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Tag Archives: health

hanging in there

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana, asanas, ashtanga yoga, david swenson, health, mantra

so… trying to work through my crisis. the decision is not to give up. work through it, work with it.

after being annoyed with my aching knee for the last couple of months, and therefore consequently ruining my practice, i am trying to apply what we have so many times heard and read – as above – work with it.

i had a nice practice today up to paschimottanasanas. there was a new found excitement and vigour and a nice flow. working through it i did have a particular thought that kept popping up in my mind – the love and care for your near ones and the worry when you find out they are not well. i think this was what prompted my re-awakening,  it kind of shakes you and puts your life and our problems in perspective – you have nothing if you don’t have health! this was a mantra that my father repeated all my life – and it is oh so true.

so, in conclusion, i decided to stick with my practice but remembering what david said – do it to your abilities and using adjustments. not all people will be able to do all asanas and there is no reason for us not to be able to practice.

look after your health!

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mysore class no. 25 and first crisis

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ashtanga class, ashtanga yoga, ganesh, health, knee pain, stiff joints, struggle

back to my weekly mysore classes…

i think i am feeling the first crisis in my dedication to ashtanga practice. my body is currently not reacting all too well. not too sure if it’s the winter cold or winter blues. last year i had a real bad pain in my lower back but i discarded that as a reaction to taking up – not ashtanga as such – but a physical practice in general. anyway, i went through it and enjoyed the rest of the year. well, until december -then it has hit again, specially during holidays when i decided to take a break. getting back into it in january was not that easy, i struggled with the dodgy knee and painful neck. neck recovered after couple of weeks but my left knee is still not happy. this means that half-lotus is a no-go area. i am not sure what has caused this. i am not the one too push too far.

my knee has thrown my practice a bit. i struggle to concentrate and, even if i do not want to admit it, the knee thing irritates me. my body does not feel mine – it feels disconnected. my breathing is all over the place and i just struggle.

i know that i should just take it easy and breath into painful body parts but i guess my practice is not that much ‘on the inside’ as i thought. ah! moving around the house with grunts of an old person with stiff joints is not a very desirable trait.

so i started thinking the other night would it not be better to get back to swimming and give ashtanga up? it just makes me tired in my head – i can’t shake the tiredness off. maybe it’s that human (well, mine) characteristic of taking this as a defeat and giving in too soon.

today i want to keep going. maybe i should have a private word with ganesh 😉

practice and all is coming

26 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Euston shala, exercize, headaches, health, moon day

how many times have we not read and heard that!

i did my practice last five days and it feels absolutely wonderful. i know – i forgot about the moon day 😉 most of the muscle aches are gone and it feels good. headaches are gone too. it’s nice to have a clear head. there is still a bit of tightness in my left knee but i won’t push it.

back to shala next week. can’t wait…

 

sweet awakenings…..

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

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Tags

ashtanga yoga, faith, fear, headaches, health, knee pain

i have been away for a while. and missing it. feeling the need for practice but being distant. not a discipline crisis though. just being tuned in with my body. in hindsight, on a wrong frequency i feel.

as i mentioned previously, i have made a conscious decision over christmas not to entertain a physical practice as i have been indulging -a little bit too much – in worldly pleasures. so after new year i tried to get myself going again. not with much success unfortunately. i felt my body was not at its full capacity. my knees were very tight so i backed off a little bit and then i started having neck pain and headaches that played with my mind and i lost all of the concentration needed to do my practice. so practice suffered…. i could not stop thinking about pain and discomfort despite a reassurance from the doctor that there were no alarming signs.

i think the root to this is reading all the stuff about practitioners pushing themselves and getting injured, not listening to their bodies. i guess i was so keen not to make the same mistake that i took it a bit too far. i read too much into it. i let fear set in. i lost faith…….. and that’s major.

for the last couple of days – as my practice has fallen down to 3 days a week- i was feeling the urge to get on the mat and to feel my body and all the muscles and mind engaged. i actually felt the crave. i think i let myself be a little bit too cautious – even afraid of going with it. after all, mild discomfort could (should) be a sign of my body waking up. being alert and working with it.

i feel good today – i mean mentally. physical discomfort is still there but i believe that practice will help me get over it. i want to embrace it and run with it. i have faith.

so, to all of you who doubt, have faith.

p.s. the new mind set was partly inspired by lovely Claudia and her faith and progress from her illness. i cannot claim i was anywhere near the condition she went through but the strength of her faith was awe-inspiring! thank you Claudia.

my sore

29 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

back pain, cold, health, lower back, practice

yesterday’s practice was by far the shortest i’ve ever had – i rolled out the mat, stepped on it and rolled it back up. short, no? 😉

i have been coming down with the cold for approx a week now but the cold has not caught me through and through. a bit of sore throat, a bit of blocked nose and lots of tiredness. and it was kind of ok until this weekend. i did a nice and full practice on both days but then yesterday i felt so unbelievably sore. specially my lower back. so stiff ;-( so i thought i might give it a miss. hence the shortness of practice.

i am not impressed with my immune system. i had quite a bad cold two months ago when it kept me two days in bed and to have one again was incredibly annoying. i am not the one to suffer from colds and i usually go around with maybe having a snotty nose once or twice a year. i certanly did not think this would bug me again so soon.

anyway, i am reading the signs and ignoring being annoyed. however, i’d like to be able to do at least a bit of my practice today. let’s see… ;-(

another week goes by

09 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

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ashtanga class, ashtanga yoga, exercize, health, jump-through, marichyasana a

another sunday wrapping up another week. my, time flies fast! already october and 11 weeks until xmas 😉

a brief update on the practice… i have managed now to get back into the everyday-practice routine and i am very happy about that. had a spot of cold a week ago so had to take it easy specially with all poses where my head went down. with my whole nasal passageway congested, putting your head upside down meant a huge headache. nonetheless, i persisted and with a bit of help from kleenex tissues (a box or two 😉 ) i managed to go through it. I did have to skip the class this week unfortunately as thought having lots of snotty tissues was all ok when you were at home alone but not in a busy shala.

i can notice that my form is still not what it used to be before – still some work to be done. the thing about having breaks in your practice is that it takes much longer to notice progress of course. you go one step forward and two backwards so to speak. i am still stuck on mary a and just cannot get my head around the deep half lotus position??? however, my jumpthroughs are getting better i think – mind you, far from being floating movement.

also, i have been working – or just thinking and concentrating – on trying to roll my toes but it does not quite work. there must be a technique for us with big-toed people 😉

xxx

being healthy – being happy practicing yoga: a kinda sequel to previous post

21 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ashtanga yoga, exercize, health, norman blair, yoga

further to my yesterday’s post and norman’s article published on grimmly’s blog, i had a quick look at some other texts norman had on his website.

partly in answer to the question ‘is physical aspect of yoga enough?‘ going around the blogosphere at the moment, norman has kinda given us an answer with a list of 38 positive changes yoga causes (mostly influenced by asana practice). i think this is more than enough reasons all of us should have the time on the mats as often as we can. here it is….

“BEING HEALTHY – BEING HAPPY  PRACTICING YOGA…

 Well, we all know that yoga is (by and large) good for us – that’s what keeps us coming to the mat week after week. We know this from our own personal experience but here’s another thirty eight ways how yoga can improve your health.

1.     flexibility – quite simply regular practice improves flexibility – which can diminish aches, pains and poor posture.

2.     strength – strong muscles protect us from conditions such as back pain and arthritis.

3.     standing tall – letting the head be at the top of the spine (rather than forwards or backwards) is one of the great benefits of yoga.

4.     joints – by taking joints through their range of movement, it ensures that they stay open and healthy.

5.     spinal discs – like joints, they need movement to stay healthy – and yoga provides the movement that they crave.

6.     bones – weight-bearing exercises strengthen bones and helps ward off conditions such as osteoporosis.

7.     blood flow – yoga gets the blood flowing which improves circulation and gets oxygen to your cells.

8.     lymph lesson – by contracting and stretching muscles, the drainage of the lymphatic system is increased.

9.     heart start – by regularly getting your heart into the aerobic range, this lowers risk of heart attack and can relieve depression.

10.  pressure drop – studies indicate that practice of yoga (particularly savasana) can relieve high blood pressure.

11.  brain tendencies – as yoga lowers cortisol levels in the body, this protects the immune system, improves the memory and can diminish craving behaviour.

12.  happy hour – one study found that consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels.

13.  weight matters – move more, eat less: yoga is movement and it can encourage you to address eating and weight problems on a deeper level.

14.  low show – yoga has been found to lower blood sugar levels and boost HDL (‘good’) cholesterol.

15.  brain waves – studies have found that regular practice improves co-ordination, reaction time, memory and even IQ scores.

16.  nerve centre – yoga shifts the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) to the parasympathetic system (calming and restorative).

17.  space place – regularly practicing increases proprioception (ability to feel what the body is doing and where it is) and improves balance.

18.  control centre – some advanced yogis can induce unusual heart rhythms, generate specific brain wave patterns and raise temperature of their hands by 15 degrees F.

19.  loose limbs – by relaxing the body (shoulders, hands, eyeballs…) we can diminish chronic tension, muscle fatigue, soreness in joints and stress levels (which can decrease number of bad moods).

20.  chill pill – yoga can provide relief from the hustle and bustle of modern life, giving a break for the nervous system and improving sleep quality.

21.  immune boom – physical practice probably improves immune function but the strongest evidence is for meditation in terms of supporting the immune system.

22.  breathing room – people who practice yoga tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume which is both calming and more efficient – and lung functioning is improved.

23.  poop scoop – yoga can ease constipation and twisting poses may be beneficial in getting waste to move through the system.

24.  peace of mind – yoga quells the fluctuations of the mind according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra: slowing down the mental loops of regret, anger, fear, and desire.

25.  divine sign – yoga can help us to glimpse that we are worthwhile: and a foundation of worth leads to feelings of gratitude, empathy and forgiveness as well as a sense that we’re part of something bigger.

26.  pain drain – yoga can ease levels of pain according to studies and when pain is relieved, mood is improved and there is less need for medication.

27.  getting disciplined – yoga can help to make changes in life: through the discipline of regular practice, we can become more disciplined in other areas of life.

28.  drug free – studies have shown that people with, for example, asthma take lower dosages of medication when they practice yoga, so reducing bills and minimising side-effects.

29.  anger attack – yoga and meditation build awareness which makes it easier to break free of emotions such as anger and hostility and increases ability to remain steady.

30.  good relations – a regular yoga practice helps develop friendliness, compassion and greater equanimity and this has a beneficial impact on our relationships.

31.  sound system – practices such as chanting prolong the exhalation which shifts the balance towards the parasympathetic nervous system (meaning more calmness).

32.  vision quest – contemplating an image in the mind develops the ability to guide imagery which can effect changes in the body.

33.  clean machine – from breathing exercises to gentle sluicing of nasal passages with salt water, yogic practices are cleansing for the inner body.

34.  karma yoga – serving others can give meaning to your life and your problems may not seem so daunting when you see what other people are dealing with.

35.  healing hope – unlike much conventional medicine, in yoga it’s what you do for yourself that matters: involvement gives you the power to effect change and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope.

36.  connective tissue – one of the great lessons of yoga: everything is connected, all is intensely interwoven, from hipbone to anklebone to community to world.

37.  placebo power – just believing you will get better can make you better, so if something facilitates healing (even if it’s so-called ‘placebo’) why not do it?

38.  the pleasure principle – because it can be so enjoyable: not always, but most times, taking our place and moving through postures and experiencing the body and maintaining focus can be enormously enjoyable.

This information has been taken from ‘Count on yoga’ by Timothy McCall (Yoga Journal January 2005)

Norman Blair”

www.yogawithnorman.co.uk

 

 

mysore class no. 5 and musings about greed

06 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ashtanga yoga, beginners ashtanga, exercize, health

my class no. 5 today. no major reports apart from i looooooooooove going to the class – always feels so good. i wander why i always giggle in Utthita Hasta Pādānguṣṭhāsana 😉 do you?

so, greed i mentioned… here is the story. the shala i go to is near my husband’s studio, and his studio is near a very nice vietnamese cafe/ restaurant. and for a little while – ever since we have discovered this place – we have indulged ourselves with fantastic dinners. of course, these dinners are not quite diet-friendly and i have been trying to shed a few extra kilos i acquired recently. so, as every time after my practice in the shala, i was hungry. and i don’t mean ‘soup and skinny dinner’ hungry but ‘a guilty pleasure’ hungry. so, i called my husband and i suggested ‘the usual dinner’. then i felt very guilty of greed and 5 minutes later, i called again and said ‘nah, let’s go home instead’. but as soon as i put my phone away, i could visualise my usual meal and feel the smell and the taste. the picture of my meal in a beautiful gilded frame calling on me. so i broke down and i pulled my phone out again and called my husband. you are guessing, of course, what i said 😉   ‘meet you at the vietnamese’

greed, would we call it? i don’t know – you tell me. i just felt happy when i walked in and ordered my usual meal. ah, the world was even better now!

in my defence, i really did try to be disciplined and go for the soupy dinner. but it was not meant to be. i will learn about greed tomorrow. today was a good day 😉

morning versus afternoon practice

12 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

beginners ashtanga, exercize, health, yoga

i have been thinking about this quite a lot. there is a considerable difference if my practice is first thing in the morning or in the afternoon/ evening.

i agree your body is more ready in the morning as your tummy is empty having had the chance to work on whatever you have eaten. it also does make me happy to get up, go on the mat which leaves me with a brilliant feeling that i have achieved something good before 8am – before i have even started my day properly.

i am not sure what other reasons are behind the morning practice but i know old ashtanghis will be able to add a few more.

however, i do find one thing that sometimes make me rebel against the idea of the morning practice and that is: my stiff half-asleep body. when i roll out on my mat first thing in the morning, i feel my body is incredibly stiff and it takes me almost all 5 surya a-s to be able to forward bend standing while in the afternoon practice i can go in quite deep smoothly straight away.

would this be another reason why you should go for the morning practice? as in – you can listen to your body’s capabilities more clearly in the morning as it tells you -wohoo, you are so not ready for that pose! cos in the afternoon, i feel warm and i feel like i can push myself further – which usually shows the day after when i have troubles lifting myself out of my bed as every single muscle hurts!

what do we think?

practice updates

12 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by ivanalindgreen in ashtanga journey

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Tags

ashtanga yoga, exercize, health, yoga

here i go again.

since my last post not much has change. i still have pain in my right shoulder blade. i talked to the gp about it and he concluded it is not anything serious but rather an inflammation due to exertion of a very week muscle ;-( he said i should give it another 3-4 weeks and if it does not go away then to let him know. sigh. he did say i should continue with the exercise but not increase the strain.

it does annoy me this pain as it messes with my practice – i can’t go into chaturanga normally and even less into upward dog. hmmmm…. it drains the energy quicker and breaks my breathing patern. not good. i am hoping that a week of swimming will work wonders on the muscle being a different type of exercise.

i have since also read a few articles on a very good and useful website featuring yoga anatomy (thanks to a link from bindy’s blog) and it seems that this bad shoulder boy is quite a complex muscle that does quite a lot of work so it is important to respect it and work with it being improved and strengthened gradually.

 

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