Yoga at Home with Laura, Self-taught Yogi!

Yoga at Home for Beginners: Yoga Headstand - Trying it for the First Time!

During my last post, I shared the inspiring tale of Arthur, a disabled Gulf war paratrooper and veteran who returned home with limited mobility.  He could not walk without elbow crutches and his physicians advised him that this was his fate for the rest of his life (shame on them).  His sedentary life caused him to become morbidly obese.  Yet, he found one yoga instructor who was willing to take him on.  Arthur's video showed how he started as an absolute yoga beginner falling and tumbling over during several poses.  Yet, consistent practice over time enabled Arthur to master difficult poses including the headstand!

The yoga headstand is one pose that I never tried for more than a split second.  I tend to become discombobulated when I go upside down- I lose my balance. Despite swim lessons, as a child and teenager I could never do flip overs when reaching the end of a lap in a pool. Although I can lift myself into the shoulder stand, the head stand has intimidated me for years. However, Arthur's video so inspired me that I decided to start teaching myself the yoga headstand.  

Today I gave myself my first lesson.  I picked up one of my first yoga books -and you can tell it's a first, the pages are greatly yellowed and falling apart. But, I was able to find detailed instructions for the head stand.  I carefully read and re-read the instructions and studied the photographs.  (By the way, I haven't learned a new pose in some time - it was about time I did so!)  I clasped my hands around my head as you see above and formed a triangle with my elbows and stretched out my legs.  I had to try this though a few times.  I felt awkward - kind of like driving a stick shift for the first time.

And, I followed my own advice - taking baby steps and being very careful of how my body felt.  I noticed my head and neck felt a bit tight (I have been sleeping in an awkward position the past few days) so I was most cautious.  The neck can be very delicate. I went only as far as was comfortable - somewhere between illustrations 3 and 4 shown above.  And, that was that.  That is as far as I felt I should go!  I am going to continue to practicing a bit of this pose during the week and every weekend.  I will share my results. There are no guarantees that I will be able to do the headstand, but my intention is to at least try it so I can further expand my yoga regime.

Yours for trying new yoga poses with caution and patience,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

 

Yoga at Home: Clarification! I am NOT Against Yoga Classes!!!

The other day, in response to my post about how I believe you can learn yoga from a book, I received a comment from a reader expressing concern.  She stated that she had considered replacing her yoga classes by using a book to do yoga, BUT that she wasn't convinced she wanted to do this.  She enjoyed attending her yoga classes and was not ready to give them up.  I assured her that my intent has NEVER been to discourage anyone from attending yoga classes!

No!  The purpose of this blog and my book, Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, and Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day, is solely to give yoga newbies who are timid or shy about attending a class, don't have time to attend a class, have no classes nearby, or simply want to go at their own pace, an alternative to the yoga classroom.  That old cliche, "different strokes for different folks" applies to yoga.

I believe it's superb that people have SO MANY yoga classes to choose from these days and so many venues in which they can learn yoga!  But, for somewhat klutzy me, my home yoga studio beckons to me much more that the two beautiful, spacious yoga studios close to my home. I just enjoy waking up in the morning and taking the 15 second stroll downstairs to my family room where I can roll out my yoga mat and do yoga poses at my own pace.  And, I know there is a group of people out there like me - who are homebodies when it comes to their exercise regime.  

So - do you LOVE yoga classes?  More power to you - keep them up!  For those of you who are homebodies like me, just keep up your practice in the privacy, comfort, and convenience of your home!

Yours for practicing yoga in classes or at home,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez,The Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

Yoga at Home for Beginners: Can You Really Learn Yoga from a Book?

For me the answer to the above question is a resounding YES!  I taught myself yoga by reading two books way back when I was 15.  And, I wrote my recently released book so that people who don't want to attend a class or can't for various reasons, can teach themselves yoga from a book.

But, challenges can arise and one woman who bought my book about six weeks ago contacted me for guidance. She was unsure about exactly how to teach herself from my book.  I advised her to record her own voice and guide herself through the poses by studying a pose, memorizing several steps, executing those steps, reading more, memorizing more, and executing more.  That's how I taught myself.  A few weeks later I checked back with this woman who told me that she had her husband read the instructions aloud to her and then she followed along. Wise and clever woman!

I also checked back with another buyer of my book to see how she used the book.  In her email she replied, 

 

Hi Laura, first of all my yoga practice is going well. As for how I learned the poses, I have about 10 years of experience (on and off) doing yoga. I've taken classes and done videos. Yours was the first book I used and you inspired me to do yoga at home without a book. For poses I already knew how to do, your pictures and instructions were refreshers. For new poses I read what you wrote and then looked at pictures. Sometimes I would have to read a sentence or two, put the book down, try it then pick up the book again until I figured it out.  Well, there you have it.  Yes, you can learn yoga from a book if you wish to - at least the simpler poses.  Many people have done so.  It's your option!  Certainly, when you use a book, you can take all the time you need to learn and executive the pose. Yours for learnng yoga in a variety of ways including from a book, Laura Venecia Rodriguez

Yoga for Beginners: How to do the Plough - Book Excerpt

 

The pose I am demonstrating above is the plough (also spelled plow).  I do this inverted pose daily and it is one of the classic yoga poses that is most challenging for me.  However, it benefits your body in many ways.  Just read the excerpt below from my book and try the pose.

Plough (also spelled plow):  (Sanskrit name is Halasana; hala means plough) 

Type of yoga pose:  Inverted supine forward bend

Body parts targeted:  Spine, hips, thighs, and abdomen

How to do the pose: 

1.    Lie on your back and allow your body to relax from your toes to your head.

2.    Bring your heels and toes together and have your palms facing upward on the mat close by your sides.

3.    Turn your hands so the palms are now faced downward.  Use your hands as a lever by pressing them downward as you tighten your abdomen and s – l – o – w – l – y, taking about 10 seconds, raise your legs straight up into the air, until they are in a vertical position and at a perpendicular angle with the rest of your body.  Keep your knees straight.

4.    Push against the floor with your hands (palms still faced downward), raise your buttocks and gently lower your back off the mat so that you legs come over your body toward your head.

5.    Continue moving your legs backward toward your head and bend your body at the waist so your feet move down toward the mat behind your head. Go only as far as you comfortably can – no straining!  You may experience slight discomfort so do not push yourself.

6.    When your toes have reached the floor behind your head or the farthest position they can comfortably reach behind your head, hold the position motionless for 5 seconds.

7.    Now slide your hands slowly from their original position up toward your head and carefully clasp them against the top of your head. Hold this pose for 5 seconds.

8.    Slide your hands slowly back to their original position, palms down on the mat and brace yourself with them.

9.    Slowly bend your legs at the knees and bring your knees about an inch or two from your face.

10.         Keep the back of your head on the mat and allow your body and legs to move slowly forward, taking at least 10 seconds and keeping your knees straight, until your lower back and legs are resting comfortably again on the mat. To enhance the benefits for the abdominals, when your legs are a few inches from the floor, hold them motionless as long as possible to further strengthen and firm the abdominals.

11.         Let your body completely relax and breathe in and out deeply a few times before repeating the pose or going on to the next one.

Practice time:  Start with 5 seconds for the two key holding position within this pose and add 5 seconds to each one every week until you are holding each position for 20 seconds.  Eventually, you can eliminate the first position and go directly into the second position where your hands are clasped on top of your head and extend the holding time to 30-45 seconds.

Laura’s tips and experience with this pose:

This pose is challenging for the beginner, especially if you have tight hamstrings (which I have had – I think from years of jogging) or stiffness in your back.  If I have slept in an awkward position, I may not be able to reach the floor with my feet. Nevertheless, you benefit from going as far as you can, comfortably.  Gravity will enable you to eventually reach the floor with your feet.  One trick I discovered with this pose is that if I visualize my legs stretching back and my feet touching the floor as I enter the pose, I can go back much father than I would otherwise.  It’s amazing! 

Remember, no strain is all gain with hatha yoga. If you have had any neck injuries like whiplash, I recommend you consult your medical advisor or physician before doing this  

Copyright 2010
 

Yours for getting slim, supple, and serene,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Beginners' Hatha Yoga Poses: Bow Pose - Great for Back,Chest &... Libido!

No, that's not a caricature of me in the bow pose!  (Hmm - I may consider it though for my book cover).  Here's another book excerpt - my explanation of the bow pose - it's strenuous but doable....!

Bow  (Sanskrit name –Dhanurasana; dhanu=bow)

Type of yoga pose:  Intensive, powerful backbend, convex pose that bends the spine inward.

Body parts targeted:  Lumbar area, spine, thigh muscles (you should really feel them!), abdominals, bustline, buttocks, and upper arms.

How to do the pose:

1. Lie on your stomach with your chin down on your mat with your arms

and hands at your sides and your legs straight.  You body should be relaxed and limp (aah – that can feel so good, but don’t go to sleep!).  Inhale and exhale deeply at least once.

2. Bring your toes and heels together; stay relaxed.

3. Bend both legs at your knees; bring your heels as close to your buttocks as possible.

4. Reach back with both hands and grasp each ankle with your respective hand (if you can’t grasp both ankles, grasp one ankle and perform the bow by alternating the feet each time until you build up enough strength and flexibility to grasp both ankles).

5. Inhale and slowly raise your knees and lift thighs as high as possible off the floor while simultaneously and gently raising your head and trunk off the floor.  Your body should look like a bow and your arms should look and feel like a taut bowstring (having that image in your mind helps the stretch).

6. Keep your head back only as far as is comfortable (be certain not to strain your neck!) and keep your knees together if possible.

7. Hold the pose for the stipulated time and inhale and exhale normally.

8. Lower yourself in slow motion out of the bow by first releasing your legs and allowing them to move slowly back toward the mat starting with your knees, then followed by your trunk and head.

9. Return to your initial resting position on your stomach with chin down on the mat.

10. Your entire body should be limp as you rest for a moment before repeating the pose or moving on to the next pose.

 

Practice time:  Start with 3 seconds max, add 1 or 2 seconds per week or as you find comfortable until you are holding until you can comfortably hold the pose for 12-15 seconds.

Number of repetitions:  1-2

Key benefits from this pose: 

1. Strengthens, firms, and tones the abdominal, thigh, and arm muscles.

2. Helps reduce weight in the hips; tightens and eliminates extra fat from the back and buttocks.

3. Opens the chest and adjusts the sacroiliac and lumbar vertebrae.

4. Improves the posture and streamlines and firms bust muscles.

5. Improves spinal elasticity and flexibility.

6. Helps relieve menstrual disorders and lower back pain.

7. Enhances libido by stimulating the sex glands (sex becomes sexier!)

Special tips and Laura’s experience with this pose:

This is one of the most intense, challenging poses taught in this book and that I do daily. Sometimes, I can hold the bow for only 10 seconds, other times I can hold it for 15 seconds.

Lift your thighs off the ground with ideally with your knees together.  If this is difficult, you can allow some space between your knees, but gradually work your way to keeping the knees together.

When I started this pose, and this is still true on some mornings when I awaken a bit stiff, I feel a strong stretch in my upper thighs just by bending my legs at the knees.  Be patient and persistent and your comfort level will increase over time. After completely the pose you will likely hear your heart beating or you may feel slightly out of breath because you have been lifting your own body weight. Although strenuous, this pose is still feasible for the non-athlete like me.  As you gain experience, you may choose to rock back and forth gently while holding the pose.

Cheers!

Laura

Copyright © 2010 by Laura Venecia Rodriguez 

 

Simple Savvy Steps to Yoga Success: Iphone Yoga

 The wonders of technology never cease!  As far as my yoga practice goes, I am VERY low tech. Super low tech. I have learned at least three-fourths of the techniques I use and have adapted from books.  However, I am always open-minded about learning.  I have picked up some good tips from watchingyoga TV programs, videos, and DVDs.   I have checked out certain poses on youtube.com.  Some yogis I have met told me they keep up their practice on the road by watching podcasts on their Ipod.

Today's Washington Express paper (the free rag I usually read en route to work) had an article entitled "I-phone, therefore IFit?"  Although exercise podcasts aren't new, the article feature some new applications that the Iphone offers including one called Yoga Trainer Lite.  The free download application (NEXSTUDIOS.JP.FREE) features a daily yoga warm-up of poses that you hold for 45 seconds each.  Sounds intriguing although, I personally always have a challenge doing a routine while watching a video.  However, it probably offers a useful way to use your time enroute to a meeting on a bus, train, or plane to learn a pose and to keep you psyched about your yoga practice.

The program has one drawback - it's definitely not for beginners and probably not for self-taught non-athletes like myself as it includes very challenging yoga poses like the crane.  But, I definitely applaud any media that encourages daily yoga practice!

Laura's thought for the day:  "Surround yourself with yoga instructional materials - books, videos, and audios to keep you psyched and motivated to maintain a daily yoga regime."

Simple Savvy Steps to Yoga Success: Back to Basic Yoga!

 

Now, the pose above, is one I could never learn on my own!  Non-athlete and sometimes discombobulated person that I am, I would probably tax a yoga instructor's patience if they tried to teach me this asana.  I seriously doubt I could ever manipulate my body into this pose - at least not in this lifetime!  This is one of those pretzel poses that you come across so frequently in yoga magazines and that likely puts off many people who might consider trying yoga for its myriad benefits.

In fact, this month, in a short letter to the editor of Yoga Journal, one of the staple publications of the industry, a woman from my area, Washington, DC, laments, "I am always troubled by the Yoga Journal covers.  Oftentimes, they portray young, skinny women performed the most advanced yoga postures, which would discourage most women and men from trying yoga..." I could not agree more!

That's why I prefer the simpler, basic hatha yoga poses. They may not visually impress you but practiced consistently, they provide all the health benefits - relaxation, flexibility, and energy - that you could want without struggling to become an acrobat.  The above pose offers wonderful benefits no doubt.  I suspect, however, that only a small percentage of the population could master it, even with lots of coaching.  So for people like me, it's back to basic yoga I say!

Wisdom of the Day:  "Simple hatha yoga poses practiced daily can reap wonderful results."~Laura V. Rodriguez

Simple Savvy Steps to Yoga Success: More on Teaching Yourself Yoga

I keep running across stories of people who have successfully taught themselves yoga.  One woman in the UK, Nikki Page, writes that about 25 years ago her mother gave her a "teach yourself yoga book" which transformed her approach to fitness and feeling good.  Page attributes her ability to maintain a trim waist, thighs, and hips, becoming supple, and managing stress effectively to her yoga practice. She's a woman after my own heart who shares benefits from yoga that are similar to mine!

I wish Ms. Page had shared the title and author of that book!  It's not that easy to find user-friendly yoga books to teach yourself yoga and reap its myriad rewards.  In short, however, we can see that it IS possible to teach yourself yoga from a book.  Ms. Page states that she begins every day with a 10-minute yoga routine.  You truly can benefit from yoga just starting with a few minutes a day!

Wisdom of the Day:  "Once you discover how to teach yourself, your life will have virtually no limits."  Art Niemann, The Ultimate Lesson:  10 Point Guide on How to Teach Yourself Anything.