Snowflakes and Music

From SnowCrystals.com

Not yoga-related, really, but oh so beautiful!

Yoga and Arthritis -- Keep Moving Your Body

Image from iStockphoto.com

Yoga can relieve arthritis pain by creating more mobility and flexibility in the joints, while stretching and strengthening the muscles around the affected joints. 

A problem with arthritis pain is that the person suffering the pain may not feel up to doing much of any physical activity, because it hurts to move.

But sedentary people suffer more from arthritis pain than physically active.   When joints and muscles aren't used, they become weaker and less stable, with more chance of injury.  More degeneration and pain of the joints occur.

Regular gentle movement helps to regain some mobility in the joints, and it reduces pain.  With regular exercise, blood circulation if better, which helps to reduce swelling and pain.

Read Yoga for Arthritis for an explanation of the causes of arthritis and how yoga can help to alleviate arthritis symptoms.   This article also includes a list of resources for further reading, and suggestions for finding a yoga class that is appropriate for the fitness level of the arthritis sufferer. 

If you have arthritis and have continued to be physically active,  a regular beginning level yoga class may work out well for you.   If you've been sedentary, or if you're older or have greater mobility issues, a "Gentle Yoga" class or something similar will probably be more appropriate.

Good time of year to take a yoga class.

This is a good time of year to take a yoga class.   If you don't currently take a yoga class, this is a good time to start or to return to classes if you've been away for awhile.

Many of us will be gearing up for the holidays soon, and even though we may love much of the busy-ness that surrounds the holidays, we may also get stressed out about all of the preparations we do to get ready.  

I know I'm prone to stress during the holidays if I don't do my yoga practice regularly.

The practice of yoga helps us to maintain our equanimity in times of stress.   It helps us to stay physically healthy and energized, and mentally more alert, and more capable of coping with any irritants, worries and problems that may be thrown our way.

We've just started our Late Fall session at Harmony Yoga of Ann Arbor.  If you're in the area and interested in an Iyengar yoga class, come join us -- we'd love to see you!

See our Class Schedule and Yoga Class Descriptions to figure out what class suits you best.   If you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Me.

Yoga for Disabilities -- Matthew Sanford

From MindBodySolutions.org Media Kit

A number of you who take classes from me have heard me mention Matthew Sanford's name from time to time.   One of my blog posts, from June 2010, was also about him: Matthew Sanford, Paraplegic Yoga Teacher.    Matthew was injured in a car crash when he was 13 years old.  His father and sister were killed, his mother and brother had minor injuries, and Matthew broke his neck and back, becoming a paraplegic.

The practice of Iyengar Yoga helped him to become more in touch with all of his body again, not just the parts that still worked.

I just found another interesting online video that features Matthew Sanford when he spoke at the Detroit Medical Center's Center for Spinal Injury Recovery earlier this year.    See Yoga for People With Disabilities.
In this video, Matthew Sanford asks the audience, "How do you live more vibrantly in your body?", and he states, "I've never seen someone become more aware of his or her body without also becoming more compassionate. Never seen it happen."

I've also recently found out that Matthew Sanford will be the keynote speaker at the Yoga From the Heartland Conference in September 2012, Chicago Illinois.   This conference is being planned by the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Midwest, and will be open to all yoga practitioners, from any tradition.

I'll be letting you all know more about this exciting conference as I find out more details.

Put the conference dates on your calendar -- September 15-18, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois

Late Fall Yoga Class Session Starts October 25

Our Late Fall Yoga Class session runs from Monday, October 25 -- Saturday, December 18, an eight-week session.

The schedule will be the same as it is now.
Yoga Class Schedule

If there is interest, in about a month I'll offer a 4 week Introduction to Yoga class, Saturdays 11:15 -- 12:15. 

If you know someone who might like to try a class at Harmony Yoga, ask me for a "One Free Class" card to give to them.   

If you're new to Harmony Yoga, contact me for a "One Free Class" card. 

If you have any questions about our yoga class program, feel free to contact me.

Come join us for enjoyable yoga classes in the Iyengar tradition!  

I've been distracted by many other activities recently, so haven't been adding to this blog regularly.   I'm working on changing that.  I come up with so many ideas for this blog, and I sometimes can't decide which one to flesh out first.   Or in the process of fleshing it out, it seems much less important than some other idea.  I have a number of "half-baked" half-written blog posts that I've never published!

Basically, my problem is that my mind has been more scattered lately, and it's a challenge trying to figure out how to get it back on track.   I've been feeling unsettled over the last few weeks. This seems to happen more often for me during the changing of the seasons.  

The practice of yoga centers me, but sometimes I have to plan more carefully to make sure I get in a good practice when my mind is scattered.

It's helpful for me to arrange a practice with a friend at my studio (or some other place that's not my home practice area) -- then I can't let my scattered mind take me up to the computer or out to the kitchen to eat a snack, or to make a phone call.

My pranayama practice, which is calming under good circumstances, is very difficult to settle into when I'm scattered and unsettled.   A good uninterrupted active asana practice with many standing poses is much more useful.   Then ending my practice with inversions, especially Sarvangasana (shoulder balance), and quiet forward bends brings me to a quiet, calmer, more focused state of mind. 

Namaste

Okay, it's been awhile since I posted last, and I really will get back to a review of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, but I just found this YouTube video about the meaning of the word Namaste. Enjoy! (And more yoga philosophy next week!)