​As we continue our journey through the body’s systems, we turn now to our digestive system and how yoga helps it to function more efficiently. According to yoga’s health science, Ayurveda, the digestive system is the most important system of the whole body. The physical act of digestion is responsible for absorption and assimilation of nutrients which is essential for our overall health. In fact, the digestive tract is actually called “the channel of food,” so it is true that we become what we eat.

We all know that movement is good for the body and it is especially useful for the digestive system. A short walk after meals helps our food to digest well and it moves glucose more quickly through the blood stream, a plus if our blood sugar levels are higher than they should be. (That’s 50% of the American population!)

But here’s an important yoga tip: Wait at least two hours after eating to practice yoga. We move our bodies differently in yoga class, in ways that are more stimulating for the digestive tract overall, not the immediate effects that come from a brisk walk in the hour after a meal. For this reason, yoga maintains the health of the digestive organs for a lifetime and should be part of everyone’s weekly routine.

Here are the best yoga practices for the digestive organs:

• Twists: These are the best poses because of a process called squeeze and soak. When we move the abdomen into a twist (seated, standing or lying down), we squeeze the digestive organs which are all situated in the central part of the body. This squeezing action gently massages the organs and presses some of the fluids out of the organs. When we release the twist, fresh fluids return to the organs. (You can see why we don’t want to practice yoga on a full stomach!)

• Inversions that lift the abdomen: This could include lying down on the floor with the pelvis lifted on a bolster or block, or even taking the legs up the wall. In yoga, we bring emphasis to the part of the body that is lifted.

• Restorative yoga poses: When we lie down on the floor and support the body with lots of props—blankets, bolsters and blocks—we calm the nervous system. A calm nervous system retreats from fight or flight and embraces rest and digest. Just listen for the gurgles in the belly.

Additionally, we can support our bodies with healthy, seasonal food. Yoga practice and sensible eating work together to keep us well all year long.

We’re continuing our series called “Your Body on Yoga” where we’re exploring the systems of the body and how yoga affects them. This article is about the circulatory system, which includes our heart, arteries and veins. This system is related to the respiratory system, since the heart and lungs work together. Breathe into the lungs and oxygen is transferred to the arteries which carry oxygenated blood throughout the body. Veins then carry the deoxygenated blood back to heart so it can be expelled from the lungs when breathing out. 

This is why it is so important to breathe when you practice Yoga (or any other form of exercise). Moving the muscles increases the heart rate and the circulation of blood through the body, and breathing in and out facilitates the movement of oxygen. 

Here are a couple of ways Yoga works with the circulatory system:

Interval training: I remember when I first got into exercise in the 1970s we were told to stay in the “target heart rate.” There were even posters all over the gym showing how to calculate this magical number. We would stop every ten minutes to take our heart rate to make sure we were not above or below it. Exercise research has become more sophisticated and now we know that “interval training” is a better way. Instead of aiming for a steady heart rate, we’re now allowing the heart rate to increase for a while, then slow down for a while, back and forth throughout the workout. The heart becomes more resilient as it practices the increase and decrease. 

Yoga is the original interval training exercise! Sun salutations increase the heart rate, then there is a pause when the heart rate slows down again. Hold the standing poses with muscles contracted in the big muscles of hips, shoulders and back as the heart rate increases again, then relax momentarily in mountain pose as the heart slows. Finish in Shavasana, the ultimate in recovery and restoration.

Lowering blood sugar: I, like many others, am confronted with higher than expected blood sugar levels. Fortunately, exercise is effective in moving glucose out of the blood stream if it is done within 30-40 minutes after eating. I know, we’re not supposed to do yoga on a full stomach, right? But if you can’t get out for a 10 minute walk after lunch or dinner, there are some yoga poses that are safe and effective: Squats!

Squats are excellent because they activate the big muscles of the hips, thereby raising the heart rate and moving that glucose out of the blood. For each of these options lower and lift for 60-90 seconds. Walk around for a minute to recover, then repeat the cycle until you’ve completed 10 minutes. Here are three options: 1) Chair pose with legs hip distance apart. Hold the pose or lift and lower. 2) Goddess or Temple pose with legs wider than the hips and turned out. To raise the heart rate more quickly, hold the arms overhead as you lift and lower. 3) Full squat with support from a post or a tree. This assumes that your ankles, knees and hips can handle a full squat, of course. It’s best to hold onto something sturdy to steady your balance as you squat all the down to the ground and lift back up.

There’s no doubt about it: healthy heart and lungs will bring you strength, focus and joy!

This is the third post on yoga’s relationship with our respiratory system. The first two covered breathing to energize the body/mind and breathing to calm the body/mind. Now we turn to breathing that brings and maintains balance.
 
Balance, when intentionally cultivated, leads to focus, clarity and equanimity. These are exactly the qualities we need if we are having a crucial conversation, working on a project or sitting quietly in contemplation or meditation. Here are two Yoga practices that can lead the way:
 
Alternate nostril breathing: The two nostrils are aligned with our nervous system and have the special effect of being able to bring balance to the nervous system. Through the nerves, each nostril has influence over the opposite side of the brain. The right nostril influences the left brain which is logical, practical and detail-oriented. The left nostril influences the right brain which is creative, intuitive and fixed on the big picture. Depending on what we’re doing during the day, one nostril is more open and its companion side of the brain is more active. This means we do not have the full benefit of both perspectives most of the time.
 
What more could we see and understand if we brought balance to the right and left sides of the brain?
 
For this practice, it helps to use the fingers to close one nostril at a time. Over time it is possible to learn how to do this using the mind only! Sit still and close the eyes all the way or halfway. Close the right nostril and breathe in through the left nostril, then open the right side and close the left side to breathe out through the right nostril. Without changing the finger position, breathe in through the right nostril, then switch fingers and breathe out through the left nostril. This is one round. Practice for four more rounds.
 
Cross body movement: Yoga poses that ask us to move opposite sides of the body also bring balance to the brain and nervous system. Two examples are Cat/Cow/Birddog and Locust pose. Birddog begins in hands and knees. Inhale to lift the opposite arm and leg, exhale to return to hands and knees. Switch to the other arm and leg. Keep going for 10 repetitions.
 
Locust pose begins on the belly with arms and legs extending on the floor. Inhale to lift and reach opposite arm and leg, exhale to return to the starting position. Switch to the other arm and leg. Keep going for 10 repetitions.
 
Try one of these balancing exercises the next time you are working on a project, must have a difficult conversation, or are sitting in meditation. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish with enhanced clarity and focus.

​We’re continuing our exploration of Yoga’s effect on the respiratory system. The last post was about how we can increase energy using the breath and this post is how we can calm energy using the breath. And this is a big deal, because a lot of people say they feel anxious, unable to sit still or quiet the mind quite often during the day. The good news is that the body has the ability to soothe itself; we just need to tap into the resources already available to us.

Heart Rate Variability is one of the cool things about the body. Very simply, our heart rate is not consistent and this is considered a good thing. You can actually experience this right now. Sit down and give your full attention to this short exercise. Use the index and middle fingers of one hand to feel your heart beat. You can place the two fingers on the muscle that runs vertically on the side of your neck, then slide the fingers about an inch toward the front until you feel the soft tissue. Press very gently to feel your heart beat. Or place the two fingers on the inside of the inner wrist closer to the thumb side. Slow your breathing and feel your heart beating at the same time. You’ll notice that your heart rate increases when you inhale and decreases when you exhale. Heart rate variability is a sign of good respiratory and circulatory health.

2:1 Breathing is a yoga exercise that makes use of this information. The aim is to breathe out twice as long as you breathe in. You can practice sitting in a chair, on the floor, or even lying down if you are getting ready to go to sleep. Become aware of your body breathing in and out through the nose. Notice how many counts it takes to breathe in (maybe 3, 4 or 5 counts). Begin to gradually lengthen the out-breathe by adding one extra count each time you breathe out, until finally you are breathing out for twice as long as you’re breathing in. Breathe in for 3, breathe out for 6, etc. 

Sometimes the anxiety is too strong and you can’t sit still to breathe. This is where breath paired with movement can bring the same calming results. 

Cat/Cow and Circular Cat are two exercises that use breath and movement to burn off excess energy so we can embrace the calm. Start on hands and knees (or face the wall and bring the hands down the wall while walking the feet back to stand in a 90-degree angle). Exhale the breath to round the spine while dropping the tailbone and top of the head toward the floor; inhale the breath to tip the tailbone and top of the head upward while allowing the belly and chest to drop toward the floor. Move slowly back and forth between the two positions to really feel the effects of the breath. 

To make the practice stronger, try Circular Cat: Walk the hands forward until you can move your hips forward, similar to a grounded Cobra pose. Take a full breath into the chest. On the exhale, keep the hands where they are as you shift your hips back toward the heels. Move slowly back and forth between the two positions to really feel the effects of the breath.

Let Yoga take you to the calm body and mind you know you need. It’s really not that hard to experience when you give some simple attention to the breath.

We are continuing our series on “Your Body on Yoga.” Today we embark on a three-part journey into the Respiratory system. The respiratory system begins in the nose and travels into the lungs and into the left chamber of the heart which receives oxygenated blood. According to Yoga, it’s the most important system of the body because it carries Prāna which is “life force energy.” 

All of this is to say that when your yoga teacher tells you to breathe in yoga class, please pay attention!!

In yoga class breathing assists us in several different ways—it increases our energy, it calms and quiets our energy, or it balances our energy. This post is part one on increasing energy through yoga. Stay tuned for parts two and three.

Lack of energy is a real problem for many people. It may be experienced as not sleeping well, waking up tired, not feeling like doing simple exercises, seeking out caffeine and sugar, and even getting sick often. I know this well! How about you?

Yoga teaches that breath is the vehicle upon which Prāna rides. Breathing well leads to a better relationship with our own energy.

The next time you are tempted to reach for food or drink to boost your energy, try one or both of these yoga exercises to increase your energy:

Move and breathe: Those of us who spend a lot of time sitting at the desk or computer have often been told to take a stretch break every hour. To make it more effective, pair movement with yogic breathing. Stand up to make more space for the lungs to move. Inhale as you lift your arms up and exhale as you lower your arms down. Inhale to lift your arms up, exhale to fold forward from the hips, inhale to stand back up and repeat several times. Inhale to reach the right arm up, exhale to lean the body to the left side. Inhale to reach the left arm up, exhale to lean the body to the right side.

How does this increase energy? All of the structures inside the body are attached to each other with connective tissue. Reaching the arms up allows more air to move into the lungs. And breathing deeply into the lungs stretches the spine and massages the heart and abdominal organs.

Practice Bellows Breath: Sit with a straight spine (in a chair or on the floor) and place the hands on the knees. The movement of the body is similar to Cat/Cow pose: Breathe in as you move your chest forward (spine is in a backbend) and exhale as you move your chest back (spine is rounding). Breathe in and breathe out strongly through the nose, as if you’re sucking in air and blowing it out through a bellows. Practice 10 breaths, take a rest and practice another 10 breaths.

How does this increase energy? Bellows breathing warms the body, stretches the spine, and increases the amount of oxygen flowing into the body. Just what you need to feel more alert, think more clearly, and move into the rest of your day with joy.

​We’re continuing our series “This is Your Body on Yoga.” We’ve already looked at three systems: nervous, skeletal and muscular. Please scroll back through the blog to read the earlier entries. Now we move on to the surprising system made up of FAT! Well, we think of it as fat, but the yogic tradition describes it as the unctuous, oily, lubricating aspect of the body. And while we modern folks often have a negative view of fat, the medical side of Yoga (known as Ayurveda) teaches that fat tissues have these functions:

• To lubricate the eyes, skin, hair, nails, lips, as well as the waste materials of urine and feces. 

• To form adequate amounts of sweat.

• To make the body firm and stable and make one impervious to exhaustion.

• To increase happiness and satisfaction with life. 

Here are three ways Yoga helps us take better care of our fat tissue:

First, it’s important to know how much fat is healthy for us according to our Ayurvedic constitution rather than try to meet some unreasonable expectation for weight and body type. Ayurveda teaches there are generally three body types: Vata types tend to be perpetually skinny and have difficulty putting on weight; Kapha types tend to be larger around the middle and have difficulty taking off weight; Pitta types tend to have more muscle tone and usually stay at a fairly consistent weight, not too much and not too little. Sadly, many Kapha types feel the pressure to create a Vata body, a task that ultimately brings disappointment because they are naturally meant to have a little more fat around the middle.

Second, Sun Salutations are an excellent way to sweat and build strength. I know a young man who started doing 45 minutes of Sun Salutations every day. He sweated profusely and dropped 20 pounds in a couple of months. This flowing set of poses is designed to warm up the body for other standing postures, but it also recruits big muscles to increase heart rate and sweating to melt away adipose tissue.

Third, Yoga integrates body, mind and spirit to tackle the bigger issues contributing to weight gain and weight loss. In the past weight gain and loss were treated like a simple math exercise—calories in and calories out. Many disappointed people have discovered that this simplistic explanation does not work. Now we know there are other factors to consider, including hormones and additives in food, as well as poor sleep, trauma and stress that play havoc with our internal hormones. Yoga uses a variety of practices to mitigate these factors: postures, meditations, breath exercises, relaxation poses, living according to our constitution and eating with the seasons. 

If you’re trying to develop a better relationship with your fat tissue, head on over to a yoga class and consider making an appointment with an Ayurveda consultant. You too can get on the fast track to happiness and satisfaction. 

I love the feeling of muscles releasing their tension. It usually happens just before I fall asleep or if I am reclining for savasana or yoga nidra. Relaxation is an essential, but often missed, action of the muscular system. Fortunately, yoga is an excellent way to experience muscle relaxation AND teach the body to receive it more easily. 

Have you ever noticed the deeper layers of tension that often exist in the body? Even when we think we’re relaxing, we’re still gripping and holding different parts of the body. Maybe it’s a place where we have an injury or chronic pain, or it might just be a place where tension likes to regularly reside in our body. Happily, if we’re aware of these places, we can actually send our attention there so we can soften and release.

Here are two ways to practice muscle relaxation through yoga:

First, go through a yoga session and end with at least 15 minutes of savasana. Here’s the magic of yoga: it begins with breathing or meditation to corral the energy (prana), gets the body moving in all directions to spread the prana, then gently pulls the prana back just enough to balance the nervous system through relaxation. If you skip savasana at the end, you still get the stretch and strength, but you don’t get the relaxation, and the yoga session is not complete.

Second, you can practice guided relaxation. There are two ways to do this: One is active and the second is passive. The active approach is called progressive relaxation where you squeeze a muscle group (like an arm or leg), hold it in the contraction for several seconds, then completely let it go. You move progressively through the body until you end with squeezing the whole body at the same time, finally releasing into full body relaxation.

The passive approach is used in yoga nidra, a guided meditation that brings peace to body, mind and spirit. In this practice the leader invites you to bring your awareness to multiple points in the body known as “marma points,” or vital energy points. You might be asked to take a breath at each point, place an image or sound at each point, or simply place your awareness there. I find it hard to do this practice without falling asleep.

The best part about these practices is that they are also training for the times when we really want to relax, such as when we’re trying to get to sleep at night. Give them a try and discover the magic of yoga for yourself.

​We’re in the middle of a three-fer on the muscular system as we continue our exploration of how yoga affects the major systems of the body. Last post was on strengthening muscles and this one is about stretching muscles. 

Stretching is the first thing people think of when they think of yoga, am I right? So many times I’ve had the “what do you do?” conversation and when folks hear I teach yoga, their defenses go up. “I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible.” My response is always the same: “Well, you’re in luck! Yoga is especially designed to increase your flexibility, so it’s made just for you!”

If you practice yoga, you’ve either been initiated into the “static” yoga group or the “flow” yoga group. The good news is you’re going to get stretch benefit from both types. Static yoga stretches have been shown to change the shape of muscles if they are practiced in a specific way: hold a comfortable stretch for 30-40 seconds, rest and repeat one more time. Practicing more than two times is not dangerous, but it doesn’t increase the effects of the stretch. Flow stretching is usually practiced through multiple repetitions of sun salutations. As the muscles get warmer, they naturally feel more flexible and fluid. 

In a perfect yoga world, this might be the end of the story. But there’s more to our muscular system than our muscles. Especially as we age, we have to take into account connective tissues, namely tendons, ligaments and fascia. 

Tendons attach muscle to bone and ligaments attach bones to each other. If you’ve ever had an injury to a tendon or muscle you know that it can be quite painful to stretch. This is because when we stretch we can’t completely isolate a muscle from all the other structures around it, including the connective tissue, bones, joints, veins, nerves and even organs! If your yoga teacher is trained in yoga therapy, they can show you how to safely stretch when you are healing from an injury.

The most exciting developments in stretching concerns fascia (pronounced “fash-uh”). Fascia is connective tissue that covers muscles, organs and bones. Its role in stretching is to aid in smooth gliding action in the muscles. As we age, however, our fascia gets drier which makes it sticky and stuck around the muscles. This stuckness can even make stretching downright painful. But there are a couple of ways to release fascia’s hold on the muscle and increase range of motion:

√ Stretch and release: Place the muscle or group of muscles into a stretch for a couple of seconds, then release out of the stretch for a couple of seconds, going back and forth 7-10 times. Finish by holding the static stretch for 30-40 seconds as described above. For example, lying on the back with the strap around the ball of one foot, wrap the strap twice around the lower leg. Stabilize the upper thigh perpendicular to the floor. Straighten and bend the lower leg 7-10 times, then hold the static stretch.

√ Stretch with resistance: Using resistance releases anti-inflammatory chemicals into the muscles. It’s an interesting way to work because it feels like you’re stretching and strengthening at the same time, and in a way, you are! For example, lying on the back with one foot on the floor and the other knee pulled in toward the chest. Cross the ankle of the top leg over the thigh of the bottom leg. Rotate the top leg away from the body, initiating this movement from the toes, shin and thigh. To increase the stretch, lift the bottom leg and hold onto the back of the thigh with both hands. Continue to resist the stretch by rotating the top leg away from the body. Hold for 30-40 seconds, rest and repeat.

Next week: All about muscular relaxation, my favorite

We are continuing our series called “This is Your Body on Yoga” where we look at the systems of the body and how yoga helps keep them healthy. Here and in the next couple of posts we’ll be exploring the muscular system which is so much more than just our muscles. 

In the Indian health system known as Ayurveda, muscles are part of the mamsa vaha srotas, which is Sanskrit for “the channel for muscle in the body.” Muscles are supported by other important structures such as fascia, tendons and even the skin, especially the deep layers of the skin that are close to the muscles and fascia. 

In just about any yoga class there will be some mention of muscles and yoga students are usually familiar with the names of some muscles too, such as hamstrings in the back of the thighs or pectorals in the front of the chest. Every muscle has tendons which attach it to bones and every muscle is surrounded by a stiffer protective tissue called fascia. Because fascia is literally all over the body from head to toe, it’s another way that our body sends messages from one end to the other.

In yoga there are three main ways we work with muscles—we strengthen, stretch or relax them. Today we’ll look at ways to strengthen muscles and leave stretching and relaxing for the next two posts.

The research on yoga is very clear: yoga strengthens your muscles. And wait, there’s more: the strengthening of muscles in turn stabilizes joints and strengthens bones. Win, win, win! But there’s a catch: you have to do weight-bearing yoga poses in order to strengthen muscles and bones and stabilize joints. Restorative yoga and yin yoga alone are not going to provide these benefits. 

Here's how to strengthen your muscles in yoga class:

√ Hold poses longer. Holding a pose keeps the muscles contracted for some time and the muscles may even start to get a little shaky. This is a good thing. In order for muscles to get stronger, they have to break down a bit so they can rebuild. For upper body strength, hold plank pose or downward-facing dog. Start with 30 seconds and work up to 2 minutes or more. For lower body strength, hold balancing poses like tree, balancing half moon or eagle for 5-7 breaths. Standing in a warrior pose, triangle pose or side angle for many breaths works too.

√ Move in and out of poses. Slow flow is another way to work muscles because the muscles are alternating between contraction and release. If you’ve tried it before you will agree that muscles get quite tired from moving this way. The classic for upper body strength is push-ups. The yoga version is called chaturanga dandasana or “four-limbed staff pose,” a position that can be quite hard on the shoulders. So maybe try doing push-ups from the knees instead. Or flow from downward-facing dog to plank to upward-facing dog 5 times. Lunges are a wonderful way to increase lower body strength too. For instance, stand in crescent lunge and straighten and bend the front knee while lowering and lifting the arms. Or stand in temple pose with feet and knees turned out. Squat up and down or lunge from side to side. As you increase the number of repetitions stay aware of your breath and pay attention to any distress you feel in wrists, shoulders, hips, knees or lower back.

Check back next week as we explore the joys of yoga stretching.

I’m kind of obsessed with the liver right now, one of the most amazing organs in the human body. Did you know that the liver is the only organ that can regenerate? Yes, only 10% of healthy liver tissue is required for the liver to grow back to full size. Amazing! 

The liver is an important pitta-dominant organ. Read more about pitta and how to live in a more healthy way this summer in last week’s blog post called “Cool the Inner Heat.” 

The liver is located on the right side of the abdomen just under the diaphragm. Ayurveda teaches that the liver is a hot organ and the emotional seat of anger in the body. Physically, the liver filters and recycles the blood, stores important nutrients, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, and removes harmful substances from the body. 

Yoga posture practice is very good for the liver, and you might enjoy prioritizing some of these things this summer or anytime you feel your liver may be compromised.

• Side bending poses, especially when bending to the left, stretch the fascial connections around the liver on the right side of the body. Examples are standing half moon, seated side bends, and—my personal favorite—lying down on the left side over a rolled blanket or bolster for a minute or two.

• Twisting poses take advantage of squeeze and soak, where we squeeze out the juices from the internal organs then allow the fluids to rush back in as we release the twist. All twists are good whether standing, seated or lying down.

• Yin yoga for the liver meridian works a lot more than just the liver itself by bringing healing energy to the whole energy line of which the liver is a part. Yin poses are held for 3-5 minutes while creating a gentle stretch into the connective tissues and joints, rather than the muscles. (This is a specialized form of yoga and you may need to receive instruction from a certified teacher to do it most effectively.) Best poses are Butterfly, Frog, Dragonfly, Shoelace, Square, Deer and Dragons.

May you enjoy the summer season! Always remember that a happy healthy summer relies on a happy healthy liver.