That being said, we’re here to let you know bending backwards does not need to be scary.  With awareness and guidance it’s invigorating, relieves stiffness, and is an exciting and alternate way to view your environment. 

The most important aspect during back bending is not one of technique, but one of mind which is often rushing you along. Remember as with any practice, and particularly when learning something new or challenging to:

• Take your time – don’t let your mind rush you along,
• Break down the elements to manageable steps – the drills for skills approach, and
• Breathe slowly and deeply so you can maintain a pace that builds perception and awareness.

Back bends are useful and necessary as they replenish energy by stimulating the nervous system, strengthen our postural muscles (the ones that help you stand up straight!) and counter the effects of gravity.

You can readily see the consequence of neglecting the back of the body, just take a look at how many of us are hunched forward!  The chest muscles (pectorals) and front part of our shoulder muscles (anterior deltoids) begin to overpower the back muscles giving the body a caved in shape. The spinal column is then strained resulting in pain in the low back, between the shoulder blades and neck, as well as chest compression decreasing valuable lung space resulting in energy depletion.  You wonder why you feel like crap after sitting at your desk for a couple hours!?!?

So here are some key points to get you on your way to comfortable and satisfying back bends:

• Be appropriately warm
• Release your quadriceps
• Align your roots
• Lengthen your neck
• Remain Attentive

1) Before moving backwards warm up. A proper warm up insures that muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and the brain are awake enough and are receptive to movement.

2) Release the quadriceps. These huge muscles on the front side of your legs directly affect the positioning of your sacrum. If the quadriceps are rigid it becomes difficult to feel the tailbone moving towards the pubic bone. This action of tucking the tailbone and raising the pubic bone will protect the small of the back from feeling compressed and pinched.

3) When on the feet: the roots consist of your feet and legs. Attempt to have the toes and knees pointing in the same direction. If feet and legs turn out this will often cause involuntary contraction of the rear-end muscles which can negatively affect the small of the back. When kneeling: the shins and tops of the feet will root into the ground. When lying on belly: the main root is the stomach musculature. During exhales make sure the belly muscles move inwardly towards the small of the back for strength and protection and then on inhales extend and elongate.  When on the hands:  like the picture above – plant the palms firmly wrapping the triceps towards each other to keep the elbows from swinging out to the sides.  Strive to keep the elbows, wrists and shoulders all in the same line.

4) Lengthen the neck . When bending the spine backwards become aware of the position of your head. Recognize if your chin is beginning to lead you. If so you will begin to experience compression and tension on the base of your skull and the top of your spinal column. Lead with crown of your head strengthening the neck instead of collapsing.

5) REMAIN ATTENTIVE. Maintain a constant self diagnosis feedback loop.  Pay attention to sensation, what you are feeling and experiencing, and tailor your movement from this information.  Slowing down allows you time to respond and release into a greater range of motion.  If you experience pain, back off the edge, and adjust your approach.

Front opening postures from our Daily Dozen include Revolving Lunge, Crescent, Pigeon (sitting up -we pictured this below as a different variation is on our Daily Dozen page), and Cobra/Up Dog. And, from our Desk Yoga section on our website check out Frankenstein neck & shoulders, 2nd wind and Un-slouch.

If you are unfamiliar with this kind of work we recommend finding an instructor that can provide guidance and safety tips.  Back bends should not damage your body unless they are performed incorrectly or without awareness.  Ultimately they provide great benefit and balance to all of the habitual forward bending motion we engage in daily.

Our workshop this Saturday – Opening the Front, May 19th, 10a-12p – will break down several foundational postures including the ones listed above.  There are still a few spots left…please join us!

In our exchanges there has been a lot of interest and sharing of what we are juicing.  For some folks it seems to be very easy and natural to create, while others struggle a bit more with combos.  Here are 2 of our juice concoctions from yesterday:

ALL VEGGIE:
4 carrots
1 beet (ours was large)
1 cucumber
1 apple
kale  & spinach (didn’t really measure approx 4 cups maybe a bit more)

Would also add ginger & lemon – yum!

made approx 3-4 cups

MORNING FRUIT JUICE:
1/2 lb. strawberries
3 strips of pineapple
2 oranges (peeled)

made a little over 2 cups

Here’s one more that we tried simply because it called for sweet potato!  Have to credit this one to our Breville Juicer Manual in the recipe area.

SWEET POTATO, CELERY, GINGER & ORANGE JUICE:
4 sticks celery
1 small sweet potato (we used a yam), peeled & halved
1″ piece fresh ginger
4 oranges peeled

makes about 3 cups

I also snagged a menu from one of my favorite juice places…it’s a great springboard for ideas and what combos go well together.

Since I am a big smoothie fan as well, I’ll include one of these.  I love smoothies cause they are a little more substantial and I can take it on the go!  Here’s one of my favorites:

1/2-3/4 c. frozen blueberries
1 banana
1/2 – 3/4 c. milk (I use coconut milk, but you can use any kind real dairy or otherwise)
handful of almonds
1-2 tbs unsweetened coconut
2-5 ice cubes (depending on how cold or thick you like it)

You do need a good blender for these – we have a Vitamix and LOVE it.  It’s a bit pricey, but totally worth it.

What are your favorites?  There are endless possibilities, but just like with any menu sometimes you find yourself making the same thing over and over.  Feel free to comment on your creations and help us all stay inspired!

We’re suckers for this kind of story, one that reminds us that you can do pretty much ANYTHING when you set your mind to it.  These guys made the decision to truly invoke their will - an unstoppable force for positive change.

If you are wondering, are we doing the “reboot”?  No, but we did just purchase a fancy new juicer!  For us, it was another reminder of the importance of micro-nutrients and how a glass of juice can be a great way to start the day, or an energizing option instead of the morning scone or an alternative afternoon snack.  It also inspired us as sweet lovers (why does sugar have to be so darn bad for us?!) to make better, more natural choices when it comes to a sweet craving or dessert.  It also reminded us that our health is mostly a direct result of the choices we make. It can be easy to make excuses, but in the end, where we find ourselves comes directly from decisions we’ve made.

Do you juice?  Have you ever done a juice fast or “reboot” of you system?  What was your experience?

“I thought you would be tickled pink at the results of my routine physical. Yes, pending routine lab results, it appears that I’m healthy. But they also measured my height at 5’11-1/2″. I’ve been 5’10-1/2″ my entire adult life. I had them re-measure, and then I checked it myself when they were out of the room. Yep, an inch taller. So I guess all those ‘Up! Up! Up’s!’ have been working!”  Thanks, John

What could be better than that…gaining height as you get older?! Isn’t that supposed to work the opposite way around?  Can yoga REALLY make you taller? What does  research show?

Summed up, yoga will not change the length of your bones. There’s no scientific proof to show that after puberty yoga will make your bones grow, literally making you taller.

However, what yoga and other fitness modalities can do is help you build strong core muscles and become aware of postural patterns. Instead of falling into the habit of letting your head and neck jut forward, letting your back slouch and your shoulders roll forward,  you become aware of the feelings of correct postural behaviors.   Think about it, when this common slouched posture is employed you are actually putting some of your body length forward on a diagonal to the ground instead of perpendicular to the ground. Over time, bad posture and improperly shortened front muscles with overstretched and weak muscles on the back side of the body can degrade your spinal functions which in turn causes the ‘shrinkage’ we see in people as they age.

Practicing yoga demands a strong set of core of muscles, those that run deepest to the skeleton to maintain a strong, supported frame.  As you stretch and strengthen the spinal muscles you support the habit of long, extended spine and voila…you appear taller. The practice can improve muscular imbalances as well, bringing ease and fluidity to movement, relieving stiffness and discomfort.  Funny, with practice “taller” can be defaulting to your actual genetic height!  At SloBody, we like to think of it as length - Strengthen, Lengthen, and Open your Body.

Owning your body is much like owning a boat. It takes constant upkeep. A lot of commercials and advertisements would like to convince us there are other ways, but in our experience it’s pretty simple.  If left untended time and the elements rot it away. The structure weakens and before you know it there’s a leak. In a boat it’s the hull.  The hull is the body of the boat and contains the buoyancy to keep itself and everything on board over the water, not in the water.  It could be argued that the human hull is the spine. With age, lack of activity and abuse, muscles can lose mass and weaken.  The back muscles, the abs, the spine’s shock absorber gel packs (the disks), lose fluid and flatten, and the arches of our feet begin to flatten. If our hull is losing it’s shape, we’re eventually going down.

As we have seen from John’s experience, this does not have to be the case!  Just get your body movin’ regularly and consistently.  Mix it up with yoga, resistance training, and cardio. Keep it interesting and make it a daily discipline. Enjoy what you do and you’ll do it more often with less fuss, less fatigue, and less pains.

The reward: Being taller while those around you are shrinking.

What’s happened to your body since you’ve been practicing? Let us know.

Have a question? Ask an expert! Contact us at customerservice@slobody.com

First, the benefits:
• Removes stiffness from the legs and hips.

• Strengthens the ankles.

• Elongates the spine.

• Stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs.

Now the basics for getting into the pose. Follow the steps below:

• While standing, slide right foot 3-4 feet back. Turn right foot 30°-90° right.

• Place left hand on the ground. (For less intensity you can always place this hand on your shin as described in the modifications below)  Keep thighs and buttocks firm, and knees soft.

• Reach right arm forwards then up.

• Extend spine on inhales, rotate spine on exhales.

• Gaze at left hand during set up, at right hand in deepest part of pose.

Take 5-10 breaths then switch sides.

Now let’s take a look at some of the most common pitfalls. Pictured below.
Look for the info in ALL CAPS to help PREVENT SAID PITFALL.

1) Ribs bowed up The top side of the ribs will tend to be bowed while the underneath side compressed. We are searching for equal length from both sides to find full breath and extension away from the hips creating space. BEND YOUR FRONT KNEE (if it is already bent, bend it a bit more) AND PRESS DOWN WITH YOUR LEFT HAND TO HELP EXTEND THE UNDERNEATH SIDE OF THE RIBS FORWARDS. KEEP THE PUBIC BONE MOVING TOWARDS YOUR BELLY.

2) Bent/strained neck. Ideally the head is in line with the spine. BRING YOUR CHIN TOWARDS YOUR THROAT TO EXTEND THE BACK OF THE NECK THEN LOOK FOR THE TOP ELBOW OR HAND.  If your neck gets tired, you can always look down towards the bottom hand as described in the modifications below.

For those of you that need a modification for this position, here are a few ways to do it.

1) Put your bottom hand on your shin (or on a block). This will lessen the intensity on the hamstrings.

2) Look down. If your neck gets tired looking to the top arm, look down at the bottom hand.

3) Bend your front knee and put your hand on the floor. Helps with balance and hamstring tightness.

4) Skip opening the torso to the right. Place both hands on the front shin working to extend the spine and legs. Once you build up your endurance add the opening.

An example of number 1 is below.

Have a question? Contact us at customerservice@slobody.com or leave your comment here.

Other postures that open the hamstrings Downward Dog, Revolving Triangle
Other postures that strengthen the legs and open the hips:  Revolving Lunge, Revolving Triangle

Dread! Oftentimes people approach the plank position and the low push up with unabashed dread. Imagine instead, looking forward to tackling them with zest, relishing the thought of doing twenty more. That’s right, just twenty more you think, no problem!

Well, when approaching with the proper form and execution that is exactly how you feel. Finishing off another set of twenty and knowing that you have more in you but the sets are done. How can that be? With a little coaching on drills, sets, and form control you too will be on your way to moving beyond enduring the plank and low push up, alternately you look forward to adding them into your repertoire.  They enhance your practice and state of being knowing that you will respond positively rather than reacting wretchedly when you hear you are going to be doing five more, sometimes twenty more, salutations at the yoga studio your pal dragged you out of bed to go to and experience a blissful morning practice.

Instead of saying ‘Ugh, here we go again – Down Dog to Plank to Chaturanga to Up Dog to Plank to Down Dog to Crescent pose’ - wouldn’t it be nice to cruise through feeling the invigoration of warming up instead of wearing out? To be in complete control of your breath and your alignment, not worrying about a pain accruing in your low back or neck because gravity is winning. Rather, you fuel yourself with one breath after another in perfect sync with your movements and superior form.

It’s all about the form... Using the ‘drills for skills’ technique, it’s practically effortless (Uh, eventually after 10,000 repetitions, well not that many, maybe…) The drills we teach help you to build your upper body and core strength, utilize your roots to maintain alignment and ease, and avoid the most common pitfalls which hamstring people in these positions.

And mindset…By breaking the movement down into digestible components you get the right muscles firing. One step at a time you gain more control and begin to feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence.  Let’s face it, once you get your mind on board you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goal.

Before you know it, your pumping out sets of 10′s and 20′s of planks and chaturanga’s while talking, smiling, and not even losing your breath, instead your breath is recharging you for the next set.

You may wonder why even bother with these activities? The reality is these exercises are popular because they strengthen pretty much your entire body. They require no equipment, very minimal space and are easy to amend for less intensity or create more challenging variations.

If this article has shed even a little of your dread…We invite you to join us for a great workshop on April 14 from 10a-12p. Begin your mastery of embracing the Plank and Chaturanga. Don’t be afraid…it’s not going to be 2 hours of push ups! It’s like being on a swing, free and full of joy. You’ll leave smiling with fulfillment and pride at walking out upright and ready to tackle the week ahead, or at the least the next cup of coffee with good form.

First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with judgment. Judgment – either judging yourself or others is what separates us from animals and keeps us upright and breathing. So don’t be down on judging, just pay attention to your parameters.

Don’t let looks fool you. Sporting the latest, sleek yoga apparel or being proficient in headstands, handstands, and arm balances does not make you ‘good’ at yoga, just as not being able to touch the floor or put your foot behind your head does not make you ‘bad’ at yoga. When it comes to deciding whether or not someone is good or bad at yoga it is often the measurement stick that is being used that is deceiving. So how can we distinguish good and bad when it comes to yoga?

Well, SloBody believes that the good is found in how you do what you do, not in what you can/cannot do. The principles behind the postures, the foundations of the movement patterns, the amount of attention, concentration and awareness you bring to your practice, these are the most important elements to be concerned with. Everything stems from principles regardless of the exercise or skill you are performing.

Here is our DON’T BE A POSER, BE PRINCIPLED list to keep you grounded and safe no matter the challenge. Not only will you be ‘good’ at what you do, you’ll feel good too.

1) Start where you are and tune into the body’s intelligence:
This is not a competition. There is nothing to prove. Notice where you are starting from today (muscle tightness, energy level, emotional state, etc.) This is about learning the language of your body. If you feel uneasy, or there is doubt with regard to a movement, slow down or stop. Be aware, back off, reassess then move on.

2) Concentration and attention:
Practice is about being in the moment. Do not think about your meeting this afternoon, your children’s teeth, or clothes at the drycleaner. Deal with that later. This is your time to let go and be present.

3) Play your edges:
Teeter and fall from side to side on a balance movement, it is okay. Exploring your edges, be it balance, strength, flexibility, even discomfort is necessary. Find your edge and play just behind it. By doing so your edge will extend. Do not push through it; play behind the line, or right on top of it. And remember, edges change from day to day, use principles number 1 & 2 to determine where you are starting from this time.

 4) Extend and elongate with steadiness and ease:
With every movement consider the length and space you can create, not compression. Generally search to keep the spine long and tall as though there is a zipper up your front, from the pubic bone through the breast bone, or down the back from the nape of the neck through the tailbone. Be deliberate and aware keeping the pelvis neutral.

Use your breathing pattern to help you. A calm breath = a calm mind = a calm body. Notice if your breath becomes strained, you are holding it, it becomes shallow, etc. These are direct indicators of moving beyond your edge or losing concentration. Your breath is a direct indicator of the quality of your practice. Stay checked in to your breath and it will guide the rest of your activity.

5) Be Regular in Your Practice:
Consistency of practice brings results in a surprisingly short time, but do not expect overnight results. Practice requires dedication and discipline, not perfection. Practice will bring new strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, etc. It will create ease of movement, understanding of your body’s language, and safety. Your body and mind are alive and evolve within you. Patience, patience, patience. Practice, practice, practice.

6) Enjoy it!
What do you enjoy about your practice or workout routine? How does it enhance your life? Let us know by sharing your comments or questions below.

And just FYI, as instructors, skill level does not phase how we see a client. Seriously, skill level just informs us of what kind of amendments and variations we may need to offer. What creates rewarding relationships is working with those who show up and are willing to work, who are open and curious and will give their best effort for today, here and now. Sometimes people apologize when we give them a pointer or offer an amendment. It’s not a burden, that’s what we are here to do. The reward is facilitating growth, confidence, comfort level and hearing stories of how our work together impacts and improves other areas of your lives and in turn our own.

It has been a week of dreary, rainy, windy and chilly weather in Seattle, and this time of year when you are just ready for winter to go away it can be a bit disheartening.  So, instead of getting depressed because this is just how it goes out here in the PNW, I choose to create my own energizing sunny warmth.  I admit I may first check out the weather in South Florida and embed the bright, heat of that place in my mind as I head in for a practice 

Here’s one I do to give me a little lift.  It’s focused on front openers from the Daily Dozen as opening the front is energizing (what I need on grey days) and challenging (builds heat and makes me concentrate and stay present).

Start with a bit of Child’s pose to settle in and then move into Down Dog.
Down Dog to Plank x10

Pigeon (start laying forward then move to sitting up concentration on opening across the front of the back leg hip through the torso and front of spine).

Down Dog to Cobra after the first side

Down Dog to Cobra or Up Dog after the second side (then move back to Down Dog)
Crescent Lunge

After the second side step forward to Standing Forward Fold then roll up to Mountain Pose
In Mountain Pose take the arms overhead and stretch straight up and over to each side.  (Make sure to keep the hips stable – pubic bone towards belly button and even over the feet on the side stretching)

Enjoy the fruits of your little break and enter the rest of your day with a little Spring in your step!

• Tones and shapes the legs.
• Strengthens the core - remember this includes the hips all the abdominals.
• Releases tension in the back – including the low back
• Improves balance.

Let’s start with the basics for getting into the pose.  Follow the steps below (right leg forward):

• While standing, slide left foot 3-4 feet back. Turn left foot 30°- 90° left.

• Place left hand on shin, eventually on floor. Keep thighs firm, buttocks relaxed, and knees soft.

• Reach right arm forward then up. Extend spine on inhale, rotate during exhale.

• Gaze at right hand while setting up, at right hand when in deepest part of pose.

6-10 breaths then switch sides.

Now let’s take a look at some of the most common pitfalls.
Look for the info in ALL CAPS to help PREVENT SAID PITFALL.

1)  The outer edge of the back foot peeling off the floor.  This can be hazardous – when the back foot falls in towards the arch it can put undo torque and pressure on the knee. PRESS DOWN FIRMLY WITH THE PINKY TOE SIDE OF THE BACK FOOT.

2)  Rotating from the hips or arm rather than the spine.  It will tend to be the back leg hip that wants to drop as the front leg hip raises.  Again, this will tend to peel that back foot off the floor as said above.  Moving from the arm ends up with the arm being flung back and the torso pretty much staying neutral.  The big issue when either of these things happen is you miss the real work happening in the core.  YOU WANT TO FEEL YOUR RIBS AND SPINE MOVING TO CREATE THE ROTATION.  This will strengthen the hip stabilizers, strengthen & tone the abs and massage your internal organs.

An example of this is the following photo.

For those of you that need a modification for this position, here are a few ways to do it.

1)  Put your bottom hand on your shin (or on a block).  This will lessen the intensity on the hamstrings.
2)  Put your top hand in your hip crease and draw the hip back.  Lessens the load of the position, helps with rotation and stabilization of hips.
3) Bend your front knee and put your hand on the floor.  Helps with balance and hamstring tightness.
4)  Skip the rotation.  Place both hands on the front shin working to extend the spine and legs.  Once you build up your endurance add the rotation.

An example of number 2 is below.

The word core is thrown around in the fitness and yoga world all the time. It’s a buzz word for class titles and descriptions and we can’t tell you how often we hear ”I need more core strength” as a main reason for coming to class.  Well, do you know what your core is? Where it is? And what you can  do to strengthen it? 

First let’s define the core.  Many people incorrectly believe the core is just their belly area, the stomach muscles, more specifically the rectus abdominis, the well known superficial muscles that can be seen to form the six pack and on some people the eight pack. These are nice to look at but really are bit players in the game of a powerful, stable, mobile and pain free body.  In fact, you can think of your core  running from your mid-thigh to your chest on the front, sides and back of the body. It includes your hip flexors, adductors (inner thigh), glutes, your deep back muscles from your tailbone to the neck (erector spinae & multifidus) and your abdominals (comprised of your transverse abdominis (TVA ), internal & external obliques and rectus abdominis).  As you might imagine they help you do almost everything  – from rolling out of bed, to sitting up, to any movements that rotate and reach.

So you can begin to see why the core is the holy grail.  Regardless of what the activity is – from daily tasks at work or home to the casual walk or run to intense physical activity – each and every movement is initiated from the core and is dependent upon strong yet supple groups of muscles that can adjust at the nanosecond to both stabilize and rotate.  It’s these groups that connect your upper and lower extremities.  The stronger and more coordinated you are through your center mass the more power, force and control you will have in performing the desired task.  A good image is to think about how the whole body is coordinated through the middle when swinging a golf club, bat or tennis racket or throwing or kicking a ball.

“Well what can I do?” you ask. Focus on whole body movements that challenge the core while keeping the body tall and extended with the shoulders down and back.  There are hundreds of exercises that are applicable, but for this article we’ll use some of the most common exercises we employ in our practices: plank, push ups, mountain climbers, side plank and forearm plank, supermans, cobra and bridge.  Also, standing positions like revolving triangle, revolving lunge, and any standing positions that challenge your balance like standing big toe hold, revolving standing big toe hold and standing king dancer & bow.

Key points to remember when practicing:

Lift the pelvic floor and neutralize your pelvis.
Anchor your abdominals (from your pubic bone to your sternum) towards your spine rather than pushing (pooching) them out.
Engage your glutes
Draw your shoulder blades down your back towards your hips.
Breathe!  Use your exhales to do the most challenging work.

Stay aware of your low back!  Make sure you do not feel any pain in this area.  When you are taking classes seek instructors that guide you to engage and stabilize core areas.

We happen to have a workshop coming up this weekend – Utilize your Core.  If you would like a great hands on experience we invite you to check it out.