discipline

Benefits of Chair Yoga

Yoga 4 Healthy Living Current Events, Health, Regular Classes , ,

Chair Yoga class

A woman I know was clearly annoyed observing a Chair Yoga class at her gym when she told me “those people need to get up and move.” Her comment made me wonder about the misconceptions people may have about a Chair Yoga class.

Participants in the Chair Yoga for Seniors class I teach range in age from late 60s to early 90s. While they can stand for some poses, some using the chair for stability, they are not getting down on the floor. But they want the benefits of improved stability, flexibility and balance in their bodies, self-awareness and clarity in their minds, and a sense of calm and balance at the level of emotions. They want to worry less and enjoy their lives more.

An understanding of yoga postures or asana can be helpful in understanding the value of what can be done in a Chair Yoga class. Yoga postures are divided into categories based upon their functions. For example, the function of bending forward in a posture is to stretch the back. The function of a back-arching pose is to stretch the front of the body; a twist twists the spine; a lateral pose stretches the sides of the body. As we work in postures in Chair Yoga, we need to achieve the function of the classical postures in a modified context.

Let’s keep this in mind: if someone 70 years old has a stiff back and legs, gently bending forward while seated will stretch the back. The function of the pose can be achieved even though the form differs from the classic form of bending forward standing, legs straight, hands on the floor. In fact, trying to achieve this form could cause injury to the person with such stiffness.

When people assume that someone should move a certain way to be doing yoga, they are missing the point. When a person using the breath in a way that supports that function and moves prana or energy. By connecting the mind and body through movement, the mind begins to focus. Awareness develops as the participants are given time to observe the effects of what they have done. Additional work is done as they sit with an assigned breathing practice to steady breath and mind.

The point I want to make is, depending upon the audience, a Chair Yoga can offer the benefits of regular yoga class. In form it may not look as demanding as the posture done classically, but it might be accomplishing the same benefit based upon condition of the person doing the posture. We have to remember that we are all different. There is no one yoga practice to fit all people at every age. But there is a yoga for everyone and every body.

Chair Yoga is a gentle, non-traditional form of Yoga that reduces strain on limbs and joints. Participants are guided in postures, breathwork, and meditation. Postures may be done in the chair and/or standing with the support of the chair. This practice promotes stability and flexibility at the level of the body, self-awareness and clarity at the level of the mind, a sense of calm and balance at the level of the emotions, and overall wellness

Chair Yoga at Susquehanna Township Recreation Building meets Thursdays from 11:00 am to noon. Please contact me at eterryyoga@gmail.com or call 717-645-0067 for more information or to sign-up.

 

A Symptom of Inner Peace

Elizabeth Health, Knowledge, Yoga Terms , , , , , , ,

Peaceful Purple Sunset

“A loss of the ability to worry” is a serious symptom of inner peace, according to one writer’s reflections on inner peace I found stuffed away in a poetry folder. I smiled as I read this because I believe we all might agree that worry and inner peace do not co-exist in our bodies or minds.

Have you noticed how you are conscious of the present moment when you feel a sense of peace? Worry, on the other hand, takes you out of the present. The mind becomes occupied with what might happen in the future or the ramifications of something from the past.

My parents were great worriers, and so I grew up with worry as an unconscious habit. Focusing on the worst case scenario of a choice, behavior, or event, I would make decisions as a way of “protecting” myself from the disastrous outcomes that I imagined. The great irony of this is that I was not protecting myself, as I really did not have control over the outcome of things worrying me; rather I was creating a negative and unhealthy environment for my body, mind, and emotions.

Worry is about fear. We fear something bad will happen. Often what we dread is a loss. It might be a loss of a person, pet, reputation, success, power, possessions, health, or life. Fear engages the stress response, our body’s natural physiological response to a threat or danger. When this response is activated a flood of chemicals in our system raises blood pressure, increases respiration and heartbeat, and creates tension in our muscles, all preparing us to respond to the threat of danger we believe is immanent.

Worry, and especially chronic worry, has negative health effects, and it does not even protect us from the bad things we fear will happen. Worry keeps us from living the only life we have – this present moment.

In yogic terms, worry is avidya or lack of awareness or knowledge. We are caught in illusions that we have power over events when we don’t, or that things must never change when it is their nature to change, or that we have knowledge of what will happen in the future when we cannot know what will happen. Avidya inevitably leads to duhkha or suffering. When we worry, we suffer.

Yoga can help us with avidya and worry through practice (abhyasa) and discrimination (viveka). Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra gives us the eight limbs of yoga – ethical practices, behaviors toward ourselves, postures, breathing practices, and the inner limbs of yoga, all leading to purification of the body, mind and heart. Through diligent practice of the limbs of yoga, purification leads to greater clarity. We begin to see our ourselves and our behaviors; we see what we what we can change and what we must let go of. We have strategies in our practice to take the mind to a more peaceful place when habits of worry return. As the mind becomes clearer, we develop discrimination, the ability to see what is helpful and what is harmful and to base our decisions on that knowledge.

While banishing worry from our minds forever may not be attainable for most of us, discrimination that comes out of a consistent and sincere yoga practice can help “weaken” our tendency to worry. And, as worry diminishes, inner peace can take root and grow.

 

Spring Cleaning

Elizabeth Advice, Health, Seasons , ,

Spring Cleaning

The wind in March sweeps away the residue of winter and prepares us for change. As the earth releases what is old, space is made for the new growth to come.

Last week I attended a class offered by my friend and Health Coach Ruth Seitz at the Cornerstone Coffeehouse. In keeping with the traditional notion of “spring cleaning,” Ruth’s class focused on “Lifestyle Practices that Cleanse the Body and Soul.”

In her presentation, Ruth discussed the many ways we might include cleansing practices in our life. For example, we may commit to drinking more water, eating organic, deep breathing, skin brushing, and including foods in the diet that are known to cleanse and purify. What especially grabbed my attention was her recommendation to “dispense with what does not serve you.” As she explained, things that don’t serve you or bring you joy dry your soul.

A metaphor I’ve heard talks of a cooking pot that is used day after day without scrubbing it clean. When we continue to use the pot without cleansing it, the dirty pot taints each new dish we prepare. When we allow things to accumulate around us, they can taint whatever new project we undertake. They impinge on our space, creating tension so our bodies and minds cannot relax. When a flower pushes through the earth only to be choked by weeds and other plants competing for space, water, and light, it cannot flourish. And, neither can we.

We can start our cleansing practice by looking at the physical space around us. Are there objects, papers, clothing, “stuff” we do not need? We can look at ourselves. Are there issues affecting our physical health that need attention? Are we doing so much that we feel anxious and exhausted from all our commitments? Are our activities keeping us from getting adequate rest or eating in a way that supports us? Are there relationships that leave us feeling depleted? Do we have habits that continue to cause us suffering?

Our practice of yoga always requires svadhyaya – self-observation. We set an intention to be observant so that we can see what we need to clean out in our lives. Then we can set the intention to let go of what no longer serves us with the knowledge that this release will give us the space to breathe and bring to life what is new. Like the cook cleaning the cooking bowl soiled with the remnants of many meals, we may require time and patience and scrubbing. But as we clean gradually and steadily, the shine will come through.

If you would like more information about the classes Ruth Seitz teaches, you can reach her at ruthhealthcoach@gmail.com or by phone at 717-238-7878.

 

The Right Time

Elizabeth Advice, Knowledge , ,

“The conditions right now are the conditions we need for our work. It is not a matter of waiting until the conditions are better, when the situation is calmer when we have more time, or more information. Now, in the midst of our daily life, engaged in our professions and households, we can and should undertake the practice of yoga. If not now, when?”

– Ravi Ravindra
The Wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

 
When I meet privately with a student interested in personal practice, we discuss health issues. Then I ask two questions.

What time of day do you want to do your practice?
How much time do you want to give or do you have to do your practice?

Often the student’s answers are questions. When is the best time to do my practice? How long should I practice?

To answer these questions the student and I must look at several factors together. First of all, the yoga practice must be appropriate for the needs of the person. For example, a person asks for a practice to help with sleep issues. Obviously, then, it would be logical to have a yoga practice to do before bedtime. Another person may find their energy is low, and it is difficult to get started in the morning. Then a morning yoga practice would be logical.

The student’s life is another factor to consider in finding a time to practice. A stay-at-home mom who must be up to make breakfast and see children off to school might find 10 am to be a good time for yoga; another person might find early morning or after work to be a better time; another might find evening, before bed, to be ideal.

A student must also think realistically about the time available to do a practice. It does not benefit a person to have a practice taking 30 minutes to do if realistically they have only 15. Remember, the real benefits of yoga come only over time, but require consistent practice.

The great yogi Krishnamacharya is said to have preferred a student to do five minutes of yoga everyday over a two-hour practice once a week. So the consistency of the practice is very important. Yoga Sutra I.14 tells us our yoga practice, first of all, must be appropriate for us and then be followed consistently over a long period of time.
Yoga is meant to fit our lives. Just as we would not force ourselves into some idealized yoga pose, we do not need to twist our lives around in order to have a yoga practice. But, if yoga is to serve us and become part of our life, then we must commit ourselves to a consistent practice.

So, if you believe yoga can benefit you and support you in living a healthier, more focused, and peaceful life, what is keeping you from starting now?

If you would like to talk about having a yoga practice tailored for your needs, please contact me. I am happy to meet and talk about yoga and explore your interest.

 

Seeing

Elizabeth Advice, Knowledge , , , , ,

Tomato Horn Worm LarveToday at my family’s Labor Day picnic, my niece, an avid gardener, showed me a tomato-devouring hornworm. Bright green, about three inches long, and fat from having feasted on my brother-in-laws tomato plant. He was big enough to see even the detail of his mouth and the aphids that had taken up residence as parasites. I loved seeing him in all his brilliant green detail even while hoping my tomatoes would escape his attentions.

Last May I read Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. What struck me most in Dillard’s memoir was her attention to observing. Noticing. Seeing. She loved paying attention to the small things – observing insects, frogs, tadpoles, minnows. She loved the detail as it required being present, fully, to even notice this glut of life.

Sometimes this idea of seeing comes up for me in ways I don’t expect. In the spring I take my bonzais to a workshop at Nature’s Way. I admit to being a fearful pruner, a hesitant shaper, always afraid I will make a mess of my trees. This spring my patient bonsai teacher placed my oldest juniper on a counter about eight feet from where we stood and instructed – look at the tree. Where is the front? Where are the blocks of growth? What is the deeper shape of the tree to be revealed? That is what guides the scissors. Seeing.

In the spring I was struggling with the details of proper pronunciation of Sanskrit and the rhythm of Vedic chants I am studying. I called one of the teachers to ask for help. She went over three chants with me and told me to work only on those. As I followed her instruction, I saw more deeply into the letters and their pronunciation, recognized syllables and how they built the lines with their rhythm. The more I explored the same chants, the more I discovered, not just about them, but about chanting, and about myself, as I noticed my reactions. Focusing on less, more was revealed. And I saw it.

Often, though, I am not really seeing because I am taken up with speculating, or worrying. I imagine how a new class might turn out or anguish over whether a granddaughter will like a birthday present. When I am so caught up with these thoughts, I am not present. I am not seeing, let alone seeing deeply. The beauty of yoga practice is the awareness it brings so I recognize where my mind is loitering and choose to let go of the fruitless wanderings.

You may not be interested in the details of insect anatomy or bonsais or Vedic chant, but I think all of us seek to live fully, which requires being present to see the world in which we live. As we learn to be present in our yoga practice, we become aware when our mind wanders, as well. Then we can bring ourselves back to the moment. Present, we have the chance to see, to notice, to observe the hornworm and our heartbeat, the tree shape and our suffering, the rhythm of the chant and the ones we love trying to garner our attention for just a minute. Yoga practice gives us the foundation and practices to live fully.

~

Some Revelations on Astaya

Elizabeth Advice ,

BraceletNo, I am not a thief, but…

When I completed my 500 hour yoga teacher training, I, along with five others, received a wooden mala bracelet from our teacher. For me, this bracelet was a symbol of two years of work and dedication and the acknowledgement by my teacher of this accomplishment. I wanted to wear this bracelet when I taught as a reminder of what stood behind me as I worked with students. The bracelet, however, was too big for my wrist and would drop off if I wasn’t careful. I was fearful of losing it.

I took it to a jewelry store and asked if they could make the bracelet small enough to stay put on my wrist. When I returned a week later, I was dismayed to find the mala knot and bead in a little plastic bag and the beads restrung on a piece of clear stretchy plastic. The woman who had restrung the beads explained there had been no way to shorten the bracelet and still preserve the head bead and knot. While I could now wear the bracelet, I was unhappy with the reconfiguration, feeling that it had now been cheapened. I left the store without paying.

In spite of my initial reactions, I found myself starting to wear the bracelet. In fact, I wore it everyday I taught. And I wore it when I went away to study yoga. And, I found when I wore it I still felt its reassurance, its reminder of everything and everyone at my back as I took up new yoga-related endeavors.

While it might appear a happy ending, in the back of my mind I was remembering I had not paid for the work allowing me to have this connection. “I have to pay for it,” I thought. But I felt embarrassed to go to the store and tell them what had happened. The memory continued to nag at me.

“Asteya” is the third ethical principle or “yama” in the Yoga Sutra. It directs us to avoid taking or receiving something without agreement or compensation. It prohibits stealing. While most of us do not think of ourselves as thieves, practicing this principle requires greater awareness and subtlety than appears at first.

When, without planning to do so, I found myself driving past the jewelry store, I swerved into their parking lot. I entered the store, and the sales clerk greeted me, asking how she could help me. I explained what had happened two years earlier and told her I wanted to pay that bill. The clerk looked surprised, smiled, and told me that she was sure it was fine and not to worry. I insisted. I told her I felt badly about not having paid them, and I really wanted to make this right. She spoke with the manager, who came out and also told me not to worry. Finally as I continued to insist, she said, “We will not take your money. Just come back again when we can serve you.”

While I didn’t leave having compensated the store for my old outstanding debt, I had tried to make things right. That is what the practice of “asteya,” and the other yamas or ethical principles help us to do. They help us to keep things “right.” When we slack on how we live, our hearts and minds cannot be a peace, nor can those of others we might fail to treat ethically. When we practice living with compassion for other beings, being truthful and honest in our thoughts, our words, and actions, we keep things right. With things right, we can live with settled, content hearts and minds. Living the yamas is a path to happiness.

~

Saying “No” and “Yes”

Elizabeth Advice , , ,

Saying Yes and No“You have to say ‘no’ to what you don’t want in order to be able to say ‘yes’ to what you do want.” My yoga teacher, Fran Ubertini, told me this almost every time we met in our private sessions. It took me a long time to grasp what she really meant and apply it in my life.

One area of my life I did not want to accept was age and its effects. I didn’t want to accept a decline in my energy from what it had been ten years earlier. And, I didn’t want to acknowledge a connection between the time I was putting into my yoga studies, teaching six to eight classes a week at the Community College and Movement Center, other varied activities, maintaining a home life and the fatigue I was feeling.

At the same time, I wanted to do some things for which I hadn’t the time or energy – writing a blog, offering workshops and study groups, participating more in the community, gardening and cooking. Likewise, there were things I had tired of in my job – having to grade my students in yoga, teaching 8 am classes, and being tied to a semester calendar.

One thing I have learned is the importance of viveka, or discernment. Yoga teaches that if we do not have the ability to discern wisely, we are destined to make choices and act based upon unconscious behavioral patterns. Critical to viveka, then, is awareness of who we are, how we tend to react, and what we want and don’t want. If we are saying “yes” to too many things, how do we know we are correct in our choice of what to give up? Discernment requires a process of verification.

In my case, I recognized what I wanted to do and what I had tired of doing. Even so I found giving up teaching at the college to be very difficult. At first I would tell myself I couldn’t leave because I needed the money earned there. I had to think about what it would be like without that income, as well as talk with my husband about the implications for us as a family. When money was cleared as an obstacle, I had to face my attachment to the job, to a certain credibility it gave me and to the fear of change leaving raised.

I could never have made my choice to leave college teaching if I had not been able to discern that ego and fear were keeping me attached to a path no longer serving me and limiting my ability to move in the direction I wanted. It was viveka, and the process of reflection and verification that allowed me to feel confident of my choice to say “no.”

The eight-limbs of yoga give us tools to develop viveka. The Yoga Sutra identifies the eight limbs in II.29: ethical principles, guidelines for self-care, postures, breathing practices, discipline of the senses, and the inner limbs of concentration, meditation, and complete absorption. With a regular practice of these tools of yoga over time, we can come to know ourselves better and to create a space from which we can discern and verify a positive direction for ourselves.

I had to say “no” to teaching yoga at the college in order to be able to say “yes” to feeling rested, to having time to write a blog, start a yoga study group, start a training in chanting, spend more time with my newly retired husband, and to making more time to cook and bake. I am a believer in my teacher’s mantra of “saying ‘no’ to what you don’t want to be able to say ‘yes’ to what you do want” – and a huge believer in the ability of yoga practice to help us get there.

~