Mark Laham

one of the most common problem areas in many people these days seems to be the lower back region.  Whether you suffer from sciatic nerve problems, or simply carrying around a lot of tension.  This short yin yoga sequence can do wonders for the entire area.

All it takes is anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week to see amazing results.  You can hold the poses anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, there longer you can stay in the pose the more effective it will be.

Make sure you are not aggravating the nerve, and if you start to feel any sharpness, make sure to back off and support the pose with some props.  it is always recommended to consult with your physician before starting any new exercises.

The videos to the following sequence can be found here: 

Diamond Pose or Spread Leg Child’s Pose

Half Butterfly ( Place a rolled up towel under the extended leg of the side that you are feeling the sciatic nerve to keep the knee bent)

Laying Spinal Twist

Smiling Cow Face Pose

**If you have the time, you should finish the sequence with a 5 min relaxation, maybe placing a bolster or pillow under your knees to keep your lower back flat.

I have always encourage people to get into a home yoga practice a little more frequently.

I always tell people in class that 3 times a week for 15 to 20 minutes, is way better then 1 a week for an hour and 1/2.   

To help you out in getting started, I have design a series of instructional yoga videos (Click here to see videos)  for anyone to access online.  I have posted most of the yin poses on my site for any one to access.  And I will be posting short and long sequences from time to time. 

The layout will soon change to make it easier to use.  For know I will be posting the sequences right here on the blog. 

My recommendation is to try practicing 3 to 5 times per week for as little as 15 to 20 minutes or more if you can. Try it out  for a few months on a regular basis to see if it is of benefit to you, and let me know your feedback.

Here is the first sequence for you to try out.  Great for the hips:

Spread Leg Child’s Pose

Sphinx Pose

Dragon Pose

Gecko Pose

Laying Spinal Twist

Finishing off with 5 minutes of relaxation on your back.

Have fun exploring your body.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who showed up on The hill on Wednesday the 20th.  We had almost 300 people for our Yoga class.

We have been holding these classes for the last few years every wednesday at noon, and it seems to be catching on.

Also like to send a special thanks to Matt Hill & Stephanie Tait from Run for One Planet.

Matt and Stephanie are running a marathon everyday for one year to raise awareness about the environment.  But also to inspire action for the environment.   Check there website

http://www.runforoneplanet.com/   to give your support and check out the details of their journey.

Here is another article I found on Oprah’s website that talks about many of the health benefits of a regular yoga practice, including:

-Significant help for depression and anxiety

-Reducing heart disease, and stroke

-Recovery from Breast Cancer

-Decrease in symptoms of menopause 

-Healing Chronic back pain.

Check out the article or recomend it to a friend or someone you know who may be dealing with any of these or other illnesses or problems.

Here is a quote from Oprah about spirituality”

 Spirituality is about paying attention to your life—always asking, in every moment, “What can I learn from this?”

Check out the full comment and a great place for more conversation on the matter here.

This Article from The Yoga Journal by Baron Baptiste maybe be of interest for you runners out there.

May give you a few more reason why a proper stretching routine is a very important and complimentary to running.

-Among some of the reason he gives are:

-Body awarness

-Range of motion

-Energy efficiency

-improving VO2 Max

And since Running is very much a yang type exercise, I would highly recommend Yin yoga to open up the connective tissue layer and keep decompress your joints after all that pounding.

Here is a link to an article i found on the Institute of HeartMath website.  It gives some great tips on how deal with money troubles.

Here is a few lines from the article
“Most of us believe if we just work harder, think harder and try harder, we can resolve our financial issues. But what if focusing more brainpower and effort in these problems actually gets us even further away from finding solutions? Instead of trying even harder to think our way through these problems, here’s an alternative approach to consider. “

“A different method for resolving your challenges involves releasing stress and allowing your intuition to help guide your thoughts and actions. By using tools to stop the continual loop of anxiety and fear, we actually free up energy to find new answers to old problems. ”

“3.Shift your focus. Stop and remember the basic conveniences and luxuries you may take for granted. Much of the world lives in poverty and while it may sound simplistic, when we stop to think about someone much less fortunate, it puts our financial situations in a larger wholeness perspective.”

“5. Don’t over-saturate yourself with bad news about the economy. While staying informed is important, taking in so much disturbing news day after day, can lead to a growing sense of pessimism. Try to watch or read the financial news without getting lost in a negative mindset and look for stories that help stimulate more creative, optimistic thinking about money.” 

9.Don’t punish yourself with blame or shame. Having financial difficulties does not equate to failure. Some times the circumstances are beyond your control. Freeing yourself from these disapproving feelings enhances your perception and intuition, allowing you to think better and more clearly. Despite a sense that things may always be this way, your current condition is not permanent. Change is constant and that includes your finances.

As a kid growing up, I always hated when my father would tell me to sit up straight.  Now that I have studied and experienced the effects of years of improper posture, I wish I would have listened to him.

Here is some quotes from an article from CBS titled Straight Facts On Good Posture

“The Saturday Early Show’s Dr. Mallika Marshall says if you have good posture, it means that your bones are properly aligned. And proper alignment is necessary if you want your muscles, joints and ligaments to work properly. If you have good posture, your internal organs are in the right position and can work more effectively.”

“Bad posture can lead to serious health issues, including chronic back pain.”

“There are many signs you may have bad posture. Some of the most common are when you have rounded shoulders and a rounded upper back.”

“# Exercise Regularly: If you exercise, you are more flexible and your muscles are stronger, which helps support proper posture.”

To help you out with your posture.  Check out my video on proper sitting posture:

I also recommend you  try Yin Yoga.  It’s great to help undo years of improper posture as it focuses on the connective tissue layer.  Slowly reshaping your body to stand tall.

Try the Front line Sequence in my MindBodyWarrior Yin yoga dvd.

If you are in downtown Ottawa on Wednesdays at noon…  Join us  for free yoga classes on beautiful lawn of the Parliament buildings…

For more details check events pages.

Open the pages of any major news publication these days and you will no doubt find an article about some study suggesting that yoga and meditation have positive effects on your over all well-being.

Whether it be reduced stress, increased brain activity, or even reducing the effects of aging, there is no reason for you to delay this practice.

Here is yet another article from the Harvard Medical School giving you some more proof.

http://www.hms.harvard.edu/news/pressreleases/mgh/1105meditation.html

Here are a few quotes from the article:

….. regular practice of meditation appears to produce structural changes in areas of the brain associated with attention and sensory processing… …particular areas of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, were thicker in participants who were experienced practitioners of a type of meditation …

…meditation can produce experience-based structural alterations in the brain…

… meditation may slow down the aging-related atrophy of certain areas of the brain…..

…meditation can produce alterations in brain activity, and meditation practitioners have described changes in mental function that last long after actual meditation ceases, implying long-term effects…

Add this to the list of other studies done all over the world at universities and research institutes that show the benefits of meditation or what I like to call “Focused Attention”. The only question left is how do I start.

Check out my video on meditation for some easy to use tips: