Notes from My Practice - Be Consistent

Every so often a new practitioner would attend our Ashtanga class with Kunal and I would hear him tell them to be consistent in coming to the classes so that they can see their progress.

I find this to be especially true to my own practice as having been consistent in going to the yoga classes during my first year of practice has helped in my progress , not only in terms of doing the asanas but also in my spiritual growth.

Going to classes regularly will help to build the foundation for our self-practice later as we learn the poses under the guidance of a teacher who will be able to answer questions about the yoga practice that might crop up when we delve deeper into the poses. 

Here are my suggestions on how you can be consistent in going to the yoga classes. 

-  Choose a studio that is nearby to your workplace if you intend to go the yoga classes after work.  If you have to fight traffic going to the studio, chances are you will either not go to the classes at all or you will feel flustered every time you attend the class which will be disruptive to your practice.

-  Find a teacher that you can relate to and set an intention to attend the teacher’s classes regularly.  Choosing to follow one teacher would mean that you will be practicing the style of yoga that teacher is teaching.   This would avoid the confusion of learning different techniques to go into the poses each time you attend classes with teachers teaching a different style of yoga.  After you have been practicing for a few years, you can explore the different yoga styles, but during your initial practice, it would be better to stick to one style.

The other benefit of following one teacher is that the teacher will be able to get to know you and your body better and you will find yourself reaping the benefits.  The teacher will be able to provide you with adjustments your body needs and your close relationship will make it easier for you to ask any questions that you might have about the practice.

-  Commit yourself to attending at least 3 classes per week.  Once you start attending the classes regularly you will find yourself clearing your schedule to ensure that you make it to the classes.  

Being consistent in going to the classes also means that you will begin to have a consistent yoga practice.  You will find your body becoming stronger, toned and flexible and you will learn to calm your mind when you are stressed.

Feeling Safe In My Yoga Practice

Recently, I read this blog post  at Yoganonymous  which is about teachers keeping  students safe with hands-on assists.    It got me thinking about what other things teachers can do to make the students feel safe in their practice during the class.

As I have been practicing mostly with my teacher, Azmi Samdjaga during my first five years of practice, I have always felt safe in his class.   I not only felt safe during his hands-on assists  as he knows my body very well but also whenever  I am in his class.   Azmi always tell us to respect our body and to know our limitations and have the humility to go into child pose whenever we feel the need to.    He always shows us the techniques to go into the poses and allows us to do a variation if we are not able to do the advanced version of the pose.

Ever since joining Chi Fitness last year, I have been practicing with more teachers and there have been times, I do not feel safe in my yoga practice during the class.    Sometimes we are asked to do a challenging pose and although I am not comfortable doing the pose, I had let my ego took over and tried to do the pose.    I have also been given hands-on assists that had me asking the teacher to stop. 

With the above experiences in mind, I would like to list down below some suggestions to teachers on what they can to do to make students feel safe in their practice during the class.

            

• Please check by asking the students how long they have been practicing before the class.  If the majority of the students are new practitioners (I do not like to use the word  beginners  as all of us are beginners in our own way), please do not do a class with a lot of advanced poses.    
• Please do not assume that every student has the flexibility to do the pose.  You need to show the variation of the pose so that students know what they should do if they can’t do the more difficult one. 
• Please do not ask students to go into pose after pose after pose and tell us that if we are not able to do the next pose, just stay in the first pose.    It is like challenging our ego and chances are some of us might just hurt ourselves trying to go into a pose that we have never done before. 
• Please tell us the techniques to go into the pose instead of just demonstrating the pose.
• Please breathe with us when you give us hands-on assists.  If you just pull us into the pose without warning, you might just have a student screaming his or her head off.

Finally, I would like to share what Joey who is one of my teachers at Chi, always says to us during her class which makes me feel safe in her class.

“This is your practice...I am here just to guide you…listen to your body and let it tell you what it needs."

And we all need these in our practice as teachers and students. 

Beautiful Yoga Quotes

Beautiful Yoga Quotes

Yoga To Me

1) What has been the main concern in your yoga practice? 

My main concern would be how I sometimes let my ego takeover especially when I want to let the teacher see that I can do the pose and risk myself getting injured.

2) What are the demands in your view that the students today are looking for? 
I believe students who really want to learn yoga would look for a teacher who can give clear instructions on the execution of the poses and one who listens and know how not push them beyond their limit until they are ready. 

3) How do you measure your progress in a yoga practice?
I measure my progress by the little achievements such as being able to hold my breath longer in the pose, twisting deeper, lifting higher and being able to still my mind and focus on my breathing. 

4) What do you look for when practicing Yoga?
I look for ways in which I can integrate the techniques that I learned from my own research which can help me to execute the pose better and safer. I also look forward to the high energy level of a practice where the breath and the poses are in sync.

5) How long do you think one needs to practice to see a shift or change in oneself?

I don't think there is a specific time frame to see a shift or change in oneself.  It depends on the individual as there are many reasons why someone took up yoga in the first place.  I think someone who has a regular yoga practice will see a shift in oneself faster than someone who treats yoga as an exercise.  

6) What are the myths you hear about yoga? 

That you must be very flexible to do the yoga poses in order for you to contort your body into the poses and learning yoga can make you deviate from your religion.

7) How do you convince someone to take up yoga? 

I think my friends noticed the change in me after I started taking up yoga and when they asked me about it, I will tell them the benefits and suggest that they go for a trial class. 

8) What is more important? Strength or Flexibility?

Strength.  Although flexibility is also important, strength will help to keep the body safe.   People who are flexible sometimes rely on their flexibility to get into poses without utilizing those muscles to help them keep the integrity of the pose.

9) What is your greatest achievement in yoga?

Learning to let go on matters that are beyond my control and to have compassion for others and knowing that I will always have my practice to fall back on whenever I need solace.

10) What inspires you?

Learning from teachers who are passionate about their practice and who share their experience by writing blog posts which bring insights on how to bring the yoga teachings off the mat.  

11) What is Yoga to you?

Yoga to me is a journey of personal transformation as I find my inner self through acceptance and awareness.  

"Sometimes in the practice of yoga, you can get frustrated and wonder "Am I getting anywhere?  But even when you think nothing is happening, something is happening.  Practice isn't always easy.  But the practice leads to deeper things, one by one" - Ruth Lauer-Manenti

Elbow Pain and Vinyasa Yoga

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I had an elbow injury last year and had to stop going for yoga classes for one month while I was being treated. My injury has healed but sometimes I would still feel some pain in the elbow.

Recently I came across a blog post on Yoga Anatomy for The Perplexed about elbow pain and Vinyasa Yoga and after seeking permission from the author, Niki Vetten, I am reproducing the article here for your reading. 

Elbow Pain and Vinyasa Yoga 
by Niki Vetten 

Regular Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga practice can cause elbow pain at one or both sides of elbows or clicking sounds as the elbow is straightened, or locking of the joint. Some pain is caused by damage to ligaments or joints but elbow pain can be caused by unbalanced muscle function of the shoulder at the Glenohumeral* and the Scapulothoracic** joints and sometimes improves with corrective exercise that balances the muscles at these joints. 

Yoga doesn’t have pulling movements so it’s difficult to balance the relative strengths of the shoulder-girdle muscles of the upper back and the chest. The chest often becomes the stronger of the two, causing internal rotation of the arms and protraction of the scapulae – they draw up and outwards on the upper back. Protraction of the shoulder blades also occurs from poor body-posture, especially if the pelvis tilts forward: the upper back is round. 

This is because Chaturanga strengthens Pectoral and Latissimus Dorsi muscles, which are responsible for internal rotation of the upper arm. As the arm is straightened while pushing up with the hands, a twisting force is applied to the elbow, stressing the joint and causing unnatural tension in the forearm muscles which balance rotary forces. 

Elbow joint structures can become damaged and inflamed over time if elbow pain isn’t treated. Wrist pain and rotator cuff problems, as well as neck tension and pain are common side effects of an imbalance between internal and external rotation at the shoulder and incorrect positioning of the Scapulae.  Elbow pain is felt whether the elbow is turned inwards or outwards and often doesn’t improve with forearm stretching exercises prescribed for inflammation at the elbow. 

These kinds of imbalances tend to occur in flow or vinyasa classes if

• the focus is on Chaturanga – held for long periods – and arm-balances without Sirsasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Tolasana, Lolasana and jumping the legs back or through in Vinyasa to strengthen the shoulders in different ways.
• arm binds and Purvottanasana are not practised regularly to open the chest.
• abdominal crunching exercise causes rounding of the upper back and incorrect scapular positions.

With Ashtanga yoga sequences the large number of Vinyasa performed can make the chest stronger than the shoulders, especially if

• Chaturanga is held longer than other asanas in the vinyasa (some teachers use this method).
• practising vinyasa when fatigued can cause weakness in the Serratus anterior and Rhomboid muscles. The scapulae will lift off the chest wall when holding plank positions, looking like wings. The scapula moves up towards the head and can cause pain under the collar-bone and clicking at the Sternoclavicular*** joint. Abnormal scapular positioning also alters the function of the Glenohumeral joint and is a cause of rotator cuff pain and impingement

Elbow pain often improves if the external rotator cuff muscles of the arm are strengthened but it is wiser to consult a physical therapist who can prescribe a range of rehabilitation exercises to rebalance the arm, chest and shoulder girdle muscles. Sometimes pelvic tilt and body posture also need assessment and correction.

Although yoga students are constantly instructed to draw the shoulder blades back and down, this doesn’t counter-balance the active strengthening of the chest by Chaturanga and arm balances, or the shortening of the Biceps and Pectoralis Minor caused by bent elbow positions especially when yogis practising vinyasa are not strong enough to jump back and through and bear their weight on their hands with bent elbows all the time. Tight Biceps muscles cause clicking at the elbows when the arm is straightened. If the shoulders and elbows are not painful, then stretching the Biceps is will stop the joint from clicking or locking up.

Muscle imbalance at the Scapulothoracic joint and Deltoid muscle weakness can also create tension in the Biceps. Deltoids are often weaker than they should be if handstands are not practiced regularly. Makrasana must be practised by people who aren’t strong enough to do inversions but are practicing vinyasa. Vasistasana is an important asana for balancing chest and shoulder muscles and should be practiced regularly.

Painful, inflamed elbows need rest, but arm and shoulder rehabilitation is necessary to avoid damaging the elbow joint and this is a good time to stop and consider whether vinyasa yoga is good for your body in the long term. A vinyasa teacher who creates their own sequences needs to teach a variety of asanas using the upper body in many planes in every class to avoid causing shoulder and elbow pain in students.

* the Glenohumeral joint is where the Humerus (upper arm) attaches to the Scapula (shoulder-blade)

** the Scapulothoracic joint is the joint that attaches the scapula to the chest wall. It is not a true bony joint because the shoulder-blade is attached to the chest wall by muscles only and imbalances between the Serratus Anterior, Rhomboid and Trapezius muscles are common

*** the Sternoclavicular joint is at the front of the chest where the Clavicle (collar bone) attaches to the Sternum (breastbone)

Reading Sources:

Kendall, McCreary, Provance, 1993, Muscles, Testing and Function

Ellenbecker, De Carlo, DeRosa, 2009, Effective Functional Progressions in Sports Rehabilitation Brunstrom’s Clinical Kinesiology 5th Edition 1996

I find the above article very informative and is taking precautions to look after my elbow joint in my practice to ensure that there would not be a recurrent injury to my elbow.

Btw, do pay a visit to Niki’s blog as she has posted a lot of articles which provides advice on yoga injuries. 

Learning to do Chaturanga

Below are some very good videos on how to do a correct Chaturanga.