Seeds of Change: A Spring Yoga Retreat!

This just in: Sue Horning and I will be leading another retreat to Stowell Lake Farms on Salt Spring Island, May 2-5 2013.
We have a fantastic early bird special on right now, so jump on it!!!!
For all the details, check out our website at www.seedsofchangeretreat.wordpress.com.
Hope you can come.
Namaste xo
P.S. Here is a video from our last retreat on the farm, last fall
http://vimeo.com/56834704

Inversions: Notes from our "Advance Your Asana" Series

Sirsasana 

Inversion Workshop

Headstand- Sirsasana

BENEFITS          

 *Stimulates parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for stimulation of "rest-and-digest"), cardiovascular, lymph, endocrine, and digestive systems

 * Lowers blood pressure

·               *Clears thoughts, great for awakening the mind

·          *Helps one become balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, fame and shame, defeat and victory.

·           *Enhances prana and life force

TIPS

*Eyes should never bulge or be bloodshot- keep a calm dristi (gaze)

*Weight only in head, not in arms-lift out of the connection of the floor

*Draw shoulders away from ears to free the cervical spine (neck)

*Rectus abdominus muscles engage to prevent ribs from bowing out

*Draw inner thighs together so that balance is gathered in and pinpointed to sweet spot on the head

*Lift the spine to avoid dumping into the neck

*Eventually 95% of weight is in the head

** For females, Sirsasana is a challenge because they aren’t as strong in the upper body and have a bigger proportion of weight in the hips and thighs

***For males, Sirsasana is a challenge because they tend to have poor hip flexibility, therefore it’s harder for them to get their hips stacked over their shoulders

“Sirsasana is really a blessing and a nectar. In this asana alone, the brain can drawn plenty of prana and blood. Memory increases admirably. This leads to natural Pranayama and Samadhi by itself”~ Swami Sivananda

Shoulder Stand – Salamba Sarvangasana

“ The pose is called Sarvangasasa because it influences the thyroid and through it the whole body and it’s functions. In Sanskrit, Sarva means “the whole” and Anga means “the body”. ~Swami Kuvalayananda

BENEFITS

·        *Healthy blood circulates around the neck and chin which relieves asthma, breathlessness, and bronchitis.

·       * The firm chin lock stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands, as blood supply is increased.

·        *Soothes nerves and relieves headaches 

·       * The changed in bodily gravity affects the organs, so the bowels move freely and constipation vanishes. Also relieves pain in the stomach and colitis

·        *Leaves you feeling strong, happy and confident.

·        *Allows prana and new life to flow freely, leaving the mind at peace.

TIPS

·        *Keep the natural curve of the cervical spine so that it can bear the weight of the head perfectly

·        *Lift centre of the neck towards the ceiling and life the chest to chin to avoid gripping the neck

·        *During your first few attempts, the centre of gravity may be in the hips, and your bum and legs might be behind your head. With practice your legs will go straight up over head, and you’ll balance with little effort.

·        *Press upper palate of mouth into the ground, as well as forearms (connect to foundation for full extension through the legs)

·        *Pull energy from the pubic bone up the inner line of the legs, and our through the inner big toe to release pressure out of the low back, and to extend the spine.

·       * Keep elbows hugging together. Eventually the elbows will be outer shoulder distance apart.

** Headstand (King)- Celebrates power and consciousness

     Shoulderstand (Queen)- nurtures the body

“ Take as much time as you need-weeks, months, or even years-to work on the preparatory poses. Once you do float up in Headstand, the ease that you will experience in the pose will be worth your efforts.”~ Patricia Sullivan

Arm Balances: Notes from our "Advance Your Asana" Series!

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Arm Balances

           The highly mobile structures of the hand, elbow and shoulder girdle are ill suited to weight bearing.

In the foot, four fifths of the foot’s structure is dedicated to weight bearing because the dense tarsal bones comprise half the length of the structure.

In the hand, half the length of the structure is composed of the phalangeal bones. The solid and relatively immobile carpals (wrist bones) comprise only one fifth of the total length of the hand. Therefore, you only have half the length of the hand available for weight bearing.

Chaturanga Dandasana

* Chatur= four    Anga= a limb     Danda= a staff or stick

Affects: builds heat in the body. Strengthens the arms and wrists in preparation for arm balances. Contracts and tones the abdominal organs

* Weakness in the pose shows up in the lower body as lumbar hyperextension combined with hip flexion. To counter this, the coordinated action of the hamstrings is important.

Bakasana

Baka= Crane, heron

Affects: strengthens the arms and abdominal organs since the latter are contracted.

* Imagine wings were spread as you abduct the scapulae, and beak is lifted as you extend the cervical spine.

* Cervical extension tends to flatten the thoracic curve, so it’s important to constantly engage the muscles of the spine to maintain flexion.

Pincha Mayurasana

Pincha= a feather of a tail                        Mayura= peacock

Affects: develops the muscles of the shoulders and back. Tones the spine and stretches the abdominal muscles. Great prep pose for handstand.

* Push forearms into the floor to engage the serratus anterior muscles, which will allow the scapulae to come onto the back close to the rib cage.

* Extension in the thoracic spine essential, therefore freedom and mobility in this area is important. The more extension there is, the less the lower back and cervical spine have to do.

* If there is tightness in the forearm (supinator muscles), the elbows will swing wide and the hands will draw together. A shortened latissimus dorsi can also cause this and can also cause too much lumbar extension

* The curve in the low back needs to be stabilized by a strong core

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Adho mukha= face downward            Vrksa=tree

Affects: develops the body harmoniously. It strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists and expands the chest. Washes out your brain, and removes blocks. Sweeps away negative and obsessive thinking; you simply can’t obsess while you’re in this pose or you’ll fall out.

* Challenge in handstand is to feel for how to stay connected all the way up and down as you move through unknown space and establish new neurological pathways.

* the breath can often be an afterthought, as there is so much going on already. The combined action of the core supporting muscles, working to minimize shape change in the spine, also minimizes the breath movements. Therefore take quick, efficient breaths that don’t disrupt your balance.

** maintain the integrity of the hands at all times, as all of the body weight is balancing on them. Collapsing into the wrist or heel of the hand is quite dangerous for the carpal tunnel and the nerves passing through it.

* gravity will want to flex and abduct the hips, so it is important to activate the hamstrings and to energize the legs fully to stay straight.

“Instead of feeling how far you can go in a pose, or how long you can stay in it, ask yourself how long you can feel your spirit exploring the physical pose.” ~ Ana Forrest

Harvest The Spirit, Nourish The Soul: An Autumn Yoga Retreat

THIS JUST IN!!!!!

Sue Horning, owner and founder of Unity Yoga, and I will be leading a retreat to Salt Spring Island, BC.  Join us at Stowel Lake Farms from Sept, 28th-30th. 

For more details please visit, www.harvestthespirit.wordpress.com.

Here is a summery of what we'll be offering:

One of our biggest challenges of modern day living is to live harmoniously with 

nature and the changing seasons.  Autumn is a time to harvest the bounty we grew 

in summer, to store and prepare for the winter ahead, and is associated with the 

metal element, signifying contraction and introspection, as opposed to the upwards 

and outwards movement of

the fiery summer. It is a time to reflect, to receive what 

is of essential worth, and to let go of what is not useful to us. Through Yoga, Thai 

Massage, Chinese Astrology & Meditation, we’ll draw inwards to connect to the 

energetic change of fall, at cozy Stowel Lake Farms, on Salt Spring Island. 

Wanna come? Email mlemillen@yahoo.com to sign up!!!

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A Pledge To My Temple

This excerpt is from the novel, Broken Open, by Elizabeth Lesser. Lesser is the co founder and senior adviser of Omega Institute, a retreat centre for spirituality, yoga, health and psychology.

Her book brought me great comfort. It contains dramatic stories of every day people who have risen up and out of challenging times.

Often when life throws us curve balls, it becomes so deeply embedded in our skin- in our insides- that it we accept it as part of ourselves. Digging it out may seem like more work then just leaving it and living in the pain and/or suffering. We then are stuck in the congested box which the bad pitch forced us in.

To heal in a healthy manner Lesser teaches, what she calls, "The Phoenix Process". The following paragraph doesn't relate specifically to her technique, yet it simply inspires one to love themselves and to cherish every inch of the body and sacred temple.

Enjoy xo

~I have fallen in love with heart and lungs. While I am here, contained within bones and muscles, organs and skin, I want to take care of the gift of my body. I want to feed it well, move it gracefully, and rest it deeply. I know that the life force beats on, even when the heart has stopped, but while I have a heart and lungs, I want to treat them with SACRED AWE. And while I dwell with others who are JUST LIKE ME, I want to see them for who they really are, in all of their fragility and all of their majesty~

Lets Turn This Upside Down: There's Been a Booboo

Hi Yogis,

Sorry for the booboo, however the studio double booked on this day.

Instead of rocking inversions on Dec 11th, we'll be rocking Sun, Jan 8th, 2012

Same time: 1:30-3:30pm

Same place : Unity Yoga, 1672 10th Ave E (at Commercial Dr)

Email me for more info at mlemillen@yahoo.com, or call the studio to sign up 604-708-8369

Namaste all the way,

Emily

Hipp Trip Travel Interview

Hi Hi,

Check out an interview I did for Hipp Trip Travel. This brilliant website was created by a good friend, Alyx Kottmeier. If you're wondering where to do yoga in the world, where to eat, where to stay, etc visit this site.

Enjoy xo

http://hipptrip.com/spiritual-gangsters/emily-millen/