Emma Lovell Yoga

This content shows Simple View


Category Archives balance

Circles

Images from here

Inspiration for this week’s class theme comes from this article on the ‘feminine’ in yoga:

‘… mainstream yoga schools neglect the ability and necessity to swiftly soften and engage muscles in a coordinated way to produce a circular, waving fluid movement to create flexible power. To undertake such movements, the body must be allowed to be receptive in order to transmit the force sequentially, with a firm base to steady the root of the watery movement. The student must flit between rigidity and receptivity to produce the wave, with too much of one element ruining the effect; whilst a mirror can sometimes help to see the effect, intuition and feeling tells the student where he is stuck or too loose. The highly subtle, relational quality between the masculine and feminine through the spine is microcosmic reflection of this constant interplay at the macrocosmic level.’

Whilst I’m not 100% in agreement with simplistically assigning things (or movements) masculine and feminine qualities, this is a great article on both the more masculine roots of modern yoga and on creating balance in our practice between the linear and the circular, between rigidity and waves.

Here’s a nice fluid sequence to try at home:




Falling

Fall II - mixed media on gesso - 25 x 20 cm - float framed - 2014

In her article ‘Addressing the fear of falling in seniors‘, Katy Bowman discusses how a fear of falling (and not being able to get back up) and can actually cause people to fall:

‘Most of us can relate. If you’ve ever walked over a slippery surface or spent any time on ice or snow, chances are you’ve caught yourself altering your movement patterns to prevent a fall; the alteration is a natural response to fear. But if this response is natural, how can it eventually lead to a fall?

It turns out that fear-induced alterations in gait patterns can have a profound impact on the muscles used while walking. Timid walking tends to mean less clearance of the foot from the ground (shuffling), bent knees to lower the center of mass and a reduction in the natural arm swing that balances the movement of the legs.

Being afraid of falling every now and then is no big deal. But being afraid whenever you are walking can reduce the loads to the muscles of the hip, eventually atrophying them to the point where they no longer stabilize the weight of the body as it is moving. Combine instability and poor mobility with a crack in the sidewalk or the unexpected object in the kitchen and you’ve got yourself a fall.’

Take a look at this guy taking the fear out of falling:

‘No one wants to be That Guy who has fallen and can’t get up. The reality, though, is that with beds, couches and chairs abundant, many people have lost the strength to get off the floor because they just don’t get down there anymore. As simple as it sounds, getting down and back up again requires joint mobility and muscular strength.’ Katy Bowman from ‘Addressing the fear of falling in seniors.’

You may have seen the new BBC series How to Stay Young and the sit to stand test they featured.  This week’s classes have been based around building strength in the legs and mobility in the hips to enable a more easeful transition from sitting on the ground to standing.  Here is the test:

A lot of people struggle to do this movement (see quote above) and so it can be helpful to modify the exercise by using the hands to start with or by lifting the hips up higher than the feet.  For example you could start by standing without hands from a chair and then gradually lower the height you are starting from.  Also try starting in a different position- try standing from a kneeling position or even a squat and then try coming up with hands, with one hand, and then with no hands.

Crouch- sold

More importantly, as a longer term measure to build strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance, think about sitting on the floor more often and varying how you are sitting.  If sitting on the floor is uncomfortable, add cushions, blocks , or whatever is needed under the pelvis to help take away any tension in the low back or hips.  

Click here for details on my ‘Happy Hips’ workshop.

For more inspiration on dynamic living spaces, or just increasing your daily movement, I recommend taking a look at the video here.

 

(‘Crouch’, ‘Gaze’ and ‘Fall III’ artwork from Claire Cansick)




How’s your balance?

‘Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.’ Jana Kingsford

DSC_0075

Balancing can improve your focus, strength, and help to calm the mind.  Yet as we age our ability to balance is something that can start to decline.  In a yoga class balancing poses can be some of the quietest and most focused moments of the class.  However, unless approached in a certain way, they can also become one of the most frustrating and tense times.

Here are some hints for better balancing, and ideas to practice at home:

Gaze

When trying to balance, where you look is really important.  In yoga we call this the drishti, or focused gaze.  When balancing,  pick a spot to focus on straight ahead that’s not going to move.  Keep your gaze focused but soft on this spot.

Try this:

Try standing on one leg staring at your chosen gaze point.  Then try the same thing but turn and look to your right, then left, then up and down.  Notice how this affects your balance.  Finally try to balance on one leg with your eyes closed.

Foundations

Think about your foundations.  For standing balances, before you start take off your shoes and socks and warm up ankles with ankle circles.  Then wiggle your toes and try to spread them out.  Next try to move just your big toes, then try to move all the other toes without your big toes moving.

Bringing awareness into the feet can help us feel the ground through the feet and so help sense the weight shifting in the body.  Try to ungrip the toes and keep the feet as relaxed as you can so that they are free to sense the ground and help you balance.

Try this:

To work on improving your balance, vary the surfaces you are standing on.  Try balancing on a soft or uneven surface like a towel or foam block.  Notice all the little movements your feet make as they adjust to help you balance on an unfamiliar surface.

Softness

It can be common to feel tense as you focus on trying to balance.  But in fact this rigidity and tension can actually make balancing harder;  it is often the rigid and brittle trees that are first to topple in a storm rather than the trees that move with the wind.  A balance doesn’t have to be still- your feet and toes will be constantly moving as they readjust to keep your balance.  You may even find you sway a little from side to side.  So try to keep the pose soft, even if that just means releasing the back teeth or the toes.  Also, keep breathing!  When trying really hard to balance sometimes the breath gets held, and this will only make the body even more rigid- keep reminding yourself to breathe!

Try this:

Stand on one leg and try to keep as still as you can.  Notice how this makes you feel- what sensations come up in the body, notice how easy it is to balance, notice what happens to your breath.  Then see if you can soften or let go of one thing in the pose such as the shoulders, and then another, and another.  Again notice how the pose now feels and how easy it is to balance, notice how much you move when the body is soft, notice how your breath changes.

Take your time

Keep it slow and work in stages- If you are unable to balance on one leg then try standing next to a wall or sturdy chair and keep one or both hands on the wall/chair until you feel comfortable to take it away.  Rather than rushing to get your arms above your head in vrksasana (tree pose- see image), work from the ground up- sort out the legs first and then maybe take the arms up when you feel steady.

Try this: Make balancing part of your routine- stand on one leg when you’re brushing your teeth, for example.

For further information on my workshop on ‘balance’ please see here




Centering

‘Like a balancing pose in yoga, ceramics provides a perfect feedback loop: exit your body and enter your busy mind, and you will likely teeter and fall. Or, in this case, try to bully the clay with strength, not stillness, and it turns into a guided missile rather than a bowl.’ I’m currently on week 7 of a pottery course with the amazing Stonehenge Potterythis article strikes a chord!

image




The eyes

‘…our bodies are casted not only by what we do, but by what we don’t do. For example, many of us have “casted” the ciliary muscles of our eyes through exceptionally high amounts of close-looking (computers, smart phones, iPads, books, the walls of our homes, offices and classrooms) and exceptionally low amounts of looking to great distances.’  Katy Bowman.  See full article here for further explanation.

 

Here are a few exercises you might like to try to improve muscle weakness around the eyes and to help eyes strain.

 

tibetan eye chart

For generations the people of Tibet have used natural methods to correct visual weakness and improve their eyesight. Chief among the methods employed has been the use of certain exercises which have proved useful over long periods of time. The figure on this chart was designed by Tibetan Lama Monks to give the necessary corrective exercises and stimulation to the muscles and nerves of the optical system. The eye Muscles focus similar to a camera shutter. The purpose of these exercises is to strengthen the eye muscles to improve vision. Practice a few minutes morning and evening and see if you notice its effects.

How to Use the Chart

These exercises are to be done without eyeglasses or contacts. Do each movement for 30 seconds while in a sitting position, spine straight and do not move the head side to side. Move only the eyes.

1.) With the palm of each hand cup both closed eyes to relax them.

2.) Move the eyes clockwise around the outer circle of dots

3.) Repeat this movement in a counterclockwise rotation

4.) Move the eyes back and forth between the dots at 2 and 8 o’clock

5.) Repeat this movement back and forth between dots at 4 and 10 o’clock

6.) Blink the eyes briefly and finish therapy with the palming same as exercise #1

Repeat exercises as desired being careful to avoid strain.

Source:  http://www.wellnesshour.net/tibet.htm via here.

 

Here’s a couple of exercises from this article in Yoga International:

1. Palming

 Rub your hands together for 10 to 15 seconds until they feel warm and energized. Then gently place your hands over your eyes, with the fingertips resting on the forehead, the palms over the eyes, and the heels of the hands resting on the cheeks. Don’t touch the eyeballs directly, but hollow the hands slightly and allow them to form a curtain of darkness in front of the eyes. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and relax. Envision the eyes absorbing the darkness like a sponge, while also welcoming healing warmth and energy from the hands. Invite the eyes to grow soft and spacious, and enjoy this break from visual stimulation. Continue this palming action as long as it feels soothing—for just a few seconds or up to five minutes. When you are ready to emerge, gently remove the hands from the face and slowly open the eyes.

This palming technique can also be done after the eye exercises that follow to further rest the eyes.

2. Eye Rolling

 Sit upright with a long spine and relaxed breath. Soften your gaze by relaxing the muscles in your eyes and face. Without moving your head, direct your gaze up toward the ceiling. Then slowly circle your eyes in a clockwise direction, tracing as large a circle as possible. Gently focus on the objects in your periphery as you do this, and invite the movement to feel smooth and fluid. Repeat three times, then close the eyes and relax. When you’re ready, perform the same eye-rolling movement three times in a counterclockwise direction.

 

As with all movements in the body, variation is key- try to vary your focus by spending some time looking at the furthest thing you can see in the distance, watch sunsets, sunrises, the horizon.  Give your eyes a real break and test your proprioception by practicing a sun salutation with your eyes closed, try a balance with your eyes closed and notice the difference.




Centre

Posted on by Emma

via here

reaching the centre

in yoga practice

you try to reach that centre inside your body

from which it is possible to expand…

in yoga, with listening, with attention

with the clarity that comes from the practice

slowly slowly slowly

you touch the spot from which you can expand

into the ground and into space

 

Challenge your centre

‘To stabilise your body around neutral, and in particular your core, limits movement in the spine whilst also limiting…full movement potential.

How can we know where centre is if we don’t know where the boundary or limits to our centre are?’  Gary Ward, What the Foot?

 

<h3 class='artwork-heading'>Robert Kinmont 8 Natural Handstands</h3><p class='artwork-info'>1969/2009<br>nine silver gelatin prints, Ed.10<br>21.5 x 21.5 cm Courtesy Alexander and Bonin </p><h3 class='artwork-heading'>Robert Kinmont 8 Natural Handstands</h3><p class='artwork-info'>1969/2009<br>nine silver gelatin prints, Ed.10<br>21.5 x 21.5 cm Courtesy Alexander and Bonin </p><h3 class='artwork-heading'>Robert Kinmont 8 Natural Handstands</h3><p class='artwork-info'>1969/2009<br>nine silver gelatin prints, Ed.10<br>21.5 x 21.5 cm Courtesy Alexander and Bonin </p>

Handstand images from Natural Handstands.




Movement

Posted on by Emma

‘Everything is in motion.  Everything flows.  Everything is vibrating.’ William Hazlitt

From &ldquo;Fruits and Flowers&rdquo;, c. 1920s.

‘Movement is present in every aspect of life and stability is nowhere…In every ‘thing’ there is a centre, a point of optimal balance, where performance and opportunity for the ‘thing’ in question is maximised and optimised.  There is also an allowance, a distraction from centre that is deemed as normal.  Since centre is a stable point, it is impossible to maintain it, and so the body has an awareness of either side of centre that allows for comfort and wellbeing and the ebb and flow of life.’  Gary Ward, What the Foot

 




Spring

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

This week’s classes are all about spring cleaning.  We’ll be rooting down to spring up, spending time twisting, balancing, and listening to how our feet communicate with our body.




Exploring balance

iyengar headstand

We’ve been exploring balance these last few weeks in class.  Here are some tips to help your balancing:

– Keep breathing!

– Keep the gaze soft but focused

– See if you can soften the pose, even if that just means releasing the back teeth.  Also, you’re allowed to move about in the pose- keeping the pose rigid and still will make it harder to balance.

– Keep it slow and work in stages- rather than rushing to get your arms above your head in vrksasana (tree pose), sort out the legs first and then maybe take the arms up when you feel steady.

– For standing balances start with some toe and ankle exercises (see post below on foot health) to warm-up and bring awareness to the feet.

– Have fun- it doesn’t matter if you fall out of the balance, just keep practicing!  Try balancing on different surfaces (yoga blocks or a scrunched up yoga mat are good), or changing your gaze to look up or to the side- notice the effect this has on the balance.