The Yogi Cure All Pose

There is a yoga posture that has often been called the "yogi cure all" and can be used for just about any ailment. The best part is that it is simple and easy to do. For anyone who held the excuse that they aren't flexible and could never do any yoga this posture is a great place to start.





Vaprita Karani or Legs Up the Wall Pose is pretty self explanatory. (see picture to the left)



Here are a couple of tips:

* Sitting next to the wall, bring your hips as close to the wall as you can.

* Protect your back by laying on your side and then gently swing your legs up against the wall. It it not imperative that your legs be at a 90 angle against the wall, only that your legs are straight. If the back of your legs feel tight, scoot your hips away from the wall until you find a place of comfort and ease in your body.

* You might also place a pillow under your hips or lengthwise along your spine for more comfort and higher elevation.

* Your arms can rest at your sides, out into a "t" or up over your head.

* This pose can also be done using a chair or ball to rest your legs on for more comfort. 

The ancient yogis believed that "legs up the wall" pose was a cure-all. They believed that once the feet were up over the head in a resting posture a secret serum was released from the heels and would gently trickle down to wherever the ailment was and could especially assist with headaches, low back pain, varicose veins, anti-aging and metabolism. These ancient yogis were such fans of "legs up the wall" they felt it had just as much benefit on the body if held for 10 minutes a day as a full yoga class does.

This pose is doing many things physiologically.
>> helping to traction the spine, alleviating pressure through the low back

>> reversing the direction of circulation giving the veins of the legs a break from gravity which also helps slow the aging process and nourish circulation.

>> bringing fresh circulation to the head

>> assisting the blood pressure to decrease

To release from this pose gently walk your feet down the wall and bring your knees into your chest. You might enjoy rocking from side to side. To protect your back roll on to your side (you might prefer to rest on your side for a moment) and slowly push yourself back to a seated posture.

While holding this posture close your eyes and practice some deep breathing. Imagine a balloon in your abdomen. With your inhale imagine filling this balloon up with any stress or tension and with your exhale imagine your balloon slowly deflating letting your stress or tension out. Focus on slow, long exhales to promote further relaxation in your body. You might be aware of a tingling sensation in your legs or even feel your back naturally start to loosen.

For more information on restorative yoga visit Yoga Journal. 

Delta Chiropractic offers free yoga classes Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:30pm-7:30pm, Thursdays at 7:00a-8:00a and Saturdays at 7:30a-8:30a. Space is limited and registration is required. Give them a call today! 847.854.5356

Yoga Chicago is also a wonderful resource for yoga classes in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Look for the free publication Yoga Chicago around town as well.


Namaste!

Sarah Zender LAc

Qi Gong

Qi Gong

I apologize for those of you who wait with baited breath each Tuesday for the new blog posting and did not find one. I was attending a 4 day Qi Gong seminar called the Qi Revolution. If you've never heard of it, as I never did until I received a postcard about a 32 hour CEU program for $99 let me give a few details.

Supreme Science Qi Gong is a non-profit organization that teaches massage therapists, nurses, acupuncturists and anyone who is interested how to use qi gong to live a healthier life while offering super affordable continuing education credits.

You might be wondering what in the world is qi gong. I'll start first with the pronunciation. Qi = chee, Gong = gong. Qi Gong is a branch of Chinese Medicine and is a form of gentle exercise and cultivation of energy with meditation mixed in.

Benefits of Qi Gong include: (taken straight from the Qi Gong training manual)

>>improves the motion of blood, warms the blood, and enhances whole body circulation

>>stimulates appetite, sexual function, assimilation of nutrients and digestion/elimination

>>accelerates metabolism, weight loss, decreases need for sleep

>>bolsters immune system by reducing cortisol

>>develops dexterity, reflexes, and prevents osteoporosis

>>opens arteries allowering greater brain-based microcirculation to prevent alzheimers

>>enhances mental acuity, focus and concentration

>>helps us to calm down and relax

>>improves results of hands on healing and helps spiritual growth

Qi Gong is the discipline of harnessing your energy. It is similar to Tai Chi although for most forms you stand in one place and work more with moving your hands and arms following your breath. For more information about qi gong you might visit here.

The list of benefits sounds compelling doesn't it and the fact that it doesn't appear to be as physically intense as say, running a marathon, almost seems too good to be true.

From my experience over the last 32 hours of qi emersion I will say this: Qi Gong is a powerful practice. I wouldn't think holding my hands at chest level and trying to breath would be so intense but then my feet would pulse and burn, my shoulders would fatigue, I'd forget to stay relaxed and hold my breath.

As I sit here listening to devaproject (music from the weekend) trying to find the right words to explain all that I learned over this 4 day class my only thought is this: it was a well thought out production and its presentation was responsible.

What this means is that it wasn't all just about qi gong forms, it was about balance. Jeff Primack was intent on letting the group of 900 know that all the qi gong in the world is not the end all be all of being healthy and living your best life. In addition to practicing qi gong proper nutrition is key (something none of us really ever want to hear) and so is your mind set (negative thoughts and holding on to negative emotions are just as damaging to our health as McDonalds).

There have been studies done in Washington DC where groups have gathered to meditate and crime rates have dropped. I was curious what kind of impact 900 qi gongers would have on Chicago but have no idea where to find such stats on 4 days. We did do several meditations on love, forgiveness, and world peace. So if at any point from March 6-9 you felt a moment of peace I'd be curious to know about it. At any rate, it has defiantly changed my life.

Qi Gong is not like working out at the gym where missing a couple days doesn't dramatically impact the body, its something that must be practiced every day. I made the 30 day challenge, to practice qi gong every day for 30 days. It was said we really wouldn't understand or feel the effects until at least this milestone. Today is day 2 of my personal qi gong practice. I've woken up at 6 each morning to get my practice in, something that if you know me especially recently is almost a superhuman feat. (i like my sleep) So far I'm finding that my sleep is deeper and I'm able to fall asleep quicker probably because my mind doesn't race as quickly either. My appetite and energy level is hearty and so are my bowel movements. (sorry if you didn't want to know)

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com