Yoga for the Neck & Shoulders

I have clients that I’ve had in class for so long that I don’t even need to ask them what they want to work on at the beginning of class. We just have an understanding….when I see them, yes I think of their name, maybe their family but I also immediately think of what I most often hear from their lips: Neck & Shoulders.

Having come from Corporate America myself — I can relate.  Sitting at my desk in front of a computer monitor or laptop…hunched over the keyboard — powering through to get the assignment finished, meet the deadline. Frequent breaks? Who needed a break — I wanted to get it done so that I had that particular project off of my desk, out of my cubicle.  Sound familiar? And those were the good days — not the days that a boss drove me crazy with some unreasonable request or rumors of layoff’s permeated our office or (you fill in the blank)….With each new thing, the shoulders and ears united and the neck stiffened.

If this is you — there is relief…while I can’t promise a fulfilling and secure job I can give you some tips on minimizing the stress & strain for your neck and shoulders and some simple stretches when the stress & strain have already come to visit you.

• Pay attention to how you sit at your desk. This is most important. A lot of our strain comes from poor posture habits.  Check out this blog post for posture basics:  Sitting Tall Throughout Your Day
• Take frequent breaks – get up, take a walk, stretch….don’t power through. The only person who pays for that is you.  Every hour, try to get up and change how you’re sitting…not only will your body feel better…but your mind benefits as well.
• Rest your eyes — even if it’s just a few minutes every hour, look away from your computer. Try to look out to different distances…take 30 seconds to just close your eyes and breathe.
• Try these simple poses right at your desk to relieve neck & shoulder tension (takes 10 minutes or less):
• Head Tilts — gently roll your head forward and tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder — hold for a breath or two and reverse. Continue slowly 4-6 times.
• Shoulder Rolls — sitting tall at your desk with both feet on the floor, roll your shoulders up and back 4-6 times.
• 1/2 Eagle — cross one arm in front of your chest and draw that arm closer to you with the other hand. Hold and breathe for 4-6 breaths, and switch sides.
• Wrist Circles – gently roll your wrists in one direction 4 times and then reverse.
• Forearm Massages – with your right hand, gently massage or knead the muscles of your left forearm (from your elbow to your wrist)…after a few breaths, switch sides.
• Prayer Hands – bring your palms together in front of your body (allow the shoulders to rest down). Gently press the hands together.
• Office Down Dog – stand up and place your hands flat on your desk. Walk backward and lower your upper body down so that you are making an “L” shape with your body. Feet are hip-width apart and ears are right by your biceps. Lengthen the spine and engage your belly. Breathe and hold for 4-6 breaths.

For more on yoga for the neck & shoulders, take a look at our latest DVD: YogaXoga’s Demystified Yoga, Vol. 2 with a class devoted to these stretches.

Introducing YogaXoga’s Demystified Yoga, Volume 2

I’m so excited to introduce you to our latest yoga dvd: Demystified Yoga(TM), Volume 2, featuring three 20-minute classes for Neck & Shoulders, Lower Back & Yoga Before Bed, plus, helpful hints on great breathing techniques for stress relief and better sleep.

The inspiration for this DVD really came from my clients and blog subscribers (thank you!).  Stretches for the neck & shoulders and lower back are the most common requests I hear at the beginning of class.  Yoga stretches before bed is by far the most commonly searched for phrase that I see on my blog…  We’re living in stressful times and it’s difficult to let the mind rest so that our body can do the same. What better way to integrate a little bit of yoga into your day than by addressing the areas we most need help with in bite-size, doable chunks?

Sometimes we think a yoga class should be an hour or 90 minute experience set in the perfect environment when you have ample time to prepare, practice and enjoy the benefits of after-class stillness. While that sounds lovely, this isn’t reality for most of us! Each Demystified Yoga, Volume 2 class is just 20 minutes long so that even those of you with the most hectic, crazy schedules could creatively find 20 minutes (we all have 20 minutes, right?) just for you.  When you have more time, you can “play all” for an hour long practice.

If you have questions, leave me a comment here or click:

Learn More about YogaXoga DVDs

Let me know what you think….

Yoga in KC: Yoga for Freedom Event

Those of you in the Kansas City area: The Yoga Alley in Lee’s Summit is hosting a yoga mala event June 20th, Yoga for Freedom.  A yoga mala is 108 sun salutations (or full flows). What a great way to come together as students of all yoga styles and levels for a great cause….A minimum donation of $20 is requested. Proceeds to benefit International Justice Mission www.ijm.org. After your amazing experience at The Yoga Alley, don’t forget to stop by our YogaXoga DVD Release Party & Wellness Celebration 3-7 p.m. (email us if you’d like details: info@yogaxoga.com)

For more info and the registration form for Yoga for Freedom: click here

For those of you not in KC — check out this info on how you can create (or suggest to your local yoga studio/teacher) your own event: Global Mala Project

If you’ve participated in a yoga mala before…leave a comment and tell us about your experience…

Enjoy & be well…

Real Yoga Stories: Staying present in difficult moments

My 103 year old grandmother peacefully left us this past week. My family gathered in a small town in Kansas to honor and remember her, sad to see her go but so thankful that she had such a full and long life. As we went through the rituals of a Christian Catholic memorial: visitation, rosary, funeral mass and gravesite prayers, I found myself drawing on my yoga practice…finding my breath – rushed at first, shallow with tears welling up…and then as my attention turned to the pattern of my breath, it slowed, becoming more steady and strong.  It’s not that I didn’t want to cry or feel — but my main intention was that I wanted to be present.  I wanted to savor every moment of this celebration of my grandmother…laughing as we remembered her quotes (”If you don’t have laughter in your life, you might as well be dead”), and reconnecting with family & friends that we see every week and those we see every 10 years or so…

Yoga has helped me take a step back from the normal way I tend to approach or experience things…A funeral seems sad – we should just get through it, right?  Power through? To me, that’s the wrong approach…yoga teaches us to acknowledge what we’re feeling, thinking, experiencing and release it…let it go…  When we do that we notice new things, we find new ah-ha’s that were there all along but we’re too busy powering through…I drove 3 hours to a funeral to say goodbye to a wonderful lady and came back with much more including a truer perspective of myself.

My grandmother was always smiling – sometimes it looked more like a mischievous grin…especially after she claimed victory in her frequent game of pitch.  (She always won card games – even at 100+) Most of all, she fully enjoyed & experienced life – all the moments of life – not just the happy ones…she lived her life as a loving & dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, friend…She loved Jesus and lived her life in a way that reflected that… I can’t think of a better example for me…she was present in her life.

A New Take On Forward Fold: Antidote for a Crazy Day

As yoga teachers, sometimes we get into ruts — where the same sequence, the same poses keep coming up in class.  This we try to avoid by getting on our own mats for practice, taking class from other teachers, listening to our students and researching new, creative ways to approach the space of yoga.

This week, I’ve been in a rut that’s not so bad…with the springtime/summertime weather, I’ve heard from many students recovering from their gardening adventures…and “low back” is one of the most frequently requested areas when I ask for requests at class…so here’s the pose we’re doing a lot of these days… I call it Supported Forward Fold:

Often if our hamstrings are tight and our low back is stiff, it’s difficult to find the right alignment and stretch in a Seated Forward Fold.  We end up feeling strained in the low back, or frustrated with our ability to hinge and fold over the legs.   When we’re in a supine (lying on your back) position, the back is supported by the floor.

Getting into the pose: Lie on your back and draw your knees into your chest.  Breathe here, feeling your back supported by the floor.  Place both feet in the middle of your strap and extend your legs up toward the ceiling. They can be bent or straight but should be making somewhat of a 90 degree angle towards the ceiling vs. angling away from your body.  Take a moment to draw your shoulders down and back towards the floor and try to hold the ends of your strap to keep the upper body relaxed…Stay here and continue to breathe. Over time, you might find that you’re able to draw the legs a bit closer towards you…always stretching deeper as you exhale or release your breath.  After 6-8 breaths, if you’d like more of a hip stretch, try taking your legs wider — with your feet still along the strap….continuing to breathe into your stretch. Hold for another few breaths and gently release, drawing your knees back in toward your chest.

Benefits of the pose:

Great for the low back, relief from sciatica and low back discomfort

Great antidote for those who are seated or standing for most of their day

Great stress reliever as this is a mild inversion (getting the legs up)

Great stretch for the hamstrings and hips

I’d love to hear your comments — give this pose a try and let me know what you think!

Real Yoga Stories: Yoga in Life’s Moments

Real Yoga Stories is our new series where I have guest bloggers share their stories of how yoga has impacted their life in some way…

The following post was written by one of my YogaXoga clients Alan Daigneault, an executive, a runner, a writer, a yogi and a great friend.  Enjoy!

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When my father passed away recently after a long illness at a very late age (he was 89) I noticed my yoga practice was serving me in this most difficult time.  When I received the call from my brother far away, I knew it was probably to tell me my father had passed away. Before I picked up the phone, I noticed my breath which at first was shallow and tight.  I stopped and took a deep inhale, filling my belly, then up to my ribs and chest, and then exhaled long and slow. I picked up the phone and learned what I had expected. I was calm as I heard my brother’s voice shaking, emotion welling up in me as he shared what no child wants to share, and no child wants to hear: “Dad just passed away.”  I said, “Ok….” and I sighed, then kept silent, leaving that moment completely alone.

In practicing yoga, I have learned how there is no forcing your body, or life. It is wasted energy and usually results in more pain.  Trying too hard can set you back and distract you from the present. Now was the time I needed to accept with grace the end of a parent who meant so much to my life. In a blessed irony, I was calm in a very difficult time, which is one of the characteristics I remember about my Dad when I was growing up. Not that he did not get upset or very angry sometimes; he did.  But on many other occasions I noticed that when a big crisis hit one of his sons, he met the circumstance with a calm and almost quiet voice. At a time earlier in my own adult life, when I was sharing with him some very bad news on goings on in my own family, and sensing how sad and heartbroken I was after having tried so hard and for so long only to fail, he said very little: “Al, you sure gave it your best shot.” It was just the right thing to say in the moment…affirming, compassionate, and loving.

The week I spent with my own family during the memorial services, everything unfolded with a degree of acceptance and peace I was grateful for. Every part of the trip across the country to my hometown and while I was there offered regular opportunities to take notice of the wonderful memories of the years I had with my father. All of this because, in my own life journey, I have been granted an opportunity through yoga to appreciate more deeply, breathe more fully, and feel gratitude even in the hardest times. Still, after I returned from my trip to say “safe journey” to my father, emotions still rise in me that seem impossible to hold. But I let it rise and fall with my breath and feel as fully as possible all that is inside.

My yoga practice, with still so much to learn in the years to come, teaches me daily the gift of taking small steps, meeting resistance with gentleness, saying little and instead  focusing the heart and mind on what is right here in front of me and doing what I can…as best I can.  That is what the poses are all about, and that is all there is in most any situation life throws at us.  Whenever I work on the yoga mat, I reconnect with this basic principle and it regenerates my awareness right into the activities of each day. At work, at play, in relationships, and when walking or running on the trails near where I live, breathing into the present moment and trying to keep my heart open allows peace to settle in where frustration and pain want to take hold.

Yoga has not made life easier or prevented hardships. Life, of course, continues to offer difficulties as it will always do.  But with the emotional grounding and physical health yoga has given me thus far, I feel only hope and thankfulness for being able to appreciate all that is good, even amidst great challenges.  I know I am not there yet…and never will be “there.”  And that is one of the great lessons yoga teaches.  While there may be a start to one’s yoga practice, there is no end to the learning and growth that can be achieved over time.  To this I recommit myself each and every time I find myself on the yoga mat, and every other moment I choose to notice what life is offering me now, during each and every breath.

YogaXoga Product Find: Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder

I’ve been looking for a great tasting, healthy source of protein for my morning smoothies and I found one that I want to share: Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder + Fiber is superb!  I wanted to stay away from the whey and soy protein powders, so I tried this one.  It tastes good, isn’t grainy and doesn’t have any after taste.

I have one in the morning to give me a boost, especially when I have morning classes to teach.  When I was on a  cleanse, I would have a couple of hemp powder smoothies a day and they really kept my energy level going.  I know some may have some questions about hemp — here’s more information for you who may be snickering:

From the Nutiva Website

Here’s my usual smoothie recipe:

1 cup V8 Fusion Pom/Blueberry (or home juiced carrots & apple)

2 T. Hemp Protein Powder + Fiber (the label says 2-4 T. per serving)

1 Banana

1 cup frozen berries

(and if I have it on-hand) a handful of baby spinach

You’ll want to drink right away – that’s the best. Enjoy!

Real Yoga Stories: Yoga & Running

Real Yoga Stories is our new series where I have guest bloggers share their stories of how yoga has impacted their life in some way…

The following post was written by Pat Perry, running, wellness and now yoga enthusiast.  See more from Pat at his blog: www.energycreatesenergy.blogspot.com

Yoga and Running

You might say I’m a trail running evangelist.  I have helped dozens train and finish a full trail marathon.  I have helped a few finish 50-milers.  Two are really close to attempting the 100 mile distance!  I’m also a wellness and nutrition evangelist but that’s another story.  When I am recruiting new trail runners, I often hear “I can’t run because I have bad knees”.    It is almost always untrue.  Many have decent knees but bad stride and bad shoes.  Pavement and sidewalks certainly don’t help the situation.

Stride, shoes and sidewalks aside, I firmly believe running can cause knee pain that can be avoided via yoga.  In simple terms, running tends to overdevelop some of the big muscles. These big muscles overpower the less developed, smaller, muscles in a classic tug-of-war battle held at the knee joint.  This is especially true for people previously inactive or people who do too much too fast.  When this tug-of-war takes place, the alignment in the knee is altered.  This is ok if it is done slowly.  If not, it can cause inflammation.  More running, more big tight muscles, more inflammation.  Vicious cycle.  So it’s not the knee, the knee just gets caught in the middle and feels the pain.

The stretching we do in Yoga helps these big muscles.  The body is like a sling.  Pull in one place and you feel it in another.  Running can take it out of balance.  Yoga brings it back.  The hamstrings, hips, calves, the I.T. band are all stretched, loosened and elongated so to loosen their hold on the poor knee.  I believe Heidi Valenzuela (& YogaXoga) just may have helped add twenty plus years to my running career.

If you’d like to share your real yoga story, email me at info@yogaxoga.com.

DVD #2 Project: Video Shoot

So…we filmed the DVD this past Saturday…and after a long day with several twists & turns…I can report that it went really well…(after I see the first edit, I’ll be even more certain that it went VERY VERY well).

Amber getting me ready to go...

It started out as a dark, rainy, thunderous morning which didn’t quite cooperate with our lighting and sound needs.  The crew from Outpost made some adjustments and we were rolling… We started off filming the introduction where I’m talking about Demystified Yoga, what it is, what’s on this dvd, etc…After a few takes, we were good to go…

Next we filmed the Helpful Hints which go over three breathing techniques: 3 part breath, 2:1 Breathing and Left Nostril Breath…In this section, I’m instructing Alan, my yoga client on how to breathe for these breaths. This went really smoothly…with the exception of all the train whistles. We’re filming in the West Bottoms of Kansas City at a very cool place called The Foundation…in planning, I didn’t think about all the very colorful (and frequent) train whistles that come through…Since we were also recording the sound for this section, it was a bit of a challenge…but we got there!

Warrior II

We took a short break for lunch…our grip, Sam (and my loving husband) returned from his expedition around KC meeting all of our lunch needs: chai lattes, turkey sandwiches, Ginger Ann Juice from Coffee Girls, soup, etc….

Sam checking our set...

Then we were back to work… we filmed the 3 20 minute classes…Neck & Shoulders, Lower Back and Before Bed….For these, we didn’t need quiet – we were just capturing the video…I had already recorded the audio and we just played it back so that Alan and I could follow “the voice” and stay relatively together. We went through each class twice and then did some close-up shots of a few poses….

ahh…. finished.  wrapping up and walking out the door before 5 p.m….not too shabby…

excited to see the first edits later this week….

Filming Helpful Hints

DVD #2 Project: Pre-Production

So, I spent my weekend practicing for our upcoming yoga dvd film shoot and writing out the audio scripts for the classes. I’m getting excited as we have a location – it’s in the West Bottoms of Kansas City at The Foundation, an architectural reclamation business www.foundationkc.com The place is great – if you’re looking for architectural treasures, check them out… The floors are hardwood and rustic, with rustic beams and nice open spaces…it will be perfect…

Now we’re working on finalizing wardrobe and the set….hoping and praying it will all come together seamlessly…[ I'd much rather be thinking about and planning for the yoga - vs. shopping every spot in town for plain but film-flattering yoga clothes...]

So for a little more about the DVD itself – it will contain 3 20 minute classes targeting the areas that I hear most about from my clients and from you, my blog audience…those are:

Stretches for the Neck & Shoulders, Stretches for the Low Back, and Stretches before Bed…

These are the things I hear about day after day — as the areas we need to stretch and de-stress…and of course, most of us are too busy and stressed for an hour-long class…so at 20 minutes each, we have no excuses — of course we have time to incorporate a little yoga in our day so that we feel, think, are better….

So, that’s the plan. Recording the audio this week, and filming in two weeks…

I’ll keep you posted…