Yoga for Feet - Yoga for Your Mood

This week we'll explore the feet. There are 4 corners of the foot -- the ball mound of the big toe, the ball mound of the little toe, the inner heel and outer heel. These corners all ground evenly into the earth. As you extend down and into the ground, there is a rebound effect that ideally lifts the 3 arches of the foot. The three arches are:

1. Medial (the inside arch from big toe ball mound to the heel)
2. Lateral (the outside arch from little toe ball mound to the heel)
3. Transverse (the arch from the big toe ball mound to the little toe ball mound)

Massage of the foot and toes helps to loosen fascia tissue (connective tissue) that may block the arches from lifting.

One way to focus on the arches is to be aware of a drawing upwards from the 3 bindus on the foot. Doug Keller describes bindus as "points from which to draw myofascial energy. Bindus are linked directly to muscular action and myofascial tone."

This synergy of rooting and rising is analogis to giving and receiving. As we root, we are reminded to give and extend what we have. As we rise, we fill ourselves with the energy of the earth and bring awareness deeper into the body.

Sadness can stem from too much giving/receiving or not enough. As we work with finding balance and integrity in the body, we find integrity and balance in the mind.

Frequently, sadness is accompanied by a sense of exhaustion, collapse or closing in. The lift and energy of rising up, is gone. An energizing Yoga practice or brisk walk can be just the thing. Also, giving in any way can bring more joy. Volunteering is a great way to give and receive happiness.

“Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.” - Gillian Anderson

Namaste (my heart bows to and honors your heart),

Kris Kramer
http://www.totalhealthyoga.com/
http://www.totalhealthyoga.blogspot.com/

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Yoga for Strength

"The structure is extremely strong."

"She is a strong woman."

"The powerful automobile revved its engine."

"He is a powerful leader."

To gain an understanding of your relationship with strength, read the quotes above. How do they make you feel? Is there a sense of rigidity or understanding? Do you find stagnation or freedom? Do you experience a feeling of fear or peace? Contempt or love?

If you found the former of these options to ring the most true, then you might find it difficult to add strength to your body and mind until you shift your mindset.

True strength and power lead to understanding, freedom, love, and peace.

Weakness breeds fear, contempt, stagnation, and rigidity.

Awareness is the first step to change. If you have a healthy relationship with the idea of being powerful, then the benefits and work involved to invigorate your body (and thus your mind) may come easier.

As with all things, we must consider not overdoing and finding balance.

"The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination."

- Maya Angelou

Namaste,

Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Life is a Journey

Life is a journey - not a destintation

Every day Yoga reminds us of this. If you view each posture (asana) as the goal of Yoga, you miss the journey. Not only that, but you are more likely to injure yourself during your practice. You cannot force or rush your body into positions, just as you cannot force or rush life to play out the way you want in the time you want.

You can work towards something, such as an asana or life goal. But the real practice is in finding the enjoyment of the moment you're at right now. Sometimes an asana remains unreachable, just as some things in life don't work the way we thought they would. The lesson is to still enjoy the journey and where you're at today.

When you unroll the mat and begin to breath and move, don't picture the end pose as something you must get into. Think of the poses as ways to slowly move your body in a given direction, but love the journey--whether-or-not you reach the final "destination".

For example, Uttanasana (standing forward bend) is a position designed to calm the mind, open the back body, and fill you with a sense of surrender. If it's not doing all these things, then take a closer look at your alignment (I can work with you on this). Your forward bend might be with knees bent, hands on your thighs, and a straight spine just tipping slightly forward from Tadasana (mountain). Or you might have your hands behind your heels, straight legs, and your head between your legs. Don't be surprised if you're somewhere between these two extremes!

Each moment, each day, your poses will look different. That's the journey. The lesson is in accepting where you're at in this journey, setting the ego aside, and enjoying it. This applies to all of life.

Namaste,

Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Mantra

This week we're working with some forward bends, such as Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee) and Eka Pada Bhujasana (Elephant). Both of these poses require core strength to do properly. Specifically, hugging in along the "inner girdle" or transverse abdominus muscle.

Our theme is on mantras. The word mantra means 'that which protects'. Doug Keller writes about mantras in his book, Refining the Breath. He says, "Through mantra we stabilize the mind, bring it into a state of equipoise. From that steady and centered state, we are able to recognize the power behind words, protect ourselves from their influence through discrimination, and merge with the divine power behind them - the power of the mantra itself."

He goes on to say, "Mantras are far more powerful than ordinary words because of the purity of their vibration and the accumulated power of the practice invested in them by all who have repeated them. The true power of mantra comes not from any cognitive meaning or 'translation' that we may attribute to it, but from the power of the sounds of the letters themselves."

Hopefully this will bring more meaning to our class chanting of "OM" or "Shanti". For more info, check out http://totalhealthyoga.blogspot.com/2007/10/sanskrit-om-shanti-namaste.html.

Namaste,

Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Inner Peace

Note--The format of this Class Blog has changed a number of times and has had a number of different focuses. It has been moving in the direction of offering direct practice suggestions for you to do at home. This takes a lot of extra time and effort on my part, and to my understanding it is only used by a handful of folks. Also, I only post once a week in this blog so there's not a lot of variety for your home practice. In order to offer a more complete and useful tool for a home practice, I am completing my book, Home Yoga, which can be used as a valuable aid in your practice at home.

This blog will be an overview of the theme with perhaps a few words about what we worked with in hopes to spark a broader view of Yoga and the value of your practice.

Now onto this week's entry....


Many students are looking for inner peace, calm, relaxation, reduced stress, and/or less anxiety. As a friend of mine said,

"You can only give water if there is water in the well."

If you are peaceful, then your family may find calmness. If your family is calm, then your community may be more caring. If communities are more caring, then the nation may be more nurturing. If nations are nurturing, then the world may be at peace.

So, if you want peace in the world, then take time to nourish and replenish yourself--such as with a Yoga practice.

This week, we make peace with our hips by learning how to move from the hip joint instead of the pelvic bowl, knee, and back.


Namaste,

Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!