Yoga at Home with Laura, Self-taught Yogi!

Yoga at Home for Beginners: The slow pace of gentle yoga belies its power!

Today I chatted about yoga with one of my work colleagues, Jackie.  We both have daughters (she has twin girls) who just graduated from college.  Our daughters like to go to the gym to "work" out. Jackie mentioned that despite her recommendation that her twins try yoga, her daughters are under the impression that yoga isn't a "real" workout.  And, when I encouraged my daughter (a former high school varsity field hockey and lacrosse player) to try yoga she replied that it was something she'd consider when she was "older."  Hmmm.

Nowadays many people don't feel they have had a workout unless their hearts are pounding afterwards and they've sweated up a storm.   I would never argue with the satisfaction and boost in endorphins you get from a brisk walk, jog, or hard-core running.  I jogged daily for a twenty years and loved the energizing euphoria I felt  after completing a three-mile jaunt.  (I have since replaced jogging with jumping on a mini-trampoline for my aerobic exercise.)

Yet, working up to 3 miles required patience and enduring super sore muscles. I remember the first time I ran a mile at age 18 in high school.  For 3 or 4 days my thighs protested every time I got up from my chair at school.  I could barely move!  However, many people assume that you gain no benefits from exercise without pain, without going through a period of sore, tender muscles.  And, many people who participate in intensive, faster paced forms of yoga suffer injuries in droves.

However, this doesn't not usually happen (at least not to me) with slow, gentle hatha yoga!  One of the aspects of gentle hatha yoga that attracted to me to it when I first studied it at age 15 was the promise of gaining myriad benefits WITHOUT pain! And that has been my experience ever since!  I have NEVER suffered soreness or had an injury from gentle hatha yoga.  I move in SLOW motion - as if in a dream and I focus intently on each part of my body as I stretch and move. I don't get a heart-pumping workout, but I do gain the power of releasing stored-up tension and eliminatin kinks in my limbs that result from sitting at a computer all day.

Just look at the photo above of me doing a backward bend. I don't sweat while doing this pose and I don't get into an aerobic "zone."  Yet, this pose is very powerful.  It stretches my spine and back, tones my upper arms, firms my neck, improves posture, and increases flexibility in my feet.  It's not a complex, pretzel pose that visually impresses you.  Nevertheless, it is replete with power!  Don't be fooled by the simplicity and slow pace of gentle yoga.  It works your body from the inside out in ways that may not be obvious to the naked eye.

Yours for no pain is all gain with gentle yoga,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Yoga at Home: Vacationing Yogis Can Take Their Practice Anywhere!

Here's another great, paradoxical reason for developing the habit of a home yoga practice- you can take it anywhere!  No need to interrupt your practice while you're on vacation far from a yoga studio!  Once you have ingrained a home yoga practice into your very being, you won't want to miss more than a day or two no matter where you go.  All you require is enough floor space to spread out a travel mat (lighter and thinner than a usual mat) and to be able move your arms and legs about a foot from the mat.  It is as simple as that!

What better way (except maybe sex...) to get the kinks out of your body after a long airplane, train, or car ride than with yoga?  Several years ago I bought a travel mat from Barefoot Yoga that has served me well in myriad hotel rooms and even a tiny cruise ship cabin.  A recent issue of Yoga Journal features yoga travel gear such as "Toe Sox" that have sticky  soles to support standing poses and "Yoga Paws" that supposedly are like "mini-mats" that you wear on your hands and feet in lieu of a mat.  (However, for me, a mat is essential for face down poses that bring your face and head in contact with the floor.  Sorry, I don't think many places have floors that are so clean you could eat off of them!)  

But, really, all  you need for practicing yoga while vacationing is whatever you usually wear for yoga and a travel mat.  With these you're good to go to do yoga anywhere and everywhere.  That's the advantage of practicing on your own and not being tied solely to doing yoga in a class.  The one caveat about doing yoga on vacation is that your schedule may be upside down with many other activities. If that's the case, make a point of squeezing in poses throughout the day.  Maintaining your yoga practice while traveling will enable you to return home even more relaxed and refreshed than you would be otherwise!

Yoga will travel,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Yoga at Home: Sally Shields Releases New Book Tuesday July 19, 2011!

Hi fellow yogis and healthy lifestyle students!

 

Today only, you can receive a staggering amount of

freebies within minutes... — hundreds of dollars'

worth  of  F-R-E-E  gifts — if you do just ONE

thing today!   In honor of the summer season, we

are all celebrating the official launch of Sally

Shield's new and highly acclaimed book, Is She

Naturally Thin, or  Disciplined? Insider Secrets

of the Sexy and Slim!  (My profile is in the book also!)

http://www.sallyshields.com/thinbooklaunch/

Today, TUESDAY July 19th, we have a personal goal

to help Sally reach the #1 position on Amazon 

and we really need your help. And, for helping,

we’re going to reward you in a big, no make that

HUGE way!  

This offer requires the tiniest investment, but 

will bring you a return beyond belief: for only

$14.95 you can get a copy Is She Naturally Thin, 

or Disciplined?  ..and over 50  free gifts!!!!  

Today, Sally is being joined by over 50 

relationship advice experts and success coaches

from around the world  to give you an exceptional

offer!  

Go here to find out more about this promotion that

makes buying a copy of Is She Naturally Thin,  or

Disciplined? really worthwhile TODAY, Tuesday,

July 19th! Get all of the details here: 

http://www.sallyshields.com/thinbooklaunch/

Discover the secret advice and tips from real

women  who have found a solution to their weight

issues at last …  

"This book is NOT 'another one of those'; it's

radically different and inspiring. Seeing photos

of women sharing their stories elevated this from

another 'rah rah' book about dieting to one

showing that whether you're 20 or 70, healthy

weight loss and a healthy life are possible."

Check out the book and the bonus offers, available only on Tuesday, July 19, 2011!

Healthfully yours,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Yoga at Home For Beginners: Boost Your Brain Power with Yoga?

   

*Image above created by SmokedSalmon: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2038.

If you are over 50 or so, you or your peers may be guilty of making a statement I absolutely disdain with fury - that is, attributing forgetting something or misplacing your keys to "having a senior moment." Stop that right now!  Don't say it and don't think it because I believe without question that what you focus on you invariably get or reinforce.  It's such a disempowering statement!

However, I can't deny that as the baby boomer generation ages, the media increasingly features articles on dreaded diseases such as Alzheimers and other forms of mental degeneration that supposedly come with the passing years.  Some of my peers now have to  handle the heartbreaking situation of caring for parents afflicting with these conditions.  

The August 2011 issue of Yoga Journal include an article that offers 7 tips to keeping "your brain in shape for a lifetime." The article suggests that these techniques may give us "the best chance possible of staying focused, creative, and razor-sharp from now through the silver years."  The tips include getting regular exposure to sunlight, taking a particular herb that is considered a brain tonic, boosting vitamin B 12 intake, meditating, making new friends, and engaging in regular exercise like walking.

I was shocked that no where in this article were any yoga poses mentioned!  Such sacrilege from a magazine devoted to yoga!  Sheesh!

Well, I believe that certain yoga poses can boost your brain power by increasing circulation to the brain. I do one daily and I intend to stay mentally sharp until I leave this plane.  No, it's not the headstand!  I haven't learned that pose yet!  But, the shoulder stand, an inverted pose, which you see me doing below, I bet helps prevent the brain from becoming fuzzy!  I stay in this pose 3 minutes a day.

Among its other benefits, as I note in my book, the shoulder stand, " Increases blood supply to brain to increase energy, tones the nervous system, and can improve mental faculties such as the memory." There you have it!  And you can read an article at: http://yoga-health-benefits.blogspot.com/2009/12/yoga-for-alzheimers-disease.html that further supports my view.  It says that yoga is one of the preferred alternative treatments for Alzheimers.  So, go roll out your yoga mat and rejuvenate your brain!

Boosting your mental capacity and memory with yoga is a "no-brainer!"  (sorry, I couldn't help myself....)

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

 

Yoga at Home: Transcendental Meditation (TM) versus other Meditation Practices

Last week I posted an article about a fascinating new book, Transcendence, by South-African born psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal.  As I mentioned, I took TM years ago as a high school senior (3 years after I taught myself yoga) and so my memory of the key points (although overall the meditation technique is simple) about TM have likely faded.  I received a comment by Tom Ball who teaches yoga and I wanted to bring them to your attention.  He explained in detail the difference between TM and the Relaxation Response created by Dr. Herbert Benson. The following are some excerpts from what he wrote:

"When one learns TM, one takes a comprehensive course that includes gaining an understanding of the mechanism of "transcending," which is something that Benson doesn't talk about. Benson's technique asks that you keep your mantra (usually the word "one") in step with your breathing. In TM, one does not associate the mantra with the breathing because this would involve some control or effort, and TM is based on effortlessness. Associating the mantra with the breath would also keep attention active on the surface, disallowing the deeper rest gained through TM practice. With TM, there are many subtle differences regarding how one is instructed to use the mantra, which naturally make a difference in the experience and the outcome of daily practice....TM is designed for transcending, for going beyond thinking and sensations to experience the state of pure awareness. This is also known as the state of yoga (yoga, of course, means union, and refers to the individual, active mind settling inward, beyond thinking, to this state of transcendence). During this transcending process, one does experience deep relaxation, but scores of studies show that the mind-body state produced by TM is neurophysiologically distinct from the state produced by the relaxation response...now meditation researchers know that different meditation techniques produce very different effects on mind, body and behavior... The research on TM shows a range of effects not seen on any other practice."

We can see that meditation practices can differ significantly in their effects on the body and mind. I have been doing TM again the past 5 days and have noticed a pronounced state of "bliss" throughout the day even though I have been experiencing various areas of frustration in my life. I invite you to do your own research and take at least a few minutes a day to do some key of meditation practice.

Yours for transcending through meditation and yoga - they do go hand in hand...

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

 

 

Yoga at Home: Improve Your Tennis Game with Yoga

 

Ahh, it's been several years since I "played" tennis.  I took tennis in elementary and high school and was not too competent to say the least...In grad school I made some new friends, one of whom really enjoyed playing tennis.  After getting out on the court with me one time, in her blunt way, she let me know that I wasn't quite in her league, just not up to snuff.

So sad. Yet, I am determined to play tennis again one day soon.   A few hundred yards around the corner from my house, public tennis courts often beckon me. And, I have been wondering...will I play better since, I have been doing yoga regularly (virtually daily) during the past 5 years?

British yoga instructor, Tara Fraser says that yoga can help racquet sports players who usually have an imbalance in their body because you play primarily with your right or left side depending on whether you're right or left-handed. She says in her book, Easy Yoga, that yoga poses such as the backward handclasp aka shoulder stretch can help restore muscular balance in the shoulders and upper arms for players of racquet sports.  Other benefits from this yoga pose are:

1.  Opening of the rib cage

2.  Prevention of calcium deposits in the arm joints

3.  Easing of tension in the shoulders and upper back.

4.  Enhancing of the symmetry in shoulders and upper arms

5.  Assisting in firm and toning upper arms.

6.  Increasing the range of motion in your arms.

These are all wonderful for the tennis player!  The August 2011 issue of Yoga Journal includes the backward handclasp in its group of poses practiced at home and expressly designed to "free" tight shoulders.  Sounds like yoga and tennis could go hand in hand!  Why not try it?  Below are is a repeat of an excerpt from my new book, Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, and Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day.  I explain exactly how to do the backward handclasp.

How to do the pose:

 

1.     Sit or stand erect. If seated, the Japanese sitting pose or any cross-legged pose (simple cross-legged pose, half-lotus, or full lotus pose) on your mat is most conducive for the backward handclasp.

2.     Gently and firmly raise your left arm directly into the air as high as you can. F  -e  -  e-  l   the stretch—I often imagine myself trying to reach the clouds as I lift my arm directly into the air—I enjoy elongating my arm straight above my shoulder.

3.     Slowly, move your right hand behind you, palm facing outward, and bend your elbow so that the back of your right hand is against your spine. 

 

 

 

4.     Bend your left arm at the elbow so your left hand, palm downward, touches the center of your back. Your left elbow is pointing straight up into the air.

 

5.     Carefully work your left hand while at the same time inch your right hand slowly upward so that the fingers of your two hands can clasp each other if possible. This may be difficult when you first practice this exercise. Some beginners use props like belts or towels to make the reach if they can’t clasp their hands. I just kept my hands on my back as far as they could reach.

 

 

6.     Hold this position motionless for 5 seconds.

7.     Gently release your fingers and come out of the pose reversing the steps you used to enter it. Again, feel the stretch and imagine touching the clouds as you raise your left arm again directly up into the air. Release and bring your arm down. Inhale and exhale at least once. Raise your shoulders toward your eyes and gently shake them out.  That should feel so good!

8.     Reverse sides and do the same steps starting by raising the right arm directly up into the air.  Inhale and exhale again after finishing the exercise.

Practice Time: Hold the pose for 5 seconds; add 5 seconds each week until you are holding the pose for 25-30 seconds on each side.

Number of repetitions:  1-2 on each side

Your for flexible tennis playing with yoga,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez 

 

Yoga At Home: New Work Reveals Immense Benefits of TM

I just started reading a brand new book, Transcendence:  Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation, by South African born-psychiatrist, Dr. Norman Rosenthal.  Rosenthal's book is the latest comprehensive, scientific work about transcendental meditation, which like physical yoga, dates back thousands of years and has its roots in India.

I devote a full chapter to simple types of meditation in my book, Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, & Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day, including transcendental meditation (TM) which I learned from a trained TM instructor at age 18. In that chapter, I also discuss Dr. Herbert Benson's work with what he coined the "Relaxation Response" which to me is identical to TM minus the specifically assigned mantra.  In the Relaxation Response you can choose your own mantra.  Either form of meditation complements a gentle yoga practice.

What I find most exciting in what I have read so far in Rosenthal's new book is the sound scientific research behind recent studies done on TM and new case studies of people who have overcome depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder and much more by practicing TM twice daily.  I love what Dr. Rosenthal said in response to a question about whether TM could replace psychiatric drugs.  "I don't want to go against a standard of care.  But if TM were a pill, it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster." Our increasingly pill-popping, quick-fix population could definitely benefit but taking a new look at TM.

My teenage son has been experiencing recent challenges with his focus in the classroom and on homework. I am bribing him to conduct my own personal experiment - will his focus and schoolwork improve with regular TM/Relaxation response?  We will see. The key challenge will be to get him to meditate consistently. (That's where the bribe comes in....) Studies have shown though that students in really troubled schools have shown tremendous improvements in their grades and classroom behavior after regular participation in a quiet time in the classroom.  

And, as for me, I am conducting my own experiment too - of doing TM twice daily.  I have done so the past 4 mornings and have experienced bliss that has lasted all day!  

For more information on TM, check out:http://www.tm.org. If learning TM with an official program is beyond your financial reach at the moment, check out Dr. Herbert Benson's Relaxation Response to learn essentially the same technique.

Yours for relaxing naturally and enjoying your life to the max with yoga and meditation,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez