Yoga for Endurance Athletes Workshop in July

I will be offering a workshop for endurance athletes on 20 July from 5-7pm at Tranquil Space Arlington (3528 Wilson Blvd Arlington,VA). This workshop will be focused on learning what poses may be beneficial and which are counterproductive at various points in your training cycle. From there we will discuss how to incorporate these modifications into an all levels class so that you can still enjoy your weekly yoga class without worrying about taking a performance hit or developing yoga injuries. Recovery is also a big issue for endurance athletes so we will also discuss how to work recovery methods into your training.

This workshop is open to anyone and all experience levels, but since we will be working with modifications to an all levels class, it would be helpful to take a class or two before this workshop; home practice is perfectly fine, as long as you have a good idea of what it is you usually work on.

Because every sport has different needs, and every athlete has different goals and constraints, when registering please make a note as to what your sport is and what your goals for the next season or two are.

If you can't make it but this is of interest, let me know and I'll let you know of upcoming workshops or we can meet in a smaller setting at your convenience.

My Current Obsession: Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero's Pose)

For those of you who know my love of binding, twisting, and inverted poses, my latest love will surprise you. I've taken to practicing this pose daily, either before practice or just laying in bed: supta virasana.

I find that many yoga classes I take focus a lot of the back body: hamstrings, calves, back. Practicing supta virasana, I feel a deep stretch in my quads, hips, abs, and shins; my feet are forced to relax. For some reason, I find it very calming, This pose is particularly beneficial to many athletes who have overdeveloped quads, tight shins, and inflexible ankles. Cyclists can especially benefit from reclined hero's pose as the shape is almost the complete inverse of how one would posture themselves on a bike.

via mylotuslife.com

Reclined hero's pose requires a lot of flexibility in the ankles, hips, and shoulders. If you cannot comfortably rest your sit bones on the ground while the tops of the feet are on the floor, then you should work with the upright version of hero's pose. Root your sit bones onto something, so if the floor isn't within reach, use a block to support yourself. Both poses develop flexibility in the ankles, stretch the quads, and help protect the knees by taking the joint through its full range of motion. If you have a pre-existing knee injury, please check with your physician before practicing. Alternatively, you can practice half hero's pose by only bending one leg back, either keeping the other knee pointed towards the sky, foot planted on the floor, or extending the opposite leg (see images below).

via yogazal.com

via melissawest.com

Each of these variations provide the same benefits; play and find the one that allows you to relax the most while still opening through the front of the body. There is no advantage to pushing yourself into a deeper variation than you are ready for; in fact, this is actually counterproductive.

via yogajournal.com

In either the upright or supine variation, first focus on the feet. The tops of the feet will come to either side of the hips, toes pointed in line with the lower leg; if you're more flexible or have muscular calves, you may need to move the calves to the outside of the thighs to make this more comfortable. If the ankles won't extend far enough for the tops of the feet to rest comfortably on the ground, roll up a blanket or towel to support the ankles, and stay in the upright version of the pose.

If the sit bones do not reach the floor, bring the heels under the sit bones and rest here, stacking props to close the gap between heels and sit bones. If the sit bones reach the floor and you don't feel much stretch in the quads yet, begin to recline. Coming all the way to the floor requires a lot of flexibility so have some props handy to ease yourself down. Using blocks to support the middle and upper back allows you to easily adjust the height of your props as you slowly ease into the pose; this may take months or years.

If you feel any pain in the knees, sit up and ease off the knees. If you are normally very flexible and you feel something in your knees, it could be a sign that the ligaments are being stretched. I suffered from overstretched ligaments in my knees in high school and it kept me from being able to run safely. Overstretched ligaments are very difficult to fix so avoid them by easing off from unnecessary deep stretches.

This pose is a great way to stretch and relax after a good workout, but always be mindful that you aren't pushing too far. Pain is a sign to back off, so always listen to your body.

back to basics: the vinyasa

As most of you have experienced, relationships change with time. When I first began practicing yoga I was focused on developing strength and concentration. Later it became very meditative for me; eventually this became a problem as I tackled thoughts that I preferred to push away rather than deal with. During this period my practice became dangerous; I sought pleasure from my practice so I would intentionally push past my edge, or neglect entire groups of poses just so they would feel good when I reintroduced them. Luckily I didn't physically injure myself during this period and I moved onto a more playful practice and began to focus on practicing safely.

This winter I took four months off of my physical practice to challenge myself in other ways. Upon returning to my practice in February I had new challenges in my life that I needed to deal with on the mat. I decided that I would run a marathon in October and and the training was beating up my body in ways it had never been before. I've seen athletes have their performances enhanced by yoga but I have also seen it ruin an otherwise strong training cycle.

I teach a style of yoga known as vinyasa. It effectively links breath with movement and flows from one pose to the next. In class you may hear the instruction to "flow through your vinyasa." This refers to a common series of poses that is repeated frequently in classes. The series goes:
Inhale to plank
Exhale to chaturanga
Inhale to upward facing dog or baby cobra
Exhale to downward facing dog

You may be instructed to go through this series a few dozen times depending on the class. I began noting what was bothering me in this series and came up with the following notes on the vinyasa.

via http://www.satyaliveyoga.com.au

Plank
This seemingly straightforward pose offers many points of reflection. Begin to build body awareness (and core strength) by drawing the navel up and in towards the spine. Focus on stacking the heels over the balls of the feet. Reach the chest and crown of the head forwards while the gaze stays to the ground so that the vertebrae of the neck remain in neutral alignment with the rest of the spine. Rotate the upper arm so that the elbow crease points forwards.

via http://www.poweryoga-goettingen.de

Transition to Chaturanga
Keeping the body still, simply bend the elbows. Since the elbow creases are pointed forwards, this brings the shoulders forwards, lowering them to the same height as the elbows. Chaturanga and plank are virtually the same alignment so if you focus on rotating the upper arm, you will be able to transition here without moving anything.



Transition to Upward Facing Dog
The elbow crease should still be a major point of focus. Straighten the arms as if you were going back into plank. Gently draw the hips forward just enough so that you must roll over the toes and onto the tops of your feet.

via http://yoginisam.com

Upward Facing Dog
Keep the arms strong while pressing into the hands so that the shoulders aren't creeping up towards the ears. The palms and the tops of the feet bear the full body weight in this pose so it will be much easier if you stay engaged in the core to prevent your whole torso from becoming dead weight. Play with this and notice how different the pose feels. Relax the glutes and feel the low back release.


Transition to Downward Facing Dog
First, pay attention to how the feet transition. The feet move from bearing the body's weight on the tops of the feet to the bottom. This requires bringing the feet through almost 180 degrees of motion while still bearing that weight. To protect the ankles, make sure that there is no rotational motion in the ankles; the lower leg, ankle, and foot should remain in the same plane. Try to drive this transition just by engaging the core to lift the hips up and back towards the heels.

Downward Facing Dog

via fitbie.msn.com

Focus on pressing the palms fully into the mat while rotating the upper arms in so that the elbow creases work towards pointing forwards and the shoulders are stable, the upper back broad. The neck relaxes, allowing the head to drop down, bringing the gaze towards the feet. Keep drawing the navel up and in so that you don't sink into your low back, placing undue stress there. Pay attention to your knees. Depending on how naturally flexible you are, it is really easy to lock your knees in this pose. I consciously try to keep a noticeable bend in my knees now which takes a lot of strain out of my calves and ankles. Bending deep into the knees and rising up onto the toes allows you to stretch the feet. Focus on shifting weight backwards into the hips and your shoulders won't struggle throughout your practice.

Why Practice Arm Balances?

I would consider myself a risk averse thrill seeker. What this means to me is that I love the thrill of doing something new and apparently dangerous, but only once I am reasonably assured that I have taken some basic precautions. This has attracted me to pursuits such as roller coaster riding, free diving, and bike commuting.

When I began practicing yoga, my adventurous side was drawn to inversions and arm balances. These two groups of poses challenged my idea of what one is supposed to do; they are not positions in which one would naturally find oneself. I began practicing with the goal of doing crazy things with my body in space, but I discovered that these poses are very powerful in developing focus and concentration. When you are upright and standing on two feet it is easy to let your mind wander; if you do this while upside down you will fall on your face.

maybe someday...
(via pinterest.com)

When teaching I always incorporate an arm balance into my classes. I believe that simple arm balances are a concrete way to see that you've pushed yourself and feel a sense of accomplishment. I know that yoga is supposed to be non-competitive, even within oneself, but, especially with new students, it can feel really good to finally nail a cool pose, encouraging someone who might otherwise give up to continue with their practice.

Although I often work arm balances into my regular flows, I make a point to teach one of two poses in all of my classes: crow pose and shoulder pressure pose. Both poses are very accessible to new students and both allow for simple progression through the pose so you can see that you are making progress.

Learning to balance in crow pose was the key to my ability to use my core to control my postures. To develop a good base I will instruct students to simply crouch as low to the floor as is comfortable, then plant their hands firmly, shoulder width apart, then begin to lean forwards while squeezing the elbows towards one another. If the knees and shins can comfortably connect with the triceps, keep that connection while leaning forwards, keeping the gaze about a foot or so in front of the hands. Once comfortable with leaning forwards, one can begin to play with lifting the feet, tucking one heel, then the other, towards the glutes.

Size isn't an obstacle :-)
(via yogapancake.com)

I enjoy teaching this pose to new students because I don't think there's a good way to cheat your way into crow. In order to progress through the pose, you have to play. You'll fall on your face quite a few times and if you don't engage your core, you won't be able to keep your hips high enough to allow the feet to lift. Once the feet are lifted and you are able to stay here for a few breaths, you have direct knowledge of the core control necessary to maintain that balance. If the pose is practiced regularly, that core control will be cultivated and can be applied to every other pose.

(via marylandyoga.com)

However, because of the head position in crow pose, the pose can be very intimidating. I probably teach shoulder pressure pose more often than crow simply because, even though it requires much more flexibility in the hips, it is less intimidating. I often start from a squatted position and just work to get the hands firmly planted on the mat. Once the hips are open enough, begin to walk the hands back, until they can plant behind the heels; it is necessary for me to lift my hips here so that there is enough space for my arms. I find that cupping the heel with the index finger and thumb is about the right hand placement for me; this is just what is comfortable on my shoulders and hips. Once you can press the hands fully into the mat behind the feet, allow the thighs to rest on the upper arms while squeezing the elbows together. Eventually you'll begin to walk the feet towards each other, until you can hook one ankle on top of the other. Once the ankles are crossed, press into the hands and begin to sit back, allowing the ankles to rise off the mat.

This pose takes the fear of falling out of arm balances. It also has very distinct steps to work through in getting to the final pose so progress can be easily measured. I certainly don't expect every student to get into either crow or shoulder pressure pose. I keep them in my teaching repertoire because they encourage play and provide a sense of accomplishment. I believe that things in life should be fun; my go-to farewell is not "goodbye" but "have fun." By encouraging students to take some time to play with something as crazy as balancing on their hands, I hope that I have allowed them to bring some more fun into their lives and continue this pursuit off the mat.

Ugh, Not Another Utkatasana

I've noticed in both my personal practice and my teaching lately that I have shying away from chair pose (utkatasana).  This is a very common pose and part of the surya B sequence so I encounter it in every class I take and teach.  Utkatasana is sometimes referred to as "victory pose."  Lately, this pose has not been feeling very victorious.

I first noticed my aversion to chair pose this summer.  In my years of practice I had never disliked this pose and I used to teach it frequently.  I create my classes from my practice and I did a lot of cycling this summer. I began to incorporate more front body stretches and a lot of quad openers (which I believe to be lacking in most classes).  Chair pose is a quad strengthener and I began to reduce how often I included it in my classes.

In class a few weeks ago, the instructor had us sit back in chair pose.  A very common instruction, but as I sat there in my chair pose I found myself growing irritated.  She then instructed us to fold forward and the irritation dissipated.  Round 2 of surya B: same problem.  Each time she had us come to chair pose, I found myself coming into it with progressively straighter legs; my level of irritation and the angle between my thighs and calves seemed to be inversely related.  I kept at this experiment for the next week or two, playing with how irritated I was compared to how deep my squat was.  I finally decided that if I didn't want to be irritated I should just avoid the pose (avoiding the problem rather than solving it).  I began only teaching one chair pose in each of my classes and practicing it with such minimal flexion that my legs probably appeared to be fully extended.

I'm not sure why I decided that this pose was going to irritate me and I'm not sure that it matters.  I believe that I need to re-incorporate it into my practice and simply allow these feelings of irritation.  I need to sit with my irritation and acknowledge that some poses just don't feel right sometimes.  What I need to remember is that avoidance is not a good long term coping mechanism.  I have done this with other poses before, most notably pigeon pose.  I hated pigeon and avoided it at all costs.  I still tend to shy away from teaching pigeon but I have come to terms with it and will practice it in class without cursing out my teacher too much.

My practice will always present challenges.  Today my challenges are manifesting themselves in chair pose.  These challenges will not go away, but my ability to handle them is in my control.  Just as I worked through my frustrations with pigeon pose, only to have them reappear in my chair pose, my frustrations will appear again someplace else once I am comfortable with chair pose again.  Dealing with these frustrations is where my practice really begins.

New Teaching Schedule

After taking a few weeks for vacation, my teaching schedule will be as follows (as of 25 July):

Tuesday 6am Sunrise Yoga at Gold's in Ballston
Wednesday 645am All Levels Yoga at Tranquil Space Arlington
Sunday 6pm Restorative Yoga at Tranquil Space Arlington
One Monday a month (715pm) at BicycleSpace (check either @hiccupingyogi or @bicyclespace for info)

I also sub regularly at Tranquil Space.

New Yoga Class Schedule (aka come take my class!)

It's been almost four months since I last posted so I figured it's time for an update.

I recently started teaching a lot more than I was in 2011.  I've been teaching a donation based class at BicycleSpace in DC.  It's a great local bike shop and they've been great about getting students to the classes.  I also teach an early morning (as in 6am early and it is still dark when I get there) and a weekend power yoga class at Gold's gyms in North Arlington.  So, if you want to come take my class my schedule is:
6am Tuesdays Gold's Ballston
1230pm Sundays Gold's Clarendon
random Mondays (check BicycleSpace's fb/twitter or my twitter) at 7pm at BicycleSpace

Awesome Yoga Opportunity

The roof of the House of Sweden is one of the coolest views of DC around.  Plus, free yoga is always a good time :-)

Reflections on the Past Year

I figured a good way to get started on my goal setting for the next year is to determine what I have accomplished in the past year.

1. Completed my 200 hour certification to teach yoga.
This was a long term goal of mine that I was not expecting to accomplish this year.  I began working at a new yoga studio last summer.  They offer a training at the studio, three or four weekends a month for about three and a half months.  When it came time to apply, I realized that at that moment, I had the time and money to commit, the willingness to do it, and the ability to do it easily as I already worked at the studio and spent a lot of time there.  I realized that the only thing at that time stopping me from doing the training was me.  So, I signed up, didn't get much sleep for a few months, and came out with a different outlook on life.

2. Lived in one house for longer than 9 months.
This may not seem like a real accomplishment, but given that I haven't lived in one place for more than nine months since I was 17, this was definitely a change in my lifestyle.


3. Bought a bicycle.
This was a major change to my lifestyle and has played a large role in my future goal setting.  Prior to the bicycle, I walked most places.  If I didn't have time to walk (distance was not much of a factor) I would metro.  This limited my ability to do things that were not on the same metro line, or within a mile or two.  Upon getting my bike, I began traveling almost exclusively by bike.  I began to see the metro area differently.  I was able to cover more distance and see areas that are not easily public transit accessible.  I have harbored an interest in transportation and regional and urban design since I was very young.  After getting the bike, I began to realize that a personal car free society is really possible (it might take awhile though).  In a future post I will write about my transportation and planning focused goals.


4. Learned (basic) Swedish.
I studied Swedish during the fall semester (2010) and this summer.  I started studying as a step toward accomplishing my goal of living in Northern Europe (topic for goal setting post).


5. Learned (some) Finnish.
I took Finnish lessons this past spring semester, despite not really having the time to fully commit to it.  However, it was fun, I did learn some Finnish, and took a step towards one of my goals of moving to Northern Europe.

6. Vacation on the French Riviera
This vacation came into being very haphazardly one day as my friend and I were half joking about going to Monte Carlo.  A few hours later, we had plane tickets to spend two weeks wandering around Southern Europe, between Barcelona and Cinque Terre.  One of my favorite movies is Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief so I chose to spend the largest allotment of time in and around Nice.  The glitz of Monaco was surreal; I had never seen a yacht store before, never mind a dozen within a few blocks of each other.  While it seemed very superficial, in that everything was so perfect, it was absolutely stunning and I wish I had been able to spend more time in Monaco itself.  I was shocked at how nice I found Nice considering that I had heard from so many people that it is a gritty industrial town.  The art was great, the beaches gorgeous (I'm not a huge sand beach fan) and the city so laid back, but not lazy.
This vacation also made me realize that I am capable of traveling on my own in places where I do not speak the language (in Spain and Italy) and that I am the type of person who likes to roll with the punches and see where life takes her.