MOAR’s Daily Dozen: DAY 4 – Wide-Legged Forward Bend

Step-by-Step:

1. Come to standing, facing the long edge of your mat.

2. Separate the feet at least 3 ½ to 4 feet apart, feet parallel or slightly pigeon toed. Ground firmly into the outside edges of your feet and engage the quads.

3. Bring hands to waist, inhale deeply and puff up your chest. Exhale as you fold forward, hinging from the hips.

4. Keeping a flat back bring your hands to the mat (or a block), fingertips in line with toes. Make sure your weight is centered in the middle or your foot.

5. Hold for 10 deeps breaths (count to 4 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale), letting the hamstrings slowly release.

6. Bring your hands back to your waist and rise up, keeping a flat back. Return to standing.

Note: you can also do this posture with a shoulder rinse by interlacing the hands behind your back and bringing them up and overhead as you fold forward.

How it will heal you:

Hamstring Pulls – The vast majority of the time, hamstring pulls are a direct result of inflexible hamstrings. This big muscle group requires patience and daily attention to open up and can be really frustrating in their resistance to change. You are not going to go from barely touching your toes to Jordan Wieber overnight. Commit to working on this posture every day and slowly but surely you’ll get the results you want and your body needs.

Lower Back Pain – How many of you have experienced lower back pain? I’d venture to say that anyone who sits in a chair all day has suffered through their fair share. This is also a big one for athletes. Why is that? Most often, lower back pain in athletes stems from tight hamstrings. For my fellow anatomy nerds out there, the hamstrings originate on the sitz bone–aka those little nobs deep in the flesh of your booty that us yogis balance on when doing boat core work (my favorite!). , If your hamstrings are tight they will pull down on the pelvis from the insertion point (the sitz bone) tilting it out of proper alignment and forcing your body to compensate using your lower back to remain upright. Another common reason for low back pain is underdeveloped abdominal muscles. I’m not talking just the six-pack abs (rectus abdominis) but also the deeper corset abs (transverse abdominis) that are critical for balance and stability. The simply solution to preventing and treating lower back pain is to stretch out your hammies and workout your core every day.

July 4, 2013

MOAR’s Daily Dozen: DAY 3 – Dolphin Pose

Step-by-Step:

1. Come to tabletop position, shoulders stacked over wrists, hips over knees.

2. Leave your knees where they are but come down onto your forearms, elbows directly under shoulders.

3. Spread the fingers wide and press hands and forearms firmly into the mat. Curl your toes under and press into the balls of your feet as you straighten your legs out, hips reaching high to the sky.

4. Keep a nice long spine and walk your feet closer to your elbows by a couple of inches.

5. Keep your gaze between your hands and let the chest melt back towards your thighs as your shoulders soften and hamstrings slowly open with breath.

6. Take 10 deeps breaths (count to 4 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale) then slowly release, coming back to tabletop.

How it will heal you:

Hamstring Pulls – The vast majority of the time, hamstring pulls are a direct result of inflexible hamstrings. This big muscle group requires patience and daily attention to open up and can be really frustrating in their resistance to change. You are not going to go from barely touching your toes to Jordyn Wieber overnight. Commit to working on this posture every day and slowly but surely you’ll get the results you want and your body needs.

Shoulder Pain – Football, lacrosse, and baseball players know shoulder pain. As a yogi, I can also vouch for the frequency of shoulder injuries in yoga–a misaligned jump-back to chaturunga is one of the fastest ways to wreck your rotator cuffs. Shoulders, like hips, are a ball-in-socket joint and thus are designed to have a broad ROM (range of motion). Athletes and office bees alike experience a lot of shoulder pain because not enough attention gets paid to maintaining the flexibility of this critical joint. Increase the openness of your wrists, chest and upper back to prevent and treat discomfort. Additionally, focusing on contralateral movement (i.e. twists) will help to eliminate rigidity from the upper body.

Wrist Problems – Football, lacrosse, baseball, tennis and basketball players are incredibly susceptible to wrist injuries. Amongst others, yogis should be added to that list–just ask two of my fellow yoga teachers who went through training with me and are still modifying their Down Dog months later. In order to avoid wrist issues, it’s critical that you build strong forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders and upper back. Like all other joints, it’s also important to maintain ROM (range of motion) and flexibility in the joint itself as well as the elbows and shoulders so that the body can maintain proper form and alignment when generating power and movement from the upper body and arms.

Foot and Ankle Issues – I can’t tell you have many times I wrenched my ankle playing soccer and field hockey as a kid, or more recently while hiking and running. Ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis are three very common foot and ankle injuries. These injuries are no fun because let’s face it, when our foundation is out of whack everything else is thrown off and dysfunctional. The answer to avoiding these frustrating beasts of burden is to strengthen the ankle, increase the flexibility of the ankle and toes and work on your balance. Not only does this require concerted effort to increase the openness in these areas but it also means more core work. Core is your key to stability, meaning you’ll be less likely to get thrown off balance and tweak something if your abdominal and back muscles are strong.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

July 3, 2013

MOAR’s Daily Dozen: DAY 2 – High Plank w/ Flipped Hands

Step-by-Step:

1. Come to tabletop position, shoulders stacked over wrists, hips over knees.

2. Flip your hands (palms down) so that your fingers are pointing toward your knees.

3. Press into plank, maintaining flipped hands.

4. Pull belly button to spine to engage the core. Keep legs strong, lifting on the kneecaps to engage the quads and pressing strongly back through the heel. Make sure your booty isn’t popping up in the air or sagging toward the ground.

5. Listen to your body. If this stretch is too intense on the wrists come back to tabletop and sit back until your wrists start talking to you.

6. Hold for 30 seconds then slowly release back to tabletop.

How it will heal you:

Lower Back Pain – How many of you have experienced lower back pain? I’d venture to say that anyone who sits in a chair all day has suffered through their fair share. This is also a big one for athletes. Why is that? Most often, lower back pain in athletes stems from tight hamstrings. For my fellow anatomy nerds out there, the hamstrings originate on the sitz bone–aka those little nobs deep in the flesh of your booty that us yogis balance on when doing boat core work (my favorite!). If your hamstrings are tight they will pull down on the pelvis from the insertion point (the sitz bone) tilting it out of proper alignment and forcing your body to compensate using your lower back to remain upright. Another common reason for low back pain is underdeveloped abdominal muscles. I’m not talking just the six-pack abs (rectus abdominis) but also the deeper corset abs (transverse abdominis) that are critical for balance and stability. The simply solution to preventing and treating lower back pain is to stretch out your hammies and workout your core every day.

July 2, 2013

MOAR’s Daily Dozen: DAY 1 – Hero’s Pose

Step-by-Step:

1. Come to a kneeling position. Rock your weight forward, bringing hands to floor and tuck your toes under so that your heels pop up. Sit back onto your heels, hands resting on your lap. (If this is too much on your knees, place a block or pillow underneath your booty.)

2. Keep your knees and thighs zipped together and sit up tall.

3. This is an intense stretch in the toes and arch of the foot but try to stay with it and not to back off. Focus on your breath to help you stay in the posture. If it’s really too much on the underside of the foot, ease up some of the pressure by bringing your hands to the floor or a block in front of you.

4. Take 10 deeps breaths (count to 4 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale) with toes tucked under.

5. Rock your weight forward again and untuck your toes. Let the heels splay open. Sit back in between your feet, heels hugging hips. (Again, if this is too much on the knees, place a block or pillow underneath your booty.)

6. Keep your knees as close together as possible and zip up between the thighs. Make sure you’re keeping a nice long spine, crown of head reaching toward the ceiling.

7. Take 10 deeps breaths (count to 4 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale) then slowly release.

8. Bring your legs out long in front of you in a seated position. Give them a good wiggle and shake to release the knees, ankles and feet.

How it will heal you:

Knee Injuries – We all know someone that has torn their meniscus, had a knee replacement, or had some sort of debilitating knee injury. Our knees take a serious beating from all of the physical stuff we do day in and day out—not to mention the high heels some of us ladies rock to look lovely but brutalize our bodies from the tippy toes on up. The best way to prevent pain and avoid trouble is to keep the hips, IT band and hamstrings strong and flexible. Hips, IT band and hamstring mobility keeps the work in your bigger muscle groups (hamstrings and quadriceps) rather than the body’s default of looking to the place of least resistance–which is almost always the knee joint–for speed, power and agility. If you give the body freedom to move using your large muscle groups and stabilizers it will learn not to rely upon vulnerable and complex joints.

May 3, 2013

Add Yin to your Yang for a more balanced practice

Most of us in the West practice yoga to get long and lean, in addition to all of the mental and emotional benefits. This style of yoga–the kind that focuses on our muscles–is Yang Yoga. Yang Yoga is an important part of yoga and helps us get strong and healthy. There is, however, an important counterpart to Yang which has been dropped from most of our practices: Yin Yoga. Yin Yoga works the deeper tissues including our ligaments, joints, and fascia. In order to keep a balanced practice of strength and length, it’s important that we “cross-train” with Yin and Yang Yoga.

Yin Yoga is all about fewer postures with longer holds (think 5-7 solid minutes in pigeon). In a one hour flow, you might only get through 6 asanas with an opening meditation and closing shavasana. These long static holds combined with Ujjayi breathing (oceanic breath) allow you to slowly work into the deeper tissues of the body that get so tight from our day to day activities. At first the poses can be really intense, and you should listen closely to any messages your body might be sending to ease off, but you’ll be amazed where a steady, Ujjayi breathing pattern can take you. As the Yoga Sutra says, all asanas should be sthira and sukham, or practiced with steadiness and ease. This is certainly the case with Yin yoga. My personal mantras while practicing Yin are “Slow and Steady” or “Easy Goes It.” They help me find that sweet spot many of us yoga teachers refer to as your ‘edge’.

The best part about Yin Yoga is that it is incredibly portable and pragmatic. All you need is space to roll out your mat. No handstand kicks or side crows here. Many Yin asanas can be done while you’re chilling, reading a book or watching TV. Here’s a sample one-hour total body flow that you can do at home or (if you’re a jetsetter) in a hotel room:

(3 min) Meditation: Sit in a comfortable seated position, long spine. Close your eyes and bring your palms to rest lightly on the knees. Breathe deeply in and out through the nose, beginning to cultivate your Ujjayi breath. Try counting to 4 on the inhale, holding for 1 count, breathing out for 4 counts, and holding for 1 on empty before restarting the cycle.

Sphinx Pose — Source: realbeauty.com/health/fitness/sphinx-pose

(5 min) Sphinx: Lie on your stomach. Bring hands beside shoulders. Press into your palms, forearms parallel, lifting your chest up off the mat. Look down to make sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders. If this is too intense on the lower back walk your hands slightly forward. Keep your legs firmly planted and neck long.
(1 min) Full Swan (right knee forward): Also known as Pigeon in Yang Yoga. From Down Dog or Tabletop bring your right knee to your right wrist. Flex the right foot and move it as close to the left wrist as possible without discomfort. Distribute your weight equally between your hips and sit upright. Your hands can either press lightly into your right knee and ankle, fingertips to floor slightly in front of your hips, or on two blocks.
(3 min) Sleeping Swan: From Full Swan, walk your hands forward letting the torso and neck hang heavy. As gravity pulls you toward the floor try coming onto your forearms and eventually resting the chest on your right leg, forehead to mat.
(5 min) Shoelace (left knee on top): From Swan, walk your hands back to your hips and sit up tall. Swing your left leg around, bend the leg, and place it on top of your right leg, knees stacked toes pointing back. Slowly let your torso fold forward with every breath, draping over your legs.

Counter-pose: Lie on your back and windshield wiper your legs (30 sec-1 min), releasing the lower back.

(1 min) Full Swan (left knee forward): Also known as Pigeon in Yang Yoga. From Down Dog or Tabletop bring your left knee to your right wrist. Flex the left foot and move it as close to the right wrist as possible without discomfort. Distribute your weight equally between your hips and sit upright. Your hands can either press lightly into your right knee and ankle, fingertips to floor slightly in front of your hips, or on two blocks.
(3 min) Sleeping Swan: From Full Swan, walk your hands forward letting the torso and neck hang heavy. As gravity pulls you toward the floor try coming onto your forearms and eventually resting the chest on your left leg, forehead to mat.
(5 min) Shoelace (right knee on top): From Swan, walk your hands back to your hips and sit up tall. Swing your right leg around, bend the leg, and place it on top of your left leg, knees stacked toes pointing back. Slowly let your torso fold forward with every breath, draping over your legs.

Counter-pose: Lie on your back and windshield wiper your legs (30 sec-1 min), releasing the lower back.

(3 min) Straddle (folding forward, centered): Sit facing the long edge of your mat and spread your legs as wide as they’ll go. Flex your feet strongly and hinge forward from the hips, maintaining a flat back. If you can’t keep a long spine while folding forward keep your torso upright and breath into your hips, tilting them forward inch by inch with every breath. If you can fold forward no problem, work to bring the forearms and eventually chest to the floor.
(3 min) Straddle (folding over right leg):Sit up tall, legs spread wide. Inhale to lengthen the spine then exhale, twisting toward the right leg. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale fold over the right leg, reaching chin to shin and working to center the sternum over the knee cap. Reach for the toes, foot or ankle and use your arm strength to fold deeper.
(3 min) Straddle (folding over left leg): Sit up tall, legs spread wide. Inhale to lengthen the spine then exhale, twisting toward the left leg. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale fold over the left leg, reaching chin to shin and working to center the sternum over the knee cap. Reach for the toes, foot or ankle and use your arm strength to fold deeper.
(3 min) Bananasana (to the right): Lay flat on your back with legs together. Reach arms overhead and clasp hands or elbows. Ground into the mat with your booty and pull belly button to spine. Inch your feet and upper body to the right, arching like a banana. You should feel a nice side body stretch on the left side. If not, move your feet and clasped arms further to the right until you do.
(3 min) Bananasana (to the left): Lay flat on your back with legs together. Reach arms overhead and clasp hands or elbows. Ground into the mat with your booty and pull belly button to spine. Inch your feet and upper body to the left, arching like a banana. You should feel a nice side body stretch on the right side. If not, move your feet and clasped arms further to the left until you do.
(2 min) Reclining Twist w/ Eagle Legs (right side): Lay flat on your back and draw your knees in toward your chest. Wrap right leg over left, hooking your right foot inside the left ankle if possible. Open your your arms wide and keeping your shoulders grounded, let your legs sink to the left. Breathe into the right side body, middle back, and right hip. Come back to center and unwind the legs to switch sides.
(2 min) Reclining Twist w/ Eagle Legs (left side): Lay flat on your back and draw your knees in toward your chest. Wrap left leg over right, hooking your left foot inside the right ankle if possible. Open your your arms wide and keeping your shoulders grounded, let your legs sink to the right. Breathe into the left side body, middle back, and left hip. Come back to center and unwind the legs to switch sides.
(5-10 min) Shavasana: Lay flat on your back, legs straight and slightly apart or in reclining butterfly. Arms are by your side, a few inches separating them from the body. Close your eyes and melt into the floor. Let everything go, including your Ujjayi breath.

(Flow adapted from “The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga” by Bernie Clark)

Yin will change your practice for the better when practiced consistently. I highly recommend doing 30 min to an hour of Yin before you go to bed. It can be tough in the morning because we all wake up pretty stiff and need some time for the “fuzz” to loosen up.

December 13, 2012

MoYoga on Supported Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)

Salamba Sirsasana, or supported headstand, like all yoga inversion postures is a great way to find both energy and calm. By flipping your world upside-down, you’re allowing for increased blood drainage from your lower extremities, as well as your lymph nodes. When you come out of the posture and into child’s pose, you’re flushing your entire body with fresh, oxygenated blood. This is an incredibly active pose and works everything from the forearms and shoulders to the abs and back muscles to your thighs and even feet.

The key to this asana is to approach it without ego and with a sense of adventure. Inversions are often scary for people, but the only way you’ll get injured is if you don’t listen to your body. In the beginning, take it slow and use a wall. Having both the support and peace-of-mind that something is there to catch you if you fall is a great way to get comfortable and kickstart this element of your practice.

Now, let’s break it down step by step…

STEP 1: Set up your yoga mat, kneeling somewhere in the bottom half. In order to find the proper spot to place your head, take your wrist joint and place it on the tip of your nose, fingertips reaching up to the sky. Wherever your middle finger lands–somewhere between your hairline and the crown of your head–is where you’ll want to set your head down. Keep in mind that from an anatomical standpoint the closer to the crown of your head you base this asana, the more neutral your spine will remain.

STEP 2: Place your head down on the mat in front of you, using the spot you found in step 1. Lace your fingers together and cup your head. Your forearms will frame your head and neck on the floor, elbows at shoulder width. Press your inner wrists firmly into the floor.

STEP 3: Send your booty up and back, coming into down dog legs. From the side you should look like an inverted “V.” Fire up your thighs, actively lifting your kneecaps to engage your quadriceps. Walk your feet in towards your elbows, keeping your heels elevated. The closer your feet come to your elbows, the more your hips come over your shoulders; this will bring you into better alignment from the get-go, making it easier to stay solid once your legs rise up and overhead. Draw your shoulder blades in and down, flattening them against your upper back to keep your front torso lengthened.

STEP 4: Root down through your forearms, exhale and lift your feet away from the ground. There are two ways to do this: (1) by lifting one straightened leg to the sky, then powering your other leg up to meet with the first using core and glute strength, or (2) taking both feet up at the same time by bending your knees and hopping lightly off the floor (see above). I am demonstrating the second option because I find it to be a slightly easier place to start. If you chose the second option, engage your abs–drawing belly button into spine–and lift your legs straight up and overhead with control.

Either way you choose to go, avoid using momentum. If you aren’t quite ready to rise up using muscle strength (core power!), you can use a wall and add a little more kick into the process. Please heed my warning above and check your ego at the door before trying this asana.

STEP 5: Finally with your legs perpendicular to the floor, tuck your tailbone in and down. Lift up and out of your shoulders and neck by rotating your upper thighs inward, engaging your adductors and abductors. Your feet should be directly over your hips, which should be aligned over the crown of your head. Try to keep your weight evenly balanced on both forearms by continually tucking your tailbone, engaging your abs, and firing up every single muscle in your legs. It helps me to demi/Barbie-point my feet, sending energy through the balls of my big toes.

If you’re just getting started, aim to stay inverted for 10 seconds (2-3 deep breaths). You can gradually tack time onto this until you can comfortably hold the pose for 5 min. To come out of it, slowly bring your legs down the same way they went up with an exhalation. Be sure not to lose the lift in your shoulder blades.

When both feet touch the floor, sit back onto your knees, bring your chest forward onto your thighs, and rest in child’s pose. You deserve it!

September 9, 2012

Manifesto: Namaste, Muthaf*ckas

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMC1_RH_b3k]

There are those who laugh at this video and those who laugh with it. I’m of the with it variety and aim to make as many people as possible join me in that crowd. I mean, really, want to see where I can put my leg? You want to see where I can put my leg.

In all seriousness though, this video holds one of the keys to getting more people involved in yoga–the ability to laugh at yourself. The thing about yoga is that so many people take it (and themselves in doing it) SO seriously that it isolates a lot of us. That’s a crying shame because I truly believe that yoga can be beneficial for anyone and everyone. You don’t need to go hoarse Om-ing to reap the benefits of yoga. Just last night I had a long conversation about this with mama dukes as I strolled home along U Street from my studio. She wistfully recounted her first experience with yoga some 20 years ago. What she loved about it then and still appreciates about it now is that when you go to a class you’ll see everyone from 25-year-old hard bodies to 75-year-old grandmas. Heck, there’s even a 93 year old yoga teacher out there still doing her thing. Badass!

In carving out my own piece of this industry, I want MoYoga to help people achieve their personal fitness goals, whatever they may be, through mo’ than just yoga, ya dig? For some, yoga is about injury prevention through increased flexibility, muscle strength and improved balance. For others, it is about weight management, mindfulness (a.k.a. focus/concentration) and stress relief. Any combination of outcomes you hope to achieve through yoga is possible with the proper guidance and personal commitment. If you combine your practice with good nutrition, you’ll not only reach your goals but sustain your success. This is why a huge component of my future client work will be nutrition counseling, including weekly meal plans, shopping lists, healthy recipes and education about what fuel your body needs depending on your lifestyle.

Beyond physiology, my ultimate aspiration is to help people feel amazing about themselves by discovering or reclaiming their mojo. Whether you’re a professional athlete looking to optimize your performance or coming back from an injury, or somebody who just wants to be the healthiest, happiest and hottest version of yourself, it’s crucial to cultivate and nurture your self-esteem, self-confidence and, let’s be real, sex-appeal with as much dedication as your fitness and nutrition regimen. True health cannot be achieved through yoga moves alone. It’s all about addressing the entirety of a person’s needs from the inside out. So stay tuned, thanks for reading and get your moves, meals and mojo with me and MoYoga.

September 3, 2012

Be Fit: Foam Roll 4 Flexibility

Ever since my high-school field hockey days, I’ve been cursed with insanely tight hamstrings. Despite daily yoga and regular stretching, my hammies continued to rebel. Struggling in my down dogs and forward bends, I was becoming increasingly frustrated. One day a friend and former professional athlete raved about the magical, muscle-loosening power of the foam roller. Intrigued by his conviction, I started doing my homework. As serendipity would have it, Greatist–one of my favorite online fitness and health resources–did a feature on how to foam roll like a pro and it gave me the extra push I needed to see what this seemingly simple piece of equipment was all about. I ended up going with a 36-inch, high-density product from Isokinetics. You can pick one up for under $25 on Amazon.com. It is well worth the investment!

I’ve been foam rolling on a(n almost) daily basis since this thing arrived and have really noticed a big difference. When I was first learning how to rock the roller, I used the infographic below (source: Greatist), but now I just play around depending on what my body needs.

The IT band and hamstring moves hurt so good and are great for runners and athletes of all kinds. The one exercise I would add to this list is for the groin. Simply lay on the ground, belly down. Place the foam roller off to your right side and place your right leg on top of it, bent at a 90-degree angle. Lift your torso up off the floor 4-6 inches and rock laterally, letting the roller glide along your inner thigh from knee to groin. Do this for 60 seconds (or as long as you can) then switch sides. By adjusting your body weight you can control the pressure/level of discomfort. The higher your raise your body off the floor the less force will be placed on the muscle group you’re working (but the more you’ll have to engage your arm and core muscles). Keep in mind this should be uncomfortable. It’s like a sports massage–hurts like hell during but makes you feel phenomenal when all is said and done. Don’t short change yourself and really push through to your edge!