Posts Tagged ‘Registered Yoga Teacher’

I Can’t Remember the Sun Salutation!

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

You don’t need to worry about trying to remember it. The Sun salutation is simply a series of flowing poses, linked together by breath. It’s also known as a Salute to the Sun or in Sanskrit (the original language of yoga) Surya Namaskar.

This series builds strength and flexibility in the muscles and spinal cord, it alternates flexion (forward bending) and extension (gentle back bending) of the spine through the series. It’s great as a warm up to the rest of your practice or just on it’s own. Different styles and levels of yoga have different variations of the series. There isn’t even a set number of poses in the series, but typically it’s twelve to fifteen poses. Ultimately you could piece together a string of poses that works for you and call it your own personal sun salutation.

A single round is made of two complete sequences of the series, one for the right side and one for the left. To get the most benefit I would suggest at least 2 rounds of the sequence you choose, or two on each side.

A Basic guideline:

Pose 1: Mountain Pose with hands at heart center

Breath: Exhale

Pose 2:Extended Mountain pose

Breath: Inhale

Pose 3:Forward Fold

Breath: Exhale

Pose 4: Lunge

Breath: Inhale

Pose 5:Downward Facing Dog

Breath: Exhale

Pose 6: Plank

Breath: Inhale

Pose 7: Crocodile

Breath: Exhale

Pose 8:Cobra or Updog

Breath: Inhale

Pose 9: Downward Facing Dog

Breath: Exhale

Pose 10: Lunge

Breath: Inhale

Pose 11: Forward Fold

Breath: Exhale

Pose 12: Extended Mountain Pose

Breath: Inhale

Pose 13: Chair (not typical but I like to add this one in)

Breath: Exhale

Pose 14: Extended Mountain Pose

Breath: Inhale

Pose 15: Mountain

Breath: Exhale

A few other basic notes about the series is not to stress out about the breathing. The key really to make sure you are breathing and not holding your breath, the rest will come in time. Making sure to breath in or out as the case may be with each pose will keep you moving along faster and warm-up your breath and your body very easily and very quickly.

There are many variations of this series online, in books and elsewhere and they will all work. Don’t worry about following them word for word or movement for movement. Let the movement take over and enjoy your practice, these should not be a memory test!

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Manager, Yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundinglifestyle.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in creating a grounded life on and off the mat. You can also follow her at gaylenet on Twitter and on Facebook.

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Posted in Guest Authors, Yoga for Beginners | 1 Comment »

Yoga Props Today

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

Yoga props can be expensive and confusing. But are they necessary? No, yoga props aren’t necessary but they can make life a little easier.

To do yoga really all you need in yourself. No special clothes, fancy props or expensive instructors. There are a few things that can make yoga a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.

The Mat

If you are going to purchase one prop a yoga mat would be the first thing to look into. When I started practicing they were expensive and far between. Now you can get a mat pretty much anywhere but before you buy one do a little of research. There are standard sizes of mat’s but they work for standard size people. If you are taller, look for a longer mat. If you have sensitive knees or back look for a thicker than average mat, I always use two mats stacked together and find that most comfortable. A newer development in mat’s is the material. The price range and material vary. There are mats made artificial products, which can off-gas so make sure to be careful of the content if you are allergic to rubber and or latex. There are now recycled mats, eco mats and many others. Evaluate your needs, wants, money and priorities before purchasing.

The Strap

Depending on your age this one could cook up some scary images! After the mat I would rank the strap as 2nd most important. Lots of poses can be broken down into smaller steps, we are not all pretzels. A strap is useful for all levels of users, to helps use reach our toes or to aid us into getting into poses easier. Depending on your budget an old neck-tie can work just fine. Not all facilities have props to borrow.

The Block

I’m ranking the block third most important yoga block. There is a wide range of materials used for blocks, dense foam, cork, fiber, bamboo and I’m sure some others. A phone book works great when practicing at home but if you’re traveling anywhere to practice you may want something a bit lighter. I find the cork and wood a bit hard, but the dense foam isn’t the best environmentally friendly item. Try out a few and make this call for yourself.

Comfortable Clothes

You don’t need expensive and fancy clothes for yoga but you do need comfortable, breathable clothes. For women it’s best to have a well fitting top so that when you are hanging out upside down you keep your dignity. I would advise against short shorts just for everyone’s piece of mind. Avoid ties, belts, zippers, snaps or buttons would be advisable.

There are other props such as bolsters, blankets, sandbags and more but the above are the basics.

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Manager, Yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundinglifestyle.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in creating a grounded life on and off the mat. You can also follow her at gaylenet on Twitter and on Facebook.

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Yoga For the Nurturer

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

To generalize all women want to protect and nurture. It may be our own children, other members of our immediate or extended family, our pets or our friends!

Even though yoga was “invented” and practiced by men for 1000′s of years nowadays it has a huge female following. There is really no mystery why- women need the benefits that yoga can bring.

As nurturers let’s take a few minutes this month to calm our minds & nerves, open the chest, abdomen and pelvis, lower high blood pressure, stimulate abdominal organs and improve mobility in digestive organs, help relieve the symptoms of mild depression, PMS and menopause by breathing easy in a restorative yoga pose – Reclined Bound Angle Pose.

You will need: an open floor area, 3 pillows or bolsters and a blanket.

Steps

1.) Sit comfortably on the floor placing pillow #1 behind you.

2.) Lie back on pillow #1, if it’s too low to the floor try folding it in half or adding a folded blanket on top.

3.) Bring the soles of your feet together letting your knees fall out to the sides.

4.) Place pillows #2 & 3 under the knees on each side.

5.) Cover yourself with a blanket.

6.) Relax arms out to the sides with your palms up towards the ceiling.

7.) Close your eyes and breath deeply until relaxed, try starting at 1 minute and work up to 5 minutes.

8.) To come out of pose slowly roll over onto one side for a few minutes and then gently push up to seated.

9.) Making a mental note to bring this deep breath into the rest of your day & enjoy!

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500 hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Manager, Yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundinglifestyle.ca  for more information. Gaylene specializes in creating a grounded life on and off the mat.

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Posted in Yoga for Women, Yoga Lifestyle | No Comments »

Opening Your Heart With Yoga

Monday, January 25th, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

If you have taken or seen a Yoga class you may have heard “Lead with your Heart Center” (or something else similar). The Heart Center in Yoga refers to the Heart Chakra. The Heart Chakra is the 4th of 7 Chakras (or Energy Centers in the body). These centers are often used as reference points in Yoga, Chinese Medicine, Thai Massage or other traditional healing methods.

We are referring to the area of the body in and around the heart and lungs, including the shoulders, upper back and chest. This area is known as the domain of human intimacy – and is associated with love, acceptance, forgiving, devotion, understanding, acceptance, peach, harmony, contentment, compassion and relationships. I feel the most important of all this is self-love, we can’t love and care for others if we don’t do the same for ourselves first!

The best thing we can do for ourselves is to open up the heart chakra, increasing blood flow to the heart, lungs and the rest of the body. This also can bring us better posture, bigger lung capacity, better circulation, making us feel better and making it possible to pass on these great feelings to others.

A simple way to open up the heart Chakra is a Chest Expansion:

1.) Starting in a neutral standing position or mountain pose

2.) Reaching out palms back behind each other

3.) Imagine that you are holding a giant beach ball behind your back

4.) Squeezing the shoulder blades together

5.) Inhaling into the expanded lungs

6.) Gazing gently up and forward and closing our eyes

7.) Taking as many breaths in and out as you feel comfortable

8.) Releasing arms down to your sides

This can be repeated as often as is comfortable. Also a great pose to use after driving, sitting at a desk or anything that makes us prone to hunching forward.

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundingfitness.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in yoga and lifestyle management. Creating a grounded life on and off the mat.

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Posted in About Yoga, Yoga Philosophy | No Comments »

Detoxification With Yoga

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

By Gaylene Thoeny

The New Year is a natural time to think about detoxing but any time of the year is great. Yoga in general is detoxifying. Yoga gets more blood & oxygen to flow through the body, cleaning stale air out of our lungs, loosening our muscles and creating positive thoughts. There are numerous ways to detox the body, by breath, by nutrition, drinking more water, brushing the skin, fasting and many, many more.

Once basic way to detoxify through yoga is twists. Twists oxygenate and feed the internal organs in the abdomen and pelvis delivering fresh blood to the spinal nerves, blood vessels and tissues. Twists loosen muscles freeing toxins that may be stuck in knotted muscles and increasing the circulation through the whole body. Twists stretch and contract the muscles in the back, feeding the vertebrae and creating a healthy back.

Mentally and physically twists makes things flower better through the body. Once things are flowing freely through the body and body is able to rid itself of toxins faster & easier. There are many twists in yoga but one very simple and gentle twist is a reclined twist (this pose also works wonders on a hangover).

Reclined Spinal Twist:

Getting Into the Pose: Lying on your back, with your arms at your sides, bringing the soles of the feet to the floor the width of the mat (or hip width apart), knees pointing towards the ceiling.

Holding the Pose: Exhale and let the knees fall down to one side, inhale the knees up to center, exhale the knees down to the other side. Repeat for a minimum of 6 breaths. Or until you feel you are done.

Benefits: Improved digestion & circulation, reduce backache and sciatica, relieves menstrual discomfort, stimulates the lymphatic system, relieves stress & anxiety, massages the internal organs, feeds the vertebrae in the spinal cord, loosens muscles in the back and surrounding the spine.

Happy Twisting & Detoxing to you all!

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundingfitness.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in yoga and lifestyle management. Creating a grounded life on and off the mat.

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Posted in Recent Articles, Yoga for Health, Yoga Lifestyle | No Comments »