The Yogini from Manila

April 12, 2009
by Yogajane
1 Comment

Stress Can Age You

If stress does not kill you, it will at least age you.

Here’s a quick question. If you were to ask your friends (who obviously do not know your real age) how old you are, what do you think would their guess be. Would they think you are older or younger than your chronological age?

I just concluded a project with a company that had very high levels of stress. Although I promised myself that by going back to corporate work I would not let go of my yoga classes, I found myself missing first one class, then two, and before I knew it, I was going months without a yoga practice to speak of. Without my knowing it, I became too absorbed in work and its toxic effects. When I settled back into home life in January of this year, I got sick – TWICE. I think my body, running on adrenalin for the longest time, suddenly felt the letdown of all those months and broke down.

A few months into a home-based life again, I find myself able to resume yoga, be with my kids more (esp. now that it’s summer) and attend blogging events which are far, far from stress. Ever since I ventured into yoga, I have gotten comments from people I bump into and who knew me from decades ago when I was an upcoming corporate executive well-entrenched in the rat race, that I look younger now than I did then. I call yoga my age-regressing stress management treatment.

A finding that was presented at the 114th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) shows that “age may be more related to reactions to stress and the absence of disease rather than to a person’s chronological age…“ Chronic stress, the kind that drags on rather than being just a momentary crisis, can drastically affect hormonal levels and shift the body’s hormonal balance.

Researcher Elissa Epel of the University of California, San Francisco, says it is likely that the imbalance in the hormones is responsible for many of the psychiatric and medical diseases associated with aging. Epel also said that chronically elevated cortisol reduces lean mass, bone density and shifts fat distributions that can precede the onset of many age-related diseases like osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and major depression.

An article “Chronic Stress May Make You Age Faster” states that older adults often face chronic stress in the form of social isolation, bereavement, financial stress and caregiving. However, not all adults handle chronic stress the same way. Those able to take such stressors in stride often look younger than more stressed adults their age.

But there is good news: a healthy lifestyle and exercise can modify some of the hormonal effects that seem to accelerate aging. The article gave out some stress management techniques which I used as a benchmark against how I was doing in these areas:

* moderate exercise (reason why I am into yoga!)

* adequate sleep (this is still an area I need a lot of work on)

* being able to manage one’s goals and expectations (a trial and error situation till now but I am continuing to learn)

* accepting that one cannot always control things (yes, I used to be a control freak; I am learning to let go more often…)

* finding meaning in life (the raison d’etre for my other blog, Here’s to Life!)

* strengthening social ties (one of the major reasons why I am into blogging. I draw life from being around young bloggers)

* having spiritual or religious beliefs (being part of a prayer community for many years has given me a link to the Divine that I call on under stressful situations)

Are the effects of aging stress reversible?

If I go by my own personal experience, the answer is a resounding and reassuring YES!!!

Go ahead. Take the age test. Go ask a friend how old he/she thinks you are. Do not be upset by the answer if it was not what you expected. Take their answer as a chance to honestly look at yourself in the mirror and see how the stress you are subject to is affecting how you look. Identify those stressors and see what stress management techniques you can apply to start you off on the road to reversing its aging effects.

Do something NOW, while your body has not yet fallen into the disease traps set by stress. This is your gift not only to your loved ones, but most especially, a gift to YOURSELF!

March 17, 2009
by Yogajane
0 comments

Off Topic: Romance Contest in My Other Blog (Pond’s Kit at stake)

(Note: this contest is now closed.)

For yogis and yoginis who are married — just a heads-up that my other blog, Here’s To Life!, has tied up for a blog promo where the prizes at stake are up to 5 Pond’s Age Miracle Microdermabrasion Kits!

All you have to do is share how you keep the fire of romance burning in your marriages. Open to husbands and wives who are residents of the Philippines. Entries accepted till midnight of March 27, 2009.

For rules, click HERE.

March 17, 2009
by Yogajane
1 Comment

Report Card: March 16-17, 2009 & Wishes for Yoga for Seniors

I still have not resumed formal yoga classes with my teacher. Instead I have been doing self yoga just to keep my muscles exercised.

Yesterday, I went beyond my normal 2-3 lap warmup walk on the treadmill and went for 1.6kms of brisk walking in preparation for this Saturday’s Walk a Green Mile Walkathon with Ipanema. That took me all of 25 minutes. And my stamina was still up afterwards. That’s a good sign!

I went through a 1.5 hour yoga routine — slowly, at my own pace, breathing slowly, trying to get the asana right. This is the part I enjoy. I have all the time to get into the pose without having to follow the teacher’s count. This way, I can take it slow and easy but still reap the benefits of holding the pose and sweating it out.

A difficulty I noted at certain points of my practice was a pain I had on the inner right thigh running from the crotch area to the knee. I felt that pain doing Trikonasana (Triangle) and the Wide-Angle Forward Bend so I ended up modifying my poses and easing up whenever I felt the pain. It seems like my muscles here have become inflexible once more so it will take patience to work out the kinks once again and bring flexibility back.

This week, I plan to resume formal yoga classes. Maybe that will help me get back into shape faster.

On another bright note, I had the chance to talk about my yoga experience with friends who are in the prime of life. One of them is into Taebo, a regimen she took up after retiring from work. But she confessed that it did not seem enough as she felt not all her muscles were being exercised. I showed her some easy yoga asanas she could do and she seemed really interested in taking up yoga.

This brings me though to a thought because I believe that those starting yoga at her age should not be placed in classes with students half their age. They should be in gentle yoga classes — those cut out for senior citizens or maybe for those 50 and above who are just testing the waters of yoga. And the program has to be tailored to certain concerns at that age — how to combat the onset of osteoporosis, achieving balance to avoid falls, building mass and reducing fat, and gland disorders, among others. And the poses must all be modified and easy, at least until they can become comfortable moving to the next level.

But most yoga classes being offered are too intensive for their age category!

I hope I can find a studio that is willing to take up a program for this category of students in the future. Yoga benefits people of ALL ages and the ones who really need it most are those who have led stressful, unhealthy, inflexible lives and are just realizing it at this point in their senior lives and wish to reverse at least part of the consequences.

Namaste.

March 16, 2009
by Yogajane
0 comments

A Great Yoga eBook

Scribd.com is a site where one can upload documents, books, papers that one has written or has copyright privileges to. It supports many formats (PDF included) and even allows you to download a piece of work if you are allowed to by the original author who uploaded the document/book. For documents that are copyrighted, you can read the book/document right from the browser window itself.

I found this world-famous Maran Illustrated Yoga ebook that can be read at Scribd’s site.

maran-illustrated-yoga

Here are the links to some chapters. Other chapters are not available at the site.

I have browsed the ebook’s chapters and found it very helpful and informative regardless of the yoga level you are in (beginner or avid yogi/yogini). Hope you find it as interesting as I did!

Chapter 1: Yoga Basics (not available)

Chapter 2: Yoga and Breathing

Chapter 3: Warm-Up Poses (not available)

Chapter 4: Seated Poses

Chapter 5: Seated Forward Bends

Chapter 6: Chair Poses

Chapter 7: Standing Poses

Chapter 8: Standing Balancing Poses (not available)

Chapter 9: Standing Forward Bends (not available)

Chapter 10: Table Poses

Chapter 11: Back Bends

Chapter 12: Inversions

Chapter 13: Reclined Poses

Chapter 14: Relaxation & Restorative Poses

Chapter 15: Practices (not available)

January 18, 2009
by Yogajane
4 Comments

Report Card: January 16, 2009

Yesterday was my boys’ Parent-Teacher Conference. I had to visit several teachers and this got me walking up and down the various floors, from 3rd to 5th floors. After the last teacher, I headed off to the gym to do a round of yoga.

These have been really cool days so after my usual 2 laps on the treadmill, I felt like I could do a lot more so I upped my walking to 3 laps, then 4. All in all — 25 minutes of treadmill. And if not for the time, I believe I could have done still another lap.

This would be my 3rd self-practice this week and slowly, my muscles are remembering what I used to do. After my first yoga, the muscles began hurting (in the shoulders, my arms, back of my legs). As I began my routine, I realized that there was no sign of pain where I was hurting a few days ago. At least if there was any, it was tolerable.

I took my Surya Namaskars very slowly, trying to hold each one at 4 breaths each and making sure I paid attention to alignment and breath rather than doing it at a hurried pace. In a sense I was glad I wasn’t in a formal class where I had to catch up with everyone else. This time, I could go into the pose slowly, at my own pace, taking care that I did no abrupt movements that could cause injury. I went on to balancing poses, twists, forward bends, the shoulderstand, and chest opening asanas. And during Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), I extended my outstretched arm further back than I would do in a vinyasa class — the Anusara way.

It just felt so good to do the familiar asanas once again!

I still have not dared many of my ‘enemy’ poses for fear of injury but over the next few yoga sessions, I will attempt them once again. My greatest difficulties, as always are the hip opening poses as well as those involving my shoulder joints due to tightness and inflexibility.

Wish me luck!

Namaste.

January 11, 2009
by Yogajane
2 Comments

The Trek Back to Yoga

It’s shocking to realize that my last yoga post was dated September 2008!!!

Yes, folks, the last quarter of 2008 was not good in terms of my yoga practice. Work overtook me, overwhelmed me, sucked me into the rat race, stressed me out. Yoga was definitely put in the back burner. I was lucky if I got to squeeze in time for home practice even.

Yesterday, I went back to the gym and yoga for the first time….excited to be working out again…and yet anxious to find out what I had to re-learn and work on again.

The first thing I did to warm up again was to hit the treadmill. After 10 minutes of brisk walking, I found myself still eager to go on. Another 5 minutes. Still not breathless. Whoo! Think all that walking from office to the MRT station almost daily had kept me fit at least for walking! So, I added another 5 minutes of walking. Total of 20 minutes. Not bad for a balik-gymnista!

I planned to do a light yoga routine. No pigeons, no camels, definitely no monkey poses. Just the balancing poses, Surya Namaskars, forward bends, some twists and a few supine asanas.

Here is a report card of last night’s workout:

Balance poses – pretty good. I was not falling out like I did a few months back. Good sign that I still had enough balance to keep me upright. But…I felt tight around the hips and need to work on opening them up once again.

Surya Namaskars – fair and basic. I did them mostly with knees to floor with a few where I tried the staff pose. No transitions though from staff to upward dog. That will be for much later when I get into better shape. In the run-up to doing the Trikonasana (Triangle) when one foot is in front of the other (both straight) and I had to bend forward, I clearly felt my hamstrings tighten up. So I went forward only as far as I could without aiming to touch my knee. I also felt myself getting tired easily doing these Sun salutations. A sign that I am NOT in shape. More work here!

Forward bends – I did them standing and seated. Felt some tightness in some poses but got my forehead to my calves most times. Did the wide-angle forward bends and somehow managed to get forehead to floor still. My hamstrings though really feel tight and at times cause me pain. I think the day-long seating in the office is really harmful in terms of flexibility. How long it will take me to loosen the hamstrings again is up in the air…

Supine poses – Did the Fish, Bridge and Shoulderstand. Not bad but again, they all stand a lot of improvement!

Twists – The only ones I did were on my back, sole of foot to other knee, twisting left and right. Yes, my spine was tight because I could not get bent knee to floor, both ways. Another set of asanas that need to be worked on! *sigh*

It was not disappointing, this first workout for 2009. I guess I am just glad to be back on the machines and on my mat.

The trek back to yoga will not be easy but I know I will be learning lessons once again as I take up my passion from where I left off.

I am definitely looking forward to this freedom once more, to open up my 5 senses to the world around me, casting away the stress and toxins, nurturing my body and soul once again, and basking in the moments given me to enjoy precious time with those I love.

Namaste!

September 28, 2008
by Yogajane
2 Comments

Yoga Update (Sept. 27, 2008)

Just a short post…

I found the energy and will to go to the gym yesterday. There were only a few people working out so I had a choice of which treadmill to use.

Did only 2 laps on the treadmill just to jumpstart my muscles, then proceeded to the vacant room where I laid out my yoga mat and rug. A long meditation period followed.

My sun salutations were slow and unhurried. I chose not to jump backwards though I would jump forward. And I tried to pay attention to my alignment, going slow but ensuring I did it as teacher Pio would have wanted.

I was glad for one thing (relieved is a better term, maybe) that I managed decent forward bends this time (standing and seated) unlike the last time when these were very difficult to manage. At least I got my forehead to the floor doing the wide-angle seated forward bend!

Spinal twists were ok, some difficulty experienced but nevertheless passable. And my shoulderstand was still ok although doing the plow made me experience some discomfort in the thighs.

I could feel some inflexibility still. Got to find a decent schedule for attending yoga classes. My work only allows me to get to Ortigas for the Tuesday-Thursday classes but these are intense and I cannot do intense yoga yet. Unless I am setting myself up for injury. So I need to be patient and do self practice until I can bring myself back to my form prior to my long absence.

Fingers are crossed for now…

September 17, 2008
by Yogajane
3 Comments

Even Gentle Yoga Was Not Gentle Enough!

It all started with son M1 who came down with a bad cough after being soaked in last week’s rains. Then C1 came down with the flu. Over the weekend, hubby began coughing and as our room is airconditioned, the germs were probably circulating around. It was just a matter of time before the bug hit me too.

These last 2 days were days I had not had in a while. I can’t remember the last time I was this sick. Chills, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing….

Today, I was a bit better and thought of doing some gentle yoga since I had neglected my practice for quite some time.

It was worse than I thought.

As I began with balance poses, I knew my body was out of sync. I was falling out of an easy Tree Pose! Then when I began the sun salutations, the downward dogs were tough as my arms could not seem to hold my body weight and I felt I had no strength to go from chaturanga to upward dog.

In the forward bends, my body felt stiff and the forward bends I used to do effortlessly came at a great effort. A few spinal twists, the Bridge Pose and the Fish Pose and I was ready to get into Savasana already!

In a way I was disappointed as this was clearly a setback for me. It will take a while again till I am back to form. But I was glad I had the will power to get back into the practice. I had to remind myself that this is not a competition and that there are benefits to the body regardless of whether you do only simple poses or get into the really complicated ones.

Today, gentle yoga was clearly not gentle as my body felt like it was an alien to yoga altogether. But if I can get enough time to practice more regularly, at my own pace first then later with a class, I think I can get back into my body rhythm.

September 8, 2008
by Yogajane
5 Comments

Global Mala Project 2008

Teresa Herrera just gave me a heads-up on the upcoming Global Mala Project in Manila on Sept. 20 (Sat). On her blog, Teresa describes Global Mala:

The purpose of the Global Mala Project is to unite the global yoga community from every continent in the world, forming a “mala around the earth” through collective practices based upon the sacred cycle of 108. Coinciding with the Fall Equinox and the United Nations International Day of Peace, studios, teachers and organizations across the globe will create fundraising celebrations, raising awareness for some of the most essential issues of our times: Climate Change, Children of War, Youth Aids. This event is the largest unified worldwide yoga event, dedicated to positive change, in the history of the planet.

I missed Global Mala last year but will try to make it this time. For those of you interested in experiencing this, contact Pulse Yoga. The schedule for the day is below:

GLOBAL MALA PROJECT
SATURDAY/ SEPT 20, 2008
9AM-9PM
@ PULSE YOGA MAKATI
2289 UPRC III Building, Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati (next to Chrysler showroom, follow the driveway to the back of the building)
tel: 0917-84-PULSE (78573) —please RSVP to reserve space.

SUGGESTED DONATION FEE: PHP 1,000 ( whole day admission)

Day Flow:

9:00am Opening Ceremony/ Welcome greetings

9:30am-10:30am 108 Rounds of Gayatri Mantra

10:00am-12:00nn 108 Rounds of Namaskars

12-1 pm L U N C H

*there will be simultaneous sessions going on all afternoon

1:15pm-2:00pm Lecture: Beyond the Seven Chakras with Jeannie Javelosa (Yoga Manila)

2:00pm-3:30pm Drumming Workshop with Inky de Dios (Bateria Brigada)

2:30pm-3:30pm Gentle Yoga with Linda Naulty (Yoga Manila)

3:30pm-4:30pm Inner dance workshop with Lisette (Inner Dance Manila)

4:00pm-5:00pm Intro to Ashtanga with Tesa Celdran (Pulse Yoga)

4:30pm- 5:30pm Bikram Yoga with Tristan Choa (Bikram Yoga Manila)

5:00pm-6:00pm Kirtan with Punnu & Sing India ( Punnu, CJ Vasu & Babaji)

6pm-7pm D I N N E R

7:30PM-8:30pm Yoga Trance Dance with Teresa Herrera

8:30pm-9:00pm CLOSING CEREMONY

August 19, 2008
by Yogajane
6 Comments

Tonight’s Yoga: Arm & Core Strengtheners, Partner Yoga Backbends

Here’s a run-up of some stuff we did in yoga class today:

ARM STRENGTHENERS

Pio told us today that the difference between men and women is this. Men have upper arm strength; women are more flexible. This is why I guess men go for the pumping iron kind of workouts while women gravitate towards pilates and yoga.

But Pio also said something tonight. What we often do not want to do as an exercise or pose is oftentimes what we need. So while men like to do weights and upper torso pumping machines, what they actually need is to do exercises for flexibility. Conversely, women like us who are naturally flexible should work on strengthening our upper arms in order to do more advanced yoga asanas.

This mini-lecture on arm strengthening then led to us doing the Side Plank Yoga Pose (Vasisthasana in Sanskrit).

Side Plank Pose-basic (Vasisthasana)

This pose looks easy but wait till you do it. There are 2 things to note when trying this asana:

1. For beginners, its best to start with one knee on the floor, the other leg straight behind you. Then you go into the Triangle pose with one hand on the floor, the other above it in T-form.

2. Next, once you are grounded, straighten the bent knee and cross that leg over the straight one or, like the picture above, both feet are stacked one on top of the other.

In doing this pose, you need to watch the following:

1. See the supporting arm? It is in a direct L-angle with the hand which is palm flat on the floor with fingers spread apart. The L-shape allows part of the body weight to shift and be firmly supported by that angle.

2. The length of the leg nearest the floor should not collapse downward. Rather one should push it upward to shift some body weight and redistribute it all over the body so that the supporting arm does not catch it all.

The first time you try this, you may notice your supporting arm wobbling. It means the arm has not yet built enough strength to carry your body weight. In time, you will find yourself getting steadier and steadier in this pose.

Over time, the goal is to be able to strengthen the arms enough in order to go into this more advanced pose:

Side Plank Pose (advanced)

* * * * *

CORE STRENGTHENERS

Mula Bandha (or the core) is very important. It is key to being able to do the headstands, arm balances and other poses that require core strength.

Tonight, Pio made us do the Boat Pose in different variations:

1. Balancing on one’s sitting bones with legs raised in V-shape while you hold your big toes.

2. Shifting from the V-pose to pulling both legs together. Legs are still straight out while you are balanced on your sitting bones.

3. While in position #2, pull both straight legs nearer to your forehead as in this pose:

….and thanks to the quick eye of my yogini friend Chona, she was able to capture my first attempt at this pose with her camera… (thanks, Chon!)

Frame-by-frame Dhanurasana attempt with Pio coaching me

* * * * *

PARTNER YOGA BACKBENDS

Difficulty with backbends including the Bow can best be practiced with a partner.

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

Pio was my partner for this. And thank goodness, because backbends are one of my difficult areas!

He made me do the Bow pose while he stood behind me with bent legs. I was made to hook my feet around the back of his knees as he held me around the shoulders. Then he slowly straightened his legs, making him pull my shoulders back to make my back curve even more so that the Bow pose looks more like a letter U.

Backbends run counter pose to what I do all day at the office — bend forward on my desk. So I am thankful Pio helped me with this pose tonight.

Ouch!!! I am now nursing sores in the lower back areas which had to be bent this way and that but I am hopeful that with constant practice and the aid of a partner, flexibility in doing backbends can still be achieved.