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Balance: It’s Not Just Tree Pose

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“The reason we think balance is associated with longevity is because it requires keeping your brain and nervous system’s integration circuitry intact.” —Danine Fruge, MD, family-practice physician

 Practicing specifically for better balance is important for us at any age, but it is essential for those of us over 50 or 60, when so many changes happen in our bodies. To work on balance with yoga, Tree pose is a common choice. Although Tree Pose is iconic, often representative of yoga in general, there are many other diverse and entertaining ways to improve balance.  With better balance, we avoid falls, which can lead to injuries and a serious decline in overall health. In this post I’ll describe to you some of my top choices for practicing basic balance skills that will help you in daily life and in your Tree pose.

To get the bad news out right away, here are the most common changes that happen gradually as we age:

  • Less acuity in the nervous system (which could manifest as slower response time reduced coordination, reduced sensory and motor efficiency, and cognitive decline)
  • Blood pressure deviations from normal levels
  • BPPV: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, in which small stones in inner ear become dislodged, is common in over 60
  • Reduced circulatory efficiency and reduced elasticity of blood vessels
  • Peripheral neuropathy (poor nerve conduction in the hands and feet)
  • Loss of muscle strength (called sarcopenia) and stiffening of the connective tissues
  • Loss of bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
  • Degeneration and stiffness of joints due to wear and tear (osteoarthritis)
  • Poor balance, resulting from all of the above

We need balance skills to avoid falling. According to the National Council on Aging, falling is the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults. The most common locations for these fractures are the hip, pelvis, ankle, wrist, and upper arm bone near the shoulder.

To catch ourselves when we might fall, we need flexibility and coordination to suddenly regain our balance. If we do fall, we need strength to catch ourselves. Fall prevention must include all of these elements of balancing: strength, flexibility, and coordination. And the bonus is that when we develop these skills, we contribute to our agility in daily life. Doesn’t that also sound like the same list as the benefits of a good yoga practice?

Our Three Balance Mechanisms

We have three mechanisms in the body that work simultaneously, moment to moment, to help us maintain balance. As the opening quote says, we need the brain and body to be talking to each other.

First, our proprioception sends neural signals from our muscles and joints to the brain that indicate what position we are in. For this to work well, we need sufficient body awareness and focus to receive those signals and make adjustments when needed. Many older adults have reduced proprioception and possibly also peripheral neuropathy, which is a lack of sensation and motor control in the feet. Our feet may feel numb or unable to move in the ways their design allows. Another common aging issue related to proprioception is a general slowing of perceptual and cognitive function. We may not perceive an impending loss of balance soon enough to prevent a fall. But evidence shows that these conditions can be at least partially reversed by regular exercise. The brain can keep learning!

Secondly, the delicate structures in the inner ear respond to changes of position (particularly of the head) and communicate with the brain. This is called the vestibular system, and it changes with the aging process.

Thirdly, our visual sense gives us a feeling-sense of orientation to gravity and the environment around us. We need to remember to maintain our attention and our visual focus (both direct and peripheral), whether walking on the street or doing any kind of exercise. This may seem obvious, but you can ask yourself: how often do I become involved with an internal reverie while doing my daily activities or while walking outside, either in the city or in the country? If that inattention becomes a persistent habit, it can increase your risk of falling.

If you suddenly develop a balance issue, such as dizziness or light-headedness when going from lying down to standing up, or if you have reduced sensation in your feet, I recommend that you seek medical help to consider inner ear, problems, neuropathy, medication side effects, or cardiovascular issues. However, a gradual development of balance problems is most likely to be caused by our normal aging process. This is where yoga can help.

With yoga, you improve your proprioception, you strengthen your muscles, and you increase your flexibility. I’ve mentioned why proprioception and muscle strength are important. But why flexibility? When you sense that your balance is off, the natural tendency is to adjust your position to regain your balance. This could be catching yourself with one foot after tripping over an obstacle or widening your stance while walking down the aisle of a fast-moving train. In order to do that, you need fast responses, but also hip and leg mobility. Flexibility allows you a greater range of adaptive moves to steady yourself and prevent a fall. For this reason, your yoga practice must include exercises for dynamic balancing, which I believe is just as important as learning to balance on one foot in stillness.

Alignment matters. What is your personal optimal posture, given all the variations that exist in humanity? How do you tend to arrange your body when standing, walking, and doing all your daily activities? I’ve seen some common non-optimal tendencies in my years of teaching, such as turning the knees inward or the feet outward, pushing the pelvis forward, sinking in the lower or upper back, rolling the shoulders forward, and carrying the head forward with the neck shortening. Each of these deviations from optimal alignment can predispose us to losing our balance.

I recommend that you consult a trained teacher to help you evaluate your posture. But here are some basic guidelines:

  • Your weight is well balanced on your feet. You place your feet with the center line of one foot parallel to the center line of the other foot. If your habit is to turn your feet inward or outward, gradually work to become more familiar with this neutral position of parallel feet. (See the Four Corners exercise below.)
  • Your knees face toward your middle toes, whether your legs are bent or straight. (See the Knee Tracking exercise below.)
  • The tilt of your pelvis is appropriate for your body and the pose you are doing. Find the midpoint between an excessive lumbar (lower back) arch, and the opposite pattern of excessively tucking your tailbone.
  • You maintain abdominal support, without losing the slight arch inward in your lower back.
  • Your front chest is lifted and broad, with the muscles around your shoulder blades supporting your upper back.
  • Your head aligns over your spine as much as possible. If you tend to carry your head forward, move your head back, first with the base of your ears moving back, then lifting your chin to recover the slight arch in your neck.
  • You enliven your whole body with the energy from your breath and your highest intention for your well-being. Be fully present in your body.

What is “The Core” and Why is it Important?

The prevailing definition of “core” is your abdominal muscles. Within the fitness and medical community, there is a tendency to overemphasize abdominal strengthening through sit-ups, crunches, or some variation of those common exercises. For anyone with low bone density, this type of exercise is dangerous, because it puts excess pressure on the front part of the vertebrae as you curve your spine.

But there is another way to understand the core—to see it as including the muscles of the spine, hips, pelvic floor, thighs, and the abdominal wall. These core muscles stabilize the middle of our body on all sides, creating a source and center for the movements of the rest of the body. With a weak core, your body will find other, less efficient strategies for stability, such as tensing your shoulders. With a strong core, you’ll have much more stability and support for any situation, especially vigorous activities—but also for daily chores or extensive sitting at work. And most of all, you’ll have better balance.

One action that may be unfamiliar to many people is the lift of the pelvic floor. This is a muscular network at the base of your pelvis that we use to stabilize our center in the yoga poses. Right now, as you’re reading, squeeze the muscles there and see how it feels. Notice that you can continue to breathe while firming those muscles. You can squeeze toward the center, and then gently lift that floor upward. Practice this for 15 seconds at a time at first, and then gradually integrate it into your practice.

Here are some exercises that you can do as a warmup for your usual practice, with special attention to balance improvement.

My favorite core strengthening yoga pose is a dynamic supine twist, a variation of Jathara Parivartanasana. I like it because people or any age can do it, and all the core muscles are strengthened without spinal flexion.

 

Supine Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana)

 

Purpose: To strengthen the core muscles of the spine and torso, and learn to twist with a long spine

Props: Yoga mat and optional blanket under your pelvis or head and neck for comfort

Body position: On your back, knees bent, arms stretched to the sides, palms facing up

Instructions:

  1. Bend your knees and place a block between them (narrow, medium, or wide setting, your choice), keeping your feet at least as high as your knees, or higher. Squeeze the block.
  2. Flex your ankles and spread your toes.
  3. Press your arms and shoulders down into the mat to stabilize your upper torso.
  4. Move your legs at a moderate pace from right to left, breathing smoothly. Begin by moving a small amount and increase how far you twist as you feel ready.
  5. When you are tired, come back to center, remove the block, place your feet flat, and rest.

Things to watch for: 

  1. Keep your shoulders on the floor and notice the strengthening actions in your twisting muscles (spine and abdomen). This is very good core work, because you are working dynamically through a range of movement, while stabilizing.
  2. Notice that the floor helps you to maintain a long spine.
  3. Keep your neck neutral: not pressing it down or lifting it up.

These three exercises prepare our knees, ankles, and feet to have the coordination and strength to support us.

The Four Corners of the Feet    

 

Purpose: To balance your weight well on your feet and strengthen the intrinsic foot muscles.

Props: The floor

Body position:  Standing

Instructions:

Begin by standing in a “normal” way and feel the balance of weight on your feet. Do you tend to place more weight on one foot in comparison to the other? More weight in one part of the foot?

Next, work with one foot at a time in the following way:

  1. Put most of your weight on one foot. With the other one, tilt your foot so that the inner heel is the only part touching the floor.
  2. Then keep that part down and put the base of your little toe down (at the joint at its base). Notice how various muscles in the sole of your foot (called intrinsic muscles) are working as you do these steps.
  3. Keeping those two points down, widen across the forefoot to bring the base of your big toe down. Notice how it feels to widen your foot in this way.
  4. With those three points staying down, press your outer heel down.
  5. Feel how the weight balances on these four corners. You might play with the four corners, moving through the sequence like a dance. Experiment with balancing on that foot.
  6. Repeat this sequence with your other foot.

Things to watch for:

  1. How do your feet feel different after doing this?
  2. Which corners are easiest for you to find and press down? Which are less easy?
  3. What does this tell you about your usual posture on your feet?
  4. What do you feel in your knees and hips as you do this?

Knee Tracking   

Purpose: To align your knees well as they bend, for safety, balance, and strength in the poses

Props:  The floor

Body position:  Standing

Instructions:

  1. Stand with your feet balanced on their four corners and place them hip-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees and look down to see where the kneecaps are pointing. Adjust them so that they point toward the second or third toe.
  3. Practice this several times, observing the knees as they bend.

Things to watch for:

  1. For many people, the knees may turn in toward the midline. What is your habitual pattern?
  2. What do you have to do differently than usual to align your knees in this way?
  3. Where in your body do you feel the actions that are needed?

Heel Lift   

Purpose: To strengthen the sides of the ankles for better balance

Props:  A wall or some other surface you can touch for balance support

Body position: Stand facing the wall, touching it lightly with your fingertips, or stand next to another support (a chair or table)

Instructions: 

  1. Touching your support lightly for balance, lift your heels, coming onto your toes, especially the first three toes. Feel the supportive action of your ankle muscles on both sides, as you lift the heels straight up.
  2. Bring your heels back to the floor and repeat this action several times until your muscles fatigue.
  3. Once you are comfortable with this heel lift, also spread your toes.

Things to watch for:

  1. Keep your weight mostly on your first three toes. If the weight moves to the outer toes, the ankles will wing out, and you will lose the purpose of the exercise.

The last exercise is a playful one, giving you the coordination you need to recover your balance before you fall.

Dynamic Balancing  

Purpose:  To simulate balance challenges in daily life

Props: A wall or chair back

Body position: Standing

Instructions for Part 1: 

You can do this exercise while touching a wall or a chair, or free standing.

  1. From standing on two feet, bring your weight to one leg and swing the other leg gently forward and back. Try different speeds.
  2. Focus your gaze strongly on one spot in front of you and engage your core to stabilize your balance.
  3. Bring the lifted leg down and repeat on the other side.

Instructions for Part 2:

 

 

  1. Move away from the wall, and stand facing out into the room, with feet several inches apart so that you can easily move side to side.
  2. Start by lifting your right foot and take a wide sideward step to the right, placing your right foot down and shifting your weight on the right foot so your left foot is in the air. Leaving your left foot in the air, balance there for a few seconds.
  3. Then bring the left foot down into another wide side-step, this time to the left. Once you place your left foot down and shift your weight onto your left foot, hold your right foot in the air for a few seconds. Then bring the right foot down.
  4. Repeat this pattern, varying the distance and the speed. Focus on how you find and sustain your balance on one leg.
  5. Continue for as long as you wish.

Things to watch for:

  1. Concentrate on the strength of your standing leg, and don’t worry about your appearance. The important thing is building your skill to recover your balance when it begins to go off center. Be playful!

This post is excerpted from my book titled “Empowered Yoga: Everyday Yoga Practices for Bone Health, Strength and Balance,” published by Emerald Lake Books in fall of 2023.

Note: This post was originally published on Nina Zolotow’s blog, “Yoga for Times of Change.”

 

 

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Protection and Relief for Your Wrists and Hands

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Human hands have many skills: using tools, typing, playing musical instruments, giving massages, or using sign language, just to name a few. But in many yoga poses we make a special demand of our hands, expecting them to function like feet, holding all or most of the weight of the body. Examples of these poses include Downward-Facing Dog pose, Upward-Facing Dog pose, Plank pose, Handstand, and all the “bird poses” when we balance on our hands. Yet we don’t always prepare the wrists for this special demand, and injury can result. Looking at the structure of our wrists can help you understand why some preparation is important.
The wrist is made up of eight small bones, which form the transition between the two large bones of the lower arm (the radius and ulna) and the long bones of the palms (the metacarpals).

The second illustration above shows the fascia in the wrist area, including tendons of muscles that go all the way up beyond the elbow, and the annular ligament across the wrist. You also see the palmar aponeurosis (analogous to the plantar fascia in the feet), which is tougher fibrous connective tissue protecting the palm of the hand.

When we use our hands to bear our body weight as if they were feet, the wrists are in the extreme position of extension (as in the gesture when you extend your hand forward to say “stop” ). This puts extreme pressure on those eight small bones, and all the soft tissue around them. Without adequate preparation for flexibility and strength in the biomechanics of the arms as a whole, chronic or acute injuries may result.

One particular location to be aware of is the carpal tunnel in the wrist area.

This is the structure formed the carpal bones, which are arranged like a curved roof over a tunnel, whose floor is a broad connective structure called the flexor retinaculum, which is also known as the transverse carpal ligament. When we put excessive pressure on the wrist as in the poses listed above, and the surrounding area is tight or misaligned, the pressure irritates the median nerve inside the tunnel, possibly causing pain, numbness, or dysfunction in the hand.

There are four good ways to avoid this danger that I’ll be covering in this post:

  1. Loosen the soft tissues of the hands and forearms so there is enough range of motion in the wrists.
  2. Press down with the fingers to effectively take weight off of the wrists.
  3. Use supportive pads if necessary.
  4. Maintain good shoulder alignment.

 

  1. Loosening the Soft Tissues of the Hands and Forearms

There are many small muscles of the hands that we use to grasp objects, which are protected by the strong span of connective tissue (shown above) that in itself can be restrictive. Hands that are strong for grasping may not be able to spread enough to become support us in yoga poses. Specific stretching and massage will help to prepare the hands by loosening this soft tissue. Here are examples of some wrist stretches and of massage of the hand with a rubber ball:

 

 

  1. Pressing Down with the Fingers

When we press the fingers down—all the way to the tips—we transfer weight forward on the hands and reduce the amount of weight on the wrists. Try it right now at your desk:  press your fingers down and feel your palms and wrists begin to lift. You can experiment to determine the right amount of this action for you. Use this image with the green and yellow dots as a guide:

 

  1. Using Supportive Pads

You can buy foam wedges to bring the weight forward on the fingers, but I prefer this:  Cut up an old sticky mat to make a small roll, as shown here with the pencil as a size comparison.

Put that roll under the center of your wrist, pointing it toward and away from your fingertips. It will take pressure off the carpal tunnel and encourage small muscles in your hands to do their work. It’s best to use one under each hand for symmetry, even if only one wrist needs it.

  1. Aligning Your Shoulders: Upper Back Strengthener and Pectoral Stretch

Shoulder alignment can help to protect the wrists as well. Shoulders that are rounded forward put more weight into the hands. I recommend the pectoral stretch pictured below, plus a strengthening pose to bring your shoulder blades in toward the spine and away from your head. These actions will not only help prevent wrist strain, but it will support your upper spine and your breathing – and also lift your spirits! 

 

 

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Tiny Habits

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Did you make any New Year’s resolution about your physical health? Many people resolve to exercise more, lose weight, get rid of an unwanted habit, or some combination of those goals. But the complexity of life can so easily take over and dislodge even the best intentions.

The other day, I heard an author speak on NPR about how to establish new good habits and get rid of “bad” ones. His name is BJ Fogg, and his book is Tiny Habits, The Small Changes that Change Everything. As you can guess from the title, the trick is to take small steps toward your goal. Instead of resolving to do an hour of yoga a day or taking class once a week, you can set the goal of doing one or two poses each day on your own. Make the “tiny” effort, and you’ll feel the results and probably want to do more.

Instead of approaching a complex chronic pain issue with the pressure of “solving it”, you can explore one small strategy on a regular basis, like doing ten minutes of ballwork, or one targeted stretch or strengthening exercise. Gradually you will gain momentum and your practice will mature.

For example, watch this short 4 minute video to experience Bodymind Ballwork and how it relieves tension in your hips, thighs, knees, lower legs and ankles.


The next part of the method is to schedule the activity to give you a daily prompt. Some examples: Right after you shower and get dressed in the morning, you can do some stretches to fully wake up your body and your breath. Or: Right before dinner, you can do a few strengthening exercises, or you can meditate for whatever period of time you have – from 5-20 minutes. As another teacher put it, think “Small, Scheduled, and Specific”. It’ll put you on the path, and once you’re on it, there will be enough to learn and enjoy that you’ll want to continue.

You can join me in NYC any time, every week (Wednesday 12-2) for a class with Bodymind Ballwork and yoga. See the schedule of that and other classes here. I also offer multiple workshops throughout the year in New York and beyond. To see where and when I’ll be teaching, check in often here.

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Better Interoception Equals Better Health

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How’s your interoception? In case you’re not familiar with that word, it’s the inner felt sense of the body, including being warm or cold, hungry or full, tired or energized, stiff or flexible. Interoception is increasingly seen as a crucial component of health by twenty-first century researchers, especially in how it bridges the gap between physical and emotional experience.  Recent research shows that well-developed interoception can lessen our experience of pain, which might surprise you.  In other words, the more we are in touch with our inner world of sensation, the more we can adapt our behaviors to lessen the causes of pain.  When our interoception is faulty and we are disconnected from the body, we are more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

One way to check in with our interoception – our inner sense of subjective presence in the body – is with an inner dialogue. Think for a moment about whether you have an inner dialogue, a way of checking in with yourself throughout your day. If you do, what are its contours and themes? Do you talk to yourself with judgment, criticism, or disapproval? Or are you an encouraging coach for yourself? Does your body have a voice in the conversation? If your neck hurts and you are short-tempered, can you see the connection between those two states? Do you see your body as an ally, or as an adversary? A burden that you carry around, or your very own self?

I believe that we develop our inner dialogue over our lifetime. It is influenced by our family and by the culture we live in, the education we receive, the work that we do, and our goals for ourselves. I often ask students what they were taught about self-care while growing up. For many of us, it’s the usual short list: eat healthy food, get exercise, get enough sleep. Rarely is anything taught about the value of interoception or embodied self-awareness – the ongoing process of dialogue between your mental and physical selves. Being embodied with awareness requires practice and continuous renewal.

Bodymind Ballwork is a great way to develop your interoception and gradually build a more authentic and self-supporting inner dialogue.  If you haven’t tried it, now is a good time. I am offering several workshops this summer and fall to teach the full spectrum of this empowering and healing work. Check out the Bodymind Ballwork page and the workshop page of my website for more information. If you are already a practitioner, tell your friends about it!

Adapted and excerpted from The Bodymind Ballwork Method, pp 35-36.

 

 

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Bodymind Ballwork for The Outer Side of The Legs

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Right now, it’s the beginning of winter in the Northeast USA. We are wearing heavier clothing and shoes, the ground might be slippery, and the cold temperatures can sometimes cause muscles to tighten as we rush through our day. Tension in the outer legs that can cause hip, knee or ankle pain and fatigue.

Last year I wrote a blog about strengtheners for this part of the body, and today’s blog is about how to release tension there with the balls. While I acknowledge that many people use rollers for this, and get a lot of benefit, I prefer the balls, because I feel that the balls can get in between the layers and neighboring muscles really well, and they facilitate inner “glide” and healthy circulation.

Two of the techniques are done sitting on the floor, and the other two lying down. The balls can be purchased from www.lifesaball.org – look for the 4” spikey ball, and the 2.5” rainbow sponge ball, both of which I also sell at my studio. (Watch for the balls for sale from my website soon!)

1. Sitting with two 3-4” hollow balls: Begin by sitting with your legs spread to the side, and a ball under each buttock. Explore small movements with your pelvis to work on the muscles of the pelvic floor and lower buttocks.
Then stretch one leg to the side, bend the other one, and turn your upper body toward the bent leg. The ball will begin to move down your outer leg. You can lean over to that side to get more pressure if you wish. Make small slow movements to work on the outer thigh and the iliotibial band. Work for 5-10 minutes on one leg, moving the ball gradually down toward your knee, then repeat the same process on the other leg.

 

2. Sitting with one ball under the outer shin: For this you can use the hollow ball (for less pressure) or the solid ball (for more pressure). Sit with one leg bent and one leg straight out to the side. Place one ball under your outer shin. Lean over the bent leg and stabilize it with one hand on your knee and one on the ankle. Then slowly move your leg, moving the ball along the length of your outer shin muscles and fascia. Repeat on the other leg.

 

3. Lying on your side with one 3-4” hollow ball: Start by arranging props to support your upper body well while lying on your side. In this photo I have one pad under my ribs, two under my head, and a space between them for my shoulder.
Then place the ball under the side of the pelvis, where the iliotibial band begins. Your other leg can be behind, possibly on a bolster as shown here. Move your pelvis slowly forward and back to massage the muscles and fascia. Take your time, and stop in places that feel particularly tight.
Then move the ball a few inches down on the side of your thigh, skipping the bony prominence which is the greater trochanter of your femur. Work down the side of the thigh slowly, working on one spot at a time, moving the ball down with your hand when you’re finished with each spot. You can progress down to the side of the knee. Repeat on your other leg.

 

4. Lying on your side with two small solid balls under the side of your lower leg: Support your upper body in the same way as in #3 above.
Place the two balls under the outer shin of your bottom leg, and stack the other leg on top. You can start at the top and progress down toward your ankle. Move your legs slowly so that the ball works into the tibialis anterior and the peroneal muscles, and their associated fascia. You can roll the balls up and down, or across the outer shin. Improvise your movements to reach the places where you want the pressure.

 

For more fabulous ball techniques, check out my book The Bodymind Ballwork Method, published in October by North Atlantic Books.

 

 

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Yoga On-the-Go: 7 Yoga Poses You Can Do Anywhere

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Summer has finally arrived on the East Coast, and these seasonal transitions are a good time to review and refresh our commitment to self-care. If you’ve been browsing my website, you know that I practice yoga asana, pranayama, meditation and Bodymind Ballwork, a myofascial release technique. And in summer I look forward to adding in hiking, swimming, gardening, and playing outdoors with grandchildren. Plus one of my favorites – just lying in the grass and watching the sky. So the idea of what is “exercise” can expand beyond the normal routine.

What does your self-care look like? Perhaps you attend a yoga class or a meditation group, or go to the gym, or do some exercise at home. Does it change with the seasons? Can you throw in something new from time to time to keep it playful and fresh? Whether you’re in your twenties, your eighties, or somewhere in between, you may find that there is an ebb and flow to what your body likes to do. Aging is a reality for all of us, the body changes gradually but inevitably, and it’s important to adapt our practice to the fluctuations that are built into being human.

I encourage my students to try variations of yoga poses that they can do at in-between moments in the day – at the office, at home, or while travelling – to remind the body and mind to stay connected and to be fully present in the body for whatever you do. Here are some that I do at my kitchen table, while waiting at an airport, or on a break during a long drive. No need to change clothes, have a yoga mat, or even take off your shoes. Stretch in each direction: forward, backward, sideward and twisting. Be creative with your use of props (a park bench, the side of your car, etc) and also with the sequence – do what feels good to you.

Prasarita Padottanasana: With feet spread wide apart, stretch your legs and reach your hips back as you stretch your torso forward. Rest your head on the table with your arms folded. Breathe and quiet your mind as you connect with sensations inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parsvakonasana with your back to the table: With your right leg turned out parallel to the table, bend the right knee, pointing it toward the middle toes. The other hips shifts forward slightly, away from the table. Lean to the right with the right arm on the table. Keeping your legs and abdomen strongly active, bring your torso to the side as far as you wish. Stretch your left arm alongside your head, reaching vigorously from hand to foot. Repeat on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

Seated twist with chair: Sit sideways in the chair, with your spine erect and legs steady. Inhale, lift your spine, and exhale, twist toward the back of the chair. Place your hands wherever it helps you to twist more. Hold for a few breaths, and repeat on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High lunge with the chair: Face the back of the chair and step your right foot forward, your left foot back. Both legs are parallel and the back heel will be off the floor. Face your pelvis squarely toward the chair, and hold the back of the chair with your hands. Lean forward a bit and push into the back leg, widening inside your pelvis and hips. Then pull down through the back of the pelvis as you lift up in the front torso. Raise your chest, look up, and expand from the top of your head all the way to the back foot. Raise your left arm up, and possibly also your right arm. Enjoy your strong and expanded self, then release and repeat on the other side.

 

 

 

 

Parivrrta Trikonasana with the chair and tabletop: Place the chair sideways next to the table, the seat facing you, as shown. Step your left leg forward and keep both legs straight. Reach your hips back and your chest forward as you place your right hand on the chair seat. Twist toward the table, with your left hand pressing down into the tabletop to help empower your twist. Breathe several times, then come out of the twist and repeat on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

Shoulders and arms pulling back: Stand tall, roll your shoulders back and clasp your hands behind you. Pull your arms back to find a stretch in the front of your shoulders, and a supportive strength in the upper back. Take several deep breaths, feeling all inner sensations as you hold the pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upward facing dog with hands on the table: Place your hands on the edge of the table and walk your feet back. As you bring more weight onto your arms, be sure to keep your shoulders back and your chest lifted. Bend your elbows a bit, bring your pelvis toward the table with your tailbone lengthening, and move your chest forward between your arms, as if going through a doorway. Look up if you can, and enjoy a full stretch from your chin to your toes.
Then repeat the first pose, Prasarita Padottanasana, one more time to finish.

I invite you to leave a comment below…. and enjoy the summer.

I am excited to announce my new book, “The Bodymind Ballwork Method: A Self-Directed Practice to Help You Move with Ease, Release Tension, and Relieve Chronic Pain” to be released in October 2018 by North Atlantic Books. You can pre-order your copy now. Click here.

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The Unexpected Silver Linings of Major Hip Surgery

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At almost four months after hip replacement surgery, I wanted to collect my thoughts about the whole process, in hopes that hearing about my experience might help others who are considering or definitely heading toward a similar experience.

The lead-up:

I notice that my pain is more frequent and more disruptive of daily activities about two years before surgery.

I go to physical therapy, hoping that will be enough. It is very helpful, but not enough.

I take time to make a list of possible doctors to see.

I see four hip surgeons over the course of a few months. They all tell me I need hip replacement because of advanced arthritic changes in one hip, and they think I’ll need it in the other one too (but I don’t think so).

I choose one of the doctors based on two friends who had surgery with him, plus I liked him and his staff at the initial visit. He’s Patrick Meere at NYU Langone, Hospital for Joint Diseases.

I delay choosing a date, putting off the decision for a few months. Just can’t do it.

My physical therapist encourages me to get the surgery while I’m in relatively good shape, and save the remaining insurance therapy allotment for afterwards.

I schedule a date in late September, giving myself 2 months of time off from teaching afterward, plus another month with no travel. (Actually, I began teaching private sessions after two weeks and classes after three weeks, all at my home studio.)

I am grateful that I have both a solid background in complementary healing methods such as acupuncture, massage, chiropractic and homeopathy, plus a basic faith in mainstream medicine from my father who was a general surgeon. This way I go into the process with confidence on both sides of that spectrum.

The surgery day and first two weeks:

I am nervous, but the morning of surgery I feel ready and grateful for family support. My son is a medical student and I’m comforted as he chats with the anesthesiologist about drugs with impossibly long names (he’s studying pharmacology at the time).

After about 3 hours of pre-op procedures, I say goodbye to family, walk into the OR and sit on the table, greeted by the anesthesiologist and a very nice nurse. They chat as they prepare to give me the drugs, and I marvel at the high-tech feeling of the room. Everyone is wearing suits and helmets as if it’s a space flight about to launch. Thankfully a nurse without a helmet is right by my side, and probably holding me up. The last thing I remember is putting my head into a face cradle while still sitting up. I have heard that people talk at this early stage of anesthesia but don’t remember any of it, so that probably happened to me. I probably lay down on the table still chatting with the nurse.

The next thing I know, it’s 3 hours later and I’m in the recovery room with a very friendly young male nurse by my side asking how I’m feeling. He brings me juice and I am filled with gratitude that it’s over and I’m awake and feeling mentally normal. I have no pain, and in fact, I feel euphoric, thanks to those drugs flooding my system. The euphoria lasts all day while I transition to a room upstairs (with a great view) and get settled, greeting visiting family members. The hospital staff gets me up and walking that afternoon. As I traverse the hallway near my room, there is a framed print by my husband artist Robert Kushner on the wall – a welcome sight.

The next day I have more pain, but I can still get up and walk. That night I have my first melt-down of frustration, and a very kind nurse offers me a hug and a shoulder to cry on. That means a lot to me.

The third day I am scheduled to go home, and there’s a flurry of people in and out to arrange all the discharge procedures. Finally at noon, I walk out on crutches and take the short 4-block trip home via Uber. Too far to walk at this point. But only 2.5 days in the hospital, not much.

At home, I have two places where I spend time – my bed and a couch in the living room. Pretty soon I have a routine and everything I need within reach – phone, laptop, water, reading, medications, snacks. This is when the new normal emerges – resting, walking, taking care of only basic daily needs. This is radical for me, being a person who’s always keeping busy and going from one thing to another all day. Here I am, just on the couch. It’s kind of fun learning how to put on socks and pants with a long-handled grabber.

I’m tremendously grateful for family members and friends who care for me, make my meals, rub my feet, help me navigate daily needs. For these first two weeks, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and a visiting nurse come to see me. The PT gets me up and walking outside the very first day. We walk to the corner and back, and that is plenty. When his time is up, I’m sad to say goodbye because we have become friends. He says he wants to come study yoga with me. He buys a rubber ball to help with his plantar fasciitis.

The long-term recovery

As an anatomy geek, I’m fascinated to watch the changes day by day. The incision goes from being quite gory looking with lots of bruises, to a thin red line. My walking becomes smoother, and I transition from walker to cane to nothing. Each week I keep track of my successes, and I laugh at how small but how significant they are. The first time I can wash my feet and put lotion on them. The first time I can put on lace-up shoes. The first time I can go to the grocery store, carry things home, and cook a meal. The first time I can sleep on my left side. The first time I do downward facing dog, sit cross-legged for meditation, do pigeon pose, sun salutation, kick-up handstand.

My muscles are sore and weak in unusual places, but physical therapy always makes me feel more fluid in my walking and confident in my strength. I gradually return to almost all of my favorite yoga poses, and although that process is slower than I anticipated, it feels right. My body clearly tells me yes and no. I get very creative with props.

 

The silver linings:

Ingenuity in figuring out how to do things in a new way.

Patience with myself and my “to-do” list which is ever present.

Gratitude for small and large kindnesses from family, friends and strangers.

Gratitude for yoga and physical therapy, both of which sped me along toward recovery faster than otherwise would have happened.

Awe at the body’s capacity to heal.

Awe for the medical profession to have figured out how to safely replace a hip joint.

And excitement to be in a new phase of wellness and enthusiasm for life!

 

Feel free to write me if you want to dialogue about any of this, or if I can support you in your journey.

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The 15 minute stay-cation with Bodymind Ballwork

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elongating the spine with Ellen Saltonstall's Bodymind Ballwork TechniqueWhat do you do to take a break from daily stress, body aches, worry and fatigue? Maybe it’s a cup of tea, a phone call with a friend, or a few minutes of yoga. I recommend that you add this to your choices: a Bodymind Ballwork technique for the spine which will de-stress you, lengthen your back, and refresh your breath and your mind. I do it every day, as do many of my students.

All you need is 15 minutes, a clear space of floor and a yoga mat, and two balls. You can use tennis balls, or find various types of massage balls online. The ones I use are 3” solid rubber, but you can use larger ones as well. A smaller firmer ball will give you a deeper massage, and a larger hollow ball will give you a less specific pressure and an overall feeling of stretch. Both are good.

Lie on your back with your knees bent or straight, whichever is more comfortable to you. Spend a few minutes connecting with your breath, and feeling your body and mind – how are you right now? Are there some sore spots, achy muscles, worries, or emotions that are predominant in your experience right now? No judgment or analysis, just observation.

Now place the balls on your mat so that you can lie down with one ball on each side of the spine, near the bottom of your shoulder blades. They can be quite close to the spine, or a few inches away from it. As you first feel the pressure from the balls, you might be surprised at how strong the sensation is, but just give it some time. Let yourself settle, breathing slowly. Your arms can rest to your side on the floor, or you can stretch them overhead and on the floor.

Placement of balls in Ellen Saltonstall's Bodymind Ballwork to massage the spineNow move your back very slowly to one side, just an inch or two. Try to move only that segment of your back where you feel the balls. Breathe as you go, and notice any sensations, strong or subtle. The balls are massaging your spinal muscles, of which there are many, and all the surrounding fascia which is richly innervated. Some areas will probably be sore, others not. Think of it as an exploration of your own self, your back body which you can never actually see, but you can deeply feel.

After moving slowly to one side, and lingering there for a few breaths to give the balls time to do their work, glide back to center again. Then do the same to the other side. After one pass to each side, you can decide to repeat, or move the balls down. I usually go from side to side at least three times at each level of the spine, and more if I have sore spots.

When you are ready, roll yourself to another spot by pushing with your feet, and the balls move down your back an inch or two. Then work this new spot in the same way, slowly moving to one side, back to center, and to the other side. The combination of your body weight and your movement is dissolving tension, encouraging better circulation, and bringing more sensory vitality to all the soft tissue of your back.

Continue to progress down your back one spot at a time, noting the differences in sensation in each spot as you go. Also notice any changes in your breathing, especially when the balls are near your lower ribs. If you’ve had chronic back pain, your breath has surely been affected since the fascia of the diaphragm and back muscles are connected, and the stress of chronic pain can also disturb your breath.

Once you reach the pelvic bones, you can move the balls onto the buttocks and choose any spot to work on. This might lead to another 15 minutes, since most of us carry tension in the buttocks! You can choose to work more thoroughly here, finding several spots to place the balls, or just do one spot to finish your journey down your spine.

When you’re ready to stop, remove the balls from under you, and lie flat. Notice what you feel: what changes have occurred? Is there more ease, a softer and fuller breath, more contact with the floor?

Bodymind Ballwork offers more than 30 techniques, with something for each part of the body.

This technique for the middle and lower back is good to combine with the technique for the shoulders, described in my blog “Release Shoulder Tension with Bodymind Ballwork”, from January 2016.

I have a book in progress that will provide all the instructions, but in the meantime, you can come to class if you’re in New York, or attend a workshop – the next one is at Tasha Yoga in Williamstown, MA, August 11-13, 2017.

Want to learn more? In November 2017 I’m offering a three day intensive where I teach ALL the Bodymind Ballwork techniques in three days (open to anyone, come for a half day, full day or several), and there’s an added 2-day teacher training portion (by application).

Enjoy the summer and take time to renew yourself with Bodymind Ballwork!

 

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Meet your hard-working (and possibly under-appreciated) outer hip muscles

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The teams of muscles that support and move your hips are awesome.   Even if you’re not an anatomy geek, they are worth getting to know. You have the flexors in the front (with the iliopsoas as the team leader) which bring your leg forward to take a step. Their counterpart is the extensors in the back – gluteus maximus and hamstrings – the push-off muscles for running. We also have teams that rotate the hip joint – external rotators (piriformis being the midget but strong team leader here) and the internal rotators, which I’ll talk about below. Another team is the adductors on the inner thighs, a group of five that stabilize the inner thighs, pulling toward the midline.

My favorite group is the abductor-medial rotators, a team of three multi-taskers on the outer hips. This group does both abduction (pulling the leg to the side) and medial rotation (turning the leg in toward the midline). Its role for stability is often ignored. Yoga students usually want to “open the hips” and I can understand that, but it’s easy to get fixated on flexibility and ignore our need for strength and stability. In that sense, we can do well to consider practicing some techniques from fitness trainers and physical therapists.

Here are the three muscles: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fascia lata.

 

Because of their attachment on the bones above and below, these muscles have a variety of actions, depending on what part of the body is stable. If you put all your weight on one leg, the abductors will move the other leg to the side, and potentially also rotate it a bit. They’ll also be stabilizing your standing leg! Because the gluteus medius has such a wide attachment on the pelvic crest, it can either rotate the thigh externally or internally, as well as abduct it…the multi-tasker.

But if you have your weight on both feet, as in Tadasana or Uttanasana or Utkatasana, the abductors isometrically pull the upper thighs apart without affecting the lower legs, which adds to your stability and prevents compression in the hip joints and the sacro-iliac joint. I think it’s particularly good action in Utkatasana, the pose shown above.

You might say: I don’t want to strengthen my outer hips because they’re often achy and tired! Often when the outer hips are achy, it’s because the muscles are reacting to something we’re doing or not doing on a daily basis that causes all the teams to operate in a disorganized way. Perhaps we stand on one leg without realizing it, or we have some other slight imbalance or asymmetry that’s under the radar of ordinary awareness. Gradually over time, some muscles get a lot of stimulus and others not so much. This can be reinforced in our yoga practice or athletic activity like running, once the habits are established.

Here are some examples of good additions to your daily practice that highlight these abductor-rotator muscles, both for strength and stretch. First you can isolate them, and then focus on how they play a part in your favorite asanas. Practice these on both sides, of course.

1. Side leg lift from all fours: From hands and knees position, lift one leg to the side, at first with the knee bent, and then straighten the leg to the side, as in a slow karate kick with the heel raised slightly. This works the abductor-medial rotator team. Do 10 slow kicks on each side, and increase the number as you get stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Side plank pose (Vasishtasana): In this pose, side body strength is emphasized, and the abductor team lifts up the hips. It’s a really good core strengthener.   There are many good variations of this pose, and here are a few.  Hold them for as long as you can, with your supporting shoulder pulled firmly back.

 

 

3. Outer hip and thigh stretch: A variation of Supta Padangusthasana, this crosses one leg over the midline, highlighting the outer hip and thigh. Keep your leg muscles strongly contracting as you hold the pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Another outer hip stretch, this time with bent knees. Be sure to keep the shoulders and pelvis flat on the floor, and adjust your distance from the wall as needed.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this has peaked your interest in your hip muscles! You can appreciate the contribution of these multi-taskers in all standing poses, but especially in any balance pose, such as Vrksasana (Tree Pose), Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and Ardha Chandrasana (Half-Moon Pose).

For more on the hip muscles, see my new book Anatomy and Yoga: A Guide for Teachers and Students, available online and in bookstores.

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Cycles of Time, Cycles of Breath

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interlocking-circlesAt the end of a year, we can reflect on the passage of time, reviewing the events and growth of the past year and setting intentions for the next year. It’s a valuable time to renew values and goals, and to savor meaningful experiences. What did I enjoy this year? What do I want to do more or less of next year?   What mistakes did I learn from? What obstacles did I overcome, and which ones are still ahead?

For me the highlights of 2016 included a trip to south India visiting ancient temples, and publishing my book, Anatomy and Yoga, a labor spanning many years. I also proudly saw my youngest son begin medical school, and I reconnected with friends from 40 years ago. Profound sadness came from losing two loved ones, both too young. Somehow each of these experiences related to the passage of time.

The year – and a life span – are long cycles, made up of billions of short ones. Each breath we take is a cycle, taking less than a minute of time. We have an infinite number of chances in any day to connect with our breathing cycle. Though our breath continues on its own, it welcomes our awareness and playful participation.

Right now as you’re reading this, take a big deep breath, filling yourself with Prana, the life force in the air. Then exhale until you’ve let out all the air, letting it subside naturally like a wave in the ocean. Reflect on the passage of that moment in time, the rhythm of it. The inhale is a new beginning, offering fresh energy, then the natural pause at the top is a time for assimilation, and the exhale is a release, a settling. So many cycles of time have these elements – creation, sustenance, dissolution – three of the “cosmic acts”, according to Hinduism. (There are more, but that’s for another blog). We know that conscious deep breathing is physically healing – it lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and reduces emotional stress by shifting the nervous system to a calmer state. And it’s so easy to do!

This year, I recommend that you practice conscious breathing a little bit each day.   It could be when you first wake up, or before you eat, or whenever there is a transition in your day.   Here are a few ideas.

1) Watch the breath play inside your body. Where do you feel it? What movement does it create? What changes does it bring about in your inner feeling? How is the breath being affected by what you are doing?

2) Practice slowing it down. This is a great one to do just before meditation. You can count the duration of your inhalation – perhaps 4-6 counts – and then see how long the exhalation is naturally, without doing anything about it. Then gently elongate the exhalation, so that it’s about half again as long as the inhalation. Then add a pause at the top of the breath, between the inhalation and the exhalation. The pause is a magical moment of entry into a deeper awareness – called the Madhya, the middle place where a more subtle state of consciousness is available.

3) Repeat a natural mantra along with your breath. This is a classical meditation technique that you can practice for a short few minutes to center yourself, or for a longer seated meditation. As you inhale, inwardly hear the internal sound “Ham”, and as you exhale, hear the internal sound “Sah”. This is said to be the natural sound of the breath, its meaning is “I am that”: the essence of each of us expands into the world, and the world also exists inside us.

Enjoy your breath, and please leave me a comment about your favorite kind of conscious breathing!

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