Love Your Gut

There is a lot to be said about what we eat lately.  That will vary from person to person, but we all rely upon the digestive system to take care of it all from top to bottom.  You could say that the digestive system contains several major organs including the stomach, liver and pancreas, connected by long twisting tubes.  That is the short version.  

The long version would include not only the digestive organs but the hormones and chemicals that are released all along the way to help digest and regulate the passage of our food as it moves along.  We feel hungry.  We feel full.  We crave something.  It is controlled by the hormones in the GI tract and also in the brain.  It is much more complicated than we want to admit.  All we know is that we want to feel good and we don't like it when we don’t.

Yoga is something we can do to love our tummy and help our bodies do what they were made to do.  A simple forward fold, either standing or sitting, is good for the gut.  A full body twist facilitates hormones as well as movement in a healthy way.  Loving your gut is one of the best things you can do for yourself.  It’s a good idea not to wait for it to complain to make the needed changes.  Be kind to that tummy and it will be kind to you.  www.gobodhi.com.

Breath In, Breathe Out

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  That’s usually not too hard.  In fact, it is the first and last thing we ever do in life.  It is essential to life.  We can’t do without it.  The main function of the respiratory system is to supply the blood with oxygen so the blood can deliver oxygen to all parts of the body.  That’s why we breathe.  

The lungs are bigger than you may think.  I am told that laid flat they are about the size of a tennis court.  Put all of that in your chest and appreciate what it does not only to keep us alive but to give us the energy we need to do everything else.  Without adequate oxygen we lack vitality in so many ways.  Our cells can deteriorate and open us to sickness and disease.  That is the worst of it.

The best of it is that we can do more to vitalize our lungs and our blood through purposeful breathing exercises called Pranayama, and purposely combining the breath with movement in yoga.  I remember my father breathing in fresh air in the morning as he did his deep breathing exercises.  I wish I would have followed him back then.  Now I am making up for it with yoga and Pranayama.  Please breathe with me.  It does a body good.  www.gobodhiyoga.com

‘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.