My very first yoga class was with an Iyenga teacher in Pitt St, Sydney back in 1986 and she said to me “the answer Zoe is in the breath”….

Given the smooth muscle properties and the control that the autonomic nervous system may have over the fascial network, perhaps a potential window into effectively dealing with increased myofascial tone can circle around to breathing.

Respiratory function is on aspect of the autonomic nervous system that we actually have direct control over.  We can change our breathing and help to elicit a parasympathetic response to allow for greater relaxation and potentially less overall tissue tone/tension, hopefully leading to more of a comfortable state of being a decreased threat perception.  Additionally, the role of the diaphragm in stabilizing the lumbar region cannot be overlooked and the fact that it shares a fascial connection with the quadratus lumborum (as well as the psoas major) and the transverse abdominus fibers invest themselves into part of the diaphragm means that the diaphragm is in a potentially prime position to have an influence over the thoracolumbar fascia, since both of these muscles invest into layers of that fascial structure.

Thoracolumbar Fascia – An Area Rich with Activity

 

1) Lie on your back

concentrate on your breathing

count the length of the inhale – hold 1 for the pause between the breaths and count the exhale

Focus on extending your exhale

expand your rubs with the inhale and go down with the exhale

Do 6 conscious round of breaths

2)  Standing feet hip width apart – raise ONE ARM ONLY above your head and go Forward as in the video – do this X 3 then the other arm X 3

3) have your feet a metre apart and interlock your hands behind on the exhale go forward raising your arms towards the back of your head

Close your eyes when going forward and focus on increasing your exhale – hold for a count of 3

Forward bends are calming

4) Lie on your back

Raise both knees on the inhale and exhale as you lower X 6

Apanasa is very balancing and good for your core strength  

5) Focus on your breathing with your hands above your chest and feel the ribs expand and u inhale and exhale – count the duration of the breaths and increase the exhale – be aware of the pause between the breaths

6) Twist

Cross your left knee over your right

Adjust your hips slightly by moving to the left

Take your knees over to the right on the exhale

Stay there for 6 breaths

Extend your exhales

Then rotate your left arm around the body – exhale as the arm goes down and inhale as arm goes up

X 1 in each direction

Lie and relax your arms and shoulders

Always create space between your ears and shoulders

Repeat with the other leg and arm

7) Forward bend

Cross legs and go forward X 6 breaths

Then cross legs in other direction and go forward X 6

8) Rest – relaxation breathing

If you don’t have a bolster to open your chest just lie on the floor and focus on your breathing with your eyes closed

1. Inhale to a count of 4

Exhale to a count of 4

Four times

2. Inhale to a count of 4

Exhale to a count of 6

Four times

3) Inhale to a count of 4

Exhale to a count of 8

Four times

Magnesium supliment

This is very good – take one small spoon ( inside ) with water –  before bed it will reduce the cramps – only get this brand and the powder

Uttanasana

When we hear Ayurveda, we quickly associate Ayurveda with herbs and ‘jaddi-puddi’, don’t we? But it isn’t all true. In fact, the truth about Ayurveda is that it is governed by the fact of what we eat, how we live, in which environment we live, and the state of our mental health. Ayurveda tells us of the framework in which we can modify our lifestyles to optimize our bodily functions. Ayurveda teaches us how to age with dignity and grace as Ayurveda emphasizes the role of mental health in maintaining physical health. Today, we share 15 simple and easy Ayurveda principles which you can add in your daily routine to help you feel fitter, healthier and happier. *Images courtesy: © Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images
Ayurveda everyday tips 1-15

India Times article

Sleepasana: Yoga Can Help You Sleep

  

You’ve tried chamomile tea and melatonin, you’ve even sprayed your pillow with lavender oil, but you still can’t sleep. Believe it or not, yoga can help. A Harvard study on insomnia found that people who consistently practiced yoga for just eight weeks enjoyed significantly better sleep—both their length of slumber and its quality improved.

Approximately 50 to 70 million Americans experience chronic sleep disorders that interfere with their health in more ways than one. Less sleep equals more stress, and your body doesn’t get enough time to repair on a cellular level, which can lead to everything from plain old grumpiness to serious diseases. The Institute of Medicine lists “hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity” as just a few of the problems it can cause. But you already know how important sleep is—so here’s one more thing you can do about it.

Jillian Pransky, the director of the Restorative Yoga Teacher Training program for YogaWorks says, “Yoga offers tools to get rejuvenating sleep and regain the healing properties of sleep during the day.” Instead of checking Instagram one last time before bed, start practicing these three poses.

Child’s Pose

Start in a tabletop position with your wrists underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips with your big toes touching. Shift your hips back toward your heels as you stretch your hands in the opposite direction; gently creating more space in the spine. Rest your forehead on the floor, or on a block or firm pillow. Hold for one to five minutes to calm the nervous system and relieve stress.

Supine Twist

Lie on your back and hug your knees in toward your chest. Bring your arms out into a T and lower your knees down to the right, keeping them in line with the navel to stretch the lower back. Hold for one to five minutes and repeat on the other side to ring out spinal tension, open up the diaphragm, and improve breathing.

Legs Up the Wall with Extended Exhale 

Sit with your right hip up against the wall or the headboard of your bed, with your hands behind your back for support.  Slowly bring your legs up the wall as you lower onto your back, with your hands by your sides. If your hamstrings are tight, your hips may be a few inches away from the wall. Take a deep inhale through the nose, to the count of four, completely inflating the lungs. On the exhale, slow down your breath and empty to a count of eight until the navel contracts back into the spine.  Stay here, continuing this breathing pattern, for five to 10 minutes to calm the mind.

Think of these poses as restorative meditation, focusing solely on your breath as you inhale and exhale. Resist any temptation to lie on your back, hold your iPhone in the air, or think about tomorrow’s meeting. Because breathing in and out just might be the easiest way to sleep better. 

https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/sleepasana-yoga-can-help-you-sleep-95759042143.html

naturalnews.comprintable article

Originally published March 14 2015

 

Yoga benefits empathy, nonverbal communication skills, and spiritual purpose

by Lance Johnson

There are many physical reasons to begin practicing yoga. Yoga will increase your flexibility, strengthen and condition your muscles, and give you better balance and posture. That’s the good news but the good news gets even better for those just starting this artful discipline: yoga does not begin and end in the physical realm. Yoga can also welcome deeper personal growth, in both the emotional and spiritual realms. As you become aware of your breathing, body movements, and thoughts, you can work on the issues inside you.

In many ways, yoga takes on the form of meditation, and during these times of silence and introspection, you can reconnect with who you are. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up listening to the negative language of the scripted news media. Sometimes it’s easy to let wounded people bring us down in their pain, pity, and blame. In yoga, all this negative chatter goes out the window as you create your own space. All the external voices dissipate, allowing you to communicate with your inner, most honest self. Yoga allows you to face fears, quell frustrations, and overcome worries – to welcome emotional self healing.

By releasing tension and pent up lymph, yoga allows you to see health in a new light, making mind body, and spirit connections. The more intuitive you become, the more you can respond to another soul’s nonverbal communication cues. Yoga can literally increase your inner level of empathy and compassion. You not only learn how all your muscles and bones are consciously connected, you also realize that your actions are connected to the world around you and all the souls you interact with. Moments in time become reflections, as you see yourself in others. When something happens to you, you begin to realize your role in pulling it to you by the way you think, act, and set intentions.

The more intuitive, empathic, and conscious you become, the more telepathic you become, learning to interpret events and interact non-verbally with people. In this way, you ascend beyond just connecting verbally. You learn to connect energetically and realize that we are all one connected consciousness. What we do to others, we do to ourselves. This realization can bring a level of spiritualfulfillment not found in the many man-made religions. By tuning out of the external world, its expectations and fears, you find yourself lifting to new heights of appreciation and love for all. This can bring an empowering sense of spiritual purpose.

For those who are scared to connect in profound ways, yoga is definitely for you, too. As you let go of physical tension, you can also let go of negative thought patterns and open your heart to healing. Yoga is not only for stretching muscles, it is also an open door for stretching your character and connection to all living things. Yoga is not only for strengthening physical posture, it’s also useful for posturing your spirit to face fear and blame which may be consuming and destroying the quality of your life.

Why reinvent the wheel? That is what happens over & over – when Dhanwantari transcribed from the Gods the gift of Ayurveda 5,000 years ago – it’s too complicated for some but really it’s all very simple

Triphala – A Famous and Revered Ayurvedic Formula

In this special edition of the Total Health News, world-renowned ayurvedic expert, researcher and educator our ayurvedic expert discusses the popular ayurvedic remedy Triphala.

Q: Triphala, contained in MAPI’s Digest Tone and a major ingredient in Cholesterol Protection, is one of the most famous herbal compounds in ayurvedic medicine. Can you tell us what it’s made of?

A: Certainly. literally means “three fruits,” tri meaning “three” and phala meaning “fruit. The three fruits contained in Triphala are Haritaki, Amalaki and Bibhitaki. There is a saying in India that if a vaidya knows how to use Triphala properly, he can heal any disease. It is highly revered in Maharishi Ayurveda. When these three fruits I mentioned are combined as Triphala, they form a very powerful Rasayana. A Rasayana is the most highly refined and powerful herbal and fruit combination in ayurveda, and is known to promote long life and rejuvenation. A Rasayana promotes ojas, the material equivalent of bliss. Ojas is the finest product of digestion, and prevents disease, creates luster in the skin and rejuvenates the whole body.

Besides nourishing the mind and body and promoting longevity, Triphala has many specific effects. It is particularly rejuvenating for the digestive tract, and is a Rasayana for the eyes and the skin.

– See more at: http://www.mapi.com/ayurvedic-knowledge/digestion/ayurvedic-benefits-of-triphala.html#sthash.mGvA6IXD.dpuf