NEW WEEKEND CLASSES!

SUN YOGA introduces two new class at South location.

Start date: Saturday, Feb.7  These two classes will alternate every Saturday.  

The goal is simple- To be relaxed and stress free for yourself and your family on weekends. 

Class 1:    10 AM- 11 AM.

60 minutes of Pranayama (Breathing exercises) & Meditation

Join us for Gentle stretching, Pranayama and Meditation.

The class starts by relaxing the physical body by gentle stretching, followed by relaxing the mind with Breathing, and ultimately connect the body & mind by meditation.

Learn the different techniques of breathing and meditation with detailed instructions. Relax and refresh with these age old yogic methods and experience numerous benefits like, calm and balanced mind, increased focus and concentration, relief from depression and anxiety and a glowing face! Try and feel the change!!

Written instructions are given at the end of the class to practice Pranayama at home.

Class 2:   10 AM- 11:30 AM

 90 minute  Hatha Yoga class.

What better way to de stress after a long week and re energize to start the weekend.

 A 90 minute Hatha yoga class is being added after requests from old and new students!! Please join us for a session of Shavasana, Pranayama, Sun Salutations, Asanas and final Shavasana. This class is suitable for students of all levels since each asana is done with variations to suit different abilities. Every student feels safe and yet challenged. Experience the amazing feeling of being both calm and energized at the end of the class!!! 

** The "Class Schedule" link will be updated by end of January for new class times and details.

Yoga for Low Back Pain

The common causes of low back pain are either stiffness in the ligaments or muscles of the lower back, or weak abdominal muscles. Poor posture and lack of exercise usually lead to tight and swollen back muscles, resulting in pain in this area. 

The following sequence of gentle stretches will ease off the pain:

1. Reclined Hip Stretch (Pavanmuktasana)- Lie down on your back with both the legs straight. Tuck the chin gently. Keeping the left leg straight, bend the right leg. Inhale. Exhale hug the right knee close to your chest. Keep the shoulders and neck relaxed. Inhale and as you exhale hug the knee closer to the chest. Keep the left leg stretched out and the thigh as flat on the mat as possible. Do not let the head tilt back. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Repeat the same on the other side.

2. Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangusthasana)-  This stretch is done right after the previous stretch,starting from the right knee hugged to your chest. You can use a belt also. Wrap the belt around the sole of your right foot. Inhale and raise the right leg up until it is perpendicular to the floor. Press the left heel out and the left thigh flat on the mat. Do not allow the left leg to tilt out. With every breath keep pushing the right heel up and feel the stretch in the calf. Relax your face and neck. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Keep breathing!

3. Reclined twists- Stretch out the left leg. Bend the right knee. Bring the left hand on the outside of the right knee. Keep the right arm straight at shoulder level. Inhale. Exhale and twist from the waist to the left bringing the right knee to the left. Turn the head towards right. Keep both shoulders flat on the mat. Feel the stretch in the right side of the lower back. Keep breathing and hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds. Repeat the same on the other side.

4. Child's pose (Adhomukha Virasana)- Kneel on the mat with your knees mat width apart. Touch the big toes behind you and let the heels fall apart. Inhale lift the spine up and relax the neck  Exhale bring the chest down while extending it forward. Rest the forehead on the mat. Relax the shoulders and neck. Inhale, push the hips back into the heels, to stretch the lower back. Exhale drop the chest towards the mat. Stretch your torso and hands forward. Keep your abdomen soft. Keep breathing deeply and relax into the pose. Hold for 30-60 seconds. 

5. Cat Cow pose- Please refer to the previous blog "Wrist problems- Pose modifications" for details.

6. Half dog at the wall- This is an easier version of Downward Dog (Adhomukha Svanasana). Stand facing a wall, about a foot away from the wall. Both feet are hip width apart. Place your hands on the wall, at shoulder height and shoulder width apart. Slowly start moving your feet back while extending the torso forward. Move back till the arms are straight. You are now at 90 degrees angle at the hip joint. The back is parallel to the floor. Create an upward lift from the knees to your hips. Relax your shoulders and neck. Feel the stretch in the lower back. Breathe and hold the stretch for 20 seconds. If this feels comfortable, you can do the full Downward Dog pose.

7. Savasana- Relax in savasana (corpse pose) for 5 minutes. If the lower back hurts, place a rolled towel under the knees to take the pressure off the back.

Try this sequence of 7 stretches and notice how you feel after the practice and how you feel the next day. Your feedback is welcome!

Yoga Mind Vs. Yoga Body

This picture is of the famous Yoga guru, BKS Iyengar, practicing yoga in his last few days. When I saw this picture, the first thought that came to my mind was that how comfortable this man is in his old skin, with white hair and sagging skin! How many of us feel like that?!

The biggest shift in mind which yoga brought for me was , to accept the body I have and to accept it willingly. After all these years, today I love myself just the way I am. This feeling makes me feel free!

"I want a yoga body" has become such a commonly heard phrase. It surprises me that people are doing yoga for body not realizing that it is more important, rather more difficult to get a yoga mind. Practicing asana to “get” the body you “want” is yet another form of attachment. In this case, you’re attached to an illusion that it is even possible to get another body. 
 

Oh, wait, maybe what they are trying to say is that you can practice to make your own body look different, whether that means thinner, younger, or able to do showy yoga poses. But practicing asana to make your body look different means you’ve bought into an illusion that looking different—if that is even possible—will make you happier. This illusion is what sells yoga magazines and products, which is why messages to promote this illusion are so insidious,

And the attachment to this illusion actually causes a lot of suffering. For one thing, always working on changing the way your body looks makes you feel shame over the your current appearance, and dissatisfaction with your current life, which you believe will be happier only after you change. And I even think it is possible that practicing to get a different body may interfere with your ability to be safe in your asana practice. Rather than tuning in to your body as it is now, always thinking about the body you want to have may cause you to go overboard and take physical risks that aren’t appropriate for you.

All of this is the complete opposite of cultivating santosha (the ability to be content with what we have or don’t have), which Patanjali tells us is what leads to true happiness.

I realized about 2 years ago that trying to change that with my asana practice is not only fruitless but is counterproductive. I actively enjoy practicing my asanas, and if I kept thinking about how I wanted a different body or if I could only do the poses which make me look strong, the deep appreciation and gratitude I have for the body I do have and for the beauty of my aliveness would be crushed.

This is an issue for those of us who are aging as well as those younger people who struggle with body image issues. Shift the focus from "yoga body" to a "yoga mind" and enjoy the freedom!

Getting into the Wheel Pose (Chakrasana)

Urdhva Dhanurasana or Upward facing bow pose, also called Chakrasana or Wheel pose, is a challenging pose for many, many yoga practitioners! 

Use the power in Your Legs to get into Wheel (Upward-Facing Bow Pose). One of the reasons people have so much trouble getting up in this pose is because they think it is all about the arms when it is not. If you focus on getting into the pose using your LEGS rather than your arms (although the arms certainly come into play) and lifting your pelvis up first using your legs (which are stronger than your arms), you can lift yourself up in a circular motion which is way less effortful than just by trying to push yourself up with your arms. 

Do not merely push your chest forward to create that arch in the torso. Lift from both the sides of the chest up towards the ceiling.

1. Press your feet into the floor to initiate the lift of the your pelvis and let your knees move over in the direction of the toes a bit

2. As you begin to lift and shift the hips, your arms can more easily press into floor and begin to lift the chest up, too. 

3. Lift under the pelvis but NOT the rest of the torso to help you start with this action of lifting the pelvis before the shoulders. 

Preparation for the getting into the pose: Typically tight places that have to be lengthened in preparation for Upward-Facing Bow pose include:

       the muscles at the front of your upper legs and anterior hip joints

        the front line of your torso and belly

       the action known as flexion of your shoulder joints, where your arms come up along side your head

-  For the hips and front thigh area, practice the Dropped-Knee Lunges (Anjaneyasana) .

 - For the front body, practice the Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). This also addresses your legs,  and stretches the abdominals as well. If you can work your way up to the highest height of the block in Supported Bridge pose, you can more passively allow the front body and thighs to open. Take one or both legs straight out from the block with your heels on the floor, and your legs are getting even closer to Upward-Facing Bow pose openness! 

- Practicing Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) pose and the version where you have your forearms on the floor are also great ways to work on the shoulder opening required for Wheel pose. 

There are certainly many more ways you could both open and strengthen your body for the Wheel (Chakrasana) or Upward-Facing Bow pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) , but the suggestions here will get you started. And there are also a lot of modified ways of doing the full pose. But for simplicity’s sake, it's kept pretty straightforward for you today!

Remember to approach the Wheel pose respectfully, listen to your body, and don’t rush to perfect it too quickly.

Yoga for Children

"Be child like, not childish" - Swami Vishnudevananda, Hatha Yoga Guru.

A kid's innocence, fearlessness and absence of ego, inspires me and makes me love them so much! It is my dream to teach yoga just to children , in schools, recreational facilities or at my yoga studio.

I believe it will happen, some day...

As a kid, I remember doing yoga and especially meditation, with my Dad. A small seed was planted in my mind, which has grown and led me to practice and teach yoga today! He also introduced meditation to my children, and they use this tool to relax themselves when stressed.

Starting yoga when young, gives children an excellent foundation in life. Since their bodies are flexible and they have no ego, kids adopt to postures far easily than adults. A good yoga teacher should help them to get into the correct position, but take care not to force their body into a pose, as their bones and muscles are still growing. Most children love to mimic and if they see a parent or a friend do yoga regularly, they will probably want to join in! However, never let children feel that yoga is an entertainment. They should learn and realize early, that is another form of exercise which is good for their body and mind both.

The only problem with children is concentration. But if they are interested in something, they concentrate amazingly well. Children can start yoga at any age. All asanans are good for them. However, head stand should not be done till about 12 years of age as their body is still developing.

Benefits:

1. Meditation and Pranayama (breathing exercises) help improve their concentration and show a great improvement in their school work. ids can meditate for 3-5 minutes everyday. Set a fixed time and place for their meditation.

2. It helps build up their self-esteem and confidence which has proven to help improve group interaction at school and in other social surroundings.

3. Yoga helps during the onset of puberty- physically, emotionally and psychologically.

4. When practiced regularly, breathing and meditation develop their intuition.

5. Helps in stress management and makes kids see life as a game and not a struggle. 

6. Yoga has been proven to help children do better in other sports activities since it improves their breathing, flexibility, balance and concentration.

7. Yoga has been proven to help children with Attention Defecit Disorder (ADD) and Autism.

Overall, it gives a higher purpose to life. As parents and teachers, let these children, who will shape the future world, become better and more balanced adults. 

Yoga shows the way...