Namaste -Does anyone here practice yoga or previously practiced? - Page 5

LaMemChose · 11-14-2010, 11:05 PM

Bonnette, no problem. I was hesitant to post about it. Sharing that feels as though I just stripped myself naked and rolled into the town square for all to see because it was and is that personal to me.

Something else I have acquired in my meditation arsenal is breath work. That can mean different things to different people, but this is the practice I use.

I get as comfortable as I possibly can. For me, that means getting and settling into my chair and a half in my den. I cut off all electronics before beginning because being quiet, allowing my mind to become still is key. I dim the lights.

Some people have a small shrine or altar they establish in a special area in their homes for this work. Some use Judaic, Christian, Buddhist or other symbols or sacred books and a candle. Some use a Buddha, a small indoor fountain. It's whatever works for the individual to connect, to have a ritualized place and sacred space that encourages quiet, but does not lend itself to becoming just another practice like teeth brushing. For me, it is about being in that one place with the lights dimmed and the quietness, the stillness.

I focus on my breathing and have a simple, short thought to use upon inhalaton and exhalation. Getting as comfortable as possible before beggining helps.

To keep this religion free, one thought I first used was, "Peace unto me," upon inhaling slowly. Then, "Peace go through me," as I exhale. Repeat and continue breathing very slowly and even thoughfully. Repeat the thought upon breathing in and out. One thought, breathe in. Complete the thought, breathe out.

Often, the thought morphs on its own. This one changed to, "Peace unto them. Peace go to them," the first time I did it.

By being still and by thinking (praying) the thought, by repeating it inwardly while breathing slowly and consistently, a calmness and serenity occur. There is a connectedness that happens. By devoting fifteen or so minutes to this, I experience an inner shift to a very good space.

This works for me when most nothing else will and much like the whole body prayer/meditation, it's something I do alone, consistently and it does not necessitate a class or being somewhere else.

I've been doing these things in the evening, but moving the whole body prayer to the a.m. and the breath work to the p.m. might work better for me. That could provide me with more balance throughout the day.

I'll have to give that one some thought.

Bonnette · 11-14-2010, 11:39 PM

I so understand what you mean about feeling as if you've stripped and rolled into town naked by sharing your inner practice...and it's all the more rich and meaningful, for that. You've opened a space for others to speak in a similar vein, and I bow to you for having the courage to do so.

Regarding your breathwork, I do something very similar: I breathe in a thought, and breathe out another, in a rhythm like the heart's...lub-tub, lub-dub. It brings the body and mind into sync, instilling and underscoring a particular pattern. Breathing, physical posture (including hand positions) and intentional alignment with the innermost core make possible the optimal conditions for healing...which doesn't always, or even usually, mean a cure. We are laying a groundwork of possibility, and that is what counts.

marycsm77 · 11-15-2010, 06:17 AM

LaMem,

Thanks for sharing all that good stuff. Helps me on my path and hopefully maybe will help someone else as well. First sorry about the pertussis, hope you're feeling better now and when you are ready can get back to your practice. I suspect the deep breathing would be good for your lungs at this point as well.

It sounds like you have a pretty "sound" practice through yoga/meditation-prayer/tai chi. It's really nice to hear about this stuff on the forum. I know im very new but I really haven't seen any discussions regarding it and I just started up with yoga again myself since injury/surgery and wanted to hear what other people were doing.

I have practiced sporadically for years. I think I took my first yoga class with my mom when i was 15 back in the late 70's

. I had seen some of the old books like the one I this chris mentioned back when people used to think that yogis were freaks so to speak. Anyway I was never a consistent practitioner but always liked it and it always made me feel so damn good. So before I left work due to injury I had been practicing at a studio in manhattan around the block from where i worked at lunch which was great as it made my afternoon amazing and much easier to get thru. But alas when i could no longer do or work, impending surgery, could barely walk, it was out of the picture and more important things to attend to.

So now that I am 11 months post-op, I can walk but still dont have all motor function in LE and suspect that this is what i will live with for the duration. that being said I decided hmmmm. what will i do with the rest of my life?? Who is going to hire a nurse who can't stand for long periods let alone hours, let alone 8 or 12! And I will never sit at a desk 8 hours a day hunched over a computer again as all my pre-op pain in my arm resurfaces and I dont want to screw with my neck further. I decided if I'm going to work It's going to be something that is going to help my spine as well. So I started googling whether there were people who were disabled that taught yoga. This is how I found Matt Sanford's book a few months back, came right up. Read it in 2 days, amazing stuff. So I am now taking classes again, and while i am still in the "dreaming" and "planning" phase so to speak I was thinking I would like to get a teaching certificate in the future and perhaps teach to the disabled. NOW IM revealing myself!

but as I said it's a long way off....
something to aspire to.

I have always had difficulty with the meditative aspect as I have a lot of racing thoughts (not to mean in the clinical sense). I used to belong to a a meditation center here on LI Called the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, its actually around the corner from the studio I go to now. They offer "classes" in Jyoti meditation, nothing formal, it is all free, they have Satsang on Sundays free vegetarian lunch after, many workshops etc. I was attending for awhile and started to really be able to connect with the breath and almost remove myself from my body. I have meditated myself out of headaches, abdominal pains.

they were great people, extremely kind to new comers, lots of kids and families. And let me tell you, If there were ever a group of MELLOW people, this was the group. I'm not sure if anything could rattle these people who had been practicing for years. It was the calmest place. It was like everyone was walking around on a heavy dose of Xanax but they weren't

Anyway thanks for sharing all of your practices and perhaps some of the people on here who are looking for alternatives for some pain relief, body connection whatever, can come to this thread and ask some questions and get some guidance as to how to get started. I know when people here "Yoga", etc, that are not familiar they may "shy away". they may think of it as a bunch of uber fit people in pretzel position and think "Oh i could never do that", so it would be good for folks to realize that's not the case.

Also I just wanted to mention Qigong is also something that people can learn that is not as technical as Tai chi, a little easier to learn but still great benefits.

I am writing this since being up at 5:00am awake since 4:30 with the start of another headache so if any of it is senseless please forgive, I am running on little sleep and have long PT session ahead of me later.

marycsm77 · 11-15-2010, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnette

One thing that might make people wary of yoga (specifically hatha yoga, which as Cris points out is the branch devoted to physical practice) is the idea that it involves twisting oneself into knots. It's true that recent hybrid schools of yoga (such as power yoga and Bikram or so-called "hot" yoga) are strenuous and demanding, but the more traditional forms represent a full spectrum of poses and possibilities. And with adaptive yoga and the widespread use of props and chairs nowadays, the benefits can be really far-reaching. (Not to mention the possibilities available through mental/visualized yoga, when physical poses are not possible.)

In addition to Matt's book, two good ones are ExTension Yoga and Recovery Yoga by senior Iyengar instructor Sam Dworkis (who has had MS for many years). Sam has a great website, too.

Another of my favorite therapeutic yoga books is Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, a Yoga Journal publication edited by Timother McCall, MD.

And Rehab Yoga is a marvelous website with in-depth articles about yoga for SCI, MS, spasticity and many other conditions, as well as instructional slideshows illustrating the correct use of props.

Edited to add: Just saw your post, LaMemChose...marvelous description of the benefits you've received!

Bonnie,

I just checked out briefly the link to rehab yoga, seems really good, hope people check it out. I know I will be reading it in depth when my eyes are not rolling back in my head, i already feel like I've been up for an entire day.

Bonnette · 11-15-2010, 08:56 AM

Tai chi and qigong are natural partners, glad you brought that up...in fact, tai chi is considered a moving form of qigong. Their relationship is a bit like ashtanga (a series of connected poses) to individual asanas. Great point.

marycsm77 · 11-15-2010, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnette

Tai chi and qigong are natural partners, glad you brought that up...in fact, tai chi is considered a moving form of qigong. Their relationship is a bit like ashtanga (a series of connected poses) to individual asanas. Great point.

See I dont get that, as I've never done Tai chi but have done qigong a bit and found it to be very flowing and meditative. repetitive but moving.

Bonnette · 11-15-2010, 09:56 AM

Tai chi is made up of individual movements (each with its own name) assembled into a flowing series, each step a natural outgrowth of the one before, and leading into the next. Similarly, ashtanga yoga is a sequential combination of asanas performed in a continuous series of movements. The basic vocabulary of tai chi is qigong, and in a similar way the vocabulary of ashtanga is asana.

Just as with yoga, there are many schools and traditions of tai chi (Yang, Chen, Wu and Sun are a few of the most prominent), and each one has its own way of performing basic movements which have their roots in the mindful expression of energy (qigong). It's like a language...the words can be studied and spoken separately, or in composition.

chris arnold · 11-22-2010, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnette

One thing that might make people wary of yoga (specifically hatha yoga, which as Cris points out is the branch devoted to physical practice) is the idea that it involves twisting oneself into knots. It's true that recent hybrid schools of yoga (such as power yoga and Bikram or so-called "hot" yoga) are strenuous and demanding, but the more traditional forms represent a full spectrum of poses and possibilities. And with adaptive yoga and the widespread use of props and chairs nowadays, the benefits can be really far-reaching. (Not to mention the possibilities available through mental/visualized yoga, when physical poses are not possible.)

In addition to Matt's book, two good ones are ExTension Yoga and Recovery Yoga by senior Iyengar instructor Sam Dworkis (who has had MS for many years). Sam has a great website, too.

Another of my favorite therapeutic yoga books is Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, a Yoga Journal publication edited by Timother McCall, MD.

And Rehab Yoga is a marvelous website with in-depth articles about yoga for SCI, MS, spasticity and many other conditions, as well as instructional slideshows illustrating the correct use of props.

Edited to add: Just saw your post, LaMemChose...marvelous description of the benefits you've received!

That's a good point about Hatha yoga. I know my limitations, but I wouldn't be able to design a path for a quad. Older persons starting yoga are often recommended a consultation with their doc. I think the link given is very good; to rehab yoga.

Cherbears · 11-23-2010, 01:23 PM

Thanks for the information about Matt Stanford I was looking for yoga videos and found this one about Matt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpmbzAwL5ws

Bonnette · 11-23-2010, 02:07 PM

That is a marvelous video, thank you so much. I love what the doctor says about how Matt's work and teaching have changed how she practices medicine...also Matt's statement about healing being as much an art as a science. I plan to watch the other videos on that page, as well.

11-14-2010, 11:05 PM	#41
LaMemChose Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 10,935	Bonnette, no problem. I was hesitant to post about it. Sharing that feels as though I just stripped myself naked and rolled into the town square for all to see because it was and is that personal to me. Something else I have acquired in my meditation arsenal is breath work. That can mean different things to different people, but this is the practice I use. I get as comfortable as I possibly can. For me, that means getting and settling into my chair and a half in my den. I cut off all electronics before beginning because being quiet, allowing my mind to become still is key. I dim the lights. Some people have a small shrine or altar they establish in a special area in their homes for this work. Some use Judaic, Christian, Buddhist or other symbols or sacred books and a candle. Some use a Buddha, a small indoor fountain. It's whatever works for the individual to connect, to have a ritualized place and sacred space that encourages quiet, but does not lend itself to becoming just another practice like teeth brushing. For me, it is about being in that one place with the lights dimmed and the quietness, the stillness. I focus on my breathing and have a simple, short thought to use upon inhalaton and exhalation. Getting as comfortable as possible before beggining helps. To keep this religion free, one thought I first used was, "Peace unto me," upon inhaling slowly. Then, "Peace go through me," as I exhale. Repeat and continue breathing very slowly and even thoughfully. Repeat the thought upon breathing in and out. One thought, breathe in. Complete the thought, breathe out. Often, the thought morphs on its own. This one changed to, "Peace unto them. Peace go to them," the first time I did it. By being still and by thinking (praying) the thought, by repeating it inwardly while breathing slowly and consistently, a calmness and serenity occur. There is a connectedness that happens. By devoting fifteen or so minutes to this, I experience an inner shift to a very good space. This works for me when most nothing else will and much like the whole body prayer/meditation, it's something I do alone, consistently and it does not necessitate a class or being somewhere else. I've been doing these things in the evening, but moving the whole body prayer to the a.m. and the breath work to the p.m. might work better for me. That could provide me with more balance throughout the day. I'll have to give that one some thought. Last edited by LaMemChose; 11-14-2010 at 11:06 PM. Reason: typos of course.

11-15-2010, 06:17 AM	#43
marycsm77 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,298	LaMem, Thanks for sharing all that good stuff. Helps me on my path and hopefully maybe will help someone else as well. First sorry about the pertussis, hope you're feeling better now and when you are ready can get back to your practice. I suspect the deep breathing would be good for your lungs at this point as well. It sounds like you have a pretty "sound" practice through yoga/meditation-prayer/tai chi. It's really nice to hear about this stuff on the forum. I know im very new but I really haven't seen any discussions regarding it and I just started up with yoga again myself since injury/surgery and wanted to hear what other people were doing. I have practiced sporadically for years. I think I took my first yoga class with my mom when i was 15 back in the late 70's. I had seen some of the old books like the one I this chris mentioned back when people used to think that yogis were freaks so to speak. Anyway I was never a consistent practitioner but always liked it and it always made me feel so damn good. So before I left work due to injury I had been practicing at a studio in manhattan around the block from where i worked at lunch which was great as it made my afternoon amazing and much easier to get thru. But alas when i could no longer do or work, impending surgery, could barely walk, it was out of the picture and more important things to attend to. So now that I am 11 months post-op, I can walk but still dont have all motor function in LE and suspect that this is what i will live with for the duration. that being said I decided hmmmm. what will i do with the rest of my life?? Who is going to hire a nurse who can't stand for long periods let alone hours, let alone 8 or 12! And I will never sit at a desk 8 hours a day hunched over a computer again as all my pre-op pain in my arm resurfaces and I dont want to screw with my neck further. I decided if I'm going to work It's going to be something that is going to help my spine as well. So I started googling whether there were people who were disabled that taught yoga. This is how I found Matt Sanford's book a few months back, came right up. Read it in 2 days, amazing stuff. So I am now taking classes again, and while i am still in the "dreaming" and "planning" phase so to speak I was thinking I would like to get a teaching certificate in the future and perhaps teach to the disabled. NOW IM revealing myself! but as I said it's a long way off.... something to aspire to. I have always had difficulty with the meditative aspect as I have a lot of racing thoughts (not to mean in the clinical sense). I used to belong to a a meditation center here on LI Called the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, its actually around the corner from the studio I go to now. They offer "classes" in Jyoti meditation, nothing formal, it is all free, they have Satsang on Sundays free vegetarian lunch after, many workshops etc. I was attending for awhile and started to really be able to connect with the breath and almost remove myself from my body. I have meditated myself out of headaches, abdominal pains. they were great people, extremely kind to new comers, lots of kids and families. And let me tell you, If there were ever a group of MELLOW people, this was the group. I'm not sure if anything could rattle these people who had been practicing for years. It was the calmest place. It was like everyone was walking around on a heavy dose of Xanax but they weren't Anyway thanks for sharing all of your practices and perhaps some of the people on here who are looking for alternatives for some pain relief, body connection whatever, can come to this thread and ask some questions and get some guidance as to how to get started. I know when people here "Yoga", etc, that are not familiar they may "shy away". they may think of it as a bunch of uber fit people in pretzel position and think "Oh i could never do that", so it would be good for folks to realize that's not the case. Also I just wanted to mention Qigong is also something that people can learn that is not as technical as Tai chi, a little easier to learn but still great benefits. I am writing this since being up at 5:00am awake since 4:30 with the start of another headache so if any of it is senseless please forgive, I am running on little sleep and have long PT session ahead of me later. Last edited by marycsm77; 11-15-2010 at 06:26 AM.

11-23-2010, 01:23 PM	#49
Cherbears Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 210	Thanks Mary good post Thanks for the information about Matt Stanford I was looking for yoga videos and found this one about Matt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpmbzAwL5ws __________________ ________________________________________

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11-14-2010, 11:39 PM	#42
Bonnette Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,602	I so understand what you mean about feeling as if you've stripped and rolled into town naked by sharing your inner practice...and it's all the more rich and meaningful, for that. You've opened a space for others to speak in a similar vein, and I bow to you for having the courage to do so. Regarding your breathwork, I do something very similar: I breathe in a thought, and breathe out another, in a rhythm like the heart's...lub-tub, lub-dub. It brings the body and mind into sync, instilling and underscoring a particular pattern. Breathing, physical posture (including hand positions) and intentional alignment with the innermost core make possible the optimal conditions for healing...which doesn't always, or even usually, mean a cure. We are laying a groundwork of possibility, and that is what counts.

11-15-2010, 08:56 AM	#45
Bonnette Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,602	Tai chi and qigong are natural partners, glad you brought that up...in fact, tai chi is considered a moving form of qigong. Their relationship is a bit like ashtanga (a series of connected poses) to individual asanas. Great point.

11-15-2010, 09:56 AM	#47
Bonnette Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,602	Tai chi is made up of individual movements (each with its own name) assembled into a flowing series, each step a natural outgrowth of the one before, and leading into the next. Similarly, ashtanga yoga is a sequential combination of asanas performed in a continuous series of movements. The basic vocabulary of tai chi is qigong, and in a similar way the vocabulary of ashtanga is asana. Just as with yoga, there are many schools and traditions of tai chi (Yang, Chen, Wu and Sun are a few of the most prominent), and each one has its own way of performing basic movements which have their roots in the mindful expression of energy (qigong). It's like a language...the words can be studied and spoken separately, or in composition.

11-23-2010, 02:07 PM	#50
Bonnette Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,602	That is a marvelous video, thank you so much. I love what the doctor says about how Matt's work and teaching have changed how she practices medicine...also Matt's statement about healing being as much an art as a science. I plan to watch the other videos on that page, as well.