I recently wrote on my personal Facebook page, "Whoa, this is getting fo'real, yo!" about my pregnancy. Being in week 36 of pregnancy, was a real shocker. Where did the time go? This week I was on the hunt for all things yoga and pregnancy. And I stumbled upon, essentially, a free yoga session on YouTube thanks to Saragama - Temple Wellness. In the first video, Tonia Clark discusses the the power of yoga during pregnancy. It is a beautiful video with excellent insight. I'd recommend it to any women looking to practice yoga during the prenatal months. The second video, Lara Dutta, provides the practical session of prenatal asanas. In this 30 minute session, I felt that my yoga practice was perfectly met for the week. The poses were very well-suited for my third trimmest self. As a future yoga teacher, I'm starting to think I might just want to work with prenatal mommas. Yoga is such a wonderful thing to do while pregnant both for moms-to-be as well as for the babies-to-come.
It is a blessing to provide peace and relaxation to the new human being growing inside of me, LW
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A colleague commented to me this week that a friend of hers, who is a busy working professional, has been having lots of trouble with sleep. The only thing that allows him to sleep like a baby is yoga! Surprised? Not really. Over the past couple weeks, insomnia has become the norm so I'm trying to get as much shut eye as possible before the baby arrives. And as much as I like warm milk at 3 am, my preference is to be milking in Zzzzs at that hour. It made me wonder what is available on the topic of sleep and yoga in the research world but also just on the internet. With my Google Scholar search, many, many hits came back. So, I combed through the most recent and applicable ones I could find, particularly review articles (for good summaries) and ones that related to pregnancy and picked two to review. The first review article from the International Journal of Yoga, related that the more relaxing and restorative poses practiced, the more likely to experience improved sleep. It stated: "Restorative postures, savasana, pranayama, and meditation encourage pratyahara, a turning inward of the senses which enables downtime for the nervous system, the byproduct often being improved sleep." Various research studies reviewed found that regular practice resulted in a significant decrease in the time taken to fall asleep, an increase in the total number of hours slept, and in the feeling of being rested in the morning. No who doesn't want that! The second article was a pilot study in Biological Research for Nursing, where women in their second or third trimester attended weekly mindfulness meditation and prenatal Hatha yoga classes in the community for 7 weeks. They found that: "[m]indful yoga shows promise for women in their second trimester of pregnancy to diminish total number of awakenings at night and improve sleep efficiency and merits further exploration." Interestingly, starting a yoga practice in the third trimester did not find significant benefit to quality of sleep. Good thing I've been practicing the whole pregnancy!
I scoped out what I could find on the internet and the Yoga Journal never fails to have an article. It is clear that meditation, light asana practice and breath work are key to helping with sleep and insomnia during the night. And as a guinea pig this week, after my weekly practice, I slept through the night. Calmed nervous system? Quite likely. Maybe a yoga night cap is just what I need to start doing, LW Baby on the brain? Absolutely! This video from Leslie Kaminoff provides a brief but very interesting anatomy lesson on the joints and limbs...in the womb. He addresses what happens in the development of the upper body versus the lower body limbs and how it factors into asana practice. As well, he addresses the importance of cueing for yoga teachers as they must provide guidance on limb rotation and/or spirals of the limb. It is a very interesting refresher for me with a yoga twist as this topic was covered many (say, 14 years ago) in my first year anatomy class!
Enjoy the video this week - I did! LW This week's practice clearly demonstrated that I've been sick and my regular practice has been blunted. Flexibility in most of my joints was lacking (even with pregnancy), which just shows how being away from a yoga practice can actually impact flexibility gains and maintenance. It is not surprising as basic fitness gains such as cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength in an exercise program can decline with even two weeks of no stimulus (read: bed rest). Not surprising that I felt this way this week. What does the research say about yoga detraining?
Well, I found no definitive information other than this brief response on Yoga Journal's website addressing shoulder inflexibility in practice after many years away from practice. So, I head into the flexibility research instead and find some interesting conclusions. In one hamstring flexibility study, researchers noted that after four weeks of nonstretching, study participants lost the knee range of motion that they gained from stretching in the first six weeks of the study. They conclude that the benefits of stretching will be lost relatively quickly if stretching is not continued. But hesitate to give an exact duration of time. Even at an acute or one time session, research notes that flexibility gains can be lost after about 90 minutes for most muscle groups. It makes sense as our bodies continue with the physical demands of day to day life, which can cause muscles to tighten once again. Nonetheless, it seems that reduced flexibility and dare I say limited yoga practice can have some short and long term implications to how well your muscles will stretch. An interesting point to take as a future teacher and a current student. It reinforces the importance of taking each session as it comes. The body can vary from day to day, practice to practice. The key here is to listen and practice to the best ability for that day. Honoring my body's flexibility and health, LW Stop. Listen. Do you hear it? Do you feel it? Your body is constantly telling you something and are you tapping in to it? One of my favorite times during yoga practice is just that - when I'm listening to what my body is saying. It formally happens at the end during corpse pose/savasana but it can also appear during other parts of practice. I wish I used my yoga skills this week. Need I say more, practice just didn't happen. And can I blame it on not listening? Well, maybe. Cold and flu season is upon us and you guessed it, I caught one of those pesky colds. I won't bore you with the grotesque details. But here's how it unfolded... My coworker said to me, "leave, go home. I'll finish up" as my throat felt like a welder's blow torch was burning down my throat. My husband said to me, "go, lay down, go back to sleep. I'll deal with the cries of the nightmare-shaken toddler down the hall" as I drag myself back to bed and out of my momma bear shoes. Did I listen to them or to my body? Yes and no. But the result was I was hold up in bed (corpse pose, anyone?) for a day because I didn't fully listen. Yoga has wonderful lessons, which I'm still working on...and rest when rest is needed is one of them. I guess that's why I'm still a work in progress. Ready for health, vitality and more yoga next week, LW As I said last week, my body is ever changing and in this week's practice I've already experienced how I must modify and/or change poses.
I'm particularly feeling that lying on my stomach is not very comfortable nor on my back. I can withstand it for some time but long durations don't seem to work anymore. Instead this week, I've put more emphasis on my breathing, specifically the ujjayi breath. It has been a breathing technique I've done for years but really haven't explored it in much detailed. I thought this was a fitting time. Yoga Journal describes ujjayi technique as "[g]ently pulling the breath in on inhalation and gently pushing the breath out on exhalation [which] against this resistance creates a well-modulated and soothing sound—something like the sound of ocean waves rolling in and out." In practice, I've used the "haaaa" sound, which translates well into the ocean wave sound. The technique typically modulates the breath and creates a nice balance between the inhalation and exhalation. It is commonly translated into "victorious breath". How fitting as it can be used to calm the body (victory over discomfort?). Ujjayi breath is such a soothing and relaxing breath and using it during challenging poses is extremely helpful. And now being pregnant, it too is helpful when moving a body that is slightly different from the norm. And it so happened that I received an email recently from Leslie Kaminoff, of www.yogaanatomy.net and author of Yoga Anatomy, with a perfect video outlining some key parts of the ujjayi breath. Click here for his take on ujjayi breathing. As this pregnancy moves into the later weeks, the emphasis on breath will be ever important! It's good to start working on it now! The power of the breath always amazes me, LW So the fatigue and stomach distress can only mean one thing, I'm pregnant! Yoga has been a blessing each week as I transition into my second trimester. But with the transition, I am now moving a new body where I have to ensure my yoga is adaptable to my ever growing belly! Here is what I remember from before (and from my other hat of being an exercise physiologist who specializes in pre/postnatal exercise): 1. Avoid overheating so no hot yoga for now. 2. Modification to supine poses (elevating torso by 20 degrees or so with a towel, block, blanket etc.) after 16-20 weeks due to the compression of the vena cava (large vessel that carries blood back to the heart) when lying flat on my back. 3. Stand close to a chair or wall with balance poses...just in case I feel like I'm going to fall. 4. My joints are more flexible because of the release of the hormone relaxin, which increases joint laxity...everywhere...not just through the pelvis. So, no being a hero with the poses and not to overdoing the obvious increase in range of motion. When I was pregnant last time through, I was able to take a weekly class with Judy. However, I am on my own this time. As I listed, I recall some poses that need modification but this pregnancy brain of mind isn't always clear. What do I need to be watchful of and how does my practice change? And, the overarching theme of what can pregnant women safely do in a yoga class? Yoga Journal has a four part series that outlines a basic overview of modifications in pregnancy then an article for each the first, second and third trimester. With further investigation, I also found an article specifically on contraindications. All five articles are very comprehensive as a student but also for the future teacher in me. So rather than rehashing the detailed articles, here are a couple more key things for me to remember! 1. Controlled breathing will be very helpful for labour but also ensure I'm not holding my breath during any of the poses. Obviously, not good for babe. 2. No head stands, hand stands or plow poses. Okay, this is pretty obvious that my physical body probably won't let me do such poses but it is really about blood flow and not having blood shunted away from babe. Makes sense! 3. Limit abdominal contractions (i.e. flexion and extension) such as in full boat pose and abdominal stretching such as in bow pose or full cobra pose. Having a strong pelvic floor is much more important than overemphasizing abdominal work right now. 4. Yoga is a great place to practice and ready my body for labour. Holding chair pose for about one minute is challenging just like a contraction. Practising hip opening poses such as bound angle pose will help keep the adductors (inner thigh) flexible which is essential for natural birth. So, there we have it, a refresher for me and a learning opportunity with my changing body. I'm positive I will stumble on more gems of wisdom over the next 24 weeks! 16 weeks done, April 25 is sure coming fast! Yoga is essential to my prenatal care, LW Image: Me at 8 months pregnant...last time around...and more blonde than I remember!
Over the past 50 weeks, I've barely touched on one of the essential components of yoga, breath or pranayama (the art of breath control). As I write this week's post, I'm actually very surprised that I haven't put much time and investigation into the breath. Well, better late than never!
This week's practice was with a new instructor, Edie Cassidy, who is a well-known local teacher and yoga therapist. The session was fortuitous because I was looking at my week and was wondering where yoga was going to fit. At my part-time job at the Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network, we offered sampler classes such yoga sessions to our patient population over the summer months. It just so happened that I was working while one of the classes was being offered. What a blessing! I alway enjoy listening to teachers' cueing especially when it is my first class with him or her. Edie did not let me down. She had many words of wisdom and advice for our patient population and I too gained from her experience and expertise as I situated myself in the back corner of the room. The primary message that Edie relayed was to "lead with the breath". I stopped for a moment and thought - wow, I've been missing this cue for a while not only in yoga but also in day to day life. I instantly focused on my breathing for the duration of the class. It was amazing to move with ease but with great concentration. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale. She continued to say, and I'm paraphrasing, "You can do anything as long as you breath". How true is that?!? I hope the patients present were able to receive and contemplate Edie's message. I was inspired. I love getting gems of wisdom particularly when it relates to yoga. The concept of breathing or pranayama will take may posts but my practice this week has refocused my attention. Consciously breathing, LW I was fortunate to be on vacation this past week and travel to Saskatchewan, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. I have to admit, I tried quite hard to actually "vacation" and leave the normal hum drum of life (including this blog) behind. Photo: Devil's Tower, Wyoming Yet, I had to try at least one yoga class at a new location while away!
My yoga class journey was interesting to say the least. Living in a large city, a yoga studio is relatively easy to find. In smaller cities, not so much. I tried two locations with no success so I ended up with the option of a hot yoga class. Yikes! No preparation with the necessities (i.e., towel, water) and the mental prep it takes for me to do a hot class! The class was called Hot 26 which I think it related to the number of poses we did during practice. Each pose was completed two times and I enjoyed the repetition. Overall, the session was intimate and challenging. What struck me the most was that the teacher taught by only using her voice. We were placed in front of a panel of mirrors and watched ourselves throughout. She did not demonstrate any of the poses. I have rarely used a mirror in practice and typically fix my gaze on the floor in front of my mat or at the teacher. So this was a new way to practice. The teacher's voice was exquisite as she used tone to help guide us through the poses. Instead of using my eyes, as in typical practice, I actually just focused on using my ears for guidance. Interesting new perspective on practice. It got me thinking on how I would like to teach. It takes a lot of experience and skill to only teach using your voice. The teacher spoke during most of the class (with the exception of savansa) and if I were to do this, I would need to speak eloquently, concise and detailed all at the same time. Cueing every single aspect of the pose was essential for the teacher. Lots of work to be done to get to that point! As always, I have been shown another way to practice and another way to teach. LW It's one thing to learn all the physical poses in yoga, how they are "performed" and their Sanskrit name but there is a whole other side of yoga - the philosophy of practice. Over the last couple weeks, I've come across the word "tapas" in my reading and while participating in various yoga DVDs. It stopped me in my tracks because I thought "tapas" meant food, appetizers to be exact. What does that have to do with yoga? Well, like many words, there are multiple meanings and definitions for one single word. So in fact it can be used on a restaurant menu but also in the context of yoga philosophy. I had to know more... And in drops Patanjali again as Tapas is found in his writings. It is under his second limb of the eight limbed yoga system otherwise known as the Niyamas, or suggested observances. Tapas is referred to as austerity. Whoa! What?!? Okay, so sounds like non-indulgence. I've found others write about tapas as discipline or the means of doing the work. The word "tapas" in Sanskrit means "heat" and has been referred to the "fire within". So how does this all fit? Judith Hanson Lasater wrote it well on her website: "This is the spirit of tapas: the willingness to follow through with difficult decisions while maintaining compassion for all the effects that those decisions might have for self and others. Tapas is ultimately measured in the consistent willingness to begin practice again and again, over and over again to bring awareness to this very moment. Ultimately nothing is more difficult than consistency. " My many weeks of working on downward facing dog may be an example of tapas for me. In Yoga as Medicine book, Timothy McCall writes that downward facing dog is a good pose to build tapas.
Also, for me, pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) this week and quite frankly, every time I practice this pose, it takes not only physical energy but mental toughness to get through holding the static hip stretch. But others argue that it isn't about being pushed in a pose that works on tapas. Regardless, the presence of this word popping up over and over the last while fits into others areas of my life. It has me thinking that I've been building tapas as a parent and as an individual wanting to contribute in this world. Lots of single parenting lately due to circumstance beyond our control and what.I.hope.will.have.huge.impact-type project (not yet revealed!) that has been taking up a place (and space) in my mind and heart for a while. Both have pushed me and being consistent in vision and awareness has been key. As with anything that is worth it, being consistent and enjoying the process (even when it sucks - ya pigeon pose, I'm talking to you!) is essential. So, bring it on! How are you building tapas? LW |
Aspiring Yoga TeacherI've practiced yoga since I was a pre-teen and have always found it to keep me centered. I will be a teacher one day and this is my journey to discover teaching and practice. Archives
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