Knees and Hips

This week's lesson will focus on the knees and hips; specifically the correct alignment of those joints.  That's a pretty tall order, no doubt.  We worked on the feet last week; opening, stretching, strengthening and balancing correctly on the sole of the foot.  The feet are amazing, complex little machines and the foundation of good posture.  This week we move up the body to the knee and hip joints.  Let's take a closer look.

The back of the knee opens (extension) when we straighten our legs, or kick our foot forward.  The back of the knee closes (flexion) when we bend the knee as if to kick ourselves in the rear.

Knees in Extension
Hips in Flexion

Being able to fully extend and flex the knee, allowing it's full range of motion, is essential for knee health.  Problems arise when the muscles surrounding and supporting the knee get either too weak or too strong and cause a general imbalance in the functioning of the joint.  For many, being able to fully straighten (extend) the knee in a forward bend is unachievable because the hamstring muscles are tight.  And, conversely, being able to fully bend (flex) the knee is unachievable because the quadriceps (front thighs) are tight.  

Knees in Flexion
Hips in Extension

Moving up into the hip joint, we see that the hip in extension opens the front of the body into a more back-bending shape.  And, like the knee joint, limited range of motion can arise due to weakness or overwork in any given muscle involved in the hip joint.  The ability to fold (flex) at the hips begins to involve the back and is beyond the purpose of this post.  That's week three.

Aligning the Knee Joint
Hips Neutral

These two joints are complex and well beyond my ability to exhaustively cover here.  Suffice it to say that this week our practice will address common limitations by practicing some forward bends to help open the back of the legs,  bent legged standing poses to align and strengthen the knee and hip openers.

Need a Good Cry?

Sydneysider Kristian Anderson, 35, has been having chemotherapy since he was diagnosed with cancer in October 2009. He made the video for his wife of seven years, Rachel, as a birthday present and a thank-you for her support.  Music: 'Marry Me' by Train

Tried and True

The Himalayan Institute can always be counted on for solid, practical and understandable information about the practice of yoga.  Since last winter, they have been running a series of articles in their Yoga International magazine regarding Prana, or the life force, around which the practice of hatha yoga is designed.

The articles are written by Sandra Anderson, who is also the model in the poses included with the text.  I took a class with Sandra years ago and found her to be poised, concise and joyful.  Her articles, and accompanying podcast reflect those qualities as well.

The beginning of the series can be found here.  Scroll to the bottom of that page for the subsequent articles.   The current issue has the most recent installment and can be found here. 

If you have some time and are interested in learning about the true nature and purpose of yoga, I strongly recommend her series.

Fall Session

My lesson plans are coming along nicely and I want to make sure I credit the resources I am using.  So far, these three books have been very helpful.

Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers
The Breathing Book - Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breath Work by Donna Farhi
The Color Atlas of Human Anatomy by Dr. Petra Kopf-Maier

While Anatomy Trains and the Anatomy Atlas are rather complex, they are packed with information.  Donna Fahri's book is also packed with great information about breathing, but it is a little more accessible to us regular folk.

We are definitely working on posture this session.  We will begin in the feet and ankles, work to the knees and hips then end up with the trunk and head.  That will bring us right up to a restorative class before we start again at the feet.  I will also have a breathing exercise planned for each class.

As always, I am looking forward to seeing everyone this week and starting our Fall Session.

Subbing

I will be substituting for a number of group exercise classes in September.

Saturday, Sept. 4th and Sept. 11th
Beginning 9:30-10:30
Continuing 10:45 - 11:45
Those are all in Room 107

Sunday, Sept. 12th and Sept. 19th
2:00-3:00
Aerobics Room (upstairs)

Friday, Sept. 17th
10:30-11:30
Room 107

The group exercise classes are a little different in that they are shorter (only and hour) and I usually try to cover a little more ground without over-focusing on one thing.  They are free if you are a member of Fitness First and like $5.00 if you are not a member.

New Fall Session

The new session starts next week.  I am still pondering our theme, but I think it will involve working specifically on posture and strength.  Now that we played with moving over the summer, that will have to be a part of our practice, too.

Just as a refresher, I'll put my ego on hold (as we all should in yoga) and re-post these pictures:

The posture in the middle is as close as I could come to a neutral, healthy posture.  You'll notice the plumb line gets kind of close to these points, equally:

• Back of Ear
• Shoulder
• Hip
• Knee
• Ankle

I tend to have a forward-tilted pelvis and that shows up in my "neutral" posture.  The other two are way off whack in their own awful ways.

Posture work can affect our overall attitude and approach to life.  It is probably one of maybe three or four things under our control that will make a permanent, positive change (the others being exercise, diet, thought patterns and breathing).  And with posture you can absolutely fake it until you make it..meaning have good posture on purpose, for a long time, until it becomes natural in your body.  It may take years but it is worth the effort.

Posture starts in the feet.  Consider that while you prepare for the new session.

Clapping

Clapping at the end of a yoga class is weird.  It's like clapping at the end of a prayer.

Teacher Training Cancellation

I was just informed that the Teacher Training I was to begin tomorrow has been postponed until October.  Seane Corn, who is leading the workshop, recently lost her father and is not able to teach right now.  Who can blame her?  After all, we are all people before we are yogis.  

So the good news is that I won't be trying some crazy new hard stuff when we get back in session.  But maybe that's the bad news, too?

But don't worry, we'll be working hard, learning a lot and resting well when we start up again.  Just like always.

When No One is Looking

I consider the time away from my teacher to be both homework time and play time.  I try stuff on my own my teacher would never allow in class... or would call me out LOUDLY if I did.  That's o.k. with me because I know that I can test stuff out in my regular, home practice.  Like that pose there.  What is it?  I'm not really sure.  It's an extended leg headstand of some sort.  I like it because it feels weird when I do it.  It also feels very different inside my body than it looks in the picture.  In my body, it feels like my thighs are both parallel to the floor and my shins are forming right angles to the thighs.  Clearly, that's not really happening.  But, so what?

When you have some time away from class, like next week, it might be good for you to try something on your own.  And I mean try something in a way I never allow in class.  There may be one pose that you always feel should be done a little differently than my instructions indicate.  Give your own way a try this week.  See what you find.  Have someone take a picture of you and see if it looks like it feels.  Not so you can criticize, just so you can add that information to your yoga database.

Have a nice week off.  And make some time for yoga.  You'll feel better.  I promise.

Adobe Bones

Will the heat I collect this summer keep me warm this winter?

Ah, Yes. The End, Again

Next week is the last class of this session.  And, in keeping with my made-up but welcome tradition, we will do a restorative practice.  I am planning on offering a buffet of restorative practices that you can confidently place in your yoga toolbox for future use.

Some items on the menu will include some gentle moving, controlled and very specific breathing techniques, some meditation suggestions and simple practices.  We'll finish up with a well-deserved Yoga Nidra.

Dress in layers.  Bring a blanket, maybe socks.

See you there.

....previously, on "Yoga, Room 107"....

We breathed, we moved, we stretched, we held, we aligned and we didn't, we worked hard and rested hard, we survived those tough moments and enjoyed the sweet rest afterward.

We'll do that again this week.  We'll do what we've been doing.  Nothing new or fancy or surprising.  Unless there is.

Happy Hammies

Located behind the thigh, the hamstring muscle is blamed for a myriad of postural limitations.  Let's take a look at the hamstring muscle and try to call a truce.

First, the hamstring muscle is actually three different muscles; the biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles.  That's a mouthful!

These three muscles all start in the same place on the body, the sitting bones.  They travel down the back of the thigh and take their own paths about 2/3 of the way down the thigh.  At that point they part ways; the Semimembranosus and the semitendinosus break towards the inside of the leg and attach below the knee to the tibia.  The biceps femoris turns towards the outside of the leg and attaches to the fibula.  (The biceps femoris also includes an extra piece, called the short head, that begins much lower on the thigh bone and attaches with the long head on the fibula).


Stretching these muscles if they are tight is a challenge because they cross two main joints, the hip and knee.  To completely stretch the hamstring muscle, the knee should be straight as the torso folds over the legs.  It is the bulk of the torso meeting the bulk of the legs that defines the fullest stretch possible on any given body.  Of course the tightness of these muscles prevents most of us from feeling that edge.

As you can see in my photo, my knees are slightly bent.  I have developed that reaction to forward bends since injuring my hamstring muscle.  Even though my teacher hates that, I know I am just protecting my muscles.

The safest way to work on stretching (or lengthening) these muscles is the hasta padangusthasana sequence we often do lying on our back.  Pixie here is doing a respectable padangusthasana, bringing that elevated leg well beyond 90 degrees.  For the actual person, however, just getting to 90 degrees can be a challenge.  Using a strap can help.  Having the pelvis supported on the floor also helps.

Make no mistake, stretching these muscles is challenging and needs to be done safely.  These stretches have the potential for aggravating existing herniated or bulging spinal discs, especially in the lumbar spine.

If you are challenged by tight hamstrings, I recommend the following:

1. Supta padangusthasana every day, using a strap or belt to hold the foot, keeping the leg straight.
2. Try to relax in the stretch, specifically in the back of the leg.  Contract the front of the leg to assist.
3. Be patient.
4. Allow the benefits of your consistent practice to accumulate over at least six months before expecting clear results.
5. Feel the stretch only in the fat part, or belly, of the muscle.  If you feel the stretch near the sitting bone, behind or to the sides of the knee, back off the stretch.  That is not muscle tissue.

Guess what we're working on this week.

Vinyasa Workshop

I will be taking Seane Corn's Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training workshop in August at Moksha Yoga.

Here she is talking about what she does:


And here she is doing it:


Just listen to her beautiful breath.

Who Do You "Borrow" From?

I borrow from these lovely ladies.  You should recognize some of these moves.

Tara Stiles:

And some of these, too.

Sadie Nardini

Use caution!  Some of those moves are super-tricky.

On Being a Yoga Teacher

Can you think of any other subject in which the teacher isn't really sure what they're teaching?  Yoga teachers are faced with this daunting question every day!  Is it meditation? Exercise? Enlightenment? Breathing? Gymnastics?  It is relevant? Stolen? Distorted? Transformative?

(Photograph taken from the on-line article.  Click it to link to the article.)

The New York Times has an article in their recent Sunday paper that gives a respectable overview of the challenges faced by the modern yoga community.  Although the article focuses on John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, the supporting text covers a variety of marginal but significant issues. Issues such as, in-fighting, materialism, cannibalization of tradition, intent and motivation.  These are heavy issues in the yoga community and they seem to just get bigger every week.

::UPDATE::

John Friend responded on his blog page to the NYT article.  You can read his response here.  Thanks to Ann for bringing it to my attention.

As a yoga teacher in the world today, and in our specific community, I have to ask myself every day what is yoga and what am I teaching.  It is a curious position to be in but it keeps me honest.

Today my answer is this:  Yoga is an integrated, systematic approach to well-being while in the human condition.  As a teacher in our community, in our Park District, I can help you with the physical (strength, flexibility, breathing capacity) and mental (concentration, honest observation) aspects of that so you can be fully available for your own spiritual traditions.

We are a beautifully diverse community and our spiritual traditions run deep and wide.  I unintentionally offended enough students in my early years of teaching that I have pared down the spiritual teachings to a minimum.

But we all have our physicality as a common denominator.  We all have ribs, lungs, bones and muscles we need to propel and support us in our chosen activities.  Yoga can teach us how to be physically integrated so everything else is easier.  Yoga sees the body in a way no other practice or discipline does. It views the body in its entirety, working always as a whole.

On Being a Yoga Student

In the end, yoga is a practice.  All becomes clear through practice.  Practice a pose, a breath, a prayer.  Practice on your own.  Practice what you are taught and what you are not taught.  Practice at the same time every day, or different times.  Practice what you remember.  Practice what you like.  Practice what you don't like. 

I'm doing all of that in the picture up there.  I have never been taught that pose, but I like it so I do it.  I have been taught enough to know how to be careful.  I have been taught enough to know I am doing it wrong.  I have been taught enough to know how not to injure myself trying.  I am practicing in a familiar space at an unfamiliar time.  I am practicing what I like.  Then I did shoulder stand, which I don't like.

All the static in the yoga world becomes moot when you practice.  You have to practice.  Find a good class with a teacher who knows more than you do.  Attend that class regularly, and maintain a consistent practice on your own.

           "Practice and all is coming" -Pattabhi Jois

Internet Yoga Info

There is a lot of yoga information on the internet.  Some good, some bad, some weird, some self-righteous, some uninformed, some dogmatic and some kinda cool.

It turns out you can find most of it on Elephant Journal.  It seems to function as a skimmer/clearing house of internet goings-on.

Some recent posts include Marilyn Monroe, vegetarianism, consumerism and breaking up with your yoga teacher.

Enjoy.

Slow Salutation

This week's class will be based on the classic Sun Salutation sequence, which is in keeping with our moving summer.

Sun Salutation has been around for, well... ever, and offers the body a lovely overall practice.  As I've said before, Sun Salutation provides most everything the body needs except for lateral stretches.  Keep that in mind as we go through the class this week.

I would like to thank my tireless photographer, Sarah, for taking these photos last week.  Let them give you an idea of what we will be doing this week together in class.

For my continuing students, the challenge to you is to take a look at each individual pose up there and see if you can remember two or three other poses into which you could easily move.  If you can do that, then you just designed your own practice, and maybe got a glimpse into your class this week.

As always, I look forward to seeing everyone this week.

P.S.  Feel free to post your critique of my poses.  Hey, if I can dish it out I can take it!!  Don't be shy.  There is a clear error in my practice above.  Anyone?

Standing Flow

Since we are working on movement, I'd like to try a standing flow sequence this week.  After our sequence, we'll come down to the floor some some leg and abdominal work.  I am hoping to leave some time this week for shoulder stand and pranayama.

If you click on "Poses" to the left over there, then click on "Standing" on the Poses site, many familiar poses will pop up.  Browse through a few and you can be sure that some of those will be practiced this week.

It should be a challenging class so come ready to work.  I look forward to seeing everyone this week.

Ahem....

...excuse me... pardom me.... I hate to interrupt but....

WHERE ARE EVERONE'S RAMDON YOGA PHOTOS?!?!?!

We now return to regular programming.  Pardon the interruption.