Partner yoga can help you deepen both your poses and your relationships. “Doing yoga with a partner makes many poses more accessible, comfortable, and therapeutic,” says Mary Aranas, who teaches at Pure Yoga and leads partner yoga workshops around the country. “By holding onto another person, you can balance better than you could on your own, move into poses more deeply, and hold them longer, which increases strengthening and stretching.” Working in tandem also improves communication. All you need is a spouse, a friend, or another willing partner — and neither of you has to be overly fit or flexible. Aranas chose the following poses, including tension-busting twists and restorative stretches, for their simplicity.

Benefits: Increases lung capacity, stretches the torso, and lifts the spirit.

How to Do It: Stand facing each other, feet hip-width apart so that you can comfortably hold each other’s forearms with your arms bent. Inhale and lift the chest, then exhale and drop head gently back, straightening arms. Hold the pose for 2 to 3 breaths. Inhale, and return to standing.

adapted from www.wholeliving.com

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yoga to reduce blood pressure

By consciously shifting your emotional state, you can help lower your blood pressure naturally, without medication.

By Rollin McCraty

A heart rate changes with every beat, even when a person is sitting still. The heart rate variability is affected by both the sympathetic nervous system—the signal to gear up for a stressful situation—and the parasympathetic nervous system, which tells the body to relax. When a person is angry or upset, the heart receives mixed messages, causing a jerky heart pattern. This extra wear-and-tear causes blood pressure to rise.

Luckily, when the emotional state is shifted, the heart rate can be physically affected. In turn, the entire physiological system works more efficiently. One popular stress buster is a technique called Freeze Frame. Begin by recognizing the stressful feeling and freeze-frame it. Then shift the focus away from the racing mind or disturbed emotions. Breathe through the heart area to help focus the energy for 10 seconds or more. Recall a positive feeling or time and attempt to re-experience it. Then, ask the heart what would be a more efficient response to the situation—one that will minimize future stress. Using this one-minute practice regularly can help keep blood pressure at safe levels.

Rollin McCraty, M.A., director of research at the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, CA. The HeartMath Solution (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999) explains the research behind the Freeze Frame technique.

yoga timers and chime alarm clocks

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adapted from Yoga Journal.com

tea and yoga

Enjoyed for centuries as a healthy drink, tea also has merits as a postyoga refreshment with the ability to foster community and dialogue among students—while soothing the senses, too.

By Angela Pirisi

When students are roused from their final relaxation after a yoga session and you see them emerge glowing and peaceful from the stillness of their mat, the last thing you want to do is turn them out into the noise, chaos, and stress of the world outside the studio. It’s too jolting a contrast, and students often need some time to digest their yogic experience and slowly transition back to their daily lives. That’s why, for many yoga studios, the bridge between yoga and the high-intensity pace outside is a warm cup of tea.

Serving Health and History

Many studios serve tea, usually after class, as a way to offer students an opportunity to bask in the buzz of yoga. “People’s hearts are really opened after yoga, and tea offers a perfect segue back into their reality,” says Elissa Kerhulas, a Kundalini teacher and owner of Yoga Brew in Hollywood, California. Tea is an informal yoga tradition that has taken root over the years, and growing knowledge about the various health benefits of tea have made it a welcome addition to yoga classes as one more way to embrace healthy living. While it’s not a ritualized process per se, the tradition of combining tea and yoga has an ancient connection.

“Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine go hand in hand,” says Kerhulas, who offers tea (and/or soup) as part of her home-catered yoga classes. She remembers her Kundalini teachers talking about tea all the time. For example, “yogi tea,” a home-brewed spice tea, includes traditional Ayurvedicspices, such cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, in a black tea base, sweetened with milk and honey. The recipe was inspired in the 1960s by Yogi Bhajan, who served the tea to students. Many teachers, though, have stepped away from this traditional recipe and are serving up drinks that range from green tea to roasted barley to custom herbal blends.

yoga and tea

Kerhulas was brewing her own custom blends when she started her business six years ago, but she then started consulting a master herbalist who now intuitively assesses the best brew for each of her classes. “The kind of tea I serve depends on the people in a class, as well as the time of day,” Kerhulas explains. “For morning classes, I might start with something such as chai, ginger, or yogi tea because of their invigorating and stimulating properties. For evening classes, I would more likely choose something calming or grounding, such as jasmine, lavender, wood betony (mint family), licorice, or chamomile.” Her one-of-a-kind tea blends often combine several herbs.

Melanie Smith, an Anusara yoga teacher and owner of Yogaphoria in New Hope, Pennsylvania, offers students custom-blended teas made just for her studio, including black, green, and Rooibos teas. “Serving tea arose from the desire to serve something healthy and nurturing,” she says. On a more personal level, though, adds Smith, “I’m a big fan of tea and what it can do for the body—its healing properties and antioxidants.”

Opening Hearts and Minds

Besides soothing and healing properties, the main thrust behind a postyoga cup of tea is about the social bonding and unity it creates among students. “It’s very much about community, a chance to get to know each other, as well as a chance to be part of that energy and keep that energy, too,” says Smith. Her studio includes a space created specifically for tea, the Tea Lounge. She describes it as a place where students can study, do their work, and process what they’ve learned in classes or teacher training.

Other teachers agree that tea can help facilitate learning and discussion. Jennifer Durand, who teaches hatha yoga at the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco, leads the Ladies’ Tea and Yoga Society, where students convene after her hour-long class for tea and philosophical discussion, either in the studio, which is an old greenhouse, or in the garden. Durand describes these gatherings as significantly more social than, say, a Japanese tea ceremony. “When everyone has settled, I either introduce a topic of discussion (anything from a Yoga Sutra to how we can eat more healthfully) or I let the conversation unfold on its own. Increasingly, I’ve been choosing the latter, as it seems to me that the women are enjoying the chance to connect in their own way,” says Durand.

tea

“The way the Society came about was that, of course, hatha yoga gets you only so far—it gives you a certain discipline, to be sure, and it can create a stronger, healthier body,” explains Durand. “But one must take it that extra distance for the practice to be truly transformative; one has to delve into the philosophical side of things. I find the best way to introduce the Sutra is through the gentle approach of sneaking it in with tea and treats.”

Whether used for its mystical or medicinal properties, tea has become an integral part of yoga, and students seem to have no trouble warming up to the experience.

Tips for Serving Tea

While there is no rule book for serving tea with yoga, there are some ways to enrich the experience by setting the right mood.

Invite all of the senses. Kerhulas stresses maintaining a clean, uncluttered space; adding beautiful objects (flowers, artwork); serving tea in a porcelain or wooden cup; playing light, meditative music; and using incense, such as sandalwood (which is very grounding). “Basically, it needs to feel as if you are entering a special zone that’s separate from the stresses of everyday life,” she says.

Serve only the finest tea. “Make sure to use good, loose-leaf tea to enhance the whole experience—it’s more healing and beneficial,” says Smith. On a practical note, Smith advises that if you want to use fine china, you have to clear it with the local health department. In fact, Smith says she has a restaurant license just to brew and serve tea. Using any nondisposable dishes or cutlery would require having a dishwasher and a three-basin sink. In Pennsylvania, where she is, you’re regulated as soon as you serve anything—the law could vary across the states.

Make it comfortable. It’s about creating a space where students feel welcome, loved, and nurtured, says Smith. That’s why she chose to place a large, L-shaped, lavender sofa in her Tea Lounge, custom-designed to be extra deep so students could easily sit on it in the Lotus position. Both the sofa and room are decorated with soothing, soft shades, such as sage, turmeric, and saffron.

tea

Pair it up with healthy food. Kerhulas serves homemade vegetarian or vegan soups (such as black bean, curried butternut squash, or potato leek). Smith says the Tea Lounge sells only green, raw, or organic snack bars and fruit—”things that enhance health, nothing processed.”

The guidelines vary by state, and maybe even by city or town, but Smith suggests that once you’re preparing and serving food or drink, you’re starting a relationship with the health department. And if you aren’t following the local laws and you’re found out, you can be reprimanded, fined, or even shut down. The best policy is transparency. Call your local health department; tell them exactly what you’re planning to do, serve, and sell; and then fill out the proper paperwork. Your best bet is to follow all relevant laws.

Angela Pirisi is a freelance health writer who has covered holistic health, fitness, nutrition, and herbal remedies. Her work has appeared in Yoga Journal as well as inNatural Health, Fitness, Cooking Light, Let’s Live, and Better Nutrition.

bowl gong timers for tea, yoga and meditation

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adapted from Yoga Journal.com

Yoga injuries

These herbs help heal and prevent common yoga injuries.

By James Bailey, L.Ac., M.P.H.

In my early 30s I began to experience a greater sensitivity in my joints during my yoga practice, which culminated in three injuries in one year. Being an herbalist and a devoted yoga practitioner, naturally I explored using herbs both internally and topically. After some experimenting, I found I could minimize cycles of stiffness and pain after class and even prevent reinjury.

Injuries caused by a hatha yoga practice are usually minor and limited to simple ligament sprains and muscle strains, with the occasional slip, fall, or forced adjustment. The most common injuries are caused by repetitive isometric strain or overstretching and occur at the wrists, shoulders, neck, along the spine, and at the sacroiliac joint, hamstrings, and knees. If not addressed, these minor setbacks can have a long-term impact on the balance of alignment within the practice. Some yogis even bring ailments to the mat, which can also have lifelong effects upon range of motion, breathing, supply of energy, and quality of meditation.

There are two botanical approaches to injury care. In the trauma phase, when an injury first occurs, herbs should be used both internally and topically to relieve acute pain and inflammation. Then in the recovery phase introduce herbs to nourish and strengthen the joints and soft tissues. When an injury first occurs, simple strains and sprains require herbal compounds that improve the circulation of prana (life force) and blood in and around the injury. Even minor trauma can have the undesired effect of reduced local circulation, pain, swelling, and inflammation. Topical applications target the traumatized area directly. The active constituents of the topical herbs are absorbed through the skin for a more immediate and targeted effect.

Among a large class of generic analgesic and anti-inflammatory substances, a few Ayurvedicclassics stand out. Salai guggul, Kapitthaparni, and Bola are three related plant sap resins used internally and topically to reduce pain, strengthen bones and joints, and cleanse the blood of toxins that accumulate around injury sites.

White willow is a Native American remedy and natural source of salicylic acid, the forerunner of aspirin, but without the blood-thinning and stomach-irritating side effects. It also improves mobility in sore or creaky joints. Notoginseng, a relative of Panax ginseng, is known for its analgesic effects on injuries. It is used throughout Asia to improve circulation and support the adrenal glands in the production of inflammation-reducing corticosteroids.

Once the pain subsides, it is important to introduce herbs that rejuvenate and strengthen joints and soft tissues. These herbs do not remedy the acute, aggravated phase of the injury but instead strengthen the integrity of the tissues and support a more complete recovery. They also are ideal for yoga practitioners who have ongoing vulnerabilities in the joints.

For the later stage of injury recovery, use herbs that supply a natural plant source of collagen and silica, both important for rebuilding soft tissue. Eucommia, a renewable tree bark, supplies plant collagen directly to the damaged area and also can be safely used as a long-term joint supplement for both injury recovery and prevention. Eucommia is traditionally believed to strengthen a weak lower back and knees; it also protects the lumbar spine and sacrum in backbending and hip-opening postures, and the knees in postures like Padmasana (Lotus Pose) and Virasana (Hero Pose). Horsetail, a reedlike plant, contains large amounts of natural silica, which speeds the repair and regeneration of connective tissue, thus improving its strength and elasticity.

but without the blood-thinning and stomach-irritating side effects. It also improves mobility in sore or creaky joints. Notoginseng, a relative of Panax ginseng, is known for its analgesic effects on injuries. It is used throughout Asia to improve circulation and support the adrenal glands in the production of inflammation-reducing corticosteroids.

Once the pain subsides, it is important to introduce herbs that rejuvenate and strengthen joints and soft tissues. These herbs do not remedy the acute, aggravated phase of the injury but instead strengthen the integrity of the tissues and support a more complete recovery. They also are ideal remedies is meant to complement the conventional wisdom of resting and icing. Of course, for serious injuries or those that do not improve within 72 hours, a professional health-care provider should be consulted.

James Bailey, L.Ac., M.P.H., Herbalist AHG, practices Ayurveda, Oriental Medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and vinyasa yoga in Santa Monica, California.

timers for yoga

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adapted from Yoga Journal.com

why am I so tired?

Before you chalk up your lethargy to chronic fatigue, first consider these other possible causes.

By Alice Lesch Kelly

You’re exhausted all the time. You can barely pull yourself out of bed in the morning, you’re sleepy in the afternoon, and you’re ready to hit the sack at sundown. Could you have chronic fatigue syndrome? It’s possible, but you may want to investigate these other common ailments as well:

Iron-deficiency anemia. People with IDA feel fatigued, laconic, and cold due to a lack of iron in their blood. Iron supplements can usually take care of the problem.

Depression. Not only does the worry and anxiety that accompany depression wear you out, it may also affect the quality of your sleep, leaving you constantly exhausted. If you suspect depression, consult with a therapist, who may recommend behavioral therapy, antidepressant medication, or other healing modalities.

Mitral valve prolapse. This is a condition in which a heart valve fails to work correctly, causing a heart murmur. People with MVP may feel tired for a number of reasons, including a decrease in REM sleep, low blood volume, and excess adrenaline. For some patients, drinking plenty of water can ease symptoms by boosting blood volume, although others require medication.

Sleep disorders. Conditions like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome can interrupt sleep without sufferers even realizing they have them. Doctors treat these conditions in a variety of ways, including air pumps that aid nighttime breathing, medication, dietary changes, or massage.

Hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid slows down metabolism, which leaves sufferers feeling tired and sometimes cold, constipated, or depressed. Daily thyroid replacement pills can get metabolism back on track.

gentle chime alarm clocks

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slow down to detox

By Hillari Dowdle

Reducing stress and mental overactivity is perhaps the most important element of a successful detox plan, Blossom says. Habitual rushing, multitasking, and dealing with information overloads are the trifecta of American toxicity. And like an overtaxed liver, an overtaxed mind and nervous system can lead to a host of health issues, including adrenal fatigue, insomnia, irregular menstrual cycles, indigestion, and unwelcome weight gain.

The first step in reducing the toxicity created by an overloaded life? Slowing down. During the next seven days, adjust your schedule so you have time to prepare and eat your meals in a relaxed manner, practice daily yoga, and take regular meditation breaks. By saying “no” to the outside influences that pull your attention and energy in so many directions—and replacing them with healthier choices—you’ll begin to tune in to your body’s natural rhythms and detox more effectively.

Zen Timepiece, a timer with bowl gong for slowing down

adapted from Yoga Journal.com

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cherry blossoms

Odorless, tasteless flower essences are the basis of a popular stress-relieving treatment that dates back to the 1930s.

By Steffie Nelson

Bach’s Rescue Remedy, a popular stress-relieving treatment, has been helping people chill out for decades. But if you asked regular users what’s in it, most would get it wrong. It’s a blend of five flower essences, but like all remedies used in flower essence therapy, it contains no physical part of the flower.

Flower essences are odorless, tasteless infusions of flower blossoms. Originally developed in the 1930s by British physician Edward Bach, they’re designed to treat emotional imbalances caused by temporary troubles such as fear, anxiety, or panic, or by long-term problems with your love life or career. Bach crafted 38 remedies that bear his name and are still used; hundreds of other versions have been created by independent flower-essence makers all over the world. (They are especially popular in Cuba, where they’re covered by the national health care system.)

Practitioners of the therapy acknowledge that by the standards of Western medicine, it’s hard to see how something so diluted could have healing effects. But Richard Katz, founder of the Flower Essence Society, based in Nevada City, California, says a different paradigm applies: “Flower essence therapy is based on the idea that a human being is more than biochemistry. We have a soul and an energy field.” Katz says the essences work on a subtle level. “The vibrational quality of the flowers elicits different healing responses in the body,” he says, “just as the vibrations from different types of music will elicit different responses.”

Most essences work best in monthlong treatments, taken up to four times a day. Place them under your tongue or dilute them in a glass of water; dab them on the pulse points on your wrists or neck; or swirl them into your bath. Choosing the right essence is key, so find a practitioner who will take a detailed inventory of your emotional state, work life, and relationships. The Flower Essence Society (www.flowersociety.org) can provide referrals.

Now & Zen's Family of Products, Boulder, Colorado

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Kid Yoga Lotus Pose

Kick up your heels a little on your way to wisdom, freedom, and joy.

By Jenny Sauer-Klein

The great philosopher Plato said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Playing is a powerful way to gain insight into yourself, too. Play brings you into contact with your natural state—anando hum(literally, “I am bliss”). It’s a state of harmonious connection with yourself, with your playmates, and with the greater whole. Its spirit is contagious and multiplies itself without effort, raising the vibration of everyone it touches.

Much like the state of deep meditation, true play is a mode of becoming fully present and available to the mystery and wonder of each unfolding moment. In that moment of complete immersion, you release the crystallized assumptions of your past experiences and enter a world of innocence and possibility.

Children can exist in this state for hours because they are not afraid to dream big, to pretend, to bring their fantasies to life; they believe that anything is possible. Falling, laughing, and getting back up to try again come naturally to them. But as we get older, patterns of self-doubt, fear, and mistrust of ourselves or others can interfere with our ability to play with happy abandon,to dare to take risks with an open heart.

Play is my life’s work. When I teach AcroYoga, I’m helping adults to feel like children again,to trust themselves and each other,and to rediscover that belief in infinite possibility. Most adults need a fine balance of structure and freedom in order to feel safe enough to play and take risks. When we fly in AcroYoga (imagine parent and child playing “airplane”), defined roles and rules help ensure everyone’s safety. The magic word is “down,” which means “time out—let’s come back down to earth.” The roles and rules satisfy the intellectual mind, creating space for the flier to experience the pure joy of being held in the air, probably for the first time since childhood. I often see initial fear and doubt turn into elation and empowerment, as people build the trust and confidence they need to spread their wings!

The ancient rishis and seers who gave birth to the practice we call yoga began from this place of freedom and benevolent curiosity, asking questions that would guide the evolution of human consciousness. All of our great systems of knowledge, from medicine to philosophy to the great spiritual traditions, originated from this inherent sense of wonder and openness. Throughout the ages,wisdom has come to those willing to experiment and discover the next leading edge. When you surrender to the spiritual practice of play, you are celebrating the existence of life itself. Are you willing to leave the known behind and ask what is possible now?

Jenny Sauer-Klein is the co-founder of AcroYoga. Find out more at acroyoga.org.

Make A Play Date

Four ideas to bring wonder into your life

Instead of thinking about negative “what ifs,” play the positive “What If” game. Ask yourself, “What if I get my dream job?” “What if I open deeply to love?” Let your dreams become reality by asking, “How could this get any better?” And live the answer!

Try a different style of yoga or a new physical practice, like dance or the martial arts, and become a beginner again. Forgive yourself if you fumble and enjoy the process of learning. Spend time with a child or an animal. Watch them play and discover the world again through their eyes.

Give yourself permission to make a new mistake. Do Tree Pose with your eyes closed and see how long you last. Laugh if you fall down.

Zen Clocks and timers for yoga and meditation

adapted from Yoga Journal.com August 2011

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prayer is good medicine

Two researchers find merit to the idea that spiritual influences can have a beneficial, physiologically measurable impact.

By Larry Sokoloff

Inspired by a visit to a hospital in India run by Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his followers, two Duke University researchers are investigating the effects prayer and other nonmedical practices can have on a patient’s recovery after angioplasty.

Cardiologist Mitchell W. Krucoff and nurse practitioner Suzanne Crater were amazed by the upbeat reaction of patients and staff at the Institute for Higher Medical Sciences in Putta Parthi following the daily visits of Sai Baba, whose followers worship him as an avatar, an incarnation of divinity.

In contrast to the lethargy and depression common in many hospitals, the euphoric atmosphere at the Institute was overwhelming, Krucoff says. Patients and staff were beaming throughout the researchers’ visit. “God came every day and made rounds and touched them,” Krucoff says. “That kind of atmosphere has got to have physiological impact.”

After their visit, the two researchers wanted to test the idea that spiritual influences could have a physiologically measurable impact. But how do you measure the religious influence that they had witnessed? As Krucoff says, “We couldn’t scatter Sai Baba clones or Mother Teresa clones all over the United States.”

Instead, Krucoff and Crater wondered what would happen if prayer and other forms of nonmedical treatment were offered to patients undergoing stressful heart procedures. Would patients who were prayed for or taught to relax benefit more than patients who were not? Their musings led them to begin the MANTRA study (Monitor and Actualization of Noetic TRAinings) at the Durham, North Carolina, Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Besides a group of patients who had prayers said for them, three other groups were exposed to touch, guided visualization, or stress relaxation. A fifth group served as a control group and did not receive any prayers or treatments.

The most unusual part of the study—and apparently the most effective—involved the healing use of prayer. The study found that angioplasty patients with acute coronary syndromes who were prayed for did 50 to 100 percent better (in terms of heart rate, blood pressure, and EKG results) than did patients in the control group. Patients who received guided imagery, touch, or stress relaxation assistance also benefited, showing a 30 to 50 percent trend toward improved outcomes.

Prayers were offered by seven different religious groups. Each group received the same data: the name of a male patient who was undergoing a catheter procedure, a stressful operation which involves threading a tube into the heart while the patient is awake. The prayers went out from Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and France, from Moravians in North Carolina, and from Carmelite nuns in Baltimore who prayed during evening vespers. In Jerusalem, prayers were inserted in the city’s Western Wall by a Jewish group. Fundamentalist Christians, Baptists, and Unitarians prayed as well.

The prayers proved effective even though the MANTRA patients didn’t know they were being prayed for, unlike the beaming patients in India who saw Sri Baba at their bedsides.

A larger trial of 1,500 patients is now under way at hospitals in North Carolina, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City. The larger study will test whether the results can be repeated, and may influence doctors in the future to include spirituality in their prescriptions.

Prayer timers and clocks with chimes

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adapted from Yoga Journal.com