Restorative Backbend to Improve Posture

Our posture can inform a lot about a person physically and mentally. It’s no secret that we are a society that sits a lot. We sit in our cars, our desks, and on the couch and now coupled with the constant use of handheld devices we sit even more hunched over.  Our tailbones are tucking under, shoulders are round and our chests are collapsed. The thing is our bodies are meant to move and all this sitting has had an adverse effect on our bodies and health.   It’s what we’ve become used to, but it’s a strain and doesn’t serve us. As a result, we experience tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck and our breath is shallow. This physical tightness adds to the stress response in our bodies.

Now just because we get up and walk around it doesn’t mean it goes away. We remain in the collapsed posture therefore constantly looking down! Our breathing remains shallow and when we don’t breathe deeply our energy is diminished.  Unconsciously, we do this all the time.  But pay attention how you are sitting at this moment.  How does it make you feel?  Sluggish?  Depressed?  Closed off?  Now make a change in how you hold yourself.  Right now as you are reading this, sit tall, head lifted, chest open, shoulders back, gaze out in front.  Doesn’t that feel so much better?  Energized?

The studio’s challenge for February is to #BeKind, to others and to yourself. So imagine with better posture, you’d be greeting people with your gaze and your warm smile, wouldn’t that be nice?  I think NY/NJ gets a bad rap for being grumps, but that’s not the case.  We just need to stand tall and look at all the wonderful people around us.

So now that you know the difference in these two vastly different postures what can you do about it?  Attending regular yoga classes can definitely help.  During asana you will work on building strength and flexibility in your body with proper alignment.  But a nice addition to your practice is one of my favorite is a restorative backbend.  It’s very simple and can easily be done at home.  It helps to counteract all the hunching forward by opening up the front of the body and allowing the breath to move deeper within the body.

To start out you will need 3 blankets (at home you could easily use bath towels).  You will want to fold this blanket long ways so the width is about 12 inches across.  Place two blankets about quarter of the way down your mat width wise.  The third blanket you can roll it up to place underneath your knees.  When you lie down you want the folded blanket to come right behind your heart under the shoulder blades.  The top of your shoulders should rest on the floor and your arms will come out by your side in a t-shape.  Your legs are extended long with your knees over the rolled up blanket.  As you lie there, close the eyes and allow the breath to be smooth and slow.  On your inhale the front of your body opens and expands.  As you exhale allow the body and release letting go of tension. Feel the shoulders moving closer to the ground.    You can stay in this pose for 5-20 minutes as long as you are comfortable.  To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll to your side for a few breaths before coming up to seated.

Now how do you feel? Do feel taller? Does your heart center feel more open? Are you smiling? Do you feel the positive energy flowing through your whole body now? Now go out in the world, and share that feeling with someone you love!

If you take a photo of your good gesture, post if on facebook or Instagram and tag Yoga in the Heights with the hashtag #BeKind and we’ll share your good deed with our community!

-Bridget Fujioka

Bridget Fujioka is co-owner of Yoga in the Heights. She teaches Yoga Basics on Monday & Wednesdays at 6:00pm, Core Flow on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:00am and Restorative Yoga on Sunday at 5:30pm.

Compassion

by Erin Kumpf, L.Ac

“The Compassionate Sage acts on that aspect of our lives that is distinctly human. It affects what the Chinese call “Shen” or Spirit. The Spirit is what is outgoing, advancing, and connects to life; it centers us and allows us to reach out. It allows affinity and clarity, and when it’s not nourished properly we can become scattered and lose our sensitivity. The … Fire organ, according to old Chinese texts, is enlightened and compassionate…(with) deep sympathy and lucidity to how we sense the universe and ourselves…”1

In Chinese medicine theory, it is said that the Heart stores the Shen. The Shen is usually translated as spirit, but it includes our consciousness, mental functions and emotion. Our Shen is a dynamic integration of our thoughts, feelings, intention and self-awareness with appropriate timing and connection to the people and world around us. When our hearts are not nourished, our ability to reach out, connect with and help those who are suffering may become hindered.

An undernourished heart can lead to various ailments, including: anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, sweating, mouth sores and dream disturbed sleep. In Chinese Medicine, we use patterns of diagnosis and this may translate to Heart Blood Deficiency, or Heart Fire Blazing for example and usually has an element of emotional disruption. In Western Medicine, this may translate to certain heart-related conditions such as high blood pressure.

Did you know that uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke? 2 People with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.3

Most of us know that healthy lifestyle choices can benefit the heart such as quitting smoking, exercising, eating more fruits and vegetables and eating less processed foods that are often chock-full of sodium and other harmful ingredients that are doing us no good. In acupuncture, we work with needles to correct imbalances in the meridian system (including the Heart meridian) that result in disease. Acupuncture has a regulating effect on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and our heart rates slow down, our endogenous opioids (our own natural substances that have effects similar to morphine) are released and we feel relaxed and our hearts become settled. However, did you know that expressing compassion to others is also beneficial to our hearts?

Compassion is the acknowledgement and response to the suffering of others that elicits a desire to help alleviate the suffering. The etymology of compassion (in Latin), however, is “co-suffering”. It is not only feeling intense emotions (passion) or empathy towards someone but actually engaging to certain level in their suffering and it motivates us towards action to reduce that suffering. A nourished heart means we are open and able to develop healthy relationships with others and enables us to feel compassion for ourselves for people around us. Research has indicated that there may be a deep evolutionary purpose to compassion and that it is an instinctual emotion that has ensured our survival as a species.4 Another recent study indicated that infants’ pupil diameters increase in size when they see someone in need but decrease in size when they can help that person or when they witness someone else helping “suggesting that they are not simply helping because helping feels rewarding.”5 When we feel compassion, we release certain hormones such as oxytocin (the bonding hormone), our heart rate decreases, our stress levels decrease and our immune system strengthens, all of which can ultimately strengthen our heart and our Shen or Spirit. Compassion makes the world a better place by reducing the suffering around us and contributes to the wellness of the whole.

The other amazing benefits of compassion include:

* May lengthen our lifespan 6

* Makes us feel good! Neuroscientists at the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that the pleasure centers of our brains are lit up when giving to charity just as much as when we received gifts.7

* Makes us happier, more optimistic and more supportive of others. A University of North Carolina study evaluated levels of inflammation on those that rated themselves “Very Happy” due to living a life of pleasure verses those that were “Very Happy” due to living a life of purpose and meaning and the inflammation levels were less with those living a “eudaimonic” life.8

* Less stress! 9 Stress is no bueno for the body and mind.

How do we cultivate compassion?

Meditation is a great way to start. By focusing your attention first on the breath you can start to slow your heart rate and quell the mind chatter. Then imagine with each breath, you are inviting in the universal energy around you from the top of your head and direct it to the center of your chest. After a few cycles, start imagining with each exhale you are radiating energy and compassion from the center of your chest out to your extremities and then out to the world.

Imagine this compassion elevating those around you. By engaging in this mental imagery we can start disengaging from self-focused thoughts and increase our sense of connectivity to the world around us, making us more receptive and understanding. Try this for 10 minutes, first thing in the morning to set the tone for the day or right before you go to bed, prepping your body for a night of fitful sleep.

Acupuncture: By balancing the yin and yang of the body, of moving stagnant qi and blood and by nourishing the spirit via heart nourishing herbs, your acupuncturist can help move physical or theoretical obstacles that are preventing your heart and spirit from flourishing and connecting to others. To set up an appointment, call 201-338-0552!

Yoga: yoga, in general, has amazing effects on our entire body. Certain poses are centered at opening those parts that are related to our heart center (such as back bends!) and our ability to connect to others.

Schedule your appointment today with Erin by clicking here.

Erin Kumpf L.Ac, MSTOM is a nationally board certified and state licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist. She holds Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is continuing her studies by completing her doctorate. She incorporates various facets of this ancient medicine including acupuncture, herbs, tui na, gua sha, cupping and moxibustion. While working as a general practitioner, she also has clinical training as an acupuncturist at the Lutheran Medical Center, working in the Labor and Delivery Ward as well as experience working at the drug addiction treatment center at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers. She works with patients of all ages: babies through the elderly. She approaches and respects each patient as a unique individual with unique ailments and strives to help them to wellness with personalized strategies.

References:

1 Compassionate Sage Description. Retrieved from http://www.goldenneedleonline.com/ on Jan. 29. 2016

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital signs: awareness and treatment of uncontrolled hypertension among adults— United States, 2003–2010.MMWR. 2012;61(35):703-9.

3 Stamler J, Stamler R, Neaton JD. Blood pressure, systolic and diastolic, and cardiovascular risks. US population data. Arch Intern Med. 1993;153:598-615. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital signs: awareness and treatment of uncontrolled hypertension among adults—United States, 2003–2010.MMWR. 2012;61(35):703-9.

4 Moll, J., Krueger, F., Zahn, R., Pardini, M., Oliveria-Souza, R., Grafman, J. 2006. Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Vol. 103 no. 42. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/103/42/15623.short

5 Hepach, R., Vaish A., Tomasello, M. Young Children Are Intrinsically Motivated to See Others Helped. Psychological Science. Retrieved from http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/9/967.

6 Konrath, Sara; Fuhrel-Forbis, Andrea; Lou, Alina; Brown, Stephanie. Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk in older adults. Health Psychology, Vol 31(1), Jan 2012, 87-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0025226 7

7 Moll, J., Krueger, F., Zahn, R., Pardini, M., Oliveria-Souza, R., Grafman, J. 2006. Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Vol. 103 no. 42. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/103/42/15623.short

8 Fredrickson, B., Grewen, K., Coffey, K., Algoe, S., Firestine, A., Arevalo, J., Ma, J., Cole, S. (2013). A functional genomic perspective on human well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the Unites States of America. Vol. 110 no. 33. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/110/33/13684.abstract.

9 Poulin, M., Brown, S., Dillard, A., Smith, Dylan. Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality. American Journal of Public Health, Sept 2013, Vol 103, No. 9. Retrieved from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/ abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300876.

 

 

Yoga Poses for Thyroid Stimulation

This month at Yoga in the Heights we are focusing on the Thyroid. In a previous post, Erin Kumpf, our in-house acupuncturist, shared with us common disorders of the Thyroid and how Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, certain foods, and lifestyle changes can correct Hypo and Hyperthyroidism.

Even if you do not have a Thyroid disorder, stimulation of the Thyroid Gland, regulates your metabolism. None of us want a sluggish metabolism!

Here are a few yoga poses that will improve the functioning of your thyroid gland as well as regulate your metabolism:

Dhanurasana (The Bow pose):

1. Lie on your stomach with your hands alongside your body, palms up. Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles. Make sure your knees aren’t wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.
2. Inhale and lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor. This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and head off the floor. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades together and down your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward.
3. With your stomach pressed against the floor, breathing will be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso, and be sure not to stop breathing.
4. Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.

Ustrasana (Camel pose)

1. Kneel on the floor with your knees hip width and thighs perpendicular to the floor. Rotate your thighs slightly inward slightly, and draw your sitting bones up and forward. Press your shins and the tops of your feet firmly into floor.
2. Rest your hands on the back of your pelvis, bases of the palms on the tops of the buttocks, fingers pointing down. Use your hands to spread the back pelvis and lengthen it down through your tail bone. Then lightly firm the tail forward, toward the pubis. Make sure though that your front groin doesn’t“puff” forward. To prevent this, press your front thighs back, countering the forward action of your tail. Inhale and lift your heart by pressing the shoulder blades against your back ribs.
3. Now lean back against the firmness of the tail bone and shoulder blades. For the time being keep your head up, chin near the sternum, and your hands on the pelvis. Beginners probably won’t be able to drop straight back into this pose, touching the hands to the feet simultaneously while keeping the thighs perpendicular to the floor. If you need to, tilt the thighs back a little from the perpendicular and minimally twist to one side to get one hand on the same-side foot. Then press your thighs back to perpendicular, turn your torso back to neutral, and touch the second hand to its foot. If you’re not able to touch your feet without compressing your lower back, turn your toes under and elevate your heels.
4. See that your lower front ribs aren’t protruding sharply toward the ceiling, which hardens the belly and compresses the lower back. Release the front ribs and lift the front of the pelvis up, toward the ribs. Then lift the lower back ribs away from the pelvis to keep the lower spine as long as possible. Press your palms firmly against your soles (or heels), with the bases of the palms on the heels and the fingers pointing toward the toes. Turn your arms outwardly so the elbow creases face forward, without squeezing the shoulder blades together. You can keep your neck in a relatively neutral position, neither flexed nor extended, or drop your head back. But be careful not to strain your neck and harden your throat.
5. Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. To exit, bring your hands onto the front of your pelvis, at the hip points. Inhale and lift the head and torso up by pushing the hip points down, toward the floor. If your head is back, lead with your heart to come up, not by jutting the chin toward the ceiling and leading with your brain. Rest in Child’s Pose for a few breaths.

Setu Bandha (Bridge pose)

1. Lie supine on the floor, and if necessary, place a thickly folded blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck. Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible.
2. Exhale and, pressing your inner feet and arms actively into the floor, push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor. Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel. Clasp the hands below your pelvis and extend through the arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders.
3. Lift your buttocks until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your knees directly over the heels, but push them forward, away from the hips, and lengthen the tailbone toward the backs of the knees. Lift the pubis toward the navel.
4. Lift your chin slightly away from the sternum and, firming the shoulder blades against your back, press the top of the sternum toward the chin. Firm the outer arms, broaden the shoulder blades, and try to lift the space between them at the base of the neck (where it’s resting on the blanket) up into the torso.
5. Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Release with an exhalation, rolling the spine slowly down onto the floor.

Resource for step-by-step instructions: www.yogajournal.com

Video Blog: 3 Most Confusing Nutrition Topics: Carbs, Fats, Labels

Today’s video blog a little sneak peak of the topic we’ll be covering in our first Nutrition workshop @ Yoga in the Heights: The 10 Misconceptions about Good Nutrition.

There is SO much conflicting and confusing information out there regarding what’s healthy and what’s not. It’s enough to make you give up! But hang in there…

In this video I talk about 3 that I think probably cause the most controversy. I get questions about these constantly:

1. Labeling*
2. Fat
3. Carbohydrates

*For more on labeling check out this blog for a more detailed explanation of what the various labels mean, which ones are important to look for and which actually mean absolutely nothing.

Check out the video and let me know what you think and out this topic. We’ll be learning more about these, and 7 others in the 10 Misconceptions about Good Nutrition Workshop LIVE at Yoga in the Heights’ Yoga & Wellness Center’s  Open House on Saturday, October 25th at 12:00pm & 2:15pm.

Get to Know… Jessica Ashen!

As I mentioned in a previous post, each month one of our spectacular Yoga in the Heights staff members will share a bit of themselves with us so that you can get to know them better. If you read something that makes you laugh or smile, let them know! It will make their day!

In the spotlight this month is Jessica Ashen!

Jessica has been with Yoga in the Heights since the fall of 2013. She teaches Level 2 Vinyasa on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm, and Yoga Basics on Saturdays at 12:30pm. She’s also teaching this winter’s Intro to Yoga Series that starts in November.

She describes her classes as fun and playful. And I personally agree!

ALL ABOUT JESSICA…

1. Where are you from?
North Brunswick, New Jersey

2. What is your website?
I LOVE Pinterest. I could spend hours browsing creative ideas.

3. What three words best describe your personality?
Joyful, generous & honest.

4. What is your favorite yoga pose and why?
Plank. The longer plank is held, the stronger we become, second by second! And there are so many small modifications that can change the pose so dramatically. It’s the perfect staple (like peanut butter in the cupboard!)

5. What style do you teach?
A combination of Hatha & Vinyasa.

6. How many tattoos do you have?
Oh boy…as of now, 7. Hopefully more on the horizon!

7. What’s your favorite restaurant in JC?
LITM on Newark Avenue in Downtown Jersey City. It’s where Brian and I had our wedding reception, and we go there every year on our anniversary. They have an amazing selection for vegetarians and are always playing fun music.

8. Favorite song lyrics?
“You belong among the wild flowers…You belong somewhere you feel free.” – Tom Petty, Wildflower

9. What was your first concert?
Haha, NKOTB!!! New Kids on the Block (and yes, my mom was there too…womp womp.)

10. What’s your favorite season?
I enjoy the times between the seasons, the changes. Not one specific season in particular. Change is constant, and I enjoy embracing the seasonal changes. I love when the leaves slowly crisp and fall off the trees; the first snow fall; when the snow melts and the sun is shining; the first beach trip of the summer. It’s all delicious.

11. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?
Total and complete self acceptance. We are our own worst critic. There are always things we’d rather have: being taller, thinner, smarter, etc. I want to love every single bit of me, unconditionally, all the time. I know it’ll bring a sense of peace that is indescribable.

Do you have more questions for Jessica? Post them below!