30 Day Challenge - Week 4 Homework

Hello Relaxation Practitioners -

I wanted to remind you of your homework for this week and give you a few links to learn more. This week we are voicing our sankalpa. First step, we voice our sankalpa out loud to ourselves. Second step, we voice our sankalpa out loud to someone else. Third step, we voice our sankalpa out loud to many someone elses. (Is that a word?) Step one may be the only step you take and that is just fine. Only go as far as you are comfortable going.

At any rate, we give voice to our deepest desire and notice 1) how does it make you feel to think about saying your sankalpa out loud? 2) how does it feel to say your sankalpa out loud? and 3) how does it feel to share with another person?

The second part of our homework is to do a gratitude meditation every day. It doesn't have to be long. Just
take a few minutes to settle in and give thanks for anything in your life that you can think of (thank you for the house I live in, thank you for my family, thank you for the challenges I face that help me grow into a better person, etc.).

Here's an article from Yoga Journal which talks about the health benefits you will receive by practicing gratitude. Also, look to the bottom of the page for links to more gratitude articles.

Give Thanks

Cultivating gratitude can boost well-being—and may help you sleep better.

By Jill Duman

Gratitude is a fundamental component of most spiritual paths, and a growing body of research suggests that it has important health implications, too, including better sleep, fewer physical ailments, and a greater ability to cope with stressful situations.

"Gratitude elevates, it energizes, it inspires, it transforms," says Robert Emmons, a University of California, Davis, psychology professor who has helped champion the study of gratitude as a factor in mental and physical health.

A series of studies he conducted in 2003 found that people who kept weekly written records of gratitude slept longer, exercised more frequently, had fewer health complaints, and generally felt better about their lives when compared with those who were asked to record only their complaints. In another study, he found that students who wrote in gratitude journals felt more satisfied with their lives and their school experience.

Practicing conscious gratitude has also been linked with positive mental health. Todd Kashdan, associate professor of psychology at Virginia's George Mason University, found that when veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder kept gratitude journals, they experienced a greater sense of overall well-being in their lives.

"There are two parts of being grateful," Kashdan says. "One is recognizing that someone benefited in some way, then mindfully seeing the connection to yourself. You have to really be in the present to see what's happening in your life, what's causing things to happen, and how you fit into things bigger than yourself."

A gratitude practice is a natural companion to yoga, which "offers numerous opportunities to reflect on all there is in one's life to be grateful for," says Emmons. To begin consciously cultivating gratitude, try considering what life would be like without a pleasure you now enjoy, or think about who you are grateful for.

A daily gratitude journal can help you be more mindful of these things in your life. But your gratitude practice doesn't have to be scripted: Simply taking time on a regular basis to mentally note your blessings is a big step in the right direction.

Two more articles from Yoga Journal on gratitude: Grounded in Gratitude  and Just Say Thanks, both by Frank Jude Boccio.

Have a wonderful holiday. May we all act and react with loving kindness.

30 Day Relaxation Challenge - Week 4

Congratulations! You are in the home-stretch of this 30 Day Deep Relaxation Challenge.

For the past 3 weeks we have practiced taking time out of our day to treat ourselves, to nourish relaxation and to find ease in our bodies. I have had a number of students comment on how they are really starting to like relaxing, how they are noticing that it feels really good to take a rest for a few moments, how much more sane they feel after stepping back and breathing. This is wonderful! This is exactly what I was hoping you would find.

This is also the time in our practice where things can fall apart. Our new habit of ease can be quickly forgotten if we do not discipline ourselves to take a few minutes each day to treat ourselves right. Continue to use your sankalpa (setting your intention), repeating it to yourself every day. This week I also want you to voice your sankalpa out loud and possibly to another person. Really put your deepest desire out there to the world. And continue to do your other homework: claiming 10-15 minutes (or more) each day for 30 days to consciously relax.

For our first week we practiced building breath awareness with Equal Breathing or Sama Vritta Pranayama.  The 2nd week we learned the 3-Part Breath or Dirga Pranayama. The 3rd week we learned one of my favorite breath practices: 2 to 1 Breathing, and this week we will expand our breath practice with the Sweeping Breath. This practice starts by imagining the breath sweeping through the body from soles to crown and back down to soles. There is a short version, long version and an even longer version. I'm going to talk you through the short version but I encourage you to try either version from Deborah Adele or Dr. Louise Montello too. Links are below.

Short Version:

If you just need a quick pick-me-up imagine breathing from the soles of the feet, up through the whole body to the crown of the head, and then exhaling from the crown of the head down to the soles of the feet. Do this about 5 times or until you feel refreshed.

Long Version:

Start the same way. Imagine breathing from the soles of the feet, up through the whole body to the crown of the head, and then exhaling from the crown of the head down to the soles of the feet. The next time you sweep the breath down from the crown stop at the knees. Then breath to the hips, then  hips to crown to belly, belly to crown to heart, heart to crown to throat, throat to crown to brow-point, brow-point to crown to brow-point, and back down the body in the same order. Deborah Adele details this version in her CD, The Art of Relaxation.

Longest Version:

Do the same as the long version but take 5 breaths at each stopping point. For example, 5 sweeping breaths from soles to crown and crown to soles, then 5 sweeping breaths from knees to crown and crown to knees, then 5 sweeping breaths from hips to crown and crown to hips, etc. until you have gone both up and back down the body. Dr. Louise Montello details this practice in her CD, Relax Into Wellness II.

I'm taking you through the short version in the practice below.

Sweeping Breath: 1min46sec.

The postures we learned this week are Laying on the Therapeutic Spinal Strip and Supported Reclining Twist.

Laying on the Therapeutic Spinal Strip

Step 1: Use a short strip or fold your long strip in half and place it on the floor behind you. Lay down on it and check for placement by finding the soft spot just below the breast bone. (If you don't have a spinal strip you can use a rolled up mat.) The spinal strip should be just opposite that soft spot where your finger tips are resting. Keep one hand at the soft spot and run the other hand behind your back to check for placement.
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. If either of these things are happening you need to lift your hips up and place a folded blanket under your hips/sacrum area. Keep your knees bent.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Lay for 5-15 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.

Supported Reclining Twist

Coming into the pose:
Lay on your back with your knees bent. Have a support ready on each side of your body. Shift your hips to one side and let your knees fall to the other side. Snuggle a bolster under your back hip and bum to support staying in the twist and let the stacked knees rest on a second bolster as they fall towards the floor. Try to keep the shoulders on the floor, keep the heart center open by extending the arms away from the body, palms facing up, and let the head turn away from the knees. Stay as long as you are comfortable.

Changing sides:
Let the head come back to center. Remove the support from under the back hip. Engage the core slightly to support the spine and then bring the legs back to upright, helping the legs with the hands if needed. Settle into the second side the same way as the first and try to stay here an equal amount of time.

Exiting the pose:
Let the head come back to center and then keep turning towards the knees. Remove the props from under the knees, lay on your side for a few breaths, and then gently push yourself back to an easy seated position.

Next week is our last class room meeting. We will learn our final postures and one new breath practice. I encourage you to continue to journal your experiences, noticing how you feel, and taking note of any changes in your attitude, mind, body or spirit.

Best of luck relaxing. Enjoy!

30 Day Relaxation Challenge - Week 3

Congratulations! You are at the half-way point in this 30 Day Deep Relaxation Challenge.

My hope for you is that by creating a new habit of softness in your breath and body, and by setting your intention (sankalpa) and repeating it to yourself every day, that you will start to feel an opening, an ease in your body and your life. Check back in your journal and see how you were feeling at the beginning of the practice. Then take stock of how you feel now. Note any differences. Note if there are not any differences. Continue to do your homework, claiming 10-15 minutes (or more) each day for 30 days to consciously relax.

For our first week we practiced building breath awareness with Equal Breathing or Sama Vritta Pranayama.  The 2nd week we learned the 3-Part Breath or Dirga Pranayama. This week we will learn one of my favorite breath practices: 2 to 1 Breathing.

2 to 1 Breathing: 2min48sec.

The postures we learned this week are Supported Lumbar Stretch and Supported Side Reclining Twist.

 Supported Lumbar Stretch

To do the Supported Lumbar Stretch, get yourself a felted pad or a firm blanket or even a big towel (like a beach towel) and make a roll that is about a handful for you. Lay down, bend your knees, lift your butt off the floor and come into little bridge pose. Place your roll under you so it is at your waist - center it behind your bellybutton. Now start to lower your seat towards the floor, arching your spine over the roll.  When you settle your seat down to the floor, your back should feel like "Ahhhh" not "Ow, ow, ow." You should not look over arched. Your belly is not raised by the roll under your back. If you are not comfortable, lift your seat (into little bridge again) and make your roll smaller until your back is happy. Sit on the tail of the blanket if you have extra. Conversely, if you feel nothing, you will need to lift your seat into little bridge and make your roll a little bigger. Please click here to view the main post on this pose to see additional pictures and instruction.

Supported Side Reclining Twist

To come into Supported Side Reclining Twist, sit on your shins on the floor with a bolster at your side (next to one thigh). The bolster should extend long-ways away from the body. Let your seat slide off of your legs towards your bolster / blankets so that you are seated with your knees bent and your feet are slightly away from your body, off to one side. Turn the torso so the belly is facing the bolster, place one hand on either side of the bolster, lengthen the spine, then start to lay the body down on the bolster for a side-reclining, supported twist. Head can rest facing either side. Arms can rest in a comfortable position. Take this pose on each side for about the same length of time. Fore more details on this pose click here.

Next week we will learn 2 more poses and a new breath practice. I encourage you to continue to journal your experiences, noticing how you feel, and taking note of any changes in your attitude, mind, body or spirit.

Best of luck relaxing. Enjoy!

30 Day Relaxation Challenge - Week 2

Congratulations! 

You made it through your first week of the 

30 Day Deep Relaxation Challenge.

You are creating a new habit of softness in your breath and body. This week we have two new postures, a new breath practice and a new guided meditation and deep relaxation practice.

Remember, the "challenge" part of this class is the homework - you must claim 10-15 minutes (or more) each day for 30 days and consciously relax. Also, continue to repeat your sankalpa (intention) to yourself 3x both before and after your relaxation practice to help your deepest desire come to fruition. Continue to journal if this is helpful to you.

For our first week we practiced building breath awareness with Equal Breathing or Sama Vritta Pranayama. Our breath practice will start this way every time and then we may move into a different breath practice. This week we will practice the 3-Part Breath or Dirga Pranayama.

3-Part Breath: 3min43sec.

The postures we learned this week are Legs-up-the-Wall and Supported Reclining Bound Angle.

Legs up the Wall

Legs up the wall pose is a great pose to do if you don't have any props. All you need is a wall. It can be a little tricky to come in to but once you get the hang of it you'll be hanging around upside down all the time.

Getting into this pose is very much like getting into Legs on a Chair pose. Sit down next to the wall with one hip towards the wall. As you start to lay back, you must also swing your legs up and your body around so your bottom is towards the wall. When you are turned tail to the wall, settle your body on the floor and your legs up the wall.

If you cannot straighten your legs or if your tail is curling up, you are too close to the wall. Push yourself back a little. Now your legs won't be straight up, they will be more at a slant, but that's ok. Let yourself soften here. Watch your breath. Let the belly rise and fall naturally with the breath. Let the arms rest out to the sides, palms up. Stay here for as long as you are comfortable. For more information and variations on this pose click here.

Supported Reclining Bound Angle

Sit on the floor in front of a pile of pillows, folded blankets or a bolster propped up at a slant. Lay back on your bolster/pillow pile. Allow your knees to open out to the sides, resting them on pillows, blocks or blankets for comfort. Draw your feet in close to the body. Let the arms rest out at your sides, palms facing up. There should be no strain on the shoulders or neck from the arms pulling down towards the floor. Support the arms with blocks, blankets or pillows as needed. Close the eyes and try to keep your attention on watching the breath. Stay as long as you like. For more information and variations on this pose click here.

In the coming weeks we will learn more poses and more breathwork. I encourage you to continue to journal your experiences, noticing how you feel, and taking note of any changes in your attitude, mind, body or spirit.

Best of luck relaxing. Enjoy!

30 Day Relaxation Challenge - Week 1 Comments

I sent an info-email to family and friends to let them know what I am doing and I have received a few comments which I would love to share.

I try to do this everyday after my PT exercises.  The chair pose is wonderful as it takes all the pressure off your lower body. ~ LS

I'm really delighted that you sent this information.  Being a singer, I sometimes forget to breathe correctly and my throat tightens up and vocal chords with it.  I'm going to work on the 30 day challenge and see if by doing this I'll be able to improve this particular problem regarding singing, while at the same time allowing myself to calm down.  I just love what you do.  Thank you! ~ JD

I would love to take this class! I will definitely be following along online. ~ LJ

Good morning Sara, What a nice way for me to begin my day with you and the equal breathing . Thank you.  I am going to tune in each day with you. I'm getting ready for my holiday sale and need to relax as well as work hard. I love you, Dad

My students had some good points too. Here are a few insights from class.

I really noticed how much work it is to build a new habit of relaxing. ~ Anon

I've been able to notice moments where relaxation is upon me and appreciate those moments. ~ Anon

I was able to help myself relax by keeping my hands busy with meditation beads. ~ Anon

Thank you all for your comments and best of luck to everyone with your own personal relaxation challenge. Remember: relax and breathe. 

30 Day Relaxation Challenge - Week 1

Welcome to your first week of the 30 Day Deep Relaxation Challenge.

The "challenge" part of this class is the homework - you must claim 10-15 minutes (or more) each day for 30 days and consciously relax. We will learn relaxation techniques in class which you can bring home with you including postures, breathwork and meditation. Part of your class fee includes The Art of Relaxation by Deborah Adele. You can use this CD anytime, using any of the practices, throughout this month (and beyond). (If you are not in the challenge but would like to try this practice, click on the image to go to Yoga North's store to buy this CD or click here to buy from CD Baby.)

Before starting this challenge consider taking stock of how you feel in your life right now and then writing it down in a journal. Also, set your sankalpa (intention) by thinking of your deepest desire and phrasing it into a positive statement such as, "I am whole, healthy and happy" or, "I am one with all" or, "May I be happy with what life brings me." Repeat your sankalpa to your self 3 times before your practice and 3 times at the end of your practice to help bring your intention to fruition.

A great way to find relaxation is through the breath. For our first week we practiced building breath awareness with Equal Breathing or Sama Vritta Pranayama. Any time you can bring your awareness to your breath, you can bring your body and mind into balance and calmness. You can practice while you are driving, sitting at the computer, or during a conversation where you find yourself getting upset. Conscious breathing brings a relaxed and focused state of mind. Take long deep breaths, both in and out, relax the belly and breathe. Listen to the instructions for Equal Breathing below.

Equal Breathing: 2min35sec.

The postures we learned this week are Legs on a Chair and Supported Child's Pose.

Legs on a Chair

Sit down in front of a chair or couch with the seat of the chair/couch towards you. Sit with one hip facing your prop. As you start to lay back, you must also swing your legs up and your body around so your bottom is towards the chair. When you are turned tail to the chair, settle your legs onto the chair's seat, making sure they are completely supported from the backs of the knees down to the feet. For a more complete description click here.

Supported Child's Pose

Sit on your shins, knees spread wide around the bolster/pillow-pile in front of you. Lay forward in Child’s Pose resting the body over the bolster. Arms can rest forward or behind, the head should take equal time being turned to each side. Make sure to have enough support under the belly. You don't want any strain in your back. Add props as needed. For a more complete description click here.

In the coming weeks we will learn more poses and more breathwork. I encourage you to journal your experiences starting with how you feel before you start this practice, and then continue journaling as the challenge continues, noticing how you feel, and taking note of any changes in your attitude, mind, body or spirit.

Best of luck relaxing. Enjoy!

Breathing for Relaxation

The 30 Day Deep Relaxation Challenge starts today (Monday, November 1st, 2010). I just found this article on Yoga Journal about breathing for relaxation. We will practice this throughout November in addition to other breath practices, postures and meditation.

Breathing for Relaxation

How simple breath work can lead you to a deep state of relaxation.

By Claudia Cummins

Beginning students often ask for instructions on the "right" way to breathe. Alas, there's no single answer to that question, since the optimal breathing pattern at any given moment depends on the type of practice. Restorative yoga focuses solely on relaxation, though, and emphasizes breathing that creates calm and serene states of being. When you settle into restorative poses, try the following techniques for cultivating breathing patterns that are hallmarks of relaxation and well-being.

Move the Belly with the Breath
When we are at ease, the diaphragm is the primary engine of the breath. As we inhale, this domelike muscle descends toward the abdomen, displacing the abdominal muscles and gently swelling the belly. As we exhale, the diaphragm releases back toward the heart, enabling the belly to release toward the spine.

Keep the Upper Body Quiet
During high-stress times, it's common to heave the upper chest and grip the muscles in the shoulders and throat. When we're at rest, the muscles of the upper chest remain soft and relaxed as we breathe, and the real work occurs in the lower rib cage. To promote this type of breathing pattern, consciously relax the jaw, throat, neck, and shoulders, and envision the breath sweeping into the deepest parts of the lungs as you breathe in and out.

Breathe Easy
Although some breaths may be deeper or faster than others, when we're relaxed, the alternating rhythm of the inhalations and exhalations feels like a lullaby—smooth, soft, and uninterrupted by jerks and jags. Consciously relaxing into this wavelike, oceanic quality of the breath deepens our sense of peace and ease.

Lengthen the Exhalations
When we feel stressed, our exhalations tend to grow short and choppy. When we're relaxed, though, the exhalations extend so completely that they are often longer than the inhalations. Some teachers even instruct that if we're deeply relaxed, each exhalation will be twice as long as the inhalation. To facilitate this, try gently extending each exhalation by one or two seconds.

Pause After Each Exhalation
In our most relaxed state, the end of each exhalation is punctuated by a short pause. Lingering in this sweet spot can be deeply satisfying and can evoke feelings of profound quiet and stillness.

Let the Whole Body Breathe
When we are at ease, the whole body participates in the breathing process. Imagine a sleeping baby: When he breathes in and out, the belly swells and releases, the hips rock to and fro, the shoulders bob, and the spine gently undulates. This offers a mini-massage for the muscles and organs of the whole body, and turns each breath into a soothing melody that further calms and quiets every cell within.

Claudia Cummins teaches yoga in central Ohio. Visit www.claudiacummins.com to read a selection of her essays.

Sara's Note: If you can really focus in on how your breath feels in your body you can get into a sweet spot of complete absorption with your breath. Notice how the belly moves, notice how the shoulders move, notice any pauses in your breath and how that makes you feel. This Pranayama (breath) practice is part of the process of the 8-fold path. This will bring us towards Pratyahara (Sense withdrawal, directing the attention inwards), Dharana (Concentration, developing one-pointed focus), Dhyana (Deep meditation, heightened awareness of oneness or unity) and finally, Samadhi (Enlightenment, Awakening, Oneness, Nirvana, Unity, Bliss). So let's breathe!