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Mind Body Messenger
Issue #29, October 2005
Keeping Up With Heather…
Greetings Friends,
This messenger brings you news of new programs, changes to existing
programs, and a few breaks from service as I embark on a few adventures.
Holiday
September 30th through October 5th I will be out of town visiting good friends and enjoying some fresh mountain air. There will be no private sessions, no Pilates classes, and no Bootcamp classes during this time. My regular Ashtanga classes will be a go, however, and I’m sure you will all really enjoy a fresh perspective on your practice with Shira.
Thai Yoga Massage
October 19th through the 24th I will be taking a Thai Yoga Massage Course, and thus again there will be no private sessions, no Pilates classes, and no Bootcamp classes. Again, there will be Ashtanga classes at both Tottenham and Toronto locations to inspire you.
Upon completion of my course, I will be offering free Thai Massages to all who are interested in order to fulfill my practicum hours. First come first serve, just drop me a line if you would like to have a free massage, and provide me with essential feedback as I develop new skills.
Eat Like a Yogi
The Yogic Diet workshop will take place on Sunday November 13th
from 12:00-2:30 at Balance Yoga Studio in Tottenham. This workshop
explores the energetic foundations of food and drink, how each food
impacts you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and
how you can implement these ancient practices in your modern day
life for better health, vitality, and weight management. Samples
will be provided at this fun and experiential workshop. To register
call 905.936.YOGA or email heather@yogatrinity.com
for details.
Yoga Teacher Training
Ever thought of taking your passion for yoga and turning it into
an Inspiring Career?
Make that dream a reality with our one-month full immersion Yoga
Teacher Training Program in Moruya, NSW February 25 – March
26, 2006. Our online support program has now begun, and upon registration
to the program you will have access to this personal tool to help
you to establish, maintain, enhance, and benefit from your home
Yoga practice. For details on YTT please write heather@yogatrinity.com
or call Christopher in Australia at 0405 756 256.
Wishing you an awesome October!
Namaste,
Heather
Thoughts On…
Sadhana
By Swami Sivananda
Act now.
Live now.
Know now.
Realize now.
Be happy now.
Every death is a reminder. Every bell that rings says, "The end is near". Every day robs off from you one part of your precious life. Therefore, you should be very earnest in plunging yourself in constant Sadhana. Never fall a victim to fruitless regret. Today is the best day. Today is the day of your new birth. Start Sadhana now. With folded palms, bid good-bye to past mistakes and faults. You have learnt your lessons. March forward now with new hope, determination, and vigilance.
Waver not. Fear not. Doubt not. Do something substantial in the
path of Sadhana instead of wasting your time in idle pursuits and
lethargy. You have infinite strength within you. There is a vast
reservoir of power within you.
Therefore, do not lose heart. Obstacles are stepping-stones to
success. They will develop your will. Do not allow yourself to be
crushed by them. Defects remind you of perfection. Sin reminds you
of virtue. Chose the positive path. If you think, "I will take
a bath when all the waves of the sea subside", this is not
possible. The waves will never subside and you will never take a
bath. Even so, if you think, "I will start spiritual Sadhana
or meditation when all my cares, worries and anxieties cease, when
all my sons are fixed up in life, when I have ample leisure after
retirement", this is not possible. You will not be able to
sit even for half an hour when you become old. You will have no
strength to do any rigorous Tapas when you are in advanced senility.
You must start vigorous spiritual practices when you are young,
whatever your conditions, circumstances and environments may be.
Then only you will reap a rich spiritual harvest when you become
old. You will enjoy the everlasting peace of the Eternal.
For more wisdom from Swami Sivananda visit the Om Page at www.sivananda.org.
Ab Flab – Conquering the Curse of the Expanding Mid-Section
A recent survey of gym-goers revealed that the most common area
that men and women wanted to improve on was their midsection. From
reducing waistline fat to improving abdominal strength and reducing
lower back pain, the waist is definitely an area of focus for the
majority of adults in North America. But, this is not news to you
or me, is it? We didn’t need a survey to remind us of our
goals. What we would like to see in the news is some truth about
how to reduce abdominal fat and reveal a strong, streamlined, and
efficient abdominal area. So, to conquer a few myths, and drive
home a few oft-told truths, I’ve compiled a list of no-nonsense
ab de-flabbers.
What causes Ab Flab?
Beyond genetics and age, abdominal fat is most often caused by
the usual calorie imbalance of over-eating and/or under-exercising.
However, choosing certain foods can also cause a bigger waist girth.
Sugar, wheat, yeast, dairy, alcohol, and carbonated beverages like
soda and sparkling mineral water tend to cause short-term bloating
in the stomach. As well, many of these foods, like sugar and alcohol,
tend to be calorie rich and nutrient poor, leading to excess fat
storage. Reducing your intake of these foods will quickly lead to
a reduction in abdominal bloating, and over time a reduction in
abdominal fat.
Chill Out…
Science has revealed a link between the body/brain drugs adrenaline
and cortisol, and excess abdominal fat. When we exist in a constant
state of low level tension or stress, these body/brain drugs remain
in our system, causing the body to revert to a “code yellow”
to preserve the safety of the physical body. This special alert
system causes us to store excess fat in the abdomen in order to
be prepared for whatever pending disaster we are so tense about.
So, what to do?
Let Go
If chronic muscle tension is an issue, it is important to spend
time each day consciously letting go of the holding and the tension
in your body. Tension cannot be forced out, so this practice must
be done in a quite and relaxed manner, and for best results it must
be done daily. Even if it’s only a few quiet moments in the
bath, or a prayer/meditation before bed, your intention to relax
your body will have tremendous impact if practiced regularly. For
even better results, a guided Yoga Nidra practice will help you
to relax your body and mind systematically. Yoga Nidra CD’s
are available at most yoga studios, and are a simple way to find
relaxation in every day. As well, regular massage, reflexology,
reiki, aromatherapy, or any form of healing or body work can be
a great addition to your relaxation program.
Breath
Deep breathing helps to massage tension, worry and anxiety from
the abdomen, and sends nutrients to areas that sometimes suffer
when we are rushing through life. Use the Yogic Breath for best
results:
Inhale through your nose, bringing the breath into your belly first,
then allow the breath to move into the front, sides and back of
the ribs, and finally filling the chest all the way up to the collar
bone (keeping neck and face relaxed). Exhale the breath from the
belly, then the ribs, then the chest and repeat. This exercise practiced
for 40-100 breaths daily will improve your health and vitality immeasurably.
Pump It Up
As we age our body naturally lowers its metabolic rate. As well,
unless we are maintaining a regular fitness regime or are very active,
we begin to lose lean muscle mass. This means that our bodies no
longer require the same amount of calories to function. If we continue
to eat the same amount, this will result in weight gain. So, if
you want to continue to eat a full and healthy diet, the answer
is to get pumping!
Fat doesn’t require anything from the body, it just is,
it’s just fat. Muscle tissue, however, is metabolically active,
and needs to be fed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week whether you are
working out or not. So, as we build strength and add lean muscle
mass through exercise, we become more metabolically active, thus,
the body burns more calories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A fitness
class, a few push ups and lunges at home, a dynamic Yoga or Pilates
program, or a strength program designed by your trainer are all
effective ways to improve your strength, decrease body fat, and
streamline your body.
Stand Up and Be Counted
Our posture can be unkind to our bodies in more than one way. Along
with being a contributor to chronic muscle tension, repetitive strain
injury and lower back pain, poor posture makes us look 5-10 pounds
heavier than we really are, and makes us look and feel sluggish.
Enhancing your posture can streamline your body, and have the essential
side effects of supporting your joints, improving your ergonomics,
and enhancing your feelings of self-esteem and confidence. Try it
now; lengthen through your spine. Gently compress your abdominals
to support your body, (like you are wearing a girdle or corset),
relax your shoulders and broaden your chest. Don’t you feel
better already? A graceful carriage of the body isn’t just
for the royals any more, we can all benefit from a more regal stance.
To Crunch or Not to Crunch?
It’s true that we cannot target weight loss, we can’t
pick and choose exercises to reduce fat from certain areas. Although
a varied and well designed program can certainly decrease overall
body fat, spot reducing is a myth. However, the Pilates method has
been shown to improve posture and streamline the waist. This won’t
happen in your first class, but with regular attendance, you will
find that your waistline lengthens, your posture improves, and you
achieve a better ability to recruit and compress the entire abdominal
area.
Go Yoga
Seems that the spare tire is not a new phenomenon, as the ancient
system of yoga has many posture dedicated to the area. In particular
spinal twists help to reduce abdominal tension and bloating, and
the following exercises in our Yoga for Mind and Body column will
streamline abdominals, and build a foundation of strength that your
body can depend on.
Yoga For Mind and Body
Special thanks to Ross Pottinger of Wink Photo Design in Brisbane,
Australia for the photos, and many thanks to Louisa Dick for lending
her body and her smile to the photos. Do check with your health
care practitioner before beginning a yoga practice. Many postures
are not suitable for pregnant women, people with joint replacements,
those with hypertension or other medical conditions. If you have
a posture that you would like to see in this column, I welcome your
suggestions. Namaste, H
The following moves are ideal for strengthening abdominal muscles,
toning mid-section, and stimulating digestive and eliminative organs.
 Single
Leg Lift
Lie on your back with hands under lower hips (to assist in keeping
lower back on the ground). Inhale to prepare, and exhale to compress
your abdominal muscles into your spine, maintain this compression
through the duration of the exercise. As you inhale slowly lift
your right leg up as high as you can without the left leg lifting
or hips twisting. Exhale and slowly release and repeat on left leg.
Repeat 10-20 repetitions keeping lower back grounded, and head and
neck relaxed.
 Double
Leg Lift
Lie on your back with hands
under lower hips. Inhale to prepare and exhale to compress your
abdominal muscles, keeping lower back grounded throughout exercise.
Inhale to lift both legs up to 90 degrees. Exhale to slowly lower
until legs are just hovering over the ground, then inhale to lift
again. Be sure that your back doesn’t arch when you lift
your legs, ensure that you are lifting and lowering from compressed
abdominals only. For more intensity release your hands from under
hips. For even more intensity raise your arms overhead during the
exercise.
30-30-30
To further intensify the Double Leg Lift, you can lower the legs
just 30% pause for a small breath, lower another 30% and pause,
then a final 30% so that you are hovering just over the ground,
then lift legs back to start with control and repeat. Repeat this
exercise 10-20 times, as long as you can complete the movement with
control and respecting the integrity of the spine.
 Active
Morningstar
Lie on your back with arms extended to sides. Inhale to lift right
knee to chest, then exhale and rotate through the waist to bring
right knee to the ground on the left side of the body. Inhale to
return to start and repeat. For more intensity keep your leg straight.
For even more intensity perform this exercise with both legs together,
knees bent.
For even more intensity work with double legs and keep them straight throughout the exercise.
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