Lisa A. Workman M.A.
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The Journey of an Aspiring Yoga Teacher

Week 331: Joint Lessons From the Mat

11/18/2018

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I was looking forward to workshop #15 as the topic is very interesting to me. Working with people who have multiple joint concerns is typical for me and I see that this is where I’ll likely take my teaching. But interestingly enough, the senior teacher, Edie, make it quite clear that there are few and far between number of people who don’t experience some form of joint pain/injury/concern. When asking the group who has had issues with any of the highlighted joints - neck, shoulders, back and knee - more than 85% of yoga teachers-to-be raised their hand.

So really - it’s much more common than I have credited. Even regular seasoned students have joint concerns.

On a basic level, we reviewed the major contraindication for each joint. Then followed the contraindication with some alternative ways to do asanas. Here’s what we determined:

Neck: limit weight bearing asanas with the focus on releasing the base of the neck as well as the base of the spine
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Light bulb burst - Well, that just makes sense! The neck is the extension of the spine! Releasing the back can only help the neck.

We worked on coordinating neck rotation with standing arm movements up and down, bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) and single knee to the chest (Supta Ardha Apanasana). The movement of the neck was initiated after the upper/lower body movement AND moving to the opposite side or direction.

Shoulders: limited weight bearing asanas with the emphasis on all ranges of motion and asymmetry.


A lot of the attention in our practice was to minimize the compression in the shoulders with keeping the arms wide from the body. Further, highlighting the importance of multiple repetitions, going in and out of poses, rather than static holds. Movements, not necessarily asanas, included wall chest stretch with both arms (think of a cop saying ‘put your hands up’) at the walk and rotating the upper body side to side with one arm leaving the wall and side lying external rotation (‘moving the forearm through mud’).

Back: limit twists with a focus on side lateral bends instead and asymmetry.

Of course, knees bent is essential for protecting the back but also noticing how much the hamstrings want to work. Keeping them at bay can be helpful. For me personally, I have to watch that my glutes, mostly my right, doesn’t fire up.

Asanas we explored as side lateral bends options included cresent moon pose (Ashta Chandrasana) and wide leg forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana) with alternating movements of hands to feet.

I really appreciated the emphasis on asymmetry especially for the back. It really put into perspective the alignment of the pelvis and how to continually work on finding good anatomical position. As with any of these joints, it is almost certain that one side is “worse” that the other. Asymmetry helps find the difference and almost acts like a reset button.

Knee: limit weight bearing poses with an emphasis on avoiding hyper extension but also hyper flexion of the joint.

Having to avoid weight bearing is truly challenging as it removes all kneeling asanas. That is a lot! Yet, flipping the pose around or using a chair can be the most useful way to help those with knee issues. And it goes without saying, adding padding to the mat for the knees to land is an act of self-care!

Walking away from this weekend’s training was one thing but the next best thing was practicing in a beginners class the next day. Not only doing my practice but watching the class in front of me. Every type of body, injury, age and sex....and all doing yoga! I challenged myself to watch because these will be the people I will teach. What a lesson indeed!

On a final note, I loved how Edie talked about breath. For all the joints listed, the breath is essential to allow for movement. She alluded to the breath as a distraction of fear; fear is what keeps the body rigid, trying to protect itself.
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Here are some of her gem of quotes about the breath...

“Breath is...

Power.

The essence of our practice.

Sweetness of yoga.

Is your guide, will lead you further than you think.”

The combination of learning and observing this weekend has given me a new found confidence in giving options and teaching on the fly when the people are presented in front of me on their mats.

LW

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Week 40: Whoa Baby!

6/4/2013

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I have a hard time believing that I've made it 40 weeks of practicing yoga AND writing about it each week. I feel like I'm in my infancy of learning to be a yoga teacher.

This week, appropriately, I focused on happy baby pose or otherwise known as stirrup pose (Ananda Balasana). The more I look into this pose I see its relation to the knees to chest pose (Apasana) and how it is a hip opener that I wish I started years ago.

In the book, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, it outlines a perfect sequence of moving from knees to chest pose into happy baby pose in five simple steps. The book gently reminders its' readers to keep the low back (sacrum) on the floor by activating the low back musculature. It wasn't until I started to practice yoga on a regular basis that I realized I might have been doing the knee to chest pose somewhat wrong. My low back loved to curve off of the floor. So now it is my main focus, physically, during the pose.

I progressed through the listed poses until I reached happy baby pose. *Sigh* What a releasing pose. It just makes sense that babies hang out in this position. My hips (and low back) got a release. And based on the Anatomy of Hatha Yoga book, it is the head of the femur in the hip socket (acetabulum) that is really making the move and thus, impact on my hip range of motion.

I also tried other options to the happy baby pose such as placing my feet flat up against the wall for support. I absolutely love any wall supported poses. They are slow, calming and relaxing.

Sarah Powers also writes about happy baby pose in her book, Insight Yoga. She states that:

"[The] pose stimulates the Kidney meridian (as well as the Liver and Spleen) as it flows up your inner legs."
I'm not totally sure how the meridians work at this point but  based on how close your legs are towards your torso, it makes sense that it would have an impact on those organs. I have also heard it is a great pose to connect with oneself because your connecting your hands to your feet. Interesting, wouldn't you say?

Yoga Journal notes additional benefits of: "stretches the inner groins and the back spine and calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue".

Well, who doesn't want that! 

I'm happy and still in my babyhood of teaching,
LW
Photo credit: Flickr
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Week 38: Ache to Awake

5/22/2013

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This third week of practicing the past poses has been a journey in itself. It's forced me to remember what I've done in the past and theoretically should remember. Well, that is not necessarily the case. Once again, this week required some refreshing homework!

I recently downloaded the Songza app for my phone and decided to try it out during my practice. Maybe having music is that special touch I need for a home practice. It just made it that much better!

I had planned on a particular practice time but for some bazaar reason I had a stomach ache. I can't remember the last time I had a stomach ache! Maybe when I was pregnant back in 2011?!? Regardless, I sought out a stomach relieving pose first and found just what I was looking for.
Knees to Chest Pose (Apasana)

Not in my original practice from 12 years ago, but this pose has been in my life for many more years than that. I only recently knew that pose was helpful for stomach aches because it was primarily used, by me, for a low back stretch.

It did what it was suppose to do and I got relief. Now on to the three poses of the day...


Shooting Arrow (Akarna Dhanura Asana)

My recollection of this pose was using the arms as a bow and arrow. What I wrote in my journal does speak to the arms doing some form of work in a standing  "mountain" pose but I'd be darned if I could find any information online about this pose that represented what I remembered.

Alas, I just went with this rendition and was happy for it. It too was active in the belly so I can't complain. And, I really noticed the imbalance of my hamstring flexibility from side to side.
"I began in the mountain pose with five diaphragmatic breaths. I continued into the pose feeling progressively warmer as I went on. My shoulders were stiff and cracked when I did the arm movements (on both left and right sides). Since I am getting used to the move, I forgot to bend at the knee initially, but I corrected it on the other side. My breathing felt controlled during the movement."

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    Aspiring Yoga Teacher

    I'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.

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  Lisa Workman, MA, BPE, CSEP-CEP, ​AFLCA Instructor, RYT-200 Yoga Alliance, 500-hour Yoga Association of Alberta
​  Edmonton, Alberta
​|   Medical fitness consulting   |   Clinical exercise physiology   |   Yoga therapy   |
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