Category Archives: Physical Wellness

Some YOGA basics:

It could be said; Yoga is really no different than anything else.  To give you an idea of how this statement works, think, for a few moments about your idea of Yoga.  For most of us, there is something specific that comes to mind — and what that is, is how you think about yoga, based on what you know now.  To demonstrate the “yoga is no different” part, think for a moment about food.

If you were to pause long enough for your mind to formulate a series of complete thoughts – there is a lot that can happen.  You might feel certain emotions that go along with your attitudes beliefs and ideas about food – or you could mentally evaluate what dishes are your favorites, or anything else.  Nobody would know better than you, where your mind went. Point being, a word is enough to trigger a way of thinking.  Many words can be interpreted in vastly differing ways, despite their inherent possibility of sharing a singular meaning to more than one person.

That being said, I remember my first experience with Yoga, just like it was yesterday.  Other than thinking that Yoga was something women did to avoid “real” workouts (like lifting heavy weights in a gym) I didn’t have all that much of an idea or understanding of what Yoga was.  Nor did I really care.  When a friend invited me to attend a hot yoga class in Fort Lauderdale, I was pretty open to the idea (as it was something that might act as a nice warm up before going to the gym).

Upon arrival to the studio the teacher ask if I had done yoga before, to which I let her know I had not.  I was then given the instructions to do what I could, drink plenty of water, and rest if I needed rest.  I did not own a mat so I had to rent one.  Additionally, I noted there were a lot of people who seemed to be dressed for an afternoon at the beach, not a workout.  I soon discovered why…

To get to the point, that class was one of the most harrowing, nauseating and miserable experiences I had ever had with fitness.  I felt completely uncoordinated, weak, clumsy and frustrated.  An inflated (weight-lifters) ego was the only think that got me through the class, as there wasn’t a minute that went by that I didn’t want to leave.  The teacher (to me) was pontificating about spirituality and it seemed that everyone, except me, was an expert at yoga.  Even the judgmental appearing (again, to me, at the time) short, thin bald guy sporting nothing more than a pair of aged speedos.

As if the class weren’t punishment enough, once it was FINALLY over (after 90 minutes) the teacher boldly announced that was time for something called savasana, which pretty much meant laying flat on your back and closing your eyes in a 100 plus degree room, while being overheated, dehydrated and drenched in sweat.  It was at the time I rolled my mat up and made the declaration that I would NEVER be taking another yoga class (or having anything to do with yoga for that matter) for the REST OF MY LIFE.

Next summer, July of 2003 I was in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, studying Hathaway Alignment Science (HAS), with my current Yoga Mentor and Teacher, Harmon Hathaway at the American Yoga Foundation.  My never lasted a whole 13 months.  I was not, however, there to learn what I now often refer to as fitness yoga.  At the time, my primary interest was to learn a form of breathwork that could accompany a recent certification (what I now consider not even worth the paper it was printed on) in the field of Hypnotherapy.

What Harmon showed me was much more that I could have bargained for.  HAS is a system of Aligning, Releasing and Unlocking the body in many ways – and it has very little to do with “Fitness Yoga” – although it’s principals wonderfully incorporate into anything movement oriented, including Yoga.  I have since developed a completely unique style of “Fitness” Yoga, which is entirely based upon the principals of Alignment as I discovered in HAS.

It was not, however, my intention to write an article about the physical merits of Yoga.  Going back to the beginning (of the article) I had eluded that one word can be taken many ways – and I used Yoga as an example.  The reason I am sharing these thoughts is that I often get ask questions about yoga that lead me to believe that the ideas quite a few of you hold onto about Yoga automatically dis-qualify you from even having the ability to participate because of a series of limitations that some “practitioners” may not have.

So, I figured one way to sow a few seeds of understanding was examine the origin of the words Hatha (which is often depicted as a style of yoga) and Yoga.  Yoga is often thought if as Sanskrit - which is often thought of as having to do with India.  The word yoga, in Sanskrit, translates to Yoke, which has the English meaning of Union.  Equally important is the word “Hatha” – which (in Sanskrit) translates to the English meaning “Breath”.  So, in essence, Hatha Yoga translates into “Breath Union” or A Union with Breath.

This is both important and relevant (I think) because it doesn’t alienate anyone who would like to become more in tune with body-mind-soul connection with the practice of Yoga.  Personally I have showed many people who do not believe they are in even moderate shape, how to enjoy a practice that not only reduces stress and helps foster greater intuition – but also improves physical well being.  It’s called Yoga, and it all starts with a (conscious) connection with breath in changing and evolving environments.  It can be used for as many paths (and more) as a mind can conceive.  Just because I use it in my personal life as a way of strength, flexibility and cardio training, doesn’t mean you have to too.  It can bend to fit your needs too.

Three Unconventional Yoga Techniques to ease (Chronic) Fatigue

Yoga Techniques can help fatigue, but…

Yoga TechniquesAs a passionate practitioner of Yoga, the topic often comes up in discussion, people ask many questions that pertain to Yoga.  Although I feel most of the questions I’m ask could be much more effectively clarified through meditation than from another person — there are a few areas not too often addressed with mainstream yoga techniques that I am pleased to share my thoughts and ideas about.  Yoga techniques that helps to alleviate fatigue is one of them.

However, before I go into the actual yoga techniques, let me ask you a question:  What is Yoga?  Without over analyzing it, where’s the first place your mind went?  Although I personally don’t associate yoga with an institutionally organized form of spirituality, I do honor the Sanskrit meaning of the word yoga, which translates into “yoke” commonly believed to refer to “Union.”   To me, union can have many meanings –  more than the physical fitness aspect commonly associated with the word yoga.

That in mind…here are Three Yoga Techniques to ease Fatigue:

The yoga techniques I’m sharing here are for everyone, even those of you who’ve never  practiced Yoga.  My reason for sharing yoga techniques that alleviate fatigue is simple, it wasn’t until this year, 2011 that I gained an entirely new appreciation for the concept of fatigue.  At the start of the year, I had the feeling that I was in the best shape of my life.  Working out 5-6 days per week for 90 minutes at a time, and going on walks that lasted 2-4 hours on just about a nightly basis helped me think so.  I had never been feeling better until I decided to clean up some of the more destructive habits, which I will not elaborate on now, from my life.

That’s when disaster hit.  In a matter of two weeks I was practically unable to practice any yoga techniques of any kind for even 20 minutes without tired to the core style agony – and even a simple short walk around the block was completely draining.  With such a drastic drop in activity, I started gaining weight and feeling even worse about the situation.

Fast forward to now…my, things have transformed — quite radically!  I’m able to practice the yoga techniques I loved close to the level I was before a personal energy crisis hit.  Additionally, going on walks is something that lifts me up energetically – and I feel divinely human throughout the day.  What I’m about to share are the three unconventional yoga techniques that have helped me the most — going from bunk and bashful to awesome:

Keep in mind, Yoga = Union – and union can mean much more…Here’s the Yoga Techniques:

#1) Eat Real Foods:

Just about all of us, if we have even a small bit of common sense, would agree that infecting (the DNA of) our foods with unpredictable viruses isn’t good for us.  That is part of the process of genetic modification of foods.  Currently, Corn, Soy and Wheat are the most commonly genetically modified foods “on the market.”  If you read the ingredients on just about any the packaged foods you could buy, chances are, you’ll find at least one of the ingredients listed.  Also, when we consume fish, poultry, and meat, rarely do we wonder just what those animals have been fed.

That being said, I decided to do something many of us would consider a tad radical – even unrealistic.  I pretty much eliminated fish, poultry, meat, corn, soy and wheat from my diet.  Some would think of this as vegan, but I just think of it as a way of eating that carries with it a lot of freedom.  As soon as I start name calling and labeling, I’m “locked in” and that becomes part of my identity.  Even thought that last bit may be besides the point, so far, I’ve had great results.  After the second week my energy more than doubled and weight that I had gained is quickly disappearing.  The e-book I wrote about eating gives an easy to follow explanation, but the important thing, in my case, is that I feel better!

#2) Just Breath:

It’s not like we’re never heard this before — and I know — the statement can seem cliche.  But think about stress for a moment… As kids, growing up in the states, most of us had times of feeling carefree.  As we grew physically and age-wise, into adults,  much of that freedom was replaced with responsibility – even the underlying expectation that we all have to live up to a set of standards that create the need to sacrifice our freedom.  While the last pat of that statement may have been vague and done with the intention to cause you to think, that doesn’t change the fact that many of us are stress cases to the extent of feeling worn out.

Another way I have though of stress is as constriction, or Subtle Tightness in or around the space our body occupies.  If we are always walking around with tension, it’s only a matter of time before something gives.  Unfortunately for many of us, as I discovered, it’s often our vital energy level.  There are many reasons we become stressed or tight, and what I think of as “Intentional Breathing” provides an opportunity to simply focus on breath, going in and out of the body, as well as the sensations within.

It’s simple yoga technique to practice.  I suggest laying flat on your back, placing the tip of your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth and breathing first into your belly, then as that fills allowing the breath to expand the ribcage.  When full, simply exhale through your nose and repeat.  After a (very) short time, its common to feel a greater sense of ease, less stress and greater relaxation.  It’s simple.

#3) Sit in a way that aligns your spine:

Of all the simple yoga techniques you would do, a reduction in internal pressure could be one of the best and most effective ways to boost your energy levels quickly.  The way you posture your body has a lot to do with the way you feel as well as the way your internal organs function.  Unfortunately for most of us, our posture often constricts and reduces the space our internal organs have, in turn causing discomfort, stress, constriction – even pain.  Alignment is simple practice that I learned from the American Yoga Foundation.  In fact, it can go hand in hand with “Intentional Breathing” if you would like it to.  Since learning Alignment in 2003, I have made may adjustments to my posturing and felt a lot better as a result.  Since a recent bout with fatigue, this yoga technique, being aware of my sitting posture and applying Intentional Breathing to my sitting posture has made all the yoga techniquesdifference in the world when I am sitting for an extended time.

Practicing is simple — while you are sitting, elongate the back of your neck, dropping your chin towards your collarbone, allow the ribcage to “lift” so that you can comfortably breath, by default, into your lower stomach and do the best you can to identify, with your mind — areas in your body where you feel tense.  As you feel these areas, simply focus on your breath and do what you can to find a greater sense of comfort.  You may find that with every exhale you can become more comfortable.  I’m not certain exactly how you’ll choose to go about practicing, but whichever you choose, I wish great results to you.

Keep in mind, sharing is caring, if you would like to share your favorite yoga techniques, please do so below: