‘Round and ‘Round Does The Blood Flow

It is so easy to take for granted the systematic flow of our blood in keeping us going.  With four to five liters of blood flowing along 60,000 miles (as a child) to 100,000 miles (Yes, I said MILES.) of blood vessels throughout our bodies, it is no small task to keep blood flowing smoothly and without interruption.  That is what happens most days.  

What if you could help assure that healthy flow would continue to the end of your life?  Doing yoga is one of the really kind and healthy things you can do for your body.  Because yoga movements are accompanied by deep breaths and systematic stretches, blood flow increases to the point of giving the skin a healthy glow.  This occurs from exercise when your temperature rises and the blood delivers the heat to the capillaries, which then deliver it quickly to the skin which can give you a flushed, red appearance.  In our case I would call it the “yoga glow.”  You will never look and feel more vibrant and healthy.  www.gobodhiyoga.com

Muscles Make The Difference

Muscles pull but they can’t push.  Then how do we get from here to there?  Another set of muscles pulls in the opposite direction.  Muscles are banded together by fascia to form muscle groups which work together.  It’s pretty exciting when you think of it.  

By the time we reach adulthood our muscle tissues have lost about 15 percent of their moisture content.  No wonder we get more stiff and prone to injury as we age.  Fortunately, there is something we can do to slow down that process.  You guessed it.  YOGA.  www.gobodhiyoga.com  Deep breathing plus regular systematic stretching retards the drying or aging process.  The slower, more deliberate, and longer the stretch is held, the greater the benefit.  It is an interesting paradox that if you come to yoga “determined” to do the poses and push intensely to make it happen, it becomes more difficult.  If you are patient and breathe into the pose, the stretch will come to you.  I love how that feels.  Before long you will do poses you didn’t think you could simply by letting your muscles do what they were meant to do. 

Stand Up

Did you know that your skeletal structure consists of 206 bones that serve as a protection for your vital organs and carries bodily movements in interaction with your muscles?  Maybe you knew that in biology class, but to you think about it every day as you move about?  Yoga www.gobodhiyoga.com gives us an opportunity to really think about what is making our bodies do the things they do.  Sitting, standing, bending and going from one position to another would be impossible without this structural inner foundation of the body called skeleton.  

Long bones, short bones, flat bones and irregular bones all work together to move us and to support the poses we do.  We could never hold a down dog or even a forward fold without the support of our long bones.  The broad surfaces of our flat bones protect our organs and and help give us form.  Without the small vertebra of our back we would crumple.  Yoga and everyday life are supported by our strong and sturdy skeleton.  Aren't we glad?

Without Fascia We Would Be A Big Flop

Our skin is our body’s wrapper, but it doesn’t hold everything together.  We need another layer called the fascia.  It is a sheet or band of fibrous connective tissue enveloping, separating, or binding together muscles, organs, and other soft structures of the body.  Thank you dictionary.com.  It not only gives us structural support, but provides protection and gives structure to the body.  

Rageddy Ann wouldn’t be half so floppy if she had fascia.  Syl Carson of www.gobodhiyoga.com tells us, “I personally consider the fascia to be the net of emotion, meridian highway and the literal “child inside”.  It stores our memory and holds our potential for movement through our Mind, Body, Spirit evolution.”  Since the meaning of YOGA is to yoke body, mind and spirit, we can be very grateful that fascia makes that possible in the first place.  

Whence Cometh the Yoga Glow?

It is easy to do yoga without thinking seriously about what we are doing or how it affects our body, mind and spirit.  As I study while becoming a certified yoga instructor, I am learning all sorts of interesting facts about our incredible bodies.  

My Teacher Certification Manual www.gobodhiyoga.com teaches that there are Twelve Physiologies of the Body.  “The Twelve Physiologies each with their own climate of the body are the “context”, Sattva, or Yoga within where practice takes place.  They are not only physical systems of function, they are also mental, spiritual and ethereal and carry specific tendencies, which yoga can benefit.”  In other words, our bodies are benefitted in at least twelve specific ways when we do yoga.  

Let’s start with just one, Integumentary.  What is that? I didn’t know either.  “The word integument comes from the Latin to cover.”  That would mean the skin.  Have you ever experienced or seen someone who just finished an invigorating and relaxing yoga session?  They glow.  You glow.  All layers of your skin light up and you feel marvelous.  

“As much as one half of the total blood supply of the body is distributed to the skin.  It is the body’s blood and lymph that supply nutrients to the skin.”  Doing yoga is a gift to your body.  It is wrapped in your beautiful healthy glowing skin.  

As Smart As A Cat

We are encouraged on TV to be “as smart as a fifth grader.”  How about being as smart as a cat?  Every morning Tika runs from the garage where she sleeps into the kitchen and right to her dish of water.  After a good fill she darts down the hallway for her morning workout before plopping in the middle of the hallway for a good yoga stretch and a belly rub.  Then, while we read scriptures, she will either sit and wash her face or just perch on my lap with her paws folded.  

When I finish my yoga workout I find Tika sprawled out next to me in a yoga position.  How much healthier would we be if we followed Tika’s routine; drink water, do yoga, wash up and read scriptures?  A simple yoga routine can change the way you feel all day.  

The definition of yoga is to “yoke body, mind and spirit.”  The first and most important step in yoga is breathing.  Of course, we breathe all day and all night, but how often do we breathe deeply and on purpose?  Just taking twenty deep breaths through your nose with mouth shut first thing in the morning can energize you to start your day.  Any time you need a break, focus on the present and breathe deeply a few times.  It lifts your spirits and you didn’t know you were doing yoga.  I am trying to teach Tika to do that.

Of course, there are numerous yoga poses for your body that will help you feel better and build new brain cells, too.  I will tell you more about that later.  In the meantime, let’s be as smart as Tika Cat and take a few intentional deep breaths several times a day.  www.gobodhiyoga.com

Let's do YOGA!

Yoga comes from the ancient Auyravedic tradition of India in 1500 BC.  About seventy years ago it was introduced to the US and since then has become very popular.  It is almost a sport in some studios.  Personally, I prefer to follow a more traditional way of doing yoga which makes it slow and meditative in form.  I find that it is actually a bit more taxing on my body and strengthens me more by following this sort of practice as well as making it more meditative. 

Asana is the Sanskrit word for Posture.  Let’s stand up and get started with a simple forward fold.  That sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?  It is important to me that my posture is supportive of what I am doing in each movement so I won’t injure myself while I am doing the poses.  I believe it is helpful to learn how to do the poses correctly from the start for that very reason.  

I plant my feet on the floor hip width apart and I pay attention to how I stand.  I place my feet straight ahead putting pressure on the ball of my big toe.  I push the feet apart as if I am tearing the mat.  It will probably feel like you are pigeon toed but it will put your knees in line with your hips and everything will work together better.  Take my word for it. 

I let myself bend forward all relaxed like a rag doll.  I hang there for a few seconds and let my head swing into little yes movements.  Then I like to grasp my calves and pull myself into an even deeper fold.  I love how that feels.  I take a deep breath in and let it out as I grasp my ankles and straighten my back.  This is a standing forward arch.  I breathe in, coming up slowly bringing my arms up overhead with fingers spread.  I close my fingers into a prayer position and come down to my heart.  Two more times I reach up and then back to my heart.  I breathe in as I reach up.  Once more.  Look, you’re doing yoga.  Who knew it could be so easy?  www.gobodhiyoga.com