Featured Sequence: Mini Restorative Practice for Digestion (or just relaxation)

by Baxter and NinaBaxter’s been thinking a lot about digestion lately because he’s going to be teaching a workshop on yoga for digestion this Saturday, June 2, at Fourth Street Yoga in Berkeley, CA (see 4th Street Yoga for details). And he’s observed that a lovely underlying principle for working with digestive issues is that no matter what’s going on, all digestive issues respond to restorative poses. Remember, the opposite of the Fight, Flight...

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Day to Night: Yoga for Better Sleep

by NinaBuddha in My Garden by Michele Macartney-FilgateThis morning I was talking with Bonnie Maeda, RN and Shari Ser, PT about the workshop we’re going to be teaching on yoga for sleep disorders at the Berkeley Yoga Room, Saturday, June 16, from 2 to 5 (see here for registration information). When I described my 24-hour approach to practicing yoga for better sleep to them, they were very enthusiastic. So I'm going to share it with you today.Yes,...

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Probability, Aging and a Pain in the Neck....

by BradIt seems appropriate to discuss "probability" as I wait in my seat for takeoff on my flight to Vancouver on a sunny day in San Francisco in mid-may.  First probability calculation: what’s the likelihood that it will be sunny in Vancouver, a city a thousand miles north but also on the Pacific Coast? Better than the average expectation, but probably not by much given the low correlation between weather in the Pacific Northwest with that...

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Friday Q&A: Which Forward Bends Are Safe?

Q: Nina's post earlier this week on how to get comfortable in forward bends was very informative (see Getting Comfortable in Forward Bends). But I was wondering whether both versions shown in the photos--the one with the rounded back and the one with the neutral spine--are safe for everyone. A: Forward bends always need to be approached with awareness, caution and respect, especially for people with acute low back injuries or chronic low back conditions....

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Featured Pose: Standing Cow-Face Pose

by Baxter and NinaThis versatile pose from our office yoga series uses just the arm positions from the full Cow-Face pose, which is typically done in a seated position. Because the pose works your two arms differently, it’s almost like two poses in one, taking your shoulders and arms through much of their range of motion. With your top arm, you reach up and overhead, spinning your upper arm bone outward and deeply bending your elbow joint. With your...

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The Digestion System and Yoga

by Baxter Over the last 2 years, I have had the good fortune to act as faculty for the Niroga Institute’s Yoga Therapy Program in Berkeley, CA. As part of my teaching duties, I was asked to present and teach the group about yoga and the digestive system. This is a fairly daunting task, as the digestive system is a complex system that interconnects with our conscious mind, the unconscious portions of our nervous system via the autonomic systems...

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Is yoga a science or an art?

Wet Suit Girl in Stanley Park by Nina Zolotow"Yoga is both. Where there is a technique, there is science. Yoga has its own technique of physiological, psychological, and supramental well-being of man. Like a musician who plays his instrument, the student or adept in yoga plays with his body, depicting various animate forms of nature. Like a sculptor fashioning out a sculpture, the yogi chisels his body and mind and expands his consciousness into...

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Getting Comfortable in Forward Bends

by NinaI have always known that seated forward bends are considered quieting poses, but it wasn't until I interviewed Shari (see Talking About Baroreceptors and Yoga) about baroreceptors that I discovered that forward bends are quieting for the same reason that inverted poses are calming: pressure on the baroreceptors causes your body to lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress hormones. No wonder three minutes in a forward bend seems to...

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Workhops of Interest: Baxter's Summer Workhops!

Baxter Bell has some very cool workshops this summer. For further information or to register, please follow the links to the appropriate web sites. He hopes to meet some of you in person soon!June 2nd, 2012, 2-5pmYoga for Digestion, taught by Baxter Bell, MD4th Street Yoga, Berkeley, CA4thstreetyoga.com June 9,  2012, 2-5 pmHealthy Knees! taught by Baxter Bell, MDMountain Yoga, Oakland, CAmountainyoga.com July 14th, 2012, 12:30-3:30pmYoga Philosophy: The Sutras, taught by Baxter Bell, MDBodyworks Yoga, Petaluma, CAbodyworksyoga.com June...

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Friday Q&A: When to Go to the Doctor

Doctor and Doll by Norman Rockwell*Q: Well, my right knee has bothered me for about three years, which is my fault as I really pushed too hard on the "perfect" lotus position. And now, about 6 months ago my right hip has really been hurting and stiff and I'm wondering is this arthritis? I purchased the book you recommended by Sandy Blaine, Yoga for Healthy Knees. I figured I would give about 6 months try with the knee poses she recommends and if...

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Keputusan Mr. Gym 1Malaysia Peringkat Perak 2012

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Featured Pose: Wrist Circles

by Baxter and NinaAnother very simple pose in our office yoga series, wrist circles move your wrists through their full range of motion Most of us use our hands in similar and limited movements over and over during the day. Moving your wrists through their full range of motion helps relieve fatigue in your hands and keeps your joints healthy, flexible and mobile. And we can all use some of that. Plus, you'll get to hum The Supremes (see “Instructions”...

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Blood Pressure: Talking about Baroreceptors and Yoga

by Shari and Nina Nina: Yesterday, Baxter gave us a little background on blood pressure (see So, what is blood pressure, anyway?). I thought today you could talk a bit more about the relationship between blood pressure and yoga. Shari: First some more background! Of particular importance is the effect of our baroreceptors on blood pressure. Baroreceptors are stretch receptors that found in the major arteries, and they are activated when our...

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So, what is blood pressure, anyway?

by BaxterIf you read yoga magazines or read online articles about yoga and your health, you often come across a warning to avoid this or modify that yoga asana if you suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension another term used for high blood pressure). But it turns out that there are a lot of differing opinions about how and what to change about a typical yoga practice if you have hypertension (HTN), and not a great deal of agreement on the...

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Got 20 Minutes?

 by Nina The first 20 minutes of moving around, if someone has been really sedentary, provide most of the health benefits. You get prolonged life, reduced disease risk — all of those things come in in the first 20 minutes of being active. —Gretchen ReynoldsLast week I heard Gretchen Reynolds, Health and Fitness writer for the New York Times, being interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air (see here) about her new book The First 20 Minutes....

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Mr Johor 2012 albums

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Workshops of Interest: Yoga as Medicine

Dr. Timothy McCall, author of Yoga as Medicine and soon-to-be contributor to Yoga for Healthy Aging, will be teaching a weeklong workshop on yoga as medicine at the Himalayan Institute, in Honesdale, PA on June 24 to 28. Timothy says that it's a beautiful, sattvic place, and June is a great time of year to be there.Yoga as MedicineHimalayan Institute, Honesdale, PA Sunday, June 24 - Thursday, June 28, 2012Physician, author, and yogi Dr. Timothy McCall...

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Friday Q&A: Abdominal Separation

Q: As I work with yoga students who are mid 50's -60's I am learning about abdominal separation that in most cases occurred during their child bearing years. In women's classes we often explore how the breath informs the pelvic floor muscles and communicates with transverse abdominis, obliques & rectus.What are other causes of abdominal separation or "split abdominals"? What do I need to consider in working with women (and men?) who have abdominal separation? What poses to gently explore and what to avoid now that they are grandparents?A: This...

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Featured Pose: Half Widespread Standing Forward Bend

by Baxter and NinaThis office yoga pose is one of the most active, allover poses in the series. The pose can help energize you and awaken your body and mind, while at the same time, it can be done in almost any attire and in a variety of settings. All you need is a chair or some other piece of furniture on which you can rest your fingertips. This forward bend not only helps stretch your hamstring muscles but also helps stretch and strengthen your...

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Arthritis of the Spine, Part 2

by NinaWith Baxter’s blessing, I’d like to add my two cents to his post yesterday on Arthritis of the Spine. You see, he forgot to mention hanging upside down! Yes, there is a whole group of poses that can provide great relief to those of you with arthritis of the spine (as well as other types of back pain), where you hang upside down and allow gravity to lengthen your spinal muscles and create space between your vertebral discs. You can use these...

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Arthritis of the Spine

by BaxterWhale Bone by Michele Macartney-FilgateBe it lower back, middle back, upper back or neck pain, not a day goes by when at least one student offers up his or her particular version of back pain. Due to the effects of time, age and stress on the spine, one of the underlying causes of back pain is arthritis of the spine. To be more specific, we usually refer to it as “osteoarthritis of the spine” to differentiate it from other types of arthritis...

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