Feel sad during Winter? Try restorative yoga

Do you feel depressed in winter because you’re not getting enough sun to brighten your days?  Do you want to curl up under a blanket and not come out until Spring? The dark, cold days of winter affect about one in 10 people, according to Dr. Phillip Keller, a family medicine physician with Clarian Arnett Health, quoted in an article entitled Seasonal affective disorder affects some people during the cold, wintry months  (jconline.com, 1/12/10). Dr. Keller says that seasonal affective disorder, or “SAD” can have different symptoms than depression, such as “increased appetite, an increase in sleep, irritability and interpersonal difficulties.” If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms, chances are you’re not getting enough sunlight. You’re hybernating indoors and feeling the effects of cabin fever. Most people don’t seek help but just wait for their feeling to pass.

Don’t want to wait for blue skies and the bright, warm sun to feel better?  Sink into restorative yoga poses to rebalance and restore your central nervous system. In an article entitled Beat the Blues by Carol Krucoff (Yoga Journal, February 2010), Carol describes her journey from winter blues to a form of emotional salvation after she trained with clinical psychologist and Integrative Yoga therapist Bo Forbes. Forbes recommended a regular yoga practice, pranayama and meditating in front of a lightbox to ease her SAD symptoms. 

Forbes highly recommends doing restorative yoga poses to treat SAD. “Restorative yoga may look passive from the outside, but it’s very active internally on both subtle and dramatic levels.” She further says that “Many people don’t realize that SAD has three distinct phases. In the dead of winter [December through February], it looks like depression, with symptoms such as lethargy and carbohydrate craving.” Forbes advises her students to follow a series of restorative poses, such as supported corpse pose, reclining bound angle pose, and supported legs-up-the-wall pose. You may want to do a few active poses first, especially if you’re feeling anxious or restless.  Deepening into restorative poses all year long, and not just during the cold, dark days of winter, will strengthen your emotional health and help you rise above those gray skies with a new spring in your step.

Judith Lasater coming to Salt Lake City

Do you want to become a restorative yoga teacher and need training? Do you live in or near the Salt Lake City area, or are willing to travel from a neighboring state? Here’s your chance to train with renowned restorative yoga guru Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, P.T.

On February 6-10, 2010, Judith will be in Salt Lake City offering her Relax and Renew Learning to Teach Restorative Yoga Teacher’s Training at the Black Box Theatre, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. Cost is $600 if paid by December 1, 2010. A deposit of $300 is required to reserve your space, so don’t hesitate! Make an investment in your teaching career and add restorative yoga to your valuable experience.

Judith Lasater, the author of Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times, is an internationally-known yoga teacher and has taught since 1971. She is a founder of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco as well as Yoga Journal magazine. Judith is the author of several books including A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape Your Life (2006), and writes frequently on yoga and health for several nationally recognized magazines.

In Salt Lake City, Judith will team up with Charlotte Bell, a Salt Lake City yoga teacher and author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice, to conduct the training.  Charlotte has been practicing yoga since 1982 and began teaching in 1986. In 1989 Charlotte became certified in the Iyengar style of yoga, and received her 500-hour certification from the Yoga Alliance in 2000. She currently teaches a restorative yoga class at Avenues Yoga in Salt Lake City.

If you would like to register for the Relax and Renew Restorative Yoga Teacher Training in Salt Lake City, email Charlotte Bell at charlottebell@earthlink.net.

Live your yoga every day of the year

I bought A Year of Living Your Yoga, a little jewel of a book written by Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T.  at the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park, Colorado, last year after I had the pleasure of going to one of her restorative yoga workshops. Okay, I was a little starstruck. Judith Lasater is one of my favorite teachers, and I’m a big fan of restorative yoga if you haven’t noticed already from my other posts. I can’t say enough about how restorative yoga has changed and shaped my life, and I’m planning to become a certified Rest & Relax Restorative Yoga Teacher next February when Judith visits Salt Lake City and teams up with Charlotte Bell for a 20-hour teacher training. I can’t count the days on my calendar fast enough.

A Year of Living Your Yoga is a precious compilation of daily practices and quotes that will inspire and shape your life. This little book graces my yoga room and I read a passage every day before I start my practice. For example, today’s passage renews us with the value of wonder: 

If you want to understand wonder, look at the face of a child closely examining a bug. Living your yoga: Losing touch with your wonder is sad. Wonder perfectly combines curiosity, gratitude, and presence. Today find something to observe in wonder: a flower, the sky, a tree, and notice how this reconnects you with life (A Year of Living Your Yoga, August 16, 2009)

Every day graces us with a lesson on how to live life through the practice of yoga, on and off the mat. Consider adding this little gem to your yoga library and become inspired by Judith’s wisdom. Buy your copy now by clicking here.

How to Use Restorative Yoga Props

In restorative yoga, we focus on simply being rather than doing. Restorative yoga is not power yoga where you work up a sweat in vigorous Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga sequences, but rather it’s a style of yoga that allows you to sink into a supportive environment that can rid your body of stress and make you feel like a new person. If you want to know more about this style of yoga, read my prior post What is Restorative Yoga? Right now, though, we’re going to talk about what kind of props you need to get started.

Some restorative yoga poses require only a couple of props, such as a belt and a blanket, while others require a more complicated setup, but it’s worth it, though, so stay with me.  It’s important that as you learn how restorative yoga works you also learn to use props effectively.  Restorative yoga poses shouldn’t hurt and they also shouldn’t stretch you to your limits.  Restorative yoga props should support and nourish and hold your body weight so that you can sink down in delicious repose, and when you come out of them, make you feel like a million bucks.

In Judith Lasater’s book Relax & Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times, she provides the reader with a handy chart that illustrates the many props used in restorative yoga.  She also guides you into general restorative pose sequences, a sequence for busy times, and sequences for neck pain, lower back pain, insomnia, jet lag, breathing difficulties, and headaches.  She also gives us restorative sequences for menstruation, pregnancy, and  menopause.  If you’re truly interested in cultivating a regular restorative yoga practice, Judith Lasater’s book is a must and can be purchased now by clicking here.

Blankets

Blankets are the most important and versatile restorative yoga prop and you should have a few of these on hand.  Not only can they serve as insulation to place over your yoga mat, but you can also cover yourself to keep warm, and fold or roll for various supported poses.  Lying in restorative yoga poses can sometimes cool the body so keeping warm is essential.  Although you can use an old quilt from your bed or Grandma’s knitted afghan, the best kind of blanket is made of wool or at least of a firm material, should be twin-sized, and easy to fold and roll. Wool or firm blankets provide better support than, say, plush or thermal blankets. You can get good yoga blankets at discounted prices at most online yoga accessory stores. Click here for Discount Yoga Blankets.  You can also get good wool blankets from your local Army Surplus store. I bought a few blankets this way and they are very versatile, although they are a bit larger than I would have liked.

Bolsters

A large, firm bolster is a necessity for many restorative yoga poses.  A bolster can be used to drape your body in a cleansing twist, to fold your body over for supported child’s pose, or to lie back in supported bound angle pose, for example.  If you don’t have a bolster, then you can use three or more folded firm blankets in its place.  It would be wise, however, to invest in one or two bolsters.  They come in varying sizes, such as rectangular, round, junior or large, for example.  Some bolsters can run as high as $65, but there’s no need to pay top dollar for a bolster.  Click here for Discount Yoga Bolsters.  A bolster is especially important for Supported Bound Angle Pose and Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose.

Belts or Straps

Most belts or straps are six to eight inches long and about two inches wide. Some have a D-shaped buckle or a cinch ring.  Straps are used to bind the legs in poses such as Supported Bound Angle Pose so that your legs and feet don’t slip.  You can get belts for under $10 at most online yoga accessory stores. Click here for Discount Yoga Straps.

Blocks

Blocks are a must for restorative yoga poses and are used mostly to elevate bolsters or to drape your body in soft back bending poses, for example.  Blocks are pretty inexpensive, whether they be made of wood, cork or foam, and can be purchased at most online discount yoga supply stores. Click here to purchase Discount Yoga Blocks.

Sandbags

Sandbags are used to apply pressure to certain parts of the body.  For example, while lying in Savasana you may want to elevate your legs on a folded blanket and place a sandbag over your ankles to anchor them to the blankets.  It can also be placed on your lower back while lying in supported child’s pose. Sandbags can be purchased for under $10 at Yoga Accessories.com, for example. Click here to visit YogaAccessories.com. If you’re a good seamstress, you can also make your own sandbag.  Be sure that the fabric is strong and non-porous.  Fill it with sand that is coarse and doesn’t contain bleach, and should weigh at least 10 pounds.

Eye Pillows

Eye Pillows are one of my favorite props to use, especially when I lie in Savasana or in Legs-Up-the-Wall pose.  Eye pillows offer soothing and gentle pressure to the muscles around the eyes, and provide a soft, comforting and sensual end to a restorative yoga practice that allows you to sink deeper into relaxation.  Eye pillows are usually made from a soft silk or cotton fabric and filled with uncooked rice, flax seed or beads, and could be lightly scented with dried lavender or chamomille for an aromatherapy effect.  Eye pillows block out light, ease headaches, and relax tired eyes.  

Other Props

Restorative yoga props should be sturdy enough to support your body weight, so if you’re improvising with certain props be sure that they don’t flop around or cause you to fall.  If you’re using a chair for restorative yoga poses, such as for Supported Cross-Legs Pose, be sure that it doesn’t have wheels.  A metal folding chair is best. Other props that can be used are a doorknob, a table, or a wall.

If you want to buy inexpensive props that are high quality, Click here for Discount Yoga Supplies.

Shop for Yoga Props, Accessories, and DVDs on Gaiam.com, plus Free Shipping over $49

Book Review: A Woman’s Book of Yoga & Health

A Woman’s Book of Yoga & Health is an important reference that should be part of every woman’s library.  I keep it in my yoga room and, because I take it out pretty frequently, it’s pages are becoming dog-eared, but that’s okay, it’s worth it.

Written by Linda Sparrow, with yoga sequences by Patricia Walden, and a foreword by well-known restorative yoga guru Judith Hansen Lasater, Ph.D., A Woman’s Book of Yoga & Health (Copyright 2002, Shambhala Publications, Inc.) is an inspirational and practical guide to life-long wellness crafted especially for women as they experience the many cycles of life.  This well-written and thoroughly researched book is complete with pose sequences (and exceptional photos!) for menstruation, menopause, post-menopause, pregnancy, depression, digestion, immunity, back pain, and headaches.  There’s also comprehensive chapters covering restorative yoga poses, and yoga poses for strengthening your heart and how yoga can help those suffering from osteoporosis.

“Today more than ever, it’s crucial that we include practices in our daily lives that promote health and spiritual growth.  The state of the environment, the stresses created by the world’s ever-increasing population’s demand on dwindling resources, and political unrest are signposts of the critical state we face.  If we want a world worth living in, and worth leaving to future generations, we need to take responsibility by creating well-being in our lives and by supporting others as they choose healthier lives. In other words, to transform the world, we first have to transform ourselves.” (Excerpted from Foreword written by Judith Hansen Lasater, Ph.D., P.T. in A Woman’s Book of Yoga & Health, a Lifelong Guide to Wellness.

If you only buy one book this year to inspire your yoga journey, this should be the one! To order your copy, click below!

What is Restorative Yoga?

When I found restorative yoga a few years ago I discovered the very best therapy for relieving stress. Whenever I have a particularly hard day or don’t feel like doing a regular yoga practice, I sink into a restorative yoga pose and just let everything go.  After lying in complete repose for ten or fifteen minutes, such as reclining bound angle pose (shown in photo), I seldom want to come out of it because I’m so deliciously absorbed in my own conscious relaxation that nothing else matters. Together with deep breathing and a sense of grounding, there’s no better antidote to healing both the body and the soul.

What is restorative yoga, anyway?

It’s a therapeutic style of yoga that uses props such as blankets, bolsters, pillows, blocks, sandbags, straps and eye pillows to create a nurturing and supportive environment for total relaxation.  Some people may find that restorative yoga takes too much time to set up, but the therapeutic benefits are enormous and it’s worth the effort, it really is. By using these various props, you can lie back effortlessly into poses that will soothe your nervous system, release tension, quiet the mind, and ease your body into a state of balance.

I invite you to discover the healing qualities of restorative yoga.  Read more about restorative yoga in this article by Yoga Journal.

Deep relaxation transported me to a place of bliss

I can’t adequately describe the feelings I had when I left a two-hour Deep Relaxation class yesterday at Avenues Yoga in Salt Lake City, except that I wanted to cry tears of relief as I was rolling up my mat.  I was able to let go of a lot of old baggage, and my body felt wonderful!

I had only learned about Avenues Yoga from Charlotte Bell, who recently started teaching a Monday evening restorative yoga class there.  The studio had just opened its doors this past May, and already it has eight instructors and a full schedule of classes, including restorative yoga, prenatal yoga, kids yoga, moving meditation, vinyasa, yoga for climbers, mat pilates, and others.  With one large studio graced with shiny wooden floors, soft track lighting, and tall windows overlooking a tree-lined street in the Avenues section of Salt Lake City, the atmosphere of Avenues Yoga is very soft, and environmentally inviting indeed.

Aside from attending a restorative yoga class there last Monday evening, Saturday’s Deep Relaxation workshop was my second encounter with the studio, and with owner Erin, whose quiet and sophisticated demeanor immediately made a positive impression on me.  Will I finally find a comfortable place in which to practice yoga? Yes, I think so. It seems to be a place that will draw me closer to my practice and to myself.

During the Deep Relaxation class, Erin led us with her gentle and beautiful voice through a combination of therapeutic movements, restorative poses, guided meditation and imagery, and a powerful but simple yoga nidra practice that released stress and nourished our bodies and our souls.

When class was over I couldn’t believe that two hours had passed.  I literally felt rooted to the earth, not wanting to move but to remain in that blissful state.  My heart was overflowing with grateful thanks for the opportunity to participate in such a simple yet profound relaxation experience.

I went home feeling like a new person.

Yoga can help women recover from mastectomies

Women suffering from breast cancer may have to accept the painful news that they will lose one or more of their breasts, and that’s not something that’s easily digestible. Although there are many types of mastectomies, it is, no doubt, a life-changing experience, both physically and emotionally, so it’s important to take good care of yourself.  

If you already practice yoga regularly, you know it can offer calmness and clarity during difficult situations, and you’ll probably be eager to get back on the mat to start the healing process.  But engaging in a vigorous practice after undergoing a mastectomy may not be in your best interests.  First, you must be careful not to put pressure on your arms and upper body area too soon, as your range of motion will be compromised and you’ll experience weakness in one or more muscles near the affected tissue.  You may also experience a condition called “lymphadema” which occurs because the body isn’t draining fluids normally like it did before surgery, so you’ll need to stay away from arm balances and other strengthening poses that affect the upper body until you feel better.

So, take it slow and easy, and if you can, find a teacher who is trained in yoga therapy for breast cancer patients and who can sensitively and knowledgeably ease you along your path to recovery.  Another way to help your recovery is to practice some restorative yoga poses, such as reclining bound angle pose, corpse pose, and legs-up-the-wall pose, which promote deep breathing and relaxation to guide you back to emotional health.

“The first thing postoperative patients should do before trying yoga is to ask their surgeon what he or she recommends,” says Dr. Vivien D’Andrea of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, quoted in an article “Gentle yoga may speed recovery after surgery,” (Las Altos Town Crier, by Pam Walatka (June 17, 2009).  “Starting yoga right after surgery, if you have not done yoga before, would be a terrible idea. Yoga students learn to listen to their bodies and know when to stop. If you were to jump into postoperative yoga without experience, you could hurt yourself,” notes Pam.

Having any type of cancer is not an easy thing to accept, but yoga can help you manage it more effectively. Although it’s not a quick fix, an ongoing practice will reward you with a more meaningful and radiant life, regardless of the challenges we face.

Yoga is for older people, too

Yoga better be for older people, too, because I’m not going to stop practicing anytime soon.  Even though I haven’t even reached my 50th birthday yet, it’ll come soon enough and I don’t want to dig myself into a grave just because I’m hitting the big five-O.  It’s my belief that hitting midlife is not a time to think about the things we should have done, it’s a time to embrace life to the fullest, and begin a life with new meaning and vitality. 

I hope to be doing yoga well into my golden years, and I look forward to always living my life as a yogi and empowering others of advanced age to embrace yoga as a part of their lifestyle, too, so that they may live long and happy lives.  I may not be able to do everything that I can do now, but what I want to be is alert, flexible, and healthy, and be able to balance myself on my own two feet without falling.

According to a 2008 study —  ”Yoga in America” – by Yoga Journal, featured in an article called “Older Adults Increasingly Turn to Yoga for Health,” by John Hanc, (AARP Bulletin Today, June 9, 2009), “49 percent of those who practice say they are doing it to improve their overall health.  Most of these people tend to be younger: The study also found that among the estimated 15.8 million Americans who currently practice yoga, 40.6 percent are ages 18 to 34.  But more older adults are now taking their place on the mats alongside them.  According to the study, 18.4 percent of practitioners are now over 55.” 

It’s never too late for women in midlife to start a yoga practice. And you don’t have to step into — and you shouldn’t step right into — a power yoga class meant for 20-somethings.  There are many gentle yoga and restorative classes meant for older people just starting out.  “Whether you’re already active or sedentary, you need to be extremely careful in choosing the type of yoga you become involved in,” says Dixie Stanforth, a lecturer in exercise science at the University of Texas at Austin.  Most times, women find themselves suffering from chronic illnesses or stress-related conditions that prompt them to seek medical attention, and a means to make themselves feel better overall.   “One reason that a great number of older adults are showing up at yoga studios is because their doctors have recommended it,” says John Hanc. Most older people seek yoga as a means to maintain chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, depression, scoliosis, and heart disease, to name a few. The benefits of yoga are far reaching, and age doesn’t matter.

If you’re at midlife and you want to start yoga, may I recommend you get yourself a copy of Pat Shapiro’s Yoga for Women at Midlife and Beyond. It’s an easy read, and the illustrated poses are doable for women at any age.
 
Photo credit:  www.patshapiro.com

Restorative yoga benefits those with breast cancer

Restorative yoga is a gentle practice that reaps many benefits, especially for those suffering from breast cancer and other debilitating illnesses. It is not uncommon for people with health-related problems to embrace the power of restorative yoga to experience more peacefulness and less anxiety in the midst of worrisome thoughts and hospital treatments. Through the use of props such as bolsters, blankets, sandbags, straps and eye pillows, patients with chronic illness can be set up in supportive poses that will engender a more positive outlook on life, especially during traumatic life-changing experiences.

In a study of 44 women who participated in a 10-week restorative yoga program at Wake Forest Unversity School of Medicine, lead researcher Suzanne Danhauer, Ph.D. was quoted in an article entitled Yoga Benefits Women With Breast Cancer, (American Journal of Hematology and Oncology, May 25, 2009) as follows:  ”Evidence from systematic reviews of randomized trials is quite strong that mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life, and treatment-related symptoms in people with cancer. Given the high levels of stress and distress that many women with breast cancer experience, the opportunity to experience feeling more peaceful and calm in the midst of breast cancer is a significant benefit.”

At the end of the program, the women were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their quality of life.  Most experienced less depression, with increased feelings of peace and broader clarity and meaning in their lives. Women who had higher levels of negativity and lower emotional well-being received larger benefits from restorative yoga than others.

Rest and Relax – $ 15.95 Wai Lana’s calming voice and soft music will ease your mind, relax your body, and soothe your spirit as she guides you through two ancient relaxation techniques and a restful meditation.