Relax and renew yoga

This September, summer weather is sticking around for a while and the living should still be easy.  Unfortunately, not for me this time around.  Since early April, one thing after another has taxed my nervous system, overly-stressed my body, and made meditation nearly impossible.  By early July, I found myself spiking a 102.8 degree fever with the worst migraine I've ever had.  Two weeks later it boomeranged back again and my temperature went even higher…up to 103.8.  A trip to the doctor was in order and I literally cried when I stepped on the scale which revealed I had lost a good deal of weight in less than three weeks.

While on vacation at Posey Lake, I was just fine and it seemed I was on the road to good heath.  Then the Friday before Labor Day weekend, I ran a temperature of 105 so Steve took me to the ER where I was diagnosed with a kidney stone that was blocking a ureter causing sepsis.  After an emergency surgery at two in the morning, I spent three days in the ICU followed by another three days in a step down room where I slowly regained my strength.  I've been told I'll make a full recovery, thanks to my age and having been healthy for most of my life.  These days, I simply need to be mindful of taking step by step choices toward finding a new kind of balance.   So I’m spending the rest of 2017 taking care of myself, walking my talk, and eventually making my way toward a healthier future.  Yes, it’s often two steps forward, one step back, but I’m enjoying simple blessings every day, which includes a gentle, restorative yoga practice.  

Here’s a sample of what I’ve been practicing during this unintentional hiatus...with a little help from my yoga cat, Forest.

Enjoy!

         

Awareness Exercise

Spend a few moments relaxing on your back, using a support beneath your knees and/or neck.  Feel the earth holding the back of your heart and shoulder blades, letting go into the support of gravity beneath you.  Feel the back of your head and let go into the space behind your eyes.  Feel the length of your spine and drop your sacrum into the earth, softening the pelvic floor.  Let go through your legs and feet, then soften into your shoulders once again.  

 As you soften into the heart, relax your chest, abdomen, and belly.  Watch your breath move all the way in…then all the way out.  If you would like, place one hand on your lower abdomen and one on the solar plexus.  Continue to watch the breath and if you would like, practice deep breathing...inhaling through your nose and exhaling though your mouth.  If your mind is busy, practice slow, deep nasal breathing.  Follow your breath all the way in...then all the way out for a few minutes.

 Now relax into silence and watch your mind.  Does it wander into the past?   Play in possible situations that may or may not happen in the future?   If you're aware of the present moment, notice what sounds, sensations, or feeling rise up.   See if you can allow whatever is happening in your mind with no judgment or expectation that it be different.  Awareness exercise gives you the opportunity to tune into the present moment with greater clarity.  

Knee Flopping

Knee flopping is a wonderful movement that stretches your ribs, elongates the spine, and allows your lower back to gently adjust itself.  Start lying on your back with your knees bent, hip width apart.  Gently rest your hands on your abdomen or lace your fingers together and rest your head in the palms.

Take a gentle breath in, then as you breathe out, slowly flop your knees toward one side only moving as far as your spine is comfortable, making sure your shoulders stay on the ground.   Breathe in as you bring your knees back to the center, then reverse the movement on the next exhalation. 

Repeat as often as you’d like.

Supported Child's Pose

When I practice supported child’s pose, I use a bolster, but if you don’t have one, you can use a couch cushion or a folded blanket.  Starting in table pose (on hands and knees with hand beneath your shoulders and knees beneath the hips), widen the stance of the knees so you can tuck a bolster, cushion, or blanket between your upper legs.

Take a gentle breath in, then as you exhale, relax forward and rest your body on the support beneath you.  If you need to, you can always add height to support challenges in the hips, knees, feet.  Rest your head by turning your neck to one side.  Just remember to gently turn it the other way to counter-stretch.  Let your arms soften into the earth and breathe.  Let gravity hold you here as long as you’d like.

Reclining Buddha

Lie on one side with your head supported by a pillow or yoga block.  Make sure your knees are stacked so that your hips stay in good alignment.  I place a folded pillow between my knees to keep my hips stabilized and to soften the pressure in the joints.  The arm that is on the floor can rest perpendicular to your body or bend at the elbow, whichever is most comfortable.  The other arm can rest alongside your body. 

Rest and breathe, feeling your body sinking more deeply into the earth.  Stay here for as long as you like, then gently roll to the other side and repeat.

Reclining Spinal Twist

For this pose, you can use one or two bolsters.  If you don’t have a bolster, you can fold up a thick blanket.  To begin, sit with your right hip next to a bolster that is perpendicular to your body.  Make sure there is at least a fist’s width between the bolster and your hip (you can scoot away from the support to create more room for your belly and low back if you’d like).  Gently turn your body to the right and rest your rib cage, shoulder and right side of your head on the bolster.  The right arm is behind you with the elbow bent; the hand is palm up by your hip.  The left arm can rest on the floor or on another bolster.

Again, allow gravity to hold you while you gently breathe into the twist.  When you are ready, gently move your right hand so it is beneath your shoulder, then us your upper body strength to push up out of the pose.  Repeat on the other side.  

Supported Back Arch

For this pose, you’ll need two bolsters, two bricks, and a pillow if you wish to support your head.  Place one bolster length-wise on your mat and the other one width-wise about a foot and a half away.  Place two bricks parallel to each other below the width-wise bolster.  Lie back on the lengthwise bolster, making sure there is at least a fist’s width between your body and the support.  You can place a pillow beneath your head for more neck support.  Then, rest your legs on the other bolster, placing your feet or calves on the bricks.  You can also place your feet on the floor or let them float…whatever feels the most natural for you.

Breathe deeply and let go into the supports beneath you.  If you're comfortable, you can rest here for at least five minutes.  Many of my students use this pose for final relaxation at the end of their practice.

Legs Against the Wall

This is one of my favorite poses…and I’ve been practicing it for more than twenty years.  It’s great for after work or when you’ve been on your feet a lot and is one of the most relaxing, cooling poses you can choose before bedtime.  My friend, Christy, calls this pose “Butt Against the Baseboard” because that’s how you begin.  Lie on your side with your glutes right up against the baseboard and your spine perpendicular to the wall.  Then gently roll onto your back and lengthen your legs against the support behind them.  The knees can be bent if you’d like.  Ideally, your glutes should be touching the wall, but that’s not always comfortable. 

Stay in this pose as long as you’d like.  It’s wonderful for relieving low back pain and releases edema in the legs and feet.  This is my go-to pose after a long day in the garden.  When you’re ready to come out, bend your knees and walk your feet down the wall, then roll over to one side and rest there for a few moments before you sit up.  

Savasana/Relaxation

Many people practice relaxation by simply lying on the floor with their arms relaxed out to the sides.  This modified version is great for softening the pelvis, low back, and spine.  One of my students shared this with the class last summer and we often practice “Stonehenge” at the end of the session. 

Place two bricks on the floor at any height you choose, then stack a bolster on top.  Lie on your side (like you did in the previous pose) and roll over onto your back, resting your calves on the bolster.  You can rest with your arms out the side as pictured, or with your elbows bent, hands resting on your body.  As this is a cooling pose, you may want to cover yourself with a light blanket.    Breathe deeply and relax into the earth, letting go more and more with every exhalation.  

Studies show that over time, fifteen minutes of deep relaxation can be equal to three hours of sleep! I practice relaxation for at least fifteen minutes, and on more stressful days, even longer, especially if a black cat or two is cuddling with me.