How To Do a 1/2 Sun Salutation

A 1/2 Sun Salutation is a simplified version of the sun salutation. There are many variations. Here is a good place to start.

Half sun salutations are great for warming the body up. It is most important that you use your breath as you move through each pose. This will keep your attention on your body and its present abilities and assist in preventing injury. As your breath deepens, each pose may become deeper as well. In general think about using your inhalations to lengthen the body and your exhalations to soften any tension stored in the muscles. 

Half sun salutations have many benefits. In addition to lengthening the back of the legs, opening the chest and stretching the arms, each pose also helps to massage the front of the hips and thighs where a lot of lymph nodes are. Each pose helps to improve circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body assisting detoxification as well as weight loss. 

Half sun salutations can be done standing as seen in the you tube video above or can also be done seated. If practicing your half sun salutation seated in a chair or on a balance ball make sure you are sitting at the edge of your seat to keep your posture tall. Whether seated or standing keep your feet planted firmly to the ground pressing into the ball of the big and little toes and inner/outer edges of your heels. For a deeper stretch in your hamstrings press into the balls of your feet in your forward folds. To receive the full benefit of each pose in the salute make sure that each breath is slow, focused, and controlled. 

Sarah Zender LAc

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

Change Your Breath, Change How You Feel

Change Your Breath, Change How You Feel 

“How you feel effects how you breathe. How you breathe effects how you feel," Sarah Zender

Generalities on Breathing:

You can not be stressed and breathe at the same time. It is not possible.
The breath is linked to the nervous system. Inhaling corresponds to your sympathetic fight or flight response; Exhaling corresponds to your parasympathetic stay and play response. Therefore when the exhale is longer then the inhale, relaxation and healing can occur in the body.

Philosophy of Good Breathing:

Ancient Yogis believed that people have a certain number of breaths to live, not a certain number of years. If you want to see proper breathing watch a baby!

Most people do not breathe efficiently as a result of constricting clothes, poor posture or stress in a situation. Next time you are in a stressful situation take note of how you are breathing. Most times, stress or anxiety can cause the breath to become shallow, rapid and only from the chest or worse yet the breath is held. Redirecting breathing may allow perspective or feelings to be shifted about stressful situations. Also, in a position of poor posture with a rounded back and collapsed spine the diaphragm is unable to fully extend which causes breathing accessory muscles to work harder. (Think about those tight upper traps, levator scapulas and scalenes.)

Improper breathing changes the pH in the body, can cause one to pass out or faint and can even on a smaller scale leave one feeling fatigued and lethargic. Proper breathing is the fastest way to detoxify the body, the liver is actually resting next to the diaphragm. When you breathe your liver breathes with you.

Breath is the mirror of the mind. Here are some examples of what happens to our breath on a day to day basis:

• Fear- gasping for air
• Resisting something- hold the breath
• Anger- short jerky, incomplete breaths
• Fatigue- long inhales through the mouth. Yawn

For optimal health, breathing should be preformed nasally and should be full and rhythmic. The breath should come in through the nose and out through the nose. The nose is anatomically designed to filter and warm the air for the lungs, therefore try to use it as nature intended.

The diaphragm is the primary breathing muscle, accounting for 75% of the power of respiration. In order to breathe efficiently, the abdomen must expand so that the diaphragm has “somewhere to go.” The ribs and intercostals must pull the chest wall out to expand the lungs the rest of the way.

Exhaling breathes should last as long as the inhaling breath. Making the exhalation last twice as long as the inhalation is even more beneficial. By making the exhalation longer, the recoil capacity of the chest increases (slightly) as the second set of intercostals contract to return the rib cage back to its original position. Also, the pressure between the inside and outside of the lungs is exaggerated thus helping to pull more air into the lungs.

Breathing and the Massage Therapist:

Note the way you breathe the next time you give a massage.

Is your mind wandering about the stresses of your life as you are giving a massage? Is your breath shallow or deep with effleurage strokes?

Do you hold your breath when trying to dig into a muscle during friction or do you use your breath to deepen your pressure?

How is your client breathing? What is their response to your massage? Does your client release and relax with your techniques or are they resistant to letting go?

When you touch a person or animal especially for a long period of time your breath links with the person you are touching. Using deep breathing helps facilitate deeper relaxation and stress relief for both parties.

Correct breathing tones the abdominal muscles which can assist in a healthy lower back and reduces stress on the already overstressed upper traps and levator scapulae muscles.

Breathing Exercise:

The easiest way to explore the breath is lying supine. You can also try breathing in a seated or standing posture. Try not to let the mind wander.

Three Part Breath:
1. Lie on a towel rolled lengthwise under your spine. The towel should run from the base of your ribs to support your head comfortably. If you back feels more relaxed with your knees bent bend them.

2. Begin first by becoming aware of your breath. Simply observe the way your breath feels try not to alter or change it. Note where your breath moves in your body and how you feel.

3. Place both hands lightly on your lower abdomen just below the navel. Slowly begin to deepen the breath into your lower belly and feel the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe into this part of your body. Do not force your breath where it is not ready to go start where your body is ready to be and visualize your breath deepening until it is where you would like it to be.

4. Next slide both hands to the other parts of your rib cage and feel your breath expand in your ribs.

5. Keep one hand on the outer rib cage and one hand on the lower belly and feel the breath expand between the lower belly to the rib cage as your inhale and relax first from the ribs to the lower belly as you exhale. Let the breath be relaxed as you inhale and exhale and let the transition from belly to ribs be smooth and seamless.

6. When this two-part movement is comfortable for you imagine your breath starting in the lower belly expanding to the outer rib cage and ending just beneath your clavicles. Let the air you inhale and exhale move in a triangle pattern from belly to ribs to clavicles. Do not force your breath where it is not ready to go start where your body is ready to be and visualize your breath deepening until it is where you would like it to be.

Think about the inhale expanding and rising upwards from the belly to the chest and the exhale falling and returning inward on the exhale. Let go of all of the air in the body before taking the next inhale.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com 

Acupuncture and Weight Loss (3)

Acupuncture and Weight Loss III

Today's blog is the 3rd in the series Acupuncture and Weight Loss. If you've just started reading catch up by first taking a look at Acupuncture and Weight Loss to understand how Chinese Medicine works. Look over Acupuncture and Weight Loss II to get a grasp on eating smarter.

Today's focus is, What is the emotional component of your extra weight?

Acupuncture can help build new pathways in your body to maintain harmony. Its important to remember that acupuncture is subtle and it can be easy for your mind to override your new found health.

Sometimes weight troubles can be linked back to a personalexperience. Or you might feel, even subconsciously that if you stay heavier that you're off the radar and people won't expect much from you.

Your "Chinese" emotions play a role in your weight loss goals.

Anger: bottling up anger or resentment causes the liver qi to stagnate. The longer this stagnation continues the more phlegm can build up in the body. Excess weight in Chinese Medicine is considered dampness or damp-phlegm. Its important to remember that each emotion is necessary, its the expression that counts. If you find yourself easily irritated try exercises to let your anger go. Here are three of my favorite.

>> The wood chopper: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance with a soft knees. Clasp your hands together. Take a deep inhale through your nose and raise your clasped hands over your head. Exhale powerfully out through your mouth and "chop the wood" bringing your clasped hands through your legs. (Keeping a soft bend in your knees as you do this will protect your back) Do this yoga posture mindfully letting your breathe move you slowly. Try 5-10 reps and then slowly stand for a moment and notice how you feel.

>> Try yelling at the top of your lungs. No, not at someone. If you've had a stressful day take a minute when you're in your car and let out a good scream. (make sure no one is around you) Think about the last time you screamed out loud, it might not has been since childhood. Let it go.

>> Go for a skip or a gallop. Its hard to stay angry and skip at the same time. Not only that but movement increases the circulation which will keep liver qi stagnation at bay.

Fear: If fear is a part of your excess weight (fear of acceptance, rejection, not being good enough) this can tax your kidneys. The kidneys regulate the water passage ways in your body and control your low back and libido. If you hold onto fear you may also hold on to extra weight for a false sense of security. Acupuncture can help release these fears and boost your confidence.

>> Try positive affirmations like, "I love myself just the way I am." Say it as many times as you can through out the day.

Worry/Overthinking: If you're always concerned with what other people think of you or are an incessant worrier this can cause your spleen to work overtime and your body to produce dampness in the body which will in turn increase your sweet tooth and decrease your digestive function. Focus on getting healthy for you and only you.

>> A spleen diet is one full of simple foods that are not overly seasoned. Quinoa, barley, and rice help to nourish the digestive system and drain dampness out of the body. Look for full sweet flavored foods to combat your sweet tooth with foods like sweet potatoes and other yellow root vegetables and grains.

>> Remember the phrase, "clean house, clean mind." If your thoughts are on overdrive take a look around your living or work space. If its full of clutter take some time to clean it up and get rid of things that are broken or you are no longer using. Donate items that might be beneficial to others. You might just notice feeling lighter or cleaner in your body or mind after your environment goes through a cleaning transformation.

Ultimately you have to love yourself where you are at in this present moment. If you aren't happy with who you are right now losing weight won't change that. There will always be 5 more pounds to go or a firmer this or that. You don't love the people in your life less or more based on their weight or appearance. Use the same compassion for yourself as you would for those you love.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.983.9825

www.clnap.com