2 Yoga Hand Mudras

Many times in yoga, usually when sitting cross legged or when doing Savasana,  a relaxing pose that is much like a wide awake nap (I have drifted off during it) we are told to touch our forefinger and thumb together and keep the others loose. I always wondered the reason for this.

This is called a mudra and for this move it's know as the Guyana or Chin Mudra. Mudra means "seal" in sanskrit and is used to channel a body's energy flow. According to Yoga Journal.com in this mudra the index finger represents individual consciousness and the thumb represents universal consciousness. The index finger represents the limited perspective of self and the thumb is the expanded perspective of Self. When the two join, the limited self is connected to the spacious Universal Self.

This mudra creates a more receptive state and also calms the mind. It also helps to get rid of "dull energy" and brightens a persons mood. I have met many cranky people who could use this.

Placing your hands together is known as the Anjali Mudra. The hands are placed together and held in the heart area honor and is used to express love, gratitude and the respect you have shown yourself and the universe.

It all may sound airy fairy but I use these daily in my affirmations and visualizations and must say, they do help.

The Yoga and Wellness Show

Today I went to the Yoga and Wellness Show at the Enercare building on the CNE grounds. I have done yoga from time to time and find it very helpful. I've been meaning to do it more often. Also, I am trying to live a more healthy lifestyle so figured this show might be for me.

The Yoga & Wellness Show features all vendors big and small who have something to contribute to the show in various health conscious categories including yoga studios, gym memberships, healthy nutrition, naturopathy, spiritual well being, food sampling, clothing and jewellery, motivational speaking, meditative arts, aromatherapy, all the shopping you could ask for and so much more!
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Yoga Show goers are encouraged to bring a mat, (or buy one at the show!) and throw your mat down in the Zen Zone to participate in free yoga classes. Hatha, vinyasa, acro, and maybe even a dance or two. All yoga levels are welcome!

In the first aisle was Succuterra. I am a fan of cactus. They take absolutely no work and thrive on neglect. Just the type of plant I need.

See the ones in the back of the picture below. They are lythops, also know as living rocks. I have been looking for these for years.

These are the two that called out to me to bring them home, which I did. I likely will be ordering some more online too.

There were a lot of booths so I'm only going to show those I had an interest in such as Bounce who make health food snacks. The ones I tried were tasty.

The folks at nuPasta made up pesto pasta with their pasta. It was delicious so I bought three different ones.

I sampled some health drinks from Avazera.

Almost, yes, I almost, oh I came so very close to buying a hat from In the Ville.

This fit so perfectly and looked great on me. It was all the willpower I could muster not to buy it.

Pure Leaf Ice Tea were giving out samples. I have bought them many times in the past.

Passport to Prana had an interesting concept. For $30, a person gets one free class per studio, per year at all participating yoga studios in your city.

The schedule for the Zen Zone for free yoga and meditation sessions.

I received some free samples from Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods to eat as a snack or sprinkle on my oatmeal, plus there were already sample from them in the goody bag I received at the door.

The orange drink from BioSteel was tasty.

I finished my day with a 30 minute Thai massage from King Thai Massage. When I watched them work on others, I could not pass that up. It felt fantastic and worked out all my kinks. I was quite sad when it was over.

I enjoyed the show and would not hesitate to go back again next year.

Ashtanga Yoga with Ella

No, I can't do this! Really doubt if I ever will. Never had a very flexible body but am working on it.

I had missed the last three weeks of Yoga, twice because of fencing and once because Teena and I had plans but today was back at it.

Ella, our instructor (yogi?) had been pushing to get another 15 minutes added to our class and has succeeded. So now instead of silently cursing her for an hour, I have to come up with new curse words for the extra 15 minutes.

All kidding aside, Ella is an excellent instructor, demonstrating different ways to work a position, walking the class ensuring everyone is doing their version correctly, and giving us all one hell of a hard workout.

Today I could tell I missed 3 weeks. I felt it in every movement. Now, an hour or so after finishing, the body is sore but loose. I have felt many benefits from my weekly class and am glad that I am back at it.

I also plan now to take Tuesday classes with another instructor at the gym. If she is half as good as Ella, then it will be a worthwhile class.

More Ashtanga Yoga

Another Saturday, another Ashtanga yoga class.

I missed last week's class. I was just exhausted and slept in 'til 10:30 but this week I was there.

I find that the benefits of all the stretching we do in yoga class carries over to the next day or two. It's a good thing as I have two fencing tournaments tomorrow, Veteran Foil at 9 AM and Veteran Sabre at 2 PM. It should take me a lot less time to stretch out before and between tournaments and perhaps will increase the length and explosiveness of my attacks.

Yoga is helping me.

Ella, our instructor, will not be there next week as she is going to a yoga retreat. I wonder if all the yoga instructors get competitive and try to out "pose" each other. Now that would be a hoot to see.

By the way, the woman pictured is Bette Calman, who is 83 years old, and still teaches yoga classes 11 times a week. She has been doing yoga for more than 40 years. Looks like yoga helps!

Ashtanga Yoga and My Knee

This is the sixth week in a row that I have gone to yoga. I can see the benefits.

Fencing has made my hip area very tight. This is especially evident down my left leg, which is the leg I drive off of when doing a lunge. The glutes, hip abductors and quads are tighter and more developed than those on my right.

Last year I experienced some bad pain on the inside of my knee. Shannon, my chiropractor, is very experienced in soft tissue work. She told me that I don't have trouble with my knees but the pain I feel is all the muscles from the tightness on my right side being so tight and pulling up on that area in my knee which also is attached to the muscles in my calves, which too are tight and pulling in the opposite direction.

No wonder it hurt.

She told me to keep my hips and legs well stretched, which I tried to do, but the pain persisted.

I noticed this week that since I started doing the Ashtanga yoga, the pain is gone. Just up and left. I thought back and it has been weeks since I felt it. There are some things you don't miss when they're gone. Pain is one of them.

I started taking yoga just to make my body more flexible but now am experiencing added benefits.

So as much as I silently curse Ella under my breath as I'm doing some of the more awkward poses (or my version of them) I'll keep going. It is helping me so much.

Flow Yoga

Flow Yoga helps to link posture and breath together within a series of sequential movements. This process helps to build muscular strength and better flexibility.

Today I tried Flow Yoga for the first time. I have done a little Hatha Yoga in the fall and for the past five weeks have spent my Saturday mornings, including yesterday, doing Ashtanga Yoga. I had no idea what to expect, except that I would likely be bent and twisted in ways that my body does not appreciate.

Katherine led the class and did a good job. I would place Flow yoga halfway between Hatha and Ashtanga for the pace of the movements. It was a good session.

As usual, I would sometimes take a break from a position when my shoulder started to feel stress (two small tears in my right rotator cuff) and sometimes take the less aggressive pose, but I do feel well worked out. Flow does work up a sweat and does cause some cursing.

Next Sunday afternoon I have my first foil competition and will attend this class again beforehand to get my body well stretched out and breathing set.

Ashtanga Yoga - Week 4

Another Saturday morning and another trip out into the cold, over to the gym for a session of Ashtanga Yoga. Next week will find me doing the same thing again.

When I got there Ella, our instructor, came over to say she was happy to see that I am staying with it, and that I seem very focused when I am doing it. She asked if I noticed any difference in myself since I started. I explained that I did, how fencing tightens up the hip area, and how I noticed the yoga making my hips feel looser and more "open". One day I will be able to fully explain the concept of "open hips". I also told her how it has been helping my shoulder which has a couple of small tears in the rotator cuff.

I did not tell her how I swear at her under my breath at times!

This past week at fencing practice, Fred, who is a fencing coach at York University and fences with us at Bladeworks Fencing Club, commented that I seem to have more range with my blade. Before I had great difficulty in blocking (parrying) an attack that came from below the waist. My shoulder would lock and hurt when I tried to hold my blade low and out (parry second) but Wednesday was doing this with ease.

Is yoga helping? Oh yeah!

Which is why I continue to go.

Ashtanga Yoga - Week 3

Once again and, despite a wind chill of -25C, I was off to another session of Ashtanga Yoga at 99 Sudbury

Ashtanga is power based yoga where students will work on full sun salutations, aspects of standing, seated and closing asana. An exploration of the variations within the asana will allow each student to progress safely and healthily.

Despite my whining, I am finding it very helpful. Afterward my body feels well stretched and balanced. I joke that my hips feel "opened", yet they do feel opened. Fencing tightens up my hip flexors and glutes. Yoga stretches them back out.

So next Saturday, you will again find me "opening my hips" at yoga class.

Ashtanga Yoga – Week 2 - I Hate Yoga

There I was ... right leg forward and straight, left leg back and straight, my left shoulder lifted high (my version of high) up towards the ceiling directly over my right shoulder (supposedly). My right hand was on the inside of my right calf and my left lifted straight upwards towards the Gods. I looked to my right and saw the clock.

It was only 11 o’clock. I still had a half hour to go!

My muscles were protesting what they were asked to do and my tee shirt and pants were more than damp with sweat. Ashtanga yoga is a fast paced workout. It does stretch out everything in my body.

Ella is a terrific instructor. She will show different versions of the same move depending on your experience and flexibility. She came by a couple of times to fix a position I would be awkwardly in. Apparently I was not uncomfortable enough in my position so she would put a knee against my back to lengthen my spine or grab my arm to stretch it higher to the ceiling, just so it would stretch and hurt a little more.

I know that yoga is so good for me, it helps my fencing and I do feel so much better after.

But I hate yoga!

And I’ll keep going again and again and again.

My First Ashtanga Yoga Session

Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga transmitted to the modern world by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures — a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.

I had my first Ashtanga Yoga session this morning at the 99Sudbury Sport, Fitness and Social Club, where I am a member. In the fall, I had started to take Hatha Yoga on Sunday mornings at 99Sudbury which was led by Kaya, an excellent and helpful instructor. The Sunday classes were cancelled for the new year and I hoped this could replace it, although I didn't know what the difference would be.

It was hard. I'll admit it that I find yoga in general very hard to do. My body has never been very flexible and fencing has tightened up all the muscles in my hips, glutes and left leg. I also have a rotator cuff injury which affects my ability to hold some of the positions for very long. The main reason I started yoga was to make my body more flexible and balanced. I find it also helps my shoulder.

The moves in today's class were the same as I did in Hatha. The difference is the Ashtanga is a much more active yoga. Whereas in Hatha we held positions for minutes at a time, Ashtanga is more aggressive, where we will hold a position for 30 seconds, then always returning to Downward Facing Dog (pictured).

My favorite position is savasana. It's at the end of the session where we lay back and take a 5 minute nap!

I was tired and sweaty after, signs of a good workout, but the body felt good, vibrant and stretched out. I spoke to Ella, our instructor, a little afterwards, who did explain the Ashtanga is a more dynamic form of yoga. She explained some of it in yoga-speak, which at that time went way over my head, but I came away knowing that the class would always be at this pace.

I also told her that I would be back next week.