Delicate Backs Week 3

Molly worked us into semi-reclined, seated, and kneeling postures. We started off with the standard arch and flatten on our backs but worked on this from a deep awareness of the cervical and lumbar spine. The goal was to free our necks, which would in turn free our backs even more.

After a few rounds of arch and flatten and 6-points practice, Molly brought us up to a semi-reclined position: on our backs, resting on our elbows, knees bent. We worked arch and flatten from here, exaggerating it to arch and curl if our necks would allow such movement. Next up, easy seated arch and curl with a slight twist and special head arc. It's too complicated to describe but the over all effect of the class was to bring more ease and more freedom of movement to our spines and necks.

We worked this same pattern from cat-cow and finally brought ourselves to standing to see how our bodies felt. I felt tall, straight and at ease. It was lovely.

Delicate Backs Week 2
Delicate Backs Week 1

Delicate Backs Week 2

Last week we learned Arch & Flatten and the 6-Points Practice. I tried to do a little bit of both of these at least once a day and sometimes I would do it twice a day, in the morning and before bed. I definitely noticed that my back felt less tense. My R ribs were still acting up (and have been since last Feb) but I felt like something was going right with this new somatics practice.

Last night we added on to our practice, learning to isolate movement in the hips and shoulders. We moved in four directions: up, down, forward and backward. OK sounds simple but have you ever tried to move one hip? Not so easy. Plus, each shoulder is so different. One might move just fine and the other might be frozen.

After isolating these movements while laying on our backs (and practicing them on both the R&L) we were instructed to lay on our sides and repeat the same series of movements. Then we had to really get complicated. We had to move our hips and shoulders at the same time in a rolling fashion, in a complementary pattern. Like this: Laying on your left side move R shoulder forward, R hip back; R shoulder down, R hip up; R shoulder back, R hip forward; R shoulder up, R hip down. Repeat x3-5 then reverse and repeat x3-5 and take the second side. This is called "walking" - although we did not get up. These are the same movements our body makes while we are walking but we generally don't notice.

After class my R ribs were super flared up. Definitely got some stuff moving there. It hurt to breathe. Thankfully, Molly (my teacher) had some time after class to work with me one-on-one. She had me do a couple of very simple movements, engaging and releasing my quadratus lumborum muscle on the R side. Interestingly (to me) Molly told me this muscle has an insertion point in the front, underside of the armpit and runs all the way down to the pelvis girdle. I tend to have trouble with my R neck, shoulder, ribs and SI joint. Wonder if this muscle is a culprit?

This morning I woke up with no rib pain and I could breathe without discomfort too. Yay!

New Somatics Practice

I signed up for "Delicate Backs" - a new class at Yoga North. It's a 4 week Somatic intensive and we met last night for the first time. We learned the 6-Points Practice from the work of Thomas Hanna. We started out with Arch and Flatten, moved to Arch and Curl, and refined with the 6-Points Practice.

Here's what our homework guide says about the 6-Point Practice: "To do this, get a sense of the right shoulder, right hip, tail bone, left hip, left shoulder, and back of the head. Gently alternate pressing and lifting each of these points in succession while focusing on what is working and what is releasing to move them up and lower them down."

This is a super slow, super intense practice. Not intense as in "worked out big time" but rather, intense as in "mind-body connection." Basically, we just laid on our backs on the floor with our knees bent and practiced moving each point individually and in conjunction with each other. It's hard to describe and better to experience. But my feeling is that this will be really helpful in easing chronic muscle tightness and also in creating stability where there is weakness.

I'm challenging myself to a little bit of this work every day - not just going in for the 4 meetings.

Hatha I Tonight 7 pm

Hi All - I am subbing for Jodi at Yoga North tonight. I'm teaching her Hatha I class from 7-8:15 pm. Hope to see you there.

Ahhh....Relaxation

I haven't been very good about relaxing this summer (or doing anything yoga related except teaching my classes). It's been a summer of family get-togethers and house projects. Both wonderful things, but not relaxing in the same way as a good session of Yoga Nidra.

Last night, after staring intently at the computer for many hours (yes, I know it was a holiday and I wasn't supposed to be working), I finally got my behind down to my yoga room and settled in with some Yoga Nidra mp3s. It was so great I couldn't stop. I listened to three Yoga Nidra sessions in a row.

By the time I was done I was so relaxed I could barely open my eyes or wipe the smile off  my face. I took the dog for a walk, grinning like an idiot and barely looking where I was going. I didn't care where I went or how long it took.

It's good to be back in the relaxation zone.

The tracks I listened to were from these albums:

Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This book is a mystery, a science tale, a personal story, and an excellent review of medical ethics. The book description on Amazon reads:

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. 

This book is a true tale which reads like a novel: you don't want to put it down, but there is so much to think about ethically that you have to take your time. I did anyway. I would read a bit, let the book rest, go back to it and read a bit more.

The author, Rebecca Skloot, tells us the facts about HeLa cells and about the (billion dollar) medical industry which grew from these immortal cells. She gives an insider's view of the family of Henrietta Lacks, especially Henrietta's daughter. In particular, how she was kept in the dark about all the science happening to her mother's cells (and all the money being made).

Ms. Skloot explores the ethics of growing human cells for profit and explains how most of do not have any rights over our own cells once they leave our body (ever get a wart removed? it's probably in a medical freezer somewhere just waiting to be experimented on), all without seeming to pass judgement on any one person or any institution. This is great writing. We all get to make up our minds about how we feel.

Yoga Nidra Coming Up

Join me for Deep Relaxation.

Thursday, August 23rd is Yoga Nidra/Deep Relaxation: Class will consist of a variety of relaxation techniques including guided meditation & imagery, breathwork, and restorative postures. In the state of deep relaxation, tension is released from the body on a physical level, and the mind completely switches off. The relaxation response brings your system into balance. When practiced regularly, you will reduce your everyday stress levels and boost your feelings of wellbeing. You will also build deeper awareness and bolster your health with deep relaxation. All levels welcome.

This class takes place at Yoga North. Please visit their site or call them at 218-722-YOGA to sign up. Each class generally fills to capacity so I recommend that you sign up early.