Gentle Yoga can help Back Pain!

I was thrilled to see a recent article on the NPR website about a study showing yoga can help with back pain. Most people who are new to yoga have heard that it's good for your back. However, the danger is that if it's not the right kind of yoga for your body, it can actually do more harm than good.

We see many students at the studio where I teach, A Gentle Way Yoga (www.agentleway.com), walk in with numerous things going on with their body. Some examples are arthritis, injuries such as herniated discs, spinal fusions, people healing from knee and hip replacements, etc. Not to mention just basic wear and tear that we all experience with age. We also see students who have taken yoga classes in the past and gotten injured.

It's very important to find the right type of yoga class when a student is experiencing challenges or recovering from an injury or surgery. A class that is too fast or strenuous will not be beneficial to someone with back pain, and may cause further damage. It's so important to learn to listen to your body, to breathe and to slow down.

I love how the NPR article talks about gentle yoga being as effective as Physical Therapy. Maybe one day yoga will be covered in our health insurance??

Namaste!




http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/20/533505211/study-finds-yoga-can-help-back-pain-but-keep-it-gentle-with-these-poses

The Problem with New Year's Resolutions (and the solution!)

The problem with New Year's Resolutions (and the solution!)

Happy 2017! I realize I am a little late with this blog about New Year's Resolutions, but that's okay!

I am not a big resolution person - I don't like the pressure of committing to making big changes for an entire year. Not to mention, that I know resolutions almost never work. I do like to think about my wishes and hopes for the new year, and the idea of a fresh start is exciting. One thing I love about the new year is buying a new planner, looking through it and filling it up with appointments and plans. There's something exciting about looking to the year ahead!

Given my aversion to resolutions, however, there are things in my life I would like to improve upon. As a yoga teacher, one of my goals is a daily yoga and meditation practice (right now, it's almost every day). I would like to eat more vegetables too and just take more time for myself. As a working mom, I don't put myself at the top of my list as much as I should.

I stumbled upon an article (posted below) about why resolutions don't work and how to fix them, and it really aligns with my own philosophy. The article talks about 'being' the person that makes good choices. Rather than saying, "I want to eat better" or "I want to be more organized" change your identity into the person who eats better or is more organized. How do you change your identify? It starts with visualizing yourself as that person. The change needs to come from the inside out. See yourself doing it and then do it! Here's a quote from the article:

"Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are (either consciously or subconsciously).

To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself."

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-fix-new-years-resolutions/

This makes me think of one of my favorite quotes from Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Don't make resolutions - resolve to be the person you want to be!

Holiday Stress Got The Better of You? Try this!

My favorite Pose for Stress Relief:

Viparita Karani/Legs Up The Wall

We all know that we need to slow down and take care of ourselves. We are too busy balancing a myriad of things including jobs, families, kids, school, household chores, and the list goes on and on. The holiday season seems to bring even more stress into our lives - whether you love the season or hate it. 

This is the time, more than ever, that we need to take care of ourselves. You don't have to practice an hour of yoga every day to reap the benefits. Even a few minutes a day of relaxing and breathing can have a big impact on reducing anxiety.

I have a favorite restorative pose that I try to do every day and it never fails to bring my anxiety and stress down. This simple yet extremely beneficial pose is known as Legs Up the Wall or Viparita Karani.

My yoga teacher from teacher training told us that if there's only one pose to do every day, this is it! The benefits are endless - this will ease almost every ailment you can think of from headaches, anxiety, insomnia, to high or low blood pressure.

If this pose isn't comfortable for you, a great modification is put your legs up a chair instead.

For more information on how to safely come in and out of the pose, contraindications, modifications and benefits, please go to this link:

http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/legs-up-the-wall-pose/

Happy Stress-free Holidays to all! 

Teaching Yoga & Meditation to Kids in School

I recently came across an article about a school in Baltimore that uses meditation and yoga instead of detention for kids who were struggling. The results were incredible and it spurred me to think about my own kids' school.

My kids go to a public K-8 language immersion school with about 1.000 kids. The school provides an incredible opportunity for kids to become bi-lingual in either French or Spanish and has many other positive points including being very culturally/ethnically/economically diverse. Just like any other public school, it has it's challenges too. It has struggled without strong leadership and we've had a string of principals who were not invested at all.

Last year we got a new Principal and Vice Principal who are young and energetic and open to suggestions! He allowed me to bring yoga in as an After-School Program, but only a handful of kids signed up. When I heard about this program in Baltimore, I approached the Principal about doing a yoga/meditation program in our school for middle schoolers who are struggling. (There is a current detention type program that takes privileges away from kids who are failing or struggling behaviorally). He is open to the idea and is encouraging me to bring the program to the school!

I am currently researching and developing a curriculum program primarily for the struggling students, and we hope eventually to bring yoga/meditation to the school on a much larger scale.

I'm very excited! To read more about the program in Baltimore & why meditation should be taught in school, please see the resources below.


http://www.upworthy.com/this-school-replaced-detention-with-meditation-the-results-are-stunning


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-ivanovs/5-reasons-we-need-to-intr_b_11031202.html

Why Gentle Yoga?

Why Gentle Yoga?

"The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.

The gentlest thing in the world is an open mind.
Since it doesn't believe what it thinks,
It is flexible, porous, without opposition, without defense.

Nothing has power over it.
Nothing can resist it.

Even the hardest thing in the world - a closed mind-
cant resist the power of openness.

Ultimately the truth flows into it and
through it, like water through rock."

From the book: A Thousand Names for Joy: Byron Katie; pg. 128


I started practicing yoga in my 20's and like many yogis, enjoyed an active practice. Many years later, I still do, but I have come to truly see the benefits of gentle yoga. Before I was really educated about it, and experienced it for myself, I don't think I gave it the credit it deserves, but this type of yoga truly heals the body and the mind.

While some students who practice gentle yoga do have injuries or limitations, we can ALL benefit from this slower, deeper practice. Moving slowly while really focusing on the breath allows us to become much more aware of what's happening with our bodies. By not pushing to our edge in a pose, we can experience asana in a new way and find opening that may allude us in a more vigorous practice.

I see the benefits and changes in my students, and I've seen it in myself. I experience the usual low back aches, neck and shoulder issues that many people experience.  When I have those aches and pains, it's gentle yoga that is my solace. What we do to our bodies over time through work and stress takes a toll, and gentle yoga allows us to finally listen to our bodies and be gentle with ourselves. It also feels great and increases strength, flexibility and range of motion in ways that may be surprising.

Here is another poem, shared with me by my lovely teacher, Lanita Varshell, who has opened a whole new yoga world for me with her teachings:

"To relax is not to collapse, but simple to undo tension....

The tension that has been accumulated in the body and in the mind
by years of forceful education.

Tension is the result of will, effort and prejudices.

We have been trained, during the first part of our lives, to struggle to achieve.

Now we work in the opposite direction.... by letting go.... giving place to a new action..
the action of un-doing.

This will stop the habitual process of 'doing' which has become mechanical."

By Vanda Scaravelli- European Iyengar Teacher


Can you think of one person who couldn't benefit from slowing down? I can't.

Additional Resources:
http://www.gaia.com/article/go-softly-benefits-gentle-yoga


Kristin Akerele, MPH, RYT 200

When Yoga Teachers Get Injured

A couple weeks ago I was teaching a class I've been teaching for a couple years. It's what we call a 'Slow Flow' at our studio, with lots of sun salutations and standing poses. It's a style of yoga I've been practicing off and on for more than twenty years.

I tend to demonstrate the poses and also walk around the room to check alignment of students. We were all in a Downward Facing Dog, and I led the class to step first the right foot forward into a Warrior I on the right, and then on the left. (If you have no idea of the poses I'm talking about, it's okay, just please keep reading until I make my point!) When I stepped my left foot forward and stood up to Warrior I, a pose I have done hundreds of time, I felt the left side of my back crunch or tear (not sure how to describe it, but if you've ever hurt your back, you can probably relate!) I thought 'uh-oh' and 'what?', but as a professional hid my pain and continued teaching the class, although not demonstrating much.

 I couldn't understand how a pose I had practiced hundreds of times before with no problem could have resulted in an injury. I was frustrated with myself, re-thinking what was different this time or what I did 'wrong.' I teach at a studio whose motto is 'safer, smarter yoga' and we are constantly reminding students to never push, always listen to your bodies, never force any poses. Some of our students are healing from a number of injuries or ailments, and we always stress the importance of safety. Here I was teaching a class and I ended up injuring myself, but it wasn't because I forced anything; it just happened. Who knows why it happened or what was different this time, but the injury brought with it a valuable lesson.

That is the lesson I learned; as careful as we are when practicing yoga asana, as aware as we are of listening to our bodies, sometimes injuries still happen. When a student gets hurt in a class, it may not be the teacher's fault. Sometimes even yoga teachers get hurt! (Happy to report the injury is now healed!)

Studying the "Yamas" in my A Gentle Way Yoga Group Classes

Studying the ‘Yamas’ in Kristin’s A Gentle Way Yoga (AGW) Group Classes

A 6 week series beginning Sept 1, 2016

We all know yoga makes us feel good and that’s often what gets us to class! Most of us know that yoga involves breathing and movement and is really about linking Body/Mind/Spirit. However, there is a very ancient, rich philosophy of Yoga that could take a lifetime of study.

Ancient yogi, Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras around 200 AD. The core of the Sutras describes an 8-Limb Path that if followed can potentially bring the practitioner to everlasting peace and enlightenment.  It’s important to note that the 8-Limbs are not presented in a hierarchical order; they are meant to be studied and integrated.

Ok, so what is this 8-Limb Path? Well, it includes two limbs that all A Gentle Way yoga students are already familiar with! Asana, the physical postures; and Pranayama, the breathing techniques. Another limb called Pratyahara, control of the senses, is practiced in Gentle, Gentle-Moderate and Restorative Classes when you practice with your eyes closed and focus within. The other limbs include meditation, and ethical codes of conduct. 

So, where am I going with all this?  Well I’m excited to share that I will be doing a 6 week series in all my group classes beginning Sept. 1^st on the ‘Yamas’, one of the 8 Limbs. The Yamas are universal morality guidelines to help us on our spiritual path and focus on how we relate to ourselves and others.

Each week we will study one of the 5 Yamas in a short discussion at the beginning of class, and the class will be structured around the Yama. I won’t go into depth here, but the 5 Yamas are: Ahimsa (non-harming/compassion; Satya (commitment to truthfulness); Asteya (non-stealing); Bramacharya (sense control/abstinence); Aparigraha (non-hoarding).  We will study Ahimsa in each of my classes the first week, Satya the second week, etc. The 6^th week will be a review/reflection of all five.

Students will get an e-mail from me each week before their class with information about the Yama we will study. I encourage you to come to all six sessions to learn about each Yama. I look forward to sharing and growing with you through our study of the Yamas! 

For my class schedule please visit www.agentleway.com and look for Kristin!

Namaste