, she used the deep-breathing techniques she had learned in yoga class. Nothing fancy, just full, focused breaths. After the test, the administrator shared the results with her, and pointing to the jagged lines on the printout, asked her what she did a couple of minutes into the test as the lines measuring her physiological responses very noticeably flattened out. It's important to note that Gwen isn't an avid "yogi." She just takes classes recreationally twice a week, but still—a simple breathing technique successfully transferred to another important area of her life.

If you teach yoga, you already use many relaxing techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, mental imagery and an extended quiet time at the end. You don't have to go into a trance to elicit a benefit. While the amount of control you have over the physical environment varies from club to club, the following suggestions may translate into things you can do in your particular teaching situation.

Before Class. Use the time before class to meet new people. Realize that a new person may be going through a stress reaction right at that moment as she prepares to take a new class in a strange environment, with people and an instructor she doesn't know. Make introductions, tell her a little bit about what to expect, and refrain from focusing too much on the fact that she is new, which may make her stick out rather than feel like part of the group. From the instant a new person steps in the room, she is deciding whether or not to come back; help her feel comfortable and she will return.

During Class. One of the most powerful tools any instructor has is language. Words have a powerful effect on our students. Every instructor has a unique personality and comfort zone. Use what works for you and the type of class you are teaching, but always refrain from using negative language.

If your verbal cues relay challenge as an opportunity rather than a threat, your students will relate. Choose cues that focus on power instead of weakness and results rather than flaws. Say, "Push to your next level of challenge" or, "You may accomplish more than you thought you could." Do not say, "If you can't do this level, lower your bench" (which could associate failure with embarrassment) or, "Get rid of flab on the arms" (which fosters negative connotations about body image).

Being humorous is a great way to lighten the environment and create a positive experience. Find ways to keep the smiles going. Make the most out of something that happens during class, such as a misspoken direction or a fun story from a participant. A light attitude is the key—it's difficult to feel stressed out or nervous when laughing.

Control the temperature as much as possible. Participants might get too cold during an extended stretch if the air conditioner is on high. Conversely, a room that is too warm or stuffy can be very uncomfortable. If the room isn't visually appealing, talk with your club manager about what might make it more welcoming. Suggest positive images on the walls, inspirational quotes and inviting colors, which can make a room feel more comfortable. Changing the room could turn into a fun group project for the entire department.

End of Class. The cool-down provides a perfect opportunity to work on stress management techniques. When cuing, focus on getting the most relaxing effect. Here are examples of positive, effective and relaxing cues:

"On the exhalation, feel the shoulders drop."
"Release the back and the neck completely; you should feel no tension in the neck muscles."
"Be aware of your breath slowing down and becoming fuller with each inhalation."
"Close your eyes and feel the stretch from inside the body."
"Leave the day's stress outside for now—you can pick up what you need when you leave."

These cues work for any class and can apply to standing, sitting or lying positions. Suggest students use the cues to release tension quickly the next time they are stuck in traffic.

http://www.inneridea.com/library/cuing-for-calm

Anatomy and Asana: Upcoming Workshops & Teleclasses

2007-12-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Yogi Anatomist,

I am in the midst of writing your January I Love Anatomy ezine. In the meantime, here is your December 2007 Workshop Update!

As a side note for your yearly planning - I am planning a 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga in Austin in May/June 2008. Any of the upcoming in-person 2-day or 4-Day trainings will provide you with the necessary in class pre-requisites (12 hours of training with me is necessary). I limit the 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga to 15 people to ensure that participants are able to develop confidence with the principles, ideas and techniques, so that when the training is complete, your tool-box is both full and functional. If you are interested in scheduling details for the upcoming 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga in Austin, please email Cara at iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

Have a terrific month.

All the best,

Susi

Here are the scheduled workshops:
Preventing Yoga Injuries - 1 Canadian location, plus 1 USA location
The Pelvis and Sacroiliac Joints

Here are the scheduled teleclasses:
3 Day Peer-To-Peer Teleclass (new)
Therapeutic Yoga For Shoulders and Hips

Upcoming 4 Day Trainings in 2008:
Colorado
Wisconsin

Upcoming 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga in 2008:
Austin

Please scroll down for more information.
If you think someone would benefit from this email, please pass it along.

What Shiva Rea is saying:
I really enjoyed I love the clarity and insight of Susi's applied anatomy. She goes right to the key areas of relevance for yoga practitioners and offers her years of skilled knowledge in potent synthesized & visual material that will benefit students and teachers from all backgrounds. Highly recommended!"

What Brenda, registered yoga instructor is saying:
"I really enjoyed and appreciated the teleclass on the hips and shoulders. The information was clear, concise and helpful. You are a great teacher! One day I will attend one of your face-to-face classes."

Upcoming Workshops & Teleclasses: January-February 2008

WORKSHOPS/CLASSES

Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries
with Susi Hately Aldous 5 spots available
Yoga offers an incredible way to improve and maintain your health and wellbeing. Since Hatha yoga is exercise, injuries are possible. This workshop will give you strategies and principles you can use to help your students prevent yoga-related injuries, and if they have already occurred, what you can do to help your students overcome them.
Location: Blue Moon Body Works - Austin, Texas
Dates: Sunday January 6 and Monday January 7, 2008

Times: 9:00 AM 4:00 PM both days
Regular Price: $359 installment payments are available for this session. Ask Cara for details.
Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/257036/0/0

Anatomy and Asana: A Group Therapeutic Yoga Class
with Susi Hately Aldous
This is an opportunity to refer yourself or your client to a group class while I am in Austin. Group size will at maximum 15 people.
Location: Blue Moon BodyWorks - Austin, Texas
Date: Sunday January 6th
Time: 6:00 PM 7:30 PM
(max size 15 participants)
Regular Price: $45 Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/257037/0/0

Anatomy and Asana: Private Therapeutic Sessions
with Susi Hately Aldous
This is an opportunity to refer yourself or your client to private session while I am in Austin. If you would like, you are welcome to join your client and observe.
Location: Blue Moon Body Works - Austin, Texas
Date: Tuesday January 8
Times: Contact Cara
Price: $90
Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or email her at lovelyladies@functionalsynergy.com to book an appointment.

Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries
with Susi Hately Aldous
Yoga offers an incredible way to improve and maintain your health and wellbeing. Since Hatha yoga is exercise, injuries are possible. This workshop will give you strategies and principles you can use to help your students prevent yoga-related injuries, and if they have already occurred, what you can do to help your students overcome them.

Location: The Yoga Loft - Edmonton, AB
Date: January 26th & 27th, 2008
To register or for more information, call Sarah at The Yoga Loft
Phone: 780-433-8999
Email: theyogaloft@shaw.ca

Pelvis and Sacro-Iliac Joints
with Susi Hately Aldous
It is often said that experienced yogis know more about their pelvis and sacroiliac joints than inexperienced yogis because of the pain they experience during their yoga practice. It doesn't have to be that way! This session explores how the sacrum, pelvis and sacroiliac joints moves during standing poses, back bends, forward bends, twists and inversions. We'll look and feel the anatomy of the pelvis, si joint and delve into common problems can occur, including sciatica and piriformis syndrome, and what you can do to keep these pieces functioning optimally for a safe, and strong practice.

Location: Red Deer Yoga through Y.A.R.D. Society
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2008
To register or for more information, call Paula at Y.A.R.D
Phone: 403-350-5830
Email: pdking@telus.net

TELECLASSES

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: A small group experience
The Spine, Core Stability and Yoga Asana
with Susi Hately Aldous
This series of interactive teleclasses are designed to expand your knowledge and application of anatomy, functional movement and therapeutic yoga as they relate to your practice as a teacher. In the first session we'll explore the spine; the second class we'll explore core stability; and in the third class we'll blend our knowledge of the spine and core stability as they relate to specific yoga asanas. Using an online multi-media format, I'll be loading up photos and drawings for discussion purposes.
I am limiting the 3 session series to 5 participants to foster good discussion as well as to ensure that you get your questions answered.
You can choose to join the 11 am (MST) class or the 5 pm (MST) class. Each group will have a maximum of 5 people each.
Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday January 15, 22, 29 2008
Price: $75
There are 2 times for these teleclasses (choose your time)
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST) (5 people per class) 1 spot available
5:00 pm Calgary, AB Canada time (MST) (5 people per class) 1 spot available
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645 or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips
with Susi Hately Aldous
This teleclass is specifically designed for people who have received and are using my newest book, Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips. It is your opportunity to get questions answered, to delve deeper into concepts, to review some of the film footage of the online video. The class will be recorded so if you are unable to make the call, you can listen to it at a later date.

Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday January 17, 2008
Price: $29

11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST)
To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645 or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/product/48/5467/259065/0/0

SNEAK PEEK
4-DAY TRAININGS IN 2008

For more information and details on these 4 Day trainings, please contact the hosts.

Location: Grand Junction, Colorado
Dates: April 8-13, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "yoga therapy theme" and will give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Monica.
Phone: 970-255-8029
Email: info@academyofyoga.com

Location: Lakewood's Resort, Wisconsin
Dates: April 30-May 6, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "regular class" theme. It will also give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga. For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Lori.
Phone: (715) 794-2561 ext. 633
Email: yoga@lakewoodsresort.com

Register Online: www.lakewoodsresort.com

Location: Austin, Texas
Dates: May/June, 2008
4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga. If you are interested, please contact Cara.
Phone: toll free 866-229-2645
Email: iloveanatomy@anatomyandasana.com

All the best,
Susi

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

www.yogaforthedeskjockey.com

Patience is the Heart of Ethics

2007-12-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

Full Breath: Patience is the Heart of Ethics

While fidgety children may be told that "patience is a virtue," a University of Arkansas philosopher has found patience to be much more profound than simple, passive waiting. Rather, patience is "the living heart of ethics." In a presentation to the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy last month, Irene McMullin discussed patience as a "neglected virtue," little examined by philosophy or society at large.

"I call patience a neglected virtue because we don't value it as much as courage or generosity because it involves a withholding of self," McMullin said. "In business, for example, we don't recognize good management as patient, such as when a manager steps back and lets others be part of the creative process."

The self-restraint specific to patience is specifically oriented to the other person's "agency" or ability to act. McMullin uses an example of letting her young nephew take his time tying his shoelaces. She holds herself back from doing the task for him. Her restraint is characterized by "a hovering attentiveness, a silent co-willing, an expressive encouragement and recognition of his struggle." While she wants the laces to be tied, her attitude is directed not to the goal of tied laces, but primarily toward her nephew's achievement of the goal. This type of attitude involves both a willingness to share one's time with the other person and an acknowledgement of the limits of human agency. "In patience, I share an orientation to the other's future that is attentive to the struggle involved in its accomplishment," McMullin said.

She contrasted patience with impatience, which can include an element of contempt for another person's abilities or a refusal to acknowledge the awkwardness and difficulties of so many human activities. McMullin called impatience "a type of rage in the face of human finitude."

The impatient person—the person who taps a foot while someone else negotiates the ATM instructions—communicates a sense of being offended, even wronged, by the failures of others and the necessity of sharing time with them. In a sense, the very fact that the other person is in the world takes away from the impatient person. McMullin distinguished patience from tolerance.

"When I tolerate someone, I do not share the drama and meaning of his struggle," McMullin said. "Though tolerance is an important and necessary part of shared public life, patience involves a deeper form of recognition and accommodation of the other's presence as an individual struggling to act in the world."

McMullin observed that in patience, a person subordinates his or her own wishes and goals to another's future, sometimes a future they will never share. An individual practicing tolerance simply waits for the completion of activity—for the other person to walk away from the ATM, for instance. In contrast, the patient individual encourages the other person to take the time necessary for successful completion.

"Though we may not be able to characterize patience as a 'heroic' virtue, the ability to accommodate and forgive the limits of human agency in its struggle for self-expression is the bedrock of our public life," McMullin said.

http://www.inneridea.com/library/patience-is-the-heart-of-ethics

Arlene's January 2008 Group Class Schedule

2007-12-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Here is my group class schedule for Jan., 2008. - Arlene

Wed, Jan 2, 6am, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Friday, Jan 4, 6am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Sunday, Jan 6, 930am, Amfam Swift Creek, Gentle Yoga

Monday, Jan 7, 730pm, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Wed, Jan 9, 6am, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Friday, Jan 11, 6am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Sat, Jan 12, 930am, Spotlight Studio of Dance, Beginner Yoga Vinyasa

Sunday, Jan 13, 1045am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Monday, Jan 14, 730pm, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Wed, Jan 16, 6am, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Friday, Jan 18, 6am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Sat, Jan 19, 930am, Spotlight Studio, Beginner Yoga Vinyasa

Sun, Jan 20, 930am, Amfam Swift Creek, Gentle Yoga

Mon, Jan 21, 730pm, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Wed, Jan 23, 6am, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Friday, Jan 25, 6am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Saturday, Jan 26, 930am, Spotlight Studio of Dance, Beginner Yoga Vinyasa

Saturday, Jan 26, 130pm, Amfam Arboretum, Yoga Day Celebration, team teaching with posture breakdown and adjustments

Sunday, Jan 27, 1045am, Amfam Swift Creek, Yogaflex

Monday, Jan 28, 730pm, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Wed, Jan 30, 6am, Amfam Arboretum, Yogaflex

Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com

abjork@mygraceyoga.com

I Love Anatomy Ezine: Functional Shoulders

2007-12-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

Functional Shoulders

A student approaches you in class and tells you that her shoulder is sore. She isn't sure why - the pain and tension just showed up one day. She expected it to go away, but then each day it didn't. Now, three months later, the pain and tension remain.

This is a familiar story for many yoga teachers and a predicament that occurs for many people, yogis and non-yogis alike. Pain and tension show up, the reason unclear, with an equally unclear medical diagnosis.

And here you stand, face to face with the yoga student, wanting to make a difference. You may wonder . . . how?

The first piece of the puzzle is to get realllllllyyyy humble, while connecting back to your skill set. Remember your strengths, be aware of your limitations, and consider at what point you need to make a referral to someone with a different skill set. (Sometimes, I've made the biggest difference for people when I have referred them to the appropriate professional - someone with the skill set and personality that would serve them the best.)

The second piece is to look at the student's shoulder movement and how the pieces that create the shoulder joint move relative to each other. For example, how does the humerus move relative to the scapula, relative to the rib cage, relative to the spine? Does the scapula move fluidly and fully into elevation, depression, retraction, protraction, upward and downward rotation? How do these movements relate to spinal movement? Is there clicking, clunking, clacking?

The third piece of the puzzle is to view both the shoulder girdle and the issue presented relative to the full body - that is, relative to the pelvis, legs, and feet; the face, arms, and hands; and of course, the smoothness of the inhale and the exhale.

The fourth piece is to maintain a sense of exploratory ease while making sense of this whole puzzle. To help keep an open mind, consider the following questions:

· What am I seeing?

· If I see this, what else would I expect to see?

· What don't I see?

The fifth piece is putting it all together. As you do, you'll see patterns of movement emerge that will help you determine and apply asanas or modified asanas to unwind those patterns, introduce new patterns, and if the student is ready, stabilize those new patterns.

If you are interested in exploring this further, you can read The Shoulder Girdle, one of my Anatomy and Asana updates, which explores the anatomy of the shoulder girdle and its movement patterns. Also, my newest book, Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips, offers a sequential series of modified yoga asanas for the shoulders and hips. This comes with an instructional online streaming video of the asanas described in the book. And in January I am hosting five yogis for a teleclass series to take a deeper look at the spine, core stability, and yoga asanas. If you are interested in the books, please visit http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/2812/0/0 for information on the teleclass series, please visit http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

Happy exploring!

Susi

Copyright 2007 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved. You are free to post these articles on your website so long as you post Anatomy and Asana contact information. I do not sell, rent or share this list of subscribers to anyone. You have trusted me with your email address -- for the sole purpose of sending your "I Love Anatomy" and workshop updates.

Student and Teacher resources - Online Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide and Asana Index

2007-12-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide can be found at http://www.tilakpyle.com/sanskrit.htm

The asana index is found at http://www.yogadancer.com/Asana.shtml

Arlene

Finding a Yoga Teacher

2007-11-28T14:22:00.001-08:00

I loved this blog entry - sharing it with you - Arlene:

From: http://mahamondo.typepad.com/mahamondo/2007/07/index.html

So, if you're just starting out, though we lack the resources/yoga teachers (in Brunei ), here are some tips to guide you through finding a yoga teacher. And a TRUE one at that. This speaking from a yoga junkie.

Seek a yoga teacher, and perhaps bear these in mind, Have faith and ye shall find:

1. A teacher who is really living La Vida Yoga. They know their s*** and they care about their practice. Its sincerely felt yoga and not gym instructional type yoga. Nor should it over the top new age yoga - i took this word for word from a yogi friend, Mahamondo. It just hits the spot. Terima Kasih!

In this context, i am one who is wary of teachers as such. Some do truly believe that since they have the stamina and strength with 6,000 minutes cardio, dumbells and barbells, they really do believe yoga would be a piece of cake. It's really NOT because I have been THERE.

It is also these gym instructional type who thinks they can learn yoga through a DVD, copy and teach the exact same thing.

I thought number 1 kinda caps it all off, but I'm going to break it down anyway. Forgive me if i have set standards of a yoga teacher too high here. But. They really do exist.

2. A teacher who has a strong practice, yes yes we've established that. A teacher with practice evolves and learn from his/her own practice. If you don't have a clue to what this means, simply put, a teacher needs to find time alone with his/her yoga practice.
A teacher who doesnt will only 'cheat' his/her students.

3. A teacher who isconstantly learning , constantly evolving and updating him/her self. So if perchance you come up to him/her and say, hey do you do Bikram, he/she does not say Bikram who?

4. A teacher who is a real living person with feelings, even better - one who has the occasional short spurts of temper tantrums and can/have used his/her yoga practice to deal with it. I'm not all inspired by a man in a robe who's living in a cave/ under a tree. I'm more inspired by someone who has gone through life's ups and downs and has been there and has what it takes to encourage and inspire. (note that i do not have anything against people sitting in caves/ under trees)

5. A teacher who you trust as you also evolve in your own practice. Many good yoga teachers are not certified but they have long experience or hours with their own practice as well as in their teaching. As also being one who instructs, they are also one who listens.

6. A teacher with good dialogue. Whatever language they are using, their words has to be one that drives you, and borrowed from Oprah: opens up a Light bulb moment. Words are powerful. They either make or break you. To take an example, a good teacher stays with you with soothing words of encouragement when you can't bear to stay in warrior poses any more! If a teacher goes for a loo break instead or is just sitting there, ditch the class.

Coming from a language teacher's background, I find it really important to have proper BASIC grammar, tense, good sentence structure when teaching in English. This attribute is something I hang to. I'm stuck with it. Aside from that. Have content in their sentence structure.

7. A good teacher would always find the time to touch you. Adjust you. Keep you going. I personally love adjustments. The power of the touch is magical. It's second to a hug or a kiss on the forehead. This is the teacher's personal touch. As a student, one feels special and feel almost connected with the teacher. I have had my shoulders and my neck massaged with lavender lotion and it smelled & felt so darn good. I also loved the teacher for giving me that special touch. But massaging over 10 students in a class in savasana would not work.

8. You would want a teacher to be observant and has 2 extra eyes at the back of their heads (ok, I kid) especially in a class of 10 and above. They can spot your little toe from the back end of the room and still asks you if you're doing ok.

9. Seek a teacher with a sense of humour. Yoga teaches you to laugh if not more. It teaches you to laugh at yourself. Laugh at life's complications.

10. And if you are really new to yoga, seek a yoga teacher who takes you by the hand and gently eases you into this world of yoga that is our birthright. A true yoga teacher teaches and shows you that during your journey, they really are not your teachers but the teacher truly is yourself. Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo.

Hope these help. Putting my teaching experiences aside, i sought out these 10 from the point of view of a learner of yoga. Teachers are after all learners too.

Danura, you couldn't have put it better. Terima kasih -

Fwd: Anatomy and Asana: Workshop UPDATE!

2007-11-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Yogi Anatomist,

I am in the midst of writing your I Love Anatomy ezine that is being sent the first week of December. In the meantime, here is your workshop update. In an effort to bring you as much good anatomical information as I can, in a variety of different ways, you'll also notice that I have included a 3 day peer-to-peer teleconference for a maximum of 5 people in January. Those details are below.

All the best,

Susi

Here are the scheduled workshops:
Preventing Yoga Injuries 1 Canadian location, plus 1 USA location

The Pelvis and Sacroiliac Joints

Here are the scheduled teleclasses:
3 Day Peer-To-Peer Teleclass (new)

Upcoming 4 Day Trainings in 2008:
Colorado
Wisconsin

Please scroll down for more information.
If you think someone would benefit from this email, please pass it along.

What Lorrie Maffey, PT is saying:

"During a yoga session, Susi has a remarkable ability to "see" where movement and energy is flowing through a person. She can also "see" where this is not happening and with encouraging words, imagery and movement suggestions she can help one restore flow through these regions. Her teachings and writings are a valuable tool to assist others in developing this skill. I have enjoyed and gained much from all of our "late night brain storming sessions" and our mutual clients have always benefited from our combined efforts to assist with optimizing their own ease of flow."
Lorrie Maffey (physiotherapist) BMRPT, MPhty, Dip Manip PT, GunnIMS, Medical Acupuncture

Upcoming Workshops,Teleclasses: January-February

WORKSHOPS/CLASSES

Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries
with Susi Hately Aldous
Yoga offers an incredible way to improve and maintain your health and wellbeing. Since Hatha yoga is exercise, injuries are possible. This workshop will give you strategies and principles you can use to help your students prevent yoga-related injuries, and if they have already occurred, what you can do to help your students overcome them.
Location: Blue Moon Body Works  Austin, Texas
Dates: Sunday January 6 and Monday January 7, 2008
(max size 16 participants)
Early Bird Price: $279 until and including December 5
Regular Price: $359 after December 5
Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

Time: TBA
(max size 15 participants)
Early Bird Price: $25 until and including December 5
Regular Price: $45 after December 5
Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

Times: TBA

(max size 15 participants)
Price: $90
Call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645, or email her at lovelyladies@functionalsynergy.comto book an appointment.

Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries
with Susi Hately Aldous
Yoga offers an incredible way to improve and maintain your health and wellbeing. Since Hatha yoga is exercise, injuries are possible. This workshop will give you strategies and principles you can use to help your students prevent yoga-related injuries, and if they have already occurred, what you can do to help your students overcome them.
Location: The Yoga Loft  Edmonton, AB
Date: January 26^th & 27^th, 2008
To register or for more information, call Sarah at The Yoga Loft

Phone: 780-433-8999

Email: theyogaloft@shaw.ca

Pelvis and Sacro-Iliac Joints
with Susi Hately Aldous

It is often said that experienced yogis know more about their pelvis and sacroiliac joints than inexperienced yogis because of the pain they experience during their yoga practice. It doesn't have to be that way! This session explores how the sacrum, pelvis and sacroiliac joints moves during standing poses, back bends, forward bends, twists and inversions. We'll look and feel the anatomy of the pelvis, si joint and delve into common problems can occur, including sciatica and piriformis syndrome, and what you can do to keep these pieces functioning optimally for a safe, and strong practice.

Location: Red Deer Yoga through Y.A.R.D. Society

Date: Saturday, February 2, 2008

To register or for more information, call Paula at Y.A.R.D

Phone: 403-350-5830

Email: pdking@telus.net

TELECLASSES

Anatomy and Asana Teleclass: A small group experience
The Spine, Core Stability and Yoga Asana
with Susi Hately Aldous

This series of interactive teleclasses are designed to expand your knowledge and application of anatomy, functional movement and therapeutic yoga as they relate to your practice as a teacher. In the first session we'll explore the spine; the second class we'll explore core stability; and in the third class we'll blend our knowledge of the spine and core stability as they relate to specific yoga asanas. Using an online multi-media format, I'll be loading up photos and drawings for discussion purposes.
I am limiting the 3 session series to 5 participants to foster good discussion as well as to ensure that you get your questions answered.
You can choose to join the 11 am (MST) class or the 5 pm (MST) class. Each group will have a maximum of 5 people each.
Here are the Details:
Date: Tuesday January 15, 22, 29 2008
Price: $75
There are 2 times for these teleclasses (choose your time)
11:00 am Calgary, AB Canada time (MST) (5 people per class)
5:00 pm Calgary, AB Canada time (MST) (5 people per class)

To register, call Cara toll free at 866-229-2645 or REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/5467/0/0

SNEAK PEEK

4 DAY TRAININGS IN 2008

For more information and details on these 4 Day trainings, please contact the hosts.

Location: Grand Junction, Colorado
Dates: April 8-13, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "yoga therapy theme" and will give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Yoga Therapy.
For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Monica.

Phone: 970-255-8029

Email: info@academyofyoga.com

Location: Lakewood's Resort, Wisconsin
Dates: April 30-May 6, 2008
This 4 day has more of a "regular class" theme. It will also give you the essential pre-requisites needed for 4 Days of Yoga Therapy.
For more information on the sessions included in this training, contact Lori.

Phone: (715) 794-2561 ext. 633
Email:yoga@lakewoodsresort.com

All the best,
Susi

___________________________________
Re-establishing the equilibrium in your body,
both mentally and physically, enabling you to
experience the feeling of relaxation, of wellbeing
and to connect to what is important to you.

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

www.yogaforthedeskjockey.com

Updated: Arlene's December 2007 Group Class Schedule - American Family Swift Creek and Arboretum Clubs

2007-11-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here is my group class schedule for the Swift Creek American Family Fitness Center - December 2007:

Monday, December 3, 7:30pm, Yogaflex
Friday, December 7, 6am, Yogaflex
Monday, December 10, 7:30pm, Yogaflex
Friday, December 14, 6am, Yogaflex
Sunday, December 16, 9:30am, Gentle Yoga
Friday, December 21, 6am, Yogaflex
Sunday, December 23, 10:45am, Yogaflex

Group class schedule for Arboretum American Family - December 2007:

Wednesday, December 5, 6am, Yogaflex

Wednesday, December 12, 6am, Yogaflex

Monday, December 17, 7:30pm, POWER Yoga

Wednesday, December 19, 6am, Yogaflex

The schedule is subject to change. Check subsequent blog entries for any changes!

Arlene

Arlene subbing Thanksgiving Day yoga class

2007-11-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Latebreaking news! I will teach the 1045am Yogaflex class at the American Family Swift Creek location on Thanksgiving Day. Hope to see you there!
Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Arlene subbing 530pm class today

2007-11-19T10:24:00.001-08:00

Arlene is subbing the 530pm Yogaflex class at American Family Swift Creek today.

She is also scheduled to teach the 730pm class tonight.
Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Arlene's December 2007 Group Class Schedule - American Family Swift Creek Club

2007-11-17T17:27:00.001-08:00

Here is my group class schedule for the Swift Creek American Family Fitness Center - December 2007:

Monday, December 3, 7:30pm, Yogaflex
Friday, December 7, 6am, Yogaflex
Monday, December 10, 7:30pm, Yogaflex
Friday, December 14, 6am, Yogaflex
Sunday, December 16, 9:30am, Gentle Yoga
Friday, December 21, 6am, Yogaflex
Sunday, December 23, 10:45am, Yogaflex

The schedule is subject to change. Check subsequent blog entries for the December Amfam Arboretum location schedule and for any schedule updates!

Arlene

Sound Advice

2007-11-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Avoid audio fiascoes with these tips from a yoga teacher/sound engineer.

By Baba Singh

One day, after encouraging his students into a well-deserved Savasana (Corpse Pose), a yogi who loved wireless clip-on microphones tiptoed out of his studio and down the hall to the bathroom—all without turning off his mic.

Fortunately, this yogi's wife made sense of the sounds blaring at the resting students through the studio's loudspeakers. Jumping from her mat to turn down the volume, she saved her husband a great deal of embarrassment—which could have been avoided completely had he only paid more attention to his audio equipment.

As a yoga teacher, I enjoy treating my students to music and audio that enhances their experience. As a sound engineer, I know this can only be done with some basic knowledge of audio equipment.

The Benefits of Audio

Sarla Nichols, proprietor of Midtown Yoga in Memphis, Tennessee, trained in the rigorous and silent Iyengar tradition. Since discovering Vinyasa, she embraces the practice of adding music to classes.

"I think the music becomes a reflection of the teacher," Nichols claims. She says the teachers handling Midtown Yoga's 50 weekly classes distinguish themselves by the music they play.

Karen Russell, Anusara teacher and owner of North Hollywood's Yoga Groove studio, also credits music with attracting students who wouldn't normally come to yoga classes. In one of her more popular classes, students may hear anything from the Cure to the Beatles to New Wave. "And it seems to work," she says. "People resonate with it."

What to Know

Following a few simple rules can help you use audio with grace and confidence in your yoga classes.

Show up early and prepared. Show up before class to get acquainted with a studio's audio equipment. "If music is really important to you, check it out before you go," says Nichols.
Bring extra equipment, just in case. If you're using an MP3 player, be sure to bring an extra 1/8-inch to stereo RCA cable, just in case the studio's cord is missing. Remember to bring your MP3 player charger, as well as an extension cord, in case your player runs out of battery life.
Ask students to turn off cell phones and personal email devices. Some students may simply place the devices on vibrate. But if the student's personal belongings are placed close enough to the sound system, the signal of an incoming call or email will create an unwelcome and jarring "galloping" noise that will disrupt the flow of your class.
Prepare MP3 playlists or burn mix CDs. This will prevent the potentially disruptive or distracting task of scrolling through songs or changing CDs during class.
Consider purchasing an MP3 player. Both Nichols and Russell agree that portable MP3 players facilitate class flow better than CDs, because they allow teachers to select songs without fumbling with noisy CD players during poses. MP3 players range between $80 and $200 and are well worth the investment.
Let it flow. Match the flow of music to the flow of your class—starting as early as when students begin to arrive at your studio. Be careful when mixing musical styles.
Avoid distraction during Savasana. If you plan to use audio during Savasana, opt for instrumental music or simple, repetitive mantras. And be sure to plan in advance. "If you're getting ready for Savasana and you're flailing and don't know what music to play," says Russell, "it can really interrupt the flow of a class."

Selective Audio

Used at its best, audio know-how simply complements your individual approach to teaching yoga. For new teachers, this means not letting music or microphones get between you and your students.

Nichols treats her students to all kinds of music, from meditative to alternative. However, she urges her teacher trainees to forego music in their classes altogether if it keeps them from being present for their students. She plays no music during Headstands, meditation, and other exercises that rely on a student's ability to go deep within.

"Silence is luminous," says Los Angeles yoga teacher and former monk Bindu Dan Dexter. He regards sound as a means to increase awareness and lead students to inner silence. "Sound is a delicate thing," he explains, "and a very powerful thing that, if used correctly, can have really powerful results—it might be one of the most powerful elements in terms of stimulating the meditative experience."

Baba Singh is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher in Los Angeles and works as a sound engineer at international yoga festivals.

http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/2560

What Is This Thing Called Yoga ?

2007-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

Author: David Stevens

Yoga is a system of physical and mental practices that originates in India more than 5000 years ago. What is the purpose of yoga? The purpose of yoga is to help yourself and other people to achieve your highest potential and to experience a healthy and happy life. By using the practice of yoga you can extends your healthy and happy life for far beyond the accepted known. And more importantly improve the quality of your life.

There are different kinds yoga. The main focus of yoga is to benefit your physical and mental health. Yoga is a practice that will focus on the harmony between mind and body. Even though the philosophy of yoga comes from India, now it is practiced all the over the world.

The actual word yoga is a Sanskrit word. That means union or merger and the ultimate goal of the practice of yoga is to strike a balance between the mind and body. In order to achieve this balance between the mind and the body the practice of yoga will use movement, breath, posture, relaxation and meditation in order to establish this balance. This in order to live a healthy, lively and balanced life.

There are many types of yoga, one of the most popular forms of yoga is called Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga deals mainly with physical postures and breathing exercises. Another form of yoga is Karma Yoga which emphasizes the spiritual practices to help you unify your body mind and daily life through certain practices. The other form of yoga is called Bhakthi Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is a devotional form of yoga and generally includes chanting, reading scriptures and doing worship.

Most people have heard of the word yoga as yoga is a very popular practice that is practiced all over the world. The ancient yogis had the believe that in order for somebody to be in harmony with themselves and his environment he have to find a balance between the mind that the body and the spirit with in. Yoga was used to find a balance between those three. The yogis formulated the way to achieve this balance. And this is done through breathing techniques and meditation.

Lets look at the 5 different kinds of yoga.

Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga is a yoga of postures. Probably when you think of yoga you will be thinking of Hatha yoga. Hatha Yoga is the most popular form of yoga in the west. Hatha yoga uses physical postures or Asana and different breathing techniques and meditation. All of this is combined to achieve a better health as well as in understanding of spirituality.

Bhakthi Yoga
Bhakthi yoga is the yoga of devotion. It is yoga for the heart and devotion of the people. The practice over Bhakthi Yoga teaches a person to have devotion for his spiritual being or God and to develop this love and acceptance for all living things.

Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is the yoga of self control. The word Raja actually means Royal. By using the practice of Raja Yoga one sees oneself as central. It means to respect oneself. To achieve this kind of self respect one has to gain control over oneself and the senses.

Jnana Yoga.
Jnana Yoga is the yoga of the mind. Jana yoga is a kind of yoga that will deal with the mind. It will focus on the persons wisdom and intellect with the aim to unify these two to surpasses limitations in life.

Karma Yoga
Karma yoga is the yoga of service. Karma yoga mainly uses the Law of Karma meaning that the present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now you are choosing a future that is free from negativity.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/what-is-this-thing-called-yoga--259665.html

Tips for Living a Powerful Life

2007-11-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life!

1.) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is
the ultimate antidepressant.

2.) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have
to.

3.) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, "My
purpose is to ___________ today."

5.) Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last
year.

7.) Always pray and make time to exercise, practice meditation.

8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.

9.) Dream more while you are awake.

10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less foods that are
manufactured in plants.

11.) Drink
<http://sandrarosenews.blogspot.com/2007/08/word-of-day-updated-daily_23.htm
l> green tea and plenty of water. Eat
<http://sandrarosenews.blogspot.com/2007/08/word-of-day-updated-daily_23.htm
l> blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and
flowing energy into your life.

14.) Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of
the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest
your energy in the positive present moment.

15.) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are
simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra
class...... but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16.) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17.) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18.) Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19.) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20.) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21.) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22.) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

23.) Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

24.) Ladies - Go on and burn those "special" scented candles, use the 600
thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop
waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.

25.) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26.) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will
this matter?"

27.) Forgive everyone for everything.

28.) What other people think of you is none of your business.

29.) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!

30.) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31.) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.
Stay in touch with them.

32.) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

33.) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

34.) The best is yet to come.

35.) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

36.) Do the right thing !

37.) Call your family often.

38.) Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: "I
am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________."

39.) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

40.) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you
certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so
make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are
dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do
it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now ! There are only so many
tomorrows." --Michael Landon
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH.
LIFE'S A GIFT ... UNWRAP IT !

LIVE WELL, LAUGH OFTEN, LOVE MUCH
Blessed are those who can give without
remembering and take without forgetting.

Yoga for Back Care

2007-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

by Elise Browning Miller

Up to 85% of American adults experience back pain at some point in their lives (Andersson 1999). No doubt some of your clients are among them. Why is the back so prone to injury? As we age, ligaments and tendons shorten and joint range of motion (ROM) decreases. Disks lose their ability to absorb shock, muscles weaken, and bones lose mass. To add to these inherent biological weaknesses, we spend too much time sitting—in cars, at desks and in front of televisions or computers—and our back muscles weaken. Bad posture makes matters worse. The low back, which bears much of the burden, is particularly prone to disk problems.

Whole-Body Back Care
Your clients don't have to accept back deterioration lying down. In fact, doctors recommend just the opposite! "I'd say that more than half of back injuries can be prevented," says Michael Hisey, MD, a spine surgeon at the Texas Back Institute in Plano, Texas. "A back maintenance exercise program is key to keeping people out of trouble."

Abdominal strengthening, conventionally emphasized for back health, is important, but on its own is not enough to protect the back from injury. Nor is low-back strengthening. Back problems involve the whole body. Many factors can contribute, including tight or weak muscles, poor posture, obesity, emotional stress, and limited range of movement in the peripheral joints (shoulders and hips). In other words, no back problem can be isolated from the functioning of the rest of the body.

Unlike traditional back exercises, which isolate the parts of the body to be stretched or strengthened, yoga postures are designed to integrate and benefit the whole body. By lengthening connective tissue, expanding ROM and improving posture, yoga can protect against back injury.

Basic Back-Care Principles
Whether you are teaching a back-care class or doing your own personal practice, keep these anatomical and movement principles in mind:

Breathe as You Do the Poses. When we hold our breath, we hold onto tension. Quiet, introspective breathing alters the sympathetic/parasympathetic nerve signal balance to the arteries and veins, allowing increased circulation to tissues whose vessels are constricted during times of stress.

Create Movement of the Spine With Flexion and Extension. The spine needs movement to lubricate the joints and provide nutrition to the spongy disks between the vertebrae. During movement, the disks—through a process called imbibition—soak up nutrients. To feed and lubricate the disks properly, it's necessary to reverse the curvatures for brief periods of time, which yoga postures do gently and wonderfully. Cow Cat (pelvic tilts on your hands and knees) and Sun Salutations are excellent ways to create movement of the spine.

Balance Flexibility and Strength. Strength is vital, but so is flexibility. Developing strong yet flexible muscles is perhaps the most crucial principle in back care. Remember that a tight muscle is not necessarily a strong one. In yoga sessions, it is important to lengthen contracted muscles before working on strength. For the back this means stretching the back muscles to lengthen the spine and create more space for the vertebrae and disks.

When lengthening the spine, its natural curves should be maintained, keeping the low back in its concave curve. The back's curves are designed to absorb shock and facilitate full ROM throughout the spinal column.

Start by Stretching . . . When we live sedentary lives, certain muscles in our body tend to be tight and others weak. To relieve or prevent low-back pain, we need to pay special attention to several muscle groups.

The hamstrings can cause back pain because they insert in the buttocks and, if tight, can pull the pelvis out of alignment. The piriformis, a hip rotator located deep in the buttocks, is a crucial muscle to stretch for releasing sciatica. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big-Toe Pose) is a good pose to open the sequence because the back is on the floor, making it is easier to maintain the natural curves of the spine while stretching the hamstrings, adductors and piriformis. This can be followed by a leg-lowering pose by that gently strengthens the abdominal muscles while lengthening the legs.

Tight hip flexors—iliopsoas and quadriceps—in the front of the thighs can cause low-back pain, since the iliopsoas attaches to the lumbar vertebrae. Lunges and Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1) are good poses to stretch the hip flexors.

It is also important to release tightness from the quadratus lumborum in the low back and from the paraspinal muscles along the spine. One of the best poses to stretch both the back and hamstrings is Downward-Facing Dog.

. . . And Then Work on Strength. After muscles have released their tightness, the focus can shift to strengthening weak muscles. Strengthening the back muscles is crucial for balancing ROM and developing better posture. One-Legged Locust Pose is a good back strengthener to begin with, particularly if there are imbalances such as scoliosis.

Strengthening the leg muscles—particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings and abductor muscles—is necessary as well. When the legs are strong, the back muscles do not have to function as the body's main support, so tightness in the back can decrease. Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2), a pose that strengthens and stretches the body simultaneously, is excellent for strengthening the legs.

The Importance of Sequencing
Sequencing the poses from basic to more advanced is very important. More advanced backbends can be contraindicated if the back has not been strengthened and the thoracic spine has not gained flexibility. I do not teach Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) because it can compress the low back. Twists must also be taught with the low back in its natural curve, so in the beginning I avoid seated twists on the floor. Chair Twist or Standing Chair Twist is a better choice to start with.

Sweet Simplicity
Remind your students that it's never too late to start doing yoga. They don't have to do advanced poses to benefit. Actually the simplest poses are sometimes the most effective for back care. A consistent practice is the key to maintaining a healthy back and preventing future back pain.

Reference
Andersson, G. 1999. Epidemiological features of chronic low-back pain. Lancet, 354, 581-85.

http://www.inneridea.com/library/yoga-for-back-care

Pilates for Obese Clients

2007-11-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

In a previous issue of Inner IDEA Body-Mind-Spirit Review, we asked: What types of challenges do you face when working with overweight or obese Pilates clients and what solutions have you found?

"I've found that obese clientele are generally reluctant and even have difficulty getting down to the floor and back up again. Therefore, mat work can be a turn off. The reformer may be a better solution for a couple of reasons: 1. the reformer is usually higher off the ground and therefore easier to get up and down from (or in this case on and off). 2. The legs and arms are usually supported by the cables when doing Pilates on the reformer; therefore, the client will feel less strain when doing exercises with legs or arms up. However, there will be more of a challenge in creating core stability due to the extra weight in the limbs and therefore a need to take it slow and teach proper foundation and form. I also find using more springs can take some of the challenge out of the core while putting more challenge on the limbs.

"If mat work is the only option try using tubing in place of the cables, and convert reformer exercises to floor movements. It can also be helpful to teach an obese person to get up and down from the floor properly."

- Nancy Maurer, Kenosha, Wisconsin

"Overweight clients must be made to feel comfortable. First, I make sure they realize in order to lose weight they must combine diet and cardiovascular exercise with Pilates. Pilates is not a weight loss program. I want to make sure they are not misled or disappointed. I work with them on equipment that does not require getting up and down into low positions: Cadillac, chair, standing exercises, large ball (if they aren't too obese). For some, getting up and down from the reformer or floor would be embarrassing and make them feel uncomfortable. I also offer a lot of positive feedback."

- Sandra Rapke, Beverly Hills, California

"I find that a lot of the obese clients I work with are ex-athletes, and still see themselves as such, even though they are fully aware they no longer live the life of an athletic person. Finding a way to tap into the drive of that buried athlete is the key to getting results in the obese person and rediscovering success in their Pilates work.

"All obese Pilates clients need to learn to stop and redirect their personal experiences, and it is the Pilates instructor's job to open doors so they can accomplish this goal. It is important to assess the obese client's personality and always respect the journey that individual has taken to get to the time and place where they presently find themselves. The present is the key to the past, and the future is wide open."

- Patricia Broome, Portland, Oregon

http://www.inneridea.com/library/pilates-for-obese-clients

Jivamukti Yoga School in NYC to offer Pre-Natal Classes

2007-11-11T16:42:00.001-08:00

Namaste Divine Beings,

I am happy to announce that Jivamukti Yoga School will be offering Prenatal Yoga Classes starting next week. Jivamukti yoga teachers Julie Kirkpatrick and Kelly Britton, both mothers themselves, will be teaching these classes They know how thrilling and yet challenging this experience can be. We are very excited to work with expectant mothers through the spiritual transformation of bringing life into the world. We look forward to seeing you there and supporting you through this process.

Om Shanti,
Ganeshdas

(Carlos menjivar)

Managing Director

Jivamukti Yoga school

JIVAMUKTI YOGA PRE-NATAL CLASSES

Starts Tuesday Nov. 12
Through the use of props and a wide spectrum of asanas adapted for the ever-changing pregnant body, Jivamukti's pre-natal yoga classes enable the pregnant yogini to safely practice sun salutes, standing poses, balances, twists, forward bends, and even backbends. Emphasizing breathing along with stretching and strengthening the body, these challenging but relaxing classes are empowering for pregnant women.
One instructor says that these very popular classes become a yoga "community" for her expecting students. "If a woman makes one good friend in the class, and continues her yoga practice after giving birth, we've done our work."

All Pre-natal moms bring a friend for the
first time and the friend's class is FREE!

Dates and times-

Tuesday - Friday: 9:30am -10:50am

Saturday: 9am - 10:20am

What do you think? Stretching for Jesus

2007-11-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

This article was found and submitted by Stephanie W. What do you think? Add a comment to the blog.

Stretching for Jesus

By Lisa Takeuchi Cullen/Mahtomedi

The yoga teacher sits in a lotus position atop a polished wooden platform. Behind her, verdant woods are visible through panoramic windows. Gentle music tinkles from overhead speakers. Two dozen students in spandex outfits, most of them women, settle onto purple and blue mats to begin the class with ujjayi, a breathing exercise. Their instructor, Cindy Senarighi, recommends today's mantra. "'Yahweh' is a great breath prayer," she says. "The Jesus Prayer also works. Now lift your arms in praise to the Lord."

The platform is an altar, the tinkly tune is praise music, and the practice is Christian yoga. Senarighi's class, called Yogadevotion and taught in the main chapel of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, Minn., is part of a fast-growing movement that seeks to retool the 5,000-year-old practice of yoga to fit Christ's teachings. From Phoenix, Ariz., to Pittsburgh, Pa., from Grand Rapids, Mich., to New York City, hundreds of Christian yoga classes are in session. A national association of Christian yoga teachers was started in July, and a slew of books and videos are about to hit the market. But the very phrase stiffens yoga purists and some Christians--including a rather influential Catholic--who insist yoga cannot be separated from its Hindu roots.

Still, the boom, say its backers, is just beginning. Books on Christian yoga were published as early as 1962, but in recent years, as yoga has become as ubiquitous as Starbucks, more Christians have decided to start their own classes. Susan Bordenkircher, a Methodist from Daphne, Ala., is one. She discovered yoga in 2002. "I knew right away I was getting something out of it spiritually and physically, but it felt uncomfortable in that format," she says. So Bordenkircher prepared a vinyasa, or series of postures, with a biblical bent. Meditations focus on Jesus. She calls the sun salutation, a series of poses honoring the Hindu sun god, a "warm-up flow" instead; other Christians call it the "Son" salutation.

At first, Bordenkircher and other yoga teachers encountered skepticism. Officials at Bordenkircher's church asked her if she could call her exercises something other than yoga, and she has had to convince potential students that meditation is not anti-Christ. John Keller, a pastor at St. Andrew's, tells doubtful parishioners that the Bible describes many postures for prayer and that "yoga is just another way to pray." Also, says Keller, it draws potential converts through the church's doors; about a quarter of Yogadevotion students are not churchgoers.

Yoga purists, while encouraging people of all faiths to practice yoga, recoil at the Christian co-opting of its ancient traditions--especially when used as a tool for evangelizing. "We shouldn't use yoga to sell our students anything," says Patricia Walden, a renowned disciple of hatha yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar. Moreover, others argue, Hinduism is not like a recipe ingredient that can be extracted from yoga. Says Subhas Tiwari, professor of yoga philosophy and meditation at the Hindu University of America in Orlando, Fla.: "Yoga is Hinduism."

"Christian yoga is an oxymoron," agrees Laurette Willis of Tahlequah, Okla. She says yoga led her to dabble in a rootless New Age lifestyle until she became a Christian in 1987. Willis now speaks to Christian groups against yoga, offering instead a series of poses called PraiseMoves.

Catholics face a more formidable skeptic. In 1989 the Vatican issued a document saying the practice of Eastern traditions like yoga "can degenerate into a cult of the body," warning Catholics against mistaking yoga's "pleasing sensations" for "spiritual well-being." It was signed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger--now Pope Benedict XVI. In a 2003 document the Vatican further distances itself from New Age practices, including yoga. Even so, Father Thomas Ryan, a Catholic leader of the Christian yoga movement, says he interprets the church's position not as a denunciation of yoga but as a reminder to "respect Christian logic" in its practice. "And that's what we're doing," he says.

For Judy Arko, 43, the logic behind Christian yoga is simple. "It gives me time alone with God," she says. "As a mom of two small kids, I don't get that--even in church."

What do you think?

2007-11-11T16:07:00.001-08:00

The following article was found and submitted by Stephanie W. What is your opinion? Add a comment to the blog.

When Yoga Hurts By Pamela Paul

Amy Toosley was standing in a split pose when her yoga instructor gave her leg a little prod. "I heard the loudest pop I've ever heard, and the instructor said, 'Ooh! Good release, huh?'" Toosley recalls. "Not really--I could hardly walk." With her hamstring muscle snapped, Toosley, 32, avoided yoga for the next three months, and almost a year later, she is still in pain.

Bad-mouthing yoga seems like begging for a hit of unfavorable karma. But with more than 14 million people practicing yoga or tai chi nationwide, up 136% since 2000, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and chiropractors across the country are dealing with the increasing fallout from yoga gone awry. Over the past three years, 13,000 Americans were treated in an emergency room or a doctor's office for yoga-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Often people get hurt because they assume that yoga is simple and that anybody can pretzel himself or herself on demand. Edward Toriello, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, says most of the injuries he sees are sustained by "weekend warrior" baby boomers who begin yoga without realizing that their bodies are no longer what they used to be. "They think that yoga is an easy way to start exercising, so they go to class once a week, not stretched out at all, and they get hurt."

At the same time, others see yoga--a practice originally conceived to help people achieve inner peace and tranquillity--as a way to get a vigorous workout. More than five times as many people take yoga classes at health clubs today as did a decade ago, and enthusiasts have devised all kinds of variations appalling to purists: hip-hop yoga, disco yoga, power yoga, not to mention controversial hot yoga, or Bikram, which incites people to push themselves to their limit in sweltering rooms in which temperatures are set at 105ºF (41ºC).

The truth is, yoga, regardless of the form, doesn't offer a comprehensive way to get fit. According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, a national nonprofit organization that certifies fitness instructors and promotes physical fitness, dedicated yoga practitioners show no improvement in cardiovascular health. It's not the best way to lose weight either. A typical 50-min. class of hatha yoga, one of the most popular styles of yoga in the U.S., burns off fewer calories than are in three Oreos--about the same as a slow, 50-min. walk. Even power yoga burns fewer calories than a comparable session of calisthenics. And while yoga has been shown to alleviate stress and osteoarthritis, it doesn't develop the muscle-bearing strength needed to help with osteoporosis.

Part of the problem is that increasingly, the people teaching yoga don't know enough about it. Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one by a yogi over a period of years, but today instructors can lead a class after just a weekend course. Though the Yoga Alliance, formed in 1999 and now based in Clinton, Md., has set a minimum standard of 200 hours of training for certification, only 16,168 of the estimated 70,000 instructors in the U.S. have been certified. "Yoga means bringing together mind, body and spirit, but in Western yoga, we've distilled it down to body," says Shana Meyerson, an instructor in Los Angeles. "That's not even yoga anymore. If the goal is to look like Madonna, you're better off running or spinning."

Namaste to that.

The Knees - from I Love Anatomy Ezine

2007-11-11T15:56:00.001-08:00

"The knee is not really the knee. . . ." Huh? Yes, it's true!

I share this piece of sarcastic wisdom only to prove a point. When you look at your knee, it is made up of three bones - the femur, the tibia, and the patella. Of these three, the femur contributes to the hip joint, and the tibia contributes to the ankle joint. If you look closer still, of the many muscles that cross the knee, a large percentage also cross the hip or the ankle.

The muscles that cross the hip and the knee include the following:

· One quadriceps muscle: rectus femoris

· Sartorius

· Three hamstring muscles: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus

· One hip adductor: gracilis

The muscles that cross the ankle and the knee include the following:

· Gastrocnemius

· Plantaris

There are also muscles that indirectly influence the knee through their fascial connections, including the tensor fasciae latae, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, fibularis (peroneus) longus, tibialis anterior, and tibialis posterior.

The only muscle that crosses just the knee is the popliteus.

I think this is why many people who have experienced knee pain in yoga find the pain so exasperating. Whether the pain is on the lateral, medial, posterior, or anterior side of the knee, whether it is under the kneecap or between the femur and tibia, yogis with knee pain tell me that although the rest of their bodies feel great, the pain in their knees has them feeling tethered and prevents them from fully enjoying the practice.

So what to do?

As a teacher or student, there are a number of things you can play with in your practice. The first is one you have often heard me say - find ease in your movement. Breathe, nourish relaxation, and stay in your pain-free range of motion. If you keep moving in pain, your neurological system will know that stimulus. If you begin to move in your pain-free range of motion, your neurological system will conform to that state of being.

The second suggestion is to create alignment between the hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Poor movement patterns at the hips, ankles, and feet can lead to dysfunctional patterns in the knee, which can lead to too much compression or shear.

Third, be mindful of hyperextension. A hyperextended knee often leads to a disconnect between the top and bottom of the leg. The quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles weaken, and much tension can develop on the front of the knee.

Finally, improve both the range of motion and stability of the pelvis. Get grounded through your feet so that both subtle energy and physical load can easily transfer through your legs, from feet to pelvis and up through the spine and back down again.

In my years of teaching therapeutic yoga, I have seen some neat things occur for people's knees. Whether the problem is arthritis, a torn meniscus, iliotibial band syndrome, or patellofemoral syndrome, when a person is able to find ease in the movement, when she is able to move pain free and with alignment, when she is able to improve balance and evenness, she starts forgetting the pain was ever an issue. I wish the same for you and your students.

Happy exploring,

Susi

**********************
I will be leading a one-hour teleclass on the knees with Yoga Spirit on October 24. If you are interested, please contact Deborah Rubin at Yoga Spirit. In addition, my book The Knees contains a basic program to help improve knee function. You can order the book by going to www.functionalsynergy.comand clicking on SHOP; or contacting Cara at 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645.

Copyright 2007 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved.

Functional Hips from the I Love Anatomy Ezine

2007-11-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

As you are reading this ezine, bring your hands down to your left hip. Take a moment to feel how the femur (thigh bone) moves in six directions flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal and external rotation. Now move your hands around to the back of your pelvis to feel your sacrum. Imagine its two primary ranges of motion nutation (a nodding forward) and counternutation (a nodding backward). Next, bring your hands to your left knee and feel its two primary ranges of motion flexion and extension.

By touching these three areas of your body, I hope that I have brought awareness to one of the key issues I have seen as a teacher of therapeutic yoga if the hip is limited in one or more of its six ranges of motion, then inconsistent and imbalanced movement patterns will likely occur at the knee or SI joints (and elsewhere too!), which in turn can lead to pain, aggravation, instability, or weakness.

Exploring these six ranges further:

If we explore these 6 ranges of motion a bit more, we'll see that yoga asanas help to cultivate all of them - Warrior 1 and Lunge cultivate hip extension; Wind Relieving Pose and Fierce Pose cultivate hip flexion; Standing Spread Leg facilitates abduction; and Eagle Pose encourages adduction as the top leg crosses over the standing leg.; Internal and external rotation occurs in many of the standing poses, and it often depends on how you get into the pose. For instance, if moving into Warrior 1 from Tadasana, the back leg externally rotates at the hip; however if you move into the pose from a wide- legged stance, the back leg moves internally. . . . However, there still seem to be many hip issues for many yogis of various levels of functional ability.

Why is this so?

We can place a bit of responsibility on the number of hours spent sitting, as well as other factors associated with modern living. We can also look at structural anomalies, level of pelvic stability, and the physical activities, such as running, cycling, and skiing, that a student engages in outside of yoga class. The most predominant reason I have seen, no matter the level of functional ability, is the degree of body awareness relative to hip movement.

Now what? Fostering greater awareness and more functional hips:

To help improve hip function, I have found that the more subtle the movement, and the more ease in the body and the breath, the more "a-has" a student has in the hips. In past ezines I have written about exercises with "the strap" and "the block." These two exercises are powerfully subtle moves that engage abduction and adduction in a very pure way. Today, I will share Supine Hip Release as a way to explore hip flexion and rotation.

Supine Hip Release

Supine Hip Release provides a way for flexion and rotation of the femur in the pelvis. It also helps determine if there is any compensatory movement of the pelvis.

Set-up: On your back, knees bent. Gently stabilize, while breathing easily. Jaw is relaxed, neck is at ease. Belly is strong yet soft.

Movement: Lift your right foot up, and place it on your left knee.

Notice: Did your pelvis "jig" or "jag" as your right foot was placed on your left knee?

If so: Bend your right knee to your belly to help release the myofascia of your right hip. Step your left foot forward, away from your hips by about 2 to 4 inches. You'll see that your left knee is now lower in height. Now gently take the right foot and place it on the left knee.

Notice: Was your hip movement more pure?

Next, take this into Tree Pose. With your weight on your left foot, are you able to lift the right foot and place it on your standing leg while the pelvis stays quiet? Then, if you are able, take this into Half Lotus Pose. Are you able to do the motion while keeping your pelvis still, spine light and long, while fostering ease in your knee?

Try it in a few other poses, and notice what you feel and see. Feel free to email me with your insights, discoveries and a-has.

Happy exploring,

Susi

**********************
Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips book and online video is now available for purchase. If you would like to buy a copy for yourself, a friend, or multiple copies for your studio, please visit my e-store at www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/4543/0/0 or you can contact Cara directly at 403-229-2617 or toll free at 866-229-2645 ******************************************************************

YOGA REVIEWS: "Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga" (from yogabasics.com)

2007-11-11T15:40:00.001-08:00

The absolutely amazing and deeply inspiring introduction track on this video program is worth the price of the DVD alone. Usually I find the intro tracks to yoga DVDs are fairly bland and tend to capture the instructor in a deer in front of the headlights performance. This is not the case at all here. David and Sharon shine and radiate their passion, understanding and love of the practice of yoga. I want to play this intro every morning to inspire me not only to practice my yoga on the mat, but off the mat as well. The other unique component of this video is that you can choose to have either David's or Sharon's voice guide you through the practice, giving you two different intentions and insights into the symbolism of the poses and practice. Both of these features will encourage multiple viewing, and with it being filmed in a beautiful sacred space with a backdrop of musicians playing peaceful music makes this DVD a treasure to keep. (yogabasics.com)

Yoga practice today

2007-11-09T08:27:00.001-08:00

I took a class today with Ann Marie Lewis, a yogini with a heart of gold. You leave her class affirmed and energized.

Teachers, personal practice is the name of the game. Nothing beats being in asana class either alone or in a group.

Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com
abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Arlene's November 2007 Group Class Schedule

2007-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here is Arlene's group class schedule for November 2007:

Monday, November 5: American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 7:30pm, Yogaflex

Wednesday, November 7: American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 6am, Yogaflex

Friday, November 9: American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 6am, Yogaflex

Wednesday, November 14: American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 6am, Yogaflex

Friday, November 16: American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 6am, Yogaflex

Saturday, November 17: Spotlight Studio of Dance, 9:30am, Beginner Vinyasa

Sunday, November 18: American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 9:30am, Gentle Yoga

Monday, November 19: American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 7:30pm, Yogaflex

Wednesday, November 21: American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 6am, Yogaflex

Friday, November 23: American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 6am, Yogaflex

Sunday, November 25, American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 4:30pm, Yogaflex

Monday, November 26, American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 7:30pm, Yogaflex

Wednesday, November 28, American Family Fitness, Arboretum, 6am, Yogaflex

Friday, November 30, American Family Fitness, Swift Creek, 6am, Yogaflex

Everything About Vinyasa Yoga

2007-11-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Author: Ambrosio Thompson

The common person's life is a crazy journey. No one can avoid the unexpected things that confront you last minute. Through the power of yoga

you are able to gain experience at bending out own bodies, wills, and minds to any task at hand. Likely one of the most useful gifts that you get from practicing yoga is true flexibility.

True flexibility means that you are able to adapt to the change of every moment, while still maintaining a spirit of calm, devotion, and love. Once we are given the time and attention we are able to create our own sources for comfort. Through the practice of yoga you are able to draw flexibility and strength no matter what the current circumstances are. We are able to tap into a powerful source of our own energy that is made up of physical resiliency, emotional maturity, as well as spiritual optimism.

There was a great yoga master named Krishnamacharya who emphasized Vinyasa as an artful approach to living and central to the transformative

process of yoga. The true meaning of Vinyasa is linking a movement to the breath, which refers to the progressive sequences that are led by the flow of one's breath pattern.

Vinyasa sequences are thought of as the sacred dance of the yogis and are referring to the natural deep rhythm of the breath acting as the sacred beat. For Krishnamacharya, and his famous students B.K.S. Iyengar, Bikram Choudry, and P. Jois, Vinyasa yoga is focused on progressive sequences that unfold with an inherent harmony and intelligence.

The flow of the breath, and life itself, as well as the vinyasa practice is well described by a sailing metaphor. These three will all require you to synchronize natural forces and requires skill and intuition. We must take into consideration the boat, tides, and waves which will constantly change as do our physical, emotional, and spiritual states.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/everything-about-vinyasa-yoga-210536.html

The Ashtanga Yoga Method

2007-11-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Ashtanga Yoga Method

Author: Caroline Klebl

Ashtanga is a Sanskrit word, which is created by joining two words, ashta and anga. Ashta means eight. Anga is translated as limbs or steps. Ashtanga Yoga refers to the eight aspects of Yoga practice. Yoga is union. Yoga is a tangible method of attaining liberation from suffering and ultimate realization of supreme consciousness.

The eight aspects of Yoga practice are Yama(restraints), Niyama(observances), Asana(posture), pranayama(breath control), Pratyahara(withdrawal of the senses), Dharana(concentration), Dhyana(meditation) and Samadhi(absorption).

The Yamas are the moral codes, which free the mind and life of a yoga practitioner from undesirable thoughts and feelings resulting from incorrect
actions. The Yamas include, Ahimsa(non-violence), Satya(truthfulness), Asteya(non-theft), Brahmacharya(preserving vital energy) and Aparighraha(non-envy).

The Niyamas are those thoughts and activities, which promote a state of mind, which is conducive to Yoga. The Niyamas include Saucha(cleanliness), Santosha(contentment), Tapas(heat), Svadhyaya(study of the supreme), Ishvara Pranidhana(surrender to the supreme).

The Asana practice is the gateway into the steps of Ashtanga Yoga. Asana practice, which includes Pranayama, returns the body to a radiant state of
health and purifies the subtle energy body. This prepares the mind for meditation and encourages dis-functional behavior patterns to be abandoned.

The Ashtanga Vinyasa System, refers to a method of Yoga practice, which was described in the Yoga Kurunta, by Vamana Rishi. It includes hundreds of
postures, which are sequentially linked by Vinyasa. Vinyasa is the breath-initiated movement between postures. Three actions are emphasized in the Ashtanga Vinyasa method. Bandhas(locks or energy seals), Dristi(the gaze or looking place in each posture) and Oujaii Pranayama(a sound induced breath applied to both the inhaling and exhaling breath).

When these principles are applied continuously, the Asana practice reveals the culmination of Ashtanga Yoga.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/the-ashtanga-yoga-method-235819.html