FitSugar

Words to Calm You

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:00:32 PST

The holiday season, though full of joy, can be rather stressful too. With two young girls in my house, there's managing expectations and responding to questions about the logistics of Santa's schedule. While I usually share motivational quotes to get you moving, I thought I would share this calming directive I heard from an yoga instructor at Equinox class today.

"Use your breath as a link to calm your mind and get into your body."

If you're running around trying to check off all the to-dos left on your list, try a little deep breathing. If you're looking for motivation to exercise, check out my words that move you.

Link Time! Simon Baker Scores Surfer Role

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:40 PST

Simon Baker attached to surfing drama Breath - Coming Soon
Eddie Murphy to star in R-rated animal comedy The Misadventures of Fluffy - Movieline
Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Capitalism: A Love Story both left off of Oscar documentary shortlist - Cinematical
Get a look at next week's annual Slapsgiving on How I Met Your Mother - PopWatch
All Songs Considered: The 50 most important recordings of the decade - NPR
Susan Boyle breaks Amazon's record for global CD pre-orders - Lifeline Live
Could Lost's Nestor Carbonell be Khan in the Star Trek sequel? - Moviefone
True Blood's Stephen Moyer signs on for thriller The Caller - MTV Movies Blog
Remember Chandler's awkward relationship with Thanksgiving? Share your own stories with Très - TrèsSugar
Interpol is prepping an album for next year - Pitchfork

Darth Vader and Yoga: A Connection Through Breath

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:05:52 PST

Yoga is all about connecting your breath with your movements.

It's called ujjayi pranayama (pronounced oo-jai pra-na-ya-ma). Some instructors call it "ocean breath," "victorious breath," or "Darth Vader breath." It is said that Yogis performing this breath alone can create enough heat to melt snow around them. If you walk into an Ashtanga yoga class, you will be overwhelmed with an amazing and powerful sound - it feels like the walls themselves are pulsing.

Basically you are turning your ordinary breath into an audible one. When you can hear your breath, it's easier to follow and concentrate on. You can focus on letting your inhalations and exhalations guide your movements - then it's kind of like a moving meditation.

Want to know how to have that audible breath? Then

Say out loud - "I love Yoga."
Now whisper the same words, "I love Yoga."
Keeping your mouth closed, slowly exhale out through your nose and whisper "I love Yoga," again. Now inhale and whisper the same phrase.
The breath is moving to the back of your throat and nose.
Now slowly inhale and whisper one syllable,"Love." Exhale and whisper out "Love."
When you're ready, practice breathing this way, through your nose, keeping the breath deep in the back of your throat.

This breath creates the rhythm you use to guide your yoga practice. Take long and deep breaths, and you'll feel its relaxing effects instantly.

The How-To Lounge: Freshen your Breath without a Toothbrush

DearSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:00:00 PDT

Sometimes we aren't as prepared as we wish we were. Have you ever spent the night out and forgotten your toothbrush or gone out unexpectedly from work without being able to freshen up? Well I have, and there is nothing worse than facing the public with bad breath so here are some tips to make sure you leave with fresh breath even if you don't have a toothbrush!

Click here to

Be sure to drink a lot of water. Dehydration can give you bad breath so be proactive and stay hydrated
If you just ate, rinse and swirl some bubbly water around in your mouth to get rid of any lingering food particles in your teeth or the back of your tongue
Certain foods actually cleanse your teeth so stick to apples, oranges, celery, cucumber, and lettuce if you won't be able to brush your teeth after a meal. Parsley and mint are great herbal fixes to getting fresh breath, but don't swallow them, just chew
If you have toothpaste, but no brush, use your finger! It's not the best method, but it's better than nothing
Flossing is crucial for fresh breath so even if you don't have your toothbrush with you, floss if possible
Always keep gum or mints in your purse but make sure they are sugar free as the sugar can feed bacteria on your tongue

I hope these tips help the next time you forget your toothbrush and like always, if you have any tips that work for you, please share them below - the more we know about fresh breath, the better!

Source

Yoga Breath: Kapalabhati

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:00:00 PDT

In yoga, breath is just as important as the postures. Linking your breath with your movement creates complete awareness. These breathing exercises are called Pranayama, which means breath control.

A while back I wrote about two different types of Pranayama. Ujayii (Ocean Breath) is used in Ashtanga Yoga throughout the entire 90 minute practice to keep your movements and your mind calm, steady and strong. The other, Sitali (Tongue Hissing), is a cooling breath used when feeling overheated or stressed.

Kapalabhati (Ka-pa-la-ba-ti) is another kind of pranayama, called the Cleansing Breath. It's a great breath to do if you are feeling foggy in the head, or if you have mucus in your lungs or nose. Kapalabhati gets rid of stagnant air in the body and awakens the senses.

Check out this video to see how it's done.

Want to know how to do it, then

I like to do this breath right before or after lying down in Savasana (Corpse pose). Begin in a comfortable seated position.
Breathe normally through your nose for a few breaths, keeping your mouth closed. Then take a normal breath in and begin taking short, rapid exhalations out of your nose (as if you were blowing your nose). This will pump out the breath and your inhales will happen automatically. You'll feel your belly pulling in with each exhalation (you can watch yourself in a mirror to see). Continue pumping out these quick and fast exhalations for as long as you want. I usually do it for 30 seconds or so.
End by exhaling all the air out and then go back to regular calm breathing through your nose. You can repeat this Kapalabhati Pranayama again if you like, but each time you finish a round, make sure to follow it with regular breathing.

Fit's Tips: You can take the exhalations at any speed you want. If you do it too fast, you might get dizzy. If this happens, just slow down the Kapalabhati or go back to regular breathing.

Class Act: Kripalu Yoga

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:30:00 PDT

Looking to try Yoga? Not sure what kind of yoga is best for beginners? I recommend you try Kripalu Yoga; it is a great place to start because these classes tend to involve slow and gentle movements. This approach makes Kripalu suitable for people working with injuries. In this style of yoga, poses are sometimes held longer than in other yoga classes, which is helpful if you are trying to learn the basics.

Kripalu Yoga combines postures, breathwork, meditation, inner focus and personal awareness. Classes explore the release of blocked energy and the integration of emotion and spirituality, so it's much more than just a workout for your muscles. The Kripalu experience is centered upon knowing the body while achieving balance in your mind.

This 90 minute class will help you understand the proper alignment of your body (where your bones go), and how to connect your breath to your movements. Props are often used such as blocks and bolsters, to help you get even deeper into poses. You'll get a complete body and mind workout, and feel extremely relaxed by the end.

Just because a Kripalu class moves slower than say Ashtanga, doesn't mean it's any easier. From my personal experience, if you are used to pushing yourself physically when you exercise, or if your mind is constantly moving, this class will be extremely challenging for you (it's tough to slow down when you're used to "go, go, go" all the time). Kripalu will help you learn how to still your body and calm your thoughts, which is an excellent skill to have when faced with a stressful situation.

Fit's Tips: I definitely recommend trying out a Kripalu class. Check out your local yoga studio and see if they offer this style. If you can't find a class near you, take a long weekend for yourself and check out the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, Massachusetts. They offer weekend retreats focused on Kripalu, and other types of yoga and movement as well.

Source

Vinyasa: The Link Between Poses

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:30:00 PDT

Yoga is all about connecting your breath with your body, and vinyasas help that happen. Vinyasas link static yoga poses together, so your practice becomes more of a deliberate, fluid dance instead of just a bunch of random poses thrown together. Vinyasa is a series of 5 movements, kind of like a shortened Sun Salutation. You do a vinyasa between different poses and between the right and left sides of poses as well. Vinyasas are like the glue that holds yoga poses together.

Check out this video to see the flow of the 5 movements.

How did it get its name? To find out,

"Vinyasa" is a Sanskrit word that literally means "uniting breath with movement." Each of the 5 movements in a vinyasa is synchronized to an inhale or exhale, and those movements help to make the connection between your breath and your body even deeper. This helps to make yoga more of a moving meditation, by increasing your awareness and ability to focus. Vinyasas also make yoga more challenging, because those 5 movements really work your upper body and core. Vinyasas also enable you to maintain heat, which opens your muscles and allows you to get deeper into poses. Doing a vinyasa between each pose brings the body back to a neutral pose, so you're like a clean slate - ready for the next pose.

Here's a simple description of a vinyasa and how the breath is connected to each of the 5 movements:

Inhale - LIFT your feet and hips off the ground.
Exhale - 4-Limbed Staff (Chaturanga) pose.
Inhale - Upward Facing Dog.
Exhale - Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale - Jump your feet through your legs and get ready for the next pose.

Now here's a more descriptive explanation:

Inhale - From a seated position (whichever pose you are doing), plant your palms firmly next to your hips and bend your knees up to your chest. Cross your right leg in front of your left just below the knees (not at the ankles), engage your abdominal muscles and LIFT your feet and hips off the ground.
Exhale - If you can, keep the lift and don't even let your feet touch the ground as you kick them back to Chaturanga. Since that's really tough, try at least to do the LIFT for a moment, then touch your feet to the ground and kick back to Chaturanga.
Inhale - Scoop your chest forward between your arms and come into Upward Facing Dog.
Exhale - Press into your hands and lift your hips up to the ceiling coming into Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale - Look between your hands, bend your knees, jump off the balls of your feet and come into a seated position, ready for the next pose. If you can, you want to try and jump your feet through your hands and land softly on your bum. If that's not happening, take 2 jumps instead of 1. Jump your feet to your hands, then jump your legs in front of you and land on your bum.

You'll do this vinyasa in Ashtanga yoga classes and in other yoga classes too, such as Jivamukti. There's even a style of yoga called "Vinyasa" (also called "Flow"), that involves doing vinyasas between poses, and that's how it got its name.

Check out this video of a guy doing the LIFT back to Chaturanga without even touching the ground. Those are some serious core muscles!

Cool Yourself With Yoga Breath

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:30:00 PDT

We are all looking for ways to keep ourselves cool this summer, especially when we are working out in the hot sun.

I learned a type of Pranayama (yogic breath) that has cooling effects on the body called Sitali (tongue hissing). You've probably done this without even knowing it, when you eat something really hot to cool off your mouth. Here's what you do:

If you can't make a tube with your tongue, just bring your lips together like they're sucking through an imaginary straw. Breathe in through your mouth and exhale out your nose.

You can do Sitali whenever you are getting overheated. It's also great to do if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed - it slows down your breathing and helps you focus on being calm.

Yoga and Asthma

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:30:00 PDT

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

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).

Class Act: Mysore

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:30:00 PDT

If you're checking out classes at an Ashtanga yoga studio, you may come across a class called Mysore.

In a Mysore style yoga class, you lead yourself, following your own breath and a series of memorized poses, either First Series or Second Series. If you are an advanced practitioner, you may even do Third Series.

No one speaks - they only breathe. Sometimes the instructor may whisper to someone to give them help, but for the most part, there is only the ebb and flow of the breath. It's really powerful.

Want to know more about Mysore? Then

As you move at your own pace, moving from one pose to the next in First, Second, or Third series, the instructor walks around and adjusts or assists you. She or he may gently fix your shoulders or your hips in Warrior 1, they may press on you in Downward Dog (which feels so good), or they may help you drop back into Wheel pose from standing. The assists you get in a Mysore class really help you to improve your yoga practice tremendously.

The class is usually open for 2-3 hours, so people will walk in and start whenever they want. This may seem a little weird, but it's actually nice not to have the pressure of following the instructor's breath count. For me, it's easier to bring my awareness inward when everyone is doing their own thing.

The reason it's called Mysore, is because Mysore, India is where Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (the creator of Ashtanga Yoga) originally taught this practice. Traditionally, students would learn a pose and master it before moving on to the next pose in the series. That way, the student would memorize the entire sequence and would be able to practice them on their own.

Fit's Tips: If you can find a Mysore class or workshop, I highly recommend taking it. You'll learn a lot about your body and your personality. It will also help you to begin a home yoga practice, so you won't have to rely on going to a studio to do yoga. Since you've memorized an hour and a half of yoga postures, you can lead yourself in your own living room!