Yoga by the Water!

We had a beautiful session this morning on the dock overlooking the Baylands.

• Gentle Breeze
• Morning Sun
• Birds Chirping
• Natural Surrounding
• Flowing Water
• Rejuvenating

Namaste!

Meditation in Golden Gate Cemetery!

Meditation: Today I meditated in the U.S. Golden Gate Cemetery in San Francisco, CA.

Peaceful. Contemplative.

I meditated about faith. How we walk by faith in this life. How faith is a strength. How faith gets us through a lot of struggles in our life. It's maintaining an attitude of hope during the hard times instead of withering to despair. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quence all the fiery darts of the wicked." Ephesians 6:16

As these men and women died in maintaining my freedom, I will choose to be grateful and have faith.

Corporate Chair Yoga

I participated in a 3-Day Wellness Event that Bay Alarm put on for their employees. Highlights:

6 Ways to Reduce Stress
1- Deep Breathing (close eyes, deep inhale 4 counts, exhale 6 counts, repeat for 5 minutes)
2- Aroma (smells: lavender, eucalyptus, lemon)
3- Soothing Music
4- Stretching Muscles (3 main areas we hold stress: neck, shoulders, back)
5- Exercise
6- Health Eating

Remember to take a 5-10 minute break at your desk and do some deep breathing and stretching!

Therapy Balls in your practice!

Enjoy this practice! It can be very relaxing!

• Massage Balls are a great way to relieve stress from your  muscles. 
• Size: You can use a variety of balls depending on your needs. The size we used here worked really well for the back and spine as we relaxed into our poses. Smaller balls could work well for legs and arms.
• Roll the back on muscle to relieve tension
• Lye on the ball to put pressure on knots and release tension
• Don't forget to BREATHE!
• Hold your poses for several minds

Adaptive Yoga for Spinal Cord Injuries

ESTABLISH GOALS AND PURPOSE

Adaptive Yoga varies from person to person. 

Have a candid conversation with your yoga instructor from the beginning on your goals.

Explain your areas of injuries and capacity so you don't cause more harm to your injury.

Meet frequently with your instructor based on your goals. I encourage my clients to meet weekly or twice a week for the first few weeks.

Meditation Techniques

• Sit in a comfortable seated position 
• Hands on your knees, palms facing up
• First 2 fingers together in gana mudra 
• Eyes open if you're in nature (closed in a studio) 
• Breathe in through your nose, out through your nose
• Breathing: Inhale for 5-7 seconds, Exhale for 5-7 seconds. Holding your breath isn't recommended for this meditation. 
• Invite students to focus on their breath and listen to the sounds around them (or to the silence or calming music in studio)
• Starting Meditation: should last for 3-5 minutes. Longer if focus is on meditation.
• Ending Meditation: 3-5 minutes (longer if desired) 

Benefits of doing Yoga in Nature!

Benefits:Yoga in Nature!
This week we held our morning yoga practice in a bird preserve natural park. Here are a few benefits we received...

• Rejuvenated the body as we felt the gentle breeze from the water during asana positions
• Calmed the mind as we listened to the peaceful chirping of birds during Shavasana
• Relaxed the heart as we increased our appreciation and connection with nature during opening meditation

The perfect way to touch each of the 3 areas of yoga; body, heart and mind!