A Yoga Practice for Traumatic Brain Injury

Recently I had the opportunity to teach yoga to a group of students with one common characteristic, Traumatic Brain Injury. Circumstances of their disability - car accidents, drug abuse, suicide attempts, illnesses- varied and were tragic in their reality and swiftness. What impressed me was the student’s willingness to participate. The students presented with a variety of physical conditions, some were ambulatory, others were not, most were stiff, some had difficulty communicating, used wheelchairs, had paralysis, but each student showed willingness to be fully present to this new experience. Yoga has shown to be beneficial for a variety of conditions and each person brings with them their own reasons for their willingness to participate. Here is an outline of our practice and the benefits for each practice:
We began with chanting, "Om Shante" translating to peace and calling upon the feeling of peace within. The positive effect of chanting:
• 0pens the throat which is the center of communicating and truth
• Improves breath function and use of abdominal muscles in order to sustain long held sounds
• Activates the parasympathetic response with soft pitch sounding
• Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system response to produce energy
• Improves hand eye coordination when adding hand gestures to the chant

Next we focused on Pranayama (Sanskrit word for breath). I taught them Simhasana (Lions Breath). The positive effects of this practice include:
• Relieving tension in the jaw, and face
• Helps to change to moot, encourages laughter
• Proper inhale and exhale ratios to bring balance

Then we launched into some mild chair poses and some asanas (name for physical poses) for strength:
• Virabradasana II (Warrior II)- encourages proper body mechanics with awareness ( knee over ankle, broad through upper back and chest, tailbone down, belly in). Holding this pose for several breaths encourages strength in quadriceps, abdominals, and upper arms and shoulders.
• Tadasana (mountain pose)- sometimes translated to equal standing, allowing all the muscles from the bottoms of the feet to the top of the head to work in combination and coordination with each other translating to a feeling of stability and strength while upright. Combining this with Anjuli Mudra (prayer hands) allows the student to connect with their own divinity through the posture of reverence.

Every yoga class ends in a period of relaxation in which the body is allowed to rest in stillness in order to allow the physical body to take in the effects of the practice at a cellular level.
• Savasana (Corpse Pose)- in complete physical stillness, I was able to observe a complete release as I went around to each student, laying hands on their shoulders to encourage grounding, bodies softened.
• Dhyana (Meditation)- yoga was originally developed to get the physical body to a point where it was appeased with movement so that it could rest in the stillness of meditation. Through the focus on the breath moving in and out through the nostrils I led the students through a guided meditation. We focused on the heart, visualizing a green light illuminating the heart space and growing from there. In the light of the heart space a feeling of compassion, kindness and love grows spreading to the entire body and beyond allowing the student to release pent up emotions of loss, grief, sadness for a life lost through tragic circumstances. A growing sense of compassion and kindness toward the self that is in the present moment of this experience develops strengthening and creating new brain pathways.

What I left with as a teacher and facilitator of the student experience was a sense of awe for the level of concentration of these students, whose lives had been wrangled away from them through tragic circumstances. Their willingness, even those that protested verbally or whose physical bodies seemed to protest so impressed me. One student smiled the entire time, another cursed often, but the body kept attempting the practice and single focused attention was paid to the practice. Following our final blessing: “Om Shante, Shante, Shante,(peace, peace, perfect peace)… Namaste” (traditional closing to yoga practice which translates to “the divine in me bows to the divine in you”) a student approached me to say, “Thank you for reminding me of my former self… I used to be an athlete and this practice reminded me of whom I once was… Thank you!” Tears welled in my eyes to have been able to bring this man such a gift, a gift to which I offer credit to a benevolent energy (call it God, Higher Power or universal kindness, the name is irrelevant to the power of the energy) which shows up in yoga practice when the student is open to experiencing it. This is the true power of yoga, that which cannot be explained, but must be experienced.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

Join us for some rockin fun and movement through the practice of yoga this summer…

Allow your children to experience the many benefits yoga has to offer through this one week summer camp experience. What makes yoga different from stretching or working out is yoga’s unique ability to connect the body, spirit, and mind inward. Children now more than ever need the grounding offered from a strong yoga practice. Yoga offers a creative outlet to balance children’s overly structured often stressful routines. Yoga evens the playing field for many children. The yoga postures, or asanas, can be practiced by children of all ages regardless of age or physical ability. It doesn’t matter if your child is physically strong or has a physical disability, highly intelligent or struggling academically, able to behave or overly active, of average weight or struggling with obesity, yoga offers something for every child. The YOGA FOR ALL approach meets children where they are and offers something for everyone including children with special needs. Differences are welcome, inclusion is encouraged. Through yoga asanas (the name given to the physical poses of yoga) such as “warrior”, “lizard on a rock,” “cobra”, “shark,” “elephant breath,” and many others children learn valuable lessons of relaxation, support, openness, power, determination, expansion, grounding, and cooperation in a fun, friendly, supportive environment. Daily Camp Schedule:  This Amazing Body (an exploration of the systems of the body: muscular, nervous, skeletal…)  Fueling the Body (nutrition through food preparations, group games…)  Lets Practice (yoga poses, partner poses, games, breathing, singing, quiet time...) Following is my local schedule: June 13-15 (W-F) Steadfast and True, Nashville, Grades Rising K-5 1:45-4:45 To Register Contact: Gillian - http://www.steadfastandtrueyoga.com/ or Michele Priddy – mpcpartnership@gmail.com June 25-27 (M-W) First United Methodist Church, Hendersonville, Grades K-5 9:00-12:00pm To Register Contact: Michele Priddy mpcpartnership@gmail.com July 23-25 (M-W) Steadfast and True Yoga Studio, Nashville, Grades Rising K-5 July 9-12 and July 16-20: Down's Syndrome Association, Nashville Ages teen - young adult 1:30-2:45 Contact: Erin Kice erin_dsamt@bellsouth.net Program Director, Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, 615.386.9002 | www.dsamt.org

Finding Peace Within

Reposted from: DAILY OM May 10, 2012 by Madisyn Taylor If we are to have true peace in the world, we must first find it within ourselves. Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don’t like ourselves, for example, we probably won’t like those around us. If we are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create change. When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction—the desire to defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict peace. Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us, because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity. Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it in the light of our love.

Osteoporosis: What is It... Can Yoga Help?

Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. This causes bones to become weak and brittle. It occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. Normal bone formation requires two essential minerals, calcium and phosphate. If you do not get enough calcium, or you body does not absorb enough calcium from the diet, then bone production and bone tissue can suffer. As you age, calcium and phosphate may be reabsorbed back into the body from the bones which make the bone tissue weaker. This is why the bones become brittle, fragile, and more prone to fracture even if no injury occurs.

In the early stages of bone loss, there is usually no pain or symptoms. However once bones have weakened by osteoporosis, symptoms might include: back pain, loss of height, stooped posture, a fracture that occurs more easily than expected.
Most people reach their peak bone mass by their early 20’s. As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it is created. Factors that might increase the likelihood that you’ll develop osteoporosis include age, race, lifestyle choices and medical conditions and treatment. Certain medications such as corticosteroids taken for a long period of time and family history also play a factor in osteoporosis. Sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol and tobacco use also play a part in increasing a person’s risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis has also been linked to seizures, depression, gastric reflux, and cancer. A lifelong lack of calcium, eating disorders and weight-loss surgery also increase a person’s risk for development of the disease.

Yoga has been shown to benefit persons with osteoporosis; however caution needs to be taken with certain poses. If there is significant bone loss due to osteoporosis (evidence by fractures due to thinning bones), exercise caution with forward folds (especially seated forward folds) due to risk of compression fracture in vertebrae, especially when the head is dropped. Other contraindicated poses would include knee to chest and straight leg raises, as well as high impact movement, and child’s pose as it compresses the front of the spine and could lead to fracture. Balancing poses and certain inversions should be modified using a wall for support. Certain inversion such as head stand might cause too much compression on the spine and are contraindicated. Balancing poses should be practiced with modifications as they test balance and lead to improvements which might prevent falls. Downward facing dog, and arm balances place weight on the wrists which are a frequent location of fracture and should be modified or avoided. Down Dog at the wall would be a safe alternative or dolphin.

Poses which should be practiced are weight baring poses which develop strength in the bone. Poses recommended for osteoporosis should:
• Be Weight-bearing
• Offer Resistance
• Increase Flexibility

YOGA POSES FOR OSTEOPOROSIS:

1. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) This pose is weight bearing on the legs and feet, arms, wrists, and hands. It also encourages mobility in the hips and a concavity to the spine, rather than the convex, hump shape.

2. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) In addition to building bone strength, Warrior 2 strengthens your arm and leg muscles. This pose also improves your balance and stretches your inner thighs.

3. Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) This breath works to bring equal amounts of oxygen to both sides of the brain, for effective mental functioning, restoring emotional calm. Improves focus and concentration, calms the nerves and creates mental stillness. Feel as if your whole body is centered over your coccyx (tail)bone and your mind is clear.

Can Running be YOGA?

Reflections on My Yoga Experience while Running the Scenic Half Marathon Chattanooga, TN -February 25, 2012-My 49th Birthday

Can running be a yoga practice? Does running have the same sense of awareness, stillness, acceptance, letting go, drawing inward, opening, gratitude… all of the experiences gently suggested by any yoga class or within any individual study and practice? These questions are the reflective musings of my now quieted mind on this my forty nine years of life celebrated with my first half marathon experience of the year. (Happy Birthday to Me)

Is yoga more than any one pose or combination of poses typically portrayed in any yoga class, workshop, video or other media outlet? Can running, or any activity/practice done with the same energy, feeling, awareness, mindfulness as a typical yoga class be considered part of the yogic experience? Well let’s explore and compare the running experience/practice with the “yoga” experience/practice.

I began this beautiful day in awareness. As I laced up my shoes, fastened my timing chip and bib number an appreciation of the coolness, the bright sun and my breath streaming out of me in a thin white puff developed. As I took foot to road, one step at a time the energy awareness brought on by my senses moved within me – the sights, the ducks calling around mile eight (seemingly cheering us on), my fellow runners (some slow, some fast, some aware and engaged, some lost in their headsets, smiling, panting, concentrating…), the guy who kept me company the last seven miles, and most of all this amazing body I’ve been gifted with. It continues to be a source of amazement how everything seems to work together – the joints, muscles, bones, heart, internal organs, and most of all the breath… smooth, easy, powerfully peaceful – all of the body working together.

For me running has always been a meditative practice. Like the asana, I enjoy being alone with the ground (steady, sturdy, supportive) under my feet. I have learned the gift of presence, I run through mantra, breath, prayer looking to find steadiness and comfort in the middle of movement, searching for internal stillness. Hmmm this sounds like yoga. But let’s explore and the filter my running experience through Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga just to be sure.

1. Yamas- universal morality, my relationship with others
Well as I ran I greeted as many of my fellow runners with a pleasant, “good morning” offering cheer, encouragement, love and joy. I waved as passing cars, getting a few honks in response and occasionally a wave. I paused in Anjuli Mudra, bowing and extending Om Shante to a pair of crosses memorializing someone’s passing on the side of the road. It does surprise me how UNpresent people can be and I remember times when I too have been less than present. Many are so serious, driven by what’s ahead instead of enjoying what’s right now. As I greeted each soul, a sense of connectedness deepened compassion and love extended.

2. Niyamas- personal observances, my relationship with myself
Since today’s my birthday, I told as many people as I could. It felt good to be grateful, accepting, and at peace with my own age – not wishing to change anything about the past or the present, just being with all that the past forty nine years has formed me into. A spring in my step and a smile crossed my face each time I extended my own celebration of me outward to others. The energy of joy flowed within me.

3. Asana- physical poses in the practice
Well can running be the posture, the pose, the physical expression? A variety of physical sensations welled up within me at different times. The efforting and strain to move up a difficult hill, the ease of the flat road, the momentum of the downhill, the sensations in my hips, gluts and the bottoms of my feet – all of these were part of the physical experience as my body continually changed form to accommodate what I was asking of it. An awareness of comfort, discomfort, challenge, slowness, steadiness, external movement, internal stillness and unrest all became a part of my experience and the mind states I had to work within as I continued to propel forward. I know I have had all these experiences in a yoga class or at home alone with my own mat. Hmmm sounds, feels, expresses itself like yoga to me- runasana.

4. Pranayama- the breath, control of prana
Running brings forth the breath; it is felt deeply, loudly, forcefully at times. The prana is the energy force that comes more subtly to those that pay attention. So much life force energy flowing through me, yes I felt it, expressed it with gratitude with each moment of awareness. I allowed my yoga breathing- sometimes deep and full, sometimes fast and furious, but always in awareness. I found myself checking in often with my mind state or the physical sensations scanning for discomfort utilizing the powerful energy of the exhale to bring serenity. I had moments of pause, bringing to my mind state those still places in between the inhale and the exhale. When I could find them, I rested momentarily in them.

5. Pratyahara- control of the senses
I have to admit, I was enjoying the visual stimulation along the way – the fishermen in their boats in the gentle rippling of the river, the sun sparkling on the water, the ducks calling out, the cheers of the crowds, the shoes hitting the road, the conversations with my fellow runners… but I could go inside- surprising and enjoyable holding inner peace, prayers while engaging with my fellow runners when called upon. I was in awareness, moving back and forth from internal focus to externals compassion and cheer offering whatever was needed.

6. Dharana- concentration and cultivating inner personal perceptual awareness
Concentration- one foot in front of the other, continuous commitment to forward movement cultivated internally and manifested externally. I held concentration holistically to a single task, forward movement toward the finish line, completely engrossed in the experience of this forward movement whatever it brought.

7. Dhyana- devotion, meditation on the Divine
Yes the mantra of rosary moves within me as well as Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha , (Oh come quickly remover of all obstacles) and Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (Thy will be done, not mine). I love praying in this way, offering prayers for all my relationships, my fellow runners, myself, whatever comes to my mind. Challenges presented opportunities to ask for strength, calm, healthy being and acceptance of whatever comes. God is truly awesome. The bright light of God showered me with love and continued energy to move forward.

8. Samadhi- union with the Divine, to bring together, to merge
I feel pretty confident that I could not have had so much contentment especially in the final more difficult miles if I hadn’t been joined with God (unlike many of past marathons when I have been fully prepared following my training play flawlessly, this marathon had much less actual running practices with many cross training yoga practices). I’m not sure I achieved complete stillness, silence going beyond consciousness because I was in constant physical movement and I had complete awareness of this. I do know the “I’, “mine”, the ego self was not as demanding and willful. I was so present to my connectedness with not only God but all beings, there weas consciousness, truth and so much joy. I felt the “yogic union” with God, my surroundings, my fellow runners, the crowd… ALL.

Coming back to the original question, “Can running be a yoga practice?” I suppose I can only answer for myself in this experience on this day, in this place, and in this way. As I burst toward the final finish line, singing loudly, “Happy Birthday to Me,” spurred forward with a final sprint- joy, excitement, child like wonder, exhaustion, breath, awareness, relief, accomplishment, and union flooded through every cell of my being. In this practice I am absolutely in love with my life- I think… I’ll call this YOGA!

Yoga for Heart Conditions

According to Dr. McCall’s book, Yoga as Medicine, heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the modern world. Millions of people suffer from disease of heart and blood vessels, which are called cardiovascular diseases. The heart, considered the strongest muscle in the body facilitates circulation of blood throughout all parts of the body. The circulatory system also plays a vital role in nourishment of tissues.
There are a variety of contributors for cardiovascular diseases. Included in the more common contributors like poor diet, smoking, unhealthy levels of cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure other factors such as negative thinking, anger and hostility, a focus on achievement and a sense of urgency about time have also contributed to the stress placed on the heart. Other psychosocial factors such as job loss, marriage difficulties, and loneliness have also been attributed to difficulties in the heart. Recently inflammation and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gingivitis have been determined as another major contributor in heart disease.
It is important to have a healthy Circulatory System, making sure nothing obstructs the blood vessels and arteries which transport oxygen and other nutrients to the whole body. A consistent yoga practice can be beneficial to the Circulatory System because as a practice it deals with the body as a whole. Yoga can help assist in transporting oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, assist in lowering blood pressure, and improve circulation, increase strength in the heart muscles as well as reduce stress. Samadhi can only be attained if there is harmony in the body, mind and spirit. Because of their effects on both the physical and energetic bodies, specific types of yoga postures can be used to control and prevent heart disease.
Following is a list of additional asana practices that encourage opening in the chest to improve heart function and respiration
• Simple Supported Backbend (restorative) antidote to habitual posture of rounding forward, reducing stress and blood pressure with bolster under upper back and roll under the neck
• Trikonasana (triangle pose)- promote cardiovascular health, breathing and stability
• Padmasana (lotus pose or half lotus) – for meditation and quieting the mind – an alternative for beginners would be Sukhasana (easy pose)
• Tadasana (Tree pose)- strengthen thighs, calves, ankles and back. Increases flexibility in hips an groin. Improves balance and concentration, quieting the mind.
• Yoga Nidra (yoga conscious sleep) – encourages calmness, quietness and clarity in the mind.

Chaturanga Anatomy

Reposted from Yoga Tune Up® | Did You Know… Chaturanga Is Sanskrit For Shoulder-Shredder?
Okay, we all know it means four [limbed] staff pose, but given it’s propensity to contribute to the shredding of shoulder tendons, it has more than earned its nickname.
I personally know several practitioners who have undergone surgery to repair their tendons from too many Chaturangas done improperly. Often, it can be attributed to a lack of activation from a particular shoulder stabilizer.



In the photo above, you can clearly see the head of her humerus (top of the shoulder) pointing down. This is the classic mis-alignment that can lead to injury. First, she needs to keep her shoulder at elbow level and not go below as pictured. If she were to integrate a little bit of Cat pose here, pushing into the ground as she lowered, it would help pull her shoulder blades apart in PROTRACTION allowing the arm bone to maintain a more neutral and healthy position.

The Serratus: The MVP of shoulder stability is a gorgeous, multi-fingered muscle called the Serratus Anterior that starts at the inside edge of your shoulder blade, wraps its long fibers around your torso and grips your upper eight or nine ribs. In addition to keeping that inside edge of your blade firmly down on your back, it pulls the blades apart (protraction) and down (depression).



If it’s not working, your shoulder blades can start to peel off your back (winging) and the head of your arm bone careens forward in the socket, leaving little space for the tendons of your rotator cuff muscles. This can create a shearing force on those tendons and their bursa.

How do you know if it’s turned on? The shoulder blades are moving away from each other as they do in Cat pose for example. If the shoulder blades are moving together, Serratus Anterior is turned off and shoulder tendons are vulnerable during load bearing postures, like Chaturanga.

Usually, it’s a classic series of unhealthy movements: As people begin Chaturanga by bending their arms, their elbows start to drift away from the ribs, shoulder blades move toward each other and they crane their necks down, moving their heads lower than their torsos. Repeat 20-30 times per class, 3 classes per week. This is a hot mess.

To safe guard your shoulders and your practice, hug your elbows into your rib cage and push away from the floor as much as you can as your lower

Properly executed Chaturanga can give you deliciously strong, healthy and shapely shoulders. Save the shredding for bodybuilders and snowboarders.