Open your heart

This gentle heart-center opener will help you get rid of that hunched feeling you get after sitting all day.

Setting up for the pose:
The only prop you need for this pose is a therapeutic spinal strip. If you don't have one of these, you can use a swim noodle, a tightly rolled thin mat, or a tightly rolled towel. You might also need a folded blanket for under your head.

Coming into the pose:
Sit in front of your therapeutic spinal strip (swim noodle/rolled mat/rolled towel) and then lay down on it at about the bottom of the shoulder blades. You can experiment with what feels the best to you. If your head is tipped way back or you feel unsupported in the neck, place a folded blanket under the head and neck - not so thick that your head tips forward. Your head should be level with the body or slightly tipped back.

While in the pose:
Send your arms out to the sides, palms up to encourage the heart center to open. Keep breathing, keep observing the pose in your body, and allow the body to open at its own rate. Commit to the stillness but do allow yourself to adjust your props and your body as you settle deeper in. I like to lay with my knees bent but some of my students prefer to have their legs straight. See what feels right in your body.

Coming out of the pose:
To come out, bend the knees, roll to one side, pull the spinal strip out from underneath you, and then lay back down on your back. (Or lift up the hips to bridge pose to pull the Spinal strip out from under you.) Take a few sacrum circles or a full body stretch. A nice follow-up pose is a Supported Reclining Twist.

Enjoy!

Pain, Fear, or Fear of Pain?

More Teacher Training Ah-ha's

I have noticed a tendency both in myself and in some students to hold back in a posture because of a previous bad experience, a chronic pain issue, or because of a perception that something bad will happen.

I try to do a couple of 40-day practices throughout the year. In one of my 40 day practices last year I laid on the foam strip every day (in addition to other postures). It felt so good that I would stay for quite some time. I don't keep a clock in the room where I do yoga so I can't say for sure how long it actually was.

After a couple of weeks I started to have extreme discomfort in my mid-back. I had a hard time taking a full breath and I felt like I needed to crack my back all the time. The only time I didn't hurt was when I was laying on the strip.

Finally the pain got to be too much and I made an appointment with my chiropractor. Turns out my back was all out of whack - especially around T7 and T8 - the exact region where the end of the foam strip would rest. My chiropractor was able to get me adjusted but I became misaligned again within a few days and had to go back.

After that experience I became fearful of the foam strip. I didn't want to lay on it at all but we were using it a lot in the classes I was attending so I often had to lay on it. So I modified the pose and used the strip in 1 layer instead of 2, placed a blanket under my bum and only stayed for a couple of minutes.

Then I had a training with Susi Hately Aldous and she wanted us to use the foam strip doubled up. I was so scared of creating pain again in my body that I started to cry. Susi talked me through it, saying to breathe to the area and ask myself if I was actually having pain or if I was having fear. An interesting question. Something we could all ask ourselves about many things. In this case it turns out I was having fear of pain, not pain itself.

In the book, The Yamas and Niyamas Deborah Adele talks about Svadhyaya (Self-Study). This idea of breathing into an area of the body and asking it what is going on in there (self-study) has been helpful to me in figuring out old hurts and habits and in working out new patterns and postures.

Now I can lay on the foam strip (doubled) without pain but still with a little fear - I like to call it caution. I stay only as long as I feel comfortable. I keep my awareness in my spine and as soon as I start to have discomfort I remove the foam strip. With this new awareness I am able to reap the benefits of the opening that comes from using the foam strip in the doubled up position without crossing the edge into pain.

Happy exploring.

Laying on the Foam Strip - Step 5

Therapeutic Pose for the Shoulders and Upper Back

Step 5: Lay for 5-10 minutes, allowing the shoulders to settle in around the black strip. Focus on your breathing. To come out of the pose, or if at any point laying on the strip becomes uncomfortable, push the blanket out from under you, roll gently to one side, push the strip out of the way and then lay back down on your back in Savasana.

For more information about exercises you can do while laying on the black strip see my blog post: Therapeutic/Restorative Yoga Help. For more information on the book by Susi Hately Aldous which inspired this pose, check out: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips

Review Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 or Step 4.

Namaste.

Laying on the Foam Strip - Step 4

Therapeutic Pose for the Shoulders and Upper Back

Step 4: If you still have discomfort or flared ribs, unfold your strip and lay on it in a single layer. If you feel like your chin is higher than your forehead place a pillow or folded blanket under your head.

Review Step 1, Step 2, or Step 3.

Laying on the Foam Strip - Step 3

Therapeutic Pose for the Shoulders and Upper Back

Step 3: If your low back hurts or your lower ribs are flaring and lifting the hips and resettling the spine (as described in Step 2) didn't help, then you need to lift your hips up again and place a folded blanket under your hips/sacrum area. Keep your knees bent if you are using a blanket. Notice if this has lessened your discomfort and/or your flaring ribs. If not, stay tuned for Step 4.


Review Step 1 and Step 2.

Laying on the Foam Strip - Step 2

Therapeutic Pose for the Shoulders and Upper Back

Step 2: Once you are laying down notice if you have any discomfort in the low back or if your lower ribs are flaring up. Try lifting your hips, elongating your tailbone and laying your hips back down again. If this doesn't help, stay tuned for Step 3. If you missed Step 1 click here.

Laying on the Foam Strip - Step 1

Therapeutic Pose for the Shoulders and Upper Back

Sometimes in class I offer a pose based on the therapeutic work of Susi Hately Aldous. We have firm foam strips at the studio but you can make do with a rolled up mat, a tightly rolled towel, or even a swim noodle.



Step 1: Fold your strip in half (or roll up your mat/towel tightly), place it on the floor behind you and then lay down on it. Once you lay down, the bottom edge of the strip should be at about T7 or T8 on your back. If you don’t know what I mean by that here is how to tell. Place your finger tips on your breast bone then slide them down to where your body becomes soft just below the breast bone. The strip should be just opposite that soft spot where your finger tips are resting. You can feel for the strip with your other hand.

Stay tuned for Step 2.

Therapeutic / Restorative Yoga Help

Can Restorative Yoga help me with my shoulder issues?

Question: I have damaged nerves in my left scapula and a frozen left shoulder, and because of the imbalance I am getting pain in my right shoulder also. Could you suggest a restorative pose that would gently stretch my shoulders out?

Answer: Sometimes in class I offer a pose based on the therapeutic work of Susi Hately Aldous (see a link to her Therapeutic Shoulders and Hips book below). We have firm foam strips at the studio but you can make do with a rolled up mat, a tightly rolled towel, or even a swim noodle.

Here's what you do: Roll up your mat (towel) tightly. Lay it lengthwise on the floor behind you and then lay down on it. The bottom of the mat/roll should be at about T7 or T8. If you don't know what I mean by this, here is how to tell. Place your finger tips on your breast bone then slide them down to where your body becomes soft just below the breast bone. The rolled up mat should be just opposite that soft spot where your finger tips are resting and the top should be sticking straight up from the back of your head. Keep one hand on the soft spot just below the breast bone and feel for the mat placement behind you with your other hand.

Now, you can just lay there if you want (this is what we do in Restorative class) or you can do some movement with your shoulders (this is what we do in Hatha class). Raising the arms to point at the ceiling (thumbtips touch so the arms move at the same rate), lifting the shoulders towards the ceiling and then letting them settle back towards the floor so they hug the mat can help relieve tension in the back and shoulders. Repeat 5-10 times slowly, moving with the breath.

Don't stay too long on the rolled up mat. If you are really frozen up it might be painful. Or in my case - I'm too mobile and I ended up getting misaligned (couple of ribs) by staying too long. Also, if you are uncomfortable in the low back or sacrum, place a folded blanket under your bum and keep your knees bent.

Check out this link if you are interested in exploring Therapeutic Yoga for the shoulders or hips: Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips

Check out Laying on the Foam Strip to view images and other ideas for relieving shoulder pain.