I Need to Talk About this Yoga Class

I've taken a few yoga classes before, most of them at my alma mater, and really like them for the same reasons I like guided meditations--it's much, much easier when someone is talking you through it, and, honestly, I'm a thousand percent more likely to actually do it this way.

I've never been able to do yoga alone. Sometimes I watch youtube videos of instructors, but I usually need to go to a physical class if I'm actually going to practice.

I had a bizarre experience in a yoga class this week.

The instructor was moving much faster than any other whose class I've attended. He was narrating the poses he wanted us to do next, but he usually forgot to narrate the breathing...

(You can see where this is going.)

I forgot to breathe.

I went to a class with an actual instructor. And I forgot to breathe.

90% of yoga is breathing. Vinyasa literally means controlled breathing.

And I didn't do it.

It didn't hit me until after the class that if my instructor was moving at a faster pace than I felt comfortable, I should have just slowed down. I wasn't breathing deeply or regularly because I was so focused on haphazardly trying to keep up with the power-yoga routine happening in front of me. I could have gotten an injury.

So, please, if you're in a yoga class and you feel like you're not breathing deeply, slow down. If you ever feel uncomfortable, tense, sore, or just need a break, go into childs pose for as long as you need:

(img via pain free living)

He did spray us all with lavender oil afterwards, which was a nice touch.

When It's Hard to Become Calm

Deep Breathing : Put your hands on your stomach and breathe in for 7 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 10 seconds as you feel your stomach rise and fall. Breathe as slowly as you can.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Game : Out loud, state 5 things you feel; 4 things you see; 3 things you smell; 2 things you hear; and one thing you smell. Repeat as needed.

Physical Grounding : Feel how the ground feels under your feet, how the chair you are sitting on feels, and do a general body scan. If it's hard, try squeezing and relaxing your toes or fingers--it'll give your something less static to think about.

Meditation : I can't meditate on my own, so I always use guided meditations. UCLA has a great series of short meditations, and Wellbeing has awesome longer meditations.

Run : Get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes, and you'll feel better afterwards. Guaranteed.

Vinyasa Yoga : Okay, so maybe you hate running. Find a vinyasa flow you like (I'm a fan of going back and forth from downward dog to upward dog) and go for it in a quiet space. 

Yoga for the Summer Blues

Adriene made this video for people spending a lot of time indoors (i.e. sedentary) in the wintertime. But I live in Arizona. I'm not going outside unless my life depends on it. I don't have winter blues, I have summer blues.

This session will energize you and make your body feel tingly all over!

Ow. My Neck.

I can't look to my left. I hurt my neck. 

How?

A movie marathon. One couch-reclining, back-hunching, neck-straining day later, I can't turn my neck.

If my neck doesn't make me feel like an old lady, my remedy certainly does. It's a cane and a makeshift neck brace.

The cane hooks around my back and applies pressure at just the right places, and the neck brace heats up. More importantly though, I'm doing the following stretches, per Wendy's instructions:

(The following images can be found here)

Entwine your arms together like so, and raise your arms up as much as is comfortable. Lower them slowly. Switch the orientation whenever.

(photo via)



Push your chest forward as much as you can, with your shoulders pushed back. Lift your head as high as you can. When you're ready, move back to a normal position (i.e. don't push your chest back and shoulders forward.) Do this slowly.

(photo via)

And, finally, there's the snake position in yoga.






As always, be careful when doing stretches to help strained muscles. In these situations, it's best to stretch for short periods multiple times a day.

I need to start doing yoga again. I had no idea how tight my shoulders and neck were...