Advice on Practicing Yoga in Middle Age - By: Dr. Loren Fishman

NY Times Feature

Dr. Loren Fishman

Yoga for your Ayurvedic Dosha : Vata, Pitta, Kapha

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Ayurvedic doshas represent your body + emotional constitution.  It is one method of understanding body type and can help identify the best diet/activity for optimal health.  Each person has all three doshas including vata, kapha and pitta. These doshas represent the five elements : air, ether, water, fire and earth.  When one element is out of balance, it often causes a disruption in the bodies homeostasis.  Specific type of yoga sequences can be curated for each dosha to help bring balance.

Take this Dosha Quiz to learn more about your type (It is best to consult an Ayurvedic specialist for complete accuracy and understanding). If you find one dosha is more dominant than the other, consider a specific type of yoga practice to help bring balance.

Elements of a Yoga Practice that bring balance to Vata, Pitta, Kapha:

Vata (air/ether) - grounding, warm, restorative, slow moving, drishti (focus with gaze), aromatherapy and soothing music

Pitta (fire/water) - cooling practice, holding poses for longer counts, slower sun salutations, forward folds, lunar salutation

Kapha (earth/water) - heat building poses that include more movement, focus on spaciousness of pose, vinyasa flow

References: Textbook of Ayurveda by : Vasant Lad

The Herb Shoppe in Brooklyn

The Herb Shoppe is a quaint store on Atlantic Avenue stocked with loads of herbs for your health needs. I recently picked up some dandelion root, nettle, ashwagandha and fo-ti to brew and sip.

Some Benefits Include:

Nettle -  for anemia, anti-inflammatory

Dandelion - detoxify liver/gallbladder

Ashwagandha - increased energy and reduces fatigue, natural immune booster

Fo Ti- combats aging and grey hair

References: University of Maryland Medical Center , Acupuncture Today

The Diaphragm Muscle - Stretch and Strengthen It  
By: Louis Jackson

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Annamaya Kosha: Physical Body
Pranamaya Kosha: Breath/Energy Body
Manomaya Kosha: Mental/Emotional Body
Vijnanamaya Kosha: Wisdom/Intuition Body
Anandamaya Kosha: Bliss Body

More info at Carol Haefner's link on the Koshas (sheaths) or layers of the body.  Koshas offer an integrative and holistic view of the human body. This offers a biopsychosocial-spirit model for holistic healthcare. All layers are interconnected and inform one another.

The 10 Living Principles : Yamas & Niyamas |  By: Donna Farhi

We forget in yoga asana (posture) practice at times that there are other important limbs to the practice. Donna Farhi outlines the yamas and niyamas (codes of living soulfully) here in this exerpt beautifully. 

ahimsa: nonviolence ( in thoughts, deeds + actions)

satya: commitment to truth 

asteya: non-stealing (not wasting others energy or time)

bramacharya: merging with one, using energy wisely

aparigraha: not grasping (unclenched and being open to change)

shaucha: purity (cleanliness in body, mind + environment)

sanotosha: contentment (appreciating the present)

tapas: heat/fire (disciplined energy used to transform)

swadhyaya: self study (uncovering ones habits with compassion)

ishhvarapranidhana: celebration of the spirit (connecting to something larger than self)

Stretching the Piriformis with Reverse Pigeon Pose

  

The piriformis leaves the pelvis by passing through the greater sciatic foramen.  It laterally rotates hip joint. Abducts the thigh when the hip is flexed. Helps hold head of femur in it's socket.  Used heavily in swimming (breast stroke legs) and soccer.

Reference: The Concise Book of Muscles By: Chris Jarmey

Neuroplasticity | Yoga International | By : Susan Taylor, PhD

Susan Taylor discusses meditation and how the brain can be molded like plastic. The most profound influence on the brain are our thougths and emotions. Negative thoughts shrink the brain, positve thoughts expand the brain.

Shawn Achor : The Happy Secret to Better Work

My program director at Maryland University of Integrative Health shared this clip by Shawn Achor. His TED talk discusses how 90% of our longterm happiness is predicted by how our brain processes the world vs. the external world itself.  When dopamine is released in the brain, it has two major functions : makes you happy + turns on the learning centers of your brain allowing you to adapt to the world in a different manner.

Shawn offers the following tools to practice for 21 days (or longer) to create a positive outlook:

1.  List 3 Gratitudes - 3 different things you are grateful for daily
2.  Journaling - About 1 positive thing daily so that your brain may relive it
3.  Excerise - Teaches your brain that your behavior matters
4.  Meditation - Helps focus and get over our current cultures ADHD
5.  Random Acts of Kindness - Write 1 email praising or thanking someone in your support network

Asana Analysis | by: Lisa B. Minn, Physical Therapist

Lisa B. Minn is a Physical Therapist and analyzes common yoga postures on her thoughtful blog, The Pragmatic Yogi. She outlines which muscles are being stretched and strengthened. She shares points of awareness in the body and suggestions to modify and challenge.

Here are some links to asana postures she breaksdown :

Mountain Pose / Tadasana

Forward Fold/ Uttanasana

Triangle/ Trikonasana

Side Angle Pose/ Utthita Parsvakonasana

Warrior I/ Virabhadrasana I

Warrior II/ Virabhadrasana II

Downward Dog/ Adho Mukha Svanasana

Half Moon Pose/Ardha Chandrasana

Childs Pose/ Balasana

Chair Pose/ Utkatasana

Seated Forward Fold/ Paschimottanasana