Playing the Edge in Yoga

Exert from Erich Schiffmann's book, Practicing the Art of Stillness

Sometimes you will want to flirt more seriously with your various resistances and with the common reluctance to stay with an intense, and perhaps uncomfortable, sensation for an extended period of time. But doing this when you want to do this is different from doing it when you do not want to. If you avoid Feedback and spend a lot of time being uncomfortable or in pain, you are not going to enjoy doing yoga. You will not look forward to your practice. You will not be working with the principles of opening. And by encountering unnecessary tension and resistance, you will not be doing your body any good, either. 

The hallmark of practicing yoga properly, however, is wholeness, wholeheartedness, not being in conflict. The idea is to generate wholeheartedly the optimum intensity of energy by consciously creating an increase or decrease in current. You then use this energy to extend your boundaries and limits, to expand your comfort zone, basically -both physically and psychologically speaking. Yoga is not about "pushing through the pain," "overcoming the pain," "no pain, no gain," or about being excessively willful. If you are having to be brave and courageous in order stoically to withstand excessive intensity, you are pushing too hard. You are forcing the issue, fighting. Never fight yourself. Yoga is not about fighting. There is no advantage to this and there are many disadvantages. Ease up when necessary. Intensify when appropriate. Practice skillfully. 

Envisioning the postures in advance can yield dramatic results, however. And watching someone else do an advanced and difficult posture that you would like to achieve can be especially helpful, both because you see it is possible and can be performed with ease, and because your nervous system -simply by watching -receives a tremendous amount of nonverbal information about how to perform the pose correctly. Having that information in your nervous system and the back of your mind as you practicecan make that pose easier for you, as long as you use it as a general guideline that you understand will be expressed differently in your body. The way to realize these changes is by focusing your attention on the process of what you are doing. This involves flirting with the tight spots, your edges, with sensitivity and attention. 

The main thing to understand is that there is no such thing as a "completed" or "ideal" posture. Each posture is an ever-evolving, constantly moving energy phenomenon that is different from day to day, moment to moment, and person to person. The process of sensitively flirting with your edges and achieving perfect energy flow is not merely the means to achieve the pose -it is the pose. 

This is what the physical aspect of yoga is fundamentally all about. Your body is limited in movement not only through its genetic makeup, but through the conditionings that have accrued over the years. As you age, this becomes more and more apparent. Yoga is a way of exploring these limits. It's not a matter of "How can I attain this or that final posture?" It's a matter of gently pressing into the various edges you encounter within the template structure of each particular posture. And your edges and limits will change as a by-product of this exploration; you will change. 

Therefore, learn to be more interested in the feeling-tone of your body than in how deep you are in the posture. Learn to create an energy flow that is attractive to you. Do this by pressing into your edges with the perfect degree of current and the perfect pitch of breath. Realize this is not a function of how flexible you are. A stiff body can do this just as beautifully as a flexible one. The beautiful inner music the inner feeling -is the yoga, not the achievement of elaborate postures. And be assured, your body will grow more beautiful and become strong and flexible by being played beautifully. 
This is where the concept of push and yield most meaningfully displays itself. The art of yoga lies in how well you play your edges, how delicately you flirt with your limitations, how well you lure yourself deeper into the postures, how sensitively you balance the desire to achieve results with the relaxation of non-desire and surrender, and how thoroughly you immerse yourself in the process and enjoy what you are doing. And again, the primary tool you use is your breathing. Your breathing orchestrates the feeling-tone of the poses as it brings them to life. 

Skill in yoga is a matter of harmonizing your breathing with your energy lines as you flirt with your edges. It's a matter of getting all three just right, of changing them when necessary, and of adjusting and readjusting in order to create the feeling-tone that is the most attractive to you in that moment. It's a matter of adjusting the tension and stretch of your muscles, and the pitch of your breathing, to produce the perfect feeling-tone. You can make it exquisite. The more perfect it is, the more one-pointed and focused your mind will be. 

Pumpkins, Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - No question, Thanksgiving is a day we often overeat. But, Thanksgiving is also a day when we eat foods that can pack a powerful nutrition punch. Let’s take a look at some traditional holiday favorites.

Sweet potatoes are a superfood. One medium (5 inch) sweet potato offers over 100% of your vitamin A forthe day (supplied as beta-carotene), one-third of your vitamin C requirement, and is a good source of potassium, magnesium and fiber. Sweet potatoes also have a very good ORAC score (2,750) which meansthey contain a healthy amount of antioxidants to protect you against free radical damage. Bake the sweet potatoes instead of topping them with marshmallows or candied syrup and a medium potato has only 100 calories.This orange colored, root vegetable offers more vitamin A in a serving than any other fruit or vegetable. A medium sweet potato contains 6,100 to 7850 IUs; the daily adult requirement is 5,000 IUs. The vitamin A found in sweet potatoes comes in the formof beta-carotene. Carotenoids, are called pro-vitamins because they can be converted in the body to vitamin A as needed. Betacarotene also has excellent antioxidant properties, which neutralizes free radicals that can damage body tissues, including those in the eye. ORAC scores measure the ability of a food or substance to absorb and disarm free radicals, preventing damage.Experts recommend a minimum of 3,000 ORAC units a day. One baked sweet potato comes close to meeting that need.

Brussels sprouts are part of the cruciferous vegetable family. These are vegetables – Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale – that are the top sources of glucosinolates. In plants, glucosinolates are stored in plant cells and act asnatural pesticides. When these plants are eaten, glucosinolates act as indirect antioxidants triggering the liver to block freeradicals that can attack DNA. Glucosinolates initiate a cascade of antioxidant activity that cycle over and over in the body. Experts estimate that foods, like Brussels sprouts, can offer protection for up to 4 days after they are eaten. Glucosinolates areextremely effective anti-cancer compounds, slowing cancer cell growth and supporting DNA repair.A half-cup of Brussels sprouts (about 4) has 45 calories and provides over 90% of your daily need for vitamin K, over 50% ofvitamin C, and is a good source of vitamin B6 and folic acid (a B vitamin). The ORAC score is 2,016.

Pumpkin pie, a Thanksgiving staple is actually a very healthy choice. If you bake the pie without a crust and skip the whipped cream topping you can save close to 150 calories. A half cup of mashed pumpkin offers almost 30% of your daily vitamin A requirement and provides the eye-healthy phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin. These substances are naturally found in theretina and they are believed to protect the eye against damaging high-energy light beams and they may help slow thedevelopment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Pumpkin is also one of the best sources of betacryptoxanthin, a carotenoid linked with a lowered risk of lung and prostate cancer. This carotenoid additionally appears to be protective against polyarthritis, an autoimmune form of arthritis that involves inflammation and swelling of multiple joints.When you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year, load up on the healthy choices; go easy on the less healthy foods. Take along walk after dinner to burn off some of the extra calories. Send some of the leftovers home with guests to prevent overeating for more than one day. And, imagine all those vegetable superfoods protecting your body. Enjoy – happy Thanksgiving.

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books. Look for:The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed., 2011, The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011, The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010, The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010, The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/food%20columnist0/Pumpkins_Sweet_Potatoes_and_Brussels_Sprouts.shtml

Magnesium Deficiency present in Alzheimer's/Dementia Study

Magnesium deficiency is a common factor in many chronic and age-related diseases including Alzheimer’s. Among other important functions, magnesium is required for proper digestion, nerve conduction, cardiac muscle function, hormonal balance and carbohydrate metabolism.

Magnesium deficiency is present in several chronic, age-related diseases, including cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. The aim of the present study was to study magnesium homeostasis in patients with mild to moderate AD

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951617

Yoga Asana- Effect on Mood, Anxiety and Brain GABA Levels

Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study

Yoga has a greater positive effect on a person’s mood and anxiety level than walking and other forms of exercise, which may be due to higher levels of the brain chemical GABA according to an article in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online. 

Subjects: The sample comprised 8 yoga practitioners and 11 comparison subjects.

Interventions: Yoga practitioners completed a 60-minute yoga session and comparison subjects completed a 60-minute reading session.

Outcome measures: GABA-to-creatine ratios were measured in a 2-cm axial slab using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging immediately prior to and immediately after interventions.

Results: There was a 27% increase in GABA levels in the yoga practitioner group after the yoga session (0.20 mmol/kg) but no change in the comparison subject group after the reading session ( −0.001 mmol/kg) (t = −2.99, df = 7.87, p = 0.018).

Conclusions:These findings demonstrate that in experienced yoga practitioners, brain GABA levels increase after a session of yoga. This suggests that the practice of yoga should be explored as a treatment for disorders with low GABA levels such as depression and anxiety disorders. Future studies should compare yoga to other forms of exercise to help determine whether yoga or exercise alone can alter GABA levels.

*The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2007.6338

Child's Pose and Feeling Comfortable

In Balasana (child's pose), the shape of the pose forces the front of the rib cage to compress and causes an internal resistance to full, frontal breathing, which is the adopted pattern for most of us. In this resistance you will confront - possibly for the first time - the notion of breathing somewhere other than the front of your lungs, or in such a way as to avoid distending your belly as you inhale. As the frontal ribs are compressed, the unyielding presence of the internal organs and the compression of the abdomen trapped against the thighs limit the diaphragm, sometimes resulting in feelings of claustrophobia, nausea, or even fear. This further precludes soft, even breathing.

In "Salutation to the Teacher and the Eternal One," a paper written by T. Krishnamacharya and distributed to students at the Yoga Mandiram in Madras, he says: "One important thing to be constantly kept in mind when doing asanas is the regulation of the breath. It should be slow, thin, long, and steady: breathing through both nostrils with a rubbing sensation at the throat and through the esophagus, inhaling when coming to the straight posture, and exhaling when bending the body."

The breath described here is commonly known as ujjayi pranayama, victorious breath. The word "ujjayi" can be broken down into the prefix ud - which means upward or superior in rank and conveys a sense of preeminence or power - and jaya, which means conquest, victory, triumph, or success.

Like many Sanskrit terms, the word "jaya" has a compound meaning-it also implies restraint or curbing. Slightly contracting the back of the throat (the glottis) in ujjayi breathing creates a delicate friction and produces a soft, audible sound. Ujjayi breathing squeezes the body as if it were a sponge and increases its capacity to soak up energy. Try fogging up a window with your breath - or making the sound of "ah", the sound you hear will be similar to the sound of ujjayi.

Slowing the inhalation and exhalation forces the breath to lengthen, and by the very nature of elongation, the vital force of the breath "narrows." As it narrows, it moves closer to the spine, toward the sushumna nadi. The word "nadi" comes from the Sanskrit root nad, meaning movement. Simply defined, nadis operate as conduits for the movement of subtle energy, prana, through the body. Like water, prana manifests in a dynamic flow, and hatha yoga is the body's elemental irrigator: A yoga posture both increases the amount of prana available and removes obstacles to smooth circulation.

Ujjayi breathing, done while in Child's Pose or other poses, squeezes the body as if it were a sponge and increases its capacity to soak up energy.

To begin the pose, kneel down, sitting on your heels, with your knees and feet together. Bend forward on an exhalation and place your forehead on the floor. Swing your arms around to the floor behind you with the palms turned up. If this is not comfortable for your neck or it's difficult to reach the floor, support the forehead with a blanket. Bring your attention to the breath: Is it distorted by the compression of the abdomen?

As you begin your next inhalation, imagine you are drawing your breath in through your navel and feel the navel move slightly back toward the spine. You may not get a "full" breath. Your ujjayi breath should create a soft, audible noise from the back of your throat, and you should sense a soft suction in the abdomen pulling in the stem of the navel.

As you continue inhaling, the fullness of your breath moves behind the heart, filling the back of the lungs and softening the spine. As the thoracic ribs expand slightly, feel the skin across your shoulder blades stretching. The energy of the frontal chest and ribs should be still. As you exhale, release the weight of your abdominal organs, soften the diaphragm, and surrender the arms, feeling their weight pulling down on the shoulders and collarbones.

The release of the organs draws your energy down into the pelvic floor, which in effect rebounds up and triggers subtle movement in the spine. With practice, you will notice more space in the abdomen as the organs become toned and supple. The pattern of breathing into your back will become familiar, and your spine will elongate freely as your breath works slowly to expand and release the tension in your ribs.

Although very basic in nature, Child's Pose will help you develop a broader understanding of the breath and allow you to recognize the role your organs play with the subtle energies of your body. While it may not be a physically challenging posture, Balasana will help you cultivate the attitude necessary for deeper practice.