Brilliant Idiot

In my ongoing effort toward world domination through yoga (mwahahahahahaaaaa) I'm going to post Yoga Snacks here, off my website and out of my book. The idea is they will be things you can do any time, any where, throughout your day and they only take a minute or so.

Ask questions, too, if you like. As soon as I can get my nose away from my navel long enough to type, I'll answer.

Brilliant Idiot

Your Body Relaxes When You Breathe Out. I call it, The Relaxation Response.

Notice it for yourself. Try the following experiment right now:

Take a big breath…

When you let it go, notice that, for a fraction of a second, your body relaxes
and lets go.

(waiting, waiting, waiting while you try this …. )
(try this as much as you like!)

(still waiting, cause I know this exercise can get addictive.)

Today's Yoga Snack
Throughout your day, whenever it occurs to you, take a second to notice this Relaxation Response. Take a breath, let it go and notice your body letting go and relaxing as you breathe out.

Paq

awesome, i've been doing some of the 'milder' forms of yoga for a while for the excercise/health benefits, so i'm mainly bookmarking this, but yeah, i try to notice the relaxation response from exhaling during most of my day.

__________________
Live.

Chris

snowy

I like this. My main problem with yoga is some of the poses are too intense for me (back problems) but yoga is very good for building back strength when done slowly and avoiding those strenuous poses. Perhaps some of your yoga snacks will include poses meant for those of us who are back-challenged?

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

thingstodo

Cool. My wife is a yoga instructor, so I'm always paying attention to yoga "stuff." A small tidbit eevery few days will be pretty neat to have!

__________________
If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

Rodney

Which ones are hard for you? I speak as someone who's done basic (very basic) yoga for years, working around a back problem.

Tachion

I know Brilliant Idiot is too humble to say this. (I know who she is!)

She is an extremely well respected yoga instructor and has a published a book on this very topic of yoga for those who can't bend!

We will learn a lot!

Charlatan

I have been thinking of getting back into yoga to help with my flexibility (or lack thereof). I do a lot of breathing execises in trying to strengthen my lungs for kendo.

I've just never paid any attention to the fact that I relax more when exhaling.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

JustJess

Considering my back (and knee and ankle) issues... I will be paying attention! Hopefully I can manage a yoga class IRL soon.

__________________
My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talkin'.

snowy

It's not so much the poses as it is the speed, and when taking classes it's impossible to control the speed the instructor goes at. As for the specific poses, it's been a long time since I've done yoga, so they escape my memory at the moment.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Brilliant Idiot

So, I'm going to take a wild guess here, but I think you people are voting for some yoga snacks for the back.

OK - here's a good one to build up strength in your lower back and abdominals. It doesn't provide immediate relief after a hard day, (I'll offer up other Yoga Snacks for that later), but it's very good for building up your back, over time, without damaging it. It's called the Pelvic Push.

Do this: Against a firm surface.
Against the back of your chair; lying down on the floor, (beds are too soft for this); against an elevator wall, etc. etc.

You can try this now, as you sit at your computer, doing it against the back of your chair.

Have your neck, spine, hips and legs lined up with each other. If you're sitting, have your legs in line with your hips, both feet on the floor. Don't have your legs crossed.

Press the small of your back against your supporting surface. If you're doing this now, press the small of your back against the back of your chair.

The idea is that you will flatten out your back, so that your entire back is in firm contact with the back of your chair, (or the wall or the floor). This also makes your hips tilt.

If you do it well, you'll probably feel it in your abdominals, your lower back and your butt, even in your thighs.

Hold this position for 6, long, slow breaths out. Then, relax your back. Notice all the muscles that are letting go. Wait while they let go of all tension from the stretch.

It's best if you can do this three times. But any number of repetitions is good.

Here's a gif of what it would look like if you did this against the floor and had magical arrows appearing out of mid-air:

What to pay attention to as you hold the pose
First repetition: Press your back moderately firmly, as if to give your muscles a friendly wake up call. Not to the point of straining yourself! Then, forget about the pose as you hold it. All you need to think about is the Relaxation Effect that we talked about earlier. As you breathe out, notice different parts of your body letting go, like your shoulders, or your face or your feet.

Second Repetition: Press your back very firmly, but don't strain. Then, forget about the pose as you hold it. All you need to think about is the rest of your body sinking down and letting go as you brethe out.

Third Repetition: Press your back very firmly, but don't strain. Let your body sink down and let go as you breathe out. Then, for your last few breaths, press your back more and more firmly every time you breathe out. Each time you breathe out, as long as you're breathing out, press more and more firmly. Hold your new position each time you breathe in. When you reach your limit, (short of collapsing in exhaustion), let the exercise go.


Coming Soon
General Tips for Safety and for getting the most out of the Yoga Snacks.

Brilliant Idiot

I hear you about the speed the instructors go. It's an interesting problem, because, if they're paying attention, they pace themselves according to the class and according to the time they have, etc, which can leave the individual floundering from time to time. And the whole idea of yoga is to go at your own speed, listeningn to the cues from your body, so it's tricky to be doing that and have someone urging you along.

I think this is more of a problem when the instructor approaches the class like it's a stretch class, or like it's aerobics, as opposed to yoga. Definitely some forms of yoga move along at a pretty intense pace, like Bikrams (Hot) yoga, and some Ashtanga classes can be like that.

When I was learning, and found myself in classes like that, I would just go at my own pace and pick up a little information to help me with my own practice when I got home. I don't know if that would work for you?

Brilliant Idiot

ThingsToDo,

I love the quotes in your signature line, especially the one about Christmas.

Tachion,

OK OK - Your cheque will be in the mail on Monday.

And
To anyone here who wants to work on their back problems. PM me and I'll send you some links.

Brilliant Idiot

Interesting point came up... someone in real life telling me that they weren't sure about doing yoga because they weren't flexible. If that holds you back from doing yoga, consider this:

The benefits of yoga come, not from going to extreme positions, but from working at your own, personal limit. So, when you stretch and breath, letting your body relax into your limit, however humble that limit is, you are getting the same benefits as I am when I wrap myself up like a pretzel.

Being infelxible is actually an advantage when you're doing yoga. It makes you pay attention to the greater lessons of breathing, centering and relaxing as you try to extend your flexibility. It is the breathing, centering and relaxing that will ripple through your whole life.

So - hurray for being inflexible!

Brilliant Idiot

Here's one that will gives you a good release in your lower back, shoulders and neck by gently twisting. It can be instant relief for back and shoulder strain. I use it a lot as an office break.

Don't do this is you're pregnant or have issues with the bones in your spine, (like arthritic spine, osteoporosis or a fused spine).

Start
Sitting in your chair
You can sit facing forward, with your back into the back of your chair
Or you can sit sideways in your chair, with the back of the chair along your arm & side.

Make sure you are settle squarely into your chair, legs, hips, back and neck lined up with each other.

Now turn your body toward the back of your chair.
Hold on to the back of your chair with both hands, (hands at the same side of your body. See picture.)

As you breathe out, start twisting.
To encourage the twist, use your hands to push against the back of your chair.

Start the twist by turning at your waste.
Then keep going by turning your body.
Then keep going by turning your shoulders.
The turn your head as far as you can - without pain!

Stop before anything hurts!

Tip: If your neck is sensitive, then don't turn it too much, or don't turn it at all.

Hold it for a breath or two.
Then slowly undo the twist by reversing your movements.
Take the time to wait for the stretch to release completely before doing it again. (Wait until all your muscles let go of the stretch before repeating it.)
Do three times. Then switch sides.

Breathing
To get the most out of this exercise, twist while you're breathing out, then pause as you breathe in, then continue the twist as you breathe out. (Going along with the Relaxation Effect.
Don't force your breathing. Just long, slow, lingering breaths out. Breathing about 2/3 full and about 2/3 empty.

Brilliant Idiot

Here's a nice refresher that you can do at the office when you've been sitting for a long time. It also gives some relief for a tired lower back. It's called Complete Breath

Stand up, legs together.
Stretch your arms over head as high as they'll go.
Even better if you can grab on to the top of a door frame and use that to help the stretch.



Breathe in as much air as you possibly can.
Stretch as much as you can - but not to the point of pain
Hold it gently for a heart beat or two.

Let go of the stretch by letting your arms float to your sides, while
Slowly letting go of your breath.
(Breathing out through your mouth is OK. This can be done as if you're blowing air over a bottle.)
Breathe out every last bit of air and then

Repeat as much as you like!

The key to making this refreshing is to make the stretches as full as possible and to make your breathing as full and as empty as possible. Do it vigorously.

Brilliant Idiot

Neck Stretches

We all do them. Here's out to get the most out of them.

Basics of the Neck Side Stretch
Facing forward.
Your neck and spine are lined up with each other, (not twisted).
Bring your ear toward its corresponding shoulder.
You'll feel a strong stretch on the opposite side of your neck.

Key
Keep your face pointing forward the entire time.
Don't roll or twist your neck.
Notice if your shoulders are hiked up. If they are, let them drop.

Breathing
Remember that your body relaxes as you breathe out... so....
As you hold the stretch
Notice your shoulders dropping down as you breathe out.
Let your ear follow your shoulders downward as you breathe out as much as they're ready to.
This will increase the stretch.

As you breathe in, pause the stretch, keeping your position,
let your shoulders float upward loosely.

Keep doing this until you're definitely not going to stretch any farther.
Hold that position for 1 - 4 breaths.
Then let it go.

Releasing the stretch
Bring your head upright.
Take the time to notice the muscles letting go.
Wait until they've relaxed completely before doing the other side.

Do three times each side
Alternate sides.

You'll notice that each repetition you're neck might be ready to stretch farther than it did last time.

Remember - do nothing to the point of pain!

Brilliant Idiot

Forward Neck Stretch


Key
Stretch your chin and head forward before bringing it down toward your chest.

Once your chin is at your chest, (or as close as it will go)
Hold the position.
You should feel a nice stretch in the back of your neck.
Check to see if your shoulders are hiked up. They they are, let them drop.

Breathing
Again, as you breathe out, your body relaxes and the stretch will increase.
With your chin in position near your chest:
Breathe out.
Let your chin follow your chest downward as much as possible.

To breathe in
Pause your movement. Hold your position.
Breathe in. Let your shoulders stay loose.

Breathing out, see if your chin will follow your chest downward any farther.
etc etc. until you know you've hit your limit.

At your limit, hold your position for 1 - 4 breaths.

To release
Reverse the movements that got you into the stretch. (That's a general rule for yoga.)

Brilliant Idiot

Neck Rolls
With the Neck Roll, you're drawing half circles with your chin.

Start by doing the Forward Neck Stretch (above) to put you into your starting position.

Then roll your head to the side, so that you end up with your ear near your shoulder, just like in the Neck Side Stretch.

Hold it there for 1 - 6 breaths, the same way you did with the Neck Side Stretch.

Keys
The rolling motion is done by rolling your jaw along your chest, (or as close to that as you can manage). So the bottom of your jaw is drawing the semi-circle.
Another key is that you keep your eyes and nose pointing forward the entire time.

Next
Roll to the front again, by reversing your movements.
Pause there, for 1 - 6 breaths, holding it just as you did the Forward Neck Stretch.

Then roll to the other side.

Continue going back and forth as much as you like

Safety Tip Don't roll your head to the back. Just back and forth from one side, to the front, to the other side to the front again.

Brilliant Idiot

Quick Way to Drop Stress
There's an old yoga saying, "As go the eyes, so goes the breathing". I would add: as goes the breathing so go the mind and body.

Notice that, when you're tense, you've tightened up your eyes.

Every now and then, notice the muscles around your eyes. If you're holding them tightly, if you're squinting a little, let the muscles relax. Let them feel like they're sliding down your face. Your breathing will instantly relax, too - becoming slower, more restful and more even.

Zeraph

Just wanted to thank you for doing this.

Brilliant Idiot

Thanks, Zeraph. Your feedback will help keep me going.

New Snacks coming as soon as I have a minute.

Sweetpea

i really really love this thread!

keep it up and Thanks for sharing!

sweetpea

__________________
Having a Pet Will Change Your Life!
Looking for a great pet?! Click Here!
"I am the Type of Person Who Can Get Away With A lot, Simply Because I Don't Ask Permission for the Privilege of Being Myself"

Brilliant Idiot

I'm so glad you're getting something out of it.

Here are some more ideas to help you through this week:

First - if you'd like a quick energy boost any time of day, one that builds abdominal and back strength, improves your breathing and even warms you up in the middle of Febrrrruuuuuuuary, try the Abdominal Lifts .

I've also posted this as a new thread challenging the Push Up People to a Duel. hehehehe. Let's give these Push-Up folk a run for their abdominal money! If you do them every morning on an empty stomach, you'll soon be up to 10 - 20 lifts per round. (That's a tip I didn't give the push up people. mwhahahahahahaaa.)

(Incidentally, I personally feel this is the single most important yoga exercise to know, other than just breathing in and out.)

Back Relief Using the Puppy
This one's a little less 'Snacky' cause it doesn't easily lend itself to the office. But if you have the chance to grab a little bit of floor space, the Puppy will quickly relieve strain in your lower back and shoulders.
Here's what it looks like, on a good day:

I have detailed instruction and modifications here.

Brilliant Idiot

PS: Zaraph and Sweet Pea, I've been meaning to tell you, I love the quotes you each have in your signature lines.

Brilliant Idiot

Instant Relaxation
This is a breathing exercise / visualization that can immediately calm you, slow down your breathing and help you drop stress. You can do it for only a breath or two, or for as long as you like. (Don't do this while driving, folks! LOL )

The Sponge

Imagine you are a sponge, lying in a pool of warm water.
Imagine yourself bobbing at the surface, gently supported by the water.

Imagine the pores of your body are like pores of The Sponge.
As you breathe in, feel yourself drawing in this warm water through every pore in your body.

As you breathe out, feel the water soaking into your whole body. Soon the water bathes each cell in warmth.

As the water soaks into your body, you begin to feel heavy and your weight sinks down.

Each time you breathe in, you are drawing in more of this warm water through your pores.

Each time you breathe out, the water is soaking into your bones, your muscles, your cells, until your whole body is warm and heavy.


If you want me to talk you through it, here's a link:
http://www.audioyoga.com/sponge.htm
There's an audio track on there that starts with some nice gentle music and then I talk you through this visualization. Enjoy!

sunkssd

This is a really good idea. I've been doing Yoga for about 4 years now. I do it first thing every morning. It helps me to focus and prepare for the upcoming day.

Supple Cow

You know, this is the first time I popped in here and I'm a bit surprised. I expected to see a thread asking for suggestions on what to eat before or between yoga classes. Good thing I finally decided to see what's Yoga Snacks actually are!

This is a lot of great information. Thanks so much for sharing it here!

__________________
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

Brilliant Idiot

Dear supple one - A light bulb just came on over my head as I read your post! I never imagined people would think Yoga Snacks were about eating. I've been too close to the concept to see that! (5 years after inventing them! Oh, well. We're all a work in progress.) Thus, my user ID.

Brilliant Idiot

Right on, Sunkssd. What kind of yoga activities do you do in the morning?

Brilliant Idiot

1:2 Breathing
This will help you learn to pace your breathing. As you aquire a better breathing pace, you will have better air exchange and your breathing will become more relaxed throughout the day. At first, as you practice this, though, it might not feel relaxing. The effects are more long term.... and - it will help your adominal lifts. (See my thread challenging push up people to a duel!)

Do this exercise whenever you have a minute - like when you're on hold on the phone or waiting in traffic or waiting for an elevator, or standing in line in the bank. As you get used to this exercise, it can feel very peaceful very quickly.

o Lie back or sit upright, or stand. In any case, have your legs not crossed, arms by your sides.

o Take a moment to enjoy the mere fact of breathing.
o Feel air flowing into your body as you breathe in.
o Feel your body releasing as you breathe out.

Now… wake up…. and get back to the exercise.
(Work. Work. Work.)

Step 1
o start counting how long it takes you to breathe in.

Count mental seconds or heart beats, any steady pace that allows you to keep track of how long it’s taking you to breathe in.

Do this for a moment or two, to get used to how long it takes you, on average to breathe in.

(There is no right or wrong answer here. (You can’t fail at yoga. Honest.) What you’re trying to do is get an idea of how long it’s taking, on average, for you to breathe in right now. So take a moment to get the hang of that. You don’t need to make your breaths too full or too empty. About two-thirds full and two-thirds empty will do nicely.)

Step 2
o Once you've figured out how long it's usually taking you to breathe in, start taking twice as long to breathe out.

If you took 3 second to breathe in, you want to take 6 second to breathe out.

You'll have to pace your breathing here. Try breathing out through your mouth, like you're blowing a kiss. Or imagine you're blowing across the top of a pop bottle, trying to get it to make a sound.

As you get better and better at this exercise, you can just go right to Step 2 whenever you have a minute.

mixedmedia

I'm so happy to see this thread....Brilliant Idiot, please keep it up!

I have been doing yoga about a year and a half. Just at home for the first year using tapes - Iyengar Yoga - Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden. About three months ago I began attending Bikram yoga classes and I am totally hooked. Even though it is sometimes a challenge to find a way to pay for them, I cannot imagine not having those classes to retreat into twice a week. Now, I have read that there is controversy regarding the use of heat in the classes and I was wondering, Brilliant Idiot, what is your opinion of it? Do you think it is too much? I must admit that, sometimes, it is a little much to handle accompanied with the pace and difficulty of some of the poses.....but a part of me really likes it, too. Our instructor is easy-going and very lenient when it comes to allowing his students to go at their own pace, but there is another Bikram studio in town with an instructor that I have heard referred to as the "Yoga-Nazi," lol. Apparently she pushes her students and restricts their intake of water....I have no interest in this sort of instruction. Do you know of any negative effects that "hot yoga" can have if practiced at a manageable pace?

Thank you.

Brilliant Idiot

This is a really juicy question!

On the medical end: your body will be more flexible in warmer conditions. And the sweating can rid you of toxins - not to mention a lot of water!!

Downside: Many people are medically sensitive to heat. There are a lot of medical conditions that are made worse with long exposure to hot conditions. Also, if you're not very fit, it's extremely demanding on your heart and vascular system to put that heavy demand on it.

Also, with your vascular system intensely busy cooling you off, your body won't like redirecting any blood to your stomach to process food. So, if you've eaten before hand, you can feel sick.

The real issue is what your teacher is like. There are yoga nazi's who are unrelenting. I feel that harsh approach seems rather un-yoga like. I mean, yoga means 'unity' and it's supposed to be about a harmony between body and mind. That is, you're supposed to be listening to the messages from your body and adjusting what you do accordingly. Right? Pushing yourself seems to go against this harmonic dialogue and can often result in injury. (Hey, if you're body is screaming with pain or is feeling ill, guess what it's saying. It's saying "Stop That!" )

I like the sound of your teacher.

I think you really have to be in shape before taking on hot yoga. And the pace of these classes is such that you really need to know your poses already, so you don't injure yourself.

Personally, I want to try it out. Because, although I love and need the contemplative side of yoga, I also like a really great work out. I don't think I'll handle the heat well, though.

Tips: Go in on an empty stomach, (no food for two hours before, no water for an hour before). Little sips of water throughout the workout and then a litre of cool water when you're done, then, two hours later, another big glass or two. Don't eat until about 20 mins after the work out is over, to give your body and vascular system time to recover.


PS: Sorry there aren't any new Snacks lately. I've been busy with transferring my billiantidito.com site over to a new format and applying for funding for a new project. Until I get back, remember that most essential of yoga practices: keep breathing in and out.

mixedmedia

Yes, it definitely aids in flexibility. And I hope I am ridding myself of toxins as my yoga clothes are literally as wet as a bathing suit after just stepping out of a pool after class.

This would explain why most of the people who keep coming back are in pretty good shape. Our teacher likes to say that those who hang in there are special in their commitment and desire to better themselves. Perhaps he's just blowing sunshine up our skirts.

Absolutely! For me, it has to be more than two hours and I have to be really careful about what I eat, too. Nothing too heavy.

I couldn't agree with you more. There isn't a much more dichotomous phrase than yoga-nazi. Not to mention, as you said, the risk of injury if some of these postures are done incorrectly.

I like him very much, too. He brings humor and fun to the class without losing focus on discipline and effort.

Well, I didn't know the postures before starting the class, but the instruction has been good. And I am taught new ways of correcting and improving them each class.

I do regret there not being much emphasis on the spiritual in this form of yoga. While there is meditation before and after the class it is short-termed and not guided.

Thank you for these tips! I was wondering about the whens and how much-es of water consumption. Although, I do pick up a smoothie on the way home almost always. Is that not appropriate?
And maybe my digestion is slow, but I need at least 3-4 hours in between eating and class. Except for the early morning ones, where I will eat just a piece of toast two hours before.


Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to check out your site when it is done.
Namaste.