Lemon and Garlic Drink to Lower Cholesterol

This week, a health screening campaign was organised at my company and most of my colleagues went to do the free BMI, Cholesterol and Glucose tests.   It was not surprising to discover that some of them have high cholesterol levels due to their sedentary lifestyle and diet of processed food which are fast and convenient but not healthy for our body.

Cholesterol circulates in the blood, and as blood cholesterol levels rise, so does the risk to our health. That's why it is important to have our cholesterol tested so we can know our levels.

There are actually two types of cholesterol, "good" and "bad".  HDL cholesterol is the good kind while LDL is the bad kind.  Too much of LDL or not enough of HDL increases the chances that cholesterol will start to build up in the inner walls of arteries that feed the heart and brain.  You can read more about cholesterol and how it affects your heart at American Heart Association website.

I had posted the Lemon and Garlic Drink which can help to lower cholesterol levels if taken daily at my The Kitchen Companion blog and thought it would be good to post it here.

Lemon and Garlic Drink 

Ingredients

6 lemons
30 cloves of garlic
1 litre water







Method

Cut the lemons into slices. Peel the skin from the garlic. Place the lemon slices and garlic into a pot and pour in the water.

Place the pot onto a stove and simmer in low heat for 1 hour. Switch off the heat and allow to cool.

Pour the lemon slices, garlic and water into a blender and blend until smooth and thick.

Pour the blended mixture into a glass container and keep refrigerated.

Drink daily in the morning on an empty stomach by mixing 1 teaspoon of the mixture with a glass of lukewarm water.

The combination of garlic and lemon can form a perfect combo for your health. As both garlic and lemon have anti-septic and anti-bacteria properties, their mixture can be use to strengthen respiratory system, prevent colds, flu, infections and also lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Yogawise 30-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training

I just completed my 30-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training with David Kim at SimplyLife Yoga today.   As I had completed my Yogaworks 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course with David in May, I did not hesitate to sign up for the 30-hour Yin Yoga Teacher training as I was confident that I would learn much more from him to be a better teacher.

I was reunited with some of my YTTC classmates and also made new friends as there were 19 of us doing the course.   Most of them were doing the course because they wanted to learn more about yin yoga and its benefits.  

The 4-day course on yoga theory, anatomy and practice gave us a better understanding of the difference between a yin and yang practice.  Most of us are doing hatha, vinyasa or ashtanga  which is a yang practice which emphasize on strength and building muscular power.  In a yang practice, we contract our muscles to stablize our joints so that we can move actively to resist the force of gravity.   While in a yin practice, with passive and longer postural holds, our muscles are stressed to increase resilience and restore mobility in our joints as we allow gravity to draw us to the ground.   Yin yoga is a complement to our yang practice as it brings balance movement to our joints.

During the course, David showed us slides of various bone structures with distinct differences to help us understand why some of us may have limited range of joint movements.  After looking at those slides, we realized why we are not able to move beyond a certain range in some of the poses as we would feel pain due to two bones colliding with each other.

In the yin practice, we would be able to adapt or vary the poses if there is compression so that we can target our practice to release tension in the myofascial areas such as our hips and torso.

The underlying theme of the training was Mindfulness as yin yoga is a very good practice for us to learn how to be mindful.  Mindfulness means being present with a purpose, non-judgmental and not changing things the way they are meant to be.   During our yin practice, we learn to listen to our bodies by focusing on our breath which keep us present at all times, accepting the limitations in our bodies and letting go.

David also asked us to write down our observations and emotions after doing a meditation in our daily meditation journal.   I found this to be quite difficult initially as I did not have much to write about but after a few days of doing it, it gave me a better sense of what is actually going on in my mind when I am meditating.

I have gained so much knowledge these four days which will not only help in my teaching later but in my own practice and daily life as well.   Thank you David for all your teachings and Christina, our teacher assistant during the course who is so much fun both in and out of class.

My First Yoga Teaching Class

I taught my first yoga class yesterday after having completed my Yogaworks Teacher Training programme and obtaining my Yogaworks Teacher Certification.

It was not a planned teaching as I had went to Chi Fitness, BSC to attend a class with a replacement teacher as the regular teacher was on leave.  Actually, I was still contemplating whether I should attend the class as some of the practitioners who had attended the replacement teacher's class before did not like her class.  I decided to try out her class as being a new teacher myself, I know it is difficult to get students to attend your class when you are replacing a class.

Five practitioners besides myself was waiting for the teacher and when it was time for the class to start, we were informed that the replacement teacher had not turned up and they were not able to contact her.

As one of the practitioners was actually talking to me about my teacher training and certification while we were waiting, I was asked to take over the class.  The other practitioners were agreeable to the suggestion as they did not want to leave without doing the practice after getting up early and coming all the way to attend the class.

Although I did not have a class plan in mind, I decided to take up the challenge as it was a good opportunity for me to gain some experience teaching a class.

I managed to do a sequence that incorporated sun salutations, forward bends, seated poses and a supine twist at the end before finishing in savasana.    During the class I gave some tips to the practitioners on how to do a proper Chaturanga Dandasana as I noticed that normally, teachers tend to neglect this pose in a multi-level class.  

I found that even seasoned practitioners have difficulty in maintaining the proper alignment in this pose when they are doing the vinyasa.   When we are not doing the pose properly, we often end up with soreness in our shoulders after class and in the long term, it can cause shoulder and rotator cuff injuries as well as neck and low back pain.

I am sharing this article on 7 Common Chaturanga Mistakes (And What To Do Instead) from Yoga International in this post and hope that it will help you to practice the pose in a safe and injury-free way.

After the class,  I was glad to receive positive response from the practitioners who attended the class as I had wanted to impart some of the knowledge I have learned from my yoga teacher training to them.   The class has also given me the confidence to teach other classes when the opportunity arises and I hope to do a properly sequenced class when I teach again.

Picture taken from here

Final Week - Yoga Teacher Training

The week started with most of us feeling some anxiety as we had to sit  for the In-Class Final Exam on Wednesday and do the Final Practicum on Thursday.   In order to receive the 200-hour Yogaworks Diploma, we have to pass the In-Class Exam and the Take-Home Final Exam as well as the Final Practicum.

To help us study for the In-Class Exam, David did reviews of the topics taught with us and also played a game of questions and answers where we were divided into two teams.   My team, the Om Girls managed to beat the other team, China Gang by one point.    The game helped to reinforce what we had learned and was a good way to relieve some of the anxiety as we had fun playing the game.

For the Final Practicum, we were each given some poses to teach in sequence.  Although there was some tension in the air, all of us performed quite well and we were informed by David that all of us have passed the Final Practicum.   David also gave each of us feedback on our teaching skills; our strong areas as well as areas which needed improvement.   I am glad that I have finally found my voice and was more confident in my teaching and managed to give clear instructions for the poses and with the help of Ken gave a good demonstration for assisted handstand.

Although we still have to do the Take-Home Final Exam, there was a sense of relieve after finishing the Final Practicum as we only have to submit it two weeks after the program ended.

Today, we had lunch together to celebrate our completion of the program and also a closing ceremony where we shared our feelings and what we have learned during this whole month.   There were tears and laughter as we have seen each other's growth during this month together and I will miss each of them and hope we will see each other again.

Om drawn by Elly, given to me as a present

There is a saying "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear,"  I am so glad to have taken this teacher training with David Kim.  He is a very patient teacher and he goes all out to make sure that we understand his teachings.  As we have some Chinese learners in the class, he had to do a lot of demonstrations for the poses which not only help them but also those of us who were not quite sure of the actual position and movement of the joints during the anatomy lessons.  He also made sure we understand the sutras by incorporating them during the asana practice.    We learned so much about how to sequence a class as he goes through with us the sequence of our daily asanas practice by asking us to identify the component parts and the preparatory poses for the peak pose of the sequence.  His dedication and sincerity in his teaching has been an inspiration for me to deepen my practice further.  

I would like to express my gratitude to him for all his guidance and encouragement during this amazing journey.

Week 3 - Yoga Teacher Training

It seems like this week just passed so quickly and we have only five more days before our yoga teacher training program ends next Friday.    For the last couple of days, there was a sense of heaviness among us as we know that after the training we would all be going back to our own lives and will miss the camaraderie that has formed during the past three weeks.

We have learned so much about each other during the "Look at Bodies" sessions in the program with David asking us  to identify some of the misalignment in the way the pose was done as we start to notice the little tendencies in the way each of us hold the poses.

Practicing hands-on adjustment allowed us to be a little intimate with each other as we learn to give the proper adjustment for correct alignment in the pose.

Encouraging and cheering each other on when we do the Practice Teaching and discussing the answers to the worksheets and trying to remember the sequencing of the asana practice provided us the opportunity to share our knowledge with each other.

I am so glad to share my journey with this group of amazing yogis and hope that all of us will do well in the final exam next week.  All the best!  加油！

Image from here

Week 2 - Yoga Teacher Training

This has been another week of hectic learning and getting to know my fellow trainees better who are an amazing group of yogis with different backgrounds coming together to support each other as we share a common goal and our passion for yoga.

I am finding that I have to do a lot of  unlearning and relearning as I learned the proper alignment for the yoga poses and getting rid of my incorrect habitual ways of doing the poses.   The daily asana practice has provided a stronger understanding of the poses as I listened to David's instructions for the poses.

I find the anatomy studies to be the most interesting as I learned how the muscles and joints movements affect the poses we do.  Although it sometimes get confusing trying to figure out the position and movement of the joint, David's advice on doing the pose ourselves help to make it clearer.   The anatomy and asana studies also help me to remember the verbal cues we should give for the key simple, counter and complementary actions when the students are in the pose.

The sutra studies is getting easier to understand as I start to connect the yoga philosophy with my practice and how it relates to my personal life.  

We have been doing a lot of practice teaching which is the most challenging part of the program for me.  When I am asked to teach my fellow trainees the pose, the words I am supposed to say gets stuck in my throat.   I end up becoming nervous and my voice would become softer making it difficult for my "pretend students" to hear and understand what I am saying.

I have been trying to overcome this by saying the instructions out loud as I am stuck in traffic driving home after training.  I have also recorded myself giving out the instructions at home so that I can listened to how I sound like.  I am still trying to find my voice and I think I am slowly getting better with the encouragement and support from David and my fellow trainees.

I found out that there are some talented artists among my fellow trainees as I have seen Noah sketching David as we sit listening to his teachings.   Another trainee, Szefone has made drawings which is an innovative way to help her to study the breath and poses for Surya Namaskar A and B which she has allowed me to share them here.

Surya Namaskar A

I am looking forward to deepen my practice further for the next two weeks and I will end my post with this inspirational quote for my fellow trainees and myself.

Week 1 - Yoga Teacher Training

I  have started my 200-hour Yogaworks Teacher Training program with David Kim on 4 April 2016 and the first week has passed so quickly.

I chose to do the Yogaworks TT program as it offers a balance and comprehensive training to prepare the practitioner to teach skillfully with safety, integrity and compassion.   Having attended David Kim's workshop before, I wanted to learn more from him as he is a teacher who teaches with passion and enthusiasm and his precise instructions made it easy to learn and follow his teachings.

Our first class began with learning to stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) which is the blue print pose for the other poses.  We learnt how to activate and engage different parts of our body to ensure that our body is in correct alignment to ensure a good foundation.   Tadasana was done standing up, against the wall and lying down so that we can  build the 3 platforms - knees over ankles, hips over knees and shoulders over hips for the optimal alignment where there is a plum line through the center of the torso.

During the course of the week, we also learnt about the key simple actions, key pairs of counter actions and complementary actions when doing the poses like Utthita Hastasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, etc.

The morning session of the class was spent on anatomy studies, followed by 2-3 hours of asana practice before we break for lunch.    After lunch, David would go through the yoga sutras to help us understand the philosophy of yoga.    We have also started to learn to chant the sutras which help us to familiarize ourselves with saying them.  

We have started to look and analyse each other bodies, learnt to do some hands-on adjustments and practice teach with a partner during the week.

It's been a hectic first week of absorbing all this new knowledge but I am grateful to David for letting us know that it is normal to feel anxiety and sometimes lost during the first two weeks of the program.  I know that I only need to stay focus in class and do the daily reading and written homework assignments to keep on track and let everything falls in place without thinking too far ahead.  David is also helping us by letting us know the areas where we should pay particular attention to for our final examination.

I am very inspired by my fellow trainees.  Two of them, Ken Yang and Claudia who are teachers are still teaching classes in the evening after the long day of spending eight hours learning in the class.   I am also very motivated by the group of trainees who are not well-versed in English who need to spend additional time to translate everything that David is teaching into Mandarin.   I really admire their dedication and courage in taking the teaching training in another language.   Ken Yang who is the owner of Simplylife Yoga who brought the Yogaworks TT program to Malaysia has earned my admiration as besides attending the program himself, he is also giving revision class to these trainees on Saturday to help them understand the teaching materials and assisting David in translating his teaching in Mandarin during class.

I hope to support my fellow trainees by posting inspirational quotes daily and sharing information which are relevant to our training on my FB page.

10 Yoga Poses for Bone Health

A pilot study of yoga moves to determine whether yoga might be an effective therapy for osteoporisis conducted by Dr Loren M. Fishman has turned up some encouraging results.   You can read the full article here.

The participants of the study were taught the following yoga poses with frequent adaptions in keeping with their limitations and abilities.  Please click on the link for each of the poses to learn more about the pose, contraindications and modifications for the pose.

Trikonasana (Triangle pose) 

Image taken from here

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog pose)

Image taken from here

You can view a 3D model of the pose at this link at gotyoga to check out the correct form of the pose and step by step instructions to do the pose.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog pose)

Image taken from here

Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose) 

Image taken from here

Urdhva Dhanurasana (Rainbow/Wheel pose) 

Image taken from here

Janu Sirasasana (1-legged Head to Knee Forward Bend) 

Image taken from here

Paschimottoasana (Seated Forward Bend) 

Image taken from here

Navasana (Boat pose) 

Image taken from here

Suptha Padangusthasana (Recling Hand to Big-Toe pose) 

Image taken from here

Marichiyasana (Seated Twist/Sage's pose) 

Image taken from here

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist pose) 

Image taken from here

Jathara Parivatanasana (Belly Twist pose) 

Image taken from here

"Yoga puts more pressure on bone than gravity does.  By opposing one group of muscles against another, it stimulates osteocytes, the bone-making cells.  Even if bone density did not increase, improvements in posture and balance that can accrue from the practice can be protective.  Spinal fractures can result from poor posture, and there's no medication for that, but yoga is helpful.  Yoga is good for range of motion, strength, coordination and reduced anxiety, all of which contribute to the ability to stay upright and not fall.  If you don't fall, you greatly reduce your risk of a serious fracture." (excerpt from interview with Dr Loren M. Fishman from article by Jane E. Brody published in The New Yoke Times) 

Structural Body Alignment and Rebalancing with Mike Tan

Yesterday I attended a Body Assessment and Rebalancing workshop facilitated by Mike Tan, a massage therapist based in Chiang Mai.  You can read more about his profile here.   Mike's approach to long-time healing the body is through assigning specific exercise for release, strengthening and mobility.

At the workshop, we first learned about how to do a body assessment.  We start by trying to find out as much about what is affecting the person's body and if they have any recent injury.   We were given a sheet with anatomy drawing where we can indicate where the pain and misalignment were for the assessment exercise.  

Mike taught us to assess each other bodies by asking some of us to stand in a relaxed position with all the joints stacked (ankle, knee and hips in one straight line) and the insides of the feet aligned in parallel.    We started by looking closely at each portion of the body individually and in more detail; beginning with looking at the lower legs i.e the feet, ankles, shins and calves, followed by the knees and upper legs, pelvis (sacrum, groin, hips and low back), arms and shoulders and lastly, the upper torso (chest, upper back and neck).

Mike went through some of the conditions that could cause pain, movement limitation and what we can see from the each part of the body when the body is aligned vertically. When the body is not structurally aligned, how one part of the body that is impinged caused additional stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments which can also caused pain in other areas of the body.

Mike taught us how we can rebalanced the body through releasing, stretching, strengthening and increasing the mobility of the muscles in those areas.

We were shown how to use the Lanna Roller for Body Rolling which is sometimes referred as Self MyoFascial Release (SMFR),    Body rolling is an effective way to balance muscle tension in the body.   It is a self-massage technique by placing your body weight upon the roller and applying some pressure on the muscles.  (I had also attended Mike's Body Rolling class on Friday and felt so relaxed after the class).

Mike also showed us how to use the other various tools such as lacrosse balls which can be used to massage different parts of the body and stretch resistance bands for exercises to open the shoulder and back.

Mike is a great facilitator and his vast knowledge of the body made the workshop so fun and interesting.  There are requests for Mike to come back to KL to do the workshop again, so don't miss it when he comes again.

Yin Yang Yoga "The Power of Stillness" with David Kim

Although I have been practicing yoga for many years and had gone for many workshops with some of the great teachers like Kino MacGregor, Christina Sell and Matthew Sweeney, I have not given much thought to going for a Yoga Teacher Training program although I have been encouraged by some of my yoga teachers and fellow practitioners to go for it.

Recently, I read an article about creating a second income to fall back on by doing something you are passionate about.  It got me thinking about my love for yoga and how I love the practice by blogging about it and sharing articles with my fellow practitioners,  I realized then, the next step for me would be to go for a Yoga Teaching Training program so that I can deepen my practice and spread the teaching of yoga to more people.   I do not have the confidence to go for a full 200 hour YTT course yet, so when I saw the Oscillation Yoga's post on David Kim's 13-hour Practitioners and Teachers Program Series in Yin Yang Yoga "The Power of Stillness",  I decided to sign up for it on my birthday as a birthday present to myself.

Last weekend was the David Kim's workshop which started with a Community Yoga session which was opened to all levels with a yin-yang class incorporating the breath awareness and heat building movement of vinyasa with the slower passive holds of yin yoga.   After the class, when I looked around the studio,  I could see a group of practitioners looking calm and serene from the effects of the yin-yang practice.

For the 1st session on "Yintegration - Balancing Vinyasa and Yin Yoga" David started by talking about anatomy and having us look at each other bodies to have a better understanding on how our unique bodily structure can limit our ability to do/move deeper in certain poses.   It was really an eye opener to see the difference in our bodies and how we compromise some parts of our body when we were told to go into a pose with specific instructions from the teacher.   Yin yoga enables us to be more aware of our body limitations and to move to a space where effort meets comfort.

For the 2nd session on "Yin Yang Yoga for Athletics", David talked about the importance of maintaining stability when our body is doing different range of motions.   He also talked about how our nervous system controls the body's activities and reacts by stopping us in certain movements to keep us safe .   He had us do some partner work to demonstrate how our nervous system can be tricked to enable us to stretch further by repeatedly doing ranges of motion through eccentric contraction of our muscles. This repetitive training of muscle memory is the yang aspect which enables the short burst of energy required by athletics to sprint to the finishing line.  Chronically engaged muscles tends to shorten which causes tightness and reduces our range of motion.  Yin yoga which focuses on the deeper connective tissues in the body helps to increase joint mobility.  With the balance of both yin (mobility) and yang (strength) yoga in our practice, we learn to move with stability, grace and focus and lower our chances of getting injured.

The 3rd session was "Heaven & Earth - Yang Inversions, Yin Backbends" where David led us through the progression poses to prepare us for the inversion poses of forearm handstand and handstand.  David also let us experiment with doing the inversion poses with different placement of our forearms and hands.   As I have a fear of banging my head on the wall when I am doing handstand, David told me not to use so much momentum when jumping into the pose and to rely more on keeping my top leg lifted, my shoulders over my wrists when hoping with my bottom leg,    We ended the class with some yin backbends poses which helped to cool down our body as well as having a grounding effect after the inversion poses.

The last session  on "Core Focus for Seated Meditation"was on cultivating core stability which involves strengthening the inner deep muscles that stabilizes the spine,  David led us through a routine where we were asked to maintain the integrity of our spine as we move in the poses.   We finished the workshop with two rounds of Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) and a seated mediation practice.

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop with a great teacher who shares his teaching with so much passion and enthusiasm and his precise instructions made it easy to learn and follow during the asana practice.  I also met a group of dedicated and inspiring yoga teachers and practitioners who shares my passion for yoga.    The workshop is my first step to embark on my next yoga journey.

Teacher David Kim and my fellow yogis at the workshop

"You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Good Enough

Last night as I was driving home after my yoga class, a guest speaker was being interviewed by a DJ on the radio station.  The guest speaker mentioned that we procrastinate because we want to be perfect.  Whatever we do, we always have in our mind a perfect version of what we want to do.  And that makes it difficult for us to start especially when we have doubts in our own abilities.   Instead, if we think that whatever we do is good enough, we will work our way through and the outcome of our efforts might come as a surprise to us.

This led me to connect it to our yoga practice. When we are learning to do a difficult pose, we tend to have in our mind a perfect version of the pose.  Sometimes, we doubt our own ability to execute the pose by thinking that we are not flexible enough, our hips are too tight, etc.  We stop ourselves from trying to do the pose by thinking that we need to do the perfect pose.  But many a times, if we think the pose we are doing is good enough, we will move on and become better as we learn the techniques to overcome our limitations.   Being good enough helps to build our confidence in trying new and difficult poses with an open mind.    And one day, we might become good if not perfect in the pose.

Image taken from here

Notes from my practice - Preparation Poses for Urdhra Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose)

I attended Foo's class last Thursday and it was a class with preparation poses for backbends with the peak pose being Urdhra Dharnurasana (Wheel Pose) and Eka Pada Urdhra Dhanurasana.  As Urdhra Dhanurasana is my nemesis pose, I was quite apprehensive at first as it has always been a difficult pose for me with my tight shoulders and upper back.

Foo started the class with us doing three Sun Salutations A and three Sun Salutations B to warm up the body.  From then on, we did poses to stretch our hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors, open our chest and the shoulders.   And when it was time to do Urdhra Dhanurasana, I was able to hold the pose for five breaths before coming down and going up the second and third time.   The preparation poses really made a difference to my pose as I dd not feel the usual tightness at my shoulders by remembering to lift the head of my arm bones back when I push up to the pose.  I was able to lift up higher and stayed longer in the pose  by using my legs more which have been strengthen by the preparation poses for the hamstrings and quads.

Some of the preparation poses we did were:

Cat-Cow Pose 
Standing forward bend with arms clasped at the back
High Lunge
Low Lunge 
Kneeling Quad Stretch
Revolved High Lunge
Handstand (to strengthen the arms)
Cobra Pose
Lizard pose 
Reclined Hero pose (keeping the knees together in this pose will help you to learn to keep your inner thighs turned in for the wheel pose)
Locust pose 
Bow pose
Bridge pose

Below is a very good video on the preparation poses for Urdhra Dhanurasana by Kat Heagberg,

A Weekend Of Yoga Love

When I received news that two of my favourite teachers would be in town and will be teaching during this weekend, I did not hesitate to confirm that I would be attending both sessions although it was on the 3rd and 4th day of Chinese New Year.  

Yesterday's session with Lila was a donation based class as the proceeds collected from the class will be donated to flood relief and repair in Kuantan.   The class was a healing yoga therapy class with a slow-paced flow yoga class and ended with a chakra balance session during savasana.  I felt so wonderful and relaxed after the class.

Today's workshop with Azmi focused on invoking strength and completion in vinyasa,  The workshop brings back memories of my practice with Azmi from the music that was played to the poses that was practiced.  Azmi's instruction at the beginning of the session on setting intentions reminded me why it is important to have an intention every time we step on our mat so that when we practice we are more aware and mindful.

Although the two sessions were very different, there was one common thing that both of my teachers had emphasized on which was the breath.  When we breathe in the poses, we will find ease and balance in the poses.  And as Azmi reminded us at the end of the workshop, we should remember to welcome the breath when we inhale and expressed our gratitude when we exhale as the breath is our life force.

Azmi's workshop at Yogaonethatiwant @ Saville Melawati 

Btw, the workshop was held at Yogaonethatiwant Studio @ Saville Melawati, a very nice and spacious studio.  Check out Yogaonethatiwant studios here and you can also join freeyogafit sessions organised by the studio on Saturday mornings at KLCC Park, Central Park Bandar Utama and Tasik Shah Alam.

Bed-time Yoga Poses

Recently, I received an email from Lindsay from Casper, a new start-up mattress company asking if I would be interested to be part of their newest project "Bed-time Yoga Poses".  All I have to do was write a blog post of my favourite yoga poses or stretches which can be done on the bed which could be included in their blog post at the end of the campaign.    As I have been doing some of the yoga poses on the bed when I am too lazy to roll out my yoga mat, I decided to write the post.

Here are some of the yoga poses that I find so convenient to do on the bed whenever I need to stretch my body before going to sleep or when I get up in the morning.

Pigeon Pose

Image taken from here

This is my favourite pose to open my tight hips.  Pigeon pose helps to elongate the back, open the hips and groin, stretches the hamstrings, relieves pressure on the lower back and helps to treat sciatica.  On the bed, come on all fours on your hands and knees.  Slide your right knee forward towards your right hand.   You can keep your shin parallel to your knee or you can slide it a bit down if your hips are not flexible.   Slide your left leg back making sure that it is in line with its hip socket and the left foot is laying flat.  To keep pressure off the knee cap, the right thigh should have a external rotation while the left thigh should have a slight internal rotation.  Flex your right foot and ensure that your hips are square and you are not leaning on one side. Keeping your torso long, exhale and fold forward.  Stay here for 10 to 15 breaths before changing side.

Double Legs Lifts

Image taken from here

I do double legs lifts whenever I want to work on my core.  Double leg lifts strengthen the abdominal and back muscles.  Lie flat on the bed.  Place your hands at the sides or under your buttocks to stabilize your back on the bed.  As you inhale, raise both your legs, keeping the legs straight and your buttocks flat on the bed.  Exhale and lower your legs towards the bed slowly and with control, stopping at about 45 degrees or to a point at which you can no longer lower your legs without arching your lower back.  Inhale and slowly bring your legs straight back up to complete one cycle. Repeat 10 to 15 times.  Do not use your shoulders to help you lift the legs, the shoulders and neck should stay relaxed . Try to keep your lower back resting on the bed throughout each cycle and pull your navel in towards your spine to keep your abs tight.  You can bend the legs if you feel any strain on your lower back.

Modified Reclining Hero Pose

Image taken from here

This is a modified version of the Reclining Hero Pose which stretches the abdomen, thighs and deep hip flexors (psoas), knees and ankles.  I like to do this pose as it helps to treat digestive problems of intestinal gas and acidity and this restorative pose also helps to relieve tired legs.   Stack some folded blankets on the bed.  Kneel on the bed in front of the blankets, open your feet slightly wider than your hips, keeping the tops of your feet flat on the bed and your big toes angled in towards each other. Exhale and lean your body forward slightly as you sit your hips back halfway and slowly sit between your feet while drawing your calf muscles towards your heels. Place hands at the side of the body, exhale and lean backwards towards the blankets on the bed.  Take the weight on to your hands and then your elbows and forearms.  When you are on your elbows, place your hands on the back of the pelvis and  slowly release the buttocks and lower back by pushing yourself downwards towards your tailbone. Then finish reclining onto the blankets.  Hold in this position for 5 breaths or longer.  To get out of the pose, slowly release one leg and then the other.    When you are in the pose, you can allow a little bit of space between the knees as long as your thighs remained parallel to each other. Do not allow the knees to splay apart wider than your hips as it will cause sprain on the hips and lower back.

Reclining Supine Twist 

Image taken from here

Twisting poses provides many benefits to the body and mind as they not only help to develop flexibility in the spine, they also help to increases circulation and cleanse the internal organs.   I  like to do the reclining supine twist with my legs in eagle legs position on the bed as it helps to stretch the back muscles as well as the hips, relieving tension and pain after a day spent sitting at the desk.   Lie on the bed with your knees bend and your feet flat on the bed.  Open your arms in a T-shape, cross your right knee over your left knee and wrap your right foot over your left calf.  On an exhalation, shift your hips slightly to your right and drop your knees to the left, keeping the knees close to the chest. Turn your head to the right and try to keep your right shoulder down on the bed.  You can place a blanket under your right shoulder if it lifts up.  To deepen the twist, you can use your left hand to gently press your knees down.   Breathe deeply and stay in the pose for 10 breaths or more and then repeat on the other side.

Legs Up the Wall Pose

Image taken from here

This is my to-do pose on the hotel bed whenever I travel as this pose helps to relieve my tired legs after a day of sight-seeing and shopping.    This is a restorative as well as meditative pose as it rejuvenates the lower back and legs, ease tension and helps boost circulation and at the same time brings the body into a state of deep relaxation.   Lie on the bed with a wall and with an exhale, swings your legs up onto the wall so that your heels and sitting bones are supported against it.  If you feel any discomfort in your lower back, adjust your body slightly back from the wall so that your sitting bones are not touching it.  Rest your head on the bed, keeping your spine straight and your knees slightly bend so that your kneecaps are not locked. Put your arms at the sides of your body, on your belly or above your head.  Close your eyes and breathe deeply. You can stay as long as you want in this pose,  If you have lower back pain, you can place a pillow beneath your back to support your body.

There are many other yoga poses which you can do on the comfort of your bed but make sure you have a good mattress that does not sink in when you are doing the poses.

Notes from my practice - Be Consistent

It has been almost five months since I last posted on this blog about my practice.   I guess it's because I have not been practicing consistently for the past few months.  I have been skipping classes and my practice has become quite stagnant and even deteriorating as I am having difficulty doing some of poses which I could do before.

One of the reasons I have been skipping classes is due to the ever-changing of teachers at Chi Fitness where I am practicing.   Having got used to practicing with one teacher when I first started practicing yoga, I find it difficult to adapt to the style of some of the teachers.   I would give myself a reason to skip the class if I don't feel like going to the teacher's class. I know that the problem lies with me and not with the teacher because whenever I do go to class, I always feel good after.    

I have been looking for inspiration to come back to my practice and thanks to the articles below posted by these inspiring yoga teachers, I am starting back on my yoga journey knowing that it's all up to ME to make it work. 

David Garrigues's Asana: The First Limb of Ashtanga Yoga 

Peg Mulqueen's Parampara: How important is the teacher/student relationship?

And this status update posted by Jason Crandell on his FB page will serve as a constant reminder for my practice.

"In order to strengthen and open your body, you have to be consistent in your practice.  In order to be consistent, you have to be honest and realistic with yourself about how much intensity is truly sustainable for you.  Challenge yourself to practice in a way that you can truly come back to time and time again."

I am also looking forward to attending Matthew Sweeney's workshop in Jakarta in June 2014 which I hope will help me find back the passion for my practice.

Live, Love, Laugh and Be Free with Angeline

Today was my first class with Angeline Liew although I have known her for some time.  I never managed to go to her class when she was replacing the classes at the studio I was practicing at that time.   I was delighted to find Angeline's name in the schedule for the Hatha class this morning and today being a state holiday for Selangor, I was able to make it to her class.  

I have always followed Angeline's blog Live, Love, Laugh, Be Free and I know that being a student of yoga herself, she always teaches from the student's perspective.    

Today's class focused on some balancing poses as well as chest and shoulder openers.  When we were in tree pose, Angeline mentioned that there must be some wind blowing in as the trees were swaying.  It lightened the atmosphere and reminded us not to take our practice so seriously and throughout the class, she gave us the encouragement to try the poses and not be afraid to fall as she herself had fallen numerous times before she nailed the pose. 

I received some great adjustments from Angeline as she assisted me to open my chest and shoulders in some of the poses and she also reminded me to work my thighs in my downward dog. 

Recently, Angeline and Raymond have opened a new studio Prana Yoga KL which is located at Pusat Creative Kanak-Kanak Tuanku Bainum, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.  If you are staying or working around that area and is looking for a place to practice, do check our their studio.

Notes from my Practice

This is just a short post on my observation in my Mysore Self-practice this morning.  As I am still recovering from my shoulder injury,I have been doing variations in some of the poses for the past few weeks of my self-practice.   I have also skipped some of the poses in the series if I feel that it will aggravate the injury especially if I feel pain in my right shoulder when I do the pose.  

This morning, I did most of the poses in the Primary series; doing a variation of the pose when necessary.   When I reached Setu Bandhasana, the last pose of the series, I was contemplating whether I should do the pose as I have been feeling a crushing pressure in my neck when I do the pose.   

I decided to do the pose as I have been told that the pose you avoid most is the pose you need the most.  As I did the pose, I paid attention to the feeling in my neck by not settling the weight on my head.  Instead, I kept my sternum and upper back lifted and open and my legs engaged and internally rotated.  I did not feel any crushing pressure in the neck and was able to stay in the pose for five breaths. 

Below is a video with clear instruction from David Garriggues on how to do the pose.

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Progress in my Practice

It has been more than one month since I posted about doing my Mysore Self-practice every Sunday morning in Chi.  I have been going regularly and so far, have not missed any practice which I hope I will able to keep it up.

During the past few self-practice, I have also started incorporating poses that I need to work on which sometimes meant that I have to skip some of the last few poses in the Primary series as I have to finish the practice before the next class starts.    

I have been setting an intention before the start of each practice as I believe it would helped me to focus on what I should work on during the practice.  Some of my intentions have been finding length in my breath and in the poses, paying attention to my alignment in the poses especially in the standing poses and finding ease in the poses. 

I have also learn to accept that progress in my practice meant that I do not have to be able to do the full version of the pose but to be able to go further in the pose each time I practice.  I have learn to appreciate the little progress I have made in the poses that I thought I would never be able to do.   

I am been using Kino MacGregor "The Power of Ashtanga Yoga" book as a reference to check on my alignment in the poses and Kino have provided techniques and modifications for the poses which I find very helpful in my practice.  

"At first you might find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred space and use it, eventually something will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again." ~Joseph Campbell

Mysore Self Practice

After making the decision to start our Mysore self practice together on Sunday, this morning, Kathryn and myself were at Chi to do the practice when there was no yoga class going on.  

After going through the sun salutations and standing poses without any hitches, when it came to the seated poses, I had a bit of difficulty binding in Marichyasana D initially but managed to keep my fingers locked  together for the five breaths.   As there was no teacher to assist me in Supta Kurmasana, I did not managed to go deep in the pose as I was not able to cross my feet and put them behind my head and clasped my hands behind my back.  I did managed to place my hands on my lower back and slide my feet together in front of my head.

Supta Kurmasana (easier variation) 

From today's self-practice, I know that doing the full primary on my own without any teacher's assistance might take me a longer time to progress in some of the poses but I realized that I was actually getting too dependent on my teacher especially so when I was doing full Garbha Pindasana.  With Kunal around, I would normally gave up on turning around while rolling upwards in the pose on my own, but today, although it was slow and with difficulty and collapsing at the last roll instead of lifting up, I made the effort to do the pose on my own.   

I believe that doing the self-practice would give me an opportunity to watch myself grow and change.  As I would still be going to the Hatha classes, I would still be learning the techniques and getting assistance for those areas in my practice that need attention from my teachers at  Chi.   

I would also be doing research on my own  by reading yoga blogs and visiting yoga websites such as  Yoga Journal and I have also found many yoga videos posted by some of the great teachers such as Kino MacGregor, Christina Sell and David Garrigues where they provide tips and techniques to go into the poses. 

I am so glad to be practicing together with Kathryn as we will be providing support to each other to keep up the self-practice.  

Below is a video on Garbha Pindaasana with Maria Villella which provides a step-by-step breakdown of the pose.