Often times during Thanksgiving we are concerned with staying in shape and making sure we get in our workout before the big meal. I teach a yoga class on Thanksgiving morning and it is always filled to capacity.

When I was a runner, I’d always get in a long run before the meal. It made me feel better about consuming a large amount of food. There is nothing wrong with burning calories before consuming them. I agree it is a smart strategy. However, maybe this year your pre-meal workout can have an intention of gratitude.

Setting an Intention

I always start my yoga practice with an intention. It makes the practice more sacred and it keeps me focused. The same can be done before a run, lifting session, or CrossFit training. Simply take a minute before starting the workout to mentally ask your body and mind what it needs from the workout.

Listen quietly for the answer. It will, most likely, differ daily or weekly. While you exercise, periodically remember your intention for the workout. I like to inhale the essence of the intention and exhale all limitations keeping me from experiencing the intention in every area of my life. Do what works best for you.

Give Thanks to Your Coaches and Trainers

As Thanksgiving approaches it is a generous gesture to honor the teachers, trainers, and coaches who have inspired you on your path. Maybe you honor your coach by acknowledging what he or she has done for you by writing a thank-you letter, or maybe you treat your teacher to a cup of coffee telling him or her in person how your life has changed.

If this person is not accessible then maybe you honor him or her by sharing with others the wisdom that was bestowed upon you. Be sure to give this person credit by telling others where you gained information on a specific technique or knowledge.

Give Thanks for the Bigger Lessons in Your Training

Gratitude is a gesture of the heart. Personally, when I feel grateful I am more accepting of others and I feel happier overall. When I get into a pattern of focusing on the negative aspects of others or situations, the downward spiral continues.

This is where yoga and meditation have changed my life for the better. By finding the discipline to practice yoga and meditation when things are great, as well as when things were miserable, I have learned to find peace through adversity. My greatest epiphanies have come while practicing yoga and meditation. I am grateful I have my yoga mat and meditation cushion to go to when I need to be uplifted.

Photography by Jeffrey Perez of Oahu, Hawaii

In what way has your workout changed your life? Maybe your workout has lifted your butt or given you defined biceps. Is there something more? Has your workout given you an outlet to release anger or frustration? Have the physical results of your workout provided you with the confidence to do things of which you were previously frightened?

I encourage you to reflect on what your workout has done for you. Not only will this get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving, but it will also give your workout new meaning and purpose. You may choose to write down the way your workout has changed you and put it in your gym bag or somewhere it will inspire you to get up and get moving when you feel tired and unmotivated.

How Can You Give to Others?

Finally, how can the results of your exercise help to inspire others or fully enrich your own life? In yoga, we refer to this as taking your yoga off the mat. I’m guessing the people who have inspired you have influenced other areas of your life by the things you learned through your sport, workout, or yoga practice.

Is there a family member who would love to spend more time with you? Or perhaps you need to forgive someone close to you so you can free yourself of the burden of carrying the grudge. Maybe you simply let your loved ones know how much they mean to you over your Thanksgiving meal.

Whatever you choose, remember Thanksgiving is much more than turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. This year find gratitude not only for your blessings but also in the challenges that have shaped who you are today. Happy Thanksgiving!

The post The Gift of Gratitude: How to Have a Truly Happy Thanksgiving appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Sciatica

Description:

The hip is a major contributor to all core work. In fact, when we first learn to sit up as babies, we rely on our hip muscles rather than the muscles of our trunk to do this. Repetitive motion like cycling, running and squatting can irritate the muscles in and around the pelvis, leading to chronic pain or limitation. Sciatica and piriformis syndrome are two conditions often presenting with similar symptoms. Here is a guide to the difference between the two as well as treatment for each.

Sciatica

Description:

Often, when a person complains of hip and back pain, the go-to diagnosis is sciatica. Sciatica is actually a very specific source of pain. The sciatic nerve’s origin point is just at the top of the gluteal muscle in the L4 and L5 vertebrae. When inflammation occurs in this area, it can compress the sciatic nerve and send a radiating pain down the back of the leg, typically ending at the knee but potentially carrying all the way to the calf.

Common Causes:

Sciatica is always caused by inflammation around the sciatic nerve. The source of this inflammation may be low back pain, including a bulge in the L4 or L5 vertebra. Pregnancy can also cause sciatica if the position of the baby or shape of the uterus presses on the nerve. Inflammation of portions of the hips and glutes can also cause sciatic pain, but because the sciatic nerve is deep, the inflammation is typically also in a deep rather than superficial part of the anatomy.

Contraindications and Treatment:

Sciatica is made worse by forward bending or deep flexion of the hip joint. In fact, you may know you have sciatica because the pain shoots down the leg when you bend over. For this reason, in yoga, sciatica is often treated with gentle back bending and mild external rotation of the hip. For example, bridge pose is often prescribed. Cobbler’s pose, often called butterfly (pictured right), is also beneficial for sciatica treatment. If you suffer from bad sciatic pain, you may even consider sleeping with the affected leg in the butterfly position.

If sciatica is caused by a bulging disc in the lumbar spine, it will be critical to work with a doctor to know when motion can be reintroduced to this area of the body. Forward folding is contraindicated for any lumber bulge. Working to properly engage the muscles of the core will be essential in healing this injury. Even those with “strong abs” may need to reevaluate the use of the transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of the core, to reinforce the strength of the back. Strengthening the low back, opening the hamstrings and reducing tightness in the outer hips will also help restore the spine’s natural curvature and function.

Piriformis Syndrome

Description:

The piriformis is a deep stabilizer muscle within the iliac (pelvic) crest. (Bright red in the image to the right.) It originates at the very base of the spine and inserts at the top of the femur bone. It is often confused with the psoas, but the piriformis is smaller, deeper, and more specialized. When you feel the muscle at the front of your hip, you are likely touching the psoas as the piriformis is more on the posterior portion of the hip. Piriformis syndrome is the result of an inflammation in this muscle that presses on the sciatic nerve. The pain is often more localized in the hip and buttock where general sciatic pain tends to radiate more down the leg.

Common Causes:

Repetitive motion is the most common cause of inflammation in the piriformis. Distance runners and soccer players are often more subject to this issue. Interestingly, nearly twenty percent of all people have a condition where the sciatic nerve goes through the piriformis; these people will be predisposed to sciatica caused by piriformis syndrome.

Contraindications and Treatment:

When sciatica is caused by inflammation of the piriformis, treatment of this specific inflammation is the best course of action. All inflammation can be helped with a course of rest, ice, compression, elevation (RICE) as prescribed by a doctor. Anti-inflammatory medication may also help. Stretching the piriformis and getting blood flow to this area through yoga can ultimately decrease symptoms, but this should only be taken on once the pain has subsided to manageable levels. Classical sun salutations (not series A salutations) and moon salutations open the hips quite well and may be performed daily.

As the piriformis is in charge of laterally rotating and abducting the hip, all poses or lifts that require this action should be approached mindfully. In yoga, these poses include the Warrior II family, such as Warrior II, extended side angle, triangle, and balancing half moon. A better approach would be to laterally rotate and abduct the hip while in a supported supine position.

One exercise you can try is Pigeon (with the support of bolsters).

The other is gomukasana – literally meaning “Cow Face” but often called shoelace pose – works to open both the muscles and the connective tissue. Gomukasana while seated on a block, or wide leg forward bend with the torso resting in support can all help increase blood flow and ultimately allow the body to heal.

From seated, bend the knees and place the soles of the feet on the ground.

1. Cross the right leg on top of the left, crossing at the knee.
2. Use the hands to draw the feet apart, ultimately bringing the outer edges of the feet to the mat and sitting between your two feet. Your knees will remain stacked, with the shins extending out in as straight a line as possible from the knees. From your perspective, it will look like an arrow pointing away yoga for overhead squat, yoga for crossfit, yoga for athletes, crossfit yogafrom your body or, in an ideal world, like a T.
3. If your sit bones do not touch the ground like this, it is okay to back off. The knees may not stack exactly, the feet may draw back toward the sit bones, or you may sit on a prop to elevate your hips.
4. Hold like this for 1 minute.
5. Twist the upper body to the right.
6. Hold like this for 2 minutes.
7. Rest by lying on the back and letting the legs shake out for 1 minute.
8. Repeat left side.

Ultimately, sciatica and piriformis syndrome are both disorders caused by inflammation. The best treatment for any inflammation is – sorry, athletes – rest. After rest has helped manage the sensations, light yoga with a therapeutic focus can be used to reintroduce movement to the muscle groups that were inflamed. Once you’ve had sciatica, it is very likely you will experience it again in the future; certain people are simply predisposed to this condition because of their anatomy. Learning to listen to your body and know the signs of inflammation before intense pain sets in will help stop the cycle of injury in your body.

More on the benefits of movement variety:

How Split Cleans and Snatches Strengthen Your ACL

The post Sciatica and Hip Pain: Deal With It appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One of my teachers says, “Each part of the body lifts itself.” This is the best advice for arm balancing I’ve ever received. You’re not resting the full weight of your body on your hands. Rather, you are lifting each part using alignment and musculature to take weight out of your arms and away from the mat. The good news? Learning alignment for arm balances helps you find alignment in every strength posture, including lifts, and reduces the chance of injury.

Try these alignment cues to get yourself into three fun balances:

1. Crow Pose (Bakasana)

Crow pose, also called bakasana, is like the gateway drug to arm balancing. It’s probably the first one you ever tried, and it’s often the easiest to find. The tools we learn in crow pose help us in all other balances, so it’s good to stop and learn the pose correctly.

Follow these steps:

1. Start in yogi squat. Draw your feel together under your body, heels touching, hands firmly grounded at shoulder-width distance apart.
2. Rise on to your tiptoes, lifting your hips as high as possible in the air. This lift in the hips is key in getting lift in your balance.
3. Draw the knees to the highest point you can reach on your upper arms, ideally around the top of the triceps. Place the knees partly on the arm and partly outside the arm, feeling like you are squeezing in on your arms, rather than just resting your knees there.
4. Look forward, about six inches to a foot in front of your hands. This helps you keep your shoulders lifted, which is key if you do not want to fall on your face.
5. Shift your energy forward until one foot comes off the ground. If this is as far as you can go, stay here for a few breaths, then reground the first foot and try again with the other foot.
6. If you feel stable, continue shifting to draw the second foot off the ground.
7. With both feet off the ground, continue to look forward, squeeze in on your arms with your knees, and maybe try to touch your feet together.
8. Hold for five to twenty breaths.

2. Flying Splits (Eka Pada Koundinyasana)

This pose requires open hamstrings. If you can’t quite straighten the front leg due to limitations in your hamstrings, you can leave the knee bent for single-legged crow (eka pada bakasana), but I personally find that variation more challenging since there is not as much counterbalance.

Try it out:

1. Start in lizard pose. From down dog, step your right foot forward between your hands until your shin is vertical. You will be in a lunge with your hands grounded. Walk your right foot outside of your right hand, but hug in the right hip and shin toward your hand.
2. Walk your right shoulder as far under your right leg as possible, essentially propping up the right leg with your triceps. You may stay right here and just work on opening the right hip.
3. If you are able, begin to straighten the right leg at a diagonal from the top of your mat. Energize both legs. You may stay here and just work the position.
4. Look forward. Hug your elbows in toward one another. When you are learning this pose, your left elbow can hug into your left rib cage so you are supported on two arms. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may let your rib cage float away from the left elbow so you are supported only by your right arm.
5. Continue looking forward and shifting energy forward. As you do so, engage your core and psoas, and your left leg may just magically lift off the ground. If not, give it a little bunny hop. You may hover for a second, or you may find you can hold the pose in a controlled manner.
6. Hold for five to twenty breaths. Repeat on the left side.

3. Flying Crow (Eka Pada Galavasana)

This is a big mamma arm balance. It primarily requires open hips, but it also relies on strength in the very base of the core and psoas to lift off the mat. Once you feel this pose in its fullest expression, you will delight in choosing it as an option during class.

Follow these steps:

1. Start standing. Cross your right ankle over your left knee like a figure four.
2. Flexing your right foot, begin to sit the hips back to your own ability, as if you are sitting back into a chair. This is called “Temple Dancer,” and you can stay here until you feel ready to move on.
3. Continue to bend your standing leg deeply. Bend slightly at your waist in order to reach your fingertips to the floor in front of your right shin. Hold here if this is where you feel limited. This is a great pose for opening your hip.
4. If your palms are fully grounded, hook your right foot into your left armpit. This brings your right shin high on your triceps.
5. Press the shin into the triceps, look forward, and lift your waist off of your right thigh. Keep the heads of your shoulders lifted away from the mat.
6. Your left leg may begin to lift. It may remain bent at first as you feel what it is like to hover away from the mat in this pose.
7. If you feel steady, begin to extend your left leg away from your body until it is straight. This requires much engagement in the deepest part of the core.
8. Hover for five to twenty breaths. Repeat on the left side.

Arm balancing is a freeing way to find strength in any yoga class. You will find it easiest to arm balance when you are lightly open, but not too sweaty or fatigued. I’ve been digging Guroo Active’s arm sleeves made specifically for balancing to help me get into tricky poses when I’m sweaty. These bands (which I’m wearing in the photos) wick sweat and also have a small portion of grippy surface to make your triceps extra welcoming for thighs, knees and feet.

Have fun! And if you have questions or comments about your experiences with these balances, please post to the comments below.

The post Arm Balancing: Improve Your Strength Through Alignment appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

But whether you are practicing on the beach, in your yard, or in a park, if you are outside on an unpredictable soft service, then you put your joints under more stress than when you practice on hard floors. Follow these simple tips to keep your outdoor yoga practice safe while you connect with nature and fresh air.

Skip the Vinyasa Flow

The wrists are most vulnerable to pain and injury when practicing on a soft service. The heels of the hands have a tendency to dig into the ground, collapsing the wrist and putting pressure on the ulna bone where it connects on the outer hand.

To relieve the wrists, stay away from too many down dog holds or vinyasa flows. Opt for salutations to warm the body if desired, but after your initial warm up, simply choose to step back into postures from tadasana (mountain pose).

Lose the Yoga Mat

Yoga mats, particularly thick mats, are designed to provide some cushion and anti-slip when placed on solid services. Put your yoga mat down on the sand or grass, though, and you will find it bunches, folds, and makes a softer service even harder to navigate.

Mexican yoga blankets or simple beach towels are better options for practicing outdoors. These services will cling to the Earth, forming to the natural surface without making it any softer. As an additional benefit, if you put your towel or blanket down in the mud, you can simply toss it in the washing machine after practice.

Forego the Music

I am a big fan of practicing to music. Artists of all type inspire me to connect deeper with my inner creativity, and I love how the rhythm of my breath naturally follows the rhythm of a beautiful song while I move into my practice. But, studies show human happiness is increased immediately when we connect with nature. In the absence of music, we can appreciate more fully the sounds around us when we’re outside.

Listen for the waves on the beach, the sound of animals, the breeze in the trees and even the sounds of “disturbances” like people talking or planes flying overhead. When you turn your senses outward during practice and tune into nature, you exhaust the senses and are prepared to turn them inward come time for savasana (final relaxation).

Practice Balancing Poses

The instability caused by an uneven surface may be tough on the wrists, but it is great to work the fast-twitch muscles of the ankles and feet in balancing poses. If you’re unsure where to start, tree pose is an excellent balancing option for all levels of yogis. Other balancing options great for outdoors include eagle pose, standing hand-to-big-toe pose, dancer pose (pictured above), and temple dancer (pictured below).

Go Upside Down

The one exception I make to standing on the wrists too much while on soft surfaces is the handstand. There are two main benefits to hand-standing outside:

1. If you fall on sand or grass, it is more forgiving than hardwoods. This fact alone makes many people who normally rely on the wall when hand-standing much bolder outside.
2. The soft surface will force you to activate your fingers and grip into the Earth. This is great practice for when you return to the studio, as active fingers enhance your ability to balance.

If hand-standing is not for you, go upside down any way you like. You can choose headstand, shoulder stand, or simply lying on your back with your legs up in the air. Keep your eyes open and appreciate what the world looks like upside down. I particularly like to look out at the ocean horizon when in a headstand as this steady view brings so much calm to my mind and body.

As the summer days stretch out a little shorter, take advantage of these nice temperatures while they last. Get outside and practice, even in the full sun of the afternoon (with sunscreen on of course) and feel how being with nature helps you connect even deeper to the sense of being with yourself.

Photo 3 courtesy of Tai Kerbs.

All other photos courtesy of Savannah Wishart.

The post 5 Tips for Practicing Yoga Outside appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As much as I struggled with these questions on the whole, the last question has a simple answer. Yes, there are abundant benefits in teaching yoga and mindfulness practices at a young age. 

Benefit: Self Regulating Behavior

If a child goes to a behavioral therapist or counselor over the course of his or her youth, one of the first things the therapist will address is self regulation. In fact, many parents work to establish good self-regulating behaviors as early as infancy. 

Self regulation includes good sleep habits, proper eating and personal hygiene, and self-soothing behavior for challenging emotions. Mindfulness experiences help a young person become more aware of why he or she feels a certain way. This awareness can be paired with techniques to regulate feelings to create a better outcome.

Exercise: Self-Regulation Techniques in Youth

1. Ask the group or individual to name things that cause stress in life. Make a list of the things named.
2. Have the group or individual come to a seated position with the eyes closed or lightly open looking at the floor. Some children will not be comfortable with eyes closed.
3. In round one, give instructions to think about the word you say as completely as possible. Have the group or individual think of memories, feelings, experiences, or images associated with the word. Read through the list, pausing for about thirty seconds at each word.
4. In round two, give the same instructions, but also tell the group or individual to take a full, deep breath after you say each word. Pause to allow a full breath at each word as you read through the list.
5. Ask the group or individual about the experience after the exercise is complete. Most will report feeling more relaxed, calmer, or less anxious in round two. Ask how this may apply to other situations.¹

Benefit: Increased Attention Span or Ability to Focus

Young people often become easily distracted by surroundings and interruptions. If you ever present to a group of young people, you will notice the varying array of attention through the group. Some will focus intermittently, some not at all. Mindfulness can help a young person learn to be aware of distractions without actually becoming distracted by them. 

Exercise: Teaching Youth to Focus

1. Have the group or individual stand up. This is a great thing to do if you need to bring the attention back to the presentation at any point.
2. Teach tree pose. This is a simple, straightforward balancing pose. With children, allow them to interpret the pose as they would like.
3. Instruct the group or individual to hold the pose on one side for thirty seconds to a minute. Have them count the number of times they fall out of the pose.
4. Pause in between rounds and offer a simple mindfulness practice. Have the student(s) stand tall with the feet apart and knees slightly bent. Allow them to close or half close their eyes, but turn their other senses outward. Help them seek out distractions such as sounds, smells, the feel of the air on their skin, or other outward experiences. Bring them into awareness of as many different elements as possible in a soothing, simple way, without focusing too much on any one element.
5. Instruct the group to repeat the tree pose once again, holding for the same amount of time, and counting the number of times they fall.
6. Ask which round was more successful. Typically, students can balance for a much longer time after the simple meditation. Ask how they may incorporate this into their lives.

Benefit: Greater Embodiment Experience

Embodiment should be talked about far more when it comes to self-esteem, body image, and general sense of self. Embodiment is the awareness of what it is like to exist in your own body with a strong acknowledgment that you are made up of more than your body.

Embodiment has many benefits, a key benefit being less risk of injury when participating in physical activity. I have students come to my class who will be unable to follow instructions like “lift your left leg” or “straighten your right elbow.” This is not a judgment on their yoga skills, just a commentary on how disembodied our experience can be when we spend all day at work or school.

A second primary benefit of embodiment exists in the brain. The embodiment circuitry of the brain, i.e. the part of the brain responsible for moving and experiencing the body, acts like a damper on other areas of the brain. Namely, it quiets the default processes of repeated past experiences, and it calms the seeking behavior that may lead to pattern behaviors in youth. These behaviors vary from acting out to overeating, using drugs or alcohol, or even self-harm. When a person regularly engages in awareness of the body, he or she experiences a greater sense of satisfaction and a lower sense of need.¹

Exercise: Teaching Embodiment to Youth

1. Pause before beginning this exercise. Just give the instruction to come to standing and stand still.
2. Stand at the front of the group and give the simple instruction, “Mirror my movements.” You may need to explain what mirroring is, but give as little instruction as possible.
3. Start to move your body in a simple way: bend the torso, lift one or both arms, stand on one foot. Move slowly and explore easy ways you can move around.
4. After a minute or so, ask if anyone in the group would like to lead the exercise.
5. Give no real instruction. Simply allow the individual to take a role in deciding how the body can move. Many students will repeat the actions you presented. Some will create new movements you had not thought of.
6. Encourage all who would like a turn to step up and lead the movements.
7. Pause at the end of the exercise. Give the “stand still” instruction again, and notice the difference in behavior, stillness, and quiet.
8. At the end of the exercise, tell the students, “You all just became yoga teachers.” Explain how moving the body allows you to become still and quiet after the movement is complete. Give some benefits of moving the body without mentioning weight. Talk about making the body stronger, more flexible, better balanced, and more resistant to injury. If you feel it is appropriate for the age group, you may mention that moving the body helps to quiet the brain.

References:

1. Moore, D. and Hopper, J., “Neuroscience, Mindfulness and Modern Yoga for Transforming Trauma.” Professional training, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Lenox, MA, June 1-6, 2014.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Yoga Is the Answer to the Problems Children Face Today appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Most people who take up mindfulness-based practices for stress relief are not true Buddhists. The question, then, is are they using meditation for harm? Can mindfulness and meditation actually cause negative effects instead of positive ones? 

The Opposing Viewpoint

Those who oppose mindfulness-based practices for daily life are concerned their forms of spiritual practice are being stripped down, evaluated scientifically, and applied sectarianly strictly for benefits such as greater efficiency at work and reduced stress. The Times summarized an argument written by Michael Stone for Salon saying, “It shouldn’t, he argued, be used to make members of the world’s biggest military better at killing.”

Similarly, opponents to mindfulness-based practices in corporate America argue against what is – at its heart – a spiritual exercise being proposed to reduce absence for sick leave. There is a small but vocal component of the meditation community who simply feel those people at the top of the one percent who do not embrace the totality of Buddhism or transcendental meditation should not employ the practice for their own means. In short, many people take issue with meditation based on universality and nonviolence being used to contribute to a system that is essentially ego-driven and at times violent.

You may fall into this category. You may live a life that, from the outside, does not appear to be Buddhist, transcendental, or related to other forms of Eastern religion. You may go to work every day, hit the gym, run errands, juggle a social schedule, and come home to meditate for the sole purpose of making your hectic life a little easier. Have you “hijacked” a spiritual practice and employed it for selfish means?

The Supporting Viewpoint

My short answer to the previous question is: no, you are not using and abusing meditation if you have specific, sectarian goals in mind for your practice. We don’t selectively choose the results we get from living a more mindful life. Sure, it may make us more efficient workers and less likely to lose control in a combat situation. But, mindfulness and meditation does so by reducing our stress, helping us become more self-aware of emotions and feelings, and teaching us to tune in to default mental processes. These things, ultimately, may make us better spouses, parents, and members of our communities. As we all know, we don’t get to just choose one benefit and turn off all the others.

Many people show up to my yoga class each week simply to get stronger, lose weight, increase flexibility, or reduce stress. For me, the yoga path is much more than the sum of those parts, but I’m still happy to have them in class. If nothing else, I’d love for them to receive the benefits they are seeking. In the best-case scenario, if students are open to the wider benefits of the practice – living according to a personal and social code, reduction of distraction, and even ultimately union with all beings – those benefits may come to them as well.

A CEO who takes up meditation to train the brain for more efficient multitasking may also discover she has become a more compassionate mother by becoming more aware of her emotional landscape. Soldiers using meditation may be less likely to commit unnecessary violence, less likely to experience PTSD, and more likely to transition back into civilian life in a healthy and productive way.

Ultimately, whatever the reason people start getting more mindful, they will likely discover a greater range of benefits than they initially imagined. Meditation was not designed by a group of people seeking certain benefits. People started meditating, and they discovered truths about the human condition as a result. We should allow all individuals the freedom to explore this same path without restricting them to a specific end game.

The Real Dangers of Meditation

All that said, there are some true dangers of exploring the mental, emotional, energetic, and subconscious landscape through meditation. Individuals with an unstable mental condition may be putting themselves at risk of a dissociative experience. Similarly, individuals can experience past repressed trauma, either in a flashback state or as a memory, and great harm can come as a result.⁴

For this reason, meditation should not be prescribed as a cure-all practice for people who experience a wide and complex array of personal challenges. Many meditation centers have psychiatrists on site to deal with any issues that may arise, and wise teachers will be aware of stage-based behavioral therapy.⁵ While meditation can pose risks if introduced too early, mindfulness in general is a safer introduction into self-awareness. Activities like mindful eating, mindful walking, and general awareness techniques can be helpful tools in early stages of recovery.

References:

1. North, A. “The Mindfulness Backlash.” The New York Times. June 30, 2014.

2. Eaton, J. “Gentrifying the dharma: How the 1 percent is hijacking mindfulness.” Salon. March 5, 2014.

3. Stone, M. “Abusing the Buddha: How the U.S. Army and Google co-opt mindfulness.” Salon. March 17, 2014.

4. Hanson, H. “Potential Psychological Dangers of Meditation – Especially Relevant for Those with PTSD.” New-Synapse.com. Accessed July 8, 2014.

5. Herman, J.Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.Basic Books, 1997.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Can Meditation Cause Harm in the Wrong Hands? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As you continue on your meditation journey, here are some tools you may find helpful:

Meditation Props

If you cannot sit in relative comfort, you will not be very successful at sitting still. Don’t put pressure on yourself to sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Today, there are plenty of helpful props to ease hip and back pain while you sit. My favorites are:

• Back Jack Chairs: These cushions fold up for easy storage, but they unfold to provide as much support as a chair. A light cushion under the sit bones helps elevate the hips, and the back support allows even inexperienced sitters to adjust posture in a way to remain still. You can find back jack chairs at many yoga stores, through yoga prop providers, and through online retailers.
• Zafus: Zafus are simply firm pillows that boost the hips in any seated posture. Be mindful that you are purchasing an actual meditation zafu and not a yoga bolster. While bolsters may be helpful if they are the only thing on hand, zafus are firmer and smaller, providing for better alignment. Many yoga studios sell zafus, or you can find them at yoga stores, through yoga prop providers, and through online retailers.
• Meditation Benches: You will likely need to order a meditation bench specifically through a retailer, as these are hard to find. They are low benches that provide space for you to either cross your legs or fold them underneath the bench. There is no back support in most benches, but many meditators prefer the high elevation of a bench over a back support cushion.

Websites and Phone Apps

Today, you have your pick of technology to help you meditate. You can use any old timer, use a meditation-specific timer, or even delve into any of the social media-related apps that make meditating into an online community. My specific favorites to look into:

• Insight Timer: This app is specifically designed to time, track, and journal your meditation sessions. The timer sound options are all Tibetan bells, and you can elect to set interval bells throughout your meditation. When you have set the timer you like, you can save it as a preset. Each session will be automatically logged, and social options on the company website let you share messages with other meditators.
• Buddhify: This seriously smart app is perfect for those who want to listen to guided meditations. After selecting preferences based on where you are and how much time you have for your meditation, you will be guided through the process. Buddhify even has multi-player options, turning meditation into a social game as well as a personal journey.
• Calm: There may not be much to it, but Calm is a brilliant idea for those who need a little boost. The site has separate options for guided meditations, meditation timers, online support, and a downloadable phone app.

General Meditation Resources

• The Chopra Center for Well Being/Chopra Center Meditation: Deepak Chopra’s websites offer everything from articles on meditation to over twenty free, guided meditations. If you are looking for something extra, Chopra pairs up with Oprah Winfrey for three 21-day meditation challenges. These are available for purchase individually or as a set and include audio recordings and journals to help get you on your way.
• Whil: lululemon founder Chip Wilson’s new venture, Whil, encourages small, sixty-second meditations. The site allows users to share one-sentence insights and commitments, and free membership provides access to articles, interviews, and meditation instruction.
• S.N. Goenka’s Vipassana Meditation Centers: For those seeking a fully immersive meditation experience, Vipassana retreats are available free of charge throughout the world. These ten-day silent retreats are not for everyone, but many people find them to be powerfully uplifting.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Zafu photo by Dontpanic (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

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What Is Heart Rate Variability?

Frank Partnoy, law professor at University of San Diego School of Law and author of a book related to HRV titled Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, explained the phenomenon of brain stem control of the heart for The Diane Rehm Show in this way:

One of the most surprising things I found in my research was that our decision-making doesn’t just happen in our brain, but it happens in our brain’s stem and in something called the vagal nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that kind of comes down from our brain stem and winds around the various organs in our body, most importantly our heart, and it varies our heart rates.¹

Why Are Heart Rate and HRV Important?

Scientists in the mental health field continually correlate our ability to change the heart rate appropriately in given scenarios with lower stress and less anxiety and a host of potential benefits such as control of asthma, reduced incidence of autism, and assistance in a wide-range of mental afflictions caused by trauma. As Partnoy explained in regards to HRV: “This is all very preliminary and scientists are struggling to figure it out, but some people believe that a whole host of mental problems that we have emerge from these millisecond-long variations in our hearts.”¹

How Do Meditation and Heart Rate Relate?

Advanced meditators have demonstrated their ability to tune into and, in some cases, control their heart rate with simple awareness. “Simple,” of course, is a relative term, as this skill is practiced and refined over decades of meditation. There is something you can do every day, though, to start honing your ability to control your own heart rate and HRV: pay attention to your heart beat.

3-Minute Meditation for Body Awareness and Control

1. Sit comfortably.
2. Locate your pulse, either on your neck or your wrist, making sure find a pulse strong enough to hold your attention.
3. Set a timer for three minutes.
4. Sit and count your pulse. Count every single beat to the best of your ability for the full three minutes.
5. Write down your results.

This meditation has a few benefits. First, for those of us with attention-span challenges, it presents a focal point that is constantly drawing us back in. The heart beats anywhere from sixty to 100 times per minute in the average healthy person. As you continue to tune in, you may find yourself slowing your heart rate down through breath control and mindful awareness. You may also notice your heart rate spike at certain times of day or on days when your stress level is high. As you keep track, you will notice your personal response pattern to external stimuli.

In a very keyed-in state, you may feel how your heart rate varies beat by beat – this is your HRV or heart rate variability. You may practice calling to mind various mental images and watching how your heart rate responds. This is where we find true benefit. The more your heart is able to respond appropriately to the information you feed your brain, the better the potential effects in overcoming stress and trauma-related reactions in your mind and body.

Try this meditation every day for a week or, if you like it, every day for a month. Watch what happens and share your results in the comments below.

References:

1. “Frank Partnoy: ‘Wait: The Art and Science of Delay,'” The Diane Rehm Show.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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We are all descendants of really bad meditators. Add to this the general level of distraction we face each moment, and you have a recipe for a tough time sitting in stillness. This is either good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it.

Bad news, we catch only limited moments of success; good news, simply trying to meditate brings about the benefits, whether or not we ever calm down the default circuitry of the brain. But for those of us who just meet frustration every time we come to the cushion, one option is a walking meditation.

About Walking Meditation

The goal of any mediation is to be present in the body’s experience of a given moment. Therefore, even in walking meditation, it is best to choose a space with limited distractions, turn off your telephone, walk alone, and choose a path that is not too challenging.

Being in nature is best, as this increases overall happiness with the process. This is not an opportunity to “tune out” through distracting yourself with physical movement. Rather, think of walking meditation as a way to increase awareness of the body’s sensations and the mind’s work to process those sensations.

Instructions

1. Creating habits leads to greater success. Decide on a time each day for your walking meditation. After a meal is a great choice as walking provides good posture for digestion.
2. Do your best to make sure you are free of distractions. Leave behind your telephone, or at least turn it off. Choose a path you know well so you can concentrate on the experience you are having. Labyrinths and meditation gardens are also a great option, as the walking is confined to a specific experience of the path and therefore limits sensory data.
3. Before you begin walking, take a moment to feel your body. Feel the quality of your breath. Take a mental scan of your body, and notice any areas that are calling for your attention. Just observe without feeling the need to act accordingly.
4. Start walking. Settle on a slow pace that allows you to coordinate breath with your movement.
5. As you walk, be keenly aware of what your senses are taking in. Notice smells, sounds, the feel of the air on your skin, grades in the terrain, and how your breath varies based on these experiences. Continually witness the body’s response to the changes around it.
6. Do your best to not allow your thinking brain to go into processing mode. A tip: try to take language out of the equation by thinking in feelings rather than words. For example, rather than hearing a sound and mentally saying, “That is a bird,” just witness what it is like to hear the sound. Try to feel the part of your ear that perceives that particular sound, or feel the sound as vibration in your body.
7. Walk for ten minutes to an hour. At times during your walk, you will catch yourself wrapped up in thought. Use your senses to tune back in to the experience around you.

Is This Really Meditation?

I cannot say for certain whether walking meditation meets the full criteria for meditation in the yogic sense. My teacher is notorious for saying, “It is only when the body is still that the mind can fully relax.” Ultimately, I think we can more profoundly and deeply experience the moment when we are still. We learn to attune to smaller sensations, and we have an easier time catching the brain on its way to default mode.

However, I believe our brain’s hardware limits many of us from having truly deep experiences in seated meditation. Eventually, you may move to an alternating meditation, spending thirty minutes walking then thirty minutes sitting. In the end, I believe any act of mindfulness is better than no mindfulness at all. If walking meditation gets you to meditate, I’m all for it.

Happy walking, everyone, and please share comments, experiences, and questions below.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post A Way to Meditate: For People Really Bad at Meditation appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Vipassana means seeing in various ways, but it is loosely translated to intense concentration when applied to a type of meditation.¹ The good news: the days when this meditation clicks for me are the days I have my deepest and most profound sits. Many people feel a sincere sense of surrender and connectedness with this technique.

Instructions

1. At this point during our eight-week meditation challenge, you should know the drill. We always start by finding an appropriate meditative posture with a tall spine. For this meditation, I strongly recommend a seated posture, as it will keep you aware and alert.
2. Take a few moments to become aware of the fact you are sitting for meditation. Adjust anything that needs adjusting, and focus on the inner space.
3. Find one point of awareness. Traditionally, this point is a tiny atom at the tip of the nose from which you can feel the breath enter and exit the body. Not the whole nose, not the throat or lungs, just one point at the tip. If you choose another point of focus, fine, but make sure it is just as compact.
4. Sit and focus on that point. When the thoughts wander, bring them back to that one point. Just keep sitting.
5. Stay this way for five minutes to begin, but you may work up to thirty minutes or – in more regular sitters – an hour or more.

Benefits

Sounds simple, right? It is. That’s part of the beauty of vipassana meditation. However, the practice of drawing the mind to such a minuscule existence is intensely challenging. You will notice some days you cannot go more than two breaths without losing your focus. Some days you may go whole minutes. Don’t be concerned about it. Many people feel they are not “good” at this meditation if their minds wander. These are the people who can benefit most from training the mind in this way. Stay with it.

The benefit of this practice is profound and far-reaching. It cannot be summed up in one article alone, because the benefits range from increasing attention span to developing a greater sense of contentment in life. Some benefits are proven by science, some are more esoteric and only proven by your individual experience with the practice.

One benefit we all receive from meditation, though, is learning to control the mind to focus on one thing for a longer period of time. Our minds, in part thanks to a life dedicated to multitasking, have a tendency to jump from one thing to the next.

We may think we are doing two things at once, but all research shows the brain is not capable of this. It takes several seconds for the brain to switch from one activity to the next.² So, if you simply do one task to completion then switch to the next task, you will be making better use of your time and brain power.

Challenge

My challenge to you is to try sitting each day for a few minutes in intense concentration on one small thing. Just watch what happens, and share some of your experience in the comments below.

You will be amazed by how many people have a hard time with this (hint: everyone), but you will also recognize an area of your personal development where there is much room for growth. Namely, you will test your ability to sit in stillness and peace without filling the mind with thoughts.

References:
1. Silananda, U. “Questions and Answers about Vipassana,” Theravida Buddhist Society of America.
2. Hamilton, John. “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again,” NPR.org, October 2, 2008.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2

Overcoming Insomnia: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #3

Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Before you begin, as always, find a comfortable position with a tall spine. If you feel tired, opt for sitting up rather than lying down. You can always sit in a chair, but if you are just meditating for five or ten minutes, this is a good one to practice without the aid of a chair. Bonus: sitting on the floor or on a cushion without a chair helps build core stability and support for your back.

Stage 1: External Awareness

1. Close your eyes, but leave your senses open.
2. Allow your attention to flutter from one sound or experience to the next. Without lingering or obsessing on any one sound, simply listen in all directions.
3. Use your four remaining senses – without sight – to take a mental picture of your experience. If someone were to ask you about this scene later, what could you describe?
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we allow the senses to run wild, which often fulfills our need to explore the world prior to settling in.

Stage 2: Inner Awareness

1. Turn the focus inward, but do not try to control your inner experience.
2. Allow your mind free rein to experience thoughts as they come up. Similar to the external experience, avoid focusing on, suppressing, or judging any one thought. Simply experience each thought as it comes up, then allow it to pass.
3. Remain constantly aware, as if you are watching billboards passing on a highway and reading each one. You may feel as if you have drifted off or are falling asleep during this portion. Bring your awareness back to the thoughts every chance you get.
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we allow the mind to run wild, which should fulfill its desire to categorize, plan, and worry. Hopefully, by giving it permission to experience thoughts, your mind will surrender to stillness rather than give in to these tendencies.

Stage 3: Thought Control

1. Begin to call to mind a specific thought. The first one you think of is typically the best.
2. Allow your mind to experience this thought completely, seeing it from every possible angle. Then, abruptly, throw the thought away.
3. Continue this process with several thoughts. You may feel yourself clinging to the first thought and not able to throw it away. If it helps, visualize yourself writing the thought down on a piece of paper and tossing it into the trash.
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we become active participants in the meditation, no longer simply allowing the senses and mind to run free, but rather yoking them into a specific experience.
5. If you are only meditating for five minutes, you may stop right here. This alone should leave you feeling refreshed, clear, and more mindful. If you have more time and wish to take the meditation deeper, move on.

Stage 4: Meditation

Often, antar mouna meditation is broken into multiple further stages. For our purposes, we can group them together in one stage I will call “meditation.” You may ask, “But wasn’t I already meditating?” Technically, no. You were concentrating. In sanskrit, we call this dharana. It is a valuable action, and if you never go further than simply sitting still and focusing on one thing at a time, you will gain tremendous benefit.

To progress to meditation, try these steps:

1. Begin to focus more on the space between the thoughts. Initially, there may only be a fraction of a second in between. Eventually, this space will grow.
2. Watch as the space between the thoughts grows greater and greater. Work to dwell in the space between thoughts.
3. Ultimately, true meditation – dhyana – comes about when we have no thoughts at all and no awareness of the fact we are thinking or meditating.

Try this meditation every day for a week. You may find you come closer and closer to meditation each time you try to sit in silence. If you are particularly agitated one day, don’t worry. Simply move through the first three steps, and stop there. Remember the one truth about meditation: consistency or practice is the only way to get “better” at meditating. Simply sit, every day, until it gets easier.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2

Overcoming Insomnia: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #3

Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

What is Qigong?

Qi gong, like tai chi, is an ancient practice of moving energy, known as qi, through the body. It typically combines simple, gentle movements of the body done in rhythm with the breath along with mental visualizations.

While Western medicine has yet to concretely “prove” the existence of energy channels in the body, scientists have repeatedly confirmed the body emits energy along certain points and pathways at a greater frequency than others. Further, studies continue to reveal the power of the mind over the body and the effectiveness of visualization.¹

Qi gong capitalizes on both the body’s energy and the power of the mind to balance the body, either increasing energy when it is low or decreasing energy when it is high. This exercise and meditation is to decrease energy at bedtime.

Qi Gong Exercise Instructions

The intention of this exercise and visualization is to bring energy and awareness out of the mind. This exercise in particular grounds energy in the feet, creating a feeling of heaviness and fatigue in the body.

1. Sit on the edge of your bed, crossing the left ankle onto the right leg.
2. Rapidly rub your hand from the heel of your left foot to the toes of the foot. Do this 100 times.
3. While you rub the bottom of your foot, imagine your hand is a magnet drawing electrical force down your body.
4. After you are finished, shake your hand to release the energy away.
5. Repeat with your right foot.
6. Climb into bed.

Insomnia Meditation Instructions

1. Lay comfortably on your back, prepared to fall asleep. Start to tune in to the rhythm of your breath.
2. For a few moments, allow your mind to run freely as it chooses. Simply allow the thoughts to come up without focusing on any one in particular. If something arises you need to remember (“I have to pay that bill!”), take a moment to write it down on a scratch pad beside the bed. This allows you to take it off your mind.
3. After a few moments, abruptly tell your mind it is time to stop thinking.
4. Focus on the breath once more. As you inhale, imagine pulling cooling energy through your nose and into the body.
5. As you exhale, watch the energy sink down the body to the feet and out the feet into the earth. Of course, your feet will not be connected with the earth, so watch the energy move through the bed, through the floor, and into the earth below.
6. Continue like this for 36 breaths, if you can make it that long prior to falling asleep.
7. Do the exercise only once, even if you do not immediately fall asleep. It may take practice for this exercise to put you to sleep. Simply try again tomorrow night if it did not work the first time.

I have been using this nighttime meditation and exercise for a few weeks, and I have yet to make it through all 36 breaths. That is saying something, because I chose to start this meditation due to a bout of insomnia. I’m grateful for finding a version of this exercise and meditation in the book Heal Yourself with Qigong, which I fully recommend to anyone interested in using energy work to help balance the body.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2

Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4

Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5

References:
1. Suzanne Friedman, Heal Yourself with Qigong: Gentle Practices to Increase Energy, Restore Health, and Relax the Mind, (New Harbinger Publications, 2009).

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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