Learning to Listen

Yoga starts the time you step out from the Studio, not the time you step in. Learn yoga in the Studio to practice outside, in the real world. Most of us, we know a lot of things but how about put it into practice?

The Vertigo attack on April 24th changes my life, entirely. I was not able to do a lot of things, which most of us take it for granted including myself. How true what people said – you’ll only appreciate when you’ve lost it.

I was not able to walk my normal pace, not to mention rock climbing.
I was not able to dash out from the bed every morning.
I was not able to bring Beanie for a walk.
I was not able to drive and ride.
I was not able to hear properly thus can’t play Er Hu.
I was not able to read for 20 mins continuously.
I was not able to practice most of the asanas.

I believe in nature’s cure and our brain is capable of adapting to problems involving senses. For example, blind person often find that their other senses, especially hearing, improve tremendously to make up for their eyesight.

In my case, my brain can adjust to the new situation and after a time, could be months or years before the Vertigo gradually disappears. For this to occur, however, my brain must be regularly exposed to the misleading messages from the inner ear. If this doesn’t happen, it cannot adapt and there will be no cure.

Because my Vertigo occurs only during certain movements, and because the symptoms are unpleasant, there was almost irresistible temptation to avoid those movements and so avoid the symptoms. But I knew by doing so, I miss the opportunity for a natural cure.

Since I refused medications, yoga-ing is the only way for me to get my life back. It wasn’t easy but not impossible. As I always said in the Studio, listen to the body and I am learning to listen all over again.

Straight Lines, In All Directions

Surya Namaskara

STEP 1 - EXHALE
Stand up straight, keep rooting your feet firmly onto the mat, both arms at the side, alive and energise, palms facing inward. Pull the top of your shoulders back and relax them. Keep your head centered and your neck neutral. Be aware of the spine, especially lower lumber, remember to tilt the pelvis. Feel the abs.
Exhale and bring your hands to the heart center, in the middle of the chest, pressing the palms together.

STEP 2 - INHALE
Inhale slowly, raise the hands up until upper arms are next the ears or behind the line of the ears. No tension to the shoulder, lift torso forward with a straight spine, hinging at your hips, reaching up to the ceiling.
The legs should be firm and straight.

STEP 3 - EXHALE
Exhale slowly and swan dive forward with a straight spine, hinging at your hips.

Your arms sweep down sideways, stopping when your fingers reach the mat on either side of your feet or the lowest allowed by your body. Ideally, palms should be flat on the mat, if possible.

Focus on drawing the crown of your head down toward the mat. Feel the stretch the back of the legs and lower back.
Thumbs are next to the baby toes, spread the fingers with middle finger pointing forward.

STEP 4 – INHALE
Inhale slowly, without moving your hands, pressing both palms onto the mat (bend the knees, if required), stretch the right leg backward to maximum, on the toes. Drop the right knee on the mat, point the right toes, soften the right hip (hamstring), slowly stretch the head up and gently lift the palms off the mat, until only fingertips touching the mat.
Front knee and ankle are in one straight line.

STEP 5 – HOLD THE BREATH
As you hold your breath, tuck in the right toes, straighten the right knee and lift if off the mat, lunch the left leg (front leg) to the back, next to the right leg.

Both hands directly under your shoulders, stacking shoulders, elbows and wrists in one vertical line. Shoulder blades are spiralling down your back, away from your ears and tailbone is scooping down toward your heels. Engage the quads and lift the front of your thighs, lift your belly to your spine.

STEP 6 – EXHALE
Rotate the elbows facing the back, tucked both arms close (elbows point to the back) to torso and squeeze inner thighs, press toes down to the mat, exhale slowly ; bend elbows and lowered face and chest toward the mat.

Do not crunch the neck and upper back by allowing the mid-torso to sag.

STEP 7 - INHALE
Inhale slowly, pressed the toes and knees onto the mat and gently move chest and head forward. Keep elbows pointing to the back, tucked in both arms closed to the torso. Let your navel and thighs come down to the mat, pressing the toe nails down onto the mat, straighten the knees.
DO not look up, your view should about 10 – 20 inches infront. Maintain and lengthen the spine as ONE. Feel the stretch at the lower abs as well as ‘good’ stretch at lower lumber.

STEP 8 - EXHALE
In this step, exhale, press both palms onto the mat, shoulders relax, tucked in the toes, bend the knees, and bring the head and chest down; slowly raise the hips up. You are in an inverted V.
Both spine and legs are straight.

STEP 9 - INHALE
Inhale and by pressing both palms firmly on the mat, launch the right foot forward, next to the right palm; if not possible, drop the let knee on the mat and then walk the right foot slowly until baby toe is next to the thumb.

Drop the left knee on the mat, point the left toes, soften the left hip, slowly stretch the head up and gently lift the palms off the mat, until only fingertips touching the mat. Lengthen the spine.
Front knee and ankle are in one straight line.

STEP 10 – EXHALE
Exhale and bring the left foot forward next to right foot, straight spine, hinging at your hips.

Hands either side of your feet or the lowest allowed by your body. Ideally, palms should be flat on the mat, if possible.

Focus on drawing the crown of your head down toward the mat. Feel the stretch the back of the legs and lower back.

Thumbs are next to the baby toes, spread the fingers with middle finger pointing forward.

STEP 11 - INHALE
Inhale slowly, upper arms next to the ear or behind the line of the ears, lift torso forward with a straight spine, no tension to the shouler, hinging at your hips, reaching up to the ceiling.

STEP 12 – EXHALE
Exhale and slowly lower both arms back to step 1.

Stretching

THE SUN SALUTATION – SURYA NAMASKARA

An excellent general warm up exercise, consisting of 12 different positions; full-body warm-ups that build heat and set the pace, breathing rhythms and flow of your yoga practice. They bring your focus further inward and ignite the healing heat inside.

Surya Namaskara mobilise the musculature of the body, get the heart pumping, boost circulation and prepare the body for the entire practice by taking each joint thorough its full range of motion.

Very often the first 10 minutes of Surya Namaskara will be filled with resistance. They may feel hard and uncomfortable but if you keep moving through the poses and breathing in a conscious way, something will suddenly shift and you will enter a flow, a zone! At certain times you just don’t feel ‘into it’, but if you do it anyway, the energy shift. You move to a new place and space, and suddenly you forget all the reasons why it was so hard at first and just start flowing.

If you get an attack of doubt, just remember : You don’t have to like it right in this moment, you just need to it. Yoga practice is not always easy, but it is always necessary.

Perfect Posture – The Yoga Way

Posture is body language, an asana (pose) that tells the rest of the world how you feel – about others, about your life, about yourself. Posture is personality.

So what does your posture say? Are you slouching, facedown on the world? Do you walk with a resigned, round-shouldered look on life? Is your back so straight that people think you are unbendable? Or do you strut, head up, back straight, like a peacock – adventurous, outgoing, ready to meet all challenges?

Maybe your posture isn’t an intentional stance, but the simple result of bad habit. Even so, it can give people the wrong message.

Good posture is practical for other reasons, too. It’s the perfect way to prevent backaches. Your backbone – 33 bony segments called vertebrae – is your body’s foundation. The vertebrae column is what enables you to stand upright. It surrounds and protects your spinal cord, and it is where muscles and ligaments attach to your back. It works as a weight bearer, yet allow flexibility in movement, so you don’t walk stiffly, like a zombie.

Muscles are the key to good posture. Back muscles in proper working order support the spine from the rear. Stomach muscles help to support the spine from the front.

Poor posture wears against the disc – the shock absorbers – in your spine. Poor posture strains and loosens ligaments and it pushes and pulls unevenly on all your muscles. A lifetime of slouching can cause chronic headaches, fatigue and sometimes body disfigurements. Here’s how to make your posture perfect.

Start each day in balance. Begin each day by putting your skeleton in alignment, basic stretches to help you find proper balance. Full extension of the spine, side flexion, hyperextension of the spine (forward bend) and reverse forward flexion of the spine (roll up) – part of warm up in all my hatha classes.

Tadasana (Mountain pose). Relax and practice standing up straight, not the stiff military posture. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet, shoulder away from the ears, hold your chest high, stomach will pull in naturally as you tilt you’re lowering pelvis slightly back. Notice that your buttocks will tuck under and lower lumber will have a very slight arch.

Release tension in the shoulder and neck. Release the tension with shoulder rolls and head circles – warm up in my theraphy yoga classes.

Tilt your pelvis. You can adjust and strengthen the lower lumber with ‘pranayama’ (breathing exercise). Standing too straight without ‘tiny little’ curve called flat back and too much curve called lordosis.

Slouch no more. Stand or sit with both arms at the back, clasp your hands and away from the back as far as possible. This will stretching muscles across your chest, pinching shoulder blades together and contracting those in the back.

Uncross your legs. Crossed leg will throw your body out of alignment. A good hairstylist or barber will tell you to uncross your legs before they cut your hair – they do not want their work to come out lopsided. Keep both feet flat on the floor.

Sit squarely. Sit up straight until you can feel the ‘sitting bones’ firmly on the chair or mat, when you cant feel those bones, you’ve probably rolled down in your seat and are slumping.

Keep your distance. Don’t be tempted to lean your arms and elbow on your desk or table. Sit 6 to 8 inches away from it when you aren’t working – too far to succumb to sound-shouldered posture.

Get good sleep. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst thing you can do because it accentuates the curve in your back. Choose a mattress firm enough to keep you from sinking into it when you lie down and you and your partner do not roll together in the middle!

Keep in tone. Stretch your muscles daily; posture is only as good as the muscles that keep you in line. Keep your muscles strong.

Get maximum relief. At the end of the day, rest your back and improve your posture at the same time. Viparita Karani – lie on the mat with both legs up against the wall.