Cape Yoga

A calm break from worry and anxiety ~ kindness meditation

Link: http://www.kindyoga.com

Have you  thought meditation is only about making your mind go blank? And really, that doesn't seem very useful or interesting does it? 

Yogis and meditators have practiced various forms of meditation for ages, and the benefits may lead to enlightenment, but what if your goals aren't so lofty - just a reduction in blood pressure or  clearer thinking, maybe a calmer mind and a little less worry would be nice.

Here is a meditative practice called Metta, or kindness meditation you may want to try. Metta cultivates a sense of compassion for yourself and for all life, and gets you off the hamster wheel of worry and anxiety. Set aside a few minutes, it would be 5 or 10. Maybe the same few minutes you would have listened to a ryling radio show or the news that would have brought your blood pressure up.
You can begin by sitting  in a comfortable position, closing your eyes if you want to.
Sit with your back straight, without being strained or overarched.
Take a few deep breaths, relax your body. Settle into your body and into the moment.
This meditation begins with the self and then the focus broadens out to people close to you, then your community, then all beings.  You might imagine it like ripples going out in a still lake.

First, contemplate kindness for the self, Classical Metta phrases are:
"May I live in safety. May I be happy. May I be healthy, May I live with ease."

See if certain phrases emerge from your heart that express what you wish most deeply for yourself, not just for today, but in an enduring way.  Phrases that are big enough and general enough that you can ultimately wish them for all of life, for all beings every where.

Second comtemplate and repeat the phrases for a loved one, a friend or family member:

"May you live in safety. May you be happy. May you be healthy.  May you live with ease.

Then apply the pharase to someone you don't really know - consider the bank teller or cashier you saw this morning, and again repeat the phrases: May you live in safety, etc.

Lastly apply the contemplation to all beings - you can include all people, animals, trees, etc.
"May all beings live in safety, May all beings live with ease, etc.
You can repeat these phrases over and over again, have your mind rest in the phrases and whenever you find your attention has wandered, just see if you can gently let go and begin again.

Try this paractice for a few weeks and see what happens. So much research is now being done on the benefits of meditation, and the results are amazing health benefits which affect the health of your heart and mind.

check out the center for mindfulness at UMass http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/index.aspx

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Yoga to help you deal with the Cold, Rainy, Dark, Damp Cape Codness that happens in October

Link: http://www.kindyoga.com

Does the cold dark damp weather at the end of fall on Cape Cod take away your bright spirits, and leave you with a bad attitude?  For me, the damp drizzle sneaks in like a mugger - leaving me super cranky and short fused.

After being hard to deal with for a while, I realize that maybe I'm not just a difficult person, it's the lack of light and lack of being outdoors that's getting to me.

Here are a few yoga moves that get me back on track - after my one hour yoga practice today I am actually likable and nice....but that doeasn't mean you wouldn't benefit from just 3 simple practices:

1. Adjust your attitude - no I don't meean some shlocky affirmation like "I am rich" .  Attitude adjustment starts with the present moment and being appreciative just to have woken up this morning. You may want to just notice the present moment and notice any signs of aliveness in your body.  Stretch, and breath in deeply - expand your aliveness by bringing awareness to what does work - often we are so concerned about some pain or creaky joints - Take a few moments and actually notice what's right.

2. Backbend: standup and gently stretch your arms up and arch back, then placing your palms in your lower back area.  Take a forward fold, stand upright again, and rub your hands together vigorously until you feel some heat and electricity. Take that warmth and electricity to your lower back again, imagine it warming up your kidneys ( in the view of the acupuncture system, kidneys contract when it's cold out, so send them some love and warmth)

3. Tap your fingers rapidly across your upper chest -this gets your sluggish lymph moving and helps detox the sludge that may be building up if you haven't been as active lately. Especially if you are infront of a computer and hunched forward a bit, you are not allowing your lymph to flow freely.

ps - and the next time the sun comes out, run, get out there, see daylight before it goes away for the winter!

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Yoga and Weight Loss

Link: http://www.kindyoga.com

According to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, confirms that practicing Yoga at least once a week is associated with mindful eating = weight loss. People who eat slowly and with awareness to their eating are less likely to be overweight.

This isn't the usual promise of weight loss that so many diet pills and fad diets make - it's steady and long term and includes a regularl weekly commitment to ones yoga practice.

"In our earlier study, we found that middle-age people who practice yoga gained less weight over a 10-year period than those who did not. This was independent of physical activity and dietary patterns. We hypothesized that mindfulness – a skill learned either directly or indirectly through yoga – could affect eating behavior," said Kristal, associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

The study found that people who ate mindfully weighed less than those who ate mindlessly, (eating in response to anxiety or depression or when not hungry)  The researchers also found a strong association between yoga practice and mindful eating but found no association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating.

In reference to article from Yoga Journal .com

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7 steps to headache cure with yoga

Link: http://www.kindyoga.com

This weather is a bit muggy, maybe the heat is getting to me today, the head slowly aches and the eyes are tired.....and I am grumpy too 

Here's the yoga cure, it just worked on me!  (seated)

1. Take about 7 long slow deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, gets the oxygen into the bloodstream

2. Gentle to moderate pressure on the back of the scalp -  right into the occipital ridge at the base of the skull

3. Let the head slowly roll forward, from shoulder to shoulder (not roll back, that's not always good for everyone)

4. Press firmly on the point between the thumb and forefinger (in the v between the fingers) both hands

5. Stretch arms up overhead and inhale as you arch back, exhale release arms down 3X come back to center

6. Press on  both brows with your palms - hold and press for about 3 slow breaths

7. Stretch right arm up overhead, bend elbow and hold opposite ear, stretch neck slowly toward right, using the weight of your arm (no wrenching, even though the headache may be wrenching), deep breath, then do opposite arm to ear

total this should all take approx. 6-10 minutes

helps the headache, but still grumpy. diane

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Rejuvenate your aching Back, Yoga as you sit glued to your computer

Link: http://www.KindYoga.com

I just noticed my spine screaming at me as I spend the 2nd hour answering email, catching up on work and slipping down that slidy slope of FaceBook...I won't get up, must finish this chat....

Here is a mini break for the spine, it will buy me one more hour at the computer, here it is,
the yoga secret of 4 rejuvenating movements of the spine,
without getting out of your chair:

a. Elongate, sit up, breathe, lengthen the spine as if you are trying to grow taller an inch or two.

b. Gently arch back inhale, gently arch forward exhale, keeping the elongation of the spine.

c. Slowly lift and stretch laterally - to the side, left and right - you might try to reach down the side of your chair.

d. Elongate and twist slowly to left and right.

Now that you feel better, go ahead, shlump and let your head come forward as you reglue your eyeballs to the screen, and become computer zombie again.

Diane

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