FitSugar

Strike a Yoga Pose: Camel

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 09:00:00 -0800

The Camel pose is great for increasing flexibility in your lower back, and for opening your hips, quads, and chest.
Here's how to get into the pose:

Kneel at the front of your mat, keeping your knees under your hips (hip distance apart). Look back and make sure your shins, ankles and feet are parallel to each other.
Put both hands on your hips, and gently arch back, just beginning to warm up your lower back and quads.

When you're ready, reach your right hand down towards your right foot.
Stay here for 5 breaths and then switch sides, or bring your left hand down, so that both hands are reaching for both feet.
Stay here for 5 breaths, pressing your hips forward, and dropping your head to look behind you. Try to keep your knees under your hips - they like to slide out wide.

Come up slowly, sit on your heels, and lean forward into Child's Pose.
You can do it with your hands by your feet, or stretch them out in front of you, like Kermit.

Fit's Tip: This is a great prep pose to open up your back and warm yourself up. Find it easy? Then check out Fit's Yoga Challenge #2 in the Yoga Challenge Suite.

Running Tip: Stretch and Strengthen Your Back

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Life taxes the human back and spine. After working with so many clients with lower and upper back pain, I sometimes wonder why we ever stood up as a species. It is truly important to keep your spine both supple and strong. Here is a great series of yoga poses to increase both flexibility and strength. Just click on the link to learn how to get into each pose.

Standing Forward Bend - You can keep your feet together or have them separated so they're under your hips. Just let your torso and head hang, and you can bend your knees slightly to bring more of the stretch into your lower back.
Take a vinyasa to the ground and come into Cobra. Be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed away from your ears and lift your head as high as you can to lengthen through the spine.

Want to see the other stretches? Then read more

Now stand on your knees so they're directly under your hips and come into Camel. If you want to take this pose even further, try doing Advanced Camel using an exercise ball. After you're done with this pose, take a counter pose for your lower back by doing Child's pose.
After stretching your back, take a vinyasa to Down Dog and do a Jump Through so you're lying on your back. Bend your knees and come into Half Wheel. After five or more breaths, repeat this pose, or...
Come all the way up into Full Wheel. Work on bringing your hands and feet a little closer towards each other to increase the stretch even more. Then after five to ten breaths, slowly drop onto your back, hug your knees into your chest and rock over your spine from side to side.
Sit up and release your lower back with a Seated Forward Bend.

Fit's Tips: This is a great sequence to do all at once, but ease into it if your back muscles are tight. It may also feel better on your back to do Child's Pose in between each back stretch.

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Strike a Yoga Pose: Camel to Child's Pose

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Doing stretches for your back not only feels good physically, but they are also energetically stimulating. Backbends open the muscles near your heart. This is the location of your 4th chakra which is associated with love and compassion. It allows us to feel peace and a sense of being centered.

Backbends also open your hips, where your 2nd chakra is located, which is associated with sex and creativity. This chakra is all about having a strong personal identity and the ability to accept change. Poses like Camel (Ustrasana in Sanskrit) are great if you are feeling lonely, sad, bored, or tired.

Backbending poses can feel really intense, so after you do one, it's great to do a forward bending counter pose like Child's Pose.

Kneel at the front of your mat, keeping your knees under your hips (hip distance apart). Look back and make sure your shins, ankles and feet are parallel to each other.
Put both hands on your hips, and gently arch back, just beginning to warm up your lower back and quads.
When you're ready, reach your right hand down towards your right foot. If your back is less flexible, stay here for 5 breaths and then switch to the left side.
If your back is feeling good, bring your left hand down, so that both hands are reaching for both feet. Stay here for 5 or more breaths, pressing your hips forward, and dropping your head to look behind you. Try to keep your knees under your hips (they tend to slide out wide).
Come up slowly, sit on your heels, and lean forward into Child's Pose. You can do it with your hands by your feet, or stretch your arms out in front of you.
Repeat this series (Camel to Child's Pose) a few times to give you energy and increase flexibility in your back, chest, hips and quads.

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Yoga and Asthma

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:30:00 -0700

Several studies have shown Yoga to be a powerful therapy in reducing the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks. I also found that when I'm practicing Yoga regularly, I can decrease my prescription meds.

Yoga is all about pranayama (breathing), which is great for meditation, but it's also good for your lungs. It increases the lung’s airflow, air capacity, stamina, and efficiency.

You can practice different pranayama techniques, they all have great names. One of my favorites is Breath of Fire, where you do quick exhalations out your nose, which pumps your abdominal muscles, and releases stagnant air from the body.

You can also practice inhaling deeply, and holding the breath in for a few seconds (or as long as you can), and then exhaling and holding your body empty for a few seconds (or more). Do this a few times and make sure you're not holding the breath too long - you shouldn't feel stressed or uncomfortable.

Certain poses can be beneficial if you suffer from asthma too. Want to see which ones? Then read more

Back bending postures open the chest, improving both lung and heart functioning. If your trouble during an asthma attack is exhaling, practice upper back bends and chest opening postures like Wheel and Camel regularly. Practice forward bends and lower back bending poses if it is more difficult to inhale during an attack. Don't do these during an attack though, just add them into your daily exercise routine (you exercise regularly, right?)

Inverted postures like headstands and Downward Facing Dog pose can also help drain excess mucus from the lungs and balance the immune system.

Relaxation poses like Savasana (lying on your back) can also help to regulate the breath and reduce anxiety, to help prevent an attack, or help you stay calm during an attack.

Fit's Tips: If you want to learn more about how Yoga can help asthma, check out this book called Yoga Beats Asthma ($14.71 through Amazon).

YOGA CHALLENGE: Bow

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 11:00:00 -0800

Here's Fit's Yoga Challenge for the week. It is known as the Bow. You can prep yourself by doing the Camel pose since it opens up your back, chest and shoulders.

Here's how to get into Bow Pose:

Lie flat on your belly, pressing your belly button into the ground.
Bend your knees and grab onto the outside edge of your right ankle, and then your left.
Once you have a firm hold of each ankle, lift your feet as high up as you can, trying to keep your toes touching. Shift your weight so you're resting on your naval instead of on your pubic bone.
Hold for 5 breaths and slowly lower and lie flat. Turn your head to one side and shake your hips from side to side to release your lower back.
Repeat again or relax in child's pose.

That's it. Now it's your turn to try it. Just join my YOGA CHALLENGE Group and post photos of yourself in the Bow pose. My favorite will be featured right here on FitSugar! To learn how to post a blog in a group, click here.

5 Things: To Relieve Lower Back Pain

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 08:45:00 -0700

An aching lower back is a common complaint among adults, especially those who sit at a desk all day. If you have an aching back here are 5 things you can try and hopefully one of them will relieve your symptoms:

Lie down on the floor with pillows under your knees. If that doesn't help, bring your knees up even higher with more pillows or you can even use a chair. If you have a bolster, that'll work too. Getting your knees above your chest can relieve the pressure in your lower back. You can even sleep like this.
A heating pad does wonders to relax muscle spasms. Use it for 20-30 minutes. However, sometimes ice is what you need especially if the area feels inflamed.
I'm giving you permission to get a massage! Any massage will feel amazing to help bring blood to your muscles and release tension, but Thai Massage (also called Lazy Man's Yoga) might be especially helpful. The practitioner moves and stretches your limbs for you, creating space and relieving pressure in tight areas of your body.
If your lower back pain is chronic, you'll want to incorporate stretching exercises into your daily routine. Physical therapy, some gentle yoga or a Pilates mat class will help out tremendously. Some examples of exercises that help stretch your lower back include Child's pose, Half Happy Baby, Standing Forward Bend, and Double Pigeon. Strengthening your core (abs and low back muscles) is also a great idea since these muscle groups help support the spine. Yoga poses like Wheel, Camel, Upward Facing Dog will strengthen your back, and here's a video to show you how to work your abs.
Stay fit - extra weight can put strain on your spine, causing pain, so commit to regular exercise that keeps you at a healthy weight and uses all your muscles. This will also help to prevent future injury.

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